We laid the woman Chocolat had protected in the courtyard and we looked at her condition.

'It looks like she's not traumatized,'
Do you think they're under some kind of sleep spell or something?
I see. So I guess that's a relief for now?

　What a story I have with Chocolat.
　Magnus doesn't object, or doesn't say a word about it.
　That reassures me.

Are you from this village?　If I knew where it was, I could send it to you.
"Maybe he's from Montrever. He's so clean!

　Chocolat said, "Behold, the great guess! I assured him with great confidence.
　If you ask me, that may indeed be true.

　When I say this woman is beautiful in a nutshell, it's not like she's just a good material.
　It's not like she's putting on makeup or anything. The beauty of her hair, for example, would not be like this if she didn't take care of it on a regular basis, right?　The girls in the village where I grew up were all shaggy.
　The clothes they wore didn't have that "I got my mother's secondhand clothes from a long time ago" look to them. The tailoring was great, and there was casual embroidery, so maybe the clothes were expensive?
　Maybe it's a nice young lady?
　Her hands and stuff are beautiful, and I can't see any signs of labor.

　Not long after I was thinking about that, she woke up.

''Ah.........?''
Are you okay?　Is there anything that hurts?
'What...?　Yeah, yeah ... in the country ...
'We've got the Manticore down. "The manticore is down, and you are safe now, so please take some time to relax. Once you're in a relaxed mood, I hope you'll clear your mind in no time.

　Chocolat is indeed a maid.
　The woman was completely relieved and dazed, but eventually she raised her upper body and looked around at the scenery around her and our faces.

Are you guys going to help me out?
Yes, sir.
"That was a close call, but I think it's a blessing in disguise!


　The woman bowed her head to us, a little tearful with glee.

'My name is Sherris,' she said, 'and I am the daughter of a Crowhill merchant. I am the daughter of a Crowhill merchant family, and I was on my way to Mont River to visit a friend when I was attacked by a manticore...
Crow Hill is the town we're headed to next, Magnus!
''The merchant's daughter is the same as Lady Aria. After all, it's a fate, Lady Magnus!
Would you like me to give you a lift home?
I'd love to!

　Me and Chocolat suggest to Magnus from both sides.

'Well, are you sure!　If I had to go through that kind of thing, I would be so anxious about the journey.... I don't think this will ever happen again, but...
I know how you feel.
"There is no way I could recover from a shock like this.
So that's good, isn't it, Magnus?
"Master Magnus?

　The woman who introduced herself as Sherris gives Magnus a pleading look, and me and Sherris suggest again.

'Well, I don't mind if it's incidental,'

　Magnus said, with a terribly cold look in his eyes and a tone that lacked inflection.
　Hmm?　And I feel a sense of discomfort.
　Magnus always has a mature demeanor, but this one is a little different.....
　It's more like a cold-heartedness than a maturity.....

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

　Chocolat seemed to think it was strange that she looked at me, and she looked at me in a stunned way.

　But Magnus turned on his heel and said

'Nevertheless, for the present, let us return to Mont River. Tomorrow, we'll set out for Crow Hill. Is that all right with you?

　Having said that, he quickly headed out of the fort.

　........It's still weird.
　Magnus is a kind and very thoughtful person, and he's always been very concerned about the terrible things I had to deal with at the last party.
　He's never made a unilateral decision like this before without asking my opinion.
　What's going on here...?

　　　　◇ ◇ ◇ ◇ ◇ ◇.

　Pulling ourselves together, we escaped the abandoned fort.
　The distant atmosphere of Magnus makes me and Chocolat more than a little nervous, but if I and Chocolat don't get our act together, Sheris-san will be worried.

'Look, look, look, Magnus!　Get that thing out, thing!

　I did my best to act cheerful and asked Magnus to do it for me.
　Magnus replied curtly, "Oh," and took out the Magic Tool Bag III first.

''Please watch carefully, Sheris-san!
'What?　Yes ... yes ...

