A Humble, Scary-Looking Mid-Rank Adventurer Is Offered Their Bodies by Every Member of a Rising All-Female Party, Begging: ‘You Can Do Whatever You Want With Me, Just Please Spare My Companions.’ - 15

Chapter 15: Misunderstanding upon Misunderstanding

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Balg awoke with a sense of weariness as if his entire body had been coated in lead, accompanied by a dull ache in his shoulder. The surroundings were bright. When he looked around, he immediately realized he was at the campsite.

“…What happened after that?”

He twisted his neck while pressing a hand against his throbbing head. His memories from before he lost consciousness were vague. What he did remember was recklessly chasing Patema into the nighttime forest and fighting a vicious nocturnal magic beast. The wound on his shoulder must have been from then. However, he remembered almost nothing after that.

“Hm? …Wha—!?”

As he slowly raised his upper body, he noticed a girl sleeping close against him. Her long golden hair was spread out, and she was breathing softly in her sleep. The campfire was nearly burned out, and she was still lightly dressed, having removed her armor. Unsure where to look, Balg took the blanket that had been covering him and draped it over her instead.

“…For now, I’ll go wash my face.”

What had happened last night, and why he had been sleeping next to Sierra… He had no idea. With no answers, he decided to turn his attention elsewhere. His whole body was caked in mud. Worse, it seemed to have dried from the heat of the campfire and soaked deep into his clothes.

Balg forced his creaking body to move and trudged toward the riverbank. When he washed his face with the cold water, his mind was forcibly cleared. Judging from the circumstantial evidence, he must have driven off the magic beast but collapsed after being injured. Sierra and the others had likely saved him and treated his wounds.

He gently stroked the bandage wrapped around his shoulder, and his chest grew warm. The past few days had been a series of upheavals, but perhaps he had managed to build a bond of trust with all four members of Aurora Blade. If they were to overcome the “mid-level wall” and become first-rate explorers, he would need to do his job properly as well.

“Mm, looks like you’re awake.”

As Balg renewed his resolve, a voice called out from behind him. When he turned around, Patema was standing there with a towel, her face still heavy with sleep.

“Patema. Yesterday was, uh… Rough.”

As he spoke, Balg glanced over her body. She wasn’t wearing her usual robe, instead dressed lightly, her figure clearly outlined. Still, there were no visible injuries on her pale skin. At the very least, it seemed he had managed to protect her. That had been his greatest concern, and he let out a sigh of relief.

However, upon hearing his words, Patema seemed to recall something and her cheeks flushed red.

“Y-yes, indeed. Thanks to that, my body still hurts.”

Patema reached a hand toward her waist. Her words startled Balg.

“W-what!? Are you hurt somewhere!?”

“N-no! Now you’re being mean. After how rough you were with me yesterday…”

Even in Balg’s hazy memories, the fight with the magic beast had indeed been intense. He hadn’t even had time to put on his armor, making it far more dangerous than usual. Perhaps Patema had suffered injuries like bruises that weren’t easy to see.

“At least, shouldn’t you have Fana take a look at you?”

“W-what are you saying!? There’s no way I could do something that embarrassing!”

“I-I mean, since we’re comrades, wouldn’t it be better not to hide that kind of thing—”

“Oh? Is that your fetish?”

Patema hugged herself and furrowed her brows. Even if Fana was a close companion, showing her something like an intimate encounter with Balg was far too perverse. Besides, she wanted to keep the nature of their relationship hidden from the others for now.

But perhaps indulging a man’s instinct to show off was simply part of a woman’s virtue?

“Patema?”

“N-no, it’s still not okay! That kind of thing is only after I’m more used to it!”

“I see. So you’re embarrassed about getting hurt, then.”

Though Patema spoke in an old-fashioned manner, she was a girl not much older than Sierra. Even among girls, being seen with injuries would be embarrassing. Balg groaned at the inscrutability of a maiden’s heart.

“Y-you’re the one who damaged me. You’ll take responsibility properly.”

“I know. I’ll do anything I can.”

Even if the situation had been desperate, failing to fully protect Patema from the magic beast was his responsibility. Balg reflected on this with regret. He intended to help her with daily tasks until her injuries fully healed.

“F-for life! You’d better be prepared for life!”

“For life!?”

Wasn’t that far too long? Even a bruise would take only a few weeks at most. If it were an injury that lasted a lifetime, then surely Fana’s holy magic should be used…

Before Balg could voice those thoughts, Patema finished washing her face and walked away. Her gait was stiff, as if her waist hurt. Her injuries might be a serious one after all. 

