Chapter 119 An Unexpected Reunion
The ones who came to greet us upon our arrival in Flaria were Luisa-san, Emiliana-san's mother, and Olivelle-san.
As we got off the carriage and saw the 2 of them smiling at us, I was surprised. I never thought they'd come to greet us.
Iris and Basilio-san, who looked puzzled, exchanged whispers with me about how they knew me, and then rushed over.
"Olivelle-san, Luisa-san Long time no see!"
Olivelle-san was the first to respond.
He was smiling, but his eyebrows were furrowed, and he looked like he was about to cry.
"I heard from Mel. About Elvira-chan... thank you so much"
"No, it's nothing... please take care of me from now on."
We hadn't been able to contact Olivelle-san, who was stationed at the Flaria garrison, for a while, but it seemed he had heard about Elvira's situation from Marcedes-san. He felt a sense of gratitude towards me, and bowed his head.
When I looked up, my eyes met Luisa-san's, who was standing behind Olivelle-san. Her gentle gaze made me feel at ease.
"Luisa-san, long time no see"
"You're the one who's welcome. If there's anything I can help you with, please don't hesitate to ask."
They were the 2 people who had helped me when I found The Drinking Water of the Spirits. If it weren't for them, I might still be struggling to save Elvira.
After that, Iris and Basilio-san joined in, and we exchanged light conversation. However, I still had to greet the branch head of the Flaria branch, so we decided to disperse for now. We planned to visit the garrison and the mansion later.
By the way, since this trip was ordered from above, I would be staying at an inn in Flaria. The accommodation fee would be covered by the Royal Alchemist organization.
Together with Iris and Basilio-san, I headed towards the branch office, with Flaria guiding us. It was during this journey that it happened.
"――What is that?"
I suddenly stopped when I saw a girl I recognized, and I turned around to stare at her back.
She was wearing a revealing outfit, prioritizing ease of movement, with short pants and a short brown hair. She had several knives attached to her waist, giving off a female adventurer vibe.
What caught my attention the most was the large earring she was wearing. A big blue gemstone was embedded in it, sparkling brightly in the sunlight. Depending on the angle of the light, it seemed to change colors to green or pink.
――It wasn't the first time I had seen that very rare gem. In the past, "I" had met a girl who proudly showed me that gem.
'Hehe, isn't it amazing? This gemstone is the best among my treasures!'
A girl laughed joyfully, saying, "I'll never give it to you." In response, "I"――the Hero――nodded and said, "That's amazing."
She wore a revealing outfit that seemed easy to move in, had short brown hair, and earrings with rare gems embedded in them. "I" knew her—
"Laura-san, what's wrong?"
Basilio-san's question snapped me back to reality. He tilted his head, looking at my face.
I shook my head and replied.
"Just saw someone who looked like an acquaintance... let's go."
As we walked towards the Flaria branch office, I listened to Iris and Basilio-san's pleasant conversation while lost in thought.
On the way to the Flaria branch, while listening to the pleasant conversation between Iris and Basilio-san, I was deep in thought.
(Was that girl I just passed by a member of "Last Brave"?)
So, the girl who passed by earlier resembled the Treasure Hunter girl from "Last Brave", who travels the world in search of treasures. She's the type who befriends Heroes on her journey and finds rare treasures by joining them on their adventures.
Thanks to her cheerful personality, she was a great help. When the world fell into the demon king's hands and the Heroes were in despair, her brightness saved them.
(She was born in this world, but what a coincidence...)
I'm sure she's traveling around, searching for treasures in every region. As I recalled my memories with her, I hastened my way to the Flaria branch.
* * *
After arriving in Flaria, I've been busy with work and other tasks, making every day feel hectic. At the Flaria branch, we didn't receive as much hostility as before ―― they were too busy dealing with the monsters that appear regularly around the city, so they didn't have time for that. Work was peaceful and going smoothly.
I hadn't received any news from Lukas and his group. I wondered what they were doing and where they were, and it sometimes bothered me.
――It was on one such day.
Clang, Clang, Clang! The loud noise woke me up. When I looked out the window, the sky was still dark, so it was probably midnight. I desperately tried to think of what the noise could be, but before I could come up with an answer, a voice echoed from outside my room.
"Monster attack Everyone, please evacuate to the mansion quickly!"
Monster attack. Those words instantly woke me up.
I threw on a cardigan over my pajamas, grabbed the pouch containing healing potions and experimental items that I had prepared for emergencies, and rushed out of my room.
As I exited my room, the door to the neighboring room burst open with a loud noise. I couldn't help but look, and my eyes met those of the brown-haired girl ―― the Treasure Hunter girl from "Last Brave".
She seemed to be staying at the same inn as me. Despite it being our first meeting, we exchanged a nod without a word, deciding to escape together since it was an emergency. We headed towards the exit.
The inn's guests were all running down the hallway, down the stairs, and towards the exit. I saw Basilio-san carrying Iris and running ahead of me, and I let out a sigh of relief.
