Chapter 10

Tien opened his eyes.

At that moment, what he felt was the pungent smell of disinfectant piercing the back of his nose.

Next, he sensed a familiar, reassuring scent.

"…Teacher?"

He realized he was lying on an unfamiliar bed, and that he was in some kind of clinic.

But why was the teacher here?

The teacher was sitting on a chair, head in hands, but suddenly looked up,

"Tien, you're awake… I'm glad."

The teacher stood up and gently placed a hand on Tien's forehead.

His eyes seemed to be moist, but in the dimness, it was hard to tell.

The room had only one magic lamp lit.

There were several other beds in the room, and several people were sleeping.

However, the outline of the counter and the atmosphere of the room were familiar.

It was the mine's administrative office.

"…Why are we here, in the mine's office…"

"Yes, yes. That's right. On Nina's instructions, it temporarily became a first-aid station."

"Nina…?"

In Tien's mind, the image of a small maid appeared.

The maid who had given Tien water and cooked a meal that he could eat, teaching him the feeling of being full for the first time in a long time.

The only payment for that was a tour of the mine.

During the mine accident, she was supposed to have stayed behind, but…

(I see.)

It wasn't just Emilie and Astrid.

Nina had also helped outside the mine, had fought for them.

"…Hey, Teacher."

When he thought of those three girls, Tien's heart was filled with a warm yet frustrating feeling.

So, the words came out naturally.

"Chi wants to leave the town. If possible, with Nina."

The teacher smiled as if to say, "I expected you to say that," and nodded slowly.

"And, Chi wants to… meet his father and mother someday. To find out why they abandoned him… It's scary, but I want to know."

The teacher nodded again slowly, and then said,

"No matter how far away, I pray for your safety. Every day, I offer my prayers to God… for Tien, the proud Moon Wolf Tien, to have a safe journey."

Tien knew these words were not a lie.

The teacher prays every day at the convent.

Especially after children leave the orphanage, the prayers are even more thorough.

The teacher always prays.

For the children to be healthy and safe, wherever they may be.

"…It seems the rain has stopped."

He knew this from the smell.

When the teacher opened the wooden window, a damp air flowed in.

Indeed, the rain had stopped, and the eastern sky was brightening.

---

"Why not?" Emilie thought.

"Ah, Emilie, Astrid, good morning~"

It was around 8:00 in the morning.

The bed at the inn was hard, but Emilie had slept soundly.

Indeed, she might have overslept a bit today.

She had used too much magic yesterday and had walked a lot, going in and out of the mine.

Even Emilie, who was used to walking, was tired, and Astrid was still staggering around with her eyes closed.

But Nina must have been the same.

She had carried things that would normally require two adults to carry, all by herself, to set up the first-aid station.

When asked why she was so strong, her answer was, "It's natural for a maid"—

"That's fine."

"Eh?"

"Did you sleep properly? You worked later than we did, didn't you! Why are you already up and even doing laundry!?"

"It's natural for a maid."

Each time she heard those words, Emilie's head spun.

She felt her initial question, "Is this what maids are like?" turning into a common sense, "Of course, she's a maid."

No.

That's not right.

It's definitely not right.

"Alright. I'll do my own laundry."

Emilie squatted next to Nina, who was kneading the clothes in a basin.

"But…"

"You're not my maid, are you?"

"That's…"

Nina's spirits sank.

(Sigh…)

Emilie thought it was time to do something about this.

(Astrid)

She cast a glance at her companion.

Astrid, standing there, was still sleeping.

---

The news of the mine accident spread through the town with a shock.

After finishing a late breakfast and stepping out into the town where the rain from yesterday had not yet dried, everyone was talking about the accident.

"—It will take three months to repair."

"—I heard six months."

"—What are you talking about? If it takes six months, the town will dry up!"

"—The workers will also leave."

"—The mine manager says…"

All of it was second-hand information, and there was no solid basis for any of it, but it was enough to make the residents anxious.

Hearing the snippets of conversation, Nina said,

"Emilie?"

"Hm? What is it?"

"Um… well, um… never mind."

She pulled back the words she was about to say,

"Oh, the market! It's lively today, isn't it?"

She changed the subject.

Nina and the others had come to the market to buy food and supplies for their next journey.

They had accomplished their goal of touring the mine and even helped minimize the damage from the accident.

Honestly, Emilie was also thinking, "I've had enough of the mine."

She wanted to go to a scenic seaside town and drink tropical juices while looking at the sea.

That was the extent of Emilie's idea of a "resort."

"—Nina"

But,

"Should we stay in this town a little longer?"

Emilie said.

She knew without asking that Nina wanted to help with the mine's recovery and that she felt she needed Emilie's magic and Astrid's wisdom because she lacked the power to do it alone.

"It feels wrong to leave the town to decline because of the accident when we can do something."

"Emilie…"

"Fortunately, or rather, the power of Emilie and Astrid can be used in situations like this."

"Emilie-san!"

"Whoa!?"

She was hugged so suddenly that Emilie's eyes widened.

"What, what's wrong, Nina?"

"Emilie-san, you're too wonderful…"

"Hey, help, Astrid!"

"Seeing Emilie with a red face is rare, so I want to keep watching for a while."

"Cut it out!"

"It's fine. Since you're worried about Nina, you probably feel responsible for what you've said, so I thought I should say it for you… like I did last night."

"Hey! Don't spill the beans!"

"Emilie-san!"

"Give! Nina, give up! You're so strong!"

While pushing her away, Emilie was happy.

It wasn't just because she was thanked by Nina.

(This girl… showed me the "non-maid" side of herself.)

Nina, who was deeply ingrained as a "maid," had shown her emotions openly.

This made Emilie very happy.

"Nina, that's enough. Astrid and I will go back to the inn to get our tools. We need to extend our stay, too."

"Ah, I can do that much…"

"I have a favor to ask of you. I want you to check on Tien."

"!"

Tien was left at the mine's administrative office, as the doctor said he was out of danger and the teacher was there.

Nina was also worried about him.

"Let's meet up at the mine later."

"Yes, yes!"

Nina parted ways with the two and headed to the mine's administrative office—

"—So, Emilie, are you really going to do it?"

"Yes. I think now is a good opportunity. Did you see Nina's face just now? She's not just worried about us; she's also concerned about the mine workers. 'If we help with the recovery, we might take their jobs,' or something like that."

"That's true. When it gets to that point, it feels more like a curse of consideration than kindness."

"Also… I think Tien…"

"Yeah. Tien will probably want to go with Nina, too."

They exchanged glances and smiled wryly.

"Really, that girl… How many more companions will she gather?"

"I'm curious to see how many more will join."

"Are you serious?"

"Just kidding."

"Right."

Emilie sighed softly and said,

"Let's go then. —To the Adventurer's Guild."

She started walking.

The next chapter will be the epilogue of the entire story.

Also, the book version of this work has been decided.

I am making significant revisions to parts that had issues and reorganizing the plot to make it more interesting.

I would be grateful if you could pick up a copy when it is released.

I will provide more details in the future.

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