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The person who came to see me was someone I didn’t expect.

“H-hello.”

The person bowing her head was someone I’d just parted ways with yesterday.
The village chief’s daughter from Renshia—I think her name was Renge.

“Renge-san, right? Is something wrong?”
“Ah, no, I just wanted to talk about something…”
“Oh my, is this some girl talk? Well then, Satsuki-chan here will just bring you some tea and step aside so I don’t get in the way. Please feel free to sit at any table.”
“Sorry, Satsuki-san.”
“No, no, not at all. Your honey is always top-notch, after all. This little bit is on the house. Well then~♪”

Just as she said, Satsuki-san went back to the shop’s kitchen to prepare the tea, set it out on the table, and then immediately headed back to the residential area.
That left just the three of us: me, Renge-san, and Kuzuha-chan, who had naturally tagged along.

Renge-san looked pensive, staring at her reflection in the tea. She seemed to be deep in thought.
Since we weren’t in any particular hurry, I didn’t rush her; I sipped my tea slowly, waiting for her to speak. As one would expect from Satsuki-san’s skill, this tea was delicious as well.
Before long, she slowly opened her mouth.

“Actually… I was wondering if you’d be willing to come to Renshia one more time, so I came here to ask you.”
“One more time? But we just got back yesterday?”
“Yes…”

In response to Kuzuha-chan’s questioning look, Renge-san lowered the corners of her eyebrows apologetically and nodded.
Sending me a glance as if gauging my reaction, she continued.

“…Um, regarding yesterday’s Honey Eaters; apparently that wasn’t something that happened naturally.”
“Oh, is that so?”

I wasn’t surprised by what she said.
Although yesterday was the first time I’d ever seen a Honey Eater, Kuzuha-chan and Kuro-san had already sensed something off about their behavior.

If the Honey Eaters’ abnormal behavior was orchestrated by some kind of magic—or a skill capable of controlling creatures, similar to my blood contract—then I could understand it.

“There were thieves targeting the honey… They used magic to control the Honey Eaters and make them rampage, then took advantage of the chaos to steal the honey. We realized that yesterday…”
“Thieves…?”

Hearing the word “thieves,” the image of that impressionable trio flashed through the back of my mind, but it’s probably not them.
If it were Terrier-chan and his crew, I feel like they’d take a more straightforward approach—they wouldn’t use such a roundabout method.
Those entertainers have much more conscientious personalities than their appearance suggests. If they were going to do something, they’d strike head-on and with surprise. That’s the kind of people they are.

If that’s the case, it must be the work of a different group of thieves… but I wonder.

“Please, once again, save Renshia…save us.”
“No, I refuse.”
“…Huh?”
“I said, I refuse.”

I’m curious, but that doesn’t mean I want to get involved in something so troublesome.
I don’t owe them anything—why should I have to do something like that?
I just got back a little while ago and haven’t even taken my nap yet. It’s only natural to turn her down. Don’t give me that “I didn’t expect to be turned down” look, you’re just being a hassle.

“E-excuse me, Arje-san!?”
“I think you should ask Akisame-san about that sort of thing. I heard there’s some kind of mercenary system too, so you could go through that route as well.”
“…Now that you mention it, you’re absolutely right.”

Kuzuha-chan, who had stood up in a fluster, calmed down after hearing my words.
That’s right. If a problem arises, there are proper ways to handle it; like asking a specialist or reporting it to your country’s government.
It’s completely baffling why she’d ask us, people she just met yesterday, to do something like that. Plus, it’s a hassle.

“B-but… If we ask Akisame-sama, it’s bound to blow up into a big deal, and since we’re just a small village, we can’t afford to hire the Lantz Knecht…”
“I see. But that’s none of my business.”
“N-no way! Please, we’ll compensate you…!”
“Even if you say so, there’s nothing in particular I want.”

…She’s being unusually persistent, isn’t she?

Something’s bothering me.
That unease has shifted from “Why did she come to me?” to “Why does it have to be me?”

