Chapter 96:
The Contest
“Thank you very much!”
On this particular day, the Crimson Vow’s haul consisted of some rare medicinal herbs they had gathered, along with some small animals they picked up along their route, so rather than heading for the disassembly shed at the back, they had turned in their quarry at the exchange window inside the main guildhall.
Not only were these herbs rare, but they tended to spoil very swiftly after harvesting. As a result, the Crimson Vow, who had the advantage of both Mile’s search magic and a certain inventory (in which time did not pass), were unbeatable when it came to these sorts of tasks.
Of course, there was plenty of reason for the clerks and other hunters to be suspicious of the party’s explanations that they had “found the herbs right before they returned” or “come back to town as swiftly as they could while preserving them with ice
magic.” However, there was neither a guild employee nor a fellow hunter who would ever question their abilities. They all valued their lives and reputations too much.
Then, just as the Crimson Vow moved to leave…
Ding-a-ling!
The familiar sound of the standard guild doorbell chimed, and…
“Oh!”
“Aah!”
“Aaaaaah!!!”
“We found yooooouu!!!”
Three screams rang throughout the guildhall.
And then…
“Miss Marcela! Miss Monika! Miss Aureana!!!”
Indeed, the Wonder Trio, who had set out eastward following Mile’s trail, and then made a large detour, had finally found them.
***
“What?! So you’re saying you came back here just a few days after we left? And our long and painful journey was for nothiiiiing?!?!” cried Marcela in a most unladylike voice.
After hearing Mile’s tale, Monika and Aureana both slumped in dismay.
Of course, the Trio knew that their travels had not been truly in vain; they had accumulated many new experiences as hunters, after all. Still, it was perhaps inevitable that they might consider all that time and energy spent a bit of a wasted effort.
Marcela collected herself. “Now, I know that you bear no responsibility for that, Miss Adele. Still, I suppose I cannot help but grouse a bit thinking of the struggles we brought upon ourselves by not simply lingering a few more days,” she said.
Mile nodded. This was understandable. Indeed, the three members of the Trio looked quite visibly ragged and filthy. They probably had not washed their hair in some time.
“Your hair, skin, and clothes are so dirty… It must have really been hard…” Mile said solemnly, not thinking…
“No—but I mean—that’s normal!”
“They still look awfully nice for lady hunters who have been on the road, don’t they?”
“If that’s enough to be called dirty, other ladies don’t stand a chance!”
One after another, the male hunters around crowed their support for the Trio.
“Huh? But I mean, we always… Ow!” Mile’s words were cut off by a bonk on the head from Reina’s staff. She turned to see a terrifying look upon Reina’s face.
“N-never mind what I was saying…”
Indeed, the Crimson Vow was the only hunting party in existence who could stay entirely clean on a journey or long excursion.
Normal parties lacked the ability to walk around with portable washrooms on their backs. Normal parties would never be stupid enough to waste all their mages’ magic on something as frivolous as warm showers. Normal parties did not have magic with which to clean their bodies and clothing. Normal parties often did not have the space for even a single change of clothing among their supplies. There were limits to what hunters could carry in their packs, so there was no room for any extra items once their spare weapons, camping equipment, rations, and other necessities were accounted for. Additionally, parties without mages would have to carry their own water, which was another encumbrance on top of all that.
Because the Wonder Trio still stuck chiefly to the main highways, spending seventy or eighty percent of their nights in inns instead of beneath the stars, they were able to get by. Though there were also those hunters who lived no better than vagabonds, their purses too slim for inns, spending all their nights camping out as they moved through the forests in pursuit of plants and game, these young ladies would not be among their number.
“W-well, maybe we should continue this at the inn?”
Obviously, it was a tad problematic to be standing around shouting in the middle of the guildhall. And so, all seven of them relocated to Lenny’s inn…
***
“My, my! You’ve brought us some new guests, how wonderful! I hope you continue to apply yourselves so effectively in the future!” Lenny praised the members of the Crimson Vow.
“And why do you sound so high and mighty?!” Reina snapped back.
