Karahan (4)

"Uh, unnie…?"

"Mm?"

Hephaestus called me with a flustered expression.

"What did you just say?"

"Noah, Hephaestus. Let's finish our meal first, shall we? It'd be better to wrap up quickly and then freshen up."

"Huh? No, just now, Noah un–"

"…Hephaestus. Please."

"Ah, uh… Should we? Hehe…"

Rubia interrupted Hephaestus, grabbing her by the shoulders and urgently pointing toward the campsite.

Then, almost dragging the supported woman, Rubia walked away in haste.

Hephaestus looked at me briefly but soon scurried after Rubia.

As expected… Was I too rough?

I should be gentler next time.

Walking sluggishly toward the tent Rubia had set up, I was hit by the incredible smell of food.

The menu was barbecue and mushroom soup!

"Noah, come and sit here."

Rubia patted the spot next to her enthusiastically.

Although all three of them had looked quite upset earlier, their expressions seemed much better now.

Was it because there was delicious food in front of us?

"I apologize again. You're called Noah, correct?"

"Ah, uh… Y-Yes…"

The woman, whose startled expression from earlier was now replaced by a kind smile, bowed her head toward me.

"My name is Mariel. I'm sorry and… thank you. If it weren't for you, Noah, I… I would have… twice now… Hic– Thank you so much…"

"Uh, um… You, you went through a lot…"

As her tears pattered onto the ground, I gently patted her shoulder.

How much time passed like that?

Rubia handed Mariel a bowl filled with soup, breaking the somber mood.

"Mariel, let's eat first, and then we can talk."

"Ah, yes, thank you…"

"This is for you, Noah."

"Wow…"

Unlike Mariel, I was given a plate piled high with meat!

"Here, Hephaestus, this is for you."

"Thanks…"

Hephaestus's plate had a moderate portion of meat.

Was her lack of energy because of that…?

"Hmm… Hephaestus, have some more meat…"

I transferred some pieces of the plentiful meat from my plate to Hephaestus's.

"Huh? Are you eating that little, unnie?"

"A-Actually, um… I-It's fine."

To be honest, it wasn't fine…

I was holding my greatsword in one hand, so I tilted my plate slightly to transfer the meat, and…

Too much ended up going over!

I should've just used a fork, even if it was troublesome…

"You don't look fine," Rubia commented with a quiet laugh, placing a few more pieces of meat on my plate.

"T-Then, won't you have nothing left to eat, Rubia…"

"There's more here, so eat plenty. Don't worry."

"Hmm… Okay. Thank you…"

I nodded and picked up my fork.

"Oh, Mariel, after warming up with soup, have some barbecue too."

"No, I'm fine with just this–"

"It's okay. Please eat enough."

Rubia smiled as she handed Mariel a plate filled with meat and vegetables.

Thus, the cheerful atmosphere of the evening meal began.

Topics ranged from Hephaestus's sleeping habits to Rubia's cooking experiences, and even my drunken antics… Many stories were shared.

Feeling it hard to join in the conversation, I quietly chewed on my meat.

Meanwhile, Mariel began drinking the soup as if it were water.

She must've been very hungry.

I quietly poured some water and placed it in front of her.

"P-Please, eat slowly…"

"Mm– Yes, thank you."

Though she bowed her head, Mariel didn't let go of the plate from her mouth, and she ended up drinking four more bowls after that.

"Phew, did everyone eat well?"

"Yeah, Rubia-unnie, you're an amazing cook…"

"My… my stomach… feels like it's about to burst…"

"Sluuurp– Ahh… Thank you for the meal, Priestess… Truly an honor…"

Hephaestus clapped her hands lightly, and I kept rubbing my now stuffed belly.

Meanwhile, Mariel downed the remaining soup in one gulp and bowed her head repeatedly.

"Ughh–! Let's go wash up now! Whether it's cold water or hot water, I need to wash up quickly!"

"Sure. Let's clean this up first."

"Then I'll handle the cleanup, so you all go ahead."

Mariel jumped up and began tidying the dishes.

"What? No, we should all clean up together. And go wash up together too."

"No, please. I wouldn't dare–"

"Mariel."

"Yes, yes."

Rubia's suddenly firm tone stopped Mariel in her tracks.

"I told you before, I'm not a priestess right now… If you keep addressing me that way, I won't let it slide."

Rubia took the plate from Mariel's hands and continued.

