* * *[ Friede ]* * *
‘…What on earth happened during this time?’
Friede looked down at the soundly sleeping Brunhilde and recalled her old appearance in her mind.
Her indifferent expression and blunt manner of speaking that bordered on arrogance.
Her isolating attitude that stubbornly kept others at a distance.
Even the tired expression she occasionally showed when sitting alone.
The old Brunhilde was like a statue carved from ice.
Beautiful as if sparkling, yet cold and chilling, seemingly solid on the outside but likely to shatter into pieces the moment she fell.
However, the Brunhilde she met again had become a completely different person.
Her polite manner of speaking with underlying consideration and surprisingly varied emotional expressions.
Her swordsmanship that had become strangely clumsy, perhaps to hide her true skills.
Even her isolating personality that showed no interest in others with nothing to gain and never revealed a hint of sincerity even to those around her had long since disappeared without a trace.
Now she seemed no different from ordinary people.
‘She was somewhat kinder to women and children before… but it wasn’t to this extent, was it?’
In the past, she wouldn’t have allowed herself to sleep so close like this.
Even when active in the hero’s party, Brunhilde used to sleep a little apart from Imelia and Irina.
It was certainly like that, but now it’s as if they could almost hold hands while sleeping. It was an astonishingly changed appearance.
‘To think she changed this much… why?’
There’s a cause and effect for everything in the world.
If her changed personality and behavior were the result of reuniting after several months, there must have been a cause for it in the meantime.
Friede pondered the reason.
What could have made a woman who obsessively isolated herself while forcibly hiding her struggles become so soft, like a half-melted snowman?
‘As if she put down a heavy burden…’
The current Brunhilde, how should she put it, reminded her of a knight resting after finishing a long and fierce battle.
As if she had let go of all military discipline, hostility, and tension, and was lying down at ease.
‘Is it the same for Brunhilde too?’
She thought it might be so.
The strained expressions Brunhilde occasionally showed were characteristic of someone carrying an unbearably heavy burden.
‘…Did she abandon it? Whatever she was carrying.’
What the burden was that she was carrying. That was something even Friede couldn’t know. Because she had never properly told her.
But if it was for this that she left Friede and went to Gunther’s party.
And if, despite leaving like that, she ran away once again and came all the way here…
Whatever the purpose was, it would be fair to assume she had already given up on it.
Because a goal that can’t be achieved without being active as a knight in a hero’s party is something an ordinary adventurer can’t even dream of.
‘Yes, that must be it. That’s why she said something like that last time.’
When reuniting and chatting with Brunhilde, who was using the alias Hilde, Friede had asked her a question.
What was her reason for being an adventurer? Was she dreaming of striking it rich like other adventurers?
At that time, Brunhilde… Hilde, after a moment’s thought, said this:
-What’s my goal, you ask? Hmm… To become a silver token adventurer, get citizenship, save enough money to live comfortably, then retire and live leisurely? But can this be called a goal?
An answer that was more constructive than the typical adventurer’s get-rich-quick mentality, but not much different when looking at the big picture.
‘At the time, I thought she was just making something up… but maybe that was sincere.’
Thinking of it that way, it made sense.
Friede didn’t know what happened with Gunther… but if she gave up her original goal when leaving Gunther’s party. If she threw away all the burdens she was carrying and started dreaming of a peaceful and comfortable life, then her current transformation was also understandable and acceptable.
‘…I hope that’s the case.’
And that was something Friede herself earnestly wished for.
The sight of Brunhilde, who always seemed somewhat precarious, enjoying herself with a sense of liberation and freedom was an incredibly joyful sight for Friede to see.
If there was one slightly disappointing thing, it was that she couldn’t see her vivid expressions because her face was covered with a steel helmet.
‘She said it was because of anxiety symptoms…?’
It was a crude excuse that clearly showed signs of being hastily made up.
What anxiety symptoms. Friede knew. The reason why Brunhilde was reluctant to take off her helmet.
Unlike herself who had completely changed from her hero days, Brunhilde’s appearance inside the helmet remained exactly the same as before.
If she went around without a helmet, she was probably worried that those who recognized her might report to the Rhine Kingdom or Burgundy.
‘It doesn’t seem necessary to worry that much.’
A woman with lemon-colored hair and sharp blue eyes. How many people could identify her just from this?
