Chapter 10
At this level, it wouldn’t look like I was having a conversation. The wolf stared at me intently and let out a low growl.
[This weak male is a member of my pack. A leader must protect the pack.]
“Wait, miss! It’s dangerous to get that close!”
The man was horrified by my reckless behavior, shoving my face near the wolf’s head, and pulled me away.
But I couldn’t take my eyes off the wolf. Seeing its unwavering eyes and hearing that firm reply made me want it even more. I was confident I could take good care of it.
“This wolf is not the kind of creature to be kept as a pet by a noble lady.”
A jarring word reached my ears as I was distracted by the wolf. Frowning, I turned my gaze, and the man was staring at me with a stiff expression.
“He’s also unworthy to accompany a distinguished Saint.”
Oh, dear. It seemed he wasn’t just a harmless stray cat after all.
“It seems you’ve misunderstood something.”
“Judging by your attitude, it doesn’t look like you were kidnapped. I’ll pretend I never saw you here, so let’s just go our separate ways.”
Only then did I look the man’s attire over again instead of answering. At first glance, it seemed ordinary.
He’d clearly spent a considerable amount of time on the road, as his clothes were worn and covered in dust. The embroidered pattern at the edge of his cloak was faded and looked like it could rub off at any moment.
But even with just that trace, I could tell his identity. He was someone who couldn’t help but recognize me.
“You’re from the Magic Tower.”
If he was from there, wanted posters and recording orbs would have circulated long ago. However, the Magic Tower had poor relations with the Temple and was a group that didn’t care much about political squabbles.
So his indifferent attitude toward me was understandable. Above all, this man probably didn’t want to get tangled up with me. Judging by his appearance, he was clearly…
“…in the middle of the Trial of Ordeal.”
I’d heard that the Trial of Ordeal was a process where mages sealed their magical power and wandered the world with their bare bodies to strengthen their physiques.
It was a training regimen established by the Magic Tower to compensate for the weakness of mages, who were greatly dependent on magic. This was my first time meeting a mage undergoing it, though.
A mage with their magic sealed was no different from an ordinary person. If anyone held a grudge against them or had something to gain, this would be a golden opportunity they couldn’t miss.
Considering the value an individual mage held, this man would also try to avoid anything conspicuous during his ordeal.
At my words, the man ruffled his own hair as if troubled.
“It’s useless for both of us to make excuses, so let’s come to a quick agreement. Neither of us benefits from causing a commotion. Let’s just pretend we never met.”
“We both want to avoid trouble, but our situations aren’t the same.”
“Huh?”
“Those who seek me will take me in with honor, but that wouldn’t be the case for you, would it?”
At my words, the man hesitated, as if lost for words. However, even while furrowing his brow, he ultimately shook his head.
“…Even if you say that, I can’t give you this wolf.”
“I’ve changed my mind.”
The man looked at me with suspicious eyes. Looking at him, I felt the hunger I’d momentarily forgotten surge back.
He said he couldn’t abandon a member of his pack, so then I’d just have to keep that member by my side.
Besides, I was very hungry right now and needed someone to cook for me immediately.
Someone who had grown accustomed to menial work while wandering.
“I want to buy you.”
“…Buy me?”
“Yes.”
I nodded brightly with a smile.
“As you said, I’m currently on a trial. I can’t serve you as a mage.”
“That’s not what I want from you. I’m guessing your ordeal has been going on for a while, so you must be used to a wandering life. But you’ve probably spent most of your travel funds by now.”
It might be hard to travel together for a long time, but until I got out of this situation and found a new path, he would be useful.
“And right now, I need someone like you.”
Someone who, despite not wanting to get involved with me, would keep a low profile and avoid trouble as much as possible on their own.
“Providing food for the wolf would be quite a strain on your purse, so why not earn some money by my side?”
The man remained silent, but his golden eyes wavered. Seeing that, I became even more certain.
He was the most suitable person for the job.
—
* * *
—
Once I found a place to settle, I had one priority.
That was to acquire a reliable errand-runner.
How delightful it was to have someone by my side who could do the things I couldn’t, especially in such harsh conditions.
The man accepted my short-term employment offer, and I paid him an advance. I promised to pay him double the advance when the job was done, and he couldn’t argue further.
The righteous wolf was quite satisfied that the man had agreed to help me, even if it was because of a transaction.
I resolved to do my best to win over that wolf until our journey ended, because no matter how many times I saw it, I couldn’t give up on it.
