The Holder of the Compass
The Baroa Forest had not yet been blanketed by snow.
However, the chill that seeped deep into the ground created a sound akin to stepping on gravel as we walked. Frost.
Though I couldn't say it aloud, my boots were custom-made.
The exterior was disguised to look like any ordinary pair available for purchase, but inside, they were akin to modern boots. Comfortable against the frost, preventing cold and leakage. Truly comfortable.
Yet, among us who ventured into the forest, there was one person whose equipment was the very opposite of comfort...
「Be vigilant, and check for any monsters as we proceed.」
「Understood.」
Bridget had remained in her armor even after entering the forest. Her greaves were hardly suitable for walking, yet she advanced with Gorillana without showing any signs of discomfort.
Behind them were the mid-field group, including Sheena, who held an arrow in her hand, maintaining vigilance over our surroundings. Upon scanning for any presence, it seemed there was nothing of note.
「Ah—this... very much seems like...」
「Yes... it does.」
Raina and Ulrika nodded, appearing to understand something. I wanted to jump in with my usual "What's up?!" but today, I decided to remain in the shadows. It was best not to stand out.
We walked silently. Continuously, relentlessly walking.
The sound of eight pairs of feet treading on the frost and the occasional scrape of equipment against branches were the only things echoing through the still forest.
Two hours passed like that. Our pace was slow, and there were no breaks. It was obviously an inefficient march.
... Boredom. It was a mission that was tasteless like flavorless gum among the various dull missions I'd undertaken.
However, it was Bridget who was undoubtedly suffering more. Encased in full armor, the cold was starting to affect her, causing her to shiver noticeably. Moreover, since Sheena was constantly on high alert, Bridget had no time to rest.
... I wished someone would just tell her to "take off that armor".
While I wasn't fond of nobles and preferred to avoid them, it was undeniable that she looked cold and it was hard to watch.
「Let's take this path.」
With an arrow pointing the direction, Sheena altered our course. The winter forest still showcased only Flagbird (inedible) and Mudrat (inedible).
「Um, Mongrel-senpai, look. Here, footprints.」
「What?」
Raina softly pointed out to me the barely visible... or visible, footprints on the ground. Thanks to the frost, they were somewhat discernible... perhaps, though they weren't clear to me.
「These belong to a large Charge Deer. It seems to have headed off in the direction we initially avoided.」
「... Did Sheena see this and decide to avoid it?」
「Yes, although I can't tell how old the footprints are. Probably. Sheena-san is very skilled at searching.」
... Impressive. She was steering away from the monsters based on footprints. Or was it due to that arrow...? It seemed as if the arrow in her fingers led her investigation.
... Perhaps it was a skill or a gift. Whatever it was, it appeared to be a detection type...
In this monster-free forest, if she kept that up, it seemed we'd end definitely without encountering anything. Even though Bridget was doing her best...
「Bridget, you seem unwell, are you alright?」
「No, I'm fine. I can still...」
Ah, finally, Sheena spoke up. Bridget had looked unwell from the start, but now, she barely looked like she could manage another step.
「Be honest. Collapsing here will only cause trouble for everyone.」
「... It's very hard.」
Sheena stopped the march and exhaled deeply. The air felt heavy.
「Take off your armor.」
「What... but」
「I brought extra clothes with me. Take off the armor and put them on over your clothes. Your whole body is freezing because of the armor.」
「... I'm sorry.」
Bridget began to reluctantly remove her armor with awkward hands, assisted by Jona, while Sheena's clothing was put on over her own. As for the removed armor...
「Hey. Can you tie this armor to your luggage with a rope? It's heavy and will be unstable, so be careful not to drop it.」
Apparently, I was to carry it. ... I mean, it's full-body armor. It's heavy. Even if it's not so bad to wear it, carrying something bulky like this without making it feel heavy is a real pain...
But sensing the flow as if it was premeditated, I compliantly followed. Bridget's full-body armor seemed lighter than it appeared, suggesting it might not be made from metals known in the world I came from.
「... Sorry for the trouble I'm causing...」
Bridget apologized, seeming embarrassed, and though I didn't want to prolong the interaction, my reply might have come off a bit curt.
What should I do? Watching her like this was painful...
「Now we have a vanguard carrying baggage. Let's focus even more as we move forward.」
... A tedious mission. A grueling march, even if self-inflicted. The burden others must bear because of one's shortcomings...
For Bridget's first mission... it seemed cruel. If it were me, it'd be quite traumatizing. Even Artemis members, by not offering encouraging words, seemed truly intent on destroying Bridget's motivation...
「After we walk a bit more, we'll rest and then head back. That'll be the end of today's investigation.」
「... Understood.」
At first, Bridget had her hand on her longsword on alert for monsters, but now walking itself seemed to demand all her strength. She likely couldn't believe there were any monsters nearby.
The white breath that escaped her lips was larger than anyone else's here.
Within the forest, we gathered firewood to light a fire and surrounded it. For this day, Sheena had purposefully brought bland dried meat, perhaps to keep the atmosphere somber rather than lively.
Comfortable? It was the worst. But this was our mission—forging a perfect state to deter Bridget from pursuing the path of a guild member.
「... In spring, I...」
As she gazed into the fire, Bridget began speaking with hollow eyes.
