After attaining results from her big adventure, Lily returned to the fork in the road with bold steps.
(The real adventure starts now…!)
From there, it was an area she had never been to before. She might be attacked by monsters… she thought as she steeled her nerves. She could not imagine what experiences awaited her.
She walked in front with Beary and Poyopoyo behind. The scenery looked the same, but she could not be careless, she thought seriously.
She walked as she looked around, and suddenly noticed a young woman. Lily looked up with her eyes wide open.
“What’s wrong? Are you lost?”
She looked like nothing other than a lost child. After all, this was not a dangerous area, it was a peaceful residential area.
“Lily’s on an adventure and lives over there.”
“I see. And are those your friends behind you?”
“Trusty partners.”
“Trusty… Hm… Are you all right?”
The woman wondered if she should let her go. It was not an unsafe area, but the word adventure stuck out to her. If she was just wandering, it was only a matter of time until she was lost. She looked up wondering what to do…
“…Eh.”
She gulped and stood still.
(What is that… suspicious person…!?)
There was a man hiding in the shadow of a nearby tree. He peeked from behind it and looked at her.
He was a young man with black hair. He was not glaring, but his eyes were piercing. If she was not wrong, he was after that child.
(W-what should I do? Should I report this? I might be standing in a bad situation.)
“What is it, lady?”
Lily found it odd that the adult suddenly froze. She said it was all right with a calm tone to reassure Lily, but also in part to calm herself.
(He might resort to force if he realizes I noticed him.)
That pressure made her think so. A chill ran down her spine. If push came to shove, a simple store employee like her… Bad thoughts swelled in her mind.
“Ah, hum, I’m on an adventure too. Can I go with you for a bit?”
“Yes! Let’s investigate what’s there.”
The woman knew there was nothing but more of the residential area, but did not say it. She decided she could not crush a child’s dreams even in this dangerous situation, mostly because she was used to dealing with children as a part of her job.
“Hum, Lily, right? Do you know what your mommy and daddy are doing?”
“Mommy’s working! Daddy was napping! And Lily’s adventuring.”
“I see…”
The woman thought it was a strange family. She was not born into a wealthy family, so she thought the father should be working too. She never could have imagined both parents were rich.
(Hn… Daddy was napping…?)
She turned and looked at the man hiding in shadows. The first thing she noticed was the shape of the ears. If he was also an elf… She thought, but unfortunately, he had the ears of a human.
She was disappointed, but asked something just in case.
“Can you tell me a little about your daddy? Does he have black hair?”
“Eh? How do you know!?”
“What kind of clothes does he wear?”
“Hum, black clothes!”
“I see… Thank you, that’s all right.”
(…Geez, what is this…)
She felt her tense body relax.
The man she thought was suspicious… was just a father tailing his daughter as she went on an adventure.
She cursed herself for jumping to conclusions, but at the same time, was mad at the man hiding. He would have spared her the scare if he watched over her from a normal distance, she thought.
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