Extra in a Romance Fantasy

102 – The Forest (13)

After the space created by Cheryl broke apart, what entered my sight were cold stone walls, a door left ajar, and faces that felt both familiar and slightly strange.

“…Huh?”

In the space that had returned to normal, El wore a bewildered expression.

And in that state, she looked around.

“Miss, what’s wrong?”

Dorothy asked her directly.

As if to say, is something the matter?

To that question.

“…No, it’s nothing.”

El slowly shook her head.

A hint of a perplexed expression lingered, but it was by no means strong.

“…….”

I already knew in advance from Cheryl.

—

Dorothy and Charlie, who had not been drawn into the space, were completely unaware that something had happened, and it was clear that El would not retain any memories of what had occurred in that space.

It was only natural for Dorothy and Charlie, as they had not been summoned into that realm, but El had previously mentioned that she would take measures to ensure that she would not remember.

Considering El’s curiosity, I added that retaining memories of what had happened inside would likely not lead to a favorable outcome for her.

Since I believed her words, I did not express any dissatisfaction with her opinion.

However, I couldn’t help but feel a twinge of guilt towards El, who had unilaterally lent her body and gone through the trouble of coming all the way here.

Perhaps Cheryl had anticipated this, as she mentioned that she had prepared some form of compensation… though she hadn’t specified what that compensation would be.

“Uh? What’s that…?”

At that moment, Charlie’s eyes widened as he pointed to something.

In the direction of his finger, there was a solitary open door, and beyond it, a room could be seen.

Inside that room, treasures that looked expensive at a glance were displayed.

Despite the passage of time, the treasures made of jewels and gold had not lost a single glimmer of light.

“…….”

Seeing the group rendered speechless as they gazed at the sight, I nodded to myself.

Surely, this was more than enough as a reward.

Moreover, Cheryl had mentioned that there was a separate reward prepared for El herself, so I probably didn’t need to worry.

In any case, my six months of training, and El’s commission, had come to an end.

*

Aside from El showing a slightly ambiguous reaction, everything was fine, and even that subtlety was overshadowed by the treasures discovered in the room.

Thus, the group joyfