Chapter 60 Going In Circles
――Lukas, Lina-senpai, Chelsea, Olivelle-san, and I were standing at the entrance of the forest where Tobia-san supposedly found The Drinking Water of the Spirits.
"This is quite... confusing, isn't it?"
Olivelle-san muttered, nodding in agreement.
The forest was much deeper than I had imagined. It was hard to see far ahead, and if we weren't careful, we might get lost, increasing the tension.
Trying to recall the map from memory, I realized I didn't have the entire layout memorized, especially since the dungeon in this forest had complex structures with multiple branching paths. I vaguely remembered reaching The Drinking Water of the Spirits by following a straight path up to a certain point. And...
"Commander! Sorry for being late!"
Startled by the loud voice behind me, I turned around to see a boy running towards us.
It was the boy who had greeted me the first time I visited the Flaria garrison running towards me. Instead of going to Olivelle-san, he ran up to me, catching his breath as he began to speak.
"I am Charles! A novice magician of the Savila Knight Order!"
He said this and bowed his head energetically. I was a little surprised by his title as a novice magician, but it seemed he really was part of the Savila Knight Order.
Given the situation, I wondered if he would be joining the exploration as well. In any case, since he introduced himself, I thought I should do the same, and I began to speak.
"I'm Laura, a Royal Alchemist assistant. Here are Lina Bevelstam, a Royal Alchemist trainee, Chelsea Gawley, and my childhood friend Lukas Kamil. Nice to meet you... Um, Charles."
"I've heard about you! Nice to meet you!"
Charles-kun flashed a bright smile, showing his pure enthusiasm.
As our conversation paused, Olivelle-san called out from behind.
"Charles, please mark our path."
Charles-kun energetically agreed and touched a nearby tree. The spot he touched emitted a faint glow, serving as a marker in the darkness.
As I stare at the mark, I realized Olivelle-san was compensating for my lack of attention to navigation in the forest, as I had been preoccupied with potions and poisons. Despite our differing experiences, I was grateful for Olivelle-san's assistance.
"Lukas-kun, could you lead the way? Charles, stay by his side and mark the path frequently. I'll be at the rear."
Following Olivelle-san's instructions, Lukas took the lead, with Charles-kun beside him, followed by me, Lina-senpai, Chelsea, and Olivelle-san at the back.
We began our exploration in this formation, walking straight along the easiest path. Charles-kun diligently marked the trees as instructed by Olivelle-san, ensuring we wouldn't get lost.
――As we started our search, about an hour passed.
"We're not finding anything..."
Charles-kun expressed his frustration, wiping sweat from his forehead. I agreed, feeling the fatigue setting in.
Walking aimlessly through the forest, surrounded by trees with no sign of monsters or the sound of water, it was clear that finding our target wouldn't be easy.
Tripping over tree roots frequently, the exhaustion was starting to take its toll. For those with little experience in such situations, searching for an hour in uncertain conditions where monsters could appear at any moment was indeed challenging.
"I think everyone must be tired. Let's not push further today and call it a day here."
I could hear Lina-senpai and Chelsea on either side of me sigh in relief at Olivelle-san's words.
Honestly, aside from Olivelle-san, the other four are clearly worn out. The more fatigue accumulates, the higher the danger becomes. As he said, we should avoid pushing ourselves too hard.
Nodding at Olivelle-san's words, we followed the marker Charles-kun left to return to Flaria.
* * *
Second day of exploration.
No results.
Third day.
No results.
Fourth day.
Taking a break.
Fifth day, sixth day - taking breaks in between, today is the ninth day.
No results.
(What should I do...)
Despite continuing the exploration for over an hour each day, we haven't found anything. Everyone tries to encourage me by saying there's no information, so it can't be helped, but the sense of urgency is starting to build up.
