Reina would get angry at me whenever I did this, saying I was coddling her too much. But I was basically treating her like I would a neighborhood child. Besides, Reina was usually soft on her too.
“S-Seriously?” Zelos said.
“What an unbelievable sight...” Merlyn said. Both of them had dumbfounded looks on their faces. I had a feeling that, while they’d only had their eyes on Tailtiu until just moments ago, they were now looking at me with terror for some reason.
“Oh, that’s right,” I said to myself.
I suddenly remembered that Tailtiu had been an outsider, even among her fellow Ancient Dragonfolk, which had caused her to grow resentful. She didn’t actually like being alone, and she must have wanted to make friends. And now, there were two people here who didn’t yet know her very well. If I told them about her good sides while I still had the chance, maybe they would come to be friends with her.
“As you can see, she’s a sweet, friendly girl, so I hope you can get along well with her,” I said.
“Y-Yeah,” Zelos said. “But I’m pretty sure I’d die if she treated me like that...”
“I get it... So please, don’t kill me,” Merlyn said.
Both of them were trembling with fear. I could understand why, but I wanted to convey to them that there really wasn’t anything to fear from Tailtiu.
“C’mon, you two, didn’t I tell you?” Reina said, coming out of the house.
“Oh, Reina,” I said.
She must have heard the commotion. She appeared exasperated, probably because she had seen this coming. She passed by Zelos and Merlyn and came over to me and Tailtiu.
“I’m sorry,” Reina said. “I did try to tell them about the island, but they just wouldn’t believe me.”
“Who the hell would think you were serious?!” Zelos shouted.
“I was sure it was a lie too,” Merlyn said.
“I see,” I said.
Reina must have explained to them what the island was like while I was on my walk. But everything about this place was inconceivable on the continent where they lived. That was exactly why, as they had said, they hadn’t been able to believe Reina. I hadn’t expected them to believe it at first, so their reactions were only understandable, but it seemed like their views had greatly shifted now that they had met the Ancient Dragonfolk Tailtiu.
“Huh? But then why are they afraid of me too?” I asked Reina. “Didn’t you explain things to them?”
Reina silently turned her face away from me.
Just what sort of explanation did you give them?
“Well, whatever. By the way, what are you two thinking of doing after this?” I said.
“We were planning on checking out the place and making a base for ourselves...”
“But we can’t do anything reckless with things like that wandering around,” Merlyn said. The light had disappeared from both of their eyes, and they were producing an aura of resignation.
Is there nothing I can do? I wondered, looking at Reina. Her expression changed to one of slight uncertainty, then she let out a deep sigh.
“Hahh... You’re too kind, Arata.”
“Am I? I think it’s normal to help people who are in trouble...”
“That’s why I love you, darling!”
“Aha ha ha, thanks, Tailtiu.”
Then again, it was more often the case that my power alone wasn’t enough. Because of that, I often relied on Reina for help, and she would manage to somehow make things work out. Really, she was much more obliging than I was. Still, from what I’d heard, she hadn’t gotten along very well with Zelos or Merlyn, which meant that she didn’t seem to have any intention of letting them live in our house.
“Anyway, I have some spare tents, though they’re small. I’ll give them to you,” Reina said. “Neither of you can cast Storage, right?”
“Of course not,” Zelos said. “I can’t make heads or tails of that thing.”
“I hate to agree with this idiot, but most people can’t cast such a confusing spell,” Merlyn added.
“But there’s someone absurd who learned how just from watching,” Reina mumbled.
I was probably the only one who heard her. From the sound of it, Storage was a truly outrageous spell. Perhaps it really was unfair that I could cast it just because of a god’s cheat ability.
“Well, enough about that,” Reina went on. “Oh, also, neither of you have any food, right? I’ll give you a week’s worth, so make do with what you can after that.”
“Sorry...” Zelos said.
“Thanks, Reina,” Merlyn said.
“It’s nothing. I’d have trouble falling asleep at night if someone I knew died somewhere out in the middle of nowhere...that’s all.”
She sounds a little tsundere, I thought.
Reina shot me a scornful glare. “Do you have something to say, Arata?”
“I-It’s nothing.” I panicked, worrying that my thoughts had leaked out. Reina usually didn’t put up a front around us, so I had thought that this type of behavior was rare for her, that was all.
“If we had to sleep outdoors without anything on us... The thought makes me shiver,” Merlyn said.
“Seriously, you’re a lifesaver,” Zelos said.
Now that they had secured a place to sleep, the two of them seemed relieved. Still, it didn’t change the fact that the island ecosystem was dangerous for them. They would have to put their lives on the line just to obtain some food.
“Let us know if anything happens,” I said. “We’ve been living here for two months already, and we’ve got a lot more acquaintances now too.”
“You sure are a good guy,” Zelos said.
“All right, we’ll ask you if we need anything,” Merlyn said.
The admiration they showed made me feel a bit embarrassed. I was only saying what anyone else would have.
Zelos and Merlyn picked up the tents and food, then began to move to a spot away from our house. As I saw them off, their behavior struck me as a bit strange.
“Why won’t they live closer?” I wondered.
“Well, I’m a lower rank than them. They might find it hard to accept me taking pity on them,” Reina said.
“Huh... If only they could loosen up. I mean, they’ve come all this way to a place without anything from their old lives.”
Sure, they may have had to worry about things like their rank on the continent. They also had their positions as Celestial Archmages, which must have placed all sorts of demands on them. But they didn’t know anyone here, nor did anyone here care about their positions, so it seemed to me that they could stand to live more freely.
When I said that, Reina reacted with exasperation.
“I bet you’re the only person who could come to this island and afford to think about such things, Arata.”
“Really? But either way, are they really going to be all right?”
I didn’t know how strong the two of them were, but I got the feeling that it would be a bit dangerous for them to go into the forest. Some of the monsters there were quite ferocious.
“Well, I’m sure they’ll make it work. For all their faults, they’re battle-hardened magicians, and they must have a secret move or two up their sleeves.”
“A secret move...”
Am I some kind of chuunibyou or fantasy-obsessed kid at heart for thinking that sounds cool?
In the end, Zelos and Merlyn left and entered the forest. Seemingly out of consideration for Reina, they chose a spot that wasn’t immediately visible. At any rate, they probably wouldn’t end up going too far, so I decided to think of them as our new neighbors. I could just find out the type of people they were from now on.
“I’m kinda looking forward to it,” I said.
“You’re also the only one who could have an attitude like that with Celestial Archmages. Well, whatever. That title doesn’t really mean anything on this island,” Reina said, smiling.
I got the feeling that her expressions had greatly softened compared to when she had first come to the island. It was a dangerous place, but they say that anywhere can be home, and it seemed that she had gotten used to things here.
“Darling! What will we do today?! I think hunting’s a good idea!” Tailtiu said.
“Aha ha, oh yeah. That might be nice every once in a while.”
“Oh? Then, can you go find some good ingredients?” Reina said. “I’ll make something tasty for you.”
“Mhmm, you may leave it in our hands!” Tailtiu said.
“I’m expecting great things from you two.”
Reina’s teasing tone made me break into an awkward smile. It’ll be embarrassing if we can’t catch anything now. Firing myself up, I left to go hunting in the forest with Tailtiu.