Chapter 81 [Side Maia & Teti] - The Case Of Two Girls, Part I
"How about it, Teti-chan. Can you track the scent?"
"Yeah. It was a unique scent from Rick's mom. Plus, we have information from Sicily."
Maia and Teti, who decided to split up from Adel and Sicily, were walking in the twilight.
Fortunately, the place they were heading to was within the borders of Rune Gaia. They speculated that there might be a habitat of Astrapias, and Rick's mother might have visited this place.
Teti, who could trace the location of the cursed snake based on the scent she sensed from Rick's mother, led the way.
From the road to the hill. Away from the hill, following the river.
Ultimately, the two of them found themselves stepping into a deep forest on the outskirts of Rune Gaia.
"Maia, you know..."
Teti murmured as she pushed through the vegetation blocking their path.
"What do you think? Is that Sicily a demon?"
"Sicily, huh?"
"Yes. I met Marc at the Vandale Palace, and I sensed strong hostility from the demon race. It feels like he is willing to sacrifice others to achieve his goals, only thinking about that."
"I see."
"But I don't sense that kind of atmosphere from Sicily. So, I wonder what the demons really is."
Teti spoke while looking ahead.
Maia thought that perhaps the demon race is not united, but she felt it wasn't the right response to give to Teti, so she replied with a different answer.
"I think they are probably similar to us."
"Similar?"
Teti stopped walking and turned towards Maia.
"They have probably seen many things over the course of a thousand years."
"..."
"But, basic emotions... like feeling happy, angry, or sad. Of course, it varies from person to person, but I don't think it's something that can be easily categorized as being from a demon race or a human race."
Maia smiled, and Teti wagged her tail.
Then, Teti slightly narrowed her innocent eyes, seeming to have reached a conclusion within herself.
"...I want to know more about that person, about Sicily."
"Yes, I think Adel-sama is probably thinking the same thing."
"Adel too?"
Perhaps finding it a bit unexpected, Teti's ears perked up.
Maia thought that such a pure reaction was cute.
She even felt the urge to hug Teti like she often did at the Silver Apple Inn, but she held back her feelings, knowing it wasn't the right time.
"Adel-sama has seen all kinds of people as a revenge agent. People who wish to be saved, people who think of bad things, lots of them."
"Yeah."
"I also felt it being by his side, Adel-sama really observes people well. That's why I think he's a person with the strength to carry things like it's his own."
"...That's true."
"It was the same when he helped me. Even though he could have pretended not to see, he didn't think about that at all... I'm sure it's the same for Sicily-san too. Adel-sama is trying to face things head-on. That sincere aspect of him is very attractive. That's what I think."
"Hmm. So that's why Maia started to like Adel, right?"
"Wha-what, Teti-chan!?"
At the sudden words, Maia becomes visibly flustered.
Her cheeks flush, and she flutters her hands as if trying to shake off the sudden rise in body heat.
Watching Maia's suspicious behavior, Teti cutely tilted her head, wondering if she had said something strange.
"Hmm, do you like him? Adel, I mean."
"W-w-well, of course I do! But, when it's put into words again, I get flustered, or something like that..."
"Adel is like that too, but Maia is clumsy too. Maia seems pushy on the surface, but when it comes to the crucial moment, Maia pulls back. What was it again? Fran said it, right? A coward?"
"Fran-chan..."
This time, Maia slumped her shoulders in dejection. Ignoring Maia's mood, Teti's pure words were spoken.
"I heard Adel has been in a harsh environment since being expelled from the castle, so I understand why he's so clueless about romance. If Maia hesitates, won't she never be noticed?"
"T-that's certainly true..."
"Well, I think the time spent running a tavern together is important, but Adel might not notice unless something changes. He's surprisingly clueless when it comes to romance."
Although it may sound harsh, Teti's words are not wrong. In fact, they are terrifyingly accurate.
Maia gazes at Teti with a mix of awe, but Teti continues with her straightforward words.
"Keep trying, Maia. I'll do my best too."
"..."
With those words, Maia understood.
Oh, this is definitely not a parent-child relationship.
Deeply impressed, and strangely happy, just as Maia was about to ask Teti something, she suddenly exclaimed,
"--Maia, we're close!"
"Huh?"
Teti abruptly turned around and ran off.
It seems she sensed the scent of Astrapia's presence had changed due to the wind, and she had located its whereabouts.
Maia slapped her own cheek as if to switch gears and then chased after Teti.
As they ran for about a minute, Teti stopped in their tracks, causing Maia to slow down as well.
"Maia, over there..."
Teti whispered as they hid themselves in the bushes.
Looking in the direction Teti pointed, they saw a white snake, Astrapias, crawling in the moonlight.
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