Chapter 58 The Love of a Little Dog

"Master... What's going on...?"

"Fr, Frey...?"

I instantly ended the tense situation. Kania and Irina, who had fallen to the ground, stared at me in astonishment.

"Are you two okay?"

I rushed towards them and asked. Kania looked at me with an incredulous expression and replied.

"...Hearing you say that, it seems you're really the young master himself."

"Ouch, these wounds are quite serious."

I ignored Kania's words and walked straight up to her. Upon seeing the wound on her abdomen, I muttered in a daze.

"Do you have any healing potions? If we don't treat it immediately, the wound might worsen... We need to stop the bleeding first..."

I looked around, trying to find something to stop the bleeding for Kania. Then I noticed the wounds on Irina's body and her blackened magic power circuits. I couldn't help but hold my forehead and sigh.

" This is crazy."

Irina stared at me blankly, then lowered her head and murmured.

"Sorry... Frey... I..."

"Enough, it's okay."

Not wanting to expend any more emotions, I quickly interrupted her. Looking around, I said.

"Let's get out of here first. This place... well, it makes me feel really uncomfortable."

Hearing me say this, the expressions of Kania and Irina froze.

"Don't say that. We should still stay here for now..."

Just as I was trying to forcefully help them up and head towards the entrance, I suddenly noticed Aria, who was unconscious beside us. I couldn't help but sigh and mutter to myself.

"...Oh right, Aria is still here."

To be honest, I really didn't know how to face Aria. She was not only extremely sharp-witted but also still worried about me. If I was deliberately cold to her, she would definitely become suspicious; but if I was nice to her, it would cause trouble.

"Kania, cast a sleeping spell on Aria. Let her not wake up for the time being."

"Understood."

After saying that, Kania carefully approached Aria and gently stroked her head. Aria's breathing gradually became steady.

"Then, let's get out of here. I really don't want to stay any longer."

So, carrying Aria on my back, I started to flee the cave together with Kania and Irina.

"...Master."

"What's the matter?"

Just as we were about to reach the exit, Kania, who had been silently following behind me, asked me in a low voice.

"Was that just now... really magic?"

"Yeah, it was magic."

As I spoke, I sprinkled the flickering light all around with my hand and added with a smile.

"And it's the magic that my mother used to use."

"...It's so beautiful."

Kania looked at the light that solidified and crystallized in the air in surprise, then her expression turned serious and she spoke again.

"Master, that room inside..."

"We'll talk about that story later."

Seeing Kania's expression become extremely solemn, I interrupted her and said firmly.

"But..."

"Sometimes we need to put things off, Kania."

"...I understand, Master."

In the end, under my insistence, Kania silently nodded and then closed her mouth, walking quietly towards the entrance of the cave in front of us.

"Then, what should we do now?"

After successfully getting out of the cave, I looked at the outside where the rain had stopped at some point and asked the two people who were looking at me blankly.

"W, well... That is to say..."

At this moment, Irina, who had been avoiding making eye contact with me since just now, started stuttering.

"I think we need to deal with Miss Aria's problem first."

At this time, Kania, who had been frowning and silent, suddenly interrupted and began to explain.

"Although I cast a sleeping spell, the sudden battle just now almost exhausted my strength, so the effect of the magic is not strong. Therefore, she might wake up soon."

"Then..."

"Considering the young lady's situation and other factors... It's indeed most appropriate to take her to the nearby Starlight Duke's Mansion. If she wakes up here, it will put you, Master, Miss Irina, and me in a rather awkward situation."

Hearing this, I silently nodded in agreement. Kania then walked towards Aria on my back and continued.

"So, I will personally send Miss Aria to the Duke's Mansion."

"Are you really okay in this state? If Kania sees you like this, she will definitely be worried..."

"After all, neither you, Master, nor Miss Irina can go."

As Kania spoke, she supported Aria. Then she looked at me and Irina and sighed.

"And... Master, I'm afraid you have to stay here until tomorrow."

"What do you mean by that?"

