0. Opening (9)

However... There was a problem.

"Do you know the way back home?"

"No..."

Derek, who came out to the center of the village with all seven people who were tied up, was bewildered. He could make a torch using wood for a burning house, but the way back home was a problem. They were too lost from the direction they came from looking for traces of the thieves, and it was difficult to move in the dark because the sun had fallen.

They could leave the burning house as it was. There wasn't anything nearby that would make the fire spread to the forest.

However, if this happened, he felt like he would have to just disassemble the house and use it for firewood, stay here until tomorrow morning before going back. You never know what might happen, wandering around the forest at night.

"Uh? The fireflies..."

One of the people in a mat or clothes pointed with a finger at the entrance to the village. Yellow fireflies were hovering around.

Derek felt something strange, so he turned on the detection magic...

'Aini...'

The traces of Aini's magic were evident. It seemed that she was able to use the magic of the forest, which he had never taught her before.

"Ha... You should go that way."

Derek took the lead and followed the fireflies. He felt a strange magical sensation, but the others who followed didn't seem to feel it at all. They just silently followed Derek.

And the strange feeling continued on the way back. Apparently, that tree was far away, but it was only a few steps before it got closer. As well as the fact that the path was laid with fireflies, Aini seemed to be using some pretty amazing magic.

Derek didn't know how Aini uses magic that even Derek only knows in theory, but it's good that they can go back.

"Welcome."

Aini sat down on the stump of a tree by the workshop and spread her hands toward Derek.

"Uh... Okay. I'm back. It's late, but you are not sleeping."

Derek scratched his head again. It seemed like it took much less time than it took when they set out, but Aini didn't look tired at all.

"Yes, I've been waiting for you."

Aini stepped down from the stump and hugged Derek. It was an exhausting day for Derek as well, wandering around all day and using magic. When Aini hugged him, he felt that the hard day was finally over.

"But why are you all out?"

Except for Lanneque's grandfather and grandmother, everyone else was picking up something to attack near the workshop and being vigilant. They were looking at Derek with strange eyes who suddenly appeared.

"There was a loud noise in the forest... Are you okay?"

She's the lady who glared at Derek at first... But now her eyes were full of worries. The blood in his left eye had decreased a little, perhaps thanks to the eye drop Derek made for her.

"Yes, Lanneque is fine too. There will be no hallucinations anymore."

A half-bewildered look on his face, but Lanneque nodded. Besides, he won't see any thieves for a while, so he won't hear hallucinations out of guilt or helplessness.

"The people in the back are the ones who were captured by the bandits. If possible... Could you send them to the city through merchants or others?"

On the way, Derek asked where they were from and how they ended up there, but everyone kept quiet. They probably don't want to talk about this stuff. Because there can be no good perception of the women who were kidnapped.

"Uh... But we're not that rich, so..."

Lanneque's father said while massaging his left arm. It seems that he's always going to do that just as Derek told him to do.

"There is a bag of grain here, and I'm sure you can get some money by showing it to a merchant."

It was a gem that glowed green. It's not polished yet, but since it's a fist-sized gem, it will be well worth the price. It's a gem called malachite, so it should be moderately valuable.

"Oh, but how can we accept that from the savior who healed my family..."

The lady tried to stop him, but Derek just held it in her both hands. He had on regrets as he had more jewelry anyway and it was something that was used instead of currency. When he carried gold or silver coins, it was very annoying because he had to exchange money every time as the currency used in each province was different, and there were commissions and profiteering by the money changers. If you carry jewels, you can dispose of them one by one at the jeweler and carry them around. It was much more convenient to carry the excess money in exchange for bonds.

"Lanneque helped me today, and we are staying for two days, right? And it's worth paying this much to save others."

Derek said, bowing and the woman put the jewel in her pocket, laughing awkwardly as if there was no further reason to refuse.

"Come on in. Be careful. There are traps in the forest."

Soon, Lanneque's father called people to the workshop and began to spread straw on the floor. Lanneque, with a bewildered expression, nodded to Derek and entered the house to help.

"Was everything okay? You used destruction magic."

Aini was still hugging Derek. She must have been very anxious while Derek was gone since in a short time the bottom of his eyes went dark.

"Was it closer than I thought? Could you see it from here?"

Maybe it's because it's a forest. But they must have been walking around for half a day. Wasn't it farther from here than I thought?

"I couldn't see it because of the trees, but the sound was huge. I heard it here too."

Oh, is that why the lady also said that there was a "loud noise"? They wouldn't see any orange flames. Because it is a dense forest.

"So what happened?"

"I caught the thieves. It's close to taking them by surprise and making them run away."

Only one person was killed, the one who tried to commend the thieves by encouraging them. It was because he wasn't trying to encourage them to run away but to pick up a weapon.

Of course, it would have been possible to kill them all because it was a small band of bandits, but Derek didn't want to do that. He just let them run away because even if they were wrongdoers, there was the possibility of being reformed again someday and living a decent life. They may harm someone again later, but no one knows the future possibilities. Let's think of it as the maximum mercy as a human being.

"Thank you for your effort. That's why you saved the people."

Aini moved left and right while hugging Derek. Derek petted Aini's head because she was so cute.

"Was it okay to be alone?"

"The lady took great care of me. I hated being alone in a dark room... So I couldn't sleep."

'Right...'

It was understandable that she was having a trauma because she had been locked in a dark room until she met Derek. To make matters worse, being in a dark room without Derek must have been unbearable.

"It's okay though. You have come back, stroking you."

Aini closed her eyes and smiled as she felt Derek's touch.

"Sorry. Your legs haven't healed yet... It would have been hard if you had gone with me."

"I know. That's why I didn't insist on following you."

Derek nodded his head in gratitude. She must have been eager to go with him. It's not that she can help with work even if she is here anyway, so she must be uncomfortable even when she is alone in her room.

"But the magic... Where did you learn it?"

"Huh? I have to learn to use it? I just thought it would be nice for you to be able to get here quickly without getting lost."

If that really happens, no one will bother to learn magic... He thought so, but soon he thought that it would be possible for Aini. Being able to make people move at high speed in a forest, giving them directions. Derek had also heard of it as a theory.

"Right. Thank you. I was able to come safely thanks to you."

In the first place, Aini had never learned or studied magic anywhere, so it can be said that she could use magic if she had the will. Of course, it's a bit far from sophisticated or efficient magic.

"By the way, why did you shoot the destruction magic into the sky? Did you catch a dragon?"

"No, I can catch dragons, but... There are no dragons in places like this."

It's usually in the hollow of a tree or in a cave in a rocky mountain. Few dragons nest in such groves.

"Ah, you said you were in the dragon hunting party before. Can you tell me about that too?"

"Later. First, shall we go to bed now?"

Said Derek, holding out his hand to Aini. Aini with a happy face tightly grabbed Derek's hand.