Lindel Village had been built near an active volcano.
It was a small volcano, just over 1,000 meters above sea level.
Though it erupted frequently, most of the eruptions were small in scale, causing little to no damage.
Major eruptions occurred only once every few centuries.
During such times, the surrounding area would be completely scorched, and everything would burn to ash.
People had long believed this was the wrath of the earth god.
To prevent disaster, they built altars, offered tributes, and prayed.
Even now, when everyone knew it was simply a natural phenomenon, the traditions continued to be upheld.
“Levasthan, you really need to stop crossing the line.”
Having arrived in Lindel Village, I was scolding the clueless staff.
It was because he had caused a scene, claiming the coachman had been staring intently at Fran’s chest.
“That guy had a lecherous look in his eyes. He definitely had impure intentions!”
“Any man’s eyes would naturally be drawn. It can’t be helped.”
“So you’re a pervert too?! There’s a molester here! Someone arrest him!”
“Hey, shut it.”
Even with my palm covering his crystal, Levasthan continued to shout noisily.
“Where are the guards?! This bastard is trying to assault my master!”
“That’s not true. Even if I tried, she’d beat me.”
“You’re trying to?! You just confessed to your crime! Someone arrest this bastard!”
Ugh, I couldn’t just smash him either.
I looked over at Fran, silently begging her to do something, and finally, she stepped in.
“Levasthan, shut up.”
“…….”
He went quiet, even though she hadn’t cast a mute spell or anything.
Maybe because he’d once been silenced for a whole week, he obediently backed down.
“And you, stop just standing there.”
“Isn’t it about time you realized that responding to him only makes him worse?”
“How am I supposed to ignore someone treating me like a criminal? Do something about that huge thing you’re carrying around.”
“I’m not the one carrying something huge. It’s just that everyone else is small.”
Fran lightly tapped my head with her staff.
Then she spoke to Levasthan as well.
“You’re no different. This isn’t the first time. If you keep making a scene, it’s going to interfere with our schedule.”
Big breasts attracted attention wherever she went.
Realizing that all over again, I began a new day.
***
“The Lava Colossus is going to resurrect…?”
The village chief looked at me with an expression of disbelief.
“That’s right. The recent volcanic eruption was a precursor. Soon, a full-scale eruption will begin, and when that happens, the Lava Colossus will burn down the village.”
The Lava Colossus was a legendary being said to punish humans on behalf of the earth god.
But in reality, it was nothing more than a magma golem sleeping deep underground.
“Are you saying the god is angry because our offerings have been lacking?”
“No. The colossus is a type of golem. It has nothing to do with gods or offerings.”
“So you’re denying the existence of the gods, Sir Theo…?”
“Not exactly. Faith brings people together, but if you cling to it too much, it can prevent you from stopping disasters that could otherwise be avoided.”
The first eruption had occurred ten days ago.
And the second one happened just yesterday.
If we delayed any longer, the village would suffer irreversible damage.
“Once the third eruption begins, it’ll be too late. I strongly recommend evacuating now.”
“Hmm…”
The village chief stroked his chin with his wrinkled hand.
“To tell the truth, we also know this has nothing to do with the god’s wrath.”
“Then why are you hesitating?”
“To outsiders, it may seem dangerous, but eruptions of this scale have happened often. It’s a bit much to say for certain that the colossus will appear…”
It was similar to how people living in earthquake-prone regions became accustomed to tremors.
The villagers seemed to view volcanic eruptions as nothing serious.
“Theo, I think you should mention the records.”
Just as Fran said, my claim, while weak, did have some basis.
“Whenever the colossus appeared, the volcano erupted three times. It happened that way hundreds of years ago, and again before that. It’s unlikely to be a coincidence.”
Yesterday, only a trickle of lava had oozed out, but next time would be different.
A massive eruption would come, and the colossus would burn everything down.
“It doesn’t hurt to be prepared for the worst, right? Please give the order to evacuate!”
“Hmmm… it’s hard to just abandon our crops and leave…”
That was when the conversation began to go in circles.
“O-hohoho! How pathetic. Calling yourself a hero, yet you can’t even get people to evacuate properly? Don’t you feel ashamed?”
A haughty tone and an exaggerated laugh.
Rosaria had appeared out of nowhere. She started laughing arrogantly with her back arched in pride.
“Who’s this crazy woman?”
Levasthan muttered, clearly unimpressed.
