Chapter 7

"Oh, you're back?"

As the bushes rustled, Teresa appeared.

The mud was completely gone, her hair was damp and sleek, and the skirt peeking out from under her robe clung to her thighs.

She must have put it on before it was completely dry.

"Come over here and warm yourself by the fire. The soup will be ready soon."

While she was gone, I had fetched water, started a fire, and made the soup.

Teresa nodded at my words, approached me obediently, and planted her staff in the ground, draping her cloak over it.

She held out her hands in front of her, warmed herself by the fire, and let out a relieved sigh.

"It does get cold at night, so it's best to warm yourself from the inside to avoid catching a cold."

As I said this, I ladled some soup into a cup and handed it to her.

She took the cup and bowed. Then, after blowing on it, she sipped the soup.

"The seasoning is just dried meat and salt, but I added some edible plants I found around here, so it should fill you up pretty well."

She nodded in agreement. I also drank the soup I had made, feeling the warmth spread through my body from the inside.

Sitting across from the fire, I could see the flicker of the flames reflected in her eyes.

When our eyes met, she looked at me with a gentler expression than before.

She moved her fingers and started writing something in the air.

"Who are you?"

It must have been a magic trick, as the part she traced glowed and formed words.

"Who am I? I look like a regular adventurer, don't I?"

She had never spoken a word until now. If she wanted to communicate, she could have written, but she never did.

I thought she was just drawing lines, but what kind of change in her mindset was this?

"Regular adventurers have more common sense. You lack delicacy, so I'm confused when you're called normal."

Unable to erase the light, she continued writing a little to the side.

"Well, this is just how I am, so there's nothing I can do about it."

She puffed out her cheeks and continued to stare at me.

"Why are you so strong? And why are you only a C-rank adventurer despite your strength?"

She asked one question after another.

"This is just my natural constitution. I don't always fight using this strength."

"... Constitution, huh?"

As we started talking, Teresa seemed to have a rather friendly personality.

Even now, while we were talking, she was gradually moving closer to me.

I suddenly realized something.

Usually, Teresa wears a cloak, so I never had a chance to look at her closely. Now, since she had washed it and it was drying, she wasn't wearing it.

I fixed my gaze on her body. Despite her small stature, a certain part of her was well-developed, which drew my attention.

"Um... Could you explain your constitution in more detail...? By the way, where are you looking?"

As she got closer, I said,

"Oh, I was just surprised to see that you have quite a bit there."

I pointed to her chest.

Teresa covered her chest with both hands and moved away so I couldn't see.

"Pervert"

It was written in short, sharp letters. She must have received such looks before, but I couldn't read her mind, so I didn't know. Tonight, however, Teresa was showing her thoughts in writing, leaving me no choice.

"Achoo!"

She must have gotten cold after moving away from the fire. She sneezed.

"There, you were bathing in the spring, right? Your clothes don't seem to be completely dry, so it's better to stay closer to the fire."

"Thank you for your concern... but how did you know that?"

"When I came back, Teresa was gone. I found the spring on my way to look for you and sensed your presence there."

Her eyes widened. I needed to clear up the misunderstanding.

"Just to be clear, I didn't peek. I knew you were there, but I didn't check."

She looked at me with a doubtful expression.

"By the way, your clothes are clean too. Did you...?"

"Yeah, I washed my body in that spring too."

When I told her the truth, she stared at me intently. Her face turned red, and her mouth opened and closed.

From the way her lips moved, it looked like she was saying, "Y-You... together... that's..."

Eventually, Teresa seemed to regain her composure and looked at me.

"I'm tired, so I'm going to sleep. Don't come near this side."

It seemed we were back to square one. She turned her back to me, put on her cloak, and went to sleep.

"I'll finish the rest of the soup."

I emptied the pot, added more wood to the fire, and looked up at the night sky.