Chapter 5.2

“…Haa”

I sat down on the ground and sighed.

I couldn’t hear the monster anymore. It looks like there won’t be another ‘Dark Bear’ coming.

“Thank you very much…”

The girl bowed her head to the boy.

“I can’t thank you enough for saving us from a dangerous situation”

“Likewise, I was able to see some good stuff”

The boy shook his head.

Looking back, he was about my age.

If he is a noble, he would still be at the age of being taught by a private tutor in preparation for school.

(I can’t believe there was such an amazing person in the countryside far from the Royal Capital. Even though we are about the same age, he wasn’t afraid of the monsters at all. If he made one wrong move, then he could have gotten himself killed by the ‘Dark Bear’…and yet, he saved me…such courage)

The girl involuntarily clutched her chest.

I couldn’t stop my heart from beating fast.

(…Maybe this person…is the one taking the exam?)

“You saved us, boy! You’re amazing!!”

Unaware of the girl’s agitation, the old warrior called out.

“Are these bats your familiar? It’s amazing. Even in the ‘Magic Guild’, there are very few people who can control their familiar to this degree. This is really an impressive feat!!”

“No, they were strong, to begin with”

“…Is that so?”

“Yeah. I was just feeding them. And then we became friends”

“…Those are some strong bats there” 

“They have to be strong to live in these mountains where monsters appear, right? More importantly”

The boy looked directly at the girl.

His gaze was so intense that it almost overwhelmed her.

“If you are a local, you wouldn’t have entered the ‘Dark Bear’ territory. If you are outsiders, you can have a local to act as your guide. You guys are outsiders, correct? Why is it just the two of you at this hour?”

“N-No…we…”

“Don’t blame Ojou-sama. We were told that it was safe here”

“From whom?”

“From a private tutor in the service of the Baron Grossalia family, a man named Kachel Mieghem”

“……Aah, I see”

The boy looked like he had just swallowed something bitter.

“That bastard. He should think a little before doing something…the exam almost got screwed up…”

“Are you, perhaps a member of the Baron Grossalia family?”

“No, I’m just a hunter”

“Just a hunter who uses magic?”

“A hunter who knows a lot about magic”

“……Oh, really?”

“……Yes, really”

“Even so, you have some amazing abilities. If it’s you, you can even join the ‘Magic Guild’, you know?”

“Are you from the ‘Magic Guild’?”

“…Eh?”

“I can roughly guess it from the conversation”

“Y-Yes. I ought to have told you that sooner”

The girl stood up and brushed the dirt off her clothes.

Then she looked at the old warrior standing behind her.

He received her gaze and nodded as if to confirm something ──

“I’m helping with the exam. My name is…Clara”

“I’m Barnes, Ojou-sama’s bodyguard”

“In a few days, there will be an exam for joining the ‘Magic Guild’ around here. And for that reason, we came to perform some preliminary inspections. After all, there must be no danger and injustice”

“Keep it a secret from your people. They will cause a big fuss if you told them in advance”

“So that’s what it was about”

“Thanks to you we were saved. If you don’t mind, may I have your name?”

“…Can’t I be a nameless hunter, too?”

“There’s nothing wrong with that. You are our benefactor…oh, that’s right”

The girl touched the back of her ear and took off the barrette from her silver hair.

“I’ll give you this as a token of my gratitude”

“…No, there’s no need for that”

“Oh? If you’re a hunter, then don’t you need to monetize what you get from hunting?”

The girl covered her mouth and laughed.

The boy has a troubled look on his face.

I wonder why. Looking at his face, I get a warm feeling in my chest.

“The ‘Dark Bear’ materials were burnt to a crisp. Please take this instead. Okay?”

“…Thank you very much”

“Hehe”

The girl took the boy’s hand and placed a silver barrette on it.

What should I do if he refuses…? Such a thought crossed my mind for a moment.

However, the boy just accepted the barrette frankly.

“You really saved us back there. Please help me offer my thanks to your bats, too”

The girl bowed deeply to the boy again. The old man does the same, too.

“If you hadn’t rushed to us, we wouldn’t be alive now. You were really…amazing. Like a strong gust of wind, I suppose that’s what one would call it, right…?”

“……You”

“Eh?”

“……You look just like…my idiot son’s daughter”

“……You have a grandchild? That can’t be possible”

“……Forget that. I’ll escort you to the foot of the mountain”

The boy then led the girl and the old warrior to a safe place.

Their carriage was hidden in a grove at the foot of the mountain.

In the end, Barnes wanted to thank the boy as well, but the boy turned down the offer and left.

“He’s a wonderful person, wasn’t he?”

The girl murmured with a sigh.

“That level of fighting ability at such a young age. The courage to target the monster’s vitals with a single blow. I wish someone like him was near me”

“As a bodyguard? Ojou-sama”

“Yes. If possible, I wanted to tell him my real name, but…”

“He did save our lives after all. Though you will get your chance soon enough”

“If it’s him, he wouldn’t even need to take the ‘Magic Guild’ exam. I’d like to have him to be my retainer right away”

“A knight standing right beside Ojou-sama. It’s a position that everyone aspires to, isn’t it?”

“Do you think that he’s the examinee this time?”

“There’s no doubt about it, right?”

The old warrior, Barnes, nodded contentedly with his axe in his hand.

“That boy is Xellos Grossalia. The one who intends to join the ‘Magic Guild’, right?”

“Is that so?”

“Did you find something amiss?”

“The tutor, Kachel, described him as ‘Blonde hair and blue eyes. A courteous young nobleman’ in the report”

“His words are unreliable! You must have realized it too, don’t you, Ojou-sama?” 

“…Kachel’s father was a brilliant man”

“At any rate, I think that boy is Xellos Grossalia. If he was a different person, then Kachel has overlooked such talent. If that’s the case, then he ought to be kicked out of the guild right away! Especially after what he did to Ojou-sama!!”

The girl was not listening to Barnes.

The image of the boy from earlier still remained on her mind.

A mysterious hunter. A fighting capability that defeats monsters in an instant. And bats that are too strong.

He knew about the ‘Magic Guild’ exam. If he isn’t Xellos Grossalia…then who is he?

“Furthermore……he said he knows someone who looks like me”

The girl shook her head.

I have a feeling that I must look into the Baron household a little more.