Of course, Lenny’s tone had been intended as a joke—she had not earnestly meant to patronize her favorite hunters. Or so Mile said, hoping to placate Reina…
“Huh? No, I’m serious. Please keep bringing us more guests!” Lenny cut in.
“So you were serious?!?!”
Mile was taken sadly aback.
Anyway, the Wonder Trio rented themselves a room, and all seven girls gathered there together.
“What?! Actually, come to think of it, that makes sense…”
Once they had entered the room, Reina explained to Mile exactly why they were the only party that could stay so clean along the road. At first, Mile was surprised, but after some thought, finally accepted the reality of the situation. Though the Wonder Trio had chiefly stayed at inns, they still had only one change of clothing and underwear, and if they walked all day, it was only to be expected that they would end up dirt-coated and drenched with sweat. Most inns had no baths, only towels and dishes of water guests could use to wipe themselves down with. Of course, the Trio could produce as much water as they needed, and as they were young girls, they did not have to worry about growing beards, so that was really all they needed in terms of hygiene.
“That’s right! Things aren’t the way they were when we were back at school!” said Marcela, blushing slightly. Apparently, the Wonder Trio had just written off their relative lack of cleanliness as a side effect of their journeys on the road, but having Mile point it out was rather embarrassing. Indeed, at the academy, they had bathed twice a week, with showers always at their disposal.
Of course, showering in true comfort had required quite a bit of capital for tipping someone to draw the water, which was a tough expenditure for the poorer students, a.k.a. scholarship students like Aureana. However, those without the funds could always draw their own water. The well was right next to the bathhouse, after all.
Because of this, Mile (or as they knew her, Adele) had never taught her magical cleaning techniques to Marcela and the girls—neither the one to clean their clothing nor the one to clean themselves. Of course, she had never expected the three of them to become hunters and travel the world, so it had never crossed her mind.
“Anyway, that’s beside the point! We must finish the task that we came here to complete!”
Indeed, there had to be some exceedingly good reason that three young and inexperienced girls would travel all the way out to a foreign country on their own. Realizing this, the four members of the Crimson Vow waited patiently, their expressions tense, to hear what Marcela had to say.
And so, Marcela wove the tale of their travels, finishing:
“Miss Adele, you will join up with our party and travel eastward with us at once! This place is too close to Brandel—it’s dangerous for you! I think the four of us should be fine for the next four or five—no, six or seven, no, perhaps even ten—years. By then we will all be twenty-three, so… Anyway, the four of us are going to have a splendid life together! A life that is truly all our own, until we return home and are forced to wed, whenever such a thing occurs. You will of course be coming with us, Miss Adele!”
“Adele!”
“Adele, dearest!”
One by one the girls put their hands together, gazing deeply at her, their eyes impassioned and teary.
“O-of course…”
“YOU’VE GOTTA BE KIDDING US!!!” shouted the other three members of the Crimson Vow. Even the normally mild Mavis had a vein bulging on her forehead.
“Get out of here with your nonsense!”
“If you’re going to talk crazy like that, you better have actually lost your minds!”
“Mile belongs with the Crimson Vow. You outsiders need to stay out of her business!”
The other three members of the Crimson Vow were livid.
Th-this is…
They were on the verge of an all-out war, and there was something that Mile needed to say to everyone present. So, she steeled herself and opened her mouth.
“Everyone! Please stop fighting over me!!!”
Yes! I finally got to say the number-three phrase on my, “Things I’ve Always Wanted to Say” list! What good fortune I must have stumbled into…
Mile huffed in satisfaction.
Then, a profound and extended silence fell over the group, before all six girls turned to her and shouted, “Don’t act like this has nothing to do with you!!!”
They were all furious.
***
“Anyway, you all are just a bunch of old school friends of hers. We’re her partners in her career. It’s fine if you all happen to meet up and want to kick back for a bit and reminisce about the old days, but you can’t act like your relationship isn’t already past its expiration date!” snapped Reina.
