If you have raised a cat, they say it is hard to express in words the bewilderment you feel when the cat brings back something weird from outside.
A sparrow is mild, but if they bring a live rat and spit it out, your heart sinks.
Of course, I haven't raised one, so I don't know that feeling.
I only guess based on what a Medical Student peer who went down to the countryside told me.
But now, I felt like I could vaguely guess that feeling.
"Erika."
After saving the Black Sorcerer, returning home, and taking off Director Schun's Crow Mask.
I quietly called Eri during Dinner.
Eri's body, which had been enthusiastically stuffing herself with Schweinshaxe, stiffened.
"Umm...... Yes, Teacher...... I mean, Young Master?"
Even though there were no listening ears, Eri deliberately corrected her Form of Address as she answered.
She looked at me sitting at the Seat of Honor of the Dining table, waiting for the words to follow.
Rubbing my mouth with a Napkin, I opened my mouth.
"I heard from Kal. To think that the Red Demon hunting down Black Sorcerers was you."
"Uh...... Umm...... I'm sorry?"
"Why are you apologizing?"
I haven't even brought up the Main Point yet.
Is she apologizing first because she thinks she's going to get scolded?
"I haven't said anything yet, Eri."
"Then you aren't going to scold me?"
"I didn't say I wouldn't scold you either."
If that's what she thought, it is the Correct Answer.
I couldn't say anything when the Black Sorcerer suddenly came into the Infirmary Entrance because things were hectic, but,
there was a point I needed to address.
"I will give you an Opportunity to defend yourself."
"......I am sorry for participating in a dangerous matter without telling you anything, Young Master."
"Why is that a Fault?"
"I promised the Young Master that I wouldn't carelessly get hurt without meaning."
To be exact, it was a promise made with Director Schun.
Since the only ones at the Mealtime were me, Freya, and Eri anyway, I didn't point out that part.
Instead, I made a Correction to her Misunderstanding.
"I'm not trying to scold you for that."
"Huh? You aren't going to scold me for doing something dangerous?"
"From the moment you said you would become a Hero, I couldn't scold you for that."
It's not like I am living Eri's life for her, nor do I have Ownership over her.
I couldn't possibly reprimand her for making an Effort for her dream.
If she did dangerous things like doing parkour from rooftop to rooftop because she was bored, I would scold her as her Guardian, but,
at least the act of hunting Black Sorcerers was not a meaningless risk.
"Then......?"
"What I want to ask is this."
Clatter.
A crushed Silver Bullet was placed on the Dining table.
It was the Divine Power Bullet taken from the Black Sorcerer's liver.
That expensive Ammunition that rivals the cost of one or two houses per Bullet.
"I have no memory of giving this to you, so what happened, Erika?"
"......"
Eri avoided my gaze, profusely sweating cold sweat.
I suppose this kind of situation is what they mean when they say you can hear someone's eyes rolling.
Freya, who had been eating elegantly, also looked at Eri as if she just remembered.
"Come to think of it, Unnie. I frequently take Black Sorcerer arrest requests with you, Unnie, but this is my first time seeing this Bullet? It looks like Special Ammunition, but where did you happen to get it?"
Eri's gaze lost its direction and wandered aimlessly.
Those wandering eyes eventually fixed on me.
"......I stole it from the Young Master's Safe."
As expected.
I knew it would be like this.
At the Academy, Students are restricted from bringing in external Equipment.
Only special catalysts or equipment for Magic, or Magic tools are granted limited Permission; all Equipment used within the Academy Territory must be earned by the Student with their Allowance.
The reason, of course, is to improve their Skill.
Just as a melon bread being tasty isn't credited to the melon being tasty,
the argument was that they would not permit bridging the Skill gap through Equipment reliance.
For reference, they say Heirlooms passed down through a family are acknowledged as a Hero's power since they represent the family's strength, but that isn't important right now.
Anyway, within this Academy Territory, it was hard to think that Eri could have obtained this Silver Bullet solely with her Allowance.
Which meant......
"Well...... just in case, I needed a means to protect myself if things went south. So as a Safety measure......"
"Unnie. Word choice."
"I borrowed one for safety, you see."
