RSHW-Chapter 37

Chapter 37: Companion (3)

◆  

…Awkward.  

That was what Vespa felt as she traversed the forest with Carlisle.  

Outwardly, they interacted no differently than usual, but the emotional distance she sensed within herself made it feel that way.  

However, unlike her, Carlisle remained as he always was—kind and warm, treating her with the same friendly smile.  

No, it went beyond that.  

She could tangibly feel how excessively considerate he was being toward her.  

Unnecessarily so.  

If anything, she was the one who owed him.  

‘…I’m not a fool, you know.’  

The moment she read the exam guidelines, she immediately understood the kind of violent clashes she might get dragged into.  

Yet Carlisle was doing everything he could to keep her from being involved.  

He vigilantly guarded their surroundings, moved cautiously to avoid encounters, and always stepped forward at the slightest hint of danger.  

And every time she faced such kindness—  

“……”  

Her chest tightened.  

She forced herself to act normal, smiling and responding as usual, but the churning sensation inside refused to fade.  

It wasn’t that she disliked Carlisle. Absolutely not.  

But for some reason, facing him had become difficult.  

“Then should I go gather firewood, Vespa?”  

“Ah! Would you?”  

Was that why?  

When Carlisle stepped away, Vespa did something she normally never would—without hesitation.  

“…Hey. Listen to me.”  

She spoke softly to the blue mist floating before her.  

She knew it had some form of will, but she also knew it couldn’t understand her.  

She wasn’t sure what she was even doing, but the frustration had built up too much to stay silent.  

“Why is Carlisle so kind to me?”  

Even if she was naive, she still understood how the world worked.  

Nothing came without a price.  

Carlisle treated her with unconditional kindness, yet she couldn’t fathom why.  

She had never given him anything in return.  

Perhaps that was the root of her discomfort.  

It would’ve been easier if she were shameless enough to accept such favors without guilt.  

But she wasn’t that kind of person.  

If anything, she was overly sensitive to others’ goodwill, to the point of drowning in guilt.  

From that perspective, the kindness Carlisle showed her was undeniably excessive.  

“No matter how much I think about it, I don’t get it. I know he doesn’t have ill intentions, but…”  

Well.  

The only other possibility she could think of was—  

“Does he… Like me?”  

She giggled softly to herself, as if even she found the idea absurd.  

Of course, she had more than enough reason to suspect it.  

“…With the Miss by his side, there’s no reason for him to be so kind to someone like me.”  

It was the truth.  

Even Vespa could see how incredible Gray was.  

Skilled at everything, always confident, never backing down no matter the opponent.  

And above all—beautiful.  

Didn’t all men like beautiful women?  

She didn’t usually think of herself as unattractive, but compared to Gray, she couldn’t help but feel lacking.  

…Well, Gray had her personality flaws, but who in this world was perfect? Right.  

By all logic, if Carlisle were to develop feelings, they’d be for Gray—not her.  

At least, that’s what she believed.  

“I don’t think he sees me as a woman.”  

Her voice as she said this sounded strangely subdued, even to her own ears.  

The blue mist swayed gently around her as she slumped with a gloomy expression.  

“He’s just… A kind person. I must be reading too much into it.”  

Hugging her knees, she rocked side to side, muttering to herself.  

Not that saying it solved anything. But just voicing her thoughts aloud made her feel a little better—  

“—Huh?”  

Vespa blinked.  

The blue mist before her had begun projecting an image into the air.  

As if it were live-streaming events happening elsewhere.  

“Carlisle?”  

It showed Carlisle, weapons drawn, facing off against someone.  

“…Wait, is this happening right now?”  

The mist swayed again, as if nodding in confirmation.  

Vespa stared at the screen, wide-eyed.  

This blue mist—had it understood her? This was the first time it had done something like this.  

Wait, did it even have this ability? The more she learned, the more astonishing it became.  

But.  

Her surprise was short-lived.  

[Mostly because of what Carlisle said on screen.]  

[What? Is she your girlfriend or something?]  

[No. But she is someone I want to protect.]  

[…Huh? You just said she’s not.]  

[You don’t need that kind of relationship to feel that way. I just think she’s a good person.]

‘...Huh?‘  

Wait.  

What?  

Huh?  

Her mind short-circuited, those words echoing endlessly.  

Carlisle—why would he say that?  

No, more importantly—what did he just say?  

“……”  

Amidst her tangled thoughts, Carlisle’s words slowly sank in.  

And the moment she fully grasped their meaning—  

“…!”  

Vespa buried her burning face between her knees.  

Her ears were probably bright red by now. The heat on her cheeks was unmistakable.  

‘Right now, just now—’  

Did he say he wanted to protect her?  

That he thought she was a good person?  

Words a man would only use for someone he—  

‘…N-no way!‘  

Friends! He must see her as a friend!  

There’s no way he sees her that way, right? Right?!  

Forcing herself to rationalize it, she shot to her feet.  

“W-we have to go help! It looks like a fight, he might be in trouble!”  

