Luke was awoken at dawn, perhaps due to that ambiguous strange dream, nightmare or whatever it was.
Thanks to that, Luke was now aware of how utterly out of sorts Yerna was.
Typically, if you wake up at dawn, you would just think that you have awakened from your sleep and wouldn’t be saying, “Did you sleep well?”
“It hurt… I’m sorry. I wanted to keep saying this…”
She muttered while avoiding Luke’s gaze.
Since the room was quiet, her words reached Luke very clearly.
“Yerna… Is that what it took? You’re not in pain at all now.”
Oh dear, was it necessary to show her directly even if it was embarrassing?
Luke thought it was indeed a serious situation, so he directly covered her with the blanket, closed her eyes, and pressed down on her head lightly.
It was his way of accepting her apology in his own manner.
Because, right now, the only small thing he could offer her was this.
However, just because the action was small, it didn’t mean its effect was trivial.
It wasn’t just a simple massage, but a high-level mana manipulation technique where he used magic sight to sense the internal mana and operate his circle to burn away the fatigue substances that were blocking the flow of mana.
It was a makeshift procedure since he happened to lack the materials for potions.
“How about it? Does this help relieve your fatigue?”
But for Yerna, who was receiving it, it was merely a pleasant massage.
Though small and gentle, the pressure embedded within precisely targeted the aching spots, making it an excellent experience, one that wasn’t born out of one or two tries.
Yes, one that wasn’t born out of just one or two tries…
“You really know how to massage…”
As Luke’s massage continued, Yerna felt her head getting gradually clearer and more comfortable.
She could feel herself slowly becoming drowsy.
Luke, while kneading Yerna’s head, asked in a worried tone.
“Really, you do this every time; I can’t help but worry.”
“…I’m sorry for troubling you.”
With all the things she had to apologize for, Luke sighed and responded.
“Huh… There’s still a bit of time before work. How about getting some sleep?”
“I’m fine; thanks to you, I’m not that tired. And, I’m not going to work today…”
“That’s a relief…”
The fact that she wasn’t going to work was indeed fortunate.
Going into the forest in such a state would not yield anything good.
Though the fatigue evident in Yerna’s expression and voice had certainly lessened…
The weight behind it still remained.
“Yerna…”
It was certainly a feeling of suffocation in her heart.
There was clearly something she wanted to say.
“What on earth have you been thinking lately that you can’t sleep?”
“….”
“What exactly is bothering you so much?”
Luke paused his massage for a moment and spoke.
“Is it my fault that you can’t sleep?”
“That…”
It couldn’t be said with certainty that it wasn’t.
Luke knew well what that brief moment of silence implied.
A silent affirmation.
Given her nature, she usually would have responded immediately with a denial if it weren’t true.
Luke realized that the time for him to hear the overdue answer was approaching.
“Why are you being so kind to me?”
Unconditional kindness.
One can assert that such a thing doesn’t exist in the world.
No matter how young her body, there should be limits to the kindness given.
What Yerna offered to Luke was beyond the simple category of ‘kindness’.
Without the love of a parent, such a level of kindness wouldn’t usually be given.
If that was the case, then it ought to be something to take pride in.
But why was the one bestowing such kindness so apprehensive?
Shouldn’t it be the other way around—he, not her, feeling uncomfortable?
Simply because she was a ‘good person’?
Well…
No matter how much of a good person she was, it wasn’t typical for someone to worry for a complete stranger at the expense of her own health.
He also found it suspicious how he became her temporary guardian.
Even if becoming a guardian was the best course of action, to the extent of using ‘marriage’ as a means, it made him ponder if it was truly necessary to be her guardian.
Think about it.
Marriage is generally one of the most important things in life.
But what reason could there be to become a guardian to an orphan like him so much that it would be belittled to just a means?
There was hardly a valid reason.
No matter how one thought about it, it wasn’t a normal thought process.
Finally, Luke decided to ask Yerna about this.
“Tell me. What on earth happened to you?”
“That’s something for you not to worry about.”
“Then why are you clinging to me like this?”
Realizing that Luke had pulled his hand out from under the blanket and was firmly holding her hands in front of her with a serious expression, Yerna felt her heart flutter at the soft touch on the back of her hand.
“Please tell me. Continually worrying like this won’t be good for either of us.”
Feeling the firmness in Luke’s voice, Yerna realized she could no longer push the truth back any further.
“…Okay, I’ll tell you.”
It was about an old event that had been buried but perhaps now was the time to reveal it.
———
In the land of elves, Beriton, where 87% of the territory is forest.
It was a place where the only ‘real’ World Tree exists, a place where about 80 percent of the world’s elven population gathered, creating a remarkably extreme elven society.
Thwak—A small stone embedded right in the center of a target nailed to a tree.
It definitely came from someone’s shot.
If you followed the source, a 12-year-old elven girl with golden messy hair was pulling back her slingshot, one purple eye squinting as she aimed for the bullseye.
With a smack, as she released her grip, the flying stone struck the center of the target.
Confirming she’d hit it, the girl reloaded her slingshot and aimed again.
Puck!
The stones continued to fly accurately to the center.
