Liluetta was a serious person. That was my conclusion about her.
She hadn’t said a word since she’d nearly fallen. Even now, as we neared the summit, her expression remained sour. We were taking a break, and Yune asked me what we should do in a whisper. But, of course, I had no answer for her.
“How enviable—becoming an adventurer with a child’s heart, without burdens or obligations. So free.”
Liluetta had said that with an unmistakable edge, like her words were meant to cut deep. I didn’t think envy was a lie, though. So, to become an adventurer, she had to cast aside her own child’s heart. She had to bear burdens. She was not free.
“She really did want to become an adventurer, after all,” I said under my breath, keeping my voice low enough so that she wouldn’t hear from just behind me.
The vague sense of unease I’d been feeling was no longer just a hunch. It had solidified into certainty. The Magnan family of the sea salt guild—I didn’t fully understand what that name meant or represented, but I knew Liluetta wasn’t just some ordinary town girl.
And she definitely wasn’t a country kid like me. She had been born into something special and raised in a special way. Was that why she longed for the freedom of an adventurer?
“‘Enviable,’ huh?”
I had left my hometown to find work, only to be deceived and nearly sold into slavery. I had barely managed to escape and only stumbled upon the adventurer’s guild by chance. Now, a rich girl was telling me she envied me? Of course, she didn’t know my circumstances. She had no way of knowing. I understood that.
But still, the uneasy feeling coiled in my chest refused to settle. The silence between us stretched on too. Neither of us said anything. Neither of us wanted to, probably.
We walked the same path we had taken yesterday and the day before, and the quiet gave my thoughts room to churn. I could hear Liluetta’s breathing grow heavier as she struggled with the mountain trail. I knew she was pushing herself, but I didn’t slow my pace.
I kept walking ahead. If she told me to wait, I would. But she didn’t. Instead, she gritted her teeth and followed with determination written across her face. She never complained and never gave up.
She really is serious about this, isn’t she...
You know what? This isn’t right. We can’t keep going like this.
I stopped and turned around to wait for Liluetta and Yune to catch up. We were outside the safety of town, and the monsters here didn’t care about our problems. Liluetta’s breathing was ragged as she approached, her face flushed from exertion. Yune trailed behind. She was drenched in sweat and swaying unsteadily. They were both at their limit.
We were close to our destination, but we needed to rest again. We could push forward. We might even make it to the mana pool before collapsing. But what if we ran into a monster on the way? The two of them wouldn’t be able to escape, which would be the worst thing that could happen. Even a short break for them to catch their breath was better than nothing. Sure, things were probably going to be awkward again if we sat in silence. But that was unavoidable.
I started scanning the path ahead, searching for a good spot to rest. Somewhere we could sit down without too much trouble.
That was when I saw—
I threw myself to the ground.
“Get down! Keep low!”
I couldn’t risk shouting, so my voice barely carried to the two trailing behind me. But my tone was sharp enough to make them freeze. The uneasy weight in my chest vanished in an instant.
“Wh-What is it? I don’t see anything,” Yune whispered, curling up as small as possible.
Liluetta still looked irritated, but she followed my lead and crouched. I pointed ahead to a spot not too far away. These were nowhere near as difficult to spot as the ones Old Badger had found before. There was no need to strain my eyes this time. If we took just seven more steps forward, we’d step right onto them.
“Goblin tracks,” I said.
Memories crashed into me. Old Badger, those three adventurers, that terrifying climb up this very mountain. A dizzying wave of something that feels too familiar.
“Are you sure?” Liluetta whispered. She moved closer in an awkward stoop while clutching the hem of her frilled skirt at her ankles to keep it off the dirt. We were finally having a conversation, but all I could hear was the doubt in her voice.
“I’m sure,” I said firmly. I traced the tracks with my finger. “They came from the side, then merged with our footprints.”
The tracks pushed through the low shrubs and emerged from the underbrush. Then they changed direction and lined up with our own footprints.
“Are you sure these aren’t ours?” Liluetta asked.
“They’re about the same size, but there are definitely more than just our prints here. And we’re not barefoot,” I replied.
The tracks veered away from us after a certain point. I scanned the area—no goblins in sight. Only then did I ease up, shifting from lying flat to kneeling. It looked like we were safe for now. At least, we hadn’t been spotted yet... But I couldn’t relax. I kept my spear ready and tightened my grip on it.
“There are probably no more than five,” I estimated. “Definitely more than one.”
Even as I said it, uncertainty crept in. In rough mountain terrain, creatures didn’t walk side by side. They moved in single file, picking their way through gaps in the trees and avoiding steep slopes. That meant their tracks overlapped and trampled over each other, which made it nearly impossible to count them. I could only narrow it down to somewhere between two and five.
Old Badger was incredible for being able to read trails so well...
“Ah, I see them now. Kiri-o, that’s amazing. You spotted them right away,” Yune said, sounding impressed.
Her tone was relaxed as ever, but I could tell she was tense. Her hands clenched tightly around her long-handled mace.
Don’t grip it so hard, I wanted to tell her.
Waine had said that, hadn’t he? “You gotta loosen up. You’re gonna die if you’re all wound up.” Being tense means you won’t be able to react fast enough.
“Hmph, goblins. A convenient opponent for our first battle.” Liluetta’s voice carried a note of...amusement?
I turned to her in disbelief. What was she thinking? Had Liluetta really just called goblins a “convenient opponent”?
A chill ran down my spine. Her understanding of danger was dangerously naive. There was still plenty I didn’t know about this girl, but she’d just called this “our first battle,” which meant she had no real combat experience.