When Nina entered the Adventurers’ Guild, she immediately noticed that there were problems.
A girl who looks like a mage is being teased.
and that there was no job for her to take.
(… I want to work, but I can’t. I’m the same).
And with that, Nina was ready to act.
She asked Emily to accompany her, and she agreed.
Then she left the guild with Emily, who still didn’t fully understand the situation.
“…I’m sorry. Thank you. I’m quite calm now. You saved me.”
“No, I didn’t. I was trying to get Emily to help me.”
They were in a park in the city.
Not a park with playground equipment, but a place with some greenery and a few benches.
The two sat next to each other, with some distance between them.
“You mean the escort job? But I can’t do that. Did you hear what he said? I’m a mage, but I can only use magic of the first rank.”
“That’s all right (well, maybe it is). I just need you to take me to a well on the outskirts of town.”
“Oh. You mean Clare’s Fountain. It’s probably the best time to see the peach blossom…”
“Yeah, right! Have you ever been to Clare’s Fountain?”
Emily was a little taken aback, because Nina’s reaction was so strong that she took up half of the space that had been allotted for her.
“Y-yes, I have been, but…”
“Good. I’ve heard that the way to the fountain is easy, but I haven’t walked around outside that much, so I’m not sure. That’s why I want you to accompany me.”
“Not as an escort, but as a guide. I don’t mind that much.”
Emily continued. “I mean, I’ve already accepted the offer.”
Nina was very nervous, but she asked Emily to help her. Nina took her out through the Adventurer’s Guild by “requesting” Emily.
If the adventurer had had a problem with the client, the guild would have taken care of it.
So the man had no choice but to back out.
“So, let’s go!”
“What, now?”
“Yes. Is there a problem?”
“It’s lunchtime. If we leave now, we’ll have to camp in the woods.”
“Camping!”
A word she had never heard or used when she worked at the mansion.
Nina is all excited, but Emily looks at her as if she can’t believe a girl could get excited about “camping.”
“Are you sure you want to go now?”
“No… I don’t know…”
Nina’s mood drops like a blown-up balloon, and Emily feels a mysterious sense of guilt.
“O-okay. It’s not dangerous to camp in the woods near Clare’s fountain.”
“Wow, you’re a real adventurer!”
“…”
Emily doesn’t feel bad about being called an adventurer—she would rather be treated like an adventurer.
“Well, let’s prepare the camp before we leave.”
“Yes. I will follow Emily-sama’s instructions!”
“…No, you are my employer, remember? And stop calling me “Emily-sama.” “I’ll have to call you ‘Nina-sama’ then.”
“Um…I understand. “Miss Emily.”
“Hmm, well, that’s good enough. But I’ll call you Nina, okay?”
“I don’t mind!”
“Fufu. Strange customer.”
“You think so?”
“Yes, I’ve never heard of a maid requesting an escort.”
******
The trading city of Flumun is surrounded by walls.
Outside the walls are farms, travel supply stores, and a few private homes, but the city is virtually untouched by human activity.
“Two young ladies. Be careful, even at Clare’s Fountain.”
The guard said, handing Emily back her adventurer’s card.
“Bandits… Well, there are no bandits in this area, but I’ve heard rumors of giant birds stealing horses lately.”
“Giant birds? Claire’s Fountain is in the forest, so it should be safe.”
“Hmm. That’s true, too. Anyway, I’d be careful if I were you.”
“O—kay.”
Emily waved her hand, and the guard moved on to the next traveler.
They walked across the open meadow.
The path was narrow, but they didn’t have to worry about stopping.
They passed people returning from Clare’s Fountain, but not even half of them seemed to have guards with them. It seemed peaceful.
Three hours after they left the city, the entrance to the forest came into view.
“The forest is just beyond, but I don’t recommend spending the night there. Let’s spend the night here.”
“Yes.”
“…Are you all right?”
“What’s wrong?”
“Uh, yeah, nothing, it’s nothing.”
“?”
No wonder Emily was talking like that.
They brought the blankets and food they needed for their camping trip, and because Nina said, “I’d like to cook outside…” They brought cooking utensils, which they didn’t have to do.
They become “luggage.” The adventurers have to carry it.
Normally the adventurers would share the load, but Emily was the only one who could carry it, and Nina said, “I’ll carry it too.” So Nina has to carry a big part of the load, too.
She doesn’t know how she has so much strength in her little body, but she carried a big backpack for three hours.
Nina is amazed.
“You know, you’re pretty strong, aren’t you?”
“That’s how a maid should be.”
Nina clasps her hands and bows politely.
Is that it? Is that what a maid should do?
She wonders, but she doesn’t know, because Emily has never dealt with a maid before.
“Well, then, I’ll build a fire… I can do that much. I mean, that’s all I can do.”
“Can you?”
“All right, don’t worry.”
Emily puts her hand on the wood she has gathered.
“[Fire spirit, gather in my hand and dance].”
After chanting, the flames burst into flames, and Nina says, “Wow.”
The flame is sucked into a dry branch and burns it.
“…You’ve never seen magic before?”
“I’ve never seen fire magic before—it’s so magical, it’s mysterious and beautiful.”
“I see.”
Emily smiles sadly, but Nina doesn’t know why.
“Well, I guess it’s my turn now!”
Nina rolls up her arms and pulls out the food,
“What, you can cook? Oh, a maid can do that… Am I right?”
“Leave it to me.”
Emily thought every gesture was elegant, and so she began to cook.
******
“I’m dying…”
It was too much to say that she might die that way, but that was how happy she was.
It was a shock.
She had never imagined that a meal in camp could taste so good.
“I’m dying of hunger…”
The food she bought in town came from the same store where she usually shopped, so it was nothing unusual.
But Nina’s cooking was more elaborate.
She sauteed the meat in fat before cooking it, added various herbs that Emily would never use, and most importantly, she used lots of spices.
It looked like a tomato-based meat soup, but it had the most intense flavor she had ever tasted, and Emily couldn’t help but take seconds—a whole pot of it.
“I’m glad you like it,” she said.
“I love it. You can do it professionally. I never thought I’d have Italian food here…”
“Itali-Italian right?”
“Oh, n-no, it’s fine, don’t worry about it.”
“Oh really? Why don’t you go to bed, Emily?”
“!”
Emily, who had been lying down, woke up with a start.
“The night watch is the adventurer’s job. I can’t give it up.”
“Don’t say that.”
Nina sat down next to her and pulled her hand away, and for some reason, she couldn’t resist lying down. The back of Emily’s head touched something soft, and that was Nina’s knee.
“W-well?”
“You look very tired, Miss Emily. If you could just relax a little…”
“Yes, I …”
She runs her fingers through her hair, pressing in all the right places.
After a tingling sensation, like an electric current, she feels her body relax.
It’s a scalp massage.
“Mmmm…”
“You took care of me as a guardian. I thank you. Now you can relax.”
“Funya, Funya~”
Emily feels her body relax from the pleasant stimulation.
A campfire burns nearby, and all around her is silence in the darkness of the night.
She looks up and sees the stars in the sky.
In a brief moment of dozing, Emily falls asleep.