The Depths of the Ruin
It's not a gold mine! Hestia and I stood before the entrance to a small cave we'd discovered while wandering near the cliffs, debating whether we should go inside.
"It could be dangerous, so I believe it would be best if we did not enter."
"...You're serious?"
When I asked in disbelief, Hestia simply nodded.
"Nothing registers in this area at all, and the space itself feels strangely off. I see no reason to risk ourselves out of mere curiosity."
"Now of all times? Weren't you the one who said nothing would be dangerous as long as I trusted you? And now you're saying we should just turn back...?"
"...You..."
"Didn't you say you wouldn't be satisfied unless you came here yourself? That you'd even studied for it?! You're really going to waste this perfect opportunity and leave?"
"......I am already satisfied."
What on earth was that supposed to mean...?
Aside from using the warp gate, all we'd done was ride a carriage for a short while and then stroll near the cliffs. She was satisfied with that? What was going on?
"...I will no longer insist on reckless exploration. For the remainder of our time, I thought we might handle the occasional mercenary request and travel together..."
Hestia kept rambling on about things I had no interest in hearing, completely oblivious to how badly I wanted to speak up. Heat flared through me in an instant. Throwing caution to the wind, I dashed straight into the cave entrance.
"Forget it. I'm going in first."
"...Pardon? W-wait...!"
Leaving Hestia reaching out behind me, I sprinted deeper into the ruins with a bright smile. Hahaha! If you want to catch me, you'd better try harder!
"......"
"......"
"...It is dangerous, so please refrain from acting alone."
"Yeah..."
...Unfortunately, she caught me almost immediately. Hestia's expression was one I had never seen before—clearly angry. Feeling a twinge of guilt for worrying her, I couldn't bring myself to say anything.
After scolding me for my reckless behavior, she let out a sigh and spoke in a gentler tone.
"If you were curious about the ruins, you should have told me earlier. I thought perhaps I was burdening you unnecessarily..."
"That's not it, so don't worry about it. If I really didn't want to come, I would've refused from the start. Besides... turning back without even entering after coming all this way would feel worse."
"......"
It wasn't exactly a grueling journey, considering we'd used the warp gate, but still. In the end, Hestia and I succeeded in entering the ruins and made our way deeper into the cave, staying close together.
"It's hot, so back off a little."
"I am not the sort of irresponsible woman who would leave a troublemaking child unattended."
"Ah..."
How had my treatment come to this...? Across all regressions, Hestia had an especially strong tendency to shield me. At first it felt burdensome and I avoided her, but now I simply saw it as a different kind of attachment than Elisha's. Her kind nature was probably to blame. In Hestia's eyes, who saw me as nothing more than an ordinary person, I was someone who needed protection.
How strange that the most sinister one, Arie, was actually the easiest to deal with...
After some negotiation, we reached an agreement: she would give me a little more space on the condition that I promised never to wander off again. Even so, we were still close enough to touch if I reached out, though at least it was no longer stifling.
'That aside, I can't let an opportunity like this slip by.'
I wasn't the type to stay quiet after witnessing Hestia's behavior. My mind was already filled with ways to tease her.
I placed both hands on my hips and shook my head.
"This is... troublesome. You must like me quite a lot, Lady Hestia."
"......"
As always, Hestia answered my embarrassing question with silence. That was the reaction I'd expected, so I was about to change the subject when she muttered in a small voice.
"......Yes, I suppose I do."
"What?"
"...Ah..."
The atmosphere turned awkward in an instant. Caught off guard by her answer at such an unexpected moment, I froze. Hestia herself seemed to realize what she'd said and lowered her head in panic, adding in a tiny voice, "As a friend..."
"......"
"......"
Hestia and I walked forward without another word. The voices that had filled the cave passage fell silent, leaving only the sound of our footsteps echoing through the darkness. I glanced sideways at her. She tried to maintain her usual expressionless face as if nothing had happened, but the faint trembling in her golden eyes betrayed her true feelings.
Was she that flustered by her own words...? The aftermath seemed far greater than a careless remark should warrant. Seeing her so shaken left me with complicated feelings, but I decided to take it positively. It meant she was comfortable around me now.
