Seeing Hephaestus's flushed face, I couldn't say anything for a while.
Noah seemed to be in a similar state, just moving her lips without sound while fidgeting with her sword hilt for no reason.
"Uh... everyone?"
After a long moment, Hephaestus finally broke the silence, unable to bear it anymore.
"Ah... yes."
"I'm sorry... because of me... B-but... even though I'm like this, my master... she's different. So, please don't hate her."
The embarrassment that had filled Hephaestus's face now turned into a cloud of sadness.
But, when she said her master was different... Was this an unrequited love?
"Hephaestus. Just now... the reason I couldn't say anything wasn't because of anything bad. It's just that... well, how can I put it... your face was just so... pink."
Trying to comfort her, I said something about the color pink.
Even I thought I sounded silly.
"P-Pink...? So, you felt it too, Rubia? I thought I was the only one... Wow, it was really pink..."
Seeing Noah react the same way, maybe it wasn't so bad after all.
"P-Pink? What are you talking about?"
"The atmosphere around you was just so pink, Hephaestus. It filled the whole carriage with pink energy. Haha..."
Hephaestus's face instantly turned bright red.
"Th-That can't be true... Hehe."
"And no matter who you are, we don't dislike you, Hephaestus. Besides, in the Sunrise Empire, things like this aren't uncommon, right?"
Well, there are still some prejudices, but it's not unheard of. After all, even the third princess of the empire has relationships with several women.
"Ugh, thank... you."
"So, Hephaestus, was that the last of your master's features?"
Honestly, I couldn't remember where the conversation had even started or how it had gotten to this point...
Luckily, I had taken notes, or else I would've had to ask from the beginning all over again.
"Um, yes. I think I've told you all the physical characteristics."
"I see. Then, when did you receive this letter... huh? The letter?"
I unfolded the letter in my hand.
The first thing that caught my eye was the line about arriving at the summit of Karahan.
When I had read it before, I hadn't thought much of it, but...
From the summit of the Karahan Mountains... how did they even send a letter?
This...
Either it wasn't really from Karahan... Or the master had already been killed, and the letter was sent to lure Hephaestus.
It could be one of those two...
I carefully raised my head to look at Hephaestus.
She was still staring at me with that innocent, naive expression.
She hadn't noticed yet, but I should probably say something...
"Hephaestus, I need you to listen carefully and try to stay calm."
"Yes?"
"...In the letter, it says your master reached the summit of Karahan, but..."
How should I put this...?
How can I say it in a way that won't shock her too much?
"Well, logically speaking... it's not possible to send a letter from the summit of the Karahan Mountains... right?"
"Ah..."
"So... I think... um... your master might've gone somewhere else, or... well... they might already be-"
As I struggled to find the right words, about to be blunt, Hephaestus interrupted me with an unexpected comment.
"The letter was delivered by a falcon."
"A falcon...?"
"Huh...? A falcon?"
"Uh... yes. I forgot to mention it, but my master has an unusual closeness with animals. Sometimes, she even talks to them. Anyway, that letter was delivered by her falcon..."
I held my head in my hands, feeling a sudden dizziness.
"She's close to... animals?"
"Yes! That's why there used to be all kinds of animals near our blacksmith. But since my master left, none of them come by anymore..."
Even so... No matter how close she was to animals, how could she train a falcon to deliver a letter...?
"Wow... then, did you also see rabbits or cats...?"
"Yes, but the cats used to bully the rabbits, so Master would scold them."
"Gasp... Do cats eat rabbits...?"
"No, but there were a lot of naughty cats, so..."
"I see... You didn't kill those naughty ones, right...?"
"Of course not, Unni. We just chased them away."
"Right...? Hmm... what about... did you ever see a unicorn?"
In the middle of all this, Noah suddenly started asking questions out of sheer curiosity, as if none of this was strange.
Though the conversation had taken an odd turn, I decided to wait patiently until Noah's barrage of questions ended.
Watching their lively conversation was unexpectedly comforting.
Seeing Hephaestus, with her sharp features, smiling and chatting with Noah was oddly amusing.
When the chatter finally died down, I carefully spoke again.
"Are you two done?"
"Ah... sorry... Um, thank you for waiting, Rubia."
Noah bowed her head apologetically, her face full of remorse.
Maybe she was still feeling guilty about me telling her not to apologize before...
I wanted to tell her it was fine now, that she didn't need to feel bad.
But honestly... she looked so adorable like this... I didn't want to.
I know it's terrible of me... but Noah's the one who's just too cute for her own good...
"R-Rubia...?"
"Oh, it's okay. I enjoyed it too."
Hearing my response, Noah's face turned pale.
"You... enjoyed it...? Oh... so... Rubia finds... unicorn mating... interesting...? Uh, I mean... sure, I can understand that... I guess... ugh..."
Noah trailed off, turning her gaze to the window.
Wait, what did she just say...?
"Excuse me? Noah... what was that you just said—"
"Oh! Rubia Unni, did you enjoy it? Then let me explain! So, when two unicorns—"
"W-Wait... stop right there."
I raised a hand, pushing Hephaestus back as she tried to get closer.
"I... I think I must have been distracted for a moment. What were you two even talking about? I thought it was just cute animals..."
"Ah... well, unicorn foals are really cute because—"
As Hephaestus continued talking, Noah covered her ears and curled up.
And... what I heard next... No, this is insane. What is she even...?
"Oh my god..."
