Chapter 173 : Chapter 173
Chapter 173: The Marvelous Wall (1)
Rine has changed.
Of course, if one only saw her expressionless face as usual, they might tilt their head upon hearing this, but she definitely looked different from before.
Before, she had few expressions but no hesitation at all, but now, should I say she has become very cautious?
Even though she recovered her memories, her taciturn personality didn't go anywhere, so it wasn't a very noticeable change.
So even I was half-doubting at first.
However, when we set up camp and were resting in front of the campfire we built, something happened that finally made me strongly convinced.
"...Excuse me, Lord Bin."
Until recently, in this kind of situation, Rine would just naturally be sitting next to me before I knew it.
"...Is it okay if I sit next to you?"
Instead of continuing to walk on eggshells and eventually working up the courage to ask carefully like this.
At that moment.
"──?"
Ibi, who heard that cautious question together next to me, inadvertently dropped the apple she was about to take a big bite of—which she brought plenty of when leaving Shurina—from her hand and started staring blankly at Rine with round eyes.
Ibi also intuitively realized that this was a reaction that would absolutely never come out from the Rine until recently.
Of course, she picked up the apple that fell on the ground again soon.
"...You're going to eat that again?"
"Hey, 5 seconds haven't passed."
Mentioning the '3-second rule' (with cultural differences), which I didn't know was a rule applicable even in a fantasy world despite hearing it's surprisingly universal, she brushed off the dirt on the skin and then stuck it on the tip of her dagger as it was and lightly seared it over the fire once.
"Happy now? Making a fuss over sh*t."
Then she took a big bite again.
"As much as you want. Here, sit."
Rine nodded with a noticeably brightened expression at my answer.
That expression was enough to make not only Ibi but also other companions flinch this time.
Even though she made such a satisfied smile, instead of sticking close without hesitation like before, seeing her strangely hesitating and sitting modestly while keeping a moderate distance, slightly different from the 'next to' until now, it was even more inevitable.
Although they didn't say it, just seeing them quietly start to read the room, I wouldn't be the only one feeling Rine's 'change' anymore.
"When did you ever ask before sticking close like a slime? Now all of a sudden?"
Although she threw it lightly with a smirk as if dumbfounded, this one word from Ibi which definitely hit the nail on the head.
"......."
Rine couldn't bring herself to deny.
Instead, she just avoided our eyes and slightly lowered her head.
As if hiding her face that had turned red enough to be clearly recognizable that it wasn't because of the campfire in front.
"......?"
At that appearance, Ibi made a dumbfounded face once more.
It was a look of disbelief at what she was seeing.
"Are you perhaps... right now..."
Rine still said nothing.
"...Feeling embarrassed?"
"...!"
She only didn't speak, but just seeing her flinch and tremble while hugging her knees, she was definitely answering the question.
To those who were used to Rine's indifferent appearance until now, it must have been a very shocking sight.
In fact, everyone, even Toric, had their mouths open.
Furthermore, Ibi, who would have giggled and teased saying 'What? Is she really embarrassed?' if it were her usual personality, seemed more confused as Rine, not anyone else, started doing that.
Eventually, Ibi, who was blankly staring for a moment at Rine who buried her face as if she couldn't lift her head, suddenly tapped me and beckoned me to come closer.
"That girl, somehow all day... I thought she was a bit different from before..."
Then she whispered in a tone still unable to believe, as if she really didn't know she would be saying this herself.
"That girl, being like that... what should I call that...?"
"Like that?"
She scratched her head pondering for a moment if this word was correct, then eventually Ibi spat it out.
"...Was she cute?"
It was an understandable reaction.
Right.
It could be expressed like that.
Whatever it was, it was a very unfamiliar sight to us.
How should I put it, it was an emotion we absolutely never saw from Rine.
It was just that she rarely showed it during that time, not that she absolutely didn't have emotions.
Considering she laughed at my old jokes, or secretly sulked when stopped from taking something or using her items, it means she definitely wasn't without emotions.
But this was an emotion that was just completely absent.
Rine feeling embarrassed?
Something absolutely unimaginable.
However, she was clearly feeling embarrassed right now.
As if she ate the Forbidden Fruit.
So, well, the reaction 'cute' was worthy enough to come out.
"Like when you got totally drunk last time?"
Thud.
Ibi headbutted my face, which was wearing a sly smile, with her forehead instead of her fist.
"Ah, wait. My nose."
"Break it and die!"
"Then the face that is totally your type will be ruined── Ah, wait, sorry. Just spouting nonsense. Ah."
From my perspective, if I had to be precise, the foremost emotion is 'gratification', but I also agreed with Ibi's opinion.
No, aside from telling me to die or whatever.
"That is... during that time... I..."
Like that, with her face completely red, feeling embarrassed about her 'past' where she had no hesitation... it was definitely novel.
"I was happy you relied on me though?"
"...Pardon?"
"So don't hesitate and you can come closer like before."