“Yeah! You all are just normal students who only learned to fight thanks to Mile’s instruction, right? Obviously, that’s totally different from us—we were already walking this path and just leveled up more quickly with Mile’s help. I’m sure you can take down an orc or ogre or something, but do you really think you could go toe-to-toe with a beastman or demon or wyvern, let alone an elder dragon? You all aren’t strong enough to fight alongside Mile,” Mavis added.
“It sure would be a pain for Mile to have hangers-on like you following her around for the rest of her life, simply because you happened to get to know each other in school, back when you were children. You’re just a burden to her,” Pauline coolly concluded.
“Wha…?”
This was some biting criticism. Even Mavis, who was always kind and considerate of the feelings of others, had been pretty harsh. That said, everything they had said had been sincere and reflected their understanding of Mile, the Wonder Trio, their safety, and their futures.
From what the members of the Crimson Vow had heard from Mile, they knew the members of the Wonder Trio were not the type born to the battlefield—unlike the members of the Crimson Vow, whose options were limited by their circumstances, each of them had other decent futures within their grasps. They might marry into another noble household or merchant family, or find a career as a public servant or high-ranking clerk of a noble house. There was no reason for them to be wasting their lives scraping along as hunters, one of the lowest professions there was.
Plus, if Mile were to travel with the Wonder Trio, the members of which were, on the whole, far weaker and more naive than the hunters of the Crimson Vow, it would be easy for Mile to end up killed, whether as a result of being too soft on an enemy or trying to save the other girls from being hurt or taken hostage. In contrast, the members of the Crimson Vow were prepared to end their own lives should they ever be taken hostage, to spare their comrades any risks. Could the pampered daughters of a noble and a merchant family, and a simple village girl, ever make such a decision?
Faced with such a harsh critique, the Trio was lost for words…or not. In fact, their reply came swiftly.
“But you all lost so easily to us!”
“Gnh…”
Indeed, the very first time the two parties had met, Mile had battled against the Wonder Trio alongside the other members of the Crimson Vow—all of whom had been thoroughly trounced by the Trio. That said, that battle had taken place within the girls’ dorms at Eckland Academy and had been, in effect, a cat fight, a highly restricted battle involving nothing more than limiting magic and insults, out of consideration for the students in the rooms beside and below them, as well as the need to avoid injuring their opponents or destroying the room or any of its furnishings. Even so, the same restrictions had been placed on both sides during that fight, and while they were not fighting at full power, there was no doubt that both parties had taken the clash seriously.
Furthermore, there was truly no excuse for the Crimson Vow, who had the advantage of numbers, to have been so soundly defeated. They were three full-time career C-rank hunters, and yet they had lost to three younger academy students. They could make all the excuses they wanted, but really, all they could do was deepen their own embarrassment.
“Grrnh…”
“Guh…”
“Mrngh…”
Thus, the three had no rebuttal to the Trio’s words.
“But all of your families must be worried about you…” said Mile, a worried look upon her face.
“Oh? But we’re operating under direct permission from Her Highness, Princess Morena, who allowed us to come after you and ascertain your safety. There is no more honorable duty than carrying out the orders of the royal family, so all of our families are cheering us on. We are simply on an extended tour of duty yet unable to locate Miss Adele—the Viscountess Ascham. It’s perfectly fine!”
Wait a minute … thought three members of the Crimson Vow, finally picking up on the Wonder Trio’s designs.
What of the fourth Vow? Mile, of course, had realized nothing at all…
“Plus, if you’re worried about us, the solution is simple,” Aureana began. “You simply travel with us, and we all take simple, safe jobs, just doing the bare minimum workload necessary for us to maintain our position as hunters, while the four of us open a little shop together or something. We’ve kept our own funds in an independently owned account back home, and both Miss Marcela and Miss Monika come from affluent families, so there’s no need for us to save up money, and thus no need for us to earn any huge sums. As long as we can live comfortably, that will be enough.
“Do you girls intend to keep making her take on dangerous jobs, like fighting against fearsome monsters or against other people—which I’m sure you don’t desire, dear Adele—simply for the sake of earning money and improving your rank?”
“Uh…”
The Crimson Vow had no rebuttal to this argument.
