Chapter 437: Sweet Dreams
“……”
The Butler stood frozen, a faint smile lingering on his face.
“……”
I averted my gaze.
“……”
The Forest Note tended to the fire in the Fireplace.
The flames flickered gently at first, then suddenly roared to life, warming the room unnaturally fast.
Hey! Could you not just jump in like that all of a sudden? I thought the Butler had blurred for a moment! But, uh, thanks?
“Not good. I see two Notes. I want to talk about various things before Martina wakes up, but I’m going to sleep!” Dean burrowed under the covers.
No, there are two of them! It’s correct to see two! The Fire Lizard snuggled into the blanket, while the little girl Spirit gleefully crawled into Dean’s shoes.
Are they divided into the “armpit scent faction” and the “foot scent faction”? The Fire Lizard is a small Fire Spirit, and it seems Fire Spirits often take the form of lizards. The girl must be a Fire and Light Spirit, right?
Wait, is Martina the girl I brought along? Did I bring her because she’s a target to protect, or because I genuinely wanted to help her? Given that I’m calling her by name, it’s probably the latter?
“Sorry to interrupt your conversation, but is the water outside?” Chris, oblivious to the mood.
“Yeah. I’ll get it. There’s a spring outside, but it’s cold,” I replied, grabbing two pitchers and enough cups for everyone.
The cups might be hard to drink from. A kettle wouldn’t do, and I have a pouring jug, but not enough for everyone. If only I had a straw—ah.
“Here you go.” I inserted a thick straw into a cup and handed it over.
“Oh, thanks. —I’m awake, so I’m fine,” Chris said, tilting the cup while avoiding the straw.
“Thanks a lot.” Dean poked his head out from under the covers, using the straw while still face down.
The straw is just that—a straw. If you cut off the nodes, it’s hollow inside. I’ve seen straws stuck into coconuts at Es.
It seems they’re used quite a bit in Kanum too. For what, you ask? To get drunk efficiently. Apparently, drinking alcohol through a straw makes you tipsy faster. I don’t know if it’s due to the Spirit’s effect or if it’s actually true.
No one around me is stingy with their drinking expenses, so I’ve never seen it firsthand. Even adventurers with poor earnings tend to show off when eating and drinking in public.
“Just wiping your face and hands will make you feel refreshed.” I distributed hot towels as well.
“I’ll leave the women to you.” I handed two to the Butler and one to the Forest Note.
“I’m starting to feel like I might collapse myself,” the Butler said, wiping Ash’s hands and face.
“Are you okay? You don’t seem injured, but…” I wondered if he had any bruises. Even if he did, I cast [Healing] on him, so he should be fine.
“—The mental fatigue has been greater since coming to this House,” the Butler replied, glancing at the Forest Note, who was doing the same for Martina.
Was it really a bad idea to have the same appearance? So far, there’s no sign of any complaints.
“Think of a fake name before Martina wakes up. Or call Haulon and shift the blame. —Sorry for barging in,” Retze said, realizing he had a towel on his face and covering it like a salaryman.
“I’m glad you came here. Or rather, how did you manage to get here?”
“It was a coincidence. In this Forest, you can barely see the stars. I recognized some familiar trees and only realized it when I got closer. I approached because I was looking for water.”
“I see.”
I had requested Yukihyo to find a water source to cool down or wash the Demon Beasts we hunted, and it seems that helped. There’s little usable water in the Deep Forest, and it’s frozen further in.
“I want to explain everything, but I don’t have the luxury of time,” he said, falling silent again.
“I think I’ll take a break too! Sleeping in a warm room feels like a dream.” Chris pulled the blanket up to his neck and soon began to snore.
Dean was already asleep. Seriously, could you not put a white towel on your face?
“I have many things I want to explain, and things I want explained to me, but I’ll excuse myself. I can’t resist this warmth.” The Butler took off his jacket and climbed into bed.
“Yeah. Good night.”
Now I have the option to either think of a fake name and pretend to be a stranger who helped, or bring Haulon along and dump it all on him.
Would it be okay to just drop her off at the Fortress City while she’s sleeping? I don’t know the details of the request, so it’s a bit tricky.
For now, I’ll cast a sleep spell on Martina. I’ll ask the Black Spirit, who’s probably getting smacked around by the surveillance guy outside, about the situation.
Depending on the circumstances, I might even capture the adventurer who fled from the Fortress City. They shouldn’t have left the Forest yet.
I’m feeling a bit angry for the first time in a while!