Chapter 15

Chapter 15

Knight is the profession most connected to nobility, so I wanted to avoid getting involved with them as much as possible.

(And yet I came all the way here because I was worried about Hector-san… Something’s wrong with me today.)

Even though I had my emergency ring for protection, I never imagined I’d come to a place like this. But I couldn’t help it, my worry wouldn’t let me stay still.

When I saw him this morning, there was no predictive line indicating injury. But if it’s a subjugation mission a full day’s travel away, it’s only natural there wouldn’t be. The event colors I see usually show things that will happen within a day. Considering that, even if I met him now, I probably wouldn’t see any sign of injury. And yet, I still came all the way to the garrison where the knights gather.

(…I probably wasn’t ready to tell him goodbye.)

I had assumed I’d see him again next week like always. And that I’d keep worrying about how to deal with him. I was troubled and conflicted, but I had never once thought I didn’t want him to come.

Monsters are strong. They don’t have fixed forms, they can turn their bodies into blades to attack, and they all use magic. But the type of magic differs depending on the individual.

Each monster can only use one type of magic, and that magic is determined by how it was born. It’s not widely known, but monsters are what become of beasts that have devoured mages. They inherit the abilities of the mage they devoured.

That’s why, as the number of mages went down, monsters stopped appearing as frequently as well, and their numbers dwindled with each one defeated. In that sense, monsters and I are both endangered species.

「Oh, you brought medicine? That helps a lot.」

We walked around the stone walls of the garrison and reached the back entrance. A knight standing guard noticed the boxes Jean was carrying and called out with a smile.

「Yeah, supplies from Vedito Pharmacy. Take care of them.」

「Never heard of it… Hm? And who’s this young lady?」

It seemed I had been completely hidden behind Jean’s large frame and the boxes. The knight’s gaze shifted to me, and I put on a customer-service smile, hiding my tension as I gave a small bow.

「I’m Cyril Vedito, owner of Vedito Pharmacy. I brought these in hopes they might be of use.」

Knights are a mix of nobles and commoners. Though those with titles are few, they often interact with townspeople while maintaining order, so even nobles here tend to be tolerant of casual attitudes.

At least I didn’t have to worry about being executed for a mistake, this was far more comfortable
than being alone with Kai. I could keep my smile without sweating.

「She’s the one who made all the medicine in these boxes. I guarantee their effectiveness.」

「I see. If you’re responsible, could you fill out a delivery slip? Come inside for now.」

To be honest, I didn’t want to go inside the knights’ garrison. But Hector might be there. Keeping my smile in place, I nodded and followed Jean inside.

The building must have been well soundproofed. The moment we entered, it was filled with noise, voices calling out about equipment checks, horses, medicine. We walked through the commotion with the guard and Jean. No one had injury lines above their heads, probably because it was too far ahead in time. All I could do was hope they’d all return safely.

We reached a room filled with supplies, and the noise faded. I finally let out a quiet breath of relief. …Loud places like that make me nervous, they’re a bit scary, or more like, I’m just not good with them.

「Miss, write down the items you brought and their quantities on this paper. We’ll pay for everything in bulk later, since even if anything is left over it will be taken by the knights.」

「Understood.」

At the small table, I neatly wrote down the items. The knight and Jean helped check the contents.

Since my small shop couldn’t prepare that much, the process was finished quickly. After checking the slip, the knight smiled and jokingly said:

「We can never have too much medicine, so thanks. But a cute young lady like you coming all the way here… could it be you’re here for that guy?」

「That guy? …Ah, you mean him. The so-called Flower Knight.」

They were talking about Hector. If asked whether I came for him… I’d want to shake my head in denial. No, that’s not it, but also, it is. I felt conflicted, so I just smiled instead of answering. To others, my actions probably looked no different from the girls who chased him.

「You should stay away from him. He’s bad with women, you’ll have a hard time. Why not consider me instead?」

The color I saw above his head surprised me. A reddish-orange predictive line, I had never seen that color before, so I had no idea what it meant.

