Episode 29.

Seigrena Montrier

What the hell kind of item is this?

I was staring intently at the lumpy fruit when—

"Ugh......."

In an instant, Kria's face went sharply pale, and she clamped both hands over her mouth.

Right after that, I heard the sound of something being swallowed.

"You......."

"......."

"Don't tell me that was blood?"

Kria nodded with a haggard face.

Damn. Her condition really must be bad.

"Sit down and rest for now. You can get some sleep too."

"......Isn't it still dangerous?"

"The calamity is over. You can rest for now."

"Ah. I see......."

Only then did Kria seem to relax, slumping down on the spot, her head dropping.

Before long, I heard her breathing softly. She'd fallen asleep sitting up.

"......."

Only after confirming that did I let out a sigh.

I had spoken lightly because I was worried she would be anxious, but her condition was worse than I thought.

'The progression of <Mana Depletion> over time was.......'

Three hours, convulsions and chills.

Six hours, difficulty breathing and intermittent seizures.

After the dreaded ten-hour mark, permanent impairment could set in.

'Shit.'

If she ended up with a Trait like <Spell Rampage> or <Mana Manipulation Disorder>, we'd be screwed.

'So there's no time to hesitate.'

I had no intention of abandoning Kria now.

It had deviated from the original plan, but that didn't matter much....... It wasn't like I was obsessed with clearing <FoS> solo.

If I had to make an excuse, I'd always been like this.

As a player, I always chose the path with the highest probability of clearing.

I swept my gaze over the surroundings one last time, then came back.

There was nothing particularly strange, and no more items lying around.

<Woodman Revenge> was truly over.

Kria was still unconscious.......

"Ughhh......."

And another piece of baggage woke up.

"......"

No, this one wasn't baggage anymore either.

"W-water....... Wa-ter......."

I poured water over Seigrena's face, since she still hadn't come to her senses.

"Pfft! Wh-what are you doing?!"

"You said you were thirsty."

"And that gives you the right to pour water on a noble's face? If this were the kingdom, you'd be charged with insolence—!"

Seigrena, who had been noisily rattling off complaints, glanced around and lowered her voice.

"What the....... What's going on here? Where did those trees from earlier go?"

"It's over."

"What's over?"

"All of it."

"Hey! Would it kill you to explain properly?"

"We don't have time, so let's talk while we walk."

As I packed the gear and hoisted Kria onto my back, I had a thought.

It was actually a relief that the scythe and shield had both been smashed to pieces.

'They were both pretty bulky.'

Another thought occurred to me.

'How long has it been since I started wandering the habitat?'

I probably spent seven or eight hours a day wandering around. Today was the seventh day, so roughly forty-eight hours.......

No, wait. Come to think of it, on the last day—today—I'd run into the White Knight's party after getting caught up in the calamity.

'So somewhere between forty and fifty hours, roughly.'

Five hours at best.

Ten hours left if ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠I was unlucky.

'......Is it possible?'

Honestly, I wasn't sure.

My own body wasn't in great shape right now either.

"—I said be careful!"

Just then, something grabbed the back of my neck.

Wondering what it was, I looked down and saw a thick root jutting out through the ground. It was positioned perfectly to trip me if I walked without paying attention.

"Thanks......."

"Wait! What's wrong with your eye?"

"My eye?"

"Your right eye! It's b-black in a creepy ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠way! Did you put ink in it or something?"

"Why would I do that?"

Godrak's final blow had landed on my right eye.

I blinked both eyes.

I was definitely blinking both eyes, but I only felt it on the left.

"I'm fine, so let's go."

"Are you really fine?"

Of course I was fine.

At least in this forest, if you could move both arms and both legs, you were fine.

If I left it untreated, I could permanently lose sight in that eye, so I still had to keep moving.

I quickened my pace again like that.

Rustle.

This time I sensed a presence in the undergrowth to my left, and a mushroom burst out.

To be precise, a mushroom with two legs.

'A man-eating mushroom?'

My body stiffened.

With Kria on my back, an immediate response was difficult, but in that instant, several countermeasures flashed through my mind.

Wham!

A fist came flying in and smashed the man-eating mushroom.

The man-eating mushroom's body caved in, then went flying with blistering force and slammed into a tree.

"......."

I stared blankly at the owner of the fist.

Seigrena dusted off her hands nonchalantly and said.

"What? Did I do something unnecessary again?"

"No."

I shook my head.

"You saved me. Thanks."

"......."

But why was a man-eating mushroom out here?

Had we somehow left <Woodman Habitat> in the meantime?

'There's no way.'

The terrain around us hadn't changed.

'Ah.'

At that moment, a message flashed into my mind.

[The ecology of <Woodman Habitat> changes permanently.]

Damn. So that was why.

'This could be dangerous.'

The reason I'd judged I could keep moving for up to another ten hours even in ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠this sorry state was the location.

Because the mobs you met in the habitat were mostly Woodmen.

