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Currently, Mirabelle Brillana decided to have a heart-to-heart talk with Kirsten.

“I’m really happy that you want to protect me. But, Kirsten, do you realize that sometimes, your worry will also hurt me, do you understand?”

Mirabelle sat on the sofa as she constantly wiped away her tears from her eyes.

“Mirabelle, what exactly happened to you before?

Mirabelle wanted to say something, but she still suppressed her own words.

“It has nothing to do with you, Kirsten. I don’t want to recall those sad days…”

Kirsten was doubtlessly an obstacle and enemy to Mirabelle becoming stronger. Even if she owed Kirsten her life, Kirsten still didn’t have the right to restrict her movements. Mirabelle was the one who was supposed to make her own decisions freely.

“I’m so sorry, Mirabelle, I didn’t do right by you. However, I’m sincerely worried about you, since you’re my first, er…”

Kirsten didn’t know how to describe it. Just what was her relationship with Mirabelle?

Just as Mirabelle said, Kirsten was just Mirabelle’s savior, and didn’t have any right to care about what Mirabelle was doing.

Besides, they still hadn’t even figured out what their current relationship was.

-Friends? Lovers? A relationship where they had both seen each other naked before?

Perhaps only that last one was the correct answer.

However, Mirabelle hadn’t seen Kirsten naked because she wanted to, so the two of them didn’t feel like lovers.

“If that’s the case, then you should focus even more on protecting me, rather than limiting my freedom, Kirsten Raphael.”

Mirabelle buried her head deeply as she said this. “I no longer want to experience the sensation of losing my freedom again.”

“Is that so? Something really did happen before? In the past…”

Mirabelle’s expression became sadder and sadder as she heard Kirsten say this.

“Sorry, I asked something that I shouldn’t have again. Alright, once I recover from my injuries, we can go hunting together, and I’ll teach you everything…”
“Not a problem, but can you please unlock the door first? I don’t like the feeling of being imprisoned…”
“You’re right, but you can’t leave my side…”
“Rest assured, I’m a ma… cough cough, elf who keeps her word!”

Mirabelle had wanted to say the word “man”, but then she instantly changed her phrasing when she looked at her own petite body.

“Mirabelle is such an amusing girl…”

Kirsten smiled as she walked to the door and opened the lock.

“Mirabelle, you really aren’t hiding anything from me?”
“…”

When she heard this, Mirabelle wondered if she should tell Kirsten about the hunting competition she promised to have with Reyne, but she still shook her head in the end.

“Hey, Kirsten, do you still remember that girl from when you were injured?”

Mirabelle decided to first get some information from Kirsten.

“Oh, you’re talking about that child, Reyne Miren?”
“Yes, just who is she? Do you know?”
“That child? I do know her very well, since we’re both hunters…”

Mirabelle felt rather complex inside when she heard Kirsten say this, so she asked another question.

“Then, how are her hunting skills.”
“Quite excellent. She won’t panic at all even when facing A rank magical beasts…”

‘A rank…? Since Reyne is over level 100, it’s true that she can hunt A rank magical beasts. However, the highest level magical beast here is SS, and there are an uncountable number of S rank magical beasts outside. It can be said that S rank magical beasts aren’t even much here-’

“In that case, how many magical beasts can she defeat?”
“How many? I’ve never really paid attention to such a thing, but there’s no problem for her to defeat eight to ten A rank magical beasts. However, even she will be injured if she’s surrounded and simultaneously attacked by eight to ten A rank magical beasts…”

In that case, it seemed like Mirabelle still had a chance at victory.

Kirsten saw Mirabelle’s proud expression, so she asked out of curiosity, “Why are you asking about such things?”

“It’s nothing, it’s nothing, it’s about time for lunch, so I’ll go make lunch now…”

Mirabelle really didn’t know how to lie. When she lied, even Kirsten, who had only lived together with Mirabelle for a few days, could tell that Mirabelle was reacting quite unnaturally.

‘-Did something really happen after all?’

“I’ll go take a walk before you finish cooking lunch…”
“Enjoy yourself…”

Mirabelle waved her hand at Kirsten’s back.

Mirabelle didn’t notice at all that Kirsten was intending on going to Reyne’s house to ask for an explanation.

Kirsten arrived at Reyne’s house and gently knocked on the latter’s front door.

No response came from inside.

‘-Really? It seems like she’s not home right now. In that case, I’ll go ask the nearby neighbors. Perhaps they know something.’

Kirsten glanced at the general good stores next to Reyne’s home.

She recalled that the last time she came here, there was an elderly grandma in the general goods store –

“Welcome… Oh, it’s Kirsten? What’s the matter?”

