Volume 6, Chapter 50 – After the Fierce Battle

The next morning, when I woke up, Shizuku-san was already awake and sitting up in bed.

Her eyes had returned to their usual black, ordinary round pupils.

“Good morning, Shizuku-san.”

When I greeted her from inside my bed, Shizuku-san reacted with a slight, somewhat awkward twitch as she turned toward me.

“Ah, Fiene-dono. Good morning to you.”

Thank goodness. She’s the usual Shizuku-san.

I got out of bed, walked over to her, and sat down in the bedside chair.

“Shizuku-san, I’m sorry about yesterday.”

“Eh?”

When I apologized, Shizuku-san looked back at me with an expression that suggested she had no idea what I was talking about.

“What is the meaning of this?”

“I made a mistake in judgment and put the three of you—the entire Party—in danger. If you hadn’t used Foxfire back then, we all would have become nutrients for the Evil Treant.”

As I said this, a troubled expression crossed Shizuku-san’s face.

“So that’s what happened. I do have a vague memory of defeating the Treants. It’s like remembering that you had a dream, but not being able to clearly recall what happened in it.”

“I see. Then, it really must have been the Black Fox who came to the surface, rather than you, Shizuku-san.”

Shizuku-san placed a hand on her chest, a gentle expression appearing on her face as if she were recalling a fond memory.

“So Fox-dono really was within me after all.”

“Shizuku-san…”

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I didn’t know what words to offer her, so I simply gazed at that expression.

Then, Shizuku-san suddenly clapped her hands and told me to hurry in a bright voice.

“Fiene-dono, it is time for breakfast. The foundation of good health begins with proper meals. Come, change your clothes quickly.”

Saying so, she took my hand and pulled me up from the chair.

She hurried me into changing my clothes, and we headed to the dining hall, leaving the fast-asleep Chris-san and Lu-chan behind.

◇ ◇ ◇

By the time we entered the dining hall, breakfast time had already passed, and everything had been tidied up. Naturally, there was no one left eating.

“Mumu, it seems we have overslept.”

“You’re right. It was late yesterday. Let’s try asking the kitchen staff if they can give us something.”

With that, we peeked into the kitchen through the dish return slot, but there wasn’t anyone in sight.

We could hear the sound of running water, so someone must have been there.

I took the liberty of opening the back entrance door and looking inside, where I spotted Marie-san with her back to me, washing dishes with all her concentration.

“Excuse me~”

Marie-san reacted with a start at my voice.

She turned toward me with a stiffness that sounded like it might make a rusty creak-creak-creak noise.

Her eyes widened in shock, as if she had seen a ghost, and tears began to spill over.

That’s strange. Why is Marie-san reacting like this?

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“S-S-S-Saint-sama?”

“Um, good morning, Marie-san.”

The moment I spoke, Marie-san burst into tears.

“Eh? Marie-san? What’s wrong?”

“Ugh, uuuu. I thought… I thought Saint-sama might be gone… uuuu!”

Huh? So there really was a rumor that we’d died?

Ah, well, we did return late last night, and most people were probably asleep.

“Um, yes. I’m very much alive. I’m sorry for making you worry by coming back so late yesterday.”

“Uuuu, Saint-samaaa!”

Being worried about this much makes me feel quite guilty. But to think that the once-timid Marie-san could react like this… maybe she’s actually recovering quite well?

Maybe this really is that famous “handsome effect.”

“Fiene-dono.”

While I was smirking inwardly at those thoughts, Shizuku-san spoke, reminding me of why we came here.

“By the way, Marie-san. Well, we overslept, so is there anything we can eat?”

“Eh? Ah, y-yes! Um, if leftovers from this morning are alright, I can get them immediately. Um, for two people?”

“If possible, If possible, we’d appreciate enough for four.”

“Understood. Leave it to me!”

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Marie-san replied with a beaming smile.

Yep. It really is nice seeing the people you’ve treated looking so full of life again!

◇ ◇ ◇

After that, we ate the scrambled eggs, crispy bacon, vegetable salad, and bread that Marie-san prepared for us.

We then met up with the other two after they’d woken up, and visited Captain Lazare’s room.

“Good morning, Captain Lazare.”

“Good morning, Saint-sama. I am truly glad you are safe.”

“No, I’m the one who should apologize for making you worry. So, how is the situation?”

“Yes. We have certainly passed the peak of the Monster Stampede. Most likely, either the Great Ogre or the Evil Treant that Saint-sama defeated yesterday was leading this stampede.”

Even as he said this, Captain Lazare had an expression of dissatisfaction.

“What’s the matter?”

“No. Given the circumstances, that is the logical conclusion, but there is no precedent for a monster commanding so many different kinds of monsters.”

“Ah. Now that you mention it, that’s true.”

“Yes.”

Indeed, this Monster Stampede seemed quite different from the one at Chi Tien. I voiced the question that had been on my mind.

“To begin with, was anyone actually leading this Monster Stampede?”

“Eh? Saint-sama, what do you mean by that?”

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“In the Red Sky Empire, we experienced a Monster Stampede led by a Goblin King. At that time, as Captain Lazare said, there was clearly a monster directing the entire Stampede. But this time, it didn’t seem that way at all.”

Captain Lazare’s eyebrow twitched, and he looked puzzled.

“The monsters that attacked Airoll showed almost no coordination, and that didn’t change even when our Party advanced deep into the forest. The Great Ogre and the Evil Treant weren’t coordinating either; they seemed to be moving independently.”

Yes, if the monsters had coordinated more, we wouldn’t have been able to go so deep into the forest.

“Furthermore, by the time we were fighting Higher Species like the Great Ogre and the Evil Treant, there were barely any other monsters around us.”

“What!? A monster leading a Stampede is normally protected by its subordinates. You are saying they weren’t there!?”

“Yes. That’s why it’s strange. The number of monsters was staggering, but that was all it was—sheer numbers; there was none of the cunning we saw during the Chi Tien incident.”

“Mumu… that is certainly true.”

Captain Lazare looked troubled, his brow furrowed. Then, with a look of resolve, he spoke.

“Understood. Then we shall investigate. Saint-sama, you mentioned last night that there was an altar?”

“Yes. There was a strangely open area around where the Evil Treant was.”

“Then I shall send a survey team tomorrow. It seems the monsters will be cleared out by the end of today. I’ll be counting on your assistance then.”

“Yes.”

Having finished the meeting with Captain Lazare, I headed to the field hospital and treated a staggering number of wounded knights.

Incidentally, it seemed Alois-san had also been hit and had a fractured left arm, but fortunately, his life was not in danger.

Good for you, Marie-san.