Chapter 16
The forest was quiet. It was a dim path hidden beneath the leaves, with nameless flowers, grasses, and even mushrooms blooming here and there.
There was a rumor that after the Hunting Festival passed and the magical beasts of the forest went into hiding, students from the Department of Alchemy sometimes formed teams and came into the forest. Since magical beasts were born in places with high mana density, it was an excellent place to gather high-quality materials.
It was a place well suited for that. The forest, untouched by people's footsteps, retained its natural state. In other words, that also meant it had yet to be tamed by human hands.
Not only animals, but places too were tamed as people came and went. As paths formed and the land was divided into sections, places gradually became more familiar and welcoming to humans.
No matter how remote a place was, if there was a village nearby, there was bound to be at least one path leading through it. Forests were treasure troves of resources. There was no way no one from the village ever entered the forest.
However, the forest south of the academy was an exception. The academy did not specifically restrict access, but there was no reason for students to go all the way to the southern forest.
For one thing, there was more than one forest on the academy grounds. There was also a small forest near the dormitories. It had no magical beasts and saw plenty of visitors, making it a pleasant place to take a walk or go camping.
If someone wanted to visit a forest, they had no need to walk all the way south.
And even if they wanted to gather materials, this was the academy. Most of its students were nobles, and although students from commoner backgrounds were not uncommon, many were also children of wealthy merchants.
That meant there were countless students willing to pay extra rather than risk their lives. Exceptionally poor commoner students like Emma sometimes entered the outskirts of the forest, but even they never ventured into the depths without an escort.
In other words, this forest saw too little traffic for any paths to form. And if that was the case, there was only one possible conclusion.
All sorts of seeds were stuck to various parts of Seria's and my uniforms. Some looked like tufts of fluff, while others were covered in sharp points that seemed certain to sting if they pricked me.
It might have been called ‘the great outdoors,’ but from the perspective of someone actually making their way through it, the experience was torturous. If things went badly, my uniform could even be torn on a sharp branch.
By then, I was walking with an expression of near surrender. I remembered something Emma had said to me not long ago.
‘You pretended otherwise, but you really were a noble young master after all?’
Yes, she seemed to have been right. I disliked having seeds cling to my uniform and damp soil stick to my trousers. If Emma, who had grown up as an herbalist, had seen me, she might have burst into delighted laughter.
I was a grown man, so it would have been embarrassing to complain. I wondered whether Seria thought the same way, and refrained from letting my discomfort show.
Seria walked without complaint. Come to think of it, Seria was a swordswoman who had already participated in magical beast subjugation operations several times since childhood. She was probably accustomed to conditions like these.
Still, I could not show such an embarrassing side of myself as her senior. I called out to Seria while doing my best to pretend nothing was wrong.
“Seria.”
“Y-Yes… Senior.”
Seria seemed a little nervous and almost bit her tongue again, but she managed to get past the crisis. Even so, the shame of having stumbled over her words remained, and her face flushed slightly.
It was an unbelievable change from the girl who had worn such a cold expression moments ago. In fact, I had begun to understand her to some extent by now.
The reason she maintained such an impassive expression was that, conversely, she did not know what expression she was supposed to make.
She did not need to be that nervous, but for now, all I could do was hope that she would improve as we grew a little closer.
“Have you sensed anything around us?”
“……? No, I don’t sense anything for now.”
“Hmm.” I fell into thought with a hum.
We had already traveled fairly deep into the forest. If a magical beast intended to attack students, it should have entered this vicinity at the very least.
Of course, the forest was vast. No matter how developed Seria's senses were, there was still a chance that a magical beast could slip through the gaps and attack other students.
But would it really do that?
There were two prey right nearby, and no one else. If a magical beast wanted to attack students in the first place, Seria and I would be targets as well.
Except for a few known as ‘Named’ beasts, magical beasts were not particularly intelligent. They were unlikely to deliberately take a detour when there was such appetizing prey right in front of them.
