Chapter 4

When Nina entered the Adventurer's Guild, she immediately noticed the trouble.

A girl who looked like a mage was being teased.

And the fact that there were no quests available for her.

(...Even if I want to work, I can't. I'm in the same boat.)

Thinking this, Nina took action.

She issued a request for the girl—Emiri—to be her bodyguard and accepted it.

Then, she took Emiri, who still hadn't fully grasped the situation, out of the guild.

"...Sorry, thank you. I've calmed down now. You helped me, didn't you?"

"That's not it. I thought I would ask Emiri for help."

The two were in a park in the city.

It wasn't a park with playground equipment, but rather a square with a bit of greenery and a few benches.

They sat side by side, leaving a space for one person between them.

"About the bodyguard request? ...But I can't do it. Did you hear? I'm a mage, but I can only use '1st Tier' magic."

"It's fine—well, I think it's fine. I just want to ask you to accompany me to a spring in the outskirts."

"Oh. The Clay Spring, right? It's true that the peach blossoms might be in full bloom now..."

"That's it! Have you ever been to the Clay Spring, Miss Emiri!?"

Nina leaned in, closing the gap between them, and Emiri was a bit taken aback.

"Y-Yes... I have, but..."

"Great! I heard the path to the spring is simple, but I have almost no experience walking outside the mansion, so I'm not confident. That's why I want to ask you to be my bodyguard."

"Bodyguard? More like a guide. I don't mind that much."

Besides, she had already accepted the request, Emiri continued.

Nina had used the guild to "request" Emiri, thus leading her out of the tense situation.

If an adventurer caused trouble with a client, they would be frowned upon by the guild.

This left the man with no choice but to back down.

"Let's go then!"

"Wait, now?"

"Yes. Is there a problem?"

"It's almost noon, and if we leave now, we'll have to camp in the forest."

"Camping!"

A word she had never used or heard while working in the mansion.

Nina's excitement rose, but Emiri looked at her with a disbelieving eye, thinking it was hard to believe that a woman could be excited about camping.

"Are you really going now?"

"Is it not possible...?"

Nina's energy deflated like a punctured balloon, and Emiri felt a mysterious sense of guilt.

"Alright, I'll do it. The forest near the Clay Spring isn't very dangerous for camping."

"Wow, you really are an adventurer, Miss Emiri!"

"..."

Emiri didn't mind being called an adventurer. In fact, she wanted to be treated more like one.

"Then let's prepare for camping and go."

"Yes! I'll follow Miss Emiri's instructions!"

"...No, you're the employer, remember? And please stop calling me 'Miss Emiri.' Then I'll have to call you 'Miss Nina,' right?"

"U...Understood. Emiri-san."

"Um, well, that's fine. But I'll call you Nina, okay?"

"Sure!"

"Hehe. What a strange client."

"Is that so?"

"Yes. I've never heard of a maid requesting a bodyguard—"

△

The commercial city of Fullmoon is surrounded by a wall.

Outside the wall, there are farms, shops selling travel supplies, and some houses, but mostly it's untouched nature.

"Two women, huh? Even if it's the Clay Spring, be careful."

The guard returned Emiri's adventurer's license and said.

"Bandits... don't appear around there, but I've heard rumors of giant birds stealing horses recently."

"Giant birds? The Clay Spring is in the forest, so it should be fine, right?"

"Hmm. That's true. In any case, be careful."

"Okay."

Emiri waved her hand, and the guard moved on to the next traveler.

The two of them proceeded through the vast grassland.

There was a path, so they didn't have to worry about their footing.

They passed people who seemed to be returning from the Clay Spring, but only half of them had bodyguards. It seemed peaceful.

After three hours, they could see the entrance to the forest.

"From here on, it's the forest. I don't recommend spending the night inside. Let's camp here for the night."

"Okay."

"...Are you alright?"

"What do you mean?"

"Ah, yeah, never mind, it's nothing."

"?"

It was understandable why Emiri would say such a thing.

For the unnecessary camping, they had brought necessary items like blankets, food, and even cooking utensils because Nina had said, "I want to cook outside."

These items had to be carried as "luggage."

Normally, adventurers would share the load, but since Emiri was the only one, and Nina had offered to carry some, she was carrying a fair amount of luggage.

Nina, with her small frame, had carried a large backpack for three hours.

Despite this, Nina seemed completely fine.

"Hey, you're pretty strong, aren't you?"

"It's natural for a maid."

Nina placed her hands together and bowed politely.

—Is that so? Is it really that natural for a maid?

Emiri wondered, but she had never been around maids, so she didn't know.

"Alright, let's start a fire... I can do this much, at least. Actually, I can't do much else."

"Only this much?"

"Don't worry about it."

Emiri skillfully gathered some firewood and placed her hand over it.

"O Flame Spirit, gather in my hand and dance."

When the flame lit up after the incantation, Nina exclaimed, "Wow."

The flame was absorbed by the dry branches and began to burn them.

"...Is this your first time seeing magic?"

"It's my first time seeing fire magic—very mysterious. And mystical and beautiful."

"I see."

Emiri smiled sadly, but Nina didn't know why.

"Then, it's my turn! Let me get the food."

As Nina rolled up her sleeves and took out the food,

"Huh? Can you cook? Oh, right, maids can... right?"

"Leave it to me."

Nina placed her hand on her chest and bowed respectfully—Emiri thought every gesture was graceful—and began to cook.

"I could die..."

While it was an exaggeration to say she could die, Emiri felt such happiness.

It was a shock.

She never expected the food to be this delicious during camping.

"I could die from being full..."

The items they bought in the city were from shops Emiri usually used, so they weren't bad.

However, Nina's cooking was elaborate.

She seared the surface of the meat with fat before boiling it, added several herbs that Emiri would never use, and the highlight was the many seasonings.

It looked like a tomato-based meat soup, but it had a deep flavor she had never tasted before, and Emiri couldn't help but ask for seconds—seconds from the pot.

"I'm glad you enjoyed it."

"You could do this professionally. I never thought I'd be eating Italian food here..."

"Italian—what?"

"Ah, no, it's fine, don't worry about it."

"Is that so? Then, are you going to rest, Emiri?"

"!"

Emiri, who had been lying down, sat up abruptly.

"Night watch is the job of an adventurer. I can't let you do it—"

"Come now, don't say that."

When Nina, sitting beside her, pulled her hand, Emiri couldn't resist and lay down again. When she felt something soft touch the back of her head, it was Nina's knee.

"Huh? Huh? Huh?"

"From the looks of it, Emiri is quite tired. If you can relax even a little bit..."

Nina's fingers ran through Emiri's hair, applying pressure to key points.

After a tingling sensation, Emiri felt the tension in her body release.

It was a scalp massage.

"Mmm..."

"You've been tense as a bodyguard. Thank you. Please relax now."

"Mmm, mmm..."

Emiri felt the pleasant sensation release the tension in her body.

The campfire crackled nearby, and the surroundings were quiet in the night.

Looking up, the sky was filled with stars.

In a moment of drowsiness, Emiri fell asleep.