Chapter 235 - A Quest for Two, with Sam
"Alright, Mizuki and I will head back into town to buy Sam some clothes. I need you and Master to go gather some medicinal herbs."
"W-What did you just say?!"
I was taken aback by Fam's sudden proposal.
"If we're buying her clothes, shouldn't she be there to pick them out? Don't you think it'd be better if we all went together?"
Mizuki looked just as troubled, her gaze shifting from me to Fam, then to Sam.
"It is fine. Sam and I are the same size. Besides, I took the liberty of going to the guild yesterday and accepting a medicinal herb gathering quest."
"Huh? Same size? You've got to be kidding. Your chests are completely different!"
Fam shot me a sharp glare. I quickly ducked behind Mizuki for cover.
"Master, please give Sam the herb guide and a dagger."
Defeated by her silent pressure, I did as I was told.
"Are you sure about this?"
Fam simply pushed a worried Mizuki in the direction of town before turning back to me.
"Master, the deadline is this evening. Please deliver the herbs to the guild before sunset."
I couldn't fathom what she was thinking. After watching the two of them walk back toward town, I glanced at Sam, who was looking up at me. I placed a hand on her head.
"Well then, shall we get going?"
As Sam nodded, I stroked her head, my fingers brushing against her droopy white ears. They were soft and fluffy to the touch. The place I went with Fam before should be good for gathering herbs. I had just started walking with that thought in mind when Fam came running back and whispered in my ear.
"Master, Sam is hiding something."
The place was a hollow in the middle of the forest. The grass grew short there, creating a small clearing. It felt like the same place I had come to with Fam, but it was entirely possible it was somewhere different. Back then, it was the beginning of summer, and all the greenery was fresh and vibrant. It was still lush now, but the colors had deepened and begun to carry a hint of shadow, making the scenery look different after all. There, I saw Sam crouched down, comparing the plants to the illustrated guide—or rather, distinguishing them by scent—and I couldn't help but smile. She was doing the exact same thing Fam had. Still, what did Fam mean about her hiding something? Did she want me to find out what it was? The problem was, I knew absolutely nothing about Sam. I wouldn't even know what could be considered a secret. What was it about me that made Fam trust me enough to leave her in my care? Besides, Fam was keeping a huge secret from me herself. What right did she have to ask me to uncover someone else's?
As I was lost in thought, Sam looked back at me, still crouching.
"H-Hey, I'm not slacking off! I'm helping, too!"
Just as I was about to join her and start searching for herbs, the bushes in the back rustled. Reacting to the sound, Sam shot to her feet and drew her dagger. As I reached for my own blade, she danced like a blur and leaped into the thicket. She was like a hunting dog. Sliced grass and twigs flew through the air. She returned a moment later, holding the slime oil left behind by the monster.
"...You took it down?"
It was a stupid question. She was holding the spoils, so of course she'd defeated it. To be honest, I'd expected her to struggle more. But even if she had lost the ability to magically enhance her body, she had still been wandering around the ninetieth floor of the Crystal Palace. There was no way she was weak. I had just been comparing her to Fam from when we first went herb gathering. She might look younger than Fam in some ways, but she was her own person. I had to treat her with proper respect. Looking at her more closely, I saw she'd gotten a scrape, probably from a twig.
"Don't just jump into a place where you might get hurt. Fight from a safe position."
I handed her a health potion while picking leaves from her hair and clothes. I didn't understand the logic, but drinking this stuff healed injuries, so it should take care of a little scrape. Sam took the potion, her expression one of surprise.
The herb gathering continued. We split up to search, but Sam's keen nose made her overwhelmingly faster.
"Are you hiding something from Fam?"
After racking my brain, I couldn't come up with a clever way to ask, so I decided to be direct. Sam shook her head.
"Liar. You had a crush on some guy back in the village, didn't you?"
Her hands froze. I stopped parting the weeds and looked at her; her eyes were wide.
"So it is about a boy..."
A sigh escaped my lips. I figured it was something like that. As I started searching for herbs again, Sam tugged on the hem of my shirt. When I turned around, she was clutching a small branch. I followed her gaze down to the ground.
'Not true. I don't have anyone I like.'
That was what she'd written. Can everyone in this world write? I was slightly impressed, but then she started writing again.
'Fam's father taught me.'
"Was Fam's dad a teacher?"
My question made her puff out her cheeks.
'You're always with Fam, so how can you not know something like that?'
"W-Well, yeah, but it seems like there are some sad memories, so it feels kinda hard to ask about what happened in the village..."
She gave a long, slow blink.
'Fam wants you to know about her.'
She wants me to know. I repeated the words in my head. Was that true? Was it okay for me to press further? And what about me? Did she want to know how I felt back in my original world? Or did her sharp intuition mean she already knew and was following me anyway? I wanted her, and only her, to stay with me until the very end, no matter what. But if the fight against enemies like the Messiah continued, I couldn't just drag her around with me. As I pondered this, Sam's ears twitched. She quickly grabbed her dagger. At the same time, the bushes rustled again.
"Hey, don't jump in this time! Let's take it down together when it comes out!"
I drew my own sword and took a ready stance.
The slime dropped a magic seed. Sam held it in her palm, staring at it for the longest time.
"If you like it that much, you can keep it."
Her sparkling eyes turned to me. But she seemed to doubt my words, her palm remaining open with the seed still resting on it. When I nodded again, a bright smile bloomed across her face. Come to think of it, Mizuki had also made a necklace out of a magic seed. I made a mental note to tell her she should ask Mizuki how to do it later. Fam had never shown much interest in jewels or anything of the sort. The only exception was her strange obsession with things that were light blue. It really hit me that the two of them had their own distinct personalities.
"Well, if we ever get separated, you can sell it for travel money. Anyway, back to gathering herbs."
She carefully put the magic seed in her pocket and took out the botany guide. We returned to the tedious work. We had to meet our quota by nightfall.
"So, is the guy you like part of the Messiah?"
She shook her head.
"Then he was in the village?"
Her hand stopped dead. Her reaction was far too easy to read. There was no way Fam would have missed this. Which meant this probably wasn't the secret Fam was concerned about. I hadn't been told there was more than one secret. At this rate, no matter how many of her secrets I uncovered, I'd have no idea which one was the crucial piece of information Fam wanted. I'd have to complain to her when we got back. As I was thinking that, my shirt was tugged again.
'Don't tell Fam. Promise.'
"I won't. But she definitely already knows."
When I told her that, her jaw dropped. Her face turned deathly pale. Her expressions were slowly becoming more varied. This was probably her true self. That's when it struck me as odd that Fam hadn't mentioned a single word about who Sam liked. I remembered she said that everyone in the village was an acquaintance.
"Was he one of the people bought by Clovis...?"
I considered the possibility that she was being blackmailed with the boy as a hostage, but I quickly shook my head. She said three members of the dog-eared race had been purchased. One died, and one was taken in by Marianne. After she was left alone, she joined up with Yuuki and started attacking transferrers.
"Were there any other acquaintances you met at Clovis's place?"
I dismissed that idea just as quickly. I couldn't think of any reason to hide that. I looked at her. She was still pale, staring at the ground. Was having Fam find out about the boy she liked really something to be so distraught over?
"Do you like older guys?"
Sam's expression was difficult to read, but she finally shook her head. Then it must be someone closer to her age. In that case, there was a high probability he was a friend of Fam's as well. Fam had been concerned for Sam's well-being, but she'd never mentioned him. I wondered why, and just as a conclusion began to form, I shut down that line of thought.
When I came to my senses, Sam was staring at me, her face bright red. That's when I realized she had misunderstood my earlier question.
"N-No, that's not it! I wasn't asking if you like me, I was asking about your type! Do you like older guys or younger guys? That's all I wanted to know!"
