The next day, I received a potion from Emma.
To be precise, it was poison. Emma warned me about the terrifying effects of this transparent liquid.
“Be careful; even a drop can knock out a monster within seconds. If you administer more than that, it could be deadly… But is such a strong poison really necessary?”
“Yeah, it’s best if it knocks them out as quickly as possible.”
Emma couldn’t shake off her worried feelings.
Seeing her like that, I jokingly suggested, “If you’re that worried, why not come with me?”
“…Huh, really?”
Emma looked at me blankly as if she couldn’t understand what I was saying. A playful smile spread across my lips.
“I mean to Perkus Manor. You could keep an eye on me to make sure I’m not doing anything weird.”
Truth be told, it was just my personal desire. I worried about how much trouble Emma might get into while I wasn’t around. She didn’t even take care of herself properly, so if she fainted again like today, who would be there to help her?
It was just a fleeting thought I threw out.
But it seemed to carry special weight for Emma.
With her breath held for a moment, she stared at me in a daze.
After a while,
Emma finally gave a bitter smile.
“No, it’s okay.”
“Is it because of your research?”
“Um, no. I’m just a commoner.”
I had to close my mouth at that plain response.
“What about the servants who have to take care of commoners just because they’re friends with the young master? What about your noble family?”
“Our family doesn’t care about that sort of thing.”
“That might be true, but I care.”
Emma gave me a subtle smile and gently tried to persuade me, “Ian, I know my place well. Just having the dream of standing by your side is already a huge ambition for me.”
How could I possibly suggest it again to a woman who went that far in her words?
I silently forced a bitter smile and nodded.
“One day, I’ll make you say that you want to visit our parents first.”
“Will you really?”
As she said this, Emma cautiously took my hand. Just looking at her wistful smile made me understand how she felt.
“Thank you, Ian. And I’ll wait for that day.”
“…Let’s meet again in the second semester.”
With those parting words, I finished saying goodbye to Emma.
My luggage was light. I had the pocket expansion bag, and anyway, I was heading back to my hometown.
There was plenty of my gear at the Percus House, so what I needed to prepare would only be a weapon or so.
As I made my way to the warp gate, I found a few unexpected figures waiting.
First was a girl with gray hair.
“…Ceria?”
“Ian-senpai!”
As I unintentionally called the name of my dear junior, she came running towards me with a bright expression. Ceria, the top student of the Swordsmanship Department and a genius swordsman from the Yuridina Clan, had come to find me.
Since I had been standing there blankly, unable to guess the reason for her visit, Ceria, unable to hide her excitement, spoke.
“My sister ordered me to head to Perkus Manor! I’m supposed to lead the family soldiers stationed near Perkus Manor…!”
At that moment, I finally understood what the “special gift” Senior Delphine had mentioned was.
The identity of that gift was none other than “Ceria.”
Ceria was not just my cherished junior but also a swordsman who had just entered the threshold of being an expert.
Now that I had just reached the entry-level of an expert myself, I felt even more deeply the truth that there was a significant gap between experts and other swordsmen.
In a small family like Percus, having just one expert was already a blessing. Moreover, Senior Neoris was also going to join us later, meaning we were now looking at three experts in our available forces.
We had satisfied the minimum conditions needed to crush the Dark Cult’s scheme.
Of course, I wasn’t the only one who would have companions on the journey home.
“M-Master?”
A girl who approached me shyly fiddled with her hooded hat, unable to hide her anxiety.
It was Senior Elsi.
After her bombshell declaration yesterday, it had become awkward for Senior Elsi to return to her family home. So instead, she decided to join me on the journey back.
However, something seemed a bit off with Senior Elsi these days.
No, she had always been a bit strange, but her attitude toward me was subtly different from before.
Even right now, it was like that.
She would glance at me from the side, then blush and lower her head.
Recently, it seemed that Senior Elsi was struggling with how to define our relationship. Specifically, it looked like she wanted confirmation of her position with me.
