Chapter 80 A New Problem
――After finishing training, I was cleaning up alone.
Suddenly, there was a knock on the door. I wondered if one of my juniors had forgotten something, so I set down the bundle of herbs I was carrying on the desk and approached the door.
"Who is it?"
"It's me, Arnold."
――The voice that came from the other side of the door was unexpected.
I opened the door with surprise. There stood Arnold, looking slightly wide-eyed, probably startled by the sudden opening of the door.
"Arnold-san, you're back!"
"Sorry, had to come back for a bit."
Without a word of greeting, Arnold grabbed my arm. He then pulled me strongly and started walking somewhere without locking the room or informing me where we were going.
I could only follow Arnold as he led me, unable to make him stop no matter how many times I called out to him.
(I wonder if something happened to Elvira-chan...)
My heart started beating uncomfortably. Various possibilities flashed in my mind, making me shudder.
We arrived at a guest room prepared in the royal castle. Inside was a simple bed, a desk, and a chair, and I noticed a small figure lying on the bed.
I cautiously approached the bed, fearing the worst. I gently peered at the face of the person lying on the bed.
(Elvira-chan...!)
Black hair and pointed ears, unmistakably Elvira, the elf.
Why was she here? Could it be that the thing I feared the most had happened――?
My mind went blank. Unable to even worry about the sleeping Elvira, I confronted Arnold loudly.
"Why is Elvira-chan here!? Could it be the Self-destruction disease...!?"
"No, she's not showing symptoms of the Self-destruction disease."
The symptoms of the Self-destruction disease... she didn't have them.
Upon hearing Arnold's words, the tension drained from my body.
I felt weak in the knees, leaning against the wall for support, and asked again, feeling pathetic.
"Then why did you bring her to the royal capital?"
"Our hometown village was attacked by monsters. It seems Elvira was targeted by the monsters."
With Arnold's answer, the events of the past few days slowly became clear.
Their village was attacked, and Arnold must have hurried to the royal capital upon receiving the news. However, the fact that he had returned meant that things were somewhat settled for now.
While shocked by the attack on the elf village, one particular word lingered in my mind.
Arnold said Elvira was "targeted."
"Targeted?"
"The monsters ignored the other villagers and seemed to only target Elvira."
I couldn't immediately grasp the meaning of Arnold's words.
The village was attacked by monsters, but they weren't randomly attacking the residents; they were specifically targeting Elvira. I had never heard of such a case.
"Why, why would they do that..."
"I don't know. I didn't understand, so I had to protect her."
Arnold's brow furrowed. His complexion was pale, and he looked cornered.
Upon hearing about the attack on our village, Arnold had rushed to the royal capital in a panic. Now, finding out that his beloved sister was relentlessly targeted by monsters, with no clear reason, he must be mentally and physically exhausted.
I decided not to press him further and tried to steer the conversation to a lighter topic.
"Will Elvira-chan be staying here for a while?"
"Yes, a room has been prepared for her in the castle."
Indeed, the royal castle is probably the safest place in this country. But Arnold must have worked hard to leave his sister here.
Arnold took a deep breath as if he had condensed his fatigue, then he bowed slightly to me.
"Even though she'll be under my Mentor's care, I might also need help from you. I thought I should let you know that in advance... I'm sorry."
"Oh, no..."
With Arnold bowing like that, I could only shake my head in response.
While the fear of the self-destruction disease relapsing did not become a reality, a new problem emerged as if to compensate. Why was Elvira the only one targeted by the monster?
Just like the self-destruction disease for which the treatment method is unknown, the cause of this incident is also unclear. Furthermore, while we could still consider the self-destruction disease our area of expertise, we are completely out of our depth when it comes to the monster's actions. To be honest, I'm worried that we might wear ourselves out physically and mentally due to exhaustion.
That's why, not for any particular reason, I couldn't help but want to support him even a little.
* * *
A few days after Elvira arrived at the royal castle, something happened one day. The door of the training room suddenly swung open without a knock.
I instinctively pulled Iris, who was nearby, closer. Basilio-san stood guard in front of us.
Our gaze turned towards the suddenly opened door. Standing there was――
"Laura Ampère!"
"Eh, Elvira-chan?"
It was Elvira, the black-haired elf girl.
My thoughts froze at why she was here alone, but it wasn't Elvira's voice that brought me back, but the hurried footsteps. They were coming from the corridor――
"Sorry for coming at this time, Laura-chan! I know you're working, but..."
Marcedes-san burst into the training room. She hurriedly lifted Elvira, who was standing at the entrance.
Arnold had entrusted Elvira to his Mentor, but would she also be staying at the royal castle for a while?
For now, I let go of Iris, whom I was holding, and smiled reassuringly at Basilio-san, who was looking puzzled at us.
I approached Marcedes-san and the others who seemed to be arguing.
"Um, what's going on?"
"Sorry, Laura-chan. While I was taking a walk in the royal castle, Elvira suddenly started running, and then――"
"Teach me how to make a healing potion."
I was surprised by Elvira's request that interrupted Marcedes-san's words.
Before I could respond, Marcedes-san sighed softly and spoke.
"Well, I said I would teach her."
"Not from Merl, I want to learn from Laura Ampère."