"Everyone, this way!"
We followed the Knight Order's instructions and ran from the inn to Luisa-san's mansion. On the way, I noticed that there were no flames or screams coming from anywhere. It was quiet, too quiet. I tilted my head in suspicion.
Of course, those are good things. It's best if there's no damage. However, the silence was so different from the monster attacks I had encountered before that I tilted my head in confusion.
This is strange. It's too quiet. Did the monsters really invade the town?
――I thought that for a moment, and then a beast-like monster jumped out from the bushes on my right.
"Ah no――!"
I didn't even have time to throw my prototype. The faces of several people flashed through my mind, and then a small knife pierced the monster's body.
Just as the monster's teeth were about to reach me, its body collapsed. The girl with tea-colored hair, a treasure hunter, pulled out the knife.
"Are you okay?!"
I nodded repeatedly to her question. She smiled in relief and reached out her hand to me. I took her hand, and we were about to head towards the mansion again, but then several monsters appeared from the bushes, blocking our way.
What was strange was that the monsters didn't even glance at the other people running away. They just kept emerging from the bushes, staring fixedly at me, and didn't attack even when someone else passed by right next to them.
――It was clear that the monsters were targeting me.
"Doesn't it feel like they're targeting you, or something?"
The girl, now surrounded by monsters, muttered while sweating coldly. The words of Arnold, which I had heard before, echoed in my mind.
That was when I heard that Arnold's hometown was attacked by monsters. He said that the monsters only targeted Elvira. They didn't even glance at the other villagers.
At that time, I thought it was strange, but now I think that the demon king was hiding inside Elvira. That must have been the reason.
From this past incident, it's clear that monsters don't just attack people randomly; they can have a "target" in mind. And now, that target is me.
(...or maybe it's because I was seen by the demon king, or something like that?)
If I had to think of a reason, it would be the experiment I did in the city of Rustu's people. Back then, I was possessed by the demon king ―― the dark mist ―― and he might have known of my existence. But even so, why is he targeting me?
As I was staring down the monsters, unsure of their target, one of them suddenly fell. And in the same momentum, several monsters' bodies were torn apart by a sword.
The owner of that sword was -
"Laura-chan! There are monsters over here...!"
"Olivelle-san!"
It was Olivelle-san, the vice-commander of the Savila Knight Order.
I let out a sigh of relief, grateful for the timely help. And with a bit of spare time, I remembered the prototype in my pouch and quickly readied it. If the monsters weren't too strong, I could take them down with one shot.
Olivelle-san, the girl, and I stood back-to-back, facing the horde of monsters. We had no choice but to cut our way through.
――But if we managed to cut our way through and reached the mansion that was our evacuation point, wouldn't the monsters follow us there and put many people in danger?
No, it's not like I've been targeted or anything. It's just a hunch. Anyway, let's think about how to get out of this situation... and then, I glared at the monster in front of me again. Just then, a huge beast-like monster took a few steps closer to me. And then, its mouth started moving slowly.
"You, Demon King, Suffered..."
You, Demon King-sama, suffered.
When I heard those words, I couldn't say that I wasn't the target anymore. Without a doubt, the monster was after me. I'm the one who made Elvira drink the trial product and suffered the Demon King.
I remained in that stance and tried to call out to Olivelle-san.
"I might be better off not being here!"
"...What do you mean?"
"I feel like I'm being treated like a wanted criminal among the monsters, since I'm the human who suffered the Demon King..."
The moment I answered, the monster in front of me charged at me.
"Watch out!"
I was suddenly pulled by my left hand by a girl. At the same time, I threw the prototype I was holding in my right hand at the monster. ――The prototype hit the monster's face, causing it to quickly disintegrate.
The monster crouched down, letting out a low, growling scream. Eventually, the sound ceased――with a thud, it collapsed on the spot. It was likely defeated.
I was grateful for the existence of the prototype product, and then,
"What was that?!"
The girl looked at me with sparkling eyes. When she looked at me with those shining eyes, I knew what she was thinking. When she makes this face, she's probably thinking "I can make a profit."
"It's a... a poison I created that's only effective against monsters and won't harm humans."
"Wow! I can make a profit from that!"
Just as I expected. I couldn't help but laugh at her predictable words. When she saw my smile, she also floated a mischievous, playful smile and said...
And then, she said her name.
"I'm Marta Murcia! And you are?"
――As expected. I'm convinced after hearing her name. She's one of the party members of "Last Brave" and a self-proclaimed, world-class treasure hunter who's got the world in the palm of her hand, Marta Murcia.
I never thought I'd meet her like this and get her help. While I'm still in shock from this unexpected twist of fate, I introduce myself too.
"I'm Laura Ampère."
"Yo, Laura! Now that you've been saved, teach me how to make that thing, okay!"
Marta's out-of-place voice echoes in this scene. Despite being surrounded by monsters, her fear seems to have faded away at some point.
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