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.’ - 7

Chapter 7: A Day of Constant Falls

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When the priestess Fana went to call for Nerva and Balg, Sierra was at the campsite stirring a pot she had set over the fire. When it came to cooking outdoors, one could not expect anything very elaborate. What she had made was something like a simple stew, with root vegetables, bacon, and beans simmered together. As she stirred with a wooden spatula to keep it from scorching on the bottom of the pot, the girl waited for Balg and the others to return.

“Say, Sierra.”

Sitting on a log beside her and watching the bread she was toasting over the fire was the mage Patema. The smallest member of the Aurora Blade, she did wear a robe befitting a spellcaster, but her appearance could only be described as childlike. Which made sense, since she was of the dwarf folk. Brushing her neatly trimmed emerald-green hair back behind her ear, Patema spoke to Sierra.

“You may say anything you like. But I would just like you to speak honestly…”

At that serious tone, Sierra also tensed up. It was not as if she did not know what the most cunning mind in the party, who wielded age-inappropriate guile in conversation, wanted to ask.

“It’s okay. Nothing happened with Balg-san.”

“Is that truly so?”

Patema also knew that last night, in Nerva’s place, Sierra had gone to visit Balg’s tent. However, what had happened there… Sierra herself had not spoken of it in detail. Sierra nodded as she stirred the pot, which was bubbling softly.

“Yeah. He didn’t do anything painful, or cruel, or anything like that.”

“…If that’s the case, then it’s fine, I suppose.”

If the person herself said so, Patema could not press her too hard. She turned the bread over to keep it from burning.

“Still, even so… You were watching that man rather intently today.”

“Buhfoh!?”

Patema muttered the words under her breath. The effect was immediate. Sierra, who had been about to drink some water, visibly panicked. She shook her long blond hair wildly, her pale cheeks flushing red as she vehemently denied it. That reaction was more revealing than anything.

“T-that’s not true!”

“So there really was something, wasn’t there!? If that man threatened you, you can just say so. How many years do you think we’ve been together!?”

“That’s not it! Really, Balg-san and I didn’t—”

Her voice trailed off, growing small. Patema’s suspicion only deepened. Sierra was an innocent girl with a strong sense of justice. But she also had the flaw of caring too much for her companions, making it difficult for her to voice her own worries. She was definitely still hiding something. What had happened last night… Patema would have to draw it out of her.

Just as Patema steeled her resolve, the bushes rustled, and a bear emerged from within.

“Nwaaa—!?”

“W-wait, wait! It’s me!”

As Patema instinctively raised her staff and began to channel mana, the one who hurriedly spread his arms to reveal himself was not a bear, but Balg himself. For some reason, his hair and beard were wet, as if he had just bathed, and his clothes were wrinkled as though he had hastily put them back on.

“Balg? What happened to Nerva?”

“I-I’m here.”

Responding to Patema’s furrowed voice as she lowered her staff, a red tail popped out from behind Balg. Hesitantly stepping into view was Nerva, her fur damp and her demeanor strangely subdued.

“What’s this, both of you soaked like drowned rats?”

“Ah, um, w-we fell over by the riverbank, and that’s why we got wet. Balg helped me.”

“Y-yeah, that’s right.”

Nerva spoke while her eyes darted about, and Balg nodded vigorously in agreement. Sierra stared blankly at the two of them, who were acting suspiciously awkward.

“…Don’t you two seem kind of close?”

“T-that’s not true!”

Nerva snapped her ears upright and shook her head vigorously. It was rare behavior for someone who was usually so aloof and nonchalant. Just what had the two of them talked about, alone together by the riverbank?

“Well, I apologized about yesterday. I mean, there’s no doubt he carried me on his back in the cave.”

It had been Balg who had rescued Nerva by carrying her out after she twisted her ankle deep in the cave and could no longer move. She clearly remembered the solid, reassuring feel of his broad back. The moment she tried to recall that, she also remembered his firm chest, and her cheeks flushed red.

“Something about this feels really suspicious…”

“Ah—more importantly, where’s Fana?”

As if to deflect Patema’s suspicion, Nerva mentioned the name of the companion who was not present. Sierra and the others also realized that Fana had not returned yet and felt puzzled.

“She went to call you two, but how far did she go?”

“Maybe you just missed each other.”

Just as Nerva turned around as if to go look for her, the bushes rustled loudly again.

“S-sorry!”

What popped out with a plop was a large fruit wrapped in deep navy-blue cloth. No, surpassing even Nerva’s, it was Fana’s chest, the largest in the Aurora Blade. She had leaves caught all over her hair and clothes, as if she had come from who knew where, and looked thoroughly disheveled. Around her waist especially, it was soaked, as though she had stepped into a muddy patch.

“Fana! How far did you go?”

“Um, well…”

Startled, Sierra jumped to her feet, and Fana fidgeted in response. She glanced briefly toward Balg, then flushed so hard it seemed one could hear a poofff sound.

“Fana? Is something wrong?”

Nerva peered into her face with concern. Fana squeezed her already narrow eyes shut and shook her head vigorously.

“N-no, it’s nothing. I guess I got a little lost, and I tripped over a tree root and fell.”

“Everyone’s been falling a lot today, haven’t they?”

Fana explained the sorry state of affairs while fidgeting and entwining her fingers. Watching her, Sierra tilted her head in confusion.

“Even though this is near the entrance, the ground around here is damp, and there are lots of tree roots. Even if you’re careful, it’s easy to trip when you’re tired.”

Balg spoke with a serious expression. Indeed, Sierra recalled how difficult it had been to find dry firewood, since the campsite lay on the edge of Traga Forest. Traga Forest was also a vast wetland, and to endure the muddy soil, the trees spread thick, resilient roots everywhere. That very environment made it hard to move one’s feet properly, preventing smooth fighting and further draining stamina.

Only now were the members of the Aurora Blade beginning to understand why this forest was called a wall for mid-level adventurers. Even if one knew about it as information gleaned from guild documents or hearsay, it was difficult to devise proper countermeasures without experiencing it firsthand.

“Balg-san, please take care of us again during this afternoon’s training.”

The words slipped out naturally. Sierra bent at the waist at a right angle and bowed deeply to Balg. Faced with such earnest behavior, Balg’s eyes widened.

“Ah, ah… Yeah. For that, we should eat first.”

Stamina was the foundation of everything. Saying so, Balg looked toward the pot.

“Huh, doesn’t it smell kind of burnt?”

“Huh? Ah! Kyaaa!?”

A savory smell wafted up from the pot, which had thickened and begun to scorch. Realizing this, Sierra hurriedly thrust in the wooden spatula and stirred, but crumbly black chunks floated to the surface. The bottom of the pot had completely burned.

“Auuh. I-I’m sorry…”

“Well, it’s only a little burnt. This much is fine.”

As if to comfort Sierra, who had hunched her shoulders dejectedly, Balg took a wooden bowl and ladled some stew into it. Then he began to eat with gusto.

“Yeah. It’s just about the right kind of added flavour. Ah, should we try adding some cheese?”

Saying that, Balg pulled out a block of cheese from his pack, shaved it with a knife, and added it to the pot. The pleasant aroma of melted cheese replaced the burnt smell, and the girls quickly regained their spirits.

Patema handed out the plates, and Nerva served the stew. And so, at last, they began their midday meal.

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