Hearing her words, I asked back with a blank look on my face. Kania frowned and began to explain.

"As I mentioned just now, because of the sudden battle, my black magic has been exhausted. It's quite difficult to cast the invisibility spell now."

"So it's not possible today?"

"Yes, the black magic will probably recover tomorrow... I need to explain the situation to Miss Aria in the Duke's Mansion and then go to the academy to find Miss Serena. So, if you can stay here for a while, I'll come back to pick you up and we can set off together tomorrow morning."

When I heard this, just as I was nodding, Irina, who had been hesitant, spoke softly.

"I, I'll stay too..."

"Hmm?"

Hearing this, Kania frowned and said, "Miss Irina, you don't have to stay, do you?"

"Umm... It's too dangerous for Frey to be alone. There are wild beasts in the mountains, and his body hasn't fully recovered yet..."

"Didn't you see how Master used the starlight magic power to solve the crisis in an instant just now?"

"However, you're quite exhausted now. If you're not careful, something serious might happen. So, I'll stay with you until tomorrow."

Irina insisted on her opinion. Kania gave her a discontented look and then shook her head, saying, "It seems you've made up your mind. Then there's no other way. Well, I'll leave Master in your care until tomorrow."

"Umm... Hmm... I'll do my best..."

Irina was momentarily at a loss for words under Kania's sharp gaze and stammered in response.

"Master, I'll take my leave now."

Kania looked at Irina with dissatisfaction, carried Aria on her back, and bid me farewell.

"Okay, then I'll leave Aria to you..."

"...Okay."

Just as I was about to smile at Kania and send her off, I saw Aria on her back start to squirm restlessly.

"Brother... Thank you..."

"Ah!"

Then she murmured softly and a faint smile appeared on her face. I was startled and took a sharp breath. Fortunately, the prompt box for the system's punishment didn't appear.

"It seems she's talking in her sleep."

Kania also showed a stunned expression just like me. Then she let out a sigh of relief and said in a low voice. And I was sweating coldly and began to think deeply.

"I have to find a way to relieve Aria's worries as soon as possible..."

Up until now, I've been eliminating one by one those who were about to be cursed due to the system's trials. "Isolte still hates me. Serena continues to be involved in an ambiguous relationship with Kania, trying to erase her 'anxious' feelings in this way. And Irina has already implanted black magic in every corner of her magic power circuits today, so there shouldn't be any problems. However, for Aria alone, I really can't think of a solution. If I'm mean to her, she'll use that as an excuse to be suspicious; but if I'm kind to her, she'll say 'I knew it' and immediately dispel her doubts. The only good news is that she's gradually getting 'tired'. When she fainted briefly due to a headache just now, although she was in a daze, she did say 'I'm tired of believing in you'. So, as long as there's one more, one more major incident..."

"Then, please take good care of yourself."

"Ah, okay. I know."

Just as I was deep in thought, hearing Kania's greeting, I decided to put my thoughts aside for the moment. After all, I couldn't solve this problem right now.

"Umm, then let's go back to the secret base first."

After Kania carried Aria down the mountain and her figure gradually disappeared, Irina lowered her eyes and said softly. I felt a bit awkward about her attitude and nodded, walking slowly towards the secret base with her.

"Wow, the secret base is full of water."

After walking in silence for a while, we finally arrived in front of the secret base. But we found the door wide open, water gushing out from the gap, and the inside was already flooded.

"In this case... Are we going to have to sleep on the streets?"

Seeing this scene, I showed a troubled expression and murmured to myself. Irina, who had been silently watching me, suddenly grabbed my arm and started walking towards a certain direction.

"Hey, where are we going?"

"...Just follow me."

For some reason, her hand holding my arm was trembling slightly. So, I silently let her lead me and followed behind her.

'Wait a minute. Come to think of it, why did Irina do that just now?'

As we were walking, I suddenly fell into a small confusion. Irina clearly had a secret base that only she and I could enter. Why was she still worried about my safety and insisted on staying? Although the base was indeed filled with water, she shouldn't have known that.

