Chapter 35
After changing into comfortable clothes in his room, Clael headed to the nearby forest with the members of the Fairy Sword, including Erika.
The forest wasn't known for having particularly strong monsters, and residents of the town of Eggbell regularly visited for hunting, gathering firewood, and collecting wild vegetables.
As he brushed aside the branches overhead, Clael asked the three members of the Fairy Sword.
"Is there really a Carbuncle in this forest? I've never heard anything like that from the townspeople..."
Because Tina and Kitty were present, Clael used a more polite tone when asking.
"There's someone among the adventurers from the royal capital who said they saw one in this forest."
"I was skeptical at first... but after investigating the forest myself, I found traces of it."
Erika looked displeased.
Tina showed them something wrapped in a handkerchief.
Inside the handkerchief was golden-colored animal fur.
"What's this?"
"There's no mistake, it's Carbuncle fur. Carbuncles are covered in golden fur and have a red, ruby-like gem on their foreheads. They look like rabbits."
"I see... But why did you all come all the way from the royal capital to search for a Carbuncle? The information about one being in this forest seems pretty vague..."
"A request. With a high reward."
Kitty formed a circle with her thumb and index finger and gestured 'money'.
When Clael tilted his head in confusion, Erika explained in her place.
"A noble family's daughter came down with a serious illness and can't leave the mansion. Her father, the count, tried every kind of medicine and priest, but nothing worked. Desperate, he's searching for the miraculous divine beast, the Carbuncle. We've already received a generous advance payment, and the success reward is quite substantial, so we took the job knowing we might fail."
"I see... So that's why you're in this forest..."
They stepped on branches and followed the animal trail deeper into the woods.
They encountered monsters a few times along the way, but the timid creatures fled at the sight of humans.
After walking for about an hour, the four of them reached the depths of the forest.
This was the spot where the three had found Carbuncle fur a few days earlier.
"Let's split up from here. I'll go with Kitty, so Erika, you search with Clael."
"Wha—why am I stuck with Clael!"
"Clael is a priest and can't fight. I think pairing him with the strongest among us, Erika, is the most logical choice, don't you?"
"W-Well, that may be true, but..."
"Even if there aren't any strong monsters in this forest, it's absolutely unacceptable to put someone who came to help us in danger. You understand that much, right?"
"............"
"...Fine, whatever."
"Alright then, see you later. Let's meet back here in an hour."
Tina spoke as if explaining to a stubborn child, then disappeared into the forest with Kitty.
Only Clael and Erika were left behind, and an awkward silence hung between them.
"............"
"............"
(Come on... Why is she so tense? It's not like we're strangers...)
Clael frowned, wondering if she really disliked being paired with him that much.
(She's rejected every arranged meeting too... Maybe I have some huge flaw I don't even realize that makes women avoid me...)
"W-We've been in this forest together before, right? Back during that noble school class."
As Clael was lost in thought, Erika spoke, looking a bit nervous.
"Hmm? Oh yeah, during the monster extermination, right?"
At the academy for nobles, there were classes where students went into forests or mountains to exterminate monsters.
Nobles were expected to fight monsters to protect the people, as part of their duty.
Since Clael aspired to be a priest, he joined as a healer.
"We got separated from the others during the monster attack and lost our way... We had no choice but to share a tent that night."
"Yeah... We didn't have enough food, so we split dried meat and cheese between us."
"Right... I twisted my ankle because of a monster, and you carried me and somehow found the way back..."
"Hmm?"
Erika reached out and grabbed Clael's sleeve.
"...Even though you couldn't fight as a priest, you did your best to protect me... You were really cool back then."
"...Thanks?"
Erika's face turned bright red as she spoke. It was a look Clael had never seen before.
Until now, Erika would always yell or complain whenever she opened her mouth, but this was the first time she had honestly expressed her feelings.
Strangely, she looked cuter than usual.
"Uh... Erika...?"
"I-I may be an adventurer, but I'm twenty-three this year... so maybe it's about time I...!"
Erika's eyes glistened as she stepped closer to Clael, almost pleading.
'Kuma—!'
Just then, a bear plushie flew between Clael and Erika.
"Whoa!"
"Kyaa!"
Clael and Erika jumped apart, putting distance between them.
Wondering what was going on, they looked at the bear... The plushie was holding a creature that looked like a rabbit.
"Is that... a Carbuncle!?"
'Kuma kuma—'
"You found it for us... Great job!"
Clael hugged both the bear plushie and the Carbuncle.
The plushie looked smug as if to say, 'How's that?', while the Carbuncle glanced around in confusion. Still, it didn't try to escape and quietly stayed in Clael's arms.
"We did it, Erika! We completed the request!"
"...Yeah, I guess so."
Erika responded with a completely different expression than before—like the soul had left her body.