On the spiral staircase on the way back to the chapel from the watchtower, Mr. Illtimina stopped me.

'Merle, may I have a moment?'
?

　She says to me as I turn around.

'I think I'm going to go back to The Cliffs of Toggle now.

(Huh?)

'There must still be my spear in there. And the backpack with my travel luggage. I need to retrieve it.

　Oh, I see.

　This forest world looks very dangerous.
　I thought it was very important to keep weapons and tools on hand.

Yeah, okay.

　I nodded.

　Ms. Illtimina looked at me, holding her hand to her chest.

'I'll be out of here for a little while, but don't worry. I'll be back here for sure after I collect my stuff.
..........
So please, don't worry about it.

　Hmmm.

　Apparently, she's concerned about me being left alone.

(Surprisingly, you're the overprotective sister, aren't you?)

　I chuckle in my mind.

'You know what, Miss Illtimina?'
Yes, sir.
Oh, yeah, I'd like to come with you.
What?

　She was taken aback.

　There was nothing to do in the tower by herself.

　Besides, there was so much more to ask Miss Illtimina. If possible, I hoped we could talk on the way there.

　My blue eyes gazed at her in confusion.

'No?'

　cough

　He tilts his head at an angle.

'----'

　Miss Illtimina gasped.

'Duh, not that I can't,'
Good.

　Relieved, I laughed.

　As soon as I saw that, Illtimina-san removed her gaze, as if in a panic.　

　While holding her ample bosom, she looked somewhat puzzled with herself.

(?????)

　Well, what's going on?

　I stared at that strange sister with a scowl.


　◇ ◇◇◇◇◇◇◇◇◇◇◇


　After leaving the tower, the two of us walked through the forest to the 'Toggle Cliffs'.

　To tell the truth, walking through the forest is quite a challenge.

　There are ups and downs, tree roots stick out, and if you step on soft dirt or pebbles, you can slip and fall.

　And yet...

　Ta-tah, ta-tah, ta-tah.

　Iltimina-san, her long hair fluttering, was moving at a steady pace through the forest, as if she were walking on a flat road.

(.........Great.

　Maybe it's because she's tall for a woman and has long legs.

　But I thought the main reason was that she was 'used to it'.

　She called herself an 'adventurer'. I'm sure she had plenty of opportunities to walk in the woods like this, too.

　It was very cool to see her walking briskly.

　I, on the other hand, was.

Huh ... huh ... huh ...

　I was almost left behind by her walking in front of me, even though she was also using a cane.　

　I'm out of breath.

　When I think about it, this is the third time today that I've walked through this forest.

　And the second time was with Illtimina on my back.

　I may have been at the limit of my child's physical strength.

(But, since he said 'I'll follow you' on his own, I have to do my best...)

　I can't let it slow me down.

　With that in mind, I desperately chased after Illtimina-san's back as she seemed to disappear into the trees.

''Ha, ha, ha.''

　I can't breathe.

　I'm not sure if I'm running out of oxygen or if my vision is getting narrower.

　I don't even know if I can walk properly.

　At that time, Illtimina-san, who was walking ahead of me, suddenly stopped.

''..........''

　The crimson eyes are gazing at me, who is lagging behind.

(Ah.........)

　That look brought me back to myself.

'I'm sorry,'

　I apologized.

　I didn't want to slow him down, but I ended up making him stop.

　I panicked and tried to hurry my trembling legs.

'I'm sorry, Merle. I'm just a little tired.

　She said.

(.........what?)

　I looked up at her face and she was smiling gently.

''I'm sorry to be so selfish, but could you please let me take a break here?''

.................

　When I realized the meaning of those words, I couldn't say anything else.


　◇ ◇ ◇ ◇ ◇ ◇ ◇ ◇ ◇


　The breeze coming through the forest makes my hair sway.

(Ah ... it feels so good.)

　I squinted at the coolness as I sat on a reasonable stone under a shady tree.

　A short distance away stood a gentle 'liar'.

　Her gaze was fixed on the forest the entire time. She's probably keeping an eye on the surroundings to make sure there's no danger.

(............)

　A beautiful woman stands in the forest with her long hair blowing in the wind.

　It's something of a picturesque scene.

　As my gaze is drawn to her, she notices it and looks at me.

　She gives me a small smile.

　That smile makes me a little nervous.

(Um ... is this the right time to listen to me?)

　With that thought, I opened my mouth.

'Um, Illtimina-san. I'd like to ask you something, okay?
You want to hear it?

　Illtimina looked curious.

　I nodded.

''Yes. Well.........I was wondering why Illtimina-san came to this forest.
Oh...