Her face turned an even deeper shade of crimson. Watching her, I thought to myself how easy Sam was to read. Fam, on the other hand, was a complete mystery. So was Mizuki. And Maira, too... though I suppose I understood Marmie a little.
"Well, whatever. That reminds me, Fam said something about you that caught my attention. There's something I really have to ask you."
At my words, Sam held her breath, then nodded.
"Fam said you were a lewd one. So, are you really not a virgin?"
"Hmph!"
Sam spun around and resumed gathering herbs.
When we finished the quest and returned to the inn, Fam greeted us with an indescribably peculiar look on her face.
"I thought you two would come back having gotten along..."
"I think we got along. Probably."
Sam nodded in response to my words, still avoiding my gaze.
"...Master, don't tell me you—"
"Don't tell you what?! I didn't do anything! I swear!"
"Then why are you so flustered?! I believed you when you said you wouldn't do anything perverted to Sam, at least not right now!"
Hearing Fam's voice, Mizuki approached with a grim expression.
"Mash... again?"
"What do you mean 'again'?! I told you, I didn't do anything to Sam. I just gathered herbs like I was told and came back. Please, Sam, say something! Anything!"
Sam was just staring at us with a blank expression.
"Hey, don't just stand there gawking. Clear up this misunderstanding!"
As I pressed her, she started to giggle. Seeing that, Fam and Mizuki let out a sigh.
"Well, fine. More importantly, I made dinner, so let's eat."
On the table in the back were fluffy scrambled eggs, rolled omelets, omelet rice, and egg soup.
"Fam was being persistent about me teaching her how to cook..."
Mizuki answered the question that was on my mind before I could ask.
"I-I see."
Seeing her tail wagging slightly behind her, I was at a loss for words. Maira and Marmie were already seated at the table. We took our seats as well.
"Did you figure out how to get to the 'World of the Holy Oil Jar'?"
I took a sip of ale and asked Marmie. She was holding a mug of fruit juice, cradling it in her hands. After a few gulps, she set the mug down on the table.
"...It's fine. Probably."
"Is it fine or is it probably? Which is it?"
"...An object the size of a person disappeared. But I don't know where it went."
So the experiment was a success, but there was no way to confirm if the vanished object had actually gone to the 'World of the Holy Oil Jar'. That meant we couldn't test it with a person. Even if it worked, there was no way to return. And it was a world without air. Marmie scooped some omelet rice with a spoon and brought it to her mouth, chewing thoughtfully.
"...I can see why Fam praises it. Not bad."
She muttered just that one comment. I took a bite of the rolled omelet. The broth was made from mushrooms, not seafood. It was delicious, but it made me miss the original flavor just a little. I felt like I finally understood why Hyakka had traveled all the way to a seaside town in search of true takoyaki. Though the delicious food was distracting, I brought the topic back to getting to the 'World of the Holy Oil Jar'.
"There's a way to test if we can really get there. Later, let's go to the place where we were first transferred."
"...Not now. I need to prepare. Tomorrow morning is fine."
When I nodded, she handed the Analcreana back to me. Maira was staring intently as I took it.
"So, what was that item in the end?"
Maira asked. I looked back at Marmie.
"This was important. Why didn't you explain it?"
Marmie pretended not to hear me and started drinking her egg soup. Seeing this, Maira seemed to realize something and started glancing around at everyone. Fam, then Mizuki—each person she looked at quickly averted their gaze and became engrossed in their meal. Only Sam met Maira's stare with glittering eyes. Finally, Maira looked at me.
"Mash, you left me out again! That's awful, truly awful!"
"Maira, I don't know which is better, but maybe you're better off not knowing," Mizuki muttered. Hearing this, Maira's eyebrows drooped.
"Even Mizuki knows, but you won't tell me..."
"Maira, I'll tell you. Just don't you dare run away."
"Yes! I will not run!"
It was a very good answer indeed.
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