Chapter 6

There are mainly two ways to spend a day off, relax quietly at home, or do work that can only be done when there’s time. Recently I got a customer who uses rather rare medicines, so today I came to the forest to replenish my materials.

The other day, the Flower Knight, Hector, said he would escort me while I gathered herbs in the forest. To avoid that, I left the shop before sunrise and hurried into the woods.

And yet…

「Good morning.」

「…Yes, a very good morning indeed.」

At the forest entrance I ran straight into a handsome man with a radiant face, wrapped in a cloak that looked slightly worn. I only noticed him because the prediction line entered my field of vision while he hid behind a tree, suppressing his presence.

The prediction line that extends vertically from the top of someone’s head cannot physically interact with anything. Hector must have tilted his head to peek out while hiding. Because of that, the color pierced straight through the tree trunk he was hiding behind and appeared in my view, startling me so badly I thought my heart might stop.

And then he stepped out from the shade of the tree with a smile and greeted me, so I exchanged greetings despite feeling utterly annoyed. …Ah, I already want to go home.

The sun had just begun to rise and the surroundings were slowly brightening, but it was still truly early morning. How long had he been here? Why did the light-green line of interest grow longer every time I saw it? And why was this man so interested in me? Of course, asking myself those questions would not produce any answers.

Why must I look at the flower-like face that exhausts me just by seeing it, on my one day off each week? Does God hate me?

(No… just looking isn’t exhausting. It’s exhausting because I don’t want him trying to involve himself with me.)

It’s not that I dislike Hector himself. His beautiful face is pleasant enough to look at from afar. But when someone’s expression and emotions don’t match, you instinctively brace yourself when dealing with them, and that’s tiring.

On top of that, if people learned I had any connection with him, the women in town would crowd around me and it would become a terrible nuisance. And to make matters worse, he is a knight sworn to the nation, and someone whose profession I would rather avoid approaching, considering that those in power must never discover that I am a magic user. With all these factors combined, there is no reason I would want to associate with him.

(Gathering herbs itself is fun… but if he’s here, I don’t have the leisure to enjoy it.)

Of course, the Flower Knight with the dazzling smile cannot hear my inner thoughts. He cannot see others’ emotions like I can, and since I keep my face as expressionless as possible, he likely has no idea what I’m thinking.

Still smiling, he stood beside me and declared he would keep his promise to act as my escort. Since it didn’t look like I could drive him away, we reluctantly walked side by side into the forest.

「I was on a subjugation mission last night, so I just stayed here and camped out. When I heard someone this early, I wondered who it might be, turns out it was you. That surprised me.」

I see. The magical beast subjugation mission must have gone late into the night, and instead of returning home he camped out here. Then he sensed someone approaching, hid himself, and when he realized it was me, he revealed himself. It probably wasn’t a lie. The prediction line that alerted me to Hector’s presence was the faint yellow line of sudden surprise that shot up. A prediction line from a sudden, fleeting emotion appears for just a moment and disappears immediately. That color appeared because he was surprised to see me.

The maidens of the town surely could never imagine that the Flower Knight Hector does such muddy work. That said, I myself had assumed someone like Hector would never be outside at this hour.

(It’s my fault for coming so early… if I had come a little later, he might have already gone home.)

I did briefly suspect that he might have woken up early and come here specifically to wait for me, but apparently that wasn’t the case, which reassured me a little. His good looks make it easy to forget, but if someone actually did that, it would normally be considered stalking. …Though I doubt he has ever been treated that way. If anything, he’d be the one being stalked.

「You must be quite tired if you were working until last night. Perhaps it would be best for you to return home.」

「No, no. A knight cannot go back on his word. I said I’d escort you, so I must see it through. I’m off duty today anyway, so I’ll accompany you.」

The line extending above his head as he said this with a gentle smile was neither affection nor pride, but the color of interest. Knowing he was lying made it impossible to believe his words, and I found myself giving him a cold look before quickly turning away.

If that’s the case, I should think positively and consider it as having gained the best possible escort, a knight, for free. I’ll head deeper into the forest than usual, to places I normally cannot reach, and gather as much as I like. Yes, that’s what I’ll do.

(The medicine I need for this man should be easier to obtain if I go deeper. If I use higher-quality ingredients, it might heal faster.)

I glanced at the knight walking beside me and looked above his head. The color of pain was still there, and its length had barely changed since the last time. The pain lessens while the medicine is applied, but removing the root cause takes time. That likely means there hasn’t been much progress yet.

