Conflict of Interest

"Karen? What took you so long?! We've been waiting here for like, almost an eternity now! You know it's very hot in here, no?"

By the time Karen returned from the Sandy Fish, she was met with sour faces from her friends, who had to endure the heat while waiting for her despite being already in the shade, and the autumn season was finally in full force. When she told them earlier that her discussion with the lady working at the inn would not take long, they thought that it will only last 10 minutes at the longest. Instead, it took them almost an hour before they finished.

"I'm sorry, Iza. Some strange development happened, that's why our discussion ended up a little bit longer."

"Strange development? What do you mean by that, Karen?" Mari asked.

Facing her confused friends, Karen replied. "You see, that woman who served us at the inn...turns out, she has some sort of magic that can be used without using any incantations! A chantless-type magic user, for real!"

'She can do that too?!' they couldn't hide their shock as they looked at her in utter disbelief. Even Kai, who is the strongest and most capable in their class, took a couple of months before he could reliably activate his abilities by only saying the ability's name—the closest one could achieve from being able to 'chantless-cast' spells.

"If what you're saying is true, then that means...her magic greatly resembles the ones that we have, and that her aptitude for magic far exceeds that of ours?" Mari asked.

"Nn. She told me that her ability allows her to locate anything, both living and nonliving, around a very large area around her. She might've also had the ability to read a person's mind because even though I didn't ask her anything, she approached me just to offer her help in finding Ren. That lady is very strange, I would say."

"So...were you able to find him?" Kai looked her straight in the eye.

Karen shook her head. "Even with such a powerful ability, we couldn't find Ren. It's alright though because it would only mean that he's not here in Narashel. He could be in some other country, including Arandel for all we know! We're just not looking hard enough!"

She then looked at Rin, who was standing right beside her. Startled, Rin fidgeted for a moment before placing her hand on her head and patting her gently.

"You're right. The search's not yet done for all of us."

"R-Rin...!!!"

"However," she suddenly gave her a light chop on the head. "You shouldn't exhaust yourself just because of it. Ever since we started on this journey, you've been asking so many people if they saw him, going as far as posting posters on the way. Please, we don't want you to fall sick again."

Hearing Rin, of all people, say those words to her, Karen felt extremely upset. However, knowing that she's just concerned for her health, she couldn't just get mad at her.

"Nn. I won't push myself too much."

"Karen...—"

"But, it doesn't mean that I will completely stop. Scold me for all you want, but I will still keep on looking for Ren—even if it ends up me having to dig for his bones!"

At that moment, tension filled the atmosphere around them. Both Rin and Karen—two of the prettiest girls in the class—looked at each other intently, not backing down an inch from where they stood.

However, just as when that tension's about to go out of control—

"Well, I think we should continue moving," Mari interrupted, clapping her hands together. "At this rate, it will be dark before we reach the southwest border town between Arandel and Narashel. We need to hurry."

"Yeah. Mama Mari is right."

"I think so too."

"Ah, I will get our carriage immediately!" James said, before heading straight to the place where they had entrusted the carriage for safety.

"I-I'll go with you! I haven't bought my souvenirs yet!" Iza shouted, as she also ran after him.

Thanks to Mari's interruption, the tension between the girls died down, and everything seemingly went back to normal.

While they were waiting for the two to come back, Rin approached Karen, who was drinking water at that moment.

"Karen, be honest with me—are you angry because of what I said earlier?"

"Angry? Why would I?" she replied, smiling lightly at Rin. "I'm not sometimes who will get mad over other people's good intentions. Showing ungratefulness towards others is bad, you know?"

"R-Really? I thought you were mad at me, that's why I ought to intend to clarify what I said earlier," Rin let out a sigh of relief.

"I am always thankful for your support, Rin. Without you, I might've also given up just like our classmates..."

'Though, I can't help but notice the lack of effort coming from you, whom Ren considered his closest friend. It's like everything you said before was just for show.'

"Say what, Karen?"

"Oh, it's nothing. It's just me and my useless thoughts. Hehe..." she replied while making a 'teehee' pose—something that she learned from Rin herself.

Meanwhile, James and Iza returned along with their carriage. Karen, feeling refreshed again, eagerly hopped to the vehicle while being helped by the boys, leaving Rin behind.

"What are you waiting for, Rin? Let's go!" James shouted.

"Huh? Yeah, coming!"

'Lack of effort, you say? Those words really grind my gears, but I can't deny that what she said was right.'

As she walked towards the carriage, she recalled the things Karen has done just to find him all this time. She's supposed to be a shy girl and yet, she bested everyone else in that regard—including Rin, who's supposed to be the most affected person in their class.

She's aware of her shortcomings as his closest friend, and yet...she felt that those words, which Karen faintly muttered, were totally uncalled for.

'Just because I didn't do the initiative in finding him, I'm considered a useless childhood friend? Give me a break, Karen,' she said while snickering by herself.

-----

Immediately after Karen had left, Lerish placed a "CLOSED: MAINTENANCE" sign on the door to tell everyone that they won't be receiving any customers for the rest of the day. Since events like this happen almost monthly, except for those who just so happened to wander far enough into this part of the town for the first time, most of the regular customers would understand the situation even without the sign.