But since there were no signs of love or affection among the other colors, it was probably just a joke. I responded with a gentle laugh to brush it off. It was a perfect customer-service smile, polite and safe. …The reddish color stretched further, though. What kind of predictive line was that? Event colors stretch depending on time, so it should be related to emotions.

「Hey, I heard Sezan brought a butterfly inside again?」

At that familiar beautiful voice, I naturally turned my head. Our eyes met, his honey-colored gaze, and the pale yellow above him stretched sharply, showing he was quite surprised despite his smile. He must not have expected me to be here.

「Oh, good. Someone else is with her too? Then I can’t do anything. Be careful, this would jump on just anyone.」

「W-What are you saying, Hector…!!」

「I mean, you brought a butterfly into your room the other day…」

Jean narrowed his eyes slightly at the knight called Sezan. Seeing the gray caution above him and the deep red above Hector, I roughly grasped the situation. That deep red was anger.

So Sezan clearly wasn’t in a position to criticize others’ behavior with women. As for that reddish-orange color earlier… I would guess it was probably something like excitement toward the opposite sex.

「Ah! Right, I need to get back to my post! I’ll leave the rest to the Flower Knight!」

Sezan dashed off with impressive speed. After watching him leave, Hector shrugged exaggeratedly. Jean, who had also been glaring with a deep frown, let out a breath.

「Cyril, don’t get caught up with any sleazy guys. I won’t allow it.」

「What are you saying, Jean-san…」

I laughed at how fatherly he sounded, then turned my gaze to Hector. He was smiling as usual, but I could tell from the color above him that his anger hadn’t faded much. At the same time, he seemed happy our eyes met, which made me let out a small, wry smile. …There was still no sign of injury.

「Are you going with the subjugation unit, Hector-san?」

「…Yeah, I guess. I’m good with a sword, and I’m strong. Oh, did you come because you were worried about me? That makes me happy.」

Deciding it was fine to act normal in front of Jean, I spoke to him. Hector must have thought the same, after glancing at Jean, he replied in his usual casual tone, at which Jean started narrowing his eyes again.

「Just kidding. Your medicine works well, so it helps. I’d like to use it first, if possible.」

「No, I came because I was worried. …So please be careful. Come back safely.」

My practiced smile slipped away. Seeing Hector freeze in shock, his mouth slightly open, surprised me. Jean beside me had a similar expression.

Now that I think about it, it’s rare for me to say something like that. I’ve hardly had anyone close to me, and the only person I ever spoke like that to was Jean.

I see… even to myself, this is a surprising change. …That must mean Hector has become someone important to me.

「Um… yeah. I’ll come back safely, so don’t worry and wait for me.」

Still unable to compose himself, Hector looked away slightly as he said that. His ear, peeking through his golden hair, was faintly red, and the surge of joy above him made it clear how happy he was. …For some reason, I felt embarrassed too. I could also feel a warm gaze from beside me.

「Ah, um… I guess we’re done here? I can walk you out.」

「Yes, we’re done. Shall we go, Jean-san?」

「…Yeah.」

This time, Hector led us through the garrison. There were a few teasing remarks thrown his way about being with a girl again, and Jean was unusually quiet, but we reached the back entrance without issue.

「See you.」

「Yes, see you. Take care.」

「…I’m off.」

For just a moment, Hector showed a gentle smile, not the one he usually wore, and then returned inside.

Left alone with Jean, I started heading back. We didn’t talk long, but I was glad I saw him. Being able to say goodbye properly eased my heart a little. …I’m still worried, though.

「Cyril.」

「What is it?」

Jean, who had been quiet for a while, spoke seriously. I stopped and looked up at his hawk-colored eyes.

「He seems decent at heart, but with that face, you’ll have a hard time.」

「Yes. He’s not a bad person, but it seems his looks cause him trouble.」

「…Yeah, trouble on that side too.」

I didn’t quite understand what Jean meant, even seeing the mix of joy and anxiety above him.