And even if they were intelligent, the conclusion would be the same. I asked Seria in a serious voice,
“I’m sorry, but don’t let your guard down for a while. And let’s rest here for now.”
“Yes, that isn’t difficult, but……”
Seria seemed unable to understand why I wanted her to remain on guard or why, after coming this deep into the forest, I was only now suggesting that we rest. Her voice trailed off.
Nevertheless, she soon followed my instructions faithfully. She hesitated as though she wanted to ask a question, but in the end, she kept her mouth shut.
It seemed to be a deliberate choice, considering how often she had misspoken while talking with me lately. She was always crossing the line between honesty and rudeness.
In any case, she was a timid woman. I roughly sat down on a nearby rock. When I opened my canteen and drank, the leaves scraping against my face and the back of my neck stung.
For someone who had lived in the civilized world, it was a rather unpleasant experience. But I would have to get used to it.
From the moment one took up a sword, one had to be prepared to take not only the lives of magical beasts, but also those of other people. A blade was ultimately a tool for harming something.
It was a mindset my master had forced upon me almost to the point of brainwashing during the brutal training of my childhood. It would be ridiculous for a man destined to live a bloody life to be afraid of something as simple as a forest.
Around then, a small sound escaped Seria's lips, which had been closed until that point. My eyes naturally turned toward her.
“Um, Senior?”
“Yeah, what is it?”
At my immediate answer, Seria's body gave a barely perceptible flinch. It was a subtle tremor that even my sharpened senses could only just detect. It also meant that Seria had begun seriously watching my reactions.
She seemed to be learning the basics of human relationships through me lately. After all, I was the only person beside her who could be called a friend, so it was only natural.
That was why she had been watching my reactions especially often these days. To be honest, it made me a little uncomfortable.
Who did she think I was, that she had to worry so much about my reactions? However, Seria was currently like a young child who had only just entered the world.
A naive girl overflowing with curiosity, but ignorant of many things. At least when it came to human relationships, almost everything must have been a first for her.
So it was understandable that she would be cautious with every little action. To be honest, there were also times when she needed to be a little more careful.
All I could do for her as a senior was wait patiently.
After a while, Seria cautiously asked me a question.
“M-May I ask you just one thing?”
“Of course. You’re my junior asking your senior a question.”
Was it really something special enough to ask permission for? I added that thought before moistening my parched throat with water from my canteen.
I could not drink too much. I had to prepare for any eventuality. With that thought in mind, I restrained the urge to pour the water straight into my mouth.
Once I earned some money, I would have to replace this with a canteen enchanted with spatial distortion magic. But anything with a semipermanent magical inscription was expensive, so that day seemed a long way off.
Seeing me drink from the canteen without saying anything, Seria seemed to decide that it was safe to ask her question. Her attractive lips cautiously parted once more.
“Why did you form a party with me?”
It was a direct, straightforward question. As I closed the canteen's lid, I shifted my gaze toward Seria.
Seria's eyes appeared calm and still, but they were trembling slightly. That subtle tremor was the only way to read her emotions.
It was a habit I had only noticed after spending several days with her, despite my senses having grown exceptionally sharp after losing my memories.
Because people could not read it, they had given her the nickname ‘the Yurdina brat.’
Looking back, it had been rather cruel. Perhaps that was why I found myself worrying about her even more.
She was a junior I could not bring myself to leave alone, even if it was nothing more than a senior's cheap pity. At some point, I had become unable to treat her as nothing more than a stranger.
But I deliberately did not ramble on about my feelings. It was embarrassing, and there was no need for it anyway.
“Just because.”
Just those two words were enough. Bewilderment crossed Seria's face as she waited for my answer with a slightly tense expression.
“W-Were you not planning to form a party with your friend?”
“At first, I was.”
My unhesitating answer filled Seria's eyes with even greater suspicion. She asked again,
“Then why……”
“I told you, just because.”
As I said that, I gave a small chuckle and met Seria's gaze head-on. Her body flinched.
