Kays Translations
Just another Isekai Lover~
Chapter 37: Before Crossing the Suspension Bridge
That evening, the examinees rejoiced when they heard that their descent would begin the next morning. Some had remained uncertain that they would ever escape the mountain, and several girls even wept with relief.
No matter how talented they were, they were still young and far from their families. After enduring the unnatural cold and snow, some must have wondered whether they would die in the mountains.
“It’s time to change shifts, Ren.”
“Oh—is it already that late?”
It was almost midnight. A Clausel knight had come to replace Ren on watch outside the fort.
Ren went inside. Torches lit the rough stone corridors, their shadows shifting whenever a draft disturbed the flames. He stopped at the fireplace beyond the entrance and warmed his chilled hands.
(I could use something hot to drink.)
He headed for the kitchen, a place he had visited several times to inspect the remaining provisions and the food obtained from his hunt.
After walking through the poorly insulated passage, he opened the wooden door at its end. The hinges produced a low creak.
“Ah…”
“Ah…”
Fiona was already there, standing by the row of sinks and washing dishes. After exchanging a small bow with her, Ren picked up a copper saucepan to heat water. The old hearth was already burning.
“Would you like to use the fire as well, Adventurer?” Fiona asked, approaching with a saucepan of her own.
“Yes. I wanted something warm before bed.”
“So did I. I was going to make tea after I finished the dishes.”
“That explains the fire. May I heat my water beside yours?”
“Of course.”
Ren drew enough meltwater for two cups and set his saucepan on the hearth. The only sound between them was the snapping firewood.
(This is awkward.)
Fiona was honoring the promise of noninterference and did not initiate a conversation. Ren could hardly speak casually to her either, and he had no suitable topic in mind.
Then they both moved at the same moment.
After briefly glancing at one another, they realized they had simultaneously decided to search for tea leaves. Pretending not to notice the coincidence, they went to the cupboard and examined several small bottles by scent.
(I didn’t know they stocked things like this here.)
House Clausel apparently kept emergency supplies in the fort, delivered by knights and adventurers whenever requests brought them to the area. Thanks to that preparation, even stranded travelers could enjoy a cup of tea.
Ren reached for one bottle.
“So—sorry.”
“No, it wasn’t only you. I reached for it too.”
Their fingertips met in front of the same bottle. Both recoiled as if they had touched boiling water and stepped back with strained smiles.
They had chosen exactly the same leaves.
“Would you like me to brew it?” Ren offered, desperate to dispel the strange mood.
“Would that be all right?”
“I can’t promise it will suit your taste, but I’ll try.”
Remembering what the manor’s servants had taught him, Ren brewed the poorly stored leaves and poured the tea into two inexpensive cups.
“Oh… it’s delicious,” Fiona said, steam curling past her lips.
There were no chairs in the kitchen, so they drank while standing.
“You have learned how to make tea, Adventurer.”
“Only a little.”
“You are much better at it than I am.”
“I still have a great deal to learn. Besides, as the daughter of House Ignat, you probably have few occasions to make your own tea.”
“Well… until recently, I was too sickly to do much. One of the attendants who kept me company tried to teach me, but I was terribly clumsy.”
Fiona lowered her gaze, hiding her embarrassment behind her cup.
“Tea was important for my medicine, so I wanted to learn. Moving whenever I was able was supposed to be good for me, but no one could honestly call the tea I made delicious.”
“Tea really is difficult. But what do you mean by it being important for medicine?”
“The medicine I took was absorbed better with tea than with water.”
“I see. Medicine made from monster materials must behave differently.”
“Apparently so. I’m only a patient, so I never understood the details.”
Grandma Rigg had taught Ren that medicine should normally be taken with water because other drinks could alter its effects. That was not true of every medicine, but water was usually the safest choice.
“If yours could be taken with tea, at least the bitterness would have been easier to hide.”
“Exactly. It made the medicine much easier to swallow.”
Their cups emptied while they talked.
“I’ll clean them,” Fiona said.
“I can’t leave that to a noble lady.”
“You treated me to tea. Please let me do at least this much.”
Her gentle voice nevertheless carried enough resolve that Ren knew she would refuse any further argument. He thanked her and left.
