Chapter 1: A natural calamity that brought one encounter（３）
Astreya didn’t really remember the things after she treated (?) the young man.
But for now, she guessed that the acc.u.mulated fatigue made her sleep like that.
And it can be guessed that since she surrendered both the bed and futon and used the blanket to cover the youth, in the end she had nothing remained――and so, she couldn"t do anything else than to lean on the edge of the room.
However, to have someone"s face in front of you as the first thing you see after waking up…...it would be unavoidable if your understanding didn’t catch up right.
“Wh-who……!?”
As soon as she shouted that and retreated, Astreya forcefully knocked her head on the wall.
She felt like a loud sound rumbled inside her head. It was painful. Even as an immortal, painful things are still painful.
Restraining the painful resounding of her head and thinking 『Why is this……』, Astreya finally recalled the situation.
“Ar-are you okay…..?”
“Y-yes. More importantly, it looks like you have awakened. Have you rested enough?”
Right, I have picked this young man in front of me yesterday.
The youth"s expression was clearly fl.u.s.tered.
“Ah, aah…...so, are you really okay?”
“Don"t bother with me”
While saying that, Astreya"s head finally cleared.
Which remind me, I hadn"t picked only the young man but an horse too…...just when she thought so the horse cried out.
…….Preferably, if he had cried out sooner she might have noticed various things.
Astreya lightly cleared her throat while thinking so.
(Well, this person looks healthy, so it"s all good now?)
I was somewhat worried, but it looked like there are no problems.
If he"s all right, then it will be quick.
“Since you"ve woken up, get lost quickly. I treated you, so be thankful”
“No, that…...you are the one that saved me right?”
“That’s right. Do you have any problem with that?”
If he hadn’t saw me in such an uncool moment, I would"ve probably chased him away more smoothly.
However, what was achieved is no more than a not really smart first meeting. Astreya who was taken by impatience, were conscious that there was no need for that curt att.i.tude. But since the words already left her mouth, now it was too late to do anything. It was something that couldn"t be changed once reaching that point. In the first place, it’s been a while since she exchanged a conversation with someone with the exception of the giving and taking of money, and she didn"t remember the methods how to hold one.
That’s why that was unavoidable. That was unavoidable, but it was good to send him away.
While thinking so, Astreya glared at the young man.
The young man blinked his eyes, but that expression slowly become grim.
“I don"t remember clearly. There were falling rocks, and then the horse got surprised and slipped down――after that I don"t remember. But――”
“……”
Even though it’s not like I cured every wounds, if he fell through such a high place he certainly wouldn’t end up with just these minor injuries. It was natural for the youth to feel strange. For that, even Astreya could understand.
(I understood that but――I didn’t thought anything else apart from having to heal him)
Thinking that she’s done something that will doom her, Astreya averted her eyes.
Will she ever be able to do deceive him skillfully? I"m anxious but I have no choice but to do it.
“aren"t you glad that you ended up with just that kind of injuries”
“……”
“What? I don"t know the details”
What should I do if that didn’t deceive him, she thought impatiently as her forehead perspired cold sweats.
However the young man kept silent, if she open her mouth poorly, she may end up digging her grave by saying too much.
Give up quickly――Astreya glared at the young man, but he didn"t stop the conversation.
However, those words were something Astreya didn’t expect.
“Are you…... perhaps the descendant of a witch?”
“Eh…...descendant…..?”
“It’s the first time I encounter a witch that isn’t deployed in the military. Have you softened the impact of the fall…...I wonder….?”
Astreya knew that too, that there were almost no witch in the current world.
It"s just that she didn’t know that the treatment from the descendants were rare too as of now.
And she finally noticed that that the young man had no way to know the fact that she used recovery magic because it’s something that 『Doesn’t exist』generally.
As things were like this, her heart calmed down a little. Thanks G.o.d, he didn’t suspect a thing.
“.......Well, kind of”
What, was it pointless being impatient?
While feeling a little lost, Astreya didn"t change what she should do regardless.
I wasn"t exposed but the fact that I don"t want to get involved with people hasn"t changed.
“In any case! Since you are well, leave now”
I have no intention to make him overstay. What do you think is the reason I went to live in the forest. Wasn"t that for the sake of reducing relation with human? However the young man still didn’t move.
“Those bandages are…..”
“Don"t you dare say that it sucks…..!”
She didn"t think that the conversation would jump again in another direction, and Astreya too shouted again.
You could see that the bandages were already almost loosened but even so, she did her best to roll him in them. Can"t he just pretend to be glad by being saved? Or can"t he just remove them in silence? Astreya that turned her face away was again surprised by his unexpected words.
“Thank you very much for doing something you aren’t accustomed to”
If cautiously looking at him, the young man was looking at Astreya with an incredible calm face.
Astreya felt heat gathering on her cheeks.
“No-not really, I just didn"t want to see someone dying in front of me…...ah, no, it wasn"t an injury that looked deadly though…..”
“But, what can I do to thank…….”
“If you want to thank me, then quickly go back. Because I didn"t want to bring you here!”
And there was a presence I forgot, but if looking at the room, you could feel the bizarre presence of the horse. The horse was obedient, it was a situation were I didn’t related it.
“You are the one that saved Razur too right”
“Never mind that, go back already”
The brown horse that seemed to be called Razur, looked at the young man and brushing him aside stood up, going towards the corner of the room to take the youth’s luggage. And then drew them at him.
“I put them there as I thought it were precious goods. The other things were mostly broken. I didn"t really touch it so I don"t know though”
“Thank you”
“Now, quickly get lost!”
The horse that read the mood went out as soon as Astreya opened the door.
The young man stood up too, and then took his clothes that were hanged to dry at the corner of the room and nimbly putted them on, and picked his luggage.
Astreya breathed out a long sigh as the unusual situation finally ended.
“If you go down straight from here you should find the main road. Before you reach the main road, since Lilim trees are lined up you should just be careful to not get out of the place. The road isn"t furrowed so if you get lost it’s not my problem anymore”
“Thank you very much for everything”
“......if you come for thanking again I"ll chase you away”
The young man had a bit apologetic expression floating on his face but turned his back and got on the unsaddled horse before long, leaving toward the way of the Lilim trees Astreya told him.
Astreya feeling relieved saw him off.
I wonder how many years has it been since I got thanked by someone.
Probably hundred of years ago and since I never thought that getting involved with people was a good thing, probably never.
This person is weird, is he perhaps cursed?
I feel eerie, is this kid a true Saint?
Recalling the words that remained in her ears, Astreya bit her lips.
(Whatever, it’s not like I am a saint myself)
Settling, that having to do with people is unsatisfactory after all.
Astreya that thought so, the next day would have returned again to her lifestyle of having few interaction with people…...or so it should have been.
It was supposed to be like this.
“Thank you very much for the other day”
“I told you to not come!!”
‘Why did you came’, that, was the shout that resounded in the forest after a few days――
TN: Naoriel
Ed: Ally-el
Pffft that guy just exasperated our protagonist....