“Hit again!”
It was an exclamation of admiration.
The girl turned her head towards the direction the voice had come from.
“Mom, did you see? I hit them all!”
With an excited voice, she pointed at the target, beaming with pride.
The target had a single hole right in the center.
Of course, she had every reason to feel proud.
“Well, I saw! All ten shots in the center!”
As she said this, she lifted her camera.
Click!
“Did I take a good picture?”
“Of course! Shall we go back and have some food?”
“Yes!”
The girl smiled brightly as she took her mother’s hand. Although her hands were dirty from picking up stones, she didn’t show any sign of being bothered by it.
She merely thought that she needed to wash her hands as soon as they got home.
“Our Karina can really shoot slingshots well.”
Not just slingshots, she was good with nearly all projectiles.
That wasn’t merely because the girl was an elf but because of her own talent.
“Are you going to be an archer when you grow up?”
“No! I want to be a Forest Keeper when I grow up!”
“A Forest Keeper? Why?”
Her answer seemed unexpected, as her mother replied with a slightly surprised expression.
Without a hint of hesitation, the girl answered.
“I want to be a cool Forest Keeper like Dad.”
“Is that so…?”
The mother nodded a bit reluctantly at her daughter’s firm response.
———
Clack, clack.
The sound of each member orderly maintaining their gear.
This sound always awakened him and made the operation feel real.
That was why he found the sound pleasing.
However, today, the harmony of the sound felt off.
The reason was due to a member staring blankly at her gloved hand over there.
The commander of the operation checked the name tag of that member.
Karina Rispind.
Wasn’t she a newcomer who had just joined not long ago?
‘The youngest recruit to join the special forces this quarter; a talented newcomer.’
He had already gathered enough personal information in advance.
She was 27 years old, which was quite young for a human but very youthful for an elf.
It must be nerve-wracking for her.
He patted the shoulder of the new recruit and spoke.
“Hey, rookie.”
“Yes, sir!”
“I know it’s your first mission and you’re nervous but don’t space out too much. Hurry and check your gear. It’ll be a disaster if something malfunctions on the field.”
“I-I will correct it!”
Clack, clack.
Surprisingly, her precise and swift movements manipulating the iron staff showed hardly any trace of the tension from earlier.
‘It looks like a really good rookie has joined this time.’
He had a gut feeling that this operation would go smoothly.
If she could just ease her nerves, there would be no problems.
“Entry, clear out, secure. Just remember this and you should be fine. Right?”
“Yes, I understand.”
“Good, good. Just stay moderately tense.”
“Yes, understood.”
She lightly bowed her head to the senior who had returned to his place before regaining her posture.
‘First mission…’
She clenched her fist tightly, taking a deep breath to calm her excitement.
“Haah…”
‘I won’t make any mistakes.’
Squeak-!
As the vehicle came to a stop, the members immediately began moving.
———
“Kugh…”
In the ruined facility.
Except for a few corpses that were shot while resisting, all were tied up and grouped together, keeping watch.
These were the ones managing the illegal facility’s funds, and if they dug a bit deeper, they’d surely uncover something.
So they must not kill them rashly.
After a moment had passed.
“Commander! I have something to report.”
“What is it? Did you find the ledger?”
“No, it’s not the ledger.”
“Then what is it?”
“Well… It’s the children. It seems they were also involved in human trafficking.”
“Huh.”
Involved in human trafficking as well, so they must have quite the backing.
He gave a signal to a few members to remain alert and followed the reporting member down to the basement.
The destroyed iron bars.
From there emerged two children with rather pallid complexions, looking distressed, likely having been there for a while.
Both appeared to be girls of similar looks, suggesting that they were sisters.
Their condition was horrendous.
They were dressed in rags, bruised all over, and their limbs were thin, perhaps from not eating properly. Their disheveled black hair framed empty eyes.
Additionally, having just stopped crying, they were still trying to catch their breaths, sniffling softly.
A female member was calming them with a soothing voice.
“Don’t worry, kids.”
‘Is that Karina?’
She exhibited exceptional prowess even on her first mission.
If she had such talent, she wouldn’t be in danger easily.
As he assessed the situation, a fellow member beside him whispered a report.
“There are no signs of sexual assault.”
Fortunately, that was a stroke of luck.
It could have been done for a higher price… but still, it’s better for there to be nothing bad at all.
“Karina, well done. If you’re okay, why don’t you take care of the children for a bit? We don’t have any other female members here…”
He understood that the kids were cute but also ugly in their current state.
Apologies to other members, but he worried they might scare the kids just by showing their faces.
The involvement in human trafficking was unexpected, and lacked preparation.
They hadn’t anticipated needing a child psychologist.
Karina, who knew the situation, nodded and said,
“Yes, understood.”
Karina nodded, gently stroking the hand of the child she had grabbed, looking down.
“What’s your name?”
“Karen…,” came the reply.
“Karen, I see. And your sister?”
“Iren…”
“Karen, Iren. Both are pretty names.”
As she continued to massage their hands, she noticed a mark on the ring finger.
The younger one had a similar mark on the same finger on her other hand.
Aha, it looked just like a ring.