“…I’ll at least let Fana know later.”

Though Patema seemed to dislike being examined, she wouldn’t be able to train in the forest like that. While wanting to respect her wishes, Balg decided to ask the party’s priest to keep an eye on her.

“Hey. You.”

“Uwah!? W-what is it, Nerva?”

As he was washing the mud stuck to his clothes along with his face, another voice called out. When Balg turned around in surprise, Nerva stood there with her arms crossed, glaring at him irritably.

“You helped out yesterday too, didn’t you? Thank you—”

“Don’t give me that innocent crap, you bastard!”

“Huh…?”

Berated in a threatening tone, Balg was taken aback.

I shouldn’t have done anything to deserve that… No, wait. She must be blaming me for not fully protecting Patema. Since I’ve agreed to take on the role of instructor, then I should’ve fulfilled that duty.

“I’m sorry. It’s because I was inadequate.”

“Ha! So you did lay your hands on Patema too, even though I’m here!”

“Huh?”

What was she talking about? Could it be that Nerva was seriously misunderstanding something? At that moment, Balg’s sharpened mind kicked in.

“Wait, that’s a misunderstanding!”

“Oh yeah?”

“I didn’t egg her on. Before I knew it, she did it on her own.”

“You bastard. That excuse—”

Nerva was mistaken. She thought Patema had recklessly rushed into the night forest because Balg had incited her. But that wasn’t the case, and Balg insisted as much.

“I warned her that vicious magic beasts appear in the forest at night.”

“Vicious magic beasts, huh… Hmph. Yeah, it sure was vicious.”

For some reason, Nerva snorted while glancing repeatedly at Balg’s lower body. Desperate not to be misunderstood, Balg failed to notice.

“So basically you will spare my comrade if I take on this so-called vicious night beast? Is that it?”

“No, I mean… I told her not to enter the forest because it’s dangerous—”

“So you’re saying I can’t beat it?”

“Huh? No, no. If you train properly, Nerva, you can definitely defeat it.”

There was an order to things, though. Balg desperately tried to explain.

“Jumping straight into a hard fight will overwhelm your body. That’s why it’s important to get used to things gradually.”

“Hmph. You didn’t hold back with me.”

“I didn’t have the luxury to.”

By “with me,” she must have meant when she’d been unable to move deep inside the cave. Balg nodded to himself. That had indeed been a harsh fight. But he hadn’t expected them to enter a cave right from the start and had chased after her in a panic.

“Experience is what matters. Train properly, Nerva. I’ll work with you.”

“T-train together!? You bastard, so you really do think about me—”

“Not just you. Sierra, Patema, Fana too. We all should train together.”

“Tch! I told you I’d handle everything myself!”

“Whaaat…?”

A party’s strength wasn’t decided by one person alone. Unless all four grew stronger, their overall power wouldn’t increase. Balg tilted his head, wondering how to explain this basic knowledge to her.

“The burden is too heavy for you if you’re the only one who’s getting stronger. Besides, each of you has a different role in the party. I need to teach methods suited to each of you.”

“I alone am enough!”

“Li-Like I said, that’s not how it works…”

Faced with Nerva’s stubbornness, Balg could only flounder. She seemed to see herself as the rear guard of the party due to her seniority, but even a single strong pillar was meaningless if the other part of the party couldn’t keep up.

“If y-you’re serious, we can start anytime, anywhere. I’m always prepared.”

Nerva glared at him sharply. Overwhelmed by her strong resolve, Balg involuntarily held his breath. Constant readiness for battle, that was what she meant. Nerva was saying she had lived without ever neglecting her training. Admiring her spirit, Balg pressed at the corners of his eyes.

“I understand how much you care about your comrades, Nerva. I’ll go along with that.”

“You said it. From now on, you’re focusing on me alone.”

“No, that’s impossible.”

“Tch! You bastard!”

“Whaaat…?”

Balg was, after all, the instructor for Aurora Blade. No matter how motivated Nerva was, he couldn’t neglect the other members like Sierra. Unable to accept even that, Nerva glared at him fiercely.

“D-don’t get so tense. If that’s what you want, Nerva, then I’ll be happy to oblige…”

“So you want me to invite you myself… Figures. You really do have bad taste.”

“I-I do?”

A maiden’s heart truly was difficult. Nerva bit her lip in frustration, shook her shoulders, and walked away. Left behind, Balg could only fold his arms, unsure what to do.

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