At those words, my gaze turned to the crushed Silver Bullet.
Could this be considered 'borrowed'?
Reading the meaning of that gaze, Eri shrunk back one level further.
"To be honest, I didn't know there would be as many as four Black Sorcerers in this operation either. I couldn't let Freya or Senior Jenny fall into danger because of me again."
"So you started by reducing their numbers by one the moment you saw them?"
"Yeah!"
As if she forgot she was being scolded, she proudly nodded her head.
She looked just like a Retriever that wags its tail when you stroke its head in the middle of scolding it.
In Reciprocation to that smile, I gave her a pleased smile.
"It was a good judgment, Eri. Thanks to that, no one got hurt, and you made a Great achievement."
"Hehe."
"However......"
Bonk!
"Eek!"
"I cannot just overlook you taking it from my Safe without a word."
"Hiing."
"I'm going to tell the Academy. Since a Student stole an item from a Professor's Safe, the Academy will surely issue a Punishment."
Well, since it is a Results-oriented World Setting, a heavy Punishment won't be issued.
Because stealing a Professor's item to arrest four Black Sorcerers is a very great contribution.
It would probably just be a bit of Volunteer Work hours, and having her Credits and Allowance deducted.
However, since the deducted Credits or Allowance would be a drop in the bucket compared to the points and Reward Money earned from the Black Sorcerer arrest case, practically speaking, there would only be Volunteer Work hours.
When I explained that fact, Eri's eyes widened.
"Huh? You're not mad about me stealing it?"
"Why would I get mad over something like that?"
The Silver Bullet?
The time to feel wasteful about that ended a long time ago.
I would only feel wasteful back in the dingy(?) days when I ran the Clinic just the two of us with Eri; there is absolutely no reason to feel wasteful about it now.
Since then, with the Vaccine, Viagra, Antibiotics......
Wouldn't it be laughable to compare the days when we only sold Quinine and Insulin to now?
On top of that, now that I have become a Saint, I can buy the Silver Bullets the Order supplies at a discount.
Practically, the cost was covered just by sleeping and waking up for two days.
Even if she secretly stole one Bullet like that......
'I didn't even know, anyway.'
Of course, it is still a precious item since it's difficult for even the Order to make.
Even considering that, I wasn't that angry at the fact itself that she stole the Bullet.
In terms of feeling, it was roughly like a Younger Sister borrowing a pencil from my room.
"It is more important that you two don't get hurt than a Silver Bullet like this. If you didn't get hurt thanks to that, it's a relief."
"Young Master......!"
However, Eri and Freya seemed to take this in a different meaning.
"Really? I'm really more precious than that Bullet?"
"Thank you for saying that, Older Brother."
There was no reason to go out of my way to spoil the heartwarming mood, so I just let that Misunderstanding flow.
However, there was one thing to point out.
"Ms. Perisia."
"Yes, please speak."
I called the Elf Bodyguard who had been standing blankly like an invisible person while the meal was ongoing.
"Did you perhaps not know that Eri was taking the Silver Bullet?"
"I knew. She came when Lord Yulian was away from the Mansion in the Morning to see patients at the Infirmary."
"But why did you leave it be?"
"She said it was an Errand for Lord Yulian, so I thought it was true."
At Perisia's remark, Eri clamped her mouth shut.
"Uh...... umm......"
"Erika?"
"But thanks to that, no one got hurt, right?"
"I am going to tell the Academy about this part too."
"Waaah! Anything but cleaning the bathrooms!"
Ignoring the pleading Eri, I continued the Dinner.
Like that, except for Eri bringing back a Black Sorcerer, we spent a Daily life no different from usual.
***
The rumor that Erika had caught a Black Sorcerer 'again' spread through the Hero Department in an instant.
Reactions were diverse.
— "As expected of a Nunim who was insanely good at sparring."
— "Although her studying is a little...... lacking."
The type to calmly acknowledge it.
— "I heard she's the kid The Black Saint picked up from the Slums and raised in the Nihilrit Family?"
— "From what I heard, she made the contribution by stealing a Bullet for self-defense from Professor Yulian's Mansion?"
