I couldn’t be sure if Erina had really killed all the monsters.
But seeing her drenched in blood, it was impossible to doubt her.
“I-I really tried my best…! It was late, but I killed all the monsters! The east is safe now…!”
More than anything, her expectant gestures and eyes longing for affection made it impossible to ignore her.
I had joked half-seriously, but I never imagined she would take it so earnestly.
Nor did I expect her to actually accomplish such an impossible feat.
On one hand, I felt guilty.
Where was the image of her always wielding her sword with such composure? Now, she appeared before me in a pitiful state.
The dagger she held in reverse grip had its edge chipped.
Her treasured longsword was smoking, likely from overloading with lightning.
Worried, I held onto her. She was trembling and barely standing.
But Erina stepped back in surprise.
“I-I’m sorry! I should have come back more presentable… I’m too dirty right now…”
“It’s okay.”
I began by removing the flesh stuck to her face.
After tidying her disheveled hair, I took a towel from my bag.
I carefully wiped her body from her face to her neck, arms, and hands.
As the sweat and bloodstains disappeared, her hidden beautiful face was revealed.
Erina silently accepted my touch.
Her flushed face showed pure, unfiltered emotions.
Yet, her hands were close to my waist.
She was poised to leap into my arms at any moment.
But knowing her body was dirty, she couldn’t bring herself to do it.
She waited quietly until I finished cleaning her.
I wiped off all the bloodstains on her armor as well.
Though there were still many stains, she looked much more presentable.
“You really did a great job.”
Her lips loosened into a smile as soon as I praised her.
She was genuinely happy, with an expression more pure than anyone else.
“I was worried you might be in danger, so I came as fast as I could. I didn’t have time to clean myself in the village…”
It was a relief. If she had walked around the village in this state, people would have been horrified.
Strange rumors might have spread in the village.
“Are you hurt anywhere?”
“No. I’m perfectly fine.”
Though I had said it, I never thought she could wipe out all the monsters in a single day.
I thought it was absolutely impossible.
Kayla and I had been hunting monsters all day, and we hadn’t even cleared half of the west side.
But Erina had swept through half of the snowy field alone. And she wasn’t even injured.
How strong must one be to reach such a level?
“…I really missed you. The thought of seeing you kept me going.”
She looked more exhausted than I had ever seen her, probably from overexerting herself.
I had never seen her struggle before.
I couldn’t even fathom how intense the battle must have been.
Her usually vibrant eyes were now heavy with drowsiness.
Her shoulders slumped, and she seemed utterly spent.
Not just Erina, but Kayla and I were also exhausted.
“The sun is setting. It will be dangerous if we don’t head back soon.”
The sky was already painted with the hues of dusk.
The moon was faintly rising on the other side.
Having met Erina, we decided to call it a day and head back.
“Everyone did great today.”
“Ah, yes…!”
“Thank you for your hard work.”
With their words, we started heading back to Norton Village.
***
“T-This is unbelievable! Did you really take down this many Yetis in just one day?!”
Colin couldn’t close her mouth for a while.
On the table were heaps of Yeti noses.
Even at a rough count, there were over a hundred.
It was likely the most loot the quest center had ever received.
It was beyond amazement; there was a sense of bewilderment and trouble.
Colin’s hands shook as she received the bags of loot.
“I’m sorry, but we can’t process this amount all at once…”
She explained that the quest center couldn’t immediately pay the reward due to financial constraints.
So, we agreed to deposit the loot and collect the reward from the capital’s quest center.
“Alright. Please do that.”
“Thank you. If you need any supplies, just let us know anytime.”
Colin bowed her head repeatedly in apology.
However, it wasn’t anyone’s fault. In fact, I was grateful.
There wasn’t much use for money here anyway.
Even if we needed something, Colin could procure it for us, so it didn’t matter.
It was more convenient than carrying around cumbersome money pouches.
“Thank you so much. Thanks to you all, the village is much safer.”
“No need to thank us; we were just doing our job.”
“I didn’t expect you to work this hard. On behalf of the village, I thank you once again.”
Colin extended her hand as if she couldn’t thank us enough.
Of course, I was the only one who took her hand.
Kayla hid behind me, and Erina politely declined after hesitating.
Despite the cold reception, Colin kept her warm smile fixed on me.
I had never seen someone so socially adept.
“Thank you for your hard work today. I’ll take care of the remaining tasks!”
With that, today’s quest was officially over.
Colin said she would handle the miscellaneous tasks alone at the quest center.
It felt a bit pitiful to see her working late into the night.
I wondered if there was anything we could help with, but she firmly declined.
It seemed our mere presence was more of a hindrance.
We left the bustling quest center.
Snow was still falling from the sky.
Large snowflakes continued to blanket the surroundings in white.
As night fell, the temperature dropped further, and the cold intensified.
We hurried across to the building opposite to escape the biting wind.
It took less than five minutes to reach the inn.
When we entered, the inn was empty.