"Isn't it fascinating? And after that—"
How did this conversation even take such a turn...?
"Hephaestus. Stop... just stop. I get it. Let's... let's get back to talking about your master."
"Okay! I'll tell you more about unicorns at dinner!"
"No... please, no."
Avoiding Hephaestus's eager gaze, I quickly changed the subject.
"Ahem, so... are you certain this handwriting belongs to your master?"
"Oh, yes. I'm absolutely sure it's Master Yuria's handwriting."
Hephaestus nodded with confidence in her voice.
Considering how much Hephaestus loved her master... she was probably right.
But seriously... Thanks to that stupid unicorn talk, I can't even focus properly.
"Alright... I was just worried something bad had happened."
"Ah, I'm sorry. I should've explained it first... I just assumed it was obvious..."
"It's okay. And are you certain she's really at the summit of Karahan?"
"Yes, definitely. She took on an important request."
"A request?"
"My master is an adventurer, after all."
Hephaestus scratched her cheek, glancing away.
"Your master is an adventurer...? Not a smith?"
"Yes... hehe."
Hephaestus is a smith...
But her master is... an adventurer?
"But then, why do you call her your master...?"
"Well... she taught me about life, in general."
"I see... so who taught you your trade?"
After hesitating for a moment, Hephaestus answered.
"The shop next door..."
"The one you recommended earlier?"
"Yes... Chrome's Forge... Sorry, I'm not very good at explaining things. I just ended up talking about unnecessary stuff like unicorns mating... I always mess things up like this and get scolded by my master...."
With each word, Hephaestus seemed to shrink in on herself, on the verge of tears again.
At this point, it was starting to feel like an illness.
Then again, if I thought about it... If someone you loved that much was in danger or might be dead... I'd probably react the same way.
Before she burst into tears, I needed to console her.
"It's okay. Don't be so hard on yourself. It's actually part of your charm, Hephaestus."
"I'm... sorry..."
As Hephaestus hung her head, Noah panicked and whispered in her ear.
"Gasp... Hephaestus, Rubia hates it when people say sorry...!"
"Huh...? Th-then..."
The problem was that I could hear everything they were saying.
Sighing deeply, I shook my head and decided to move on.
"No, forget it. Really. Okay, I feel like we keep getting off topic. Let's focus and wrap this up."
"Yes!"
"Got it...!"
Rubbing my aching forehead, I steered the conversation back on track.
"So, if your master is an adventurer, what's her rank?"
"Platinum!"
"W-What...?"
"P-Platinum...? Her name is... Yuria... with green hair, a druid...?"
While I was shocked about her being Platinum rank... Noah seemed surprised by something else.
She mumbled to herself, recalling all the information she had heard so far, similar to how she reacted when we had discussed Luchi in Havlon.
Did she know about this from her master again?
Ugh, why do they all go on about their masters like this?
Hephaestus loves her master, and now Noah seems to feel something similar, though in a different way...
It's infuriating.
I wanted to make Noah stop thinking about her master immediately, but I had to hold back.
After all, the more useful information we had, the better.
But hold back? Why?
Why am I so annoyed at the idea of Noah liking her master...?
Even before, when Hephaestus would hug and nuzzle Noah, I'd get this strange feeling...
What is going on...?
Neigh—
Just as my thoughts were starting to spiral, the carriage came to a gradual stop, and the horses neighed.
"Oh! We must've arrived!"
Hephaestus eagerly pulled the curtains aside, looking out the window.
I turned my head toward the window as well, seeing the grand Karahan Mountains in the distance, with the village of Ursphere nestled at its base.
Then, I slowly turned my head again.
Noah was still sitting quietly in her seat, clutching her greatsword tightly.
It tugged at my heart.
I wanted to take care of her, to describe the town's scenery, colors, and atmosphere to her.
But at the same time, the way her lips curved slightly in excitement, and her raised eyebrows were just so... cute.
A soft chuckle escaped me.
Yeah...
She's like a little sister to me... my only friend.
If my little sister ever brought home a boyfriend, and I found out he was the one making her cry, I'd definitely make sure he regretted it.
"Rubia Unni! I'm going ahead to the checkpoint!"
"Alright. Let's continue our conversation over dinner."
"About unicorns—"
"No, please, no more of that."
"Okay! Got it!"
And also...
If my friend, who used to only hang out with me and hug me, suddenly started spending time and hugging someone else...
Yeah, that would make me angry.
Especially when I've gone through all the trouble of covering her with my scent. It'd be annoying if someone else's scent got mixed in.
"Noah, shall we hold hands?"
"Ah... sure...!"
As her soft fingers entwined with mine, I savored the feeling.
This... how do I describe it?
It's not pink, but...
"Let's go down slowly so you don't trip."
"Hey... I can handle this just fine..."
"Still, just in case."
I shifted my grip to her other hand and wrapped my arm around her waist.
"Eek... It tickles...!"
"Haha... Just bear with it for a little longer. Oh, by the way, I heard Ursphere has a special type of jelly made from raspberries."
"Huh... really?"
"Yes. Should we try some?"
"Yes! Definitely...!"
Yeah.
My feelings aren't pink.
They're much deeper.
They're red.
Bright red.
* * * *
[Note From Author: The horses in this world are incredibly smart, so they can pull a carriage just fine without a driver.
However, they can only go straight without one.
That's why they didn't hire a driver for this trip. The route didn't require many turns, and they didn't want the driver overhearing their conversations.]