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Translated By Arcane Translations
Translator: Yuziro
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Creak.
Belle carefully opened the door and peeked inside.
A small wooden bed.
A two-person sofa.
A small wardrobe and a chest of drawers.
Simple, but enough for one person.
She stepped inside, her footsteps cautious, and surveyed the room.
“Are you sure it’s alright if I stay here?”
She asked hesitantly.
“Of course.”
“Wow…”
Belle stepped fully into the room, her eyes wide with curiosity as she examined her surroundings.
There wasn’t much to see.
Old furniture and equipment.
The bed and sofa gave the room a semblance of habitation, while the area around the wardrobe and drawers overflowed with adventuring gear.
Oh, and my prized straw crafts, neatly arranged in one corner.
Those were worth a look.
I should show her later.
“You must be tired after training all day. Sleep in the bed.”
“What about you, Senior?”
“I’ll sleep on the sofa.”
She didn’t say it aloud, but Belle was probably aching all over.
It would be strange if she wasn’t, after being pummeled all day.
I tried to control my strength, but a normal teenage girl couldn’t be expected to withstand it.
She had been thrown around quite a bit today.
There was no way she’d get a decent night’s sleep curled up on the sofa.
I, on the other hand, was fine sleeping anywhere.
My only asset was my sturdy body.
As I cleared the sofa, Belle suddenly blocked my path.
“I’ll sleep on the sofa.”
“What?”
“I can’t take the bed when you’re letting me stay in your room. I’ll sleep on the sofa.”
Her eyes held a firm resolve.
Ah, I knew that look.
The unwavering, iron-clad… annoyingly stubborn look.
If you’re going to impose, just impose.
“You sleeping in the bed is better for tomorrow. Now go to bed.”
“No.”
“I said go to bed.”
“No!”
Such a stubborn child.
But at the same time, I was touched.
She was trying to be considerate.
Seeing her determined stance, I finally relented.
“Fine, you win. Sleep on the sofa.”
“Yes!”
“But take a blanket. You’ll catch a cold.”
Seeming to understand, she grabbed a blanket from the bed and settled onto the sofa.
I lay down on the bed, staring at the wooden ceiling, waiting.
After a while, soft snores drifted from the sofa.
Finally asleep.
“Troublesome girl.”
I carefully got up and tiptoed to the sofa, peering down.
Even for Belle, who was smaller than most her age, the two-person sofa was a tight fit.
Curled up under the thin blanket, she slept soundly.
She hadn’t shown it, but judging by how deeply she slept, she must have been exhausted.
A smile touched my lips as I watched her.
I carefully reached out and… slipped my hands under her legs and back.
“Heave-ho.”
Supporting her back with one arm and her legs with the other, I lifted her effortlessly.
She was surprisingly light.
Too light for a girl about to turn seventeen.
Thankfully, she didn’t wake.
I carried her to the bed and gently laid her down.
Honestly.
She could have just listened.
“Such a troublesome girl…”
But despite my words, a chuckle escaped my lips.
I tucked her in and then settled onto the sofa.
“……”
Belle and I had no connection.
We had only met a few days ago.
Complete strangers.
When I first met her, I thought she was just another overly ambitious youngster, asking a somewhat-known adventurer to take her as a disciple.
After she followed me for a few days, I just thought she was persistent.
But for her, this was a life-altering challenge.
She had followed me, eating a single piece of bread in a stable, just for this chance.
She had pleaded with me, bowing deeply, asking for guidance, and I had half-heartedly agreed, planning to brush her off after a week or so.
Realizing that, it struck me.
I was no different from the adventurer who had given her that cheap iron sword.
Like that adventurer who had thoughtlessly given her a worthless piece of hope, I had carelessly agreed to her desperate plea.
She had been sincere, and I hadn’t.
Then, while we were eating dinner, it hit me.
Perhaps I had become sincere, too.