"Ah, is this..."

While lost in my thoughts, when Irina stopped, I also temporarily stopped thinking. Looking around, I asked in a low voice.

"Is this the riverbank where we used to play together?"

"Yes."

Irina, who still seemed a bit awkward, answered briefly. Then she started picking up the branches scattered on the ground, preparing to start a fire. I quietly sat aside and watched her actions of starting the fire.

"Umm..."

However, Irina, who could usually light a fire in just a few seconds, seemed to be having some difficulty today. I watched her with a worried expression, and Irina continued to rub the wood while stealing glances at me.

"Umm... Do you need my help?"

"No, no need... Just sit there."

She looked rather pitiful. Just as I was about to stand up from my seat to help her, Irina stopped me and rubbed the wood even harder.

"Ir, Irina!"

"T, this is no problem at all!"

"No, it's not that... Let me see your hand."

Hearing her words, I temporarily sat still, waiting for the fire to start. By chance, I caught a glimpse of her hand and was shocked. I quickly ran over.

"...S, sorry."

Her hand was scratched by the rough tree bark and was bleeding.

"Irina, are you okay?"

I held Irina's hand tightly and asked. She lowered her head weakly and began to murmur.

"Sorry... I'm really sorry..."

"Irina, you..."

I wanted to tell her that she didn't have to feel guilty about this, but the words stopped on my lips. Instead, I looked at the branches she had picked up.

"...Forget it, I'll start the fire. You take a rest for a while."

When I noticed the black magic powder remaining on the branches, I finally understood the secret of how she could light the fire quickly and couldn't help but chuckle.

"First, insert the branch here, right?"

I carefully picked up the branch and inserted it into the groove of the wood. Images of Irina showing off her fire-starting skills in front of me flashed through my mind. Then I quickly rubbed the branch.

"This way, your hand will get hurt..."

Irina showed a worried look and reached out to stop me.

- Puff!

"Huh?"

But soon, the fire ignited on the wood. She quickly withdrew her hand and looked at me blankly.

"How did you do that?"

"Who knows?"

When she asked timidly, I imitated the way Irina used to tease me when she was starting a fire in the past and showed a mischievous expression.

"...Ha."

Irina stared at me blankly. Then she noticed the starlight magic power wrapped around the wooden stick in my hand and couldn't help but chuckle. But soon, her expression turned gloomy again.

"Aren't you hungry, Irina?"

Seeing her like this, I felt a bit uneasy. Since it was just dinner time, I asked her tentatively.

"A little."

She avoided my gaze and answered timidly. Hearing her words, I smiled slightly and stood up from my seat.

"Coincidentally, I'm hungry too. I'll go catch some fish."

As I spoke, I walked towards the riverbank. Irina stared at me blankly, then quickly got up and said, "You fool, don't you know how to swim?"

"How do you still remember that?"

Of course, I couldn't swim when I was a child, but now swimming is a piece of cake for me. However, in order to preserve Irina's childlike innocence, I decided not to swim and use other methods instead.

"Umm, how did I deal with it when Klana attacked me?"

As I recalled the way Klana condensed sunlight magic power at her fingertips and continuously fired laser beams, I began to gather as much starlight magic power as possible at my fingertips.

- Swoosh!!

Before long, my fingertips began to flicker with a dazzling light. I aimed my finger at the fish, released the magic power, and a silver laser shot out from my hand, instantly piercing through the fish's body.

"Great, we have dinner for tonight."

I used a long branch to fish up the fish that floated to the surface of the river and casually said to Irina, who had been silently watching me by my side.

"Do you want a bite?"

From beginning to end, I was imitating Irina's words and actions in the past. Sure enough, she couldn't help but laugh again and nodded slightly.

"Okay, then you're in charge of fishing the fish out with the branch. I'll focus on shooting the fish with the laser."

As I spoke, I handed her the long branch in my hand. In order to improve my magic adaptability by the way, I began to try my best to shoot the fish by the river with the laser.

