Chapter 15 - Scent

A/N: I've had a migraine all day, so I'm not sure how I feel about this chap after writing it. Hopefully you guys like it, though.

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As soon as Ivan fully recovered thanks to the Lavender Melons, Yae Miko and he resumed walking toward Konda Village. 

Along the way, Yae Miko looked at him with curious eyes and asked, "Was that a legitimate fight record? Are you a delinquent of some sort?"

Smiling wryly, Ivan chuckled awkwardly and answered, "Well… yeah, it's legitimate. It's not like I go around starting fights, though. I just end up caught in the middle of them a lot. Things often get in my way of defending myself, too. Like, bottles rolling under my feet or slipping on a spilled drink. One time, a taxidermied deer head even fell off a wall and knocked me right into somebody's fist. I'm really hoping my newly increased strength and Electro skills will make it so I don't have to worry as much about weird things tripping me up so often."

Eyes flickering with amusement upon hearing about the deer head story, Yae Miko simply replied, "Interesting."

Amid their discussion, a cluster of purple Electro slimes popped up from the dirt around Ivan. He immediately grimaced.

"We should run," Yae Miko advised, frowning a little. "No point spending an hour attacking these with my spells, or even with your fists, for that matter."

"I'm right with you."

The two of them avoided the slimes that pounced toward them and ran further down the road. Within seconds, the slimes fell behind enough to give them some breathing room. They still persistently bounced forward in chase, though. 

Ivan briefly glanced at Yae Miko and saw her lips curled downward in a displeased manner.

"Upset about running from weak slimes or something?"

"No. I simply prefer to avoid physical exertion."

"Gotcha."

Still jogging along in a somehow elegant manner, Yae Miko's eyes twinkled upon looking at Ivan's arms, and her lips curled upward in a sly manner. 

"You know, I suddenly had a wonderful idea. You seem to enjoy exerting yourself, Ivan, so would you not be interested in carrying this beautiful benefactor of yours so that she doesn't need to work up a sweat?"

Ivan's eyes widened at the pink-haired fox woman. Then, he tripped on a rock hidden within some thick grass. Luckily, he caught himself in a push-up position and quickly returned to his feet. Yae Miko stopped a couple meters ahead and giggled.

The moment he stood up, Ivan looked at the woman with suspicion and asked, "Are you serious?"

Smirking, Yae Miko raised a hand in front of her heart to mimic feeling offended and answered in a teasing tone, "Why not? While I receive free transportation, you get to take advantage of this poor beautiful Guuji?"

Mind blank, Ivan blinked a few times. He couldn't figure out what this woman was up to. Although he suspected she had some sort of ulterior motive for suggesting such a thing aside from not wanting to exert herself, he had no idea what it could be.

"The slimes are catching up, Ivan," Yae Miko reminded him.

Finally, his mind rebooted. Then, he chuckled, grinned, and imitated the slight bow of invitation used by nobility he had seen in movies before.

"In that case, may this noble steed provide a comfortable ride for you, madam."

"Pft~ What sort of invitation is that?" She retorted. However, she still grasped his hand and imitated the curtsy of a princess she had read within the pages of the many novels she had read in the past.

Without further hesitation, Ivan sweeped the woman into his arms. One arm rested under her knees while the other firmly wrapped around her back while barely avoiding her breast by a few centimeters. The warmth of her body made his skin tingle instinctively. 

Yae Miko blinked a few times in surprise before glaring at him while still sporting a friendly smile.

"Do mind your hands, young man. Don't take too much advantage of this old lady."

"Got it. I'll be mindful. You're definitely not that old though. If not for your position, I'd be surprised if you didn't have men lined up to the bottom of the mountain asking for your hand in marriage."

Yae Miko's smile widened a little. She wrapped her arm closest to his chest around the back of his neck and then pointed behind him with her other hand.

"That is very sweet of you to say, young man, but for now, the slimes are right behind you."

"Ah, right. My bad."

Pointing forward, Yae Miko then playfully commanded, "Now, onward, my noble human steed."

"Heh. Got it."

Ivan broke out into a jog quick enough to outpace the slimes. Yae Miko jostled slightly in his arms, but being held close to his chest, it ended up being a far more comfortable ride than she expected. 

While Ivan focused on running and enjoying the comfortable feeling of holding a beautiful woman in his arms, Yae Miko quietly observed him in a thoughtful manner. She breathed in deeply through her nose and focused on his scent. Back when he had hugged her the night before, she had vaguely noticed it, but now she could actually take the opportunity to focus on it.

'It still smells like a human, but there's also something unfamiliar about it,' She thought. 'At the very least, I'm one hundred percent certain he is not a spy from another nation now.'

Every species emitted a scent unique to them, and those scents differed further based on where they lived to some extent. However, Ivan's scent differed from any other human she had encountered. Her speculations about his origins persisted in silence while held in his arms. She barely even noticed that the slimes had stopped chasing them a while back. Being carried by him proved surprisingly comfortable, too, so she did not say anything even after accomplishing her goal.

Eventually, however, she realized they were close to Konda Village, so she tapped his shoulder and said, "You can put me down now since we are approaching the village. I do have an image I need to maintain as the Guuji of the Grand Narukami Shrine, after all."

Nodding with some slight reluctance, Ivan sighed and let her go.

The two of them quickly arrived at the outskirts of the village. While passing through the village, a couple of children ran by without paying them much heed aside from admiring Yae Miko and commenting about the beautiful shrine lady visiting their village. 

Before long, they passed by the house Ivan recalled belonged to the village's elder. When he looked over in that direction, he raised his brows upon seeing two familiar rear profiles. One was a tall guy with blond hair wearing mostly black and red while the other was a shorter woman with light blue hair wearing a mostly blue dress. They were currently engaged in conversation with the village elder.

"Huh. Thoma and Ayaka are here."

"Oh? Is that so?" Yae Miko responded with a strange glint in her eyes.

Both Ayaka and Thoma turned around due to the elder staring wide-eyed at Ivan and Yae Miko. Upon seeing Yae Miko, they both tensed up, and an awkward silence filled the atmosphere.