— "What the. If it's like that, I could do it too. Anyway. As expected of someone from the Slums, those vulgar roots aren't going anywhere."
The type to show Jealousy and interpret rumors to their own Appetite.
And,
"Nunim! I have heard plenty about your Great Performance!"
The type to burn with a Competitive spirit.
Mainly the Students who had known Erika from the old days were of that type.
Among them, the Second Year of the Hero Department, the Sword Maniac Kal, was a prime example.
"Kyaa. Hearing of my Nunim's Great Performance has made this little brother's heart burn passionate, you see."
"Yo, long time no see, Kal."
"Senior Kal! Hello, good Morning! Unnie! Inside the Academy, you have to call him Senior!"
Caught between them, Freya was restless.
Seeing Erika casually spitting out Informal Speech to a Senior high as the sky, Freya hurriedly reminded her that this was inside the Academy.
"Unnie. At least inside, you should treat him like a Senior."
"Umm...... Then, Senior Kal?"
Today as well, Freya was working hard as Erika's externally attached Social skills.
However, such an Effort from Freya was brought to nothing by the fool crazy for swords.
"No, Nunim. I am fine. Please call me Kal comfortably."
"You heard him, Freya? He said I can just call him."
"Haa......"
At this Tangled hierarchy where a Senior called a Junior 'Nunim' in an instant, Freya's heart grew even heavier.
Whether she did or not.
Leaving Freya be, Kal and Eri fell into their own world.
"Kal, long time no see."
"Long time no see, Nunim."
"But did you come to see me all of a sudden? Aren't you going to take the Second Year Black magic Lecture? We are going to take the First year Lecture right now, though?"
"Ah, about that."
Kal suddenly got into a stance and tapped his chest heavily as he spoke.
"As the flames in my heart flared up upon hearing of Nunim's Great Performance, I have come to join Nunim on the path you walk."
"Don't speak so difficultly like a knight. I can't understand you."
"I feel like Nunim will achieve a Great achievement no one else can in the Future, so I want to join your Hero Party in advance."
At that, Eri smiled brightly and answered.
"Yeah, no!"
"Yes? Why is that? Are there perhaps too many in the Vanguard?"
"No?"
Eri shook her head.
"I'm saying no because you are a guy."
"Is that a problem?"
"Of course it's a problem. A Hero Party isn't playing house, you know?"
And Erika's logic that followed.
"Even the Army unifies genders by platoon, so there's no reason a Hero Party should be different. Imagine if you're a guy. Things like the bathroom or shower order will become Uncomfortable from the start, right?"
"I can just not wash and relieve myself outside."
"......"
For a brief moment, Freya's disgusted gaze was directed at Kal.
Only then did she feel like she understood why Kal's Nickname within the Academy was 'Sword Fool'.
Aside from swordsmanship, he was a person with many problems in various ways.
Completely unaware of such a gaze, Kal spoke confidently.
"Sleeping outdoors is also fine."
"Still, no."
"Why is that!?"
"What if you and one of our party members start a romance."
The gesture Eri learned in the Limbus Pit during her childhood, signifying copulation between a man and a woman, was a bonus.
Naturally, Freya's reaction was Dramatic.
"Unnie! Please!!!"
Freya wasn't the only one flustered.
"Yes? Yes??"
Even though they had known each other for years, Kal could absolutely not get used to Erika's D-Sector behavior like this.
However, aside from being flustered, the effect of the persuasion was certain.
To the point that the honest and foolish Kal immediately agreed.
"If it is for that reason, it cannot be helped."
"Sorry. That's why I decided on the Hero Party name as Sisters."
Kal nodded his head.
Meanwhile, as if suddenly remembering something, he tilted his head.
"But wait, Nunim."
"Yeah?"
"In the past, didn't you say that if you become a Hero and establish a Clan, you would bring in the person called Young Master Yulian as a Tactician?"
"I did, right?"
"But isn't that person a man?"
"......Uh?"
Eri's eyes grew Moon-faced.
"......I didn't realize that."
Freya wordlessly stared at the back of her eldest sister's head.
Along with a valid Doubt as to how on earth a person like this could wield complex magic.