Unable to stay at an inn in the village because of the wolf, we ended up camping on our very first day together. But that was fine.
He seemed skilled at camping, and I had procured enough camping gear that money could buy. Even ingredients.
All the luggage was loaded onto a packhorse he was leading. I would have liked to buy a horse myself, but that wasn’t possible in a rural village.
Besides, even if I had bought one, I doubted I could have controlled it with the wolf accompanying us.
“To think the Saint who threw herself at a monster to save the citizens would be like this…”
“How could a mere human fathom God’s will? Think more productively instead of dwelling on useless things.”
Without even glancing at him, I answered and studied the map as if to memorize it. I especially memorized the terrain of the forest we were about to enter in detail.
Seeing where I was looking, the man spoke in a sighing voice.
“Do we have to take that route? Wild animals frequently appear there. If we’re unlucky, monsters might show up too.”
“It has to be a path with few people. I told you I’d pay you a hazard bonus.”
“If it weren’t for that hazard bonus, I wouldn’t be cooking here right now.”
We had already finished eating. The simple stew he’d made as a demonstration was excellent, and I’d been generously praising my own judgment in hiring him.
“Yes, I’m glad your cooking skills are quite good. By the way, what should I call you?”
“You ask awfully late.”
At the somewhat sullen mutter, I glanced at him and saw him looking at me with a displeased expression. In his eyes, I caught a glimpse of a sense of hurt directed at me.
What? Why?
“You weren’t going to tell me your real name anyway, so why bother with formal introductions?”
“Why do you think I wouldn’t tell you my real name?”
I paused at his question. It was strange that he was asking something so obvious. I folded the map and answered firmly.
“Because you wouldn’t want to get tangled up with me.”
That was probably the correct answer. Even I thought I was currently at the center of a whirlwind of chaos—the root cause of all conflicts and events. Or at least destined to become one.
What could one gain from being all chummy with me except a ticking time bomb of danger? If I were them, I wouldn’t want to exchange names with a nuisance like me either.
“You’re making me out to be a heartless person.”
“Not at all. I’m just making a rational judgment.”
It wasn’t something to think so hard about.
At my retort, the man clicked his tongue as if exasperated.
“I never thought I’d learn of Roam’s infamous reputation this way.”
Roam. Yes, Roam taught me these things. Quick and swift judgment. Elimination of emotion. Profit and loss. This and that. I don’t deny that my upbringing shaped my current way of thinking. However…
“…I’m no longer a child of Roam.”
They abandoned me, and I no longer want Roam either. At my answer, the man raised his eyebrows and said.
“Haven’t you heard? Duke Roam declared that he would send search parties across the land, saying ‘the missing person is a precious daughter who carries Roam’s blood before she is the Saint.'”
“Hah, precious daughter.”
When did those words become so nauseating?
I twisted my lips and looked away. After my bedridden mother, now my father was declaring he would find me?
I could so clearly imagine what words had been exchanged in my father’s office, what faces and thoughts they’d had.
Mother would have been annoyed, my sister would have been irritated. Father would have been displeased, and my younger sibling would have been watching the mood, or maybe not even there at all. And Lilia, who had newly become a daughter of that house…
Ah, I shouldn’t think about it.
“How long has it been since I was kidnapped, and they’re already forming search parties.”
As I muttered indifferently, the man clicked his tongue and agreed.
“Everyone’s staking their claims, after all.”
It was what I’d expected, but hearing it was still amusing. Did they think I’d cooperate willingly if they found me? Did all of them think I was accepting this resurrection piously and joyfully?
No, they probably weren’t even considering my feelings at all. That’s just how they are.
“You’re well-informed for someone on a wandering trial.”
“We’re not thrown out completely naked. We at least carry a communication orb.”
I must have unconsciously sharpened my gaze. The man flinched and quickly avoided my eyes.
“You don’t have to look at me like that. I just casually ran my mouth; I don’t want to get unluckily dragged into political affairs.”
He repeatedly emphasized that he had no intention of revealing my whereabouts. Still, when my expression didn’t easily soften, he began complaining to the wolf, who was lying lazily by the campfire.
He probably wasn’t expecting the wolf to agree with him. He just needed someone to vent to.
However, the wolf subtly sided with him, even though the man couldn’t understand him.
[This male is too weak to lie. He’s surprisingly someone you can trust with your back.]