“…Well, I’m a romantic.”
Giving someone a dream… I could do that much.
With that thought, I turned over and drifted off to sleep.
What happened next, you ask?
What do you think?
Belle woke up in the morning and raised a ruckus, demanding to know why I had moved her.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇
A heavy atmosphere permeated the meeting room.
Ten people sat around a large table, their expressions solemn, waiting for the man at the head to speak.
He tapped a stack of papers, straightening them, and then began.
“So, this is the list of adventurers for the Begalo Vegas expedition. The leader will be him, as planned, correct?”
“Yes. Adventurer Kundt would be the best choice.”
“Kundt is reliable.”
Kundt was respected by other adventurers, and his skill was among the best in Tillasden.
He was quiet by nature, not a natural leader like Wagner, but he would provide a solid foundation for the group.
With Wagner, Wolf Who Chases the Wind, and Guinness deployed elsewhere, he was the most suitable choice.
No one objected.
The matter seemed settled.
Until an elderly man raised his hand.
“May I speak?”
“Clerk.”
All eyes turned to the man who had spoken.
He looked exhausted, but his eyes, sharp behind thick spectacles, held an unwavering focus.
“Regarding the list of adventurers for the Begalo Vegas expedition… I have a suggestion.”
“Go ahead.”
“I propose that we keep Adventurer Kundt in Tillasden.”
“Keep Kundt?”
The retainers around the table exchanged puzzled glances.
They knew the clerk wasn’t one to speak frivolously.
Their confusion stemmed not from disagreement, but from curiosity.
The man at the head frowned.
“Can you explain your reasoning?”
“Yes. To be precise, I’m not suggesting we keep Kundt, but rather, that we replace him with another adventurer…”
The clerk stood, holding several sheets of paper.
The report detailed the current situation, and at the bottom, a name was written.
‘Nikolai Tobias’
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇
As I had feared, Belle had fallen ill.
She had been pushing herself too hard, training with a malnourished body, and it had finally caught up with her.
She woke up with a high fever.
I had hoped feeding her properly would help, but it was too late.
Thankfully, I had some medicine on hand, and her fever subsided without complications.
But she needed to rest.
With some unexpected free time, I decided to visit the guild, partly to show my face, and partly to make arrangements for Belle’s adventurer registration.
The guild was quiet.
I headed towards the reception desk, where Rigati usually was, but someone was already there, speaking with her.
A young girl, perhaps seventeen or eighteen.
Her long, sky-blue hair and gleaming new equipment marked her as a novice adventurer.
A lot of young girls these days…
I thought, joining the queue.
“I’m sorry, but I can’t give you that information.”
“I’m asking you to, please.”
“Even if you ask…”
Rigati seemed to be dealing with another difficult client.
Just like with Belle.
She looked flustered, shaking her head, and then her gaze landed on me, standing behind the girl.
Her troubled expression brightened.
“Oh, Mr. Iyer… pol!”
She stopped mid-sentence, clapping a hand over her mouth.
“…Iyer?”
The girl at the counter murmured, turning around.
Rigati looked panicked, reaching for her, but it was too late.
The girl walked towards me, stopping a few paces away.
“Are you the Blind Swordsman, Iyerpol?”
This felt strangely familiar… Hadn’t this happened recently?
The memory of my first encounter with Belle surfaced, and a sense of unease settled in my chest.
“I am Iyerpol.”
“…I’ve finally found you.”
Her long, sky-blue hair swayed as she moved.
Her sharp eyes hinted at a strong personality.
She was neatly dressed, a thin sword at her hip.
As I looked at her, I noticed something peculiar.
Her eyes… were unusually pale.
This doesn’t feel good.
I had a feeling this wouldn’t end well.
And my feelings were usually right.
“My name is Zeta.”
Her voice was cool and composed.
“I’ve come to become your disciple.”
Ah.
My premonition had been correct.
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[Now there are two of them…]
