“Th-then… what brings you, dear Shaman, here?”
Hephaestus, who had just shown insane enthusiasm, suddenly calmed down.
Rubia’s reputation must be quite something.
But didn’t Heinzel and Luch already know? Weren’t they the same…?
Is that the power of experience…?
“As I mentioned earlier, I came to have my equipment repaired.”
“But why me…?”
“I’ve heard you are the most skilled in this village?”
Hephaestus, who had been mumbling oddly, suddenly bowed deeply.
“I, I spread that rumor… I’m sorry. I’m a bad person.”
“Eh…?”
“W-what…?”
“To find a skilled place… I recommend you go to Chrome Blacksmith two blocks further over there…”
Rubia sighed deeply and rubbed her face.
I followed her lead.
“So… you were the one who spread that rumor… and your skills are lacking?”
“…Yes. The quality is just okay… but I’m fast. I’m sorry.”
“That’s… quite surprising.”
Rubia’s gaze turned toward me.
Is she asking how I want to handle this?
Hmm…
“W-well, just do it. I’ll leave it to you.”
Hephaestus’s head shot up.
“Really?!”
“Yes, really.”
If everyone only liked experienced workers, what would new ones eat to survive?
And if… if the quality is somewhat guaranteed, faster is better, right?
“Then I’ll finish it as soon as I can!!”
Hephaestus said, thrusting his face closer.
“Ah, you don’t have to hurry too much.”
Rubia pushed Hephaestus away slightly and refused.
Why…?!
You need to hurry!
“Eh? Weren’t you in a hurry?”
“If you rush, mistakes happen, and if they pile up, it becomes a problem. So please do it as carefully as possible. It’s… for my precious person.”
Hearing Rubia’s words, both of Hephaestus’s hands covered his mouth.
“Wow… whoa… Yes, yes! Understood!!”
And I… froze, unable to do anything, just like her.
S-someone precious…
I’m… someone precious to Rubia…!
I gazed at Rubia with a moved expression.
I don’t know what kind of expression Rubia is making, but… something near my heart warmed up.
“He-hehe… precious… heh…”
“Noah? Shall we leave after handing over your equipment?”
“Yes!”
I nodded vigorously and handed over my gear one by one from my bag.
I checked to see if anything was missing…
“But really, this is a mess. Considering the condition, it wouldn’t be strange if it broke ages ago… how is this still holding together?”
Hephaestus kept mumbling as he examined my gear one by one.
“Ah, a belt like this… ah-ha… cutting it this way makes it slide smoothly. Wow. The previous smith’s skills were amazing! But… why isn’t there any reinforcement for the blind spots?”
“Eh?”
“Usually… the parts that are hard to see or evade are reinforced. But… with it being finished so neatly and no reinforcements anywhere… looking only at this equipment, the user has no blind spots… ah…?”
Hephaestus’s head slowly lifted.
And it tilted increasingly to the left.
“I know this may seem rude, but…”
If it’s a rude question, make it one…
“Y-you’re right. Blind.”
I nodded in response.
Then Hephaestus began mumbling again.
“Black hair… short stature… and a Great Sword while blind… Huuh… a red beast that tears apart monsters…?”
“Ehh? A red beast that tears apart… monsters? W-what’s that…?!”
“Huh… ah, uh…”
Hephaestus’s gaze shifted to Rubia.
Rubia subtly shook her head.
What are you all doing…?
I’m still holding the Great Sword, you know?
I can sense everything!!
“Ru-Rubia, you know something, don’t you?”
“Ah, um…”
It’s very rare for Rubia to be flustered.
What could it be…?!
“I’ll explain when we get back to the inn later.”
“Y-you must tell me… for sure.”
“Sure. It’s a story you would find out sooner or later anyway. And I’m a bit… looking forward to your reaction. Hehe…”
Rubia’s laughter contained a hint of mischievousness.
What… what is this…
“F-first, please take this. I entrust it to you. Because… I cherish it a lot.”
Feeling an odd unease, I handed the Great Sword to Hephaestus.
“Yes, I’ll keep it in mind! But to say it’s extremely precious… the condition is too… ah, never mind! I understand! I’ll do my best!!! Time is ample… please come for it when the sun sets!”