Perhaps because bandages would be too noticeable, he had started wearing a gauntlet on his right hand. Maybe he always wore it when on knightly duty, but whenever I saw him in town before, he was always bare-handed, so the change stood out. Especially since I knew the reason. …Though the women seem to think it looks cool, so it doesn’t seem like anyone suspects the secret of his right hand.

「Knight-sama, I plan to go a bit deeper into the forest today.」

Since he insists on being my escort, I should at least tell him my plans. The deeper one goes into the forest, the greater the danger becomes. For some reason, high-quality ingredients tend to grow deeper inside forests where magical beasts live. I won’t go anywhere excessively dangerous today, but I do intend to go somewhere where magical beasts might appear.

I explained this before we went too deep, but although Hector nodded, he showed a somewhat dissatisfied expression.

「Is there a problem? If it would be better not to go deeper, I will gather herbs around here.」

「No, going deeper is fine… but the way you address me sounds so formal. Aren’t we closer than that? Call me by my name, more casually.」

I believe we are simply a pharmacist and a customer, nothing more and nothing less, so I had no idea what he was talking about. When I ignored it and called him 「Knight-sama」 again, he put on a sorrowful expression.

It was obvious from the color above his head that he wasn’t actually sad, but the perfection of his act as a wounded handsome man was almost impressive. Even knowing it wasn’t genuine, it somehow made me feel like I had done something wrong. Truly remarkable acting ability, aided by an equally remarkable face.

「…Then, Hector-sama.」

「That’s not much different. Oh, I know. If I call you Cyril-chan affectionately, maybe you’ll, 」

「Hector-san. That’s as far as I can go. Please stop calling me that.」

Not everyone would be delighted to hear the Flower Knight call their name in such a sweet voice. Perhaps the maidens in love with him would rejoice, but to someone like me who feels nothing of the sort, it only makes me suspicious about what he’s plotting.

He does not feel any familiarity toward me. I know he’s interested, and I can tell from the prediction lines that he enjoys my reactions, but that’s all.

Watching my response, Hector’s expression did not change, yet a yellow line indicating amusement popped up and disappeared above his head. I wish he wouldn’t play with people.

「Hm, I still feel some distance between us, but oh well. Anyway, do you always go this deep into the forest to gather materials? It’s dangerous if magical beasts appear.」

「I take precautions to protect myself.」

「I see. Ah, but you can sense danger, so maybe that’s why you’re fine.」

I cannot see my own prediction lines. I cannot sense my own danger. Yet he believes I can foresee danger to some extent.

If he is going to escort me, perhaps I should explain that I cannot sense my own crises. But… I cannot say I fully trust him, and I hesitate to reveal too much about an ability I prefer to keep hidden.

(Still… if we’re going somewhere somewhat dangerous, maybe I should tell him.)

Normally, I would never lose awareness of my surroundings in the forest. Yet because a knight was beside me as my escort, I allowed myself to think deeply. The dense trees had already dimmed the light around us, yet I paid no attention to my surroundings, and when a monkey suddenly leapt out in front of me, my thoughts froze.

Though calling it a monkey isn’t quite accurate. It was a monkey with a horn on its forehead. A magical beast. The moment our eyes met, it sprang at me with terrifying speed, and I instinctively fell backward.

「Watch out…!!」

Before its claws could reach me, the monkey was cut down by Hector’s sword and collapsed to the ground. It happened in an instant, yet my heart pounded violently and my breath had stopped. Only when I realized the monkey would not move again did the tension slowly leave my body.

(That… startled me.)

Normally, I would never be so absorbed in thought. I would constantly sense my surroundings and never overlook the possibility of magical beasts. Magical beasts are territorial and often leave traces where they dwell. Looking closely now, I could see claw marks on nearby trees and unnatural clusters of fallen leaves and branches. If I had been paying attention, I would have noticed something was here.

「If you didn’t say anything, I assumed there was no danger. Sorry. …You didn’t get hurt, did you?」

Hector knelt on one knee in front of me and gently extended his left hand. My own hand was still trembling slightly, but I took his and tried to slowly stand.

…But my legs wouldn’t cooperate. Pathetically enough, the shock and fear had left me weak in the knees, and strength had not yet returned to my body. It became awkward because I had taken his hand without being able to stand, so I quietly released it and looked away.