Apparently, it was time for the members of the Crimson Vow, who could never defeat Marcela and Aureana in a war of words, to resort to desperate measures…soon as it was.
“Mile! Tell them immediately! Say that you’re going to continue on as a member of the Crimson Vow!”
“Uh…?”
Mile panicked, suddenly put on the spot. Reina, Mavis, and Pauline were staring at her, certain that Mile would choose them.
Uh oh. Waaaah…!
She had to choose between two sets of her dear, dear friends. How could she possibly be expected to do such a thing? On the one hand, there was the Wonder Trio, the first friends she had ever made, in both this life and the last. On the other hand was the Crimson Vow, the ones who had pledged their lives to her and vice versa. All of them were her most invaluable friends…
Wh-what do I do?
Harried, racking every inch of her brain, Mile squeaked out a single wish.
“Please everyone stop fighting over me!”
“ENOUGH WITH THAT ALREADY!!!”
Mile had never once thought about traveling with Marcela and the girls of the Wonder Trio as hunters. They all had families and the foundations of a proper future. They were not girls who ever would have been fated to such a base and dangerous profession as a hunter. Thus, assuming that they would never want to go pursuing any battles or using magic in any way that would make them stand out too much, she had taught them her “secrets of magic” simply to save them from a life of drudgery.
Having told the Trio not to say anything, she had no fear of her secrets being proliferated to others, or having any noticeable effect on the world. These girls had had little magical talent at the outset and would probably live as nobles, without any need for flashy battle magic. And more, they were not the sort of people who would ever break a promise to a friend. It was for all these reasons that Mile had imparted her secrets to them.
The members of the Crimson Vow were different. Though she trusted in them as her allies, they were already fairly talented individuals to begin with and found themselves in battle often. If she were to teach them the same secrets, they would soon be subjects of research, which would then be put into practical use. They would probably use their skills to protect not only themselves, but also their present and future allies, and their knowledge and techniques would spread.
Therefore, she had not taught the Crimson Vow the same foundational concepts that she had imparted to the Wonder Trio, restraining herself to her more peculiar methods of instruction, where she purposely left out the important parts so that they could only access the parts of magic that she wished them to. She had taught them nothing that would allow them to trace spells back to their foundations or truly understand the usage of power.
Still, it had begun to worry her lately that members of the Crimson Vow had been developing these techniques even more on their own and had already started putting some of this knowledge to use…
Mile turned to the Trio. “I’ve never thought about being hunters with you all…”
Reina looked triumphant, her expression conveying something along the lines of “What did I tell you?” while the members of the Trio, by contrast, appeared stunned.
“I met Reina and the others at the Hunters’ Prep School,” Mile continued. “Which means that they were people who had always intended to make their names as hunters. But Marcela, you three never had any intention of becoming hunters, did you? Not you, Marcela, the daughter of a noble; nor you, Monika, the daughter of a merchant; nor even you, Aureana, someone on whom everyone has pinned their hopes as the prodigy of your village… And yet, the three of you would risk all this danger, and turn your lives upside down, just for me? How could I let you do that?!” she asked, lowering her eyes apologetically.
The members of the Wonder Trio were silent. There was nothing they could say in reply. They were fully aware of the truth of Mile’s words. They were neither particularly good at fighting in the way that most hunters did, nor was it something they really wished to do. It was only because of the secrets Adele had taught them that they had been able to accomplish what they had…and only for her sake that they had chosen this path in the first place. They were not exactly hoping to make a life of this job, nor aiming to rise in the ranks of hunters.
“What I’m saying is you don’t need to just start forcing yourself to live as hunters all of a sudden…”
“Hm? But we’ve already been hunters for nearly two years. We’re all C-ranks now.”
“…Huh?”
“Huhh?!?!” cried all four members of the Crimson Vow in shock.