“Selin is my friend, and so are you. Do friends really need a reason to form a party together?”
To be honest, the main reason had been that Seria had looked quite lonely at the time, but I deliberately refrained from saying so out of consideration for her pride.
My clear explanation seemed to leave Seria even more flustered. She was dazed for a moment, then fidgeted before lowering her head deeply to avoid my gaze.
Her tiny murmur brushed past my ears.
“F-Friends……”
The word carried a mixture of unfamiliarity and embarrassment, as though she were hearing it for the first time in her life. Surely it could not really be that new to her.
Seeing Seria like that, I asked her in return,
“Surely I’m not the only one who thinks that way? We’re close enough to call each other friends, aren’t we?”
“I-I see… But, I……”
Seria stammered in embarrassment, then her face turned bright red as she lowered her head deeply. Seeing such a beautiful girl act that way made even the sight itself seem like a painting.
It was a sight too precious to keep to myself. Thinking that, I waited for Seria to continue.
However, Seria's next words were beyond anything I could have imagined.
“……What do friends do together?”
I could do nothing but freeze in place.
At my incredulous stare, Seria fidgeted as though ashamed and avoided my gaze. What did friends do together?
Well, they chatted and fooled around together, went out, and ate meals together. There was no fixed pattern. But Seria genuinely looked as though she did not know, so I had to think hard for a moment.
What should I tell her? No matter how much I thought about it, I could not come up with a suitable answer.
“You just spend time together, like we are now. You talk with each other, take walks together, and say things to each other that you can’t say to anyone else… That’s how you share precious time together.”
“Spend, spend, spend… Ah.”
Seria's eyes went round, as though something had occurred to her. She asked me in a serious tone,
“Come to think of it, I’ve heard that people who are close also exchange gifts.”
“Well, that happens sometimes.”
It was not something that happened very often, but it was not technically wrong. I nodded in agreement, and Seria's expression grew even more serious.
“Th-Then. In exchange for you being my friend, do I need to give you something too?”
“……What?”
I asked that because I was too dumbfounded, but Seria seemed to take it as agreement on her own. She mumbled helplessly,
“I-I don’t have anything with me right now, but… once we return to the dormitory, I’ll somehow manage with the 200 gold coins I meant to give you last time……”
“No, that’s not what I mean… Then we’d be in an employment relationship, not a friendship, wouldn’t we?”
Despite her appearance, she was a troublesome junior. I pressed a hand to my forehead and had to explain what ‘friends’ meant several more times.
Seria seemed to barely accept that she did not need to give me anything. She still looked a little uncertain, but at least she probably would not bring it up in front of me again.
I decided that was enough for now. She would come to understand it as time passed. She would learn that there were relationships in this world that could not be reduced to money.
However, Seria still seemed to have a question left. She cautiously asked me while I let out deep sighs one after another.
“Um, Senior?”
“Yeah, what is it?”
My voice was thick with fatigue as I answered her. I was exhausted by the extent of Seria's hermit-like nature, which had far exceeded my expectations.
I did not get angry. If I did, Seria might become even more withdrawn.
Still, I did hope that she would ask a question with a little more tact.
Perhaps the god Arus had heard my wish, because Seria came up with a slightly more normal question.
“Since we’re friends, may I ask a question that might be a little rude?”
That tactless Seria had called it ‘rude,’ so by this point, I was almost curious what sort of question it could be.
I answered her without giving it much thought.
“Sure, ask me.”
Once I gave her permission, the last trace of hesitation disappeared from Seria. She immediately asked me,
Her voice was plain and clear.
“Is it because of your friend?”
That question struck me so unexpectedly that I could do nothing but stiffen as though I had been hit.
My gaze, which had been scraping at the ground as though I had given up, turned toward Seria. Her deep-blue eyes were deep and still, as they always were.
“Did you come all the way here because your friend was attacked in this forest?”
The question pierced straight to the heart of the matter without hesitation, like an arrow fired by a first-rate archer.