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~Chapter 33~
A woman’s voice boomed like the roar of a wild bear.
Startled, I instinctively stepped back, and Lissian wrapped an arm around my shoulders, pulling me into his chest.
The red-haired person had already come right up to us. Allen stammered toward her in a flustered voice.
“D-Daphne? How did you get here…?”
“How else would I get here? I followed your trail! Tracking is my specialty, you know?”
“D-don’t tell me you came all the way here because of me…?”
“Are you kidding me? I told you not to think you’re useless to the guild!”
“But… it’s true that my abilities are lacking, right? I just wanted to help, even a little…”
“Even so, wandering around alone in dangerous places isn’t okay! Next time, make sure you say you’re going together. Got it?”
“Yes… I’m sorry.”
“Haa, whatever. More importantly—”
The woman called “Daphne” grabbed Allen and pulled him behind her, glaring fiercely at us.
…It looked like she was misunderstanding something.
As expected, sharp accusations burst from Daphne’s mouth.
“What are you people?! What were you planning to do with this innocent kid after grabbing him?!”
“D-Daphne! It’s a misunderstanding! These people are my benefactors!”
“…Benefactors?”
Daphne, who had been about to draw her bowstring, hesitated.
She narrowed her eyes and looked us up and down, as if judging whether Allen’s words were true.
I gave an awkward smile and shrugged. I had nothing to be ashamed of.
Still holding her bow, Daphne glanced sideways at Allen and asked,
“Did those people really help you?”
Allen grabbed Daphne’s arm with both hands and answered urgently.
“I’m telling you, they did! Please lower your bow, hurry!”
Only then did Daphne lower her bow, but she still watched us with suspicious eyes.
Just as she was about to say something—
Another person appeared from the direction Daphne had come running from.
That person approached us with faint presence and gentle footsteps.
He looked young, but had a strange atmosphere that made his age hard to guess.
Ash-gray hair brushed his shoulders in a short cut, and his eyes were a deep navy blue like the night sky.
The tips of his ears were slightly pointed—judging from that, he was probably a half-elf.
Those with strong elven blood had sharper ear tips.
Soon, a calm, low voice flowed from him.
“Allen.”
“Mikhail!”
It seemed his name was Mikhail. Allen smiled brightly at him and chatted happily.
“Mikhail, did you come too? To look for me?”
“…Of course.”
Though he replied plainly, a gentle smile hung on Mikhail’s lips. The way he looked at Allen was warm, like spring sunlight.
I knew it…!
Watching this, I became secretly convinced.
Allen is the healing mascot of the ranker guild!
“So… who are these people?”
“Ah.”
When Mikhail asked while glancing our way, Allen let out a short sound.
Perhaps worried another misunderstanding would occur, Allen spread his arms protectively in front of us and hurriedly explained.
“They’re my benefactors! The ones who saved me in the forest last time…!”
“Ah… those people?”
“Yes, those people!”
Judging by Mikhail’s reaction, Allen must have told the guild about us.
I deliberately put on a friendly smile. When I glanced sideways, Lissian’s expression was stiff, and the way he looked at Allen and his companions was far from pleasant.
“I heard you took down over ten monsters by yourself… was that you?”
Mikhail looked at me with curiosity. I shook my head and corrected him.
“That wasn’t me. He did it.”
I pointed both hands at Lissian, who was still standing protectively around me.
A spark of interest flashed in Mikhail’s eyes.
“To face that many monsters alone… I’m curious how skilled you are….”
“……”
Lissian smiled silently, but he didn’t look pleased. Honestly, his expression was closer to a threat than a smile.
Lissian shifted his gaze to Daphne and sneered coldly.
“We saved his life, picked him up while he was wandering around lost, even fed him—yet you suspect us without a word. What kind of logic is that?”
“…?”
Mikhail tilted his head, looking puzzled, then stared at Daphne as if asking for an explanation.
Daphne cleared her throat awkwardly, as if her conscience pricked her, then glanced at us and apologized.
“…Sorry for misunderstanding. You probably noticed already, but Allen tends to trust people too easily. I’m always worried he’ll get scammed or something.”
I nodded in understanding. To me as well, Allen felt like a child you’d worry about leaving near water.
Though Lissian still didn’t look happy, he didn’t seem inclined to press the issue further. So I smoothly changed the subject.
“Instead of talking here, why don’t we go inside and continue? We were actually in the middle of an important conversation with Allen just before.”
“Inside?”
