kscans

Chapter 272 - Patricia and the Farewell Party, Part 1

By the time we reached the fortress, it was already evening. It was a fortress built to monitor an artificial lake in the mountains. Water was transported from this lake to Miglutt via an aqueduct. This was water for agriculture and industry; the drinking water source was further east. The fortress Marmi had called a villa stood quietly in the forest, but upon learning of our arrival, we could hear the sound of several people scurrying around inside the gate. Someone must have been watching for our arrival from the turret. The welcoming party opened the castle gates. The only one who looked utterly exhausted was Marmi. The other members of Levante were about to enter the fortress, but she stood alone, as if left behind. She gazed blankly at the people who came out to greet us, her eyes wandering as if to identify each person.

"..." She seemed to mumble something, but I couldn't hear it. Famu also looked at her, tilting her head.

"...Patricia isn't here." She drank the water offered by a guard and forced out the words in a dry voice. Patricia was supposed to have arrived at this fortress ahead of us by carriage. She was scheduled to see us off here before we headed to Famu's village.

"She might be inside. For now, Mo, you should go inside and rest too." We were here now, so she didn't need to walk on her own anymore. I patted her head as a sort of reward for her hard work and was about to pick her up, but she braced herself and refused to move.

"What's wrong?"

"...I told Patricia that if she arrived first, she should go to the pine forest and gather mushrooms." My eyes widened at her words, and I glanced at Mizuki. She looked back at me with the same surprised expression.

"D-Don't tell me... she went to get matsutake mushrooms?"

"...Mother said that transmigrators enjoy eating them grilled over a charcoal fire," Marmi replied with a nod. Mizuki and I both gulped.

"Master, what are matsutake mushrooms...?" Famu, sensing something from our unusual atmosphere, twitched her dog ears.

"...From the place where you could see the church in the lake, go clockwise, and you'll find a pine forest. Go look for her." Marmi urged me on, pushing my back. Was she anxious about Patricia's safety?

"R-Right... Myra, Famu, take care of Mo." As I said that and was about to head to the lake, Mizuki tried to follow me. But Marmi spread her arms and stopped her.

"...Go by yourself."

"Hm? It'd be better if two of us went to get her. Patricia might be lost."

"...Patricia just got carried away and forgot that it was getting dark. More importantly..." Marmi glanced at Nephi, who was standing there looking out of place. Mizuki and I exchanged a look, convinced that Marmi was hiding something. Even though she said it was fine, there was a sense of urgency in her voice. And yet, she was telling me to go search for Patricia alone. Was her thinking clouded by fatigue?

"I don't really get it, but fine. Mizuki, take care of the new recruit."

"Y-Yeah..." Leaving a still-unconvinced Mizuki behind, I headed to the lake to look for Patricia.

The afterglow from the western mountains dyed the sky orange, and the water's surface reflected it, creating deep shades of orange and black. A young woman in a maid's uniform stood gazing at the lake, like a figure in a still painting. A gust of wind blew, stroking her hair. A few leaves were mixed in it. This was a characteristic of the Flower Folk. Just as she swept the hair from her cheek, she noticed my gaze behind her and slowly turned around.

"Mash..." Her eyes widened slightly in surprise, and then she smiled.

"Has Lady Mo arrived?" Her voice was soft and light. I held my breath and stared at her. Although she lived among the beautiful elves, she was no less attractive herself. Perhaps finding my silent standing strange, Patricia tilted her head.

"Ah, yeah. I was told you were in the pine forest looking for mushrooms, so I was sent to bring you back."

"By Lady Mo?" I nodded. Then I remembered that Marmi had entrusted me with a small box. I took it out of my storage and handed it to Patricia. It was a small wooden box that fit in the palm of my hand.

"This is..." Patricia opened the lid and peeked inside. When I tried to look over her shoulder, the box was quickly closed. A single tulip bloomed on her head.

"D-Did you see what was inside?" Patricia's eyes widened as she looked at me. They seemed to be moist, reflecting the light of the setting sun.

"I didn't, but... is it feminine hygiene products?"

"Lady Mo would never have you give me something like that in this situation!" The usual fist didn't come flying at my head.

