CH 22

Chapter 22 - Merylou's Suggestion

“Well …… Oh, so you’re already finished here.”

After eradicating the Direwolf, Souya looked around and found that the Wind Spirit Sylph, who was acting as a stalemate, had cleared up the five gray wolf.

“Well done. Wind Spirit Sylph, you can go home now!”

When Merylou, who appeared after removing the invisibility, shouted, the body of the Wind Spirit Sylph disappeared slightly as if it melted in the air.

“As expected of the wind spirit, Sylph. It seems that five gray wolves are no match for it at all. Merylou-kun, you’re quite amazing to be able to summon the Wind Spirit Sylph.”

Souya clapped his hands and praised Merylou, but she looked somewhat dissatisfied, as if looking at a suspicious person. 

“Hey, Souya. That’s my line, you know …… No matter how you look at it, that’s not an ability a blank-class should have …… You really are a scary old man, seriously.”

“I’m sorry. It’s not that I’m trying to trick you, and it’s not that I’m lying about being a blank-class. Well, anyway, thanks to the support of your bow and arrow, I was able to end the battle unharmed. Thank you.”

It was a great result to be able to fight off the pack of wolves led by the Direwolf, which had gone berserk due to the full moon, without anyone being injured.

“…… Well, I’m glad I could be of help …… Hey, Souya, why are you smiling?”

“No, it’s just that when Merylou was approached by the Direwolf, seeing you panicking like that was so hilarious.”

Souya remembered Merylou panicking and held his face with his glasses, trying to hold back his laughter.

“H- …… Hey, Souya …… You’re wrong, that’s, I was just pretending!”

“Against a Direwolf? Kuku, that’s a pretty thing to say!”

“…… Ah, Ahhhhh, you just treated me like a child, didn’t you …… Ugh, don’t underestimate a wood elf, I’m older than you, you know!”

Seeing Souya laughing lightly, Merylou grinds her teeth while stepping on the groundwork, and glared at him with her face bright red.

“…… Souya-san, Merylou-san, are you alright? I’ve been preparing to cast recovery magic, but …… it looks like you’re not hurt.”

Mia came to their side, confirmed that they were not injured, and said feeling somewhat apologetic.

“Thanks for the hard work, Mia-kun. The fact that you didn’t have to move means that no one is hurt. That’s not a bad thing.”

“…… Yes, you’re right. Earth Mother Goddess Mikaela-sama. I thank you for the safety of this time. May the souls of the fallen wolves rest in peace.”

Mia closed her eyes and made a short prayer to the god.

“…… Hey, Mia. This Souya is strong, but he’s a bit of a jerk, isn’t he?”

“Well, no, not really. Souya is a very good man.”

“From the way he’s beating up wolves, there’s definitely something crazy about him.”

""

Mia looked a little troubled, as if she had some idea of what was going on. 

“……Souya-san saved my life. I don’t care if he’s mean to me.”

“What’s with that, Mia seems to have fallen to Souya …… He’s a seducer of women. I’m sure he’s got a woman crying somewhere.”

In response to the stubborn Mia, Merylou was a little astonished, and also said that to Souya in a sarcastic way.

“–I’m sorry I made fun of you, Merylou-kun. It’s a bit of a pain in the ears, so I’d appreciate it if you’d cut me some slack.”

Souya smiled with a bitter smile, shrugged, and turned to the Rock Golem.

“Order. I want you to bury all the wolves we’ve killed.”

The rock golem that was holding the Direwolf’s body stood up and began to clean up the fallen wolf. 

“Ohhh …… It’s pretty handy, can we leave the wolf cleanup to this guy?”

“In fact, the Rock Golem is the best at this kind of simple work. In battle, he is slow and predictable, making it easy for a smart opponent to see through his actions.”

Souya said so, but when he wiped the dirt off the Western sword saber, he put it in a scabbard and stowed it in a different dimension box.

“Now, let’s leave the labor to the Rock Golem, and let’s start eating again. The soup that Merylou-kun prepared for us will get cold.”

The three of them sat down around the fire again and resumed eating. The soup that Merylou had prepared was not enough for the three of them, so it was quickly emptied.

“Thank you for the meal, Merylou-san. It was really delicious. I wonder if it was okay to share something that took so much time and effort to make?”

“…… Oh, it’s fine. It was too much for one person to eat. So It was just right.”

Merylou put on her large mittens, set down the pot on the fire and began to clean up the cooking utensils.

“Thanks for the food. Hah, it was delicious. I’d even pay for it.”

“Souya, this is a treat from a senior member of the guild. Don’t be shy.”

“Then I won’t be reserved. By the way, Merylou-senpai. We stopped midway when the wolf’s attack, but you want to say something to us, didn’t you?”

Souya remembered that Merylou had been trying to tell him something before the wolf attacked, and asked her about it.

“Nnn …… Yeah. You guys said you were collecting night grass. How much did you get?”

“The goal of the request I received from the Adventurer’s Guild was 30 bunches. We’ve finished collecting half of them, fifteen bunches. We’re planning to look for the other half tomorrow.”

Mia gave Merylou an update on the progress of the night grass collection.

“I see …… I know where the night grass grows in clusters. I’m pretty sure you can get fifteen bunches at once. If you’d like, I can show you the secret location.”　

""

Merylou made a suggestion to them. If the place really existed, and if we could get Merylou to show us, it would be a very good deal for the future.

“If that’s true, Merylou-kun, I would appreciate it. But there’s no benefit to you in that proposal. Perhaps you’d like to ask us for something instead?”

The point where a particular wild grass can be obtained is valuable information in itself, and it is hard to imagine that she would give it to us for free, so she must have some purpose for guiding us there.

In response to Soya’s question, Merylou was silent for a while, but then opened her mouth as if she had made up her mind.

“…… Yeah. That’s what’s important. What Souya said is true, I have a favor to ask you both. I …… Will you meet my friend? it’s near the place where the night grass grows in clusters.”

Merylou, who muttered, had a hollow, distant eye somewhere.