Day 23
...
The next day, we all gathered at the north gate of Ortana.
I looked up at the dimly lit sky above us.
It truly felt like a miracle that we were still alive.
And at the same time, it also felt like a kind of suffering.
"...Huh." A sigh escaped my lips.
Then I shifted my gaze forward.
"...Here she is," Ranta called out. "Everyone, I'd like to introduce our newest companion! Please give a warm round of applause for Mary, our new priest!"
Ranta introduced Mary to everyone.
She was the person Kikkawa had told us about last night.
Honestly, I didn't really mind her... After thinking about everything throughout the night, maybe the only thing I could do now was simply keep moving forward.
At least, that's what I intended to do for the time being.
Haruhiro and Mogzo clapped hesitantly.
Turning my head, I saw the disappointed expressions on Yume and Shihoru's faces.
Well, that was only natural. After all, we'd invited Mary without asking for their opinion. They hadn't even known about it beforehand.
I understood how both of them felt.
"Come on, welcome Mary with some applause!" Ranta urged once again.
"N-Nice to meet you..." Shihoru stammered, bowing her head slightly.
Yume gave a small bow as well. "W-Welcome..."
An awkward atmosphere settled over us.
Looking at the two of them, I couldn't help but think about how different things were between the day I joined the party and the day Mary did.
Maybe...
Maybe losing Manato had changed everything.
Trying to make things feel at least a little better, I turned toward Mary.
To be honest, some people would probably consider her attractive. But I'd already put those kinds of things behind me a long time ago. So she didn't really catch my interest.
A smile formed on my face. One that didn't feel forced. It was honestly unpleasant having to do things like this.
I hated pretending. Yet here I was, pretending anyway.
Still smiling, I gave Mary a small nod.
You know... Sometimes even the smallest gesture can mean something to another person. Sometimes, it's far more effective than a handful of empty words.
But...
For that woman, it seemed completely pointless.
She looked at me for a few moments before quietly turning her eyes away.
Yep. There was no doubt about it. She was going to be troublesome.
Mary shifted her gaze toward Haruhiro.
"Is this your party?"
"Uh..." Haruhiro lowered his head for a moment before answering. "Yeah... Including you, that makes six of us."
"I see," Mary replied with an expression that was difficult to read. "Fine. As long as I get my share, I don't care. Where are we going? Damrow?"
"Y-Yeah..." Haruhiro glanced back and forth between us before continuing.
"...I suppose so."
"'I suppose?'" Mary repeated. "Be certain."
"Damrow... R-Right. We're heading to the old city of Damrow to hunt goblins... We don't really know much about the other monsters there."
His voice still carried a hint of uncertainty.
"Fine.Then let's go. I'll follow."
"Umm..." Ranta avoided meeting Mary's eyes. "Could you maybe be a little more... uh... You know... A little more... well..."
I simply stared at him blankly.
What is he even trying to say?
Even I had trouble understanding what he meant. Though I guessed everyone else probably understood his intention.
"What?" Mary asked, fixing Ranta with a cold stare.
"N-Never mind!" Ranta said immediately. "S-Sorry... Forget I said anything..."
I was honestly a little surprised.
Even someone like Ranta could get intimidated.
I turned my eyes back toward Mary, silently observing her.
Yeah...
I guess she really was a little scary.
...
I have to admit, writing at work during downtime turns out to be more enjoyable than writing at home.
And this is just a short chapter I wrote in my spare time.