"But wouldn't that be a bother? Laura-chan is busy."
"No! I want to learn from Laura-chan," Elvira pouted cutely. ――I didn't have time to think about how adorable she was.
It was honestly more of a question why she came to me instead of Marcedes-san or Arnold, but she had a rather stubborn personality.
I also knew that I was not easily swayed. Besides, I had wanted to become friends with her for a long time. It was mainly for the treatment of the self-destruction disease, not out of any ulterior motives like wanting to get close to a favorite character. I couldn't say that, but in any case, if I could shorten the distance between us, it would make things easier in the future. There is still a high possibility of the self-destruction disease relapsing.
However, causing trouble for Iris and Basilio-san during training would not be good. So, I reassured Elvira by telling her that we would talk again in the evening after she left for now.
"Um, let's discuss this after the training is over――"
"Hey, let's do it together!"
Before I knew it, Iris interrupted me and spoke to Elvira. Surprised by her sudden unexpected action, I was slow to fully understand the words she uttered.
"...Huh? Together?"
"That way is definitely more fun! Right, Basilio!"
"Yes. You're very welcome."
I nodded vigorously in response to Iris's beaming smile, and Basilio-san answered kindly, smiling at me afterwards.
It was then that I finally understood Iris's words correctly. She had proposed to Elvira that they do synthesis together. And to my surprise, Basilio-san had accepted the proposal as well.
"But, but..."
Teaching synthesis to Elvira during training time would mean less time for guidance for the two of them. It would be like having one more junior to mentor.
Although Iris and Basilio-san were fine with it, I couldn't help but think it might be better for me not to interfere.
"It's okay, it's okay!"
Finally, Iris took Elvira's hand and invited her into the training room.
Elvira walked along, looking satisfied, as Iris led the way.
"Hey, what's your name?"
"Elvira Rocco."
"I'm Iris! And this is Basilio. Nice to meet you!"
Ignoring me, Iris and Basilio-san guided Elvira to the synthesis station. They seemed to be teaching her the basics of using the synthesis equipment promptly.
I was taken aback by the adaptability of the two juniors. Was this really okay?
"Wait, Elvira! ...Laura-chan, please feel free to decline if it's bothersome. It's Elvira's whim."
Worried and apologetic, Marcedes-san peered in. This situation must have been unexpected for her as well.
"As long as Iris and Basilio-san are fine with it, there's no reason for me to refuse..."
In the midst of this, Iris finally began demonstrating synthesis in front of Elvira as an example.
Iris seemed unusually enthusiastic, perhaps happy to have a younger sister figure. The youngest always wants to act like an older sibling to those younger than them, after all.
"Next, let's start a fire――oh!"
Suddenly, the synthesis equipment caught fire. It was Elvira's magic.
I was startled by Elvira using magic, especially considering the Self-destruction disease, but it seemed there was no particular danger.
"Wow! Elvira, you can use magic!"
Iris exclaimed in amazement, her eyes sparkling. It seemed she wasn't very accustomed to magic.
Watching Iris excited and Elvira proud of the praise, I couldn't help but think the fire was too intense!
Just as Basilio-san prepared water, I hurried over.
"Wait, Elvira-chan! Dim the fire!"
The noisy synthesis guidance continued, and before I knew it, the training for Elvira's synthesis was over for the day.
* * *
After that, Iris and Basilio-san continued the training for Elvira in synthesis. Teaching others is a way to learn for oneself, as I have experienced firsthand.
Iris seemed to enjoy Elvira's participation in the training, and Basilio-san didn't show any signs of displeasure. However, it might be a good idea to report to Arnold, so I made my way to his synthesis room.
Now, how should I report this? As I pondered, I knocked on the door a few times. The door opened immediately, as if they had been waiting for me.
"Ampère?"
"Arnold-san, sorry for coming so late."
"No, I should be the one apologizing. I heard El caused some trouble today. I'm sorry."
Arnold bowed deeply. It seemed like he had already heard about today's events.
"Oh, that's a bit of a bother. Iris was especially excited, and we had a slightly different training session than usual."
Arnold's expression softened slightly at my words. He seemed relieved.
As the atmosphere around Arnold became somewhat calmer, I continued speaking.
"We'll continue to work together on synthesis, so if you have time, Arnold-san, please come see Elvira-chan's face."
Seeing the lively and cheerful atmosphere there would surely put Arnold more at ease. However, I thought it might be too much to ask him, as he was probably busy, so I kept my request vague.
With a small sigh, Arnold spoke up.
"If I'm being a nuisance, please tell my Mentor to let me leave. I don't want to disrupt the training of the newcomers."
"Please don't worry about it. It was lively and fun."
I chuckled deliberately. Those words were indeed true.
I made sure not to cause Arnold any unnecessary stress over this matter.
"I'll drop by next time. Thank you."
I breathed a sigh of relief as I saw the slight easing of the wrinkles on his forehead compared to earlier. Still, he looked pale.
I somehow understood why Elvira had suddenly come to me, seeing Arnold's exhausted expression. She probably wanted to make a healing potion for her beloved brother herself.
For the sake of the precious siblings, Arnold and Elvira, I strongly felt the desire to support them in any way I could, despite my limited abilities.
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