Allen gave a strained smile as Anriette stared at him like he was the worst person alive. She hadn’t said a single word since the cyclops had fallen; she just kept glaring at him with that same intensity. Even someone like Allen, who had braced himself for the worst, couldn’t help but let out a weary chuckle under the weight of that gaze.
Judging by the silence, it was clear that nothing would move forward unless he broke it. Letting out a small sigh, Allen reluctantly spoke.
“Uh...are you okay?”
They were the same words he’d used earlier, but in the moment, nothing else came to mind. Besides, Anriette hadn’t actually answered the question the first time. So it was fair game to ask again, or so he reasoned until she sighed as well, a sound that carried the tone of someone resigned to something unpleasant.
“As you can see, not a scratch on me. I’m perfectly fine.”
“I see. That’s good.”
And he meant it, at least partially. True, nothing had happened after his arrival, but there was no guarantee she hadn’t been harmed before that. He’d assumed she was probably fine, but now that he had confirmation, he felt a genuine wave of relief.
Anriette, meanwhile, continued eyeing him suspiciously. But eventually, she seemed to decide it wasn’t worth fussing over. She averted her gaze slightly and continued speaking.
“Well, thanks to you, I guess. I’ll give you that much. Thanks.”
“Huh?”
Allen was genuinely stunned. He hadn’t expected her to thank him at all. Anriette, on the other hand, looked thoroughly annoyed by his reaction.
“What’s with that look?”
“It’s just... Honestly, I didn’t think you’d thank me. I figured you’d be mad, if anything.”
“Hah? And what do you take me for, huh? You saved my life. Of course I’m gonna thank you.”
“Right.”
It seemed Allen had underestimated her. And if anyone had reason to be scolded, it was probably him.
“Sorry. And...you’re welcome.”
“Hmph. Well, that aside, there is something I want to ask.”
“Something you want to ask?”
“Yeah. Like, why are you even here? You sure you’re not stalking me or something? ’Cause that timing was way too convenient.”
“No, no, I swear, it’s just a coincidence. In every possible way.”
It really was a coincidence that he’d come to this forest, and the timing of when he stepped in was simply the result of him agonizing over when he should do so. It wasn’t like he’d planned it...though, considering he’d recognized her before deciding to help, he supposed it wasn’t a complete coincidence.
“Hmph. Sounds shady to me, but fine. Whatever.”
“But it’s really the truth... Ah, right. Actually, that reminds me. There’s something I wanted to ask you.”
It was an obvious change of subject, but Allen had genuinely been hoping for the chance to ask her this. If anyone knew about mandragoras, it would probably be Anriette.
“Something you want to ask? Look, I could say you saved my life, sure, but that doesn’t mean I’m about to hand over my personal info or anything, got it?”
“No, no! It’s not like that. I told you, I’m not stalking you. I just wanted to ask...do you know anything about mandragoras?”
“Are you seriously mocking me right now? Like anyone wouldn’t know about something that famous.”
“Not just the name. I mean, have you actually seen one before? More specifically, can you recognize one while it’s still in the ground?”
“Recognize it while it’s in the ground?”
Anriette gave him a suspicious look, and Allen tilted his head in response. Sure, mandragoras were rare, but it wasn’t all that strange to go looking for rare ingredients. At least, that was what he thought until he caught himself and realized that no, actually, if you’re searching for it, then you should know what it looks like. He was the weird one here. Anriette’s suspicion made perfect sense.
But as it turned out, that wasn’t even the part she found odd. “And what exactly are you planning to do with a mandragora?”
“Huh? I mean...I was asked to find one. For a request.”
“Mandragoras aren’t exactly useful for most people, you know. There’s only a handful of folks who can actually use them. So the number of people who need them is just as limited. And I don’t think anyone in that town fits the bill. No way a request like that would show up.”
Even if that were true, Allen had been asked. Technically, the request hadn’t explicitly been for a mandragora, but the task had amounted to the same thing in the end. As he debated how to explain that, Anriette’s expression suddenly shifted, like she’d realized something.
“Wait. Now that I think about it, I did hear that certain blacksmiths use them. Don’t tell me—”
“Yeah. The request came from a blacksmith.”
“That blacksmith wouldn’t happen to be named Vanessa, would she?”
“Yes...?”
Come to think of it, hadn’t someone said Vanessa was pretty famous? That was the extent of what Allen had been told, but apparently it was a much bigger deal than he’d realized.
Anriette’s reaction was dramatic. “How the hell did you get a request from her?! I couldn’t even meet the woman!”
“Um...I just picked it up at the guild, like normal. Is it really that surprising?”
“Of course it’s surprising! Vanessa is a top-tier blacksmith! Any adventurer would jump at the chance to even talk to her! Taking one of her requests is the fastest way to make a connection with her!”
“Is that so? I mean, if you want to meet her, can’t you just go talk to her directly?”
“If you try that, she slams the door in your face! Didn’t you hear?! I got turned away just for trying to take her request! I never even got to see her!”
So it was possible to get in to see her. Anriette was just...unlucky? Allen had heard someone had been turned away without even meeting the client, but he hadn’t realized that someone was Anriette. Small world.
“Well, in that case, want me to put in a word for you? I mean, we’re at least kind of acquaintances now, so I could probably do that much.”
The instant he said it, Anriette’s face lit up, only for her expression to immediately darken again. It was like she was scolding herself for reacting so eagerly.
“I’m not gonna take the easy way out.”
“‘Easy way out’? I don’t think it’s that big a deal.”
To her, it apparently was. She really was stubborn, Allen thought. In a way, it was very her.
“I’m just being petty, really. Jealousy talking. Anyway, mandragora, right? Of course I know about it...and fine. I guess I’ll help you out.”
“Wait, really?”
“Yeah, whatever. This whole thing pisses me off, but you did save my life. If I can’t even do this much, it’d be a disgrace to my name.”
Allen didn’t quite agree with that logic, but if she was offering to help, he certainly wasn’t going to say no.
As Anriette scowled like the whole situation annoyed her to no end, Allen offered a sheepish smile and bowed his head gratefully.
“Thanks. I appreciate it.”