Now that was different.

As the habitat's ecology changed, mobs from other areas had started crawling in too.

'The maps bordering the habitat are <Spore Kingdom> and <Abandoned Cemetery>.'

<Spore Kingdom>, as its name suggested, mostly spawned mushroom-type mobs, and up to this point, that wasn't a big problem.

It was a little annoying, but the overall level was similar to the habitat.

On the other hand, the cemetery side was far more dangerous.

'Difficulty: high.'

It was one of the especially brutal maps among the forest's early areas.

Because every time you encountered a high-ranking undead acting alone, you had to go through a near-total-party-wipe crisis.

To put it simply, you could understand it as a map crawling with bastards like Godrak.

'......The only option is to get out fast.'

I glanced at Seigrena, who was dawdling instead of following right behind, and said.

"What are you doing? Aren't you coming?"

"Huh? Oh. I'll be right there."

Seigrena, who had been standing there blankly, hurried after me.

But something about her expression was strange, as if all sorts of emotions were crossing her face.

[Seigrena's Trust increases.]

"......."

What now?

Seigrena thought.

She'd gotten tangled up with a strange guy.

She was, of course, talking about Kaindel.

'Looking like some gloomy beanpole.'

He acted like he knew everything and tried to push the party around, and he even dared to order Sir Laurent around recklessly.

Above all, he ran his mouth as if everything would work out perfectly if they just followed his words.

"......."

Actually, that was the strangest part.

How could he do that? <Eternal Forest> was an unknown place to humanity, full of unpredictable events—even the White Knight Laurent had emphasized that repeatedly.

So even at the forest's outskirts, letting your guard down was absolutely forbidden.

But this guy was different somehow.

'Rather than just being knowledgeable, how should I put it.'

A feeling that he didn't even consider the possibility that his own judgment might be wrong?

Honestly, she wasn't sure.

But Seigrena's innate intuition told her.

This guy was absolutely no ordinary Delver.

"......."

That intuition also awakened a certain expectation in Seigrena.

An emotion she had thought was long gone.

"One <Exploration Crystal>."

"......."

"If you fill the Exploration Progress completely through your own efforts, then I will acknowledge you."

That was her father's wish, and the last expectation he held out as head of the family.

So she wanted to succeed.

She wanted to live up to those expectations, just once.

That was why she had come to this forest.

'......Even if I did borrow Sir Laurent's strength.'

Even Seigrena didn't have the nerve to enter the forest alone.

She'd asked around for a decent Delver party, but none of them were up to her standards.

Then she thought of the hero of a knightly order she'd gotten to know during her monastic days.

'Honestly, I didn't expect much.'

Laurent was a knight of great renown, and just as busy.

"Very well."

So when the White Knight readily nodded, she forgot all decorum and stared wide-eyed.

"R-really?"

"Yes. As it happens, Count Montrier made a similar request of me."

"Father did......."

Seigrena's heart pounded fiercely.

So despite what he'd said, was he still worried about me?

I was still his daughter, after all.

"However, my lady. If that is the case, you must follow my instructions without fail in the forest. That is also part of my promise with the Count. Will that be acceptable?"

"Of course it is!"

Anyway, the White Knight's judgment would be a hundred times better than hers, since she was new to the forest.

And it actually was.

Laurent lived up to his reputation and then some.

He fulfilled his role as party leader, never shied away from unpleasant work, and was cautious on top of that.

At first, it was comfortable and simply wonderful.

But after three or four days, it started to feel a little strange.

"Um, Sir Laurent."

"Yes."

"Is there anything I can do?"

Laurent looked at Seigrena.

For some reason, she wanted to avoid his gaze, but she forced herself to speak because there might not be another chance.

"You know, I did complete the monastic course as a Monk, didn't I? I don't have any real combat experience yet, but against tree monsters of that level, I could also......."

"I appreciate the sentiment, but please conserve your energy, my lady. For now, it seems best for you to adapt to the forest's ecology."

"I-is that so."

Laurent's tone and manner were always gentle, yet carried an unspoken pressure that made him hard to refuse.

Of course, Seigrena's stubbornness wasn't easily broken either.

"What are you doing?"

"We're going to camp soon, aren't we? I was going to gather some firewood. There's plenty around here."

"We'll do that, so please just rest."

"This much is fine. Besides, the Woodmen don't move at night anyway, right?"

"Generally, that's true. There are occasionally individuals that move. Please sit down."

"......Mm. Fine."

In the end, Seigrena did nothing. She couldn't do anything.

Combat, of course, but also gathering firewood, cooking food, even laying out sleeping bags—the others did all of it.

'Is this right?'

Seigrena felt uncomfortable, but she didn't let it show.

While in the forest, she would follow Laurent's instructions unconditionally—that was the agreement.

And so, on the seventh day, the party got swept up in something called a <Calamity>.

"This isn't good. Be careful, my lady."

The moment Laurent's expression hardened, she didn't know the details, but she sensed they'd been caught up in something dangerous.