　She let her voice trail off in a convincing manner.

'Come to think of it, I haven't told you yet.
Yes.
''That's true. But before I explain that, do you know the term 'demon hunter' first, Marle?
No, I don't know.

　I shake my head, honestly.

　Illtimina-san nods and tells me while looking at me.

''A 'demon hunter' is, as the name suggests, a 'person who hunts demons'. Among the adventurers, it refers to those who specialize in 'defeating demons' in particular.

(...what?)

So, Illtimina?
Yes. I'm a demon hunter too.

　The beautiful woman nodded with a dignified expression.

'And why am I here?'
..........
That's because we've received a request to kill the Red Fangled Dragon Gad, which has appeared in this 'Great Forest of Aldoria'.

Well...

　I pointed to the ground.　

"Aldoria Great Forest, is this where you're talking about?
'To be precise, you indicate the forest above the 'Toggle Cliffs'. It's called the 'Aldrian Great Forest, Deeper'.

(Hmmm ... are we in the deep end?)

The deepest parts of the forest are untamed. It is said that the forests are vast and easy to get lost in, and are home to powerful demons. Adventurers sometimes come to visit, but less than 10 percent of them survive.
..........

　I-I-I was reincarnated in that horrible place...?

　I couldn't help but feel a shiver run down my spine.

　And then Illtimina's crimson eyes stared up at the top of the huge cliff.

''However, the forest above is different. The demons that live there aren't so strong, and it's a forest of important resources that support people's livelihoods, where hunters and lumberjacks from nearby towns and villages come to visit.

　Hmm?

But then that red dragon showed up?
Yes, sir.

　His gaze returns to me.

''The lord of this region, Adam Reed, has sent a request to our 'Adventurer's Guild, Moonlight Wind' in the royal capital to defeat the red tiger dragon Gad. So, having received the request, we visited this forest...

　Hmm...?

"Wait a minute. Did you just say 'we'?
Yes, sir.

　Illtimina nodded.

'We were a party of three. Our leader, Kilt Amandes. My sister, Solstice Wong. Together with those two, I visited the forest.
..........
'The three of us walked through the forest in search of Gad the Red Fang Dragon. But on the contrary, we were taken by surprise by Gad, and that's when I was the only one who got separated from him.

　He sounded a little pained.

'Due to the long rains, I lost my bearings and couldn't fire a luminescent signal round, so I wandered through the forest.
..........
However, while we were doing so, we were again attacked by the Red Fang Dragon Gad, and it was a battle. In the end, we dealt him a fatal wound, but this one also became a counterattack, and what's more, the ground of the 'Toggle Cliffs', which had been loosened by the rain, collapsed due to the impact of that time...



　What an epic story it was.

　I couldn't help but stare at this beautiful demon hunter.

　She says

''I'm lucky to have met Marle.
..........
If it weren't for you, I'd be dead in a heartbeat.

　Then he smiled gently as he looked at me.

　.... a bit embarrassed.

(But I was lucky, too.)

　When I was almost in despair because I didn't know how to get out of the forest, she helped me to see the cliff collapse and gave me hope.

　Even now, she has given me a lot of knowledge, and most importantly, she has saved me from loneliness in this way.

(Thank you, Illtimina.)

　I thank her in my mind.

　She looked at me curiously for a while, but then she suddenly looked up at me.

'It's almost noon, isn't it?'

　What I'm looking at is the shining sun.

　Apparently, I can tell the time from its position.

We should get going, Merle.
Uh-huh.

　I nodded and got up from the stone I was sitting on.

　Cackle.

(!)　

　But then I couldn't get the strength in my knees and I almost fell forward.

　Poof.

　Illtimina's hand catches me quickly.

'Are you okay, Marle?'

　The beauty who was at close range asked me in a caring way.

　I replied, a little flustered.

I'm sorry. I'm sorry.''
No.

　She smiled, and when I tried to let go of her body, she hugged me in a princess hug.

(Eh...?)

Hey, wait, wait, Miss Illtimina!
Sorry, sir. But Merle's leg is on the verge of collapse. Besides, it's going to be a lot slower than it should be.

　No, but...!

　Holding me, who was about to descend in embarrassment, Illtimina-san started running through the forest.

　...........

(Huh?　(Running....?)

　I am astonished by that fact.

　Thump, thump, thump.

　The scenery around me drifted backwards at a wonderful speed.

　And then I realized.

　That she had slowed down a lot for me from the beginning.

　...I was limping along all the way.

　Once I knew that fact, I no longer felt like resisting.

(This is an adventurer.......huh?)

　Gazing at the white beauty up close, I could only sigh in admiration.