67. Reward
67. Reward
Eurasia, who had been flashing question marks all over her face, suddenly popped an exclamation mark—boing!—and swept her lips once with a prim little tongue.
Right. She was just wetting her lips before telling a lie.
Good attitude.
I leaned in a little closer to Eurasia and whispered very quietly.
"No need to be so nervous. I'm damn good at this kind of thing."
"G-good at it...? D-damn good...?"
"Obviously."
"...H-have you done it before?!"
"Of course."
Eurasia's blue eyes trembled—quiver—and she let out a breathless sigh.
That breath carried the scent of toothpaste, as if she'd just finished brushing, mingled with Eurasia's distinctive floral fragrance.
"...How many times?"
How many times?
How many times have I spun this kind of bullshit.
"Hmm? So many I haven't really bothered counting. Why would I count something like that? It's no big deal."
"S-s-so... s-so many... no big... deal... s-so... it wasn't your first time? How come?"
At that, Eurasia pulled her upper body back, looking utterly shocked.
"...When on earth?"
"Why are you even asking that? Embarrassing. Anyway, just trust me and it'll be easy, so no need to worry."
"Oh... good heavens..."
Now she was staring at me with tears actually welling up in her eyes.
"...What's with that face?"
"My lady. Don't tell me... you've done even... even bigger things than what happened today, just, like... like that?"
"Right? Today wasn't even a big deal."
"...Huh?"
But her expression was incredibly strange.
Exactly like... looking at a younger sibling...? who's become an adult?
No, a little darker than that.
Betrayal...? A truly vicious... betrayal.
Eurasia's gaze sank coldly.
If her eyes had blades attached, they'd have already shredded me into dozens of pieces. It was that murderous.
Why is she making that face?
"...With who?"
I can't exactly talk about my past-life experience...
"Alone."
"Huh... alone, what a relief? Is it a relief? Uh, uhh..."
After mumbling incomprehensibly for a while, Eurasia squeezed her eyes shut and shrieked—beh-eh!
"Th-that's... that's way too early!"
"What is?"
"Th-that kind of thing... normally, uh... you do it when you're an adult! No!"
"Is there really a need to wait?"
"Nyehng...?"
Eurasia's face fell into confusion again.
"Huh? Is there... n-no... need... to? Wait?"
Her transparent blue eyes spun round and round, her lips trembled, and she swallowed—gulp—her saliva.
"We're, the same gender, so, is this, uh... still, okay? Huhh...? Euh, but it's necessary, so it's, necessary? This is, uh... yeah... th-then... j-just this once."
"What do you mean, just this once. We do it when we need to."
"...Eek... th-then rather with me! Do it with me!"
"Why would we...? This time it's a special situation, so we're doing it together. Otherwise I'd be doing it alone."
"Th-that... that kind of thing! I, euhh... nooo!!"
Now she was smacking my bed—bang bang!—and throwing a fit.
Why on earth is she like this?
Was getting our stories straight for one lie really worth this much of a meltdown?
I retraced the conversation, wondering if we were somehow talking about different things.
But no.
Eurasia isn't stupid enough to fail to follow this situation, and I definitely got my meaning across.
So why is she like this?
"Have you been drinking?"
"N-no? Hngh... I'm embarrassed..."
"Then why are you so... haah. Forget it."
Shaking my head side to side, I shuffled over, pulled out a drink, and came back with a notebook and pen.
"When the knight order gets here, I'll write down what you need to say—so, a slightly embellished version of what happened in the Labyrinth—so memorize it well. But don't recite it word for word. You have to deliver it naturally, like it's the truth. Got it?"
"...Labyrinth? Embellished?"
Eurasia's face went blank.
*****
Eurasia, who had kept a blank expression the entire time she listened to my explanation, eventually let out a deflated sigh and glared at me.
"...My lady."
"Hm?"
"Mm... never mind."
Then she let out another long sigh—whoosh—and rose from her seat.
"...I just say it like this, right?"
"Yeah. If you do it this way, you'll be able to hold your head high in the knight order even after graduation."
Of course, I have no intention of letting her go even after graduation.
"...Nyeh."
"What's with that face?"
"Nothing..."
Eurasia still looked disappointed.
Why? Did I forget to get her something? Is it her birthday? No, it isn't.
Eurasia's birthday is November 28th.
Then what is it?
Is it because I didn't congratulate her on reaching Tier 5?
Come to think of it... Arisa and Luna were like that too.
If you let an achievement of theirs pass without saying anything, they'd sulk for a week and act up for no reason.
Well... I don't think Eurasia is the same as them, but still... she is a woman, after all.
Scratching my cheek awkwardly for no reason, I downed the rest of my drink and said casually.
"So, is there anything you want as a gift?"
"...A gift?"
Perk. Eurasia looked at me and tilted her head.
"To celebrate reaching Tier 5... well, someone like you will climb to even higher Tiers, but still, you've reached the Realm they call the limit of humanity, so... I just thought I'd get you something."
"R-really...?"
"Yeah. Want me to get you a new necklace? All the magic that was melted into that one is gone. I'll get you a better Artifact this time."
Because of what happened before, Eurasia's necklace, the Artifact, had lost its effect.
If Kaloso's Creation Magic and Luna's miracle were added, we could make a semi-permanent Artifact, but for now we have to use disposable Artifacts like this.