The most dangerous moment was when the red Woodmen—the Avengers—attacked.

"Hic......."

When those disgusting things approached and left strange marks on the back of her hand, Seigrena's heart sank.

"My lady. You must hide that mark at all costs."

"O-okay."

And this time too, she did as Laurent said.

She put on the gloves he handed her, following his orders.

So what was the result?

"S-Sir Laurent......? Where are you going? If you leave me behind, my father will......."

Laurent turned his back and left.

Abandoning her.

'.......'

At that moment, Seigrena felt something closer to resignation than sadness or anger.

Come to think of it, her life had always been like this.

She had never done anything properly, and she had never persistently asked about anything either.

"Seigrena. Why does a noble have so little patience?"

"You fought with the second son of the Oslam family? No matter how insulted you were, how could a lady resort to violence......."

"That's enough now. Seigrena. Don't do anything anymore."

Don't do anything.

Don't try to do anything.

If a ranking of <the phrases I've heard most in my life> existed, those two would probably be first and second.

'Well, I suppose so.'

Even I would say that to a hopeless case like me. Since I've never done anything properly.

"You saved me. Thanks."

"......."

So Kaindel's words threw her off.

Thanks? To whom? Me? What had I done? Oh—the mushroom. Was that really something worth thanking me for?

And.......

'When was the last time I heard the word thanks?'

Seigrena racked her brain, recalling the past.

And soon, she realized something astonishing.

'No.......'

Nothing came to mind.

Seriously? Had I really lived my whole life without hearing a single word of thanks? Nineteen years—no, twenty years?

"Seigrena."

Her name was called again.

Seigrena, lost in thought, answered awkwardly.

"Huh, why?"

"Don't you have some kind of short name?"

"What do you mean?"

A short name—did he mean a nickname? Why was he suddenly asking that?

Seigrena looked at Kaindel with a slightly tense face. Was this guy thinking something weird?

'This beanpole...... but looking closely, his features aren't bad. If he tidied up that shaggy hair and smoothed out that gloomy impression.......'

Seigrena quickly analyzed him with her Aesthetic Eye, and Kaindel continued.

"I've been thinking, your name is too long. It's hard to call out in an urgent situation."

"Ah, aha......."

A truly practical reason.

Right. This was the kind of man he was. For some reason, she felt a little deflated—and a little annoyed.

"......My family calls me Rena."

"Rena? That's good. Easy to pronounce."

"Yeah......?"

"If it gets urgent, I might call you that, so just so you know."

"D-do whatever."

"And let me ask one more favor."

At the word favor, Seigrena's heart pounded fiercely again.

"......Ahem. What is it?"

"See that fruit over there?"

"The one that looks like a purple apple?"

"Yeah. Could you pick some for me? I saw earlier that your shoulder seemed dislocated."

When had he seen that?

Just as he said, Seigrena couldn't lift her right arm above her chest.

Still.

"That much is easy."

"Yeah? Then I'll ask you to. That fruit is good for warmth and restoring energy."

"Got it."

Seigrena picked the fruit as he asked. When she handed it over, Kaindel said,

"Thanks."

"Mm."

Once again, her chest tingled like before.

Strangely, she felt like she might cry.

It was almost absurd. Was I really in that bad a state? Was I really this starved for human contact and praise?

Come to think of it, I suppose I'd lived the kind of life that would do that.

'No!'

Seigrena refused to admit it.

Instead, she thought.

The strange sense of fullness and soreness filling her whole body. This feeling, which seemed inversely proportional to physical fatigue, was surely a kind of accomplishment that a noble young lady could never easily enjoy.

'......Come to think of it, I've never acted with such clear role division before.'

I'm steadily doing my part as a member of the party. In other words, this party needs me.

I have the most important role, and no one can replace me!

'Yes! This is it!'

Thinking that, Kaindel looked different to her too.

This poor, frail commoner wretch.

If a noble like me didn't take care of him, he wouldn't last a day before dying.......

'How pitiful.......'

At that moment, Kaindel grew uncomfortable under the sudden pitying gaze, but opening his mouth would be a waste of energy, so he said nothing.

"......."

And a bolt of lightning pierced through Seigrena's mind.

'I see. This was noblesse oblige!'

The noble duty that her father had always emphasized—the lofty obligation a noble must ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠rightly bear.

The moment she realized that, Seigrena's mood instantly brightened.

Of course, this forest was still unpleasant.

Cold, unsanitary, and even dangerous.

But in Seigrena's heart, at least, it felt as though a warm spring breeze were blowing.

"Kaindel!"

"What?"

"Should I carry that woman on my back too?"

Kaindel gave her a strange look.

Seigrena gave a soft "Heh......" and said,

"You don't have to refuse. It's only natural for a noble to bear more obligations!"

"......Not her, but could you carry some of the luggage?"

"Sure, why not!"

Humming, Seigrena gladly shouldered the backpack.