---Belle's PoV---
I was quite a peculiar child back then.
"Whoa... So that's what a red-eye frog corpse looks like... The book I read mentioned that the poison contained in their skin could kill a person, you know?"
"Eh? That's scary! Why do you know that? You're too creepy!
I loved books, alchemy, and experiments. But since other kids didn't seem to like those things, the kids my age treat me like an outcast. But it's not like it's a bad thing. It makes me learn how to be comfortable alone back then in the academy.
"Look! It's the weird girl!"
"That pink hair of her is scary as well!"
But my mother and the auntie from the market have the same hair color as me, though... Ah! The magic teacher also has pinkish hair as well, isn't she?
"Go away! Don't play with us! You're too creepy!"
Creepy, weird, and scary. I used to get called those names back then in my academy. But rather than getting troubled by their words, my head is busy on thinking about what kind of book I should read once I'm home.
I certainly thought that my academy days wouldn't change. But one day, two transferred students entered my class.
"Kids, today we have two girls joining our class. Both of them are quite advanced in their studies, magic, and swordplay. Learn lots from them, okay?" The teacher introduced the two transferred students.
""Yes, miss!!""
Both of them has such a cute face and lively personality. They'll definitely be popular with the others and won't even be interested in me.
Or so I thought.
"Hey, you're Belle, right? I'm Alina, do you want to be my friend!?" She extended her hand, asking for a handshake. Even though she must have seen how I behave in the academy.
"I'm Xena. You look so cute, Belle-chan! Let's get along well!"
The both of them look shining and dazzling to me. As if I'm looking at my saviors.
I have my doubts at first, thinking that they will get bored or get creeped out of me after a while. But it turns out that our friendship got tighter with every moment that passed.
"Hee~ You're so good at magic, Belle-chan! The teacher said that I have too little talent in magic so I shouldn't try to push myself on learning magic, you know..." (Xena)
"Then we're the same, Xena! But it's fine, though. I do feel that magic is cool, but I always dream to be a knight and marry someone stronger than my father!" (Alina)
"Ah... Our parents used to be mercenaries before they became merchants, aren't they?"
One of the factors is the fact that our parents are best friends since their youth. That made us even closer since we met not just in the academy, but outside when we follow our parents to meet big clients in different countries as well.
"Yes they are. I think I'm like Alina, though. I don't like weak guys like the boys in our class. I like a strong but gentle guy that papa will definitely approve of," (Xena)
"How about you, Belle?" (Alina)
"Me?"
"Yes, what kind of man do you want to marry in the future!?" Alina's eyes looks like they were sparkling when she asked me that question.
I want to marry, huh...
"I want someone strong, handsome, wouldn't get bothered by my weird hobbies, and get along well with the two of you,"
***************************
!?!?!?!?
Eh? Is it morning already?
I tried to support my body up, but somehow it felt so heavy.
"Eh? Where am I...?"
This is not our room. If I'm not mistaken...
"Ah, Belle-chan. You're finally awake,"
After looking at the straight posture and hearing the easygoing voice of the person before me, I immediately know the identity of the person before me.
"Raine-chan?" I confusedly ponder the words of the white-haired girl before me.
Finally awake... Ah!
I remember!
When we were in the middle of reprimanding Alina's response after getting caught from falling by the man who saved us in the forest, I suddenly felt my whole body burning and lost my consciousness.
"Did I faint?"
"Yes! It was an uproar, you know! First Alina-chan's matter with the poor guy, and you suddenly fainted to the point that priestess Orlana even got called. It was a great uproar, you know~" (Raine)
"Is that so... Where are Alina and Xena...?"
"They have gone back to the forest to harvest the Flaahgra's seed and search for a dark attributed magic core,"
"Huh...? Why do they...?"
Did they go back to the forest? Why? Does the madam allow them?
*Thud!*
"Ouch! It hurts! What are you doing, sis!?" Raine-chan holds her head in pain.
"Tell the whole story systematically and in order to avoid confusion, idiot. Don't you realize that Belle got confused because of the vague information you're giving her? You idiot little sis," A black-haired girl scolded Raine.
"Ravia-chan..."
The black-haired girl who hit Raine-chan's head is Ravia-chan. She's Raine-chan's older sister, and one of gramps' grandchildren as well. She's cool and collected just like gramps. Well, she's his grandchild, after all.
"Belle. How do you feel...?" (Ravia)
"How I feel...? I don't feel particularly strange-"
I finally realized. I felt that there is something amiss since I woke up, but my focus got distracted.
"I can't feel my mana..."
"Yes. If that's the only thing that you felt, then that's good. Let me tell you the story from the beginning," (Ravia)
Ravia-chan takes a chair and sits in front of me before telling me what happened last night.
She starts from when I suddenly collapsed, the possibility that gramps mentioned that this is a curse that was made by using dark mana from an evil god, the way to cure me, calling lady Orlana, and the reason why Alina and Xena went back to the forest to search for the ingredients needed to dispel my curse.
"So at most, they'll arrive here at 8 in the evening, huh..."
"Yes. Even though the lady priestess told us that if you didn't have any other symptoms suddenly appearing when you sleep and didn't feel anything strange other than couldn't feel your mana, it means you're fine to do your activity for five days, gramps and madam still asked us to look after you and tell you not to push yourself," (Ravia)
"I'm sorry... I end up troubling all of you..."
"It's fine, Belle-chan! You're not troubling anyone! More than that, everyone is glad that you're fine! You're one of this place's most popular flowers, after all," (Raine)
"Thank you, Raine-chan..."
"Ah. You haven't eaten anything, Belle. Let's have some breakfast first then we can do whatever we want. The three of us got a day off today, after all," (Ravia)
"A day off?"
"Yes. Other than because you wake up healthy, the day off is the other reason why Raine is so lively," (Ravia)
"W-Wha-What are you saying, sis!? How do you know that!?" (Raine)
"How many years do you think I have become your sister, stupid Raine?" (Ravia)
"Fufufufu! The both of you sure are close,"
*Growl!* *Growl!* *Growl!*
"""Eh?"""
T-The sound definitely comes not just from my stomach...
"Don't tell me, the both of you haven't eaten anything yet as well?"
"Well... Food won't feel delicious if we eat alone, right? It would be bad if you lose your appetite and eat too little because of eating alone," (Raine)
"And we're too focused on watching over you that we didn't feel hungry at all. I guess it's time for us to have breakfast, let's go!" (Ravia)
*******************
After the breakfast, we decided to continue our work in the house. Since yesterday Alina-chan made such a commotion, today I replace her and do a surprise performance to make up for yesterday's commotion.
Raine-chan and Ravia-chan acts as my bodyguard and didn't leave my side for the whole day. Using butler uniforms, they became one of the guests' attractions as well. Since even though the both of them have completely opposite personality, the both of them has beautiful faces, and their body posture fits perfectly with the butler uniform. As expected of gramps' grandchildren, I guess.
*Ding!* *Ding!*
The eight bell of the city rings. It means that it's 4 pm now, but there is still no sign of Alina and Xena coming back from the forest.
Did they meet some trouble along the way? Did they meet goblins again?
No, the cloaked man yesterday was so strong. Since he met Alina again inside the house, he must have killed all of the goblins there. And since gramps said that my curse is incomplete because of the death of the goblin shaman, it confirms that the man definitely has killed all of the goblins, so there is nothing to be afraid of.
"Hey, hey. Did you hear the announcement in the guild?"
"Yeah, I've heard. That quest, right?"
That quest?
"That, right? The birth of the goblin king?"
G-Goblin king!?