「I'm supposed to leave for the royal capital and take on a job... but I detest it and tried to become a guild member to become a swordsman...」
Only to open the lid to such a dismal situation, hmm.
「I don't know... what should I do...」
Oh, she was about to cry. No, please don't. I'm really weak with stuff like that. It makes me really uncomfortable.
「Everyone has jobs they're suited and unsuited for.」
「... Suited, unsuited.」
「What you want to do isn't always what you're suited for. If today's mission was hard for you, Bridget, you should reconsider becoming a guild member.」
「... I'm humbled.」
Hearing that reminded me of rejection emails... My heart ached so badly.
It wasn't clear whether... Bridget was unsuitable for being a guild member. In fact, we were snuffing out her potential, weren't we? Thinking about it like that, the guilt was overwhelming... It weighed heavily on my conscience.
「Alright, break time is over. Let's head back to Regor.」
On the return journey, our formation grew sluggish.
Up front, Sheena and Bridget seemed to be in conversation, intentionally distancing themselves from us. Well, we also had things we didn't want Bridget to hear, so we whispered among ourselves in the back.
「This mission is dreadful.」
「... It's distasteful, isn't it?」
「Yeah... even though it's a baron's request, we have to just accept it as is—」
The artful, ruthless shattering of the dream to become a guild member from the start. Artemis was adept at achieving such subtle, nuanced results.
Honestly... it's impressive. Not sarcastically, just impressive.
Even now, with an arrow in hand, Sheena skillfully maneuvered us towards a safe mission, ensuring nothing occurred. Bridget, burdened by exhaustion and the cold, could only nod and accept our words.
「Even if it's made of lightweight magic alloy, it's impressive you could carry all that weight. As expected, Mongrel.」
「... Nastasha, from the beginning, did you only call upon me for this?」
Turning around, I found Nastasha, grinning mischievously.
「However, with Bridget as our escort target, there was also the concern of having only Gorillana for the front line when the time came.」
「You're saying Sheena's detection abilities aren't perfect?」
「Oh... you noticed. I don't mind intelligent men.」
「I didn't have any particular conviction, but there must be something to it.」
If the arrow's direction pointed toward enemies, that might explain Sheena's nickname, 『Everlasting Arrow』.
Just a hypothesis, though.
Nastasha's smile widened further.
「Sheena possesses an exceptional aptitude for avoiding crises as an archer. And I possess an equivalent power.」
「... Is it...」
「A 'gift.' ... No need to hide it. You have one too, don't you, Mongrel?」
...!
Did she know about my gift...?
Where? When did she see? Was it a bluff? I haven't shown off, nor used it in a place it could be seen.
No, don't let it show on your face. Revealing anything would definitely be troublesome.
「I know, Mongrel.」
Know what? Stop it. Wait, seriously, she hasn't seen it, right? And if she had seen it, she wouldn't react like this, right?
「Your enhanced magic power... that must be your gift.」
「....」
Ah... whew! Luckily, she misunderstood!
Ha—oh, I see, it's that! The body-enhancement part!
Oh, haha, what a relief! Okay, it's not something to worry about!
Ahem... well, it isn't something to flaunt. I need to maintain the pretense that that was something I was hiding.
... Okay, alright, I'll continue to act as if I'm oblivious. That should seem the least acted out.
「I don't know what you mean.」
「Mongrel. We, Artemis, could harness your power to its fullest. We can deftly navigate dealing with troublesome noble clients and avoiding dangerous monsters. Sheena desires your membership. The terms wouldn't be poor.」
Recruitment. ... Well, sure, a clan house with a bath is tempting. It's quite alluring.
However, Nastasha, who holds the faucet handle for that bath, I don't want her to hold my reins.
「If you join us, we can keep your gift secret...」
「Nastasha-san. That won't do.」
「... Raina?」
That's when Raina interrupted the recruitment.
「Inviting someone that way is... kind of unfair. Holding something over them... I just don't like that.」
「... Is that so? Was my approach... wrong?」
「Yes. It won't do.」
「... I see.」
When Raina said it, Nastasha seemed flustered, in a manner I had never witnessed before, and fell silent.
It wasn't that Raina held strong influence within the party...
But being properly scolded by a child made Nastasha seem like an adult caught in an awkward spot.
「It'd be better to straightforwardly extend an invitation. And... there's no rush, Mongrel-senpai, right?」
「Hmm. Well, sure.」
Party invitations, huh.
With a bath in the clan house, it's not that I'm uninterested. But the freedom to maneuver alone is far more important to me than the freedom to bathe.
I mean, I managed for years just washing bit by bit with water in a bucket. Patience...
「That aside, I will be taking a bath today.」
「Haha, so even after all that, you're still going to use our bath—」
「Of course. It's well-earned compensation.」
「Alright... understood... Give it some thought, then.」
「Yeah. I'll consider it positively.」
「... That sounded like an uninspired response.」
「Ah, Raina, you're starting to understand me better.」
「It's not something I'm particularly happy about.」
As the sun began setting, the sky gradually darkened, and finally, the town of Regor came into view.
In the end, it was a tedious mission of just ferrying luggage back and forth without any real combat, yet it was a day where I admired how professional skills unexpectedly found a place even in such work.