"...Sigh."

For some reason, Irina seemed to look at this scene with mixed feelings, but I decided to ignore it for the time being.

.....

"Here, how is it?"

Before I knew it, the sun had set and it was getting dark. I nervously handed the skewered grilled fish to Irina in front of me.

"Umm..."

Irina carefully examined the skewered grilled fish for a while and then took a cautious bite.

"...It's not bad."

"Ooh!"

Before long, she widened her eyes and praised me. I cheered and picked up the skewered grilled fish beside me and started eating.

"Today, I won at starting the fire, catching the fish, and grilling the fish?"

After eating the fish for a while, I smiled secretly and said to her.

"Yes, congratulations."

"Just congratulating me isn't enough... You have to fulfill the promise you made before."

"The promise made before?"

She answered in an empty voice. I straightened my face and reminded her of our previous agreement.

"You said that if I won these three things, you would tell me a secret."

"Ah..."

At this moment, she seemed to finally remember and let out a soft sigh. Then she stared straight at my face.

"Don't think about wiping your mouth. Hurry up and tell me."

Of course, I was already so curious that I was almost going crazy and was eager to uncover that secret, so I started urging her.

"Actually..."

Irina, who was hesitant, then averted her gaze and said in a low voice.

"...The name 'Ice Dragon' fruit was made up by me."

"What!?"

Hearing this, I widened my eyes and stammered in a panic.

"This can't be... I've always firmly believed in that statement and never wavered... I even told it to others... Wait a minute, does that mean the reason you suspected me in the Ashen Forest was..."

Hearing Irina's words, I fell into an unprecedented panic. I had never been so flustered even during the system's first trial. I rambled on for a long time and finally asked in a low voice, "Then... What's the real name of that fruit?"

Seeing the blank look on my face, Irina lowered her head and answered in a weak voice, "The Fruit of a Puppy's Love."

"Pfft."

This name was completely different from the "Ice Dragon" I had known before. It carried a kind of cute charm, and I couldn't help but laugh out loud. Irina's face instantly turned bright red, and she lowered her head, not daring to look at me.

"What's that? Do puppies fall in love after eating that fruit?"

"No, it's not like that... Forget it."

I said with a grin. Irina was about to say something but then sighed and closed her mouth.

"..."

Just like this, a silence fell between us.

"Frey, I have something to say."

"Okay, go ahead."

After a while, Irina spoke softly. I smiled in response, but she looked straight at me and said something astonishing.

"I, I want to drop out of school."

"What!?"

Hearing this, I looked at her in shock. Irina, however, quietly looked up at the sky and murmured.

"...I want to be your maid."

It seemed that there was something wrong with the fish I gave Irina to eat.

.....

Meanwhile, in the depths of the alley at night.

"Hello! Is this the Scroll Shop?"

A girl wearing a purple robe pushed open the door of the dilapidated shop and asked as she looked around.

"Umm-hmm~♪ Hmm~♪"

"Is there anyone here?"

Suddenly, humming came from behind the empty counter. The girl frowned and peeked inside the counter.

"Have you ever considered... that this world is being manipulated by someone?"

"Rather than that, is the shop still open for business? Please help me check out."

The girl soon found the shopkeeper behind the counter, who was drunk and holding a wine bottle. Ignoring his ramblings, she handed over the scroll in her hand.

"That'll be 1500 gold coins... Pay if you can."

The shopkeeper carefully examined the scroll, then giggled and started teasing her.

- Smack!

"...This should be enough, right?"

She flicked her fingers and said. The shopkeeper responded with a blank look on his face.

"Exactly 1500 gold coins. All right, take it."

Hearing this, the corners of the girl's mouth turned up slightly. She turned towards the exit of the shop and greeted.

"Then... goodbye."

After saying goodbye, the girl pushed open the glass door of the shop, and the light reflected her ruby-colored eyes on the glass.

"...Pfft. Pfft."

At the same time, for some reason, the shopkeeper behind the counter couldn't stop laughing.