The innkeeper was nowhere to be seen, and it was eerily quiet.
Unfortunately, ordering food would have to wait.
Before wrapping up for the night, there was one last thing to do.
“Everyone, good job today. Let’s rest comfortably now.”
“Yes, thank you for your hard work.”
“Understood. Thank you for your efforts.”
At my words, Erina began organizing her armor and equipment.
Kayla removed her robe and sorted her belongings.
In the midst of the busy tidying, Erina caught my eye.
She always acted so confident and assured, but now, for the first time, she looked exhausted.
Sweeping the plains of monsters was an impossible task to begin with.
But Erina had done it.
Driven by her desire to see me, she somehow achieved the impossible.
“Erina. Could you come here for a moment?”
She had been tending to her longsword, but at my call, she immediately stood up and approached.
Her consistency never failed to amaze me.
“What is it?”
“I need to talk to you. Let’s step outside.”
“Y-Yes…?”
Her expression instantly hardened.
Her face turned pale, devoid of any vitality.
She wrapped her arms around herself, stepping back in anxiety.
She probably thought I was going to reprimand her.
Before she could misunderstand further, I quickly smiled and took her arm.
“Don’t worry. You’ll understand once you come.”
Erina averted her gaze but nodded slightly.
She cautiously followed behind me.
Kayla stood and watched us awkwardly, clearly wanting to join but I shook my hand
I needed to speak with Erina alone. No companions were necessary.
“Kayla, please wait here.”
“…When will you be back?”
“Don’t worry. We’re not going far. Just a quick talk and we’ll be back.”
Kayla seemed to agree with what I said and sat back down.
She looked a little dissatisfied, but she followed my instructions without saying anything.
“Alright, let’s go.”
“Y-Yes…!”
I led Erina out of the room and to a secluded corner of the inn.
Although I wanted to speak outside, it was too cold.
The wind was so strong that it rattled the windows.
Instead, I found a place where we could talk comfortably indoors.
I brought her to the fireplace, where warmth radiated.
The sound of crackling wood filled the space as we stood facing each other.
Erina bit her lip, revealing her nervousness.
She fiddled with her fingers and avoided my gaze, looking like a student awaiting punishment.
She never could hide her emotions in front of me.
The cold demeanor she showed to others vanished, leaving only the pure, vulnerable side of her.
Which one was her true self?
Or perhaps both were facets of Erina’s personality.
Every time I faced her, I felt confused.
But for now, I decided to set my doubts aside.
“Did I do something wrong…?”
In the past, she would have simply smiled and tried to hug me or reach for my hand.
But now, she was shrunk with fear, trying to figure out what she had done wrong.
I didn’t want to see her so anxious.
It wasn’t good to always indulge her, but I also didn’t want to be cold to her every time.
Physically, Erina was strong, but mentally, she was fragile.
If I kept pushing her, she might explode from the accumulated stress one day.
No matter how much she frustrated me, I couldn’t just abandon her.
“That’s not why I called you.”
“Really…?”
Her eyes still showed signs of anxiety.
To ease her mind, I took out the item I had prepared from my pocket.
I showed her the necklace I had bought from the shop earlier.
The necklace, with its radiant blue jewel, glittered beautifully in the firelight.
It had been a gift intended for Erina from the start.
“Do you like it?”
“Huh…?”
She looked at the jewelry in my hand, dazed, as if she couldn’t comprehend what she was seeing.
Seeing that she still couldn’t believe it, I stepped closer and put the necklace around her neck.
Then I took her hands in mine and looked into her eyes.
“You did a great job today. And thank you for staying with me all this time.”
“Is this really for me…?”
“Yes, it’s a gift.”
Erina stood frozen in place, unable to close her mouth in shock.
It seemed this was entirely unexpected for her.
I instinctively reached out and patted her head. Her soft hair swayed with my touch.
Suddenly, I heard the sound of sobbing.
“Hic… Sniff...”
Erina was covering her face.
At first, she tried to hold back her tears.
But she didn’t get far before tears streamed down her cheeks.
But soon, tears streamed down her cheeks.
She started crying as if she was finally releasing all the pent-up emotions she had been holding in.
“I thought I’d never receive such a gift again…”
Her shoulders shook, and her legs trembled.
Her hands wandered, looking for something to hold on to.
Then she pulled me into an embrace. I hugged her silently.
Through our embrace, I could feel the complex emotions Erina had been carrying.
I had known she was lying to me and had agonized over it.
There were times when I doubted her sincerity.
When she fought monsters or caused trouble at the inn, I had felt fear.
But I had never once thought of abandoning Erina.
The things I had said before were meant to make her more aware.
I never actually intended to expel her from our party.
“Let’s continue to rely on each other.”
“Yes… I’ll do my best too…”
We shared a warm embrace in front of the fireplace.
We remained in each other’s arms, sharing our warmth for a long time.
Neither of us noticed that Kayla had been watching the entire time.