Unless it was someone who knew Brunhilde from before, those who didn’t know Brunhilde’s face wouldn’t think of the Brunhilde from the Rhine Kingdom even if they saw her bare face now.
Blonde, blue-eyed women were common in the north, after all.
So, even if she went around with her face uncovered, there wouldn’t be any particular problems.
As long as she didn’t get involved with high-ranking nobles who might closely monitor important figures from other countries.
‘Ah. But people might become curious about her past.’
Friede nodded slightly, parting her small lips.
Thinking carefully, if Brunhilde went around without a helmet, it seemed that many people would become curious about why she was doing something like being an adventurer.
A face too beautiful to be of commoner origin. Long, delicate eyelashes, a sharp nose bridge, red and smooth lips, and flawless white skin.
There was even an inexplicable air of nobility about her, making it impossible to think of her as a commoner.
A face that anyone would think was born and raised as the precious daughter of a noble family, but if a woman with such an appearance was engaged in rough work like being an adventurer, wouldn’t people naturally be curious about the reason?
Even if not, there would be many people attracted to her appearance itself and approach her.
‘…Yes. Indeed, it’s better to wear the helmet.’
Even now with her face covered, there are people like that magician girl across from her who openly show their ulterior motives and cling to her.
If she went around with her bare face, how many strangers would cling to her? It was an uneasy and unpleasant thought even just imagining it.
Men would be better at least.
It would be easier to openly keep them in check, and Brunhilde herself was already sharply rejecting approaches from men with ulterior motives.
‘…Women are more of a problem than men.’
The problem was approaches from those of the same sex with ulterior motives.
Brunhilde, who could immediately notice men’s lustful gazes no matter how well they were hidden, was surprisingly oblivious to the desires of other women, to an astonishing degree.
No, beyond being oblivious, she lacked any sense of caution at all.
Even today, didn’t she fall for Amy’s words, who was clearly trying to coax her into showing her face, and readily take off her helmet?
It’s fortunate that Amy, with her weak constitution typical of magicians, fell asleep not long after lying down, otherwise who knows what she might have tried to do while Brunhilde was sleeping.
Friede couldn’t let her guard down. To the extent that she alone was awake while everyone else was sleeping.
‘But I can’t tell Brunhilde not to get close to that woman… This is really troublesome.’
If they were different genders, she could at least say it would be uncomfortable and difficult to be together, but since they’re both women, she couldn’t even do that.
She also couldn’t outright tell her that woman had ulterior motives towards her.
In fact, to be honest, Friede’s own purpose wasn’t much different from Amy’s.
It would be the best outcome if Brunhilde felt her chastity was in danger from her words and distanced herself from Amy, but…
‘No. That’s too dangerous.’
If she went beyond that and started being wary of close approaches from the same sex altogether, it would become difficult for Friede herself to get any closer to Brunhilde than she is now.
So Friede had no choice.
She had to maintain her vigilance towards Amy as she was doing now, and the moment she tried to do something unacceptable, immediately jump out and stop her.
While doing that, she would gradually narrow the distance with Brunhilde step by step.
Not just sleeping together in unavoidable situations like now, but to the extent of renting the same room and living together even after returning to the city.
And someday, going even further than that… creating a relationship where she would never leave her again, could never leave her again.
That was Friede’s goal and wish.
‘…It’s okay. There’s still plenty of time. …And I’ve made preparations.’
Friede had firm confidence.
Even if Brunhilde suddenly left for somewhere again, she was confident she could follow her anywhere.
Because she had already prepared the means to do so.
‘A magical tool with a location tracking spell. It’s good that I obtained it.’
A location tracking magical tool.
It was a magical tool favored by married magicians or nobles, allowing them to track each other’s location no matter how far apart they were.
Originally, it was an item that only worked when a liquid mixed with both of their blood was imprinted on the magical tool, but…
‘Actually, there’s no need for blood. A concentrated bodily fluid is enough.’
In fact, it was possible to use it even without necessarily drawing blood. It just made the effect a bit weaker.
Friede had accidentally obtained this magical tool during her time in the hero’s party, and had left it unused since it didn’t seem particularly useful.
Now it had become her second most prized possession.
“Heheh…”
That’s why Friede smiled softly.
She had long since secured Brunhilde’s bodily fluid. The imprinting process had already been completed.
Tl/note: Hilde, call the police.