Alone, Fiona washed both cups.
“How strange… Why was he so easy to talk to?”
Perhaps their temperaments simply matched. She dried the cups and returned them to the cupboard—then froze.
“Wait.”
She recalled Ren’s words about her medicine.
“Did I ever tell him it was made from monster materials?”
She turned off the water and tilted her head. After leaving the kitchen, she sat on a crude bench by the fireplace, distracted by a possibility that should have been absurd.
“Lady Ignat?”
A knight approached from several steps away.
“You should rest soon. We depart early tomorrow.”
“Yes… you’re right.”
Realizing that staying awake would only burden the others, Fiona rose. Then she stopped and called to the knight.
“Excuse me!”
◇ ◇ ◇ ◇
The next morning began smoothly.
After breakfast, everyone assembled outside the fort beneath the first light of dawn.
“At last, Ren,” a knight said.
“At last,” Ren agreed.
With Meidas absent, the knight had taken command of the adventurers as well.
“Let us depart!”
Ren, the adventurers, and every examinee still at the fort began their descent.
The students were exceptional young people who had reached the final examination for the Imperial Military Academy’s Special Class. Even so, the difference between their bodies and those of trained adults soon became obvious. The knights and adventurers had only recently completed a descent and return journey, yet they led the way through deep snow without showing fatigue.
(Finally.)
Their stay had lasted far longer than planned. Ren felt some of the weight leave his shoulders when he heard the students’ relieved voices.
He nevertheless reminded himself that their responsibility would not end until everyone reached safety.
A strange breeze brushed his cheek.
“…?”
It felt cold and hot at the same time. For an instant, Ren thought sparks had been mixed into the blowing snow.
“Ren?” a knight asked, freely using his name because Fiona was not nearby.
“Sorry. I let my attention wander.”
“It is understandable. We are finally going down.”
Ren slapped his own cheek.
(Don’t relax yet.)
Behind him, the students expressed as many emotions as there were people.
“We can finally go home.”
“If only the enemy had been monsters, I would never have shown such disgrace…”
“Do you think we failed?”
Relief, frustration, and anxiety mingled in their voices.
(The examiners never appeared.)
The examination had already exceeded its scheduled duration. There should have been personnel nearby to respond to emergencies, no matter how difficult the final test was. Their total absence remained deeply suspicious.
The students were exhausted, and the people suffering symptoms similar to Vessel Fracture had lost considerable strength even if their lives were no longer in immediate danger. They needed to leave the mountains as quickly as possible.
After marching for some time, the suspension bridge came into view.
The examinees tensed. A long bridge swaying above an unseen canyon in a blizzard was frightening even from solid ground.
“Knights, let’s guide the students across,” an adventurer proposed.
“Agreed.”
Several knights and adventurers went first, while the others offered their hands or coats to the students.
“Come on. Hold the railing or my coat,” an adventurer told a proud-looking boy.
“I don’t need help. Who do you think I am?”
“My apologies. An elite Special Class candidate could never be frightened by a bridge like this.”
“O-of course not! Don’t underestimate me.”
The moment he stepped onto the unevenly swaying boards, however, the boy stopped. The canyon below was hidden by the storm, but the height alone told him that a fall would be fatal.
The adventurer took his hand.
“I said I don’t—”
“I know. I simply don’t want you falling. Anyone with a free hand, guide one of the others.”
Ren smiled at the man’s unexpected kindness.
Because several sick adventurers still required assistance, nearly every adult soon had someone to support. Only Fiona and the girl who had previously worried about the examination results remained without escorts.
Ren considered helping Fiona because of her status, but thought a knight should take that responsibility. Before he could decide, the other girl approached the nearest knight.
“Please assist me.”
That left Fiona with Ren.
The girl who had chosen the knight glanced warily at Ren as she passed. She appeared uncomfortable around adventurers in general.
“Adventurer, may I ask for your help?” Fiona said as she approached.
“Are you certain? I thought you might prefer a knight.”
“No. I intended to ask you from the beginning.”
Her clear answer pleasantly surprised him.
With a faintly shy smile, Fiona pinched the hem of Ren’s coat through her glove. When he took his first step, the fabric drew taut and told him she was following directly behind.
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