It's a little disappointing, but I'm not in a position to worry about money, so it doesn't matter much.
Of course, this time I'm buying it with my own money, not the family's.
The reward for clearing the Labyrinth.
Because Fabiana and Silina said they wouldn't take any, an enormous sum—far too much for a seventeen-year-old—fell to Eurasia and me.
In the process, I tried to give my share to Eurasia too, but she refused outright, so we decided to split it between the two of us.
So I'd drawn up a rough plan for how to spend it.
I planned to include the amount I'd spent so far in the letter I sent home, then use the rest at the academy.
It was enough to live comfortably for at least six months, so even buying Stella macarons as usual wouldn't put a dent in it.
Though buying Eurasia a gift this time might shrink it a little more.
Eurasia, who had quietly gotten up, sat back down gently on the bed and sank into thought for a while.
Then, a sidelong glance.
"Not a necklace... hmm..."
She looked at me and spoke quietly.
"When the ban on leaving campus is lifted... would you go to the Imperial Capital with me? Just... the two of us, and I want to pick out a gift... together with you."
"You want to?"
"...Yes!"
Eurasia nodded and smiled brightly.
"Alright, then. Let's do that."
"Oh, right... once the campus-leave ban is lifted, I’ll visit my family home and then we’ll go together!"
"Ah, it's about time for you to go home."
Eurasia went home once every two months.
She had said her grandmother and younger sister lived there—just the two of them—and that her grandmother had once been a famous adventurer.
Gold Plaque One-Star. In other words, Tier 5.
The same Tier 5 that Eurasia has now reached, the one they call the limit of humanity.
She lost her right arm and leg in a battle against a high-grade Monster and retired.
Anyway, Eurasia went home to look after that grandmother and her twelve-year-old younger sister.
As for her parents, I hadn't heard anything about them. She didn't seem to want to talk about it, so I hadn't asked.
"When will you be back?"
"Hmm, I'll probably leave after lectures this Thursday and come back next Friday."
Until then she'd always come back after three or four days, but this time she was staying quite a while.
I was about to ask why, but I closed my mouth.
Eurasia wouldn't tell me the reason anyway.
And I didn't want to burden her by asking something pointless.
But Eurasia, as if reading my mind, smiled a strange little smile and edged closer.
"Why? Do you want me to come back quickly?"
"...No?"
She immediately puffed out her cheeks and sulked.
Eurasia was so expressive that just watching her was entertaining.
"...My lady."
"What?"
"At times like this, just go along with what I say, even if it's an empty word..."
"Huh... but if I said I wanted you back quickly, wouldn't you feel pressured and rush back?"
"...Eh? W-would I?"
"Yeah. Knowing you, you would. Anyway, you can take your time and come back. I only asked because I was curious why you're staying so long this time."
Eurasia's expression sank strangely for a moment.
It was a little too heavy a face for Eurasia to make, but she always wore that expression before going home, so I was used to it by now.
"...You're curious?"
"I am."
I lightly pressed down on Eurasia's nose and giggled—hehe.
"But I won't ask. And I won't try to pry it out of you. Later, when the day comes that you want to tell me—tell me then."
"Wh-why...?"
Why, she asks.
Hmm. I don't really know myself.
"Because I trust you?"
"...Me?"
"Yeah."
The answer came out without hesitation, almost reflexively.
I trust Eurasia.
Aside from family—my mother and father... and, being generous, Uncle Kerion—she's the first person outside that circle I've ever placed my trust in.
That's why I don't want to force my way in.
Trust that's forced will eventually shatter.
"So there's no need to carry pointless burdens. If you ever have worries you can't tell anyone else, tell me anytime."
Eurasia hung her head low and asked quietly.
"What if that worry is incredibly, incredibly difficult, and awkward... and hard, a problem that can't possibly be solved?"
I can't know why she's asking this.
If it's a worry as incredibly, incredibly difficult, awkward, and hard as Eurasia says—one that can't possibly be solved...
Well, for me, I suppose the Demon King Subjugation would qualify.
That's a problem I can't properly predict even as I am now, or perhaps even as I'll be in the future. But Eurasia's worry probably isn't something like that.
Even if it were.
As Eurasia said a moment ago.
Right now, I think I should go along with her words.
"Tell me anyway. I'll help."
"...What if it's a problem even you can't handle?"
"There's no such thing in this world."
"What if everyone in the world turns against you...?"
"Uh... at that point, I might think about it a little?"
Eurasia let out a hollow sigh and raised her head. On her face hung an expression just as hollow as that sigh.
Even so, I giggled—hehe—and left a flick—tok—on Eurasia's forehead.
"Still, I'm on your side."
I couldn't see what expression Eurasia wore when she heard my words.
Because a voice from outside the door stole our attention.
"Eliarnes Eustetia."
A gentle, slightly high-pitched voice.
The voice of Mikel, the head maid.
"A guest from House Eustetia has come to see you."
"...Yes. I'll be right out."
I let out a sigh and rose from my seat.
Outside the window, an orange sunset was seeping in. It was still a long while until night, when the knight order was scheduled to arrive.
That meant someone had arrived before the knight order. So Eurasia had no reason to be tired this early.
"I'll call you on my Device later, so rest here."
I patted Eurasia's shoulder gently and stepped out of the room.
So, who could it be?