The elderly elf also recognized Kirsten, so she spoke to Kirsten in a relaxed manner.

“Granny Lor, do you know anything about Reyne’s matters?”
“Reyne? She’s been working really hard recently, and it seems that she’s hunting double the number of magical beasts compared to normal. By the way, shouldn’t you usually be hunting with Reyne at this time?”
“As you can see, I was injured a few days ago, and I’m still resting right now, so I can’t hunt at all…”
“I see. Still, you shouldn’t force yourself like Reyne is. Your body is the most important…”
“Thank you, Granny Lor. However, can I ask you something else about Reyne? Did anything strange happen to her recently? For instance, having a bet with another person…”

“I heard that she had a bet with some unknown elf, that she’s going to have a hunting competition with her one month from now…” Granny Lor said contemplatively.

Granny Lor’s legs didn’t work very well, but her ears still worked excellently. She heard of this from someone who came to her store.

“An unknown elf? What is that elf like? What’s her appearance?”
“My customer said that she had blue hair and water-blue eyes, and that she was a really cute girl…”
“Is that so? I’ve already learned what I wanted to. Thank you, Granny Lor…”

Kirsten immediately left the store and went back home.

‘-Since there’s such a competition, did Mirabelle lie to me and will she leave home by herself? I… impossible, I already locked the door before I went out.’

Kirsten ran all the way back home, used her key to open the lock, and began to search for Mirabelle everywhere.

“Mirabelle… Mirabelle? Where are you?”

She immediately ran to the kitchen, but Kirsten’s entire house was empty.

“As expected, she secretly slipped out by herself because of the bet…”

‘-Didn’t we agree to go together after my injuries are healed? Was she just deceiving me? Lying? Using pretty words to fool me?’

Kirsten was really disappointed in Mirabelle. She hadn’t expected that the latter would be a child who would lie to her.

Kirsten listlessly sat down on the ground and raised her head to look at the ceiling.

What should she do if Mirabelle died just like this?

Should she feel sad? Should she mourn Mirabelle?

Just as Kirsten was thinking such random things, there was the sound of the front door being opened.

“I’m back… Huh? What’s going on, why are you sitting here without even locking the door?”
“Mirabelle, what were you doing just now?”
“I simply went shopping because I saw that you went out, that’s all.”

Kirsten saw that Mirabelle was holding a large bag.

Maybe there wasn’t enough food to cook with, so Mirabelle had gone shopping.

“Honestly, you made me so worried…”
“Worried about what? Didn’t we promise? That I would only go hunting after your injuries healed?”
“But, your bet with Reyne…”

Mirabelle glanced at her with astonishment. Her eyes went round with shock.

“You… how did you know?”
“Almost everyone in town knows already. You idiot, why did you try to hide it from me? I even thought that you secretly slipped out to hunt.”
“I… I didn’t want to tell you because I didn’t want you to worry, but in the end, I still made you worry, which really ruined my intentions…”

Mirabelle placed some vegetables on the table and helped Kirsten up from the ground.

Mirabelle then helped Kirsten to the sofa.

“Still, rest assured, a promise is a promise. I’m not someone who would break a promise…”
“But, do you have any chance at winning? Reyne is a veteran hunter, while you’re a complete newbie.”
“None at all…”
“Then what will she ask for if she wins your bet? Did the two of you not mention any request if someone wins?”

Kirsten became more and more worried about Mirabelle, since so many people in town had witnessed Mirabelle’s bet.

This bet was something that had to be completed since there were so many witnesses.

“I have no idea. We’ll probably decide when the time comes. Besides, I don’t think that I’ll definitely lose…”
“What do you intend to do then?”
“Ehehe, that’s a trade secret. I’ll show you their power once your injuries have healed.”
“Their?”

While sitting on the sofa, Kirsten glanced at the new quiver that Mirabelle purchased, which contained about 30 arrows.

These arrows seemed basically identical to her own arrows.

They were ordinary iron arrows that had been coated in a paralysis drug.

“Acting mysterious on purpose. Is this how you treat the person who saved your life?”

Kirsten puffed out her cheeks. Even if Mirabelle showed her the arrows, it seemed likely she wouldn’t understand what Mirabelle was doing.

“Ehehe, isn’t there that phrase? In order to fool the enemy, you must first fool your allies…”
“Is that so? Ally, are you really treating me as your ally?”
“Of course I am. Kirsten is my most important companion!”

Kirsten felt really moved when she heard Mirabelle say this.

They had only known each other for less than five days, but had already become such important companions.

Would they have “that” type of relationship if they continued to be together?

Kirsten felt her face becoming really hot as she imagined it.