“Whoa! Is this Gaderade!?”
Two days had passed since their encounter with the magic wolves in the forest. Ron and Lifa walked along the hardened road, and the silhouette of tall city walls finally appeared at the end of their vision.
“Yes, we’ve finally arrived,” Ron said, his voice sounding weak and drained.
Compared to Lifa’s excitement, Ron was almost in a state of collapse.
‘If I had known, I wouldn’t have gone through the magic beast forest.’
Ron deeply regretted the choice he had made to save time. This was especially true because his level had been completely reset to zero after he transmigrated.
He no longer possessed the suppression of negative sensations that he once had in the game.
Pain, fatigue…
If it weren’t for Lifa by his side, Ron estimated there was a high probability he would have died under the wave after wave of magic beast attacks in that forest.
“Teacher, let’s take a good rest after we enter the city.”
Lifa, who was walking ahead, stole a glance back at Ron, her mind occupied by unknown thoughts.
“Alright.”
Ron caught up to the young girl’s pace, shielding his eyes from the direct afternoon sun with his hand as he handed her the short sword at his waist.
“Lifa, put both your weapon and mine into the necklace.”
“Eh? Why?” Lifa asked, looking puzzled.
“The magic beasts we met in the forest were off. With that level of activity, I suspect Gaderade might be under martial law.”
Ron had been to Gaderade three years ago and had entered the same forest they just passed through. Back then, there were magic beasts in the forest, but their levels generally did not exceed Level 20.
And now? Ron had specifically calculated it; over the last two days, they had encountered no fewer than ten powerful magic beasts that were at least Level 40.
Lifa could kill some of them with a bit of effort, while others forced the two of them to take a detour to avoid them.
“Mmm…”
Ron’s words touched upon a blind spot in Lifa’s knowledge. The more the girl thought about it, the more confused she became.
“I suppose that’s true. About half a year ago, the magic beasts in the forest suddenly became much stronger. I was injured back then, and Teacher even gave me that sweet healing potion.”
“Yeah, I remember. It was probably a map adjustment from some version update,” Ron replied dismissively, giving an explanation Lifa couldn’t understand while he straightened his travel-worn clothes.
“In a city under martial law, non-adventurers aren’t allowed to carry weapons inside, so we have to hide them first.”
As they drew closer to the city, Ron explained his reasoning again, seeing that Lifa still looked a bit dazed.
“Ah… Lifa wasn’t actually thinking about that.”
Suddenly being called out made the girl panic.
“Anyway… anyway, whatever Teacher tells Lifa to do, Lifa will do it!”
Pinching the edge of her armor’s skirt, Lifa felt embarrassed by the things she had just been thinking about and remembering.
[Our little Lifa is almost a 15-year-old adult. I wonder which young man in the village will be able to marry such a wonderful wife~]
[Oh~ Does little Lifa have a crush? Let me guess… it’s that Mr. Ron, right?]
[Haha, Lifa, you’re still too young to understand. It’s impossible between you two.]
Back in the village, her neighbor Aunt Ruth once had such a conversation with Lifa. At that time, Lifa had been very angry and even asked Aunt Ruth, “Can’t a teacher and student get married?”
But the older woman had only smiled and patted her head.
[That’s not really the issue, little Lifa.]
[The real reason is that you aren’t ‘needed’ by Mr. Ron. Marriage is actually a relationship where two people need each other and can satisfy some kind of need in the other.]
[Lifa is very obedient to Teacher, is that not enough?]
[That’s more like… well, like the affection I have for the village kittens. In short, it’s not a true ‘need.’]
[Only when Mr. Ron has to rely on Lifa will the time come for little Lifa to voice the thoughts in her heart~]
But now… it was different.
On the road, Lifa usually walked in front of Ron, but faced with an unfamiliar city and her own inner thoughts, she didn’t realize she had fallen behind him.
She followed him in a daze through the city gates, across the streets, and finally arrived at the inn where they were staying.
“Eh! I-I-I-I… I’m staying in the same room as Teacher!?”
Entering the somewhat old-fashioned room, Lifa’s voice startled a crow perched on a drying pole outside the window.
“The landlady said that because many people have come to the city for refuge, there’s only one room left.”
Ron scratched his cheek as he checked the doors, windows, and cabinets in the guest room, feeling a bit embarrassed.
“I already told the landlady to notify us as soon as a new room becomes available—”
“No, there’s no need!”
Lifa interrupted him, her voice even louder than before.
Realizing her reaction seemed a bit extreme, Lifa quickly retrieved the two weapons from the storage necklace after a brief mental brainstorm.
“That… Lifa thinks Teacher isn’t safe right now. If Lifa is by your side, I can prevent any mishaps or dangers.”
‘So smart, Lifa! You actually thought of such a perfect reason!’
The girl breathed a sigh of relief in her heart.
“Ah, that’s true. But when we’re on the street, it’s better for you to keep your weapons hidden. I noticed many patrolling soldiers and Peace Officers.”
Ron didn’t think any further into it. Hearing Lifa speak like that, he was actually quite happy that she was showing her own initiative and thoughts for once.
“Lifa, put the weapons away. I’ll change my clothes first, and then you can wash up. I’ll take you to the Adventurer’s Guild to get your Adventurer’s credentials.”
Ron asked Lifa to take his grey suitcase out of the storage necklace. He pulled out a white shirt and ordinary trousers and headed straight for the separate washroom.
“Ah, okay.”
Putting items into and taking them out of the storage space involved a process similar to picking a lock, requiring a specific flow of mana to be guided for a period of time.
By the time Ron entered the washroom, Lifa had completely zoned out and collapsed onto the small bed.
‘T-this! This counts as living together, right!’
During the two-day journey, although she hadn’t heard Teacher Ron explain his situation personally, Lifa was already certain of one thing.
The current Teacher was very weak.
The current Teacher really needed her!
“Then, I can… I can say it now, right…”
With her fingers tightly gripping the soft sheets, the girl buried her flushed face into the pillow as she rolled back and forth.
‘The bed in the city is so soft…’
‘It’s like an angel’s wings…’
‘It’s also like Teacher’s hands…’
Only wild thoughts could combat wild thoughts. By the time Ron finished changing and came out of the washroom, he saw Lifa wrapped up in the quilt like a burrito.
“Lifa, you’re still wearing your gear — “
Ron folded his arms across his chest, walked over, and grabbed a corner of the quilt to ‘rescue’ her.
“Mmph.”
“Sigh, this bed is yours tonight. Go change your clothes.”
Ron looked at Lifa as she sat up. He could understand that a young girl who had never left her small village would surely be filled with curiosity and excitement.
“She’s still a child after all. Even if her strength is decent, being limited by her environment makes her much less mature than Isis and the others back then,” Ron muttered to himself as he leaned against the headboard after Lifa scurried into the washroom.
Even if, according to the customs of the Uthis Continent, Lifa was already considered an adult, Ron had watched her grow up.
At the same time, his way of thinking was closer to his original world, so he still felt Lifa was just a child.
He was completely unaware that the young girl’s feelings and thoughts had already quietly changed.