Their surprise was natural. First of all, in a country without something like the Prep School, a thirteen-year-old C-rank hunter, just out of the academy, was not a phenomenon that one would expect to see. Three of them was even more unlikely. Second, while it was one thing for them to be working as hunters right now, there was no reason that they should have been doing this work at any point before graduation. And third, two years ago was roughly the time when Mile had registered as a hunter, bringing to light the awful possibility that the Wonder Trio might even be senior to Mavis and Pauline, who had only registered as F-ranks when they enrolled at school… Though of course, the Crimson Vow had become C-rank well before they had.
“I thought we told you all about this when we last met? That we were already working as hunters?”
“You never said anything about that!!!”
Of course, this still didn’t change the reasons Mile had already given for why she could not go with them. Whether they were D-rank or C-rank, that did not change the circumstances overall.
“W-well, putting that aside, you all should still go back home, and live a safe and happy life…”
“And live like a caged bird, forced into marriage as my family’s pawn?! Safe or no, that has nothing to do with my wishes or my happiness!”
“Same here!”
“And I’m just going to be some lackey, bound to my job in order to pay off my scholarship debts!”
All of their eyes, including Aureana’s, which were typically rather narrow, went wide with rage.
Though it was not an entirely unhappy future that awaited the three, the age of thirteen was far too young to give up on the dream of grasping a few years of adventure that would fulfill all their desires before marriage.
It was probably to be expected that no one had yet raised the idea of the Crimson Vow and the Wonder Trio joining together as a party. That would leave them with one swordswoman, one combo fighter, and five mages.
The balance would be horrendous.
Furthermore, their group would be comprised of three nobles, three daughters of merchants, and one commoner—far too disparate a mix.
Besides, there would be two who were inclined to leadership (Mavis not included). Two with darkness lurking in their hearts, two who played dirty when it came to money, and two with kind hearts. (Of course, these calculations had some overlap.)
The duplication of roles was just too egregious.
The members of the Crimson Vow were silent. They were all aware that they were far too reliant on Mile. Sure, they were each confident in their own abilities in battle. However, when it came to their earning potential and all the practical parts of a hunter’s life, Mile’s special brand of “storage magic” was just too useful. Far, far too useful…
The members of the Wonder Trio were silent as well. They had sensed that currently, Adele had no need for them. Though they had been friends back at the Academy, it had already been two years since then. Adele had new friends, a new life, and a new place to live. And yet, here they were, waltzing in after all this time and trying to muscle their way in and tear this new friendship apart. This friendship, which felt brand new, but had already lasted far longer than the time they had spent with her…
Yet without Adele, there was no reason for the Wonder Trio to continue as hunters. It had been reckless of them to flee the country simply because they thought they could be with Adele.
We’re the worst!
The members of both the Crimson Vow and the Wonder Trio came to this realization simultaneously. However, neither group had the confidence that they could continue on as hunters as just a group of three, without Mile/Adele. That said, it was equally embarrassing for anyone who could not survive on their own to keep up the life of a hunter only because they had Mile/Adele to rely on.
So, what could they possibly do?
They needed some proof that they could do this without her, so that they could hold their heads up high and keep working as hunters by her side.
Reina and Marcela looked to one another, speaking at the same moment:
“What if we formed a party with just the six of us—without Mile?” asked Reina, just as Marcela finished, “—without Miss Adele?”
“Why is this happeniiiiiiiiing?!?!” Mile screeched, her voice echoing throughout the inn.
This was a complete reversal of priorities.
Mile was furious. “Wha…wh-wh-wh-what are you all saying?!?!”
It was as though she had been caught between two men, who had suddenly come to an agreement to leave her behind and pal around just the two of them. She was losing her mind just picturing the scene.
Her beloved first friends and her reliable allies. She could not bear being left behind by both of them at the same time.
How was it that both Reina and Marcela had both just so happened to say the same thing at the same time—half in jest, but…?
Huh. Would that really be possible? the pair thought. In some strange way, they found themselves in agreement.
Naturally, they would never truly cast Mile aside. The only reason they would join forces and take a job without Mile would be to prove which of them was stronger and which was more suited to carrying on with Mile/Adele.
And so, the two nodded at one another.
“Let’s do it!”
“Waaaaaaah!!!” Mile, beside herself, began to wail.