A clear example of this was what had happened in town.
On the way to the warp gate, I had received a flyer.
It was asking for someone to take care of stray cats.
After recently being harassed by a stray cat monster, the public sentiment against stray cats had risen sharply. It seemed that there were a good number of cat lovers opposing that sentiment.
Of course, I had no interest in getting involved in that dispute, so I tore the flyer in two.
Either side would be problematic to support.
I had no desire to take on unnecessary responsibilities with hasty judgments.
Yet, it seemed that this bothered Senior Elsi.
A cautious question was directed at me.
“…Master, do you like cats?”
“No, not particularly… I just think they look cute.”
At my answer, Elsi jumped up in indignation.
A passionate tirade burst forth from her small mouth.
“C-cats have no loyalty and only make trouble! If someone saw them, they would think they’re the owners! Just imagine if, during the last monster attack, it had been dogs instead of those cats! They would have died alone with tears in their eyes! But those rude furballs…”
“…Why are you competing with cats?”
I sighed deeply and made that point, but Elsi’s tirade continued for a while longer.
There was nothing I could do but give her a half-hearted look of surrender.
The unexpected companions didn’t stop there.
I felt a light tap on my shoulder.
No matter how relaxed I had been, there weren’t many skilled people who could slip up behind me like that. Startled, I turned around to find Yulen standing there with a playful smile.
“Hey, Ian!”
“Yulen!”
I greeted Yulen warmly and shook hands with her. Looking at her bulging backpack, it seemed Yulen was also on her way somewhere.
A customary question slipped from my lips.
“Are you on your way to the Holy Kingdom?”
“No, I have a special mission.”
With that, Yulen winked at me and then stepped aside.
Only then did I notice a woman hidden behind Yulen.
With silver hair and pink eyes, she stood there like a beautiful piece of art crafted by the gods.
It was the Saint.
“Ahem, ahem… What a coincidence? It just so happens that my next mission was assigned to Perkus Manor.”
“Perkus Manor?”
I tilted my head at the statement.
There was only a shabby temple at Perkus Manor. The only clergyman there was an aged priest.
In all my life, I had never heard of a volunteer group sent by the Holy Kingdom making a visit to Perkus Manor.
Yet somehow, the highest-ranking individual, the Saint, was coming to Perkus Manor.
Something felt off, but as soon as the Saint met my puzzled gaze, she began a desperate explanation.
“I-it’s truly a coincidence! I swear there’s no ulterior motive… I really mean it!”
I couldn’t understand why she brought up ulterior motives.
However, it was clear that having the Saint join us would be a significant help to our forces. I smiled brightly as I took the Saint’s hand.
“Then I’ll be counting on you, Lady Virgin Saint.”
“…Ahem, yes. It’s a coincidence, but I’ll be counting on you for a while.”
Then, the Saint and Yulen exchanged glances.
For a moment, it looked like the Saint was pumping her fist in triumph, but I decided not to dwell on that.
More people than I had expected were heading to Perkus Manor.
In fact, four more individuals joined than initially planned.
The owner of Perkus Manor was the Percus Family.
Naturally, it was the duty of the Percus Family to host these esteemed guests who came as visitors. As the number of guests increased, the concerns about how to manage them multiplied.
I was already getting a headache trying to figure out how to accommodate guests like the Saint, Senior Elsi, and Ceria.
However, in the end, this was a good thing.
There were malevolent plans underway in Perkus Manor that were shrouded in mystery. The more allies we had, the better our chances.
Of course, that was just my opinion.
When Celin, who I had brought along, saw the characters of my entourage, she immediately screamed.
“…What is this!!!”
Celin had been hoping for a cozy trip for just the three of us. It was no surprise she would be upset with the sudden increase in numbers.
So I could only offer an awkward smile in response.
Now everything was ready.
All that remained was the journey to my beloved hometown.
To Perkus Manor where my sister was waiting.