“Yes…”
The Great Sword slipped from my hands.
My vision darkened and everything felt powerless.
The sense I still couldn’t adapt to enveloped my entire body.
I immediately grabbed Rubia’s hand tightly.
At least that felt a little better.
“What about the price…?”
“Ah, right! The price is, um… well, I think we’ll know when the repairs are done. The materials are quite tricky to handle… is it okay if I tell you that after everything’s finished?”
“Umm… got it. L-let’s go, Rubia.”
“Yes. Let’s go. Then please take care of it, Hephaestus.”
“Yes, yes!!! I’ll do my best!!!!”
Following Rubia’s lead, I carefully stood up and opened the blacksmith’s door to step outside.
As we exited, I heard Rubia muttering, “By evening… we’ll have enough time.”
She’s probably worried about how long the story about the red beast that tears apart monsters will take, right?
“Ugh… It’s so, so uncomfortable… frustrating… ugh…”
Maybe I should have just waited at the blacksmith…
“Should I carry you?”
“No. Just… hold my hand… don’t let go… absolutely! Right now, I have a lot of money in my pocket. If I lose this, it’ll be a big, big deal…!”
“Pffft- I understand. Don’t worry.”
Rubia’s grip on my hand tightened.
“N-now we’re really leaving… to the inn, right?”
“That’s right. Oh, should we buy some snacks on the way?”
“Oh, sounds good… skewers!”
“Those skewers sold over there?”
“Yes, that! The smell was outrageous yesterday…! Don’t you think it’ll be delicious…?”
Upon hearing my words, Rubia chuckled softly.
“Alright. Let’s go choose.”
“Yes!”
*
“W-what…! That’s ridiculous gossip…!!”
My hand holding the skewer trembled madly.
“Pfft-hahaha! It’s not nonsense. I felt the same when you hunted the Black Bear, Noah!”
After leaving the blacksmith, I came back to the inn and heard about the ‘red beast that tears apart monsters’ from Rubia.
That… that was talking about me…!
The type of rumor is absolutely stunning.
‘The red beast that tears apart monsters’ was the most representative nickname.
And there’s ‘the demon with red eyes’, or ‘the demon that can only survive by drinking the blood of monsters’…
What else? A demon capturing ten thousand monsters to become human…?
That’s nonsense…
So… so cringy!
So embarrassing! Even a middle schooler going through puberty wouldn’t give such a nickname!
A-and it’s not like they see me as a human to begin with!
“H-h-how was I…?”
“Don’t you remember? Ugh… back then, with an eyeball on your waist, drenched in blood… and in the end, bursting the Black Bear’s head. I genuinely thought you were trying to drink blood on purpose! And then you smiled at me right after… it was… scary.”
I recalled the memories from back then.
I distinctly remember breaking a shoulder blade… then turning around to crack the head.
Of course, at the time… I was feeling so awful that I acted a bit more violently…
“W-was it that horrifying…? Did I look like a demon or beast?”
“Back then, yes. I didn’t believe it at first. Plus, Noah had black hair while being called a red beast, it didn’t make sense. But after seeing you covered in blood, I understood. Ah… you truly are the red beast… snicker”
My face felt hot…
“Why are you telling me this now…? If you had mentioned it earlier… I would’ve… taken it easier…”
“Does that gossip even matter? Plus… I don’t think it’s bad. You need a strong image so that people won’t bother you. Noah is just… um… too cute, so that much is necessary. It’s cool, haha… cool!”
Not cool at all…
What kind of world is this…?
That gives such strange nicknames…!!
“Forget it… I won’t be able to lift my head around anymore…”
Defeated and collapsing onto the bed, I said.
“Who cares? It’s cool… the red beast that tears apart monsters. Wow… that sounds cool.”
I could hear Rubia lying on the bed next to me.
“I’m not kidding.”
“I wonder what nickname Noah will get when he becomes a high-ranking adventurer.”
“It’ll probably be something weird… like Heinzel Uncle and Luch Uncle’s bald and one-eyed.”
Ah, was he bald?
Hmm… either way is the same.
“Haha… that’s also true.”
The sound of Rubia’s voice right in front felt ticklish, so I turned slightly.
“By the way, Noah. You’ve been speaking quite well lately?”