"Then, as a priestess, I'll say this. Relax, and let's all go wash up together. You're a patient right now, Mariel. Even small movements can be harmful."

"Wow…"

I let out a small exclamation at Rubia's dignified demeanor.

Hephaestus seemed to share my sentiment.

As for Mariel…

"Hic… Sniff…"

She started crying again.

Rubia sighed as if she had expected this and quickly resumed cleaning up.

Hmm… I guess I should help too.

I got up right away and hurriedly gathered the dishes into one place.

Then, Hephaestus, who had been slouched over, suddenly stood up and began gathering forks and cups.

"Noah, take a break."

"Eh…"

My hands, which had been gathering dishes, stopped.

Why me?

I'm not a patient!

Rubia approached me, standing still in confusion, and whispered softly in my ear.

"If Mariel is left sitting alone, she'll definitely feel uncomfortable. So, go and sit with her."

"Ah… you think so…?"

True.

Even as a member of this party, I felt awkward just standing around earlier.

Imagine how uncomfortable Mariel must feel.

"Yes. Go on now."

Rubia gave my back a gentle push.

"Mm… okay, fine."

Reluctantly, I dusted off my hands and walked slowly toward Mariel.

It felt like approaching a sleeping cat…

As soon as Mariel saw me, she flinched and quickly stood up.

"Ah, um… P-Please, sit down…"

"No, I'll sit if you sit first."

"Uh… no, it's really fine…"

"It's fine."

This is so awkward… incredibly awkward.

Fighting a beast would've been easier than this!

Even taking down the Minotaur earlier wasn't this nerve-wracking!

Breaking into a cold sweat, I plopped down next to Mariel.

Only then did she cautiously sit back down as well.

"…Thank you again."

"Yes…"

Ah… I can't breathe…

Far off in the distance, Hephaestus clearing dishes with a bright smile seemed so enviable…

* * * *

"Now, if it's not too much trouble, could you tell us what happened?"

We had washed up at the valley Rubia mentioned earlier and finished preparing for the night.

Instead of an open campfire, we used a strange, drawer-like stone brought by Hephaestus to light a fire…

I got curious and poked around it so much that I ended up getting burned, earning a good scolding from Rubia.

"Ah… yes. When I first arrived at Ursphere, everything was fine. But that night–"

The atmosphere had calmed somewhat after everything that had happened, and Mariel began to recount her story.

She had been running a small flower shop in Roholan and had come to Ursphere to discuss matters related to new trade routes.

After completing a successful negotiation, she was heading back to her lodging when she was kidnapped.

As Rubia had suspected, the culprits were from an organization called Red Scorpion.

She confirmed this after seeing the distinctive red scorpion tattoo on their necks.

When Mariel started to recount what happened after her abduction, she broke down in tears, and Rubia had to console her.

"Phew… I'm sorry."

"No, it's okay. Cry as much as you need to. It's fine."

Mariel, clutching a cup of warm coffee, curled up and trembled.

"I… I was subjected to so many horrible things, but… there was an opportunity."

"An opportunity?"

"Yes… They had this plant they cherished dearly. But someone who had been kidnapped with me smashed the pot it was in…"

Mariel, who had just stopped crying, started sobbing uncontrollably again.

"That… that person… while they were being beaten… I managed to… to run away… hic…"

A cherished plant?

As Rubia gently patted Mariel's back, she cautiously asked.

"Could you describe this plant? Its characteristics, appearance… anything you remember?"

"Sniff… Well… It wasn't a small pot. At least the size of my torso… The plant was purple, with tangled vines… Oh! And the leaves were shaped like teardrops–"

"Wait, purple with teardrop shaped leaves?"

Suddenly, Hephaestus raised her head and interrupted.

"Yes. It looked like that… They would pluck a leaf once a day and take it to their boss…"

"Was the plant's name Eliximona by any chance?"

"Yes! I think I heard it called Eliximona. How did you know? I've never heard that name before…"

"Ah… no… that can't be right…"

Hephaestus's expression turned grim.

"Hephaestus? Are you okay?"

"Ah, um… This might sound strange, but… my master would never do something like that. I mean, uh–"

"Calm down. I trust you, so just tell us," Rubia said gently, placing a hand on Hephaestus's shoulder as tears welled up in her eyes.

After taking a few deep breaths, Hephaestus finally spoke.

Her words threw the situation into confusion, leaving us all stunned.

"Eliximona is… the only plant ever created by Master Yuria. And… it's the last of its kind in this world…"