There’s something off about her.
What she said doesn’t seem to be a lie in itself. If she asks Akisame-san for help and the story gets blown out of proportion, it could damage the market value of the honey, and I can understand that a small village like this doesn’t have much money.

But something’s off.
If we’re talking about connections, asking Satsuki-san for help would make sense, too.
Since she’s their usual patron, it would be easier to ask her, and since Satsuki-san is a nice person, she probably wouldn’t turn down a request like that.
This sort of unease is as if this girl only has me as an option, and as if the only thing on her mind is to bring me along.
She seems sincere, but it also feels like something is missing—it’s a strange sense of unease.

Maybe there’s something she wants to keep hidden from Akisame-san and the village’s business partners—and she’s thinking of using us for her own convenience to resolve it.

“…Um, Arje-san”
“What is it?”
“How should I put this… Since she’s gone to all this trouble asking for your help, I think you should at least listen. If we resolve this quickly and get back, I think you’ll be able to meet the person you’re waiting for, too.”

It seems Kuzuha-chan had misunderstood and thinks I was worried that I’d miss my chance to meet up with Zeno-kun.
Actually, it’s purely because going along with this request is a hassle, but since correcting her misunderstanding is also a hassle, I’ll just let it go.

However, if things continue like this, Kuzuha-chan looks like she’ll head off to Renshia all by herself.
I know she’s a strong fighter, so I don’t think there’d be a problem letting her go, but I’m worried because Renge-san seems off.
I’m uneasy about sending a child alone to a place where trouble might be waiting. I’ll admit Kuzuha-chan is a strong fighter, but her attention span is pretty questionable.

“……I see. You said you’d compensate us, but what exactly do you have in mind?”
“Anything I—and the village—can do.”
“I see. Well then… could you sell your honey to this shop at a lower price from now on?”
“…I understand. I don’t think my father would say no if it helps the village.”

Satsuki-san has already taken such good care of us—providing lodging, meals, and a tour of the town.
She and her staff probably say, “Don’t worry about it,” but to me, it’s already become something I can call a debt of gratitude.
If they’re Satsuki-san’s business partner, getting favorable terms from her village in the future should be more than enough to repay that debt.

It’s a hassle, and there are some concerns—or rather, uncertainties—but I’d be more worried about letting Kuzuha-chan go alone, so if I can repay the favor, maybe that’s an option.
If it’s just a minor hassle, Kuzuha-chan and I should be able to handle it easily on our own. We’ll just get it over with and come back.
Having them keep pestering us forever would be a hassle in its own right, after all.

“All right, then. Let’s head back to Renshia.”
“Arje-san…!”
“Th… thank you so much!!”
“Renge-san. Did you ride a horse all the way here?”
“Yes. I had the fastest horse in the village gallop here… I figured if Kuro-san was with you, you’d definitely be here.”
“That’s good to hear. We’ll be riding horses too, so please show us the way.”

The trip by carriage took a whole day, but it was a pretty leisurely journey back then. It was probably out of consideration for Akisame-san.
If we ride Behaki and travel light, we can get there much faster than we did the other day. If we leave now, we might even arrive before midnight.

“For the time being, let’s ask Satsuki-san to pass a message to the Merchant Guild first, Kuzuha-chan.”
“Got it!”

I don’t think it’ll take long, but there’s a chance Zeno-kun might have returned early.
Satsuki-san said she had business at the Merchant Guild anyway, so I’ll have her let them know where we’re headed while she’s there.

“Fufufu. I knew it, you’re so kind, Arje-san!”
“……I don’t think that’s true.”

It’s not like I’m acting out of concern for Renge-san, so I don’t think it counts as being kind.
My goal is to repay Satsuki-san and the others, and I’m worried about letting my friend go alone.
Since I changed my mind for my own reasons, I think that’s pretty selfish of me, but Kuzuha-chan seems kind of happy about it.
Although I found my friend’s attitude a bit strange, I decided not to say anything more.