Out of that urgency, I've been visiting the library every day after the search, borrowing a few books to see if there's any new information. Honestly, the library in the royal capital is much larger and holds a lot more books, but this is the "local" area of The Drinking Water of the Spirits legend. I've been searching since after dinner for any new information not known in the royal capital, but still no luck here either.
Since I feel like I'd fall asleep immediately if I stayed in the guest room where I borrowed the books, I always use the dining hall after dinner.
(There really isn't any new information. Should I visit Tobia-san again... but he has no idea about the way to The Drinking Water of the Spirits.)
I lift my eyes from the book for a moment and let out a deep sigh. Suddenly, I notice Lukas watching me from the entrance of the dining hall. He walks over to me with big steps.
"Laura, are you still up today?"
"You can go to bed first. I want to do a bit more research."
Realizing it's already that late, I smile reassuringly at Lukas, who looks worried. He must be much more tired than me, always on alert for monster attacks.
Though Lukas furrows his brows at my words, being childhood friends for years, he knows I won't go back to my room quietly. We had a similar conversation the other day, and I only returned to my room after Lukas had fallen asleep.
He tells me not to push myself too hard in a firm tone and leaves the dining hall.
Alone again in the dining hall, I sigh. My heart is close to breaking, but I decide to push through and pick up the book I borrowed again.
Any tiny piece of information will do. I read through the book thoroughly from cover to cover...
"Laura-san."
I'm suddenly called, and I look up to see Emiliana-san's mother, Luisa-san, standing there.
She smiles gently, holding a tray with a beautifully patterned teapot and matching teacup.
"Have you ever tried the honey tea from Mephilirie?"
"N-no..."
"Then please do. It warms the body."
Without waiting for my reaction to the sudden offer, Luisa-san gracefully pours the tea into the cup. The sweet aroma instantly tickles my nostrils.
Before I can touch the teacup and milk, Luisa-san speaks again. Her words were unexpected.
"It's not good to push yourself too hard."
"Huh..."
"Being enthusiastic is good, but if it breaks your body, it's not worth it. ...Your kind childhood friend is worried about you."
I realize Lukas probably consulted Luisa-san. If I won't listen to myself, at least I should rest my body by drinking tea or warm up and go to bed early.
Or maybe Lukas just consulted with words, and Luisa-san brought the tea out of kindness.
"...I'll have the tea, thank you."
I take a sip of the tea. The gentle sweetness spreads in my mouth. I swallow and let out a sigh.
"It's delicious."
"I'm glad!"
Luisa-san smiles happily. Her smile resembles Emiliana-san's. Perhaps that's why, thinking of my friend still striving in the northern lands, my guarded heart towards Luisa-san starts to melt away.
"I'm sorry for staying up so late every day..."
"Don't worry about it. Emiliana has been helped by you a lot, so this is my way of repaying you."
Saying that, Luisa-san sat down in the chair next to me. She peered at what I was doing and tilted her head.
"Are you doing some research?"
"Yes, but it's not going very smoothly..."
As I hesitantly spoke, Luisa-san seemed to search for words. But then her blue eyes focused on me, shining brightly.
"So you're working late into the night all by yourself? Haven't you asked anyone for help?"
"I'm asking everyone to help me out. Besides, everyone must be tired."
Luisa frowned at my response, looking somewhat sad.
"Isn't Laura feeling the same way?"
"Yes, but I feel like I have to do it."
I've relied heavily on everyone around me, from Arnold preparing everything, to asking my kind childhood friend Lukas for help, involving unrelated people like Lina-senpai and Chelsea, and leaning on Vake and Olivelle-san's kindness. I've already depended on those around me so much. If that's the case, I thought I should handle this myself—it's my job after all.
Then, I started to feel the drowsiness creeping in. Maybe my body was relaxing after being tense from anxiety and stress, as my tired legs began to ache like they were overworked.
I must be tired. Plain and simple.
――Looking into those blue eyes staring at me, I was reminded of the tense days in Anea. My current situation might be similar to that time. I recalled the creeping sense of anxiety and frustration.
