Following the Scent of Lies
Setting out after Ilene, who reeks of deception. But I don't stick too close. I trail two footsteps behind her. No matter what, I have to keep this distance. Ilene is someone to be wary of.
"……"
I glare at her silently, never dropping my guard.
"Hey…"
Ilene suddenly stops and calls out to me.
"What?"
"Want me to carry that for you?"
"I'm good. It's not that heavy."
"Hmm…"
Ilene tilts her head for a moment, then strides right up to me. I flinch and try to step back, but I'm a beat too slow. She snatches the box from my hands, lifts it effortlessly, and says,
"Whoa, for real? It's not as heavy as it looks, huh?"
"……"
"Just let me carry it. People might think it's weird otherwise."
"Weird? Oh."
Yeah, that makes sense. Having a little kid like me lugging stuff around might look kinda embarrassing for her. Ilene's about Yuria's height—way taller than me. She'd come off like some weirdo dumping baggage on a child.
"Alright, thanks then."
I accept her offer without a fuss. No harm in letting her take the load. She probably has more muscle than I do right now anyway. Maybe this girl's not so bad after all. First impressions aside, she seems pretty decent now.
I trot along quietly behind her, letting my guard down a bit and closing the gap. The two-step distance shrinks to one.
But something's been bugging me. Why isn't she in her guild receptionist uniform today?
"Hey, is the Adventurer's Guild closed today?"
"Nah?"
"Then why aren't you wearing your guild outfit?"
"Didn't go to work."
"…On vacation?"
"Nope. Skipped out on the sly. The guild master's away on a trip today."
"……"
Scratch that "not so bad" bit. She's totally rotten.
"We did rock-paper-scissors among the staff—loser had to go in, everyone else bailed. Not like there's much to do anyway, right?"
"No other bosses besides the guild master?"
"I'm the highest-ranking after her. Everyone else is my junior."
This village's Adventurer's Guild is doomed. Does it even function properly? I'm worried for the adventurers here.
Following Ilene leads us to a quiet outskirts area. A small building comes into view in the distance.
"That's the church. Count on you for future deliveries."
Up close, the church looks even more modest than from afar. It's well-maintained, but everything about it screams poverty.
We stand at the front gate. Ilene knocks on the door.
"Cecily, it's me."
-Crash!
Something topples inside. Did someone trip?
"No, don't come out. I'll head in!"
Ilene throws open the door without hesitation, like it's her own home.
Right there on the floor is a woman in a nun's habit, sprawled out. Long sky-blue hair, curves that the habit can't fully hide—especially at the chest and hips. The outfit looks too small for her. Bigger than Yuria, even. Worlds apart from me.
"Uh… c-come on in…"
"Tch… be careful."
Ilene helps the nun up. The woman leans into her touch and rises slowly.
I study her face closely. Her eyes are bandaged. She holds a long cane in one hand. That's when it hits me—she's blind.
She turns her head toward me and asks,
"Someone else came too? I smell potions… Is Yuria here by any chance?"
"No, not Yuria. I'm Noel."
"Noel? Don't recognize the voice."
Ilene gently takes the nun's right hand and guides it toward me, her voice unusually serious and kind.
"Excuse me, Noel."
She places the woman's hand on my head. It gropes from my hair down to my face.
"A soft little girl… and a faint potion scent…"
"Noel lives with Yuria at the potion shop. That's probably where the smell's from."
The woman lifts her hand from my face and says,
"I'm Cecily. Nice to meet you."
The inside of Cecily's church feels cozier than expected. More like her personal home than a house of worship. We're in the largest room now—probably for receiving guests. Cookies and tea sit on the table, courtesy of Cecily. Even without sight, she moves freely around the church. Familiar turf, I guess?
I sip the tea she served. It wets my dry throat, and we keep chatting.
"You come here a lot, Ilene? Close with Cecily?"
Ilene answers my question.
"Yeah. I spend most of my days off here. More time here than at the guild, honestly."
"…Maybe do your job properly? Spend more time at the guild."
"I am doing it. In my own way. I even pulled an all-nighter yesterday."
"But you skipped today, right? 'Cause the guild master's out."
"Hey! That's…!"
Ilene claps a hand over my mouth in shock, then glances nervously at Cecily beside her. Cecily's expression darkens.
"Ilene, did you skip work to come here?"
"Uh… w-well…"
Ilene looks utterly flustered—nothing like her usual laid-back self.
"…It's all the guild master's fault. If she wasn't away, I wouldn't have skipped."
Cecily, fuming, lays into her with a scolding.
"Ilene, is that your excuse?"
"There wasn't even much to do today anyway! Probably…"
"You're hopeless."
Cecily dismantles every excuse. I can only watch, dumbfounded. No room to butt in. Impressive. To corner Ilene like that… Probably no one else in the village can handle her. Not even that guild master boss.
It feels refreshing, like a clogged pipe finally clearing. I wish Cecily would chew her out more—straighten her out for good.
"…No words."
Ilene admits defeat meekly. Cecily's total victory. I'd applaud if I could. I gaze up at her with admiration.
Cecily can't tell, of course. No eyes.
Curiosity strikes, so I ask,
"Hey, are your eyes… completely blind?"
"Yeah. Can't see anymore. Got reasons."
"Reasons?"
"Ex-adventurer turned cleric. Fought in the Demon King subjugation war. Lost my sight then."
"……"
My breath catches. I nearly drop my teacup—such a sudden blow. Shouldn't have brought it up. Probably a sore topic. I hate talking about that time too. Same for her.
"R-right? No need to—"
"Ah. Hold on."
Cecily cuts me off. She taps Ilene's shoulder and says,
"Ilene, you got the stuff from the potion shop, right?"
"Oh. Yeah. Got everything needed."
"Mind sorting it in the storeroom?"
"Now? Uh, sure."
Ilene jumps up. Post-scolding, she's compliant. Her footsteps fade as she leaves, until it's just Cecily and me.
Once they're gone, Cecily speaks.
"Hey, Noel."
"Y-yeah?"
"You… drink recovery potions, don't you?"
She drops it out of nowhere. I counter calmly.
"What makes you think that?"
Cecily smiles brightly and whispers casually,
"I've chugged plenty myself. Quit now, but I know the smell well."
"……"
Makes sense. Plenty of war vets got hooked on recovery potions. Cecily too, probably. Even clerics get hurt and need them—no one to heal you then. Potions are all you've got. Clerics might be more vulnerable.
"Noel, you have that faint recovery potion whiff. Thought it was just from the shop at first."
"……"
"But nah. It's specifically the recovery potion smell—stronger than others. Shops sell more than just those."
Cecily grabs my arm. To keep me from bolting, maybe.
"Tell the truth. You drinking recovery potions?"
She asks like she sees right through my past. Admitting it might unravel everything—even my hero days.
"Um… Cecily."
I answer her honestly. No need for lies.
"I think it's just the potion smell from what Yuria was prepping clinging to me."
Come to think of it, those morning ingredients—were they for recovery potions? Explains the scent.
"Huh…?"
Cecily brings her nose to my neck and sniffs. Her breath tickles. I flinch instinctively.
"Ah……."
"Well?"
"Y-yeah, for real."
Cecily's face flushes red. She covers it with both hands and bows her head. No need to fool her—I really quit. Living with Yuria? Impossible not to.
She mumbles in a tiny voice,
"S-sorry. My mistake."
Wrong tree, silly Cecily.