As she scrambled up, the blue mist swirled around her eagerly, as if urging her to follow.  

Running after it, Vespa rubbed her cheeks furiously.  

Her heart pounded. Her pulse raced.  

“……”  

…This was just from running.  

That had to be it.  

It had to be.  

◆  

Whether it was misfortune or luck.  

By the time she arrived, Vespa was in no state to analyze the cause of her flustered heartbeat.  

…Lack of regular exercise was to blame.  

Though the distance wasn’t far, a few minutes of sprinting left her drenched in sweat.  

“—Carlisle!”  

She called out between gasps for air.  

“Vespa?”  

Carlisle stared at her, wide-eyed.  

Clearly not expecting her arrival.  

“How did you—”  

“I came to help!”  

She grinned.  

Carlisle flinched, but Letty and Goriva, who had been facing off against him, nodded approvingly.  

“Now that’s more like it. At least someone here has manners.”  

“I-I don’t know about manners! But I won’t just stand by if you lay a hand on Carlisle!”  

“Don’t worry, you won’t have to.”  

Letty’s sharp gaze swept over Vespa and Carlisle, analyzing.  

Then her eyes locked onto the blue mist swirling around Vespa.  

She couldn’t tell what it was, but the energy it radiated was unmistakably magic. Which meant—  

“You’re not the one I’m after.”  

“—Huh?”  

Before Vespa could react, Letty’s wand flashed.  

A rational choice. In any battle, the mage was always the priority target.  

Try me!  

Letty was confident in her magic.  

The Ingram family was a prestigious lineage of scholars specializing in magical research, and she was its direct descendant.  

Her name was even listed among the Magic Tower’s promising talents—placing her far above the average freshman.  

Magic gathered at her wand’s tip before erupting into crackling lightning.  

Skipping the incantation reduced its power, but it was still more than enough to incapacitate a mage.  

And above all—it was fast.  

The lightning streaked forward faster than an arrow—even a trained knight would struggle to react.  

But the next moment—  

—……  

Letty froze.  

Not because the blue mist shielding Vespa blocked the lightning—automatic defenses weren’t uncommon for mages.  

But because—  

She had seen it.  

Truly seen what lurked within that mist.  

“…Huh?”  

How could she describe it?  

Nothing had actually happened to her.  

But.  

As an experienced mage, attuned to the flow of magic, she could perceive what others couldn’t.  

She had glimpsed past the mist’s concealment—and witnessed the will hidden within.  

……  

……  

……!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!  

The rage emanating from it was palpable.  

So intense it felt like a physical force crashing into her.  

The world around her darkened in an instant.  

Within that darkness, a massive eye materialized—fixated on her.  

Then another. And another.  

Eyes.  

Dozens of enormous eyes, all staring into her.  

Their gaze carried a murderous intent so overwhelming it felt like her body might burst.  

As if she had foolishly provoked something that protected Vespa.  

“…!”  

Letty staggered back and collapsed.  

When she blinked, the nightmarish vision vanished like a mirage.  

But what she had to do was clear.  

“—Goriva, stop!”  

She barely managed to yell before her bodyguard could charge.  

Goriva halted, bewildered, as Letty stared at Vespa with chattering teeth.  

“…What the hell was that? Were you trying to kill us during an exam?”  

“Huh? Me?”  

Vespa looked utterly clueless.  

If this was acting, she belonged on the imperial stage.  

“—”  

Letty’s disbelieving gaze lingered on Vespa.  

This girl—she genuinely had no idea what had just happened.  

Worse.  

She seemed completely unaware of just how abnormal the blue mist around her was.  

“…What’s your name?”  

“Vespa… Luciana. Why…?”  

“After the exam—find me.”  

“……Huh?”  

“I’m serious. For your own sake, come find me. On the Ingram family’s honor, I swear I mean you no harm.”  

Her eyes flicked to the mist still hovering near Vespa.  

“…That thing—you can’t just leave it be.”  

If.  

If what she suspected was true.  

Then Vespa Luciana would go down in history.  

For better or for worse.  

With that, Letty stood.  

Her legs still trembled, but she could move well enough.  

“If you were planning to fight, we surrender. There’s no way in hell we’d win.”  

“N-no, I don’t want to fight…”  

“Then we’ll just go.”  

Letty took a deep breath.  

“Don’t forget what I said.”  

As Letty and Goriva retreated, Vespa blinked in confusion.  

“…Carlisle? What was that about?”  

“No idea.”  

Carlisle scratched his head.  

Well, he didn’t know the specifics, but—  

“…They didn’t seem like bad people, though.”  

“You think so?”  

“Yeah.”  

Carlisle nodded.  

-System Message  

▶ ‘Quest: The Ingram Family’s Longstanding Wish’ has been unlocked!  

▶ Upon completion, target ‘Vespa Luciana’s’ abilities will develop rapidly!  

▶ Upon completion, target ‘Vespa Luciana’ will gain a ‘Guardian Spirit’!  

▶ The ‘Guardian Spirit’ can interact with the Holy Sword!  

…Given the message that appeared, that much seemed certain.