“Are you carrying around a talking staff? How charmingly common and cute your magical tool is!”
“Uh… you don’t have to keep acting anymore.”
“Eh, really?!”
With everyone’s attention on her, Rosaria’s face turned bright red.
The village chief looked back and forth between the two of us, clearly unsure of what was going on.
“Let’s put the explanations on hold for now. Please excuse me.”
The aftershocks from the volcano caused the ground to tremble ever so slightly.
I never imagined she’d chase us all the way out here.
That noble lady really didn’t know fear.
***
We moved to a secluded resting area where few people were around.
It was me, Fran, Rosaria, and even Canon.
The four of us gathered in one place.
“Who’s this person?”
Fran belatedly asked about her identity.
“Remember when I said I saved someone who was almost attacked by bandits? This is the healer I met back then. Lady Rosaria.”
“The candidate for sainthood who gave you the brooch?”
“That’s right.”
Fran’s expression subtly shifted.
“Just as I thought. She looks exactly like a stalker.”
She gave Rosaria a quick once-over from head to toe and muttered the words, but… to be honest, there was nothing to criticize.
True to her noble upbringing, her attire was elegant and vibrant.
Her well-kept hair gleamed with a healthy shine, and her beauty was striking.
Perhaps due to her time in high society, every one of her movements carried grace and elegance.
To someone like Fran, the gloomy witch, Rosaria was simply out of reach.
“Stalker? Are you referring to me?”
“Who else would I mean? You placed a tracking spell on the brooch and followed Theo around.”
“Oh my, I see you noticed.”
“As a fellow witch, I can’t condone using magic like that.”
A tense atmosphere settled between the two of them.
“Well, that may be true. But what’s so wrong about wanting to be near the one you love?”
“That really does sound like a stalker’s excuse.”
“It’s not an excuse; it’s the truth.”
Rosaria turned toward me and adjusted her posture.
“Sir Theo, who is this person?”
“She’s my childhood friend. Fran, you shouldn’t start off by picking a fight. Introduce yourself properly first.”
“You already did it for me, so I think I can skip that part.”
What’s with her now…?
She usually stammers in front of strangers, but today she’s acting unusually aggressive.
“Are you two ‘just’ childhood friends?”
A random question.
“What do you mean by ‘just’?”
“Exactly what it sounds like. I’m asking whether you’ve simply known each other for a long time, or if you share something more… special.”
Rosaria’s acting a bit different, too.
She sometimes does quirky things, but she’s always had the image of a kind and graceful lady…
But now, she was glaring at me so intensely while waiting for my answer that it felt almost scary.
“She and I are…”
I like Fran.
Ever since my confession failed, I hadn’t shown it outwardly, but my feelings hadn’t changed one bit since the moment I gave her that bouquet.
But Fran had never said anything about how she felt about me.
I figured that if she liked me, there’s no way she wouldn’t have said so. But then again, she was timid.
Maybe she was just too shy… or was that just my own wishful thinking?
Argh! Even so, I really don’t want to be the one to flat-out define us as just childhood friends…!
While I was screaming inside, Fran cut me off.
“Either way, it has nothing to do with you.”
There was an edge to her voice.
“Oh? That kind of sounds like you’re denying there’s anything special between you two.”
“I never said that.”
“Then… are the two of you lovers or something?”
“……”
She had probably gotten a pretty good sense of what we were by now.
Rosaria was clearly feeling triumphant.
“For your information, I intend to take Sir Theo as my partner. I’ve already spoken with my father. Now it’s just a matter of setting a date for the ceremony.”
“Theo, is that true?”
That was news to me.
Was I… engaged?
“You shouldn’t lie, Lady Rosaria.”
Canon pointed it out.
“I never told a lie… did I?”
“Count Belpherion never gave permission for the engagement, did he?”
“I made a declaration, so that counts as telling him!”
“That was just you throwing a tantrum.”
Of course.
There was no way a marriage ceremony could be decided when we hadn’t even seen each other’s faces.
“Sir Theo, don’t worry. My father will—w-wait a second!”
“That’s enough chit-chat. Let’s get going. There are many patients who need treatment.”
Canon grabbed Rosaria by the shoulder.
It seemed she was in the middle of her healer training or had a schedule to keep.
“I’ll find a way to convince my father, no matter what!!!”
Even as she was being dragged away, Rosaria shouted that toward us.
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