Chapter 8 - The Saint Joins Up
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“I finally caught up with you.”
With a bright smile, the girl dismounted from a white-scaled Raptor.
So that was the source of the strange footsteps.
“Good day to you both. I’ve been wanting to see you.”
—Fimia Lakers.
A priestess bearing the title Saint, and a member of Silhasta. A remarkably powerful user of holy magic.
“Fimia? What are you doing all the way out here?”
“Ah, I knew it! Rolo-kun is with you too.”
“Hey, Fimia. Answer the question. Why the hell are you out here at this hour?”
Fimia responded to my words with a dainty smile.
“I came to chase you down.”
“Chase who?”
“You two, of course.”
The “Saint” tilted her head, and Rolo and I exchanged glances. What exactly did she mean by that?
“What about Silhasta?”
“I left the party.”
“Hold on… then Silhasta now is just Albert and Saran?”
“Who knows? Saran said he was planning to look for new members.”
She said it like it was someone else’s problem… and maybe it was. Like us, she had left the party after all.
“But why’d you leave?”
“I think Rolo-kun knows the reason why.”
At that, Rolo fell briefly silent. Did something come to mind?
“Man… this just keeps getting weirder. Rolo, mind cluing me in?”
“Um, I’m not sure?”
“You’re a terrible liar, you know that?”
Apparently, I’m the only one who doesn’t get what’s going on. Well, I left Silhasta for personal reasons, too. So I’m not gonna dig too deep into Fimia’s reasons.
“Anyway, you said you came to find us, right, Fimia?”
“Yes.”
“Then mind lending a hand? We’re heading into an unexplored region.”
Fimia looked a little surprised, but then turned to face me directly.
“Something’s happening, isn’t it?”
“Yeah. Seems like something strange is going on around here lately. We took down a Vampire Goat just yesterday.”
“…That doesn’t bode well.”
I don’t mind smart women. Even better if they’re adventurers.
“If we’re unlucky, this whole region could get caught up in something big.”
“Do you have any leads on the cause?”
“Not a clue. Even if we wanted to use the guild’s manpower, we’ve got nothing to go on. So we’re trying to find the starting point ourselves.”
It’s a half-baked plan, no doubt. Saran would laugh through his nose at it. And then follow up with a far more efficient strategy.
“I understand. In that case, may I join your party?”
“Guess that means we’ll have to head back to the dairy city again.”
“No need. I’ll send a guild letter via carrier bird for the formal paperwork. Just give me your signatures.”
Ah, right. That works. As expected of Fimia—sharp as ever. Well, everyone in Silhasta was sharp.
…Except for me and Albert.
“Alright, once the sun’s up, let’s head to Marhas. Between our horses and your Raptor, we should get there by sundown.”
“Hehe, I’m looking forward to it. I’ve never been to Marhas.”
“There’s nothing there. Just a backwater village, really…”
I sighed lightly at Fimia’s cheerful demeanor. She’s got that sheltered noble air to her and can be a little clueless sometimes.
Though when it comes to adventuring, she’s incredibly reliable.
“Thanks, Fimia. You’re a huge help.”
“Happy to be with you again, Rolo-san.”
Watching them smile and take each other’s hands, I gave a wry smile. She said she came to find “us,” but it was obviously Rolo she came for. Honestly, I’d long suspected that Albert’s hostility toward Rolo was partly because of the closeness between these two. Whether they’re hiding it or just oblivious, I don’t know—but the way they interact is far too intimate.
It’s not hard to imagine they’re romantically involved. I’m not one to pry into people’s love lives, but for Albert, it must’ve been unbearable. The guy had it bad for Fimia.
“Man… if only Saran would show up too. Just not Albert.”
“Saran was really focused on getting Silhasta selected for the national team, so…”
“Yeah, not gonna happen.”
Saran had no reason to come chasing after us. Albert might show up if he gets pulled along by Fimia, though.
“……”
“What’s wrong, Yulg?”
“Just made myself nauseous thinking about unnecessary stuff. Anyway, now that we’ve got Fimia, let’s pitch the tent. You two should get some sleep.”
If it were just Rolo and me, I’d be fine sleeping around the campfire. But we couldn’t exactly have Fimia sleeping in the dirt. And if we were putting up a tent anyway, might as well throw Rolo in there too.
As long as they don’t make any noise, they can do whatever they want. It’s a reunion. I’ll leave them their privacy.
“What about you, Yulg?”
“Yeah, if we’re taking night watch, let’s take turns.”
What do they think I’m doing this for?
“Shut it. I can stay up two nights no problem. It’s more dangerous if the mages aren’t at full strength.”
Waving them off, I pulled the tent out of my pack from where it lay on the ground.