***
“What? So that’s why you’re doing this…” After hearing an explanation from Reina and Marcela, Mile finally calmed down. “But for me to have to decide just based on who’s stronger is…” she trailed off, a bit awkwardly.
Marcela smiled. “I know it will be difficult. I know at least that much about you, Miss Adele.”
“O-of course I know that much, too!” Reina quickly added, alarm bells going off in her head when she saw how fondly Mile smiled at Marcela’s assurance.
Of course, it was the Wonder Trio who truly understood Mile the best.
She had known the Trio for a year and two months. They had individual rooms at the dorm, so they did not bunk together. Meanwhile, she had known the Crimson Vow since their start at the Prep School, so for roughly two years. They spent all their hours together, both in their dorms at school and at the inns they stayed in…and yet, somehow the members of the Crimson Vow still got the sense that the others were far closer to Mile.
But then…
“Um, Miss Marcela, if you wouldn’t mind calling me ‘Mile,’ and not ‘Adele’…”
“Huh…?” The members of the Trio were immediately thrown by this request. Indeed, as far as they were concerned, Adele was Adele through and through. So they had been calling her not by this pseudonym she had assumed but by her true name, the one that they knew and were accustomed to. This was a signal, a sign of their old bonds, and proof that they were different from the Crimson Vow. And now, they were being denied the use of this name. It was quite a shock for them.
“I’ve abandoned that name, and now I call myself ‘Mile.’ So please, save that name for when it’s just the four of us, when there’s no one else around.”
“Ah…”
Indeed, Adele—or rather, Mile—was currently on the lam from her home country. Her father and stepmother, who might have had designs on her life, had already been executed. This meant there was no longer any reason for her to keep running out of fear, but still, she wished to continue her life as a hunter, and knowing that the royal family had their eyes on her, being incognito continued to be a priority. If she were easily found, she would be pressed into fulfilling her duties as the Viscountess Ascham—a duty not only to the people of her lands as their liege but to her country as a noble. To go about shouting her birth name in front of others could not be allowed if she were to remain anonymous.
In reality, it was unlikely that news of the scandals of a noble family would make it all the way to another country, and equally improbably that any soldiers or spies be sent to operate openly in another country just to track her down. It was likewise unthinkable that the crown would be willing to publicize the fact that they had been weak enough to let “the noble girl who serves as an avatar of the Goddess” slip through their fingers or even the fact that she existed at all. All of this meant was highly unlikely that word of Adele had spread this far.
There was probably a fair bit of intel floating around, but even so, it would not be not enough for anyone to trace Mile back to the noble’s daughter by the name of Adele. Even at the academy, she had passed herself off as nothing more than a commoner.
At any rate, it would be no big deal for someone in another country to hear the name Adele thrown around a few times. Even if news of their family’s scandal had made it across the border, the only names anyone would know were that of the Ascham family itself and perhaps her father. His daughter’s name would surely be lost in the transmission of the gossip. As such, even if Mile should be called by the name Adele, there was no one who would ever put the pieces together.
Plus, it was not at all uncommon among hunters for someone to throw their past away, and start a new life with a new identity. These people would simply think of it as new name, not a pseudonym.
If anyone went prying into a hunter’s past, no one would be surprised to see them turn up as a corpse in the gutter the next day. Just as in the case of a thief meeting an untimely end at the hands of an avenger of a merchant they had slain, no one would ever recognize such an act as a crime—officers of the law included.
This was something tacitly understood by all hunters, such common knowledge that even non-hunters were aware of the rules and respected them. It was literally a matter of life and death, so even young children were made aware of it—from waifs to noble youths.
However, Mile knew, there are always exceptions to the rule—unintended slips and unhappy accidents. There were merchants in this city who might be headed into Brandel, and hunters who might take on the job of guarding them. It was only normal for Mile to wish to avoid risking any unnecessary danger.
Still, the members of the Wonder Trio were crestfallen, their heads hung. Not only did they feel sorry for having spoken the name Adele so very many times in front of other people, they felt a loss knowing that would no longer be able to refer to their old friend by that name in public.