"Ah, no, that is..."
Another thing, if there is a noticeable change in Rine, it was the point that reading her expression became much easier than before.
"Actually, it's because I'm cold. It's cold, here."
So as soon as I threw a proper 'justification' (it was actually cold since the region is what it is).
"...!"
Rine bit that bait immediately.
"I-Is that so...?"
Making an expression where her gladness was clearly visible but she seemed to think inwardly that she was hiding it diligently.
"Yeah. Oh my, it's cold, cold."
At that, as I even trembled exaggeratedly, Rine, who couldn't hide her twitching lips, eventually slid closer to the side while still sitting.
"T-Then...!"
Eventually working up the courage, she stuck close like before.
"Is it, okay now?"
"Yeah, thanks to you. Ah─ warm, warm."
"...Fufu."
Then as I played innocent, Rine, perhaps her hesitation until now finally disappeared, even leaned her body lightly on me.
"I am warm too."
Honestly, I wanted to hug her tight just like this.
"......."
I couldn't do it because I was afraid Ibi, who had been staring this way continuously since earlier, would get jealous.
It's a joke, but actually, Ibi was making a quite complicated-looking expression.
Until now, no matter how much Rine held my hand or stuck close, Ibi didn't particularly mind, thinking 'She's originally like that'.
"No, somehow......"
It's understandable because there was no such thing as 'embarrassment' to Rine until now.
It means it was meaningless to tackle every single thing to an opponent who had no awareness at all that it was an 'embarrassing thing'.
That is why Ibi never pointed that out to Rine actually, except for the first time.
But now that she has it, she eventually stuck close like before even overcoming that emotion.
"...Ssspp."
So she had an expression pondering whether this falls under the act corresponding to 'Don't do it only in front of me' that she emphasized usually or not.
Perhaps mumbling inwardly 'Should I tackle this or not...?'.
As a bonus, even if it falls under the behavior she told us not to do, considering what happened just yesterday, telling her 'Don't stick and get away' is also a bit, well, you know.
An understandable worry.
"──Here."
So, I also knew the answer to that worry well.
"You come too."
Just hug her together amicably.
"Cold, right?"
If you become an accomplice (?), there is no need to tackle, right?
"Ah, get lost."
"Ouch."
Of course, perhaps she didn't like my Solomon-level clear solution, she replaced the answer by throwing the apple seeds she finished eating and hitting the center of my forehead.
Thanks to that, my both hands were free, and I could hold the lute instead.
Whatever it was, Rine was always Rine.
Even if her personality changed a little from before, the fact that I can give her the seat next to me whenever Rine wants didn't change.
"──Ahem."
Just like I can sing a song whenever she wishes.
"Then, I will sing a song to commemorate Rine returning to our party."
You ask if she never particularly wished for it?
You don't know what you are talking about.
There is no person in this world who doesn't wish for my beautiful singing voice.
Even if they don't say it, everyone inwardly wishes for it deep in their hearts.
"When did you ever sing because there was a reason?"
That person who showed a dumbfounded reaction right away is the witness.
So instead of replying, I strummed the strings of the lute I brought forward, pororong, lightly.
We will cross the wall soon.
In other words, it means the chance to rest leisurely with a campfire like this might not be much left.
"Today is gonna be─"
Shouldn't we cherish it.
***
It didn't take long to get to the wall.
Because Shurina is effectively a city right in front of the wall.
Although the Northern Elves living there were indifferent to the atmosphere beyond the wall as much as the people we saw in Stout, the city furthest from the wall, no, perhaps more than them, that was ironically largely due to geographical reasons.
Should I say there was almost no reason to be targeted because the barren land beyond the wall and Shurina fundamentally didn't have much difference in the 'land' itself?
So their position was a bit different from other cities inside the wall.
Plus, the Northern Elves' unique attitude that whatever happens outside has nothing to do with us also played a part.
However, that was an atmosphere possible only because it was Shurina.
At the wall, naturally, a tremendous tension was hanging in the air.
"──Stop!"
To the extent that the guard patrol we encountered at a place where the wall wasn't even visible yet, let alone crossing it, tried to arrest us as soon as they saw us, unfamiliar existences.
Of course, they apologized for the rudeness immediately as soon as they saw the insignias I presented subsequently after obeying those words obediently.
Still, thanks to encountering them like that, we could move to the wall more comfortably.
To be exact, to the 'place where people gathered' near the wall.
Should I call it a kind of camp.
There, gathered the guard patrols originally working at the wall, drafted from various places of the 12 Cities (strictly speaking, it was like that in the early days, but now a few cities were missing. Like the City of the Sky, Astartes, where the city itself literally disappeared.), as well as 'reinforcements' sent from each city to help them.
Like us, there were a few adventurers who came in the position of individuals, not cities, although not many.
And among them.
"──You, are you perhaps Irons?"
"...! H-How did you know?"
There were Miki's older brothers, who had departed from Tiaria earlier.