Part of me wanted to seize the chance to tease her again, but if she ended up blurting out something else, I had no idea how to respond. So I let it go.
Still, I needed to do something about the current atmosphere...
It wouldn't be good if I spoke first. If I tried to change the subject and she noticed I was dwelling on what she'd said... I couldn't predict how she'd react in her embarrassment. But waiting for Hestia to speak first...
"......"
"......"
Yeah, this wasn't going to work. At this rate, we might not speak again until the end of the year. Our hero was far too easily embarrassed—it was a real problem.
In the end, it was my role to break the tension naturally. Just then, a pressure-plate trap caught my eye. Since this ruin hadn't been built with visitors in mind, most of the traps were purely for show. Rather than lethal, they were designed to harass and inconvenience. In other words, their power was negligible. Still, they were traps, so they could be dangerous to ordinary people, though not enough to seriously injure an academy student. Even taking a direct hit would only sting a little.
But Hestia didn't know that. In her mind, ruin traps were vicious devices that could instantly claim an explorer's life. Combined with her lack of experience exploring ruins, she was constantly on edge. If I played this right, I could naturally dispel the awkward atmosphere.
Click!
I casually stepped on a pressure plate Hestia had already passed without noticing.
"Huh?"
I turned toward her with a confused expression. She had already stretched her arm out toward me. She'd realized instantly that I'd triggered a trap. So her claim about studying ruins and traps hadn't been a lie after all.
At that moment, a device disguised as part of the wall activated, and something shot toward me at high speed. Even without looking closely, I could tell it was an arrow. If I got hit, either the truth about the traps' weakness would be exposed, or I'd have to put on a convincing act of being in pain to hide it. The situation was urgent!
Fortunately, Hestia's movements were faster than the arrow flying toward me.
Crack!
She snatched the arrow out of the air with her bare hand and crushed it to pieces.
...She hadn't just broken it. She'd literally pulverized it. The sheer strength was enough to make me wonder if she was a Transcendent who had lost control of her power. I spoke to Hestia as she brushed the powdered remains from her hand.
"Whew, that startled me. Thank you."
"...It was nothing. I did promise to protect you, after all..."
Her voice trailed off as she put a little more distance between us—more accurately, returned to our original spacing. The moment she realized the trap had activated, she'd moved closer to me. Catching the arrow had come after that. Everything had happened so fast it seemed simultaneous, but I could clearly perceive the shift in her gaze and intent. She hadn't even considered the possibility of an arrow coming for her. Protecting me had been her absolute priority over her own safety.
...Good grief. What was I supposed to do with this hopelessly kind woman?
Hiding my concern, I asked, "Are your hands all right?"
"Ah, yes. It was not a very powerful arrow."
"That's a relief. Still... catching an arrow with your bare hands? What were you thinking?"
"Pardon?"
Startled by my sudden scolding, Hestia looked puzzled. Ignoring her reaction, I pressed on.
"This is an ancient ruin. What if the arrow had been coated in some dangerous poison?"
"...Most poisons do not affect me."
"Even so, you never know what might happen. From now on, please be more careful."
"......Understood."
Hestia nodded with a reluctant expression, clearly mulling over what "you never know" could mean.
...Honestly, I'd only said it half to scare her into being cautious. The fact that she was taking it so seriously was making me feel a little awkward. Suddenly, I thought of Elisha, who believed every word I said without question, almost pathologically. Watching Hestia grow more and more like her only made my feelings more complicated. I really wasn't as trustworthy as they seemed to think...
Shaking off the unnecessary thoughts, I changed the subject as naturally as possible.
"By the way, these ruins really are huge. We've been walking for quite a while, yet all we see are passages..."
"Most ruins are said to grow wider the deeper you go. Even so, I've never seen one with passages this long."
"You've never read about one like this either?"
"...No."
Thanks to her thorough preparation, Hestia answered without hesitation. Seeing her act so differently from when she'd suggested turning back earlier, I was glad I'd dragged her along. More importantly, these ruins still held a hint that even Elisha had missed...