Only when they were all alone could they call her Adele like they used to. Hearing this was just too much of a shock for the Trio. It was as though they had just learned that the animal they thought of as their pet in fact belonged to another owner, and only used their home as a secondary residence, for when their true owner was out, or they needed a change of scenery—not that they thought of Mile as a pet or anything…
Seeing how utterly downtrodden they were, even the Crimson Vow refrained from rubbing their disappointment in their faces.
Gazing upon the silent Trio, Mavis, who was particularly sensitive to uncomfortable pauses, frantically changed the subject.
“H-hey, everyone, how about a bath before dinner? It’s rare to find a real bath at an inn like this!”
The Trio nodded wordlessly. They were of course happy that there was a bath, but not in any mood to be expressing joy about something like this.
“Mile, show them the way!”
Even Reina was not completely heartless, it seemed. Out of consideration for the heartbroken Trio, she urged Mile to go along with them.
“Y-yes, of course!”
And so, the Wonder Trio headed to the bathhouse along with Mile.
“But I mean, we won’t be giving her up…” Reina said softly, once the others had left.
“Well, we can’t be the ones to decide that,” said Mavis. Not that she’d had some time to clear her head, she was able to take a much fairer view than she had in the heat of the moment. As always, she was the conscience of the Crimson Vow, the most sensible of the four.
Reina and Pauline looked unhappy at her words. They understood, but neither Reina, who dreamt of an A-rank, nor Pauline, who aimed to earn as much money as possible, wished to let Mile out of their sight. Of course, this was a matter not only of weighing what benefits there were to having her around, but also of considering the two years they had spent learning together, fighting together, and having each other’s backs.
For Mile, the Crimson Vow were the second ever set of dear friends she had made, but if you were to ask the other members of the Vow to speak frankly, they might admit that this had been the first time ever that Reina, who had traveled with only her father from as early as she could recall; and Mavis, the sheltered and pampered young daughter of a noble family; and Pauline, raised as the daughter of a middling merchant, had had a close friend—a dear friend and ally. They had spent half a year together in those dorms. Then, they had spent another year and a half on the road together, camping and staying at inns.
Though the Wonder Trio had not spent as much time with her as the Crimson Vow, they felt an equal investment in Mile and their relationship.
Just as Mile did not wish to part from either the Wonder Trio or the Crimson Vow, they had no desire to part from her.
Each had their own desires.
Marcela and the Wonder Trio.
Mile. The Crimson Vow.
But the things that they all desired and the roads they would all take to their own “true happiness” were not necessarily all the same.
They would all encounter misfortunes along the roads they wished to follow. But they might also find unexpected fortunes and true happiness even as they stumbled along paths that ran contrary to their wills. No one could interfere with the lives of others or compel them to do something they truly did not wish to do. No one would wish to take responsibility for such a thing. However, if the road one tried to follow—hoped to follow—came into direct opposition to another…was it really acceptable to cut off another’s path just to continue along one’s own?
***
“And here are the baths!”
“Whoa!” The voices of the Wonder Trio rang out in admiration.
The last time they had passed through town had been for but a few short days, during which time they had stopped at various inns in search of Mile, and it seemed that they had not happened to stay at this one.
“And here’s the changing room… Oh!” As Mile gave the girls the tour, she suddenly appeared to realize something. “Umm… I should probably teach you all some cleaning magic…”
“Cleaning magic? What is that?”
“Um, it’s a magic for personal hygiene. You can clean your clothing and bodies. With it, you never have to wash up, or bathe, or… Eek!”
The three stared at her in a tense silence. Then—
“Why didn’t you teach us that befooooore?!?!?!”
“Wah! I’m s-sorry!!!”
No matter how close their friendship was, how much they trusted one another, some things in this world were unforgivable. In becoming hunters, they had made a decision to abandon their maidenly dignity and shame, but now they were discovering that all this could have been unnecessary… If only Mile had not forgotten to teach them this crucial spell.
“Miss Monika! Miss Aureana! Commence the Tickle Torment!”
“Yes, ma’am!”
Ka-chnk! Ka-chnk!