"But your face is bright red, you know?"

"Th-This is because of the sunset!" Patricia tucked the small box into the front pocket of her apron and started walking.

"L-Let's go!"

"Where to?"

"Lady Mo wrote in a letter that I should pick some flowers." The term 'picking flowers' only brought to mind its euphemistic meaning, but I felt like I'd be punched if I said it, so I swallowed the words.

"Where are these flowers blooming? It'll be pitch black if we go at this hour."

"It's fine. Because you're with me, Mash." With that answer, Patricia started walking.

We walked counter-clockwise around the lake, in the opposite direction of the pine forest. The surroundings were rapidly being swallowed by darkness.

"So, what about the mushrooms?" As far as I could see, she was empty-handed. Did she have a skill like an adventurer's storage?

"Ah, no, I already had the knight who helped me take the mushrooms back. I wouldn't know which mushrooms are safe to pick by myself..." I frowned at her words. Then why was she standing by the lake? It felt like she was waiting for someone. Just as I was about to ask, she pointed at the surface of the lake.

"They say there's a church sunken in this lake." People used to live here, but the village disappeared to make way for the reservoir.

"Yeah, from the fortress, the surface of this lake looked like it was glowing..." I told her about what happened when Marmi and I visited. At that time, fireflies were dancing wildly over the lake, and a church emerged from the light. It was a dungeon where monsters lurked, and Marmi and I fought the Area Guardian that appeared there.

"...And that's what happened," I finished. After listening to my story, Patricia let out a small sigh, then forced a faint smile, as if suppressing her hidden emotions.

"The Lady Mo I know is lazy and does absolutely nothing unless it interests her. She was someone who couldn't even eat, change clothes, or fall asleep without someone's help. Sometimes she would just stand there in a daze, and you'd have no idea what she was thinking. But the Lady Mo you talk about, Mash, is a fine mage. It's like I'm hearing a story about a completely different person..." I looked at her profile. The orange glow of the lake's surface flickered in her eyes, but as the night's curtain fell, that light faded.

"Come to think of it, it all started after she met Famu in the city of Frucht. She was a strange girl. Lady Mo said she was just trying to act grown-up, but Lady Mo started trying to act grown-up just like her. And from the time she fought the pirates, she slowly started doing things for herself. I thought it was because Lady Mo had undergone the elven coming-of-age ceremony. But maybe she had already decided to travel with you back then, Mash." The sun set, and the orange light became a mere remnant in the western sky as the surroundings began to melt into darkness.

"My Lady Mo is still a young child..." Her words trailed off. Her face was also shrouded in darkness, and I couldn't tell what expression she was wearing. I wanted to see inside her heart, but I suppressed the urge and decided to wait. In the silence that enveloped us, I could hear the faint sound of footsteps on fallen leaves.

"Please, take care of her, okay? I can't join you on your journey, Mash. The Lady Mo in my heart is still a child. Everyone in Levante is so kind, I'm sure they'll lend you their strength. But the one Lady Mo truly relies on is you, Mash, and only you." The afterglow vanished, and instead, a half-moon and countless stars in the sky illuminated the world with their faint light. The boundary between the lake and the shore, and the path, dissolved into the darkness, and both the way forward and the way back disappeared. I raised my fingertips and chanted the incantation for the light magic spell, Light. A soft light glowed at my fingertips, brightly illuminating our surroundings.

"Mo taught me this magic. She's not just someone who relies on others. I rely on Mo too."

"Is that so..." Patricia's voice was a little hoarse.

"Don't make that face. We'll definitely be back in Miglutt."

"I know that. It wasn't Lady Mo who lacked courage, it was me..." I gently placed my hand on her head, and she walked, leaning her shoulder against me.

"So, why were you standing there like that?" My words made Patricia's shoulders jump.

"Whatever could you mean?"

"Don't give me that! Why didn't you come back with the soldiers you went with?"

"Th-That's..." Patricia stammered and averted her gaze.

"I was captivated by the beauty of the lake reflecting the sunset. Can't we just leave it at that?"