「…Thank you very much. I am not injured.」

「That’s good, but why aren’t you standing? …Could it be that you can’t?」

「Yes. My strength has left me. I’m sorry, but if you could wait just a moment, 」

「…Haha…」

Hearing laughter, I looked at Hector. He was covering his mouth, trying to hold back his laughter. It was completely different from his usual enchanting, sweet smile, it was the natural laughter of an ordinary young man, which surprised me a little. So he could laugh like that too.

His usual smile must be a fabricated one, and now he was genuinely laughing. Though laughing in front of someone who had just collapsed from fear might be a bit rude.

「Sorry, that was rude. But you’re always so expressionless that I never imagined you’d be so startled you’d lose your legs… If you can sense danger, were you really that surprised?」

「I cannot know things about myself.」

「Huh?」

I had snapped back at him because being laughed at annoyed me, but that much should be acceptable. The reason I was frightened by the magical beast earlier was because Hector assumed I could sense danger, while I assumed I could rely on the knight beside me. We both let our guard down. In that case, I should at least explain what exactly I can and cannot sense.

「My ability is not as convenient as you seem to think. I can tell if someone might get injured, or might die. Something like that. But I cannot clearly see the cause.」

「…Even when you stopped me that day?」

「When you walked in that direction, it looked like you would die, so I stopped you. I didn’t know what would cause your death.」

To someone who doesn’t know the truth, it probably seems like I can see the future. But if they expect such a power from me, I cannot fulfill that expectation, so it’s better to explain. …After all, the reason he is interested in me might be because he believes I possess such an ability. If explaining makes him lose interest, that would be ideal.

「Even during the pirate incident… that day, many people looked like they might get injured, so I simply warned them to be careful.」

「…And you can’t see anything about yourself?」

「No. I cannot.」

「And yet you go deep into forests where magical beasts appear, just to gather herbs?」

Well, that was true, so I nodded. But normally I am far more cautious, and I bring plenty of medicine to repel magical beasts. This time I simply let my guard down because a knight was beside me. Being attacked and losing my legs like that was a first.

I thought I should be able to stand now, so I put strength into my legs and rose. Not quite like a newborn fawn, but my knees were still trembling. I lightly slapped them to encourage them and took a step forward. Hector immediately walked beside me again. This time his hand rested on the hilt of his sword, so he was probably staying alert.

「Then why risk your life just to gather herbs?」

「…The herbs needed to treat your right hand cannot be gathered unless one goes somewhat deep into the forest. Since I started this, I will take responsibility and see it through.」

Only I can cure it. But I can cure it. Knowing that, I will not abandon the task. Even if it began by chance, it is work I accepted, so I will complete it.

「So you’d risk your life for my sake?」

「No. For the sake of the shop. If I abandon work halfway through, the name of Bedito would suffer.」

I couldn’t help giving the knight walking beside me a cold look when he suddenly said 「for my sake,」 but when he noticed my gaze, he first looked surprised, and then laughed as if amused.

When he asked 「for my sake?」 the color of interest had begun to shorten, yet when he heard my answer it extended again. Apparently, treating him coldly makes him more interested.

Perhaps if I behaved like the maidens who come to have their fortunes told, his interest would fade. When he thought I might have risked my life gathering herbs for him, the interest color shortened, so that is probably the case. …But pretending to encourage feelings in someone I have no interest in doesn’t suit me.

(…Maybe praising him would work. That might do it.)

The maidens always surround Hector and shower him with praise. That much I might be able to imitate. But even if I were to praise him, what exactly should I praise? I’ve never really praised anyone before, so nothing comes to mind.

He already knows he is handsome, so praising his appearance wouldn’t mean much. Praising his swordsmanship also feels inappropriate, considering his dominant hand is currently unusable.

I glanced at Hector. He was still smiling faintly, and above his head stretched the color that signified enjoyment. Since his expressions and emotions rarely match, seeing them align like this is oddly reassuring.

…If only he would simply laugh when he’s happy and cry when he’s suffering.

「You’re smiling naturally today.」

Because I had been trying to think of something to praise, and because I genuinely preferred this natural demeanor, the words slipped out before I realized it. But it wasn’t praise at all, just a simple statement of fact.

Thinking that praising others is difficult, I watched his reaction. His beautiful face showed surprise for a moment, then returned to a smile. And above his head, the light-green line of interest grew even longer.

(…Ah. I probably chose the wrong words.)

I shouldn’t try to do unnecessary things. I should stop attempting things I’m not used to. I engraved that firmly in my mind.