Once back inside, Lerish stared at the now empty dining hall. With her back against the sturdy hardwood, she felt the strength of her legs faltering and she slowly dropped to the floor, trembling.

"I...I cannot believe it," she said to herself feebly. "I truly cannot believe it..."

She looked at her hands. These hands were always used to help those who are in need whenever she can, enabling her to reach out into the hearts of the masses. Ever since she was little, she had always put her hands to good use...until this moment.

'How did it end up like this?' Lerish asked herself. 'I was only supposed to help her and yet, and yet...'

The Arcana that she received, the [Tower], has been always successful in finding whatever she has been asked to look for: from missing knives and spoons to coins and other valuable objects, and even missing people. However, the moment she realized who the person Karen was looking for, things took an unexplained sharp turn inside her mind.

In the spur of the moment, she unknowingly, surreptitiously, changed the parameters to be used in finding the missing person, causing the search magic to return 0 results. It was only when the deed was done that she realized what she did, leaving her completely confused and remorseful. She pondered about it for a few minutes, until it all became clear to her.

Karen.

This lady, whom she had only talked to for a few minutes, left a huge impression on her mind. Her face, her high-quality gear, she recalled all of them very well...though not as much as the way her eyes sparkled, the blushing of her cheeks, and the enthusiasm in her voice when she started talking fondly of Ren—the person who she, just more than a week ago, decided to go out with. It is also as clear as day that she knew him far longer and better than her, which adds more insult to injury.

'I wonder...is this what they call jealousy...'

With this lady having a very high possibility of also having feelings for him, Lerish felt for the first time in her life, a sensation that she never thought would afflict her.

As she sat hugging her knees in the corner of the inn, her mind filled with negative thoughts, she felt something warm touching her forearm. She raised her head and saw Ren kneeling in front of her, showing a concerned expression as he tried to check her condition.

"Are you okay, Lerish? It looks like you've been here for a while. Should we bring you to a doctor?"

"E-Eh? Ah, no...there is no need for that," she gently shook her head. "I am alright, it is just that I...I did not have enough sleep last night."

Although indeed, she haven't slept enough the night before thanks to her official duties, she couldn't tell him the actual reason why she was feeling that way, that she met someone who appears to be a very important person in Ren's life, and that she was looking for him. She couldn't risk losing him, now that the two of them are in a relationship.

"Even though I asked you to rest for today, you still helped with the cleaning of the inn and the installation of the juice bar. Haah, are the words 'taking a day off' really non-existent in your vocabulary?"

As he said those words, he grabbed her hand and placed a small bag on her palm. Intrigued, Lerish removed the string tying the bag, and inside, she saw little disk-shaped candies covered in sugar.

"Because I know that you're such a workaholic person and that you won't budge even if all of Narashel forces you to rest, I realized that bugging you about it all the time is just pointless. That's why, with the help of the [High Priestess]'s endless collection of medicinal books, the siblings' cooking expertise, and days of trial and error, we were successful in creating what we think is the perfect candy for you. Try it, and tell me what you think of it."

After fixing her sitting position into a more dignified one, she tried a piece of the special candy. Almost immediately, the sweet taste of the sugar, mixed with the combination of aromatic herbs and spices like mint, fennel, and zingiber, burst in her mouth like fireworks, and gave off a soothing feeling, especially in her throat.

"Aside from those herbs and spices, we also added extracts from plants full of nutritious stuff that can help restore energy. We thought that even though it may not solve most of the problems, having something like a lozenge to chew on while working usually boosts your concentration, right?"

He added that should they make another batch, they'll skip on the sugar content and instead use other types of sweeteners, as well as adding her favorite fruit flavors, so that Lerish can have as much as she likes.

More than what the herbs and spices in the candy could ever provide, it is the effort that he's made for her sake that made her body feel warm and cozy.

"Thank you very much, Ren, not only does the candy taste good, the effects are immediate and long-lasting. I could feel my strength being restored now."

"Really? That's great! I can't wait to tell those two the good news!" Ren said, overjoyed by her words.

Because Lerish's been sitting on the floor for quite some time, her legs have started to go numb. Without a second thought, Ren grabbed her slender frame and carried her in his arms, as he carefully brought her to her room.

"Although I am feeling elated right now, I would appreciate it more if you were to carry me on your back instead."

"Hm? What better way to carry Her Royal Highness the Princess of Narashel than with a princess carry? Isn't it the reason why it's called that way?" he retorted.

"W-Well, that is correct. However, it looks as if we were..."

Suffering due to his obliviousness, Lerish thought that if she wants to stay by his side for a very long time, she has to not only accept his good parts, but also his flaws. It is a continuous effort, but it is better compared to not being with him.

Yes, that is indeed the better option.

She doesn't know what the future holds yet for her, but once she has decided on something, she'll do what it takes just to get it, even if she had to do things she normally won't do.

'Forgive me Miss Karen, but for the sake of my happiness...allow me to be selfish just for once...'