I pointed toward my red-roofed house visible in the distance.
A small house surrounded by a vegetable patch and flower beds.
It looked like something out of a fairy tale—strangely out of place in this contaminated zone.
“That is…?”
Daphne muttered in disbelief. Mikhail also widened his eyes in surprise.
Smiling, I took Lissian’s hand and led the way, speaking kindly.
“Come on. I’ll treat you to strawberries I grew myself.”
About thirty minutes later.
After hearing everything, Daphne and Mikhail chewed on strawberries with blank expressions.
After swallowing, Daphne stammered,
“So… you have purification abilities?”
“Yes. Not at an amazing level, though.”
“That’s not the point! My god, a purification ability user!”
Daphne’s reaction wasn’t much different from Allen’s.
She praised me like I was a living miracle, which was extremely embarrassing.
I suspected most people I’d meet in the future would react similarly.
“Purification ability….”
At that moment, Mikhail, who had been quietly listening, muttered with a serious expression.
“…Your life is going to be hard.”
“…….”
I hadn’t expected that reaction.
He even looked at me with genuine pity.
For some reason, it made me laugh. This guild really seemed full of all kinds of personalities.
I shook my head, brushed off the laughter, and continued.
“That’s why I’d like to cooperate with the Veratis Guild you belong to. I was just talking about this with Allen earlier.”
“Cooperate… with a Saintess? That scale’s pretty big.”
“I’m not trying to burden you. I just need people who’ll be on my side—even if it’s just a business relationship.”
I met Daphne’s eyes and added,
“And I’m not a Saintess. Just call me Muriel.”
Daphne gave a faint smile and sighed.
The look she gave me was… something like reverence mixed with pity.
“But whether you want it or not, people are going to treat you like a Saintess.”
“…….”
“Our guild is mostly made up of rankers, so we wouldn’t be bad as your backing. Still, wouldn’t it be better to ask a noble house or a temple for protection? Or the royal family? The Grastea Imperial Family wouldn’t be bad either.”
The Roblet royal family felt uncomfortable.
The Grastea imperial family felt burdensome.
The temple… would obviously try to use me as a Saintess to expand their influence.
And nobles…
“I actually… have a noble allergy.”
“…Huh?”
Daphne blinked rapidly, asking back blankly.
Straightening my posture, I spoke seriously.
“Honestly, nine out of ten nobles are trash. I don’t know about other countries, but that’s how it is in the Roblet Kingdom. Most are blinded by wealth and power—so how could I trust them with my safety? They’d just try to use me. It’s obvious without even looking.”
Both Daphne and Mikhail stared at me wide-eyed.
Silence fell for a moment. Then Daphne clutched her stomach and burst out laughing.
“Ahahaha! Muriel, you’re really something…!”
I could practically see her favorability toward me skyrocketing.
Sure enough, the system made it very obvious.
Target’s favorability toward you: 16♡
Like Allen’s, it was a blue heart. Blue probably meant human affection or friendship.
I scratched my cheek awkwardly and smiled. Still, it seemed I’d succeeded in earning her goodwill, which was a relief—though that hadn’t been my intention.
“Alright, I’m in favor. This sounds like it’ll be fun. What about you two?”
“I like it too… Muriel seems like a really good person…. Ah, I want to see you often from now on!”
Allen, clasping his hands together and speaking shyly but bravely, was truly adorable.
Mikhail stared at Allen for a moment, then spoke.
“If Allen says that… I agree too.”
Daphne grinned and clapped her hands once.
“Then the three of us are in favor. Let’s ask the others once we’re back at the guild. Sound good?”
“Yes!”
“Let’s do that.”
It seemed to be a fairly democratically run guild.
My curiosity grew. I wanted to know more about what kind of place the Veratis Guild was.
Anyway, the discussion ended smoothly, and the three decided to stay the night in our living room.
Since only one person could lie on the sofa, I brought extra blankets and spread them on the carpet.
We had to move the table aside to make space for two people.
“Well… it might not be very comfortable, but sleep well.”
“Haha, it’s fine! We’ve slept outdoors plenty of times. Don’t worry and go rest!”
“Good night, Muriel…!”
Mikhail had already closed his eyes and didn’t respond. Allen lay beside him, and Daphne lay on the sofa.
After smiling at them, I went into my room.
Click.
The moment I closed the door and turned around, my eyes met Lissian’s.
He was sitting neatly on the bed.
“…….”
A strange atmosphere filled the room.