　You'll be surprised.
　Because I was the first one!

　I was excited to see Mr. Sherris roll his eyes (and I wanted him to cheer up as quickly as possible), so I watched him with excitement.

　Magnus puts his hand in the mouth of a small tool bag and pulls out a piece of carpet. 'That's definitely not big enough to fit in the bag! And it's a sight that is guaranteed to surprise you.
　Because that's what happened the first time I saw it!

　How do you think Mr. Sherris will be surprised~?
　Do you think I'll be groping?
　I couldn't help but steal a glance at her, unable to hold back the grin on my cheeks.

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

　You're looking at me without a care in the world........?

　I can't help but feel giddy.
　I ... no wait, me. The real work starts here. This is where the real shock comes in.
　Isn't that right, Ray?

'Come on, come on, Magnus. Let's just spread it out. I'll take care of this for you.

　I take the rug from Magnus and take the initiative to spread it out on the ground.
　This isn't just any carpet.
　It's a very valuable and useful hovering carpet.
　His name is Narsai.

　I'll never forget the moment Magnus showed me the first time he showed it to me.
　I'll never forget the feeling I got the first time I rode it.
　It was amazing!　Magnus, wow!　Why do you have this amazing thing!　I'll never forget that day when I was a little girl, and I was so excited to be a kid again.
　So I'm sure that even Sherris will be in for a surprise this time!

Hey, hey, hey, Mr. Sherris!　It's called a hovering carpet!　Do you know?　I'm going to show you how to ride it now, so don't be surprised, okay?
　Can we go?　Okay?　You're going to have to pay attention, okay?　You'll be surprised.

　Driven by emotions I don't understand, I get pissed off and appeal to them.
　Then I get on the carpet.
　Immediately, the hovering carpet reacts and floats up off the ground.

Look at that!　I'm floating!　I'm floating by myself!　I'm floating by magic!

..........

　You're looking at me without a care in the world........?
　I'd rather be like, "What?　Why is this bladder so excited?　Why? You look like that?

Why aren't you surprised, Mr. Sherris!
'What?　Uh..........uh........ Ah!　Yeah, it's amazing. I've never seen such an amazing thing before. I'm so amazed!

　Mr. Sherris repeated, "Surprise, surprise," as if to mend his ways.
　I had won the game and lost the game - that's how I felt.

"...or rather, I don't know what I was getting so worked up about...
'You wanted to share the emotion. Chocolat will understand.'

　Chocolat's comforting words are sinking in...!

　　　　◇ ◇ ◇ ◇ ◇.

　The four of us boarded the Narsai for the return trip to Mont River.
　It's a quick one-hour ride on the hovering carpet.

"I'm sorry, Mr. Ray.
You can call me Ray.

　I'm only 14.

I'm sorry, Ray. I mean, I'm a merchant by nature, right?　I'm more used to seeing unusual things than most people are.

　I was still dragging, or rather, my shoulders were slumping a little, but Sherris-san was concerned about me and said.
　This is a bit of a turn-off.

　But I see.
　I was born in a nondescript village in the countryside, so it's only natural that I'm not as well-versed as I was.

Hey, Ray. I've got to ask you something...
Oh. Ask me anything you want.
Did I do something to offend you, Mr. Magnus?

　Mr. Sherris asked in a whisper.
　He is stationed at the front of the carpet, looking at Magnus.
　He is in normal contact with Chocolat next to him, but he won't speak or make eye contact with Mr. Sheris.

'I don't think so but I'm quite curious too.
It's hard to be kind of lost to the man who saved your life...
'I know...'

　'Okay,' I patted myself on the chest.

'I'll take off my skin. I'll stand between Mr. Sherice and Mr. Magnus so they can get along.
Really?　I'm glad........ Ray is so sweet.

　Mr. Sherris told me so.
　To be honest, though, I don't think I'm that kind.
　Because I want to be like the kind Mr. Magnus!
　Because I adore it!