"I might have gotten a bit... tired."
I wondered why I only confided in Luisa-san, who I've known the shortest, with those words instead Lukas. Thinking about it, I realized I didn't feel guilty about relying on her and others, unlike the feeling that I was burdening Lukas and the others alone. Perhaps everyone in this mansion is helping me as a way of repaying what I've done.
Luisa-san seemed oddly pleased by my words. Not understanding her expression, I tilted my head. She then spoke with a motherly affectionate expression and a soft voice, like a mother comforting a child.
"...I know it's not my place to say anything, but just one thing. Laura-chan, you're surely loved by those around you more than you think."
"Huh?"
"I received letters from Kasper-san and Arnold-san, asking me to take care of you. And when Laura-chan visited the library, Olivelle-san sent honey from Mephilirie, thinking she might be tired. Also, Lina-san and Chelsea-san were worried about Laura-chan working too hard on her research, so they asked me to teach them how to make tea that warms the body."
I realized from Luisa-san's expression that the tea I was drinking was made by Lina-senpai and Chelsea, and the honey from Mephilirie was a gift from Olivelle-san. And to think, Kasper-san and Arnold went as far as sending letters to Luisa-san, not just branch managers of Flaria.
"And..."
Luisa-san stood up from her chair and glanced back at the dining hall entrance. There stood Lukas, who I thought had fallen asleep.
"Laura, let's call it a night."
He reached out his right hand. Before I knew it, I had stood up from my chair and taken his hand.
I remembered the book I had left on the table. When I turned around in a hurry, Luisa-san, holding the book, waved and silently mouthed, "Leave it to me."
Lukas pulled my hand that was connected to his. I instinctively bowed my head. She smiled happily and nodded.
Walking down the long hallway hand in hand with Lukas, he must have overheard my conversation with Luisa-san. Feeling a bit awkward, Lukas let out a small sigh before speaking.
"If you're tired, just say so. If you tries to handle everything alone, then what's the point of me being here? I want you to rely on me more, Laura."
"Yeah, sorry..."
With such earnest words, and words that seemed to see through everything, I could only reflect on my actions.
I realized that I had been relying on others too much, so I decided to draw a line and not burden them further, but in the end, I ended up causing more worry. Not just Lukas, but also Olivelle-san, Lina-senpai, and Chelsea.
At the same time, their faces came to mind. None of them blamed me, the one who got them into this difficult situation, but instead, they smiled to encourage me. Feeling guilty for relying on them unilaterally, I felt pressured to find a solution to this deadlock on my own.
It felt like I was just spinning my wheels alone.
"Laura, you push yourself too hard, and that worries me."
Lukas complained with a wry smile. It reminded me of a similar comment from the past. Back then, I couldn't quite accept Lukas' advice that I'm not the type to be worried about, but this time, I had to admit it.
It seems I have a tendency to push myself too hard. More accurately, when I feel cornered, my vision narrows, and my thinking becomes rigid. This time, as I was in charge of this training, I pressured myself with thoughts similar to an obsession, thinking I had to find a way out on my own.
While it sounds good to have a strong sense of responsibility, I'm disgusted by my own awkwardness in not being able to rely on others in strange ways.
"Sorry, I didn't realize it until now."
"So, you realized it this time?"
"A little."
Lukas looked back, furrowed his brow, and smiled in a troubled manner.
"A little won't do. If something happens to you, Laura, many people will be sad."
Lukas' voice was very gentle as he said that.
"Yeah, I'll be more aware. Thank you, Lukas."
That day, until I fell asleep, Lukas stood by the bed, holding my hand without letting go. It felt a bit embarrassing, like being put to bed by a parent, but the warmth of his hand reassured me, and for some reason, I felt like crying just a little.
As my consciousness faded, I heard a gentle voice whispering, "Good night."
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