The pair seized Mile’s arms and secured her by the shoulders. Suddenly, a memory was drudged up from the back of Mile’s mind. A memory of a hellish penalty game…
“St-st-stop… Noooooo!!!”
“Hrff, hrff, hrff…”
The four were ragged, breathless, and sweaty.
“Well, I guess it’s a good thing we’re taking a bath now, anyway,” said Marcela. Indeed, it would have been a grave misstep to carry out Mile’s punishment after a bath—their timing had been fortunate.
Still, Mile was less than pleased. “So says the assailant!! ! ”
Once she had pulled herself back together, Mile lectured the three on how to perform her special cleaning spells. Her magic allowed for both cleaning one’s body and cleaning one’s clothing, but there were some subtle distinctions.
When it came to the body, there was a thin line between what should and should not be removed. If one used magic to have “everything that is not part of the body” dissolved away, there was a chance one would be wiped clean of even the helpful microorganisms that clung to the skin, and the oils, sebaceous membranes, keratin, and other agents that protected the body.
Of course, when one was in a hurry or the time was otherwise right, there was the potential power move of eschewing this delicate balance and simply using wash-up magic to lather one’s clothes and body in bubbles, scrubbing everything up, cleaning it away with water and drying it…
Three years prior, Mile had taught the Trio her secrets of magic, and for the year and two months after, they had studied and refined these alongside her. Since then, they had practiced even longer on their own, so a simple explanation from Mile was enough for them to master both of the techniques quickly.
“I-It’s really that easy…”
“A-all of those struggles along the road…”
“………”
Mile reflexively shrugged as they once again glared at her.
“I-I’m sorry?”
Finally, they bathed. No matter how well they could clean themselves with magic, actually bathing was a whole different experience. To pour warm water over one’s head and submerse oneself in a tub… Indeed, removing the dirt from one’s body was not the only reason to take a bath. It was also for relaxation, for healing, for warming one’s body and soul. Even when it came to cleansing one’s body, there was nothing better than a bath to wash away dead skin and the dirt from your pores. It had a far different effect than just cleansing with water or magic, or wiping oneself down with a water basin and towel.
“Phew, this feels amazing…”
Though they had already cleaned themselves with magic as practice, habit meant they gave themselves a proper dousing before submerging into the tub.
While rinsing off before entering the tub was something they did as a matter of custom, in truth, it also had the important side effect of acclimating one’s body to the heat and intensity of the bath. It was an important defense against having a stroke or heart attack upon entering. No matter how young they all might have been, it was best not to put unnecessary strain upon one’s body.
As the Crimson Vow were currently in town, the divider had been removed and the full bath was open, so the four of them had plenty of space to relax. The last time the four of them had bathed together had been in the large public baths back at the Academy.
Indeed, it had been two years, for Mile anyway.
Suddenly, she found herself on the receiving end of several intense stares.
“………”
Swiftly, the other three averted their gaze from Mile.
“What was that for?! What are those pitying looks?!?!”
Mile was enraged—and understandably so.
The growth that the other three had experienced in the last two years was apparent…particularly in the bosom area. And, as for Mile…
“…”
“……”
“………”
“Gaaaaah!!!”
Mile’s screams echoed throughout the bathhouse.
***
“Why are you the only one who came out looking so haggard?” Reina asked suspiciously, seeing Mile’s demeanor when the four of them finally returned from the baths.
“Reina, let’s take a bath together.”
“Huh? But didn’t you just take a bath with those gir…”
She looked at Mile’s face, and then the Trio’s faces, and followed their gazes…
“Y-you all, don’t tell me y-you’re…”
Suddenly, she knew everything.
“Are you just looking for me to make you feel better about yourself?!?! Shut the hell up! I’m bigger than you!!!”
A fierce battle was suddenly being waged. The Trio looked alarmed, but Mavis and Pauline, accustomed to it by now, did not appear to be moved.
Then, Mavis said softly, “Rivalries only ever break out between two opponents of the same level…”
It was a bit of wisdom that appeared frequently in the writings of Miami Satodele.
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