"If you ask me if that's fine, then I guess it is, but..." At my words, she took a breath and looked up at the sky, then stroked her chest as if to calm herself. Then she shook her head vigorously.

"No, I'm still not ready to explain. Could you give me a little more time?" Patricia's reply made things even more confusing. When that happens, there are only a limited number of possibilities.

"You were holding it in, weren't you? I'll keep watch, so go ahead and go." At my words, she clenched her fists, her shoulders trembling, and then sighed.

"Well, I knew this would happen... With this atmosphere, couldn't you have said something a little more romantic?" She straightened her back and started walking. The shoulder that had been touching mine was now separated.

"Come to think of it, Patricia, you said you like someone who is 'the same age, tall, kind, and strong,' didn't you?"

"Yes. I said I'd prefer someone who doesn't wear my panties on their head," Patricia added, as if it were something she shouldn't forget.

"Did you have someone specific in mind?" At my words, she stopped dead in her tracks.

"You saw me naked, groped my chest, and even kissed me, yet you're planning to set me up with another man...?" Her fists were clenched tightly again.

"W-Wait, I have no intention of letting you go, Patricia. I was just asking. For you, that..." Hearing my words, Patricia placed a hand on her own arm. Underneath it was a Slave Mark. Her family had lost in the political struggles of the Flower Folk's city, and she was sold to the Star Union Family with the agreement that the mark would not be removed.

"You really are concerned about this mark, aren't you?" Patricia offered a faint smile.

"I feel bad about forcing myself on someone who can't resist..."

"Mash..." she muttered in an exasperated tone, then looked up.

"That's right. It might be better if you knew more about me."

"It's hotter that way."

"..." She fell silent. I felt a murderous aura, so I stopped walking and took a step back.

"I'm sorry. I won't tease you anymore."

"Please don't. I repeat, under such a lovely moon and stars. And since Lady Mo went to all this trouble..." She trailed off, then spread her hands and looked up at the sky. I followed her gaze and saw a river of stardust flowing across the pitch-black night sky. A golden half-moon was about to cross that river. We started walking again. The path veered away from the lakeside and led deep into a forest thick with trees. What kind of flower was Marmi trying to make her pick so deep in a forest like this?

"I wanted to marry Wake."

"Isn't he older than I am? Are you trying to make me jealous by bringing up the names of men I know? ...Come to think of it, is Wake at this fortress?" Patricia shook her head at my question.

"Wake is staying in the city to support Lord Augustus and Lady Marina. He may not look it, but he's kind to women and quite popular."

"Well, I can believe that." Come to think of it, Myra seemed quite fond of him too. Seeing me pout, Patricia looked surprised.

"You're the one who asked, Mash, and now you're jealous?"

"Shut up." Patricia smiled at my reply.

"He has a wife and children, and even a newborn grandchild."

"Really? Then why?" I wondered if his family was safe during the civil war in Miglutt, but hearing her lighthearted reply now, I guessed nothing had happened. If I had known about the birth of his grandchild, I would have offered a word of congratulations.

"The reason I liked Wake was because he serves as Lady Mo's close aide. I thought that if we got married, I could always be by Lady Mo's side. But he was a devoted husband." Weren't citizens supposed to be monogamous? Was a man of his status allowed to have a mistress?

"Have you never properly fallen in love with someone?"

"Hmph, you get jealous just by me mentioning Wake's name, but..." She was right, but just like a hangnail, even though I knew it would hurt, I couldn't help but pull at it and ask. As I was thinking that, Patricia reached out and took my hand.

"I like you, Mash, you know?" Her palm felt damp, perhaps from nervousness. And I could feel its warmth. I stopped talking and continued walking with her. As we did, the presence of the dense trees surrounding us thinned, and our view opened up. Beyond a field of knee-high grass, pale purple flowers were blooming in profusion, covering the ground. It was as if countless darts had been stuck into the earth. The six petals, bathed in soft light, gently enveloped the orange anthers, as if protecting them from the cold night air. Even though there was no wind, the tips of the slender, pointed petals seemed to tremble slightly, perhaps due to their thinness. The entire flower field faintly reflected the moonlight, suffusing the area with a white, fantastical glow.