“Yes?”
Swoosh– swoosh–
I heard Rubia approaching me.
“Well, at first, you spoke so quietly, and your pronunciation was awkward… you were stuttering quite a bit, right? But now, your voice is somewhat louder, and you seem to speak clearly.”
Did I?
Hmm…
I think that only happens when I’m with Rubia…
No, and then… talking about beasts and demons suddenly brings up how well I speak… it feels strange!
I speak well originally!
“Well, I don’t know about that. It just seems like I’m more at ease around Rubia. I don’t behave like that around other people. And… I used to speak well…!”
Rubia gently hugged my body.
“Being with me makes you feel safe?”
“Uh, yeah…?”
I imagine whatever trouble I get into, she’ll somehow… solve it.
After all, she’s a Shaman…!
A Shaman whom even nobles can’t mess with!
And she’s so pretty!
She listens to me well too!
Besides, she even plays the role of a potion maker!
That’s why I feel reassured!
“But… c-could you let go…?”
I feel reassured, but it’s too embarrassing…
“Why? You were like this yesterday too.”
“Ah, no… that was…”
I was crying… and then, somehow, emotions exploded, and it just happened… this is different!
“I don’t want to.”
“I-it’s not that I don’t want to… just that I feel embarrassed…”
It smells so nice, and having Rubia right behind me is nice too, but…
The sensation on my back is just too…! Oh?! That’s just…!
“If you don’t feel like it, then I can’t help it.”
Rubia’s grip loosened.
I hurriedly grabbed her hand and drew her in again.
“It’s… fine! Let’s just stay like this…!”
Seeing Rubia’s regretful expression.
Yup. I’m not doing this because I like it.
“Um, is that so?”
Rubia, while hugging me quietly, said softly.
“Noah, I have something I’m curious about.”
“Yes?”
“Um, I’m not sure how to ask, so I’ll just ask directly. There’s no other meaning, and I’m really just curious… you don’t have to answer if you don’t want to.”
Rubia’s arms tightened around me.
“Sure.”
“When you’re in important moments or dangerous situations, you open your eyes, right? I was just wondering why…”
“Ah…”
I do tend to open my eyes in important moments.
“It’s not for any special reason. It’s a habit… kind of showing off.”
“Really?”
“Yes. And, um, it’s a secret but… keeping my eyes closed like this actually makes it a bit distracting… it’s hard to concentrate.”
Hearing what I said, Rubia nodded, thinking it made sense.
“Is it strange…? A blind person walking around with their eyes open… and with those hard-to-see red- Ugh-!!”
While I was speaking, Rubia forcibly turned my body to hug me.
Suddenly, a soft and fluffy sensation on my face…!
I can’t breathe!
“No. Not at all. I actually want to keep seeing. If you opened your eyes while walking around normally… um, would that be uncomfortable?”
I gently pushed Rubia away.
“Y-you want to see…?”
“Yes… but if Noah doesn’t want to, you can keep them closed.”
“Hmm… then I’ll show you. Since it’s you, Rubia…”
After taking a moment to catch my breath.
I opened my eyes.
“Wow… seeing you up close is much prettier…”
Rubia’s hands brushed over my eyelids.
“I hope that someday, Noah can see… mirrors too… and this world.”
I raised my hand to touch Rubia’s face.
“Well, Rubia’s face is like this.”
I felt her proper round forehead.
Her sharp yet kind eyes.
Her cute little ears.
Her high nose.
And her lips, slightly curved down.
I imagined it.
“I can tell by touch. Rubia, you’re incredibly beautiful. Your eyes are big, your nose is high… and your lips are soft.”
“Ugh… uhm… right…?”
Rubia gasped in surprise and pulled back a bit.
After that, Rubia kept rambling about her younger sibling and her mother.
While I used those peaceful sounds as background noise.
I continued to.
Open my eyes.
To the words in front of me.
On a black background.
The shining words so vividly.
I stared at them.
I repeated them.
I engraved them in my mind.
So that I wouldn’t forget.
Absolutely never forget.
So much that it would be etched into my subconscious.
I gazed.
So that my identity wouldn’t vanish.
So that I wouldn’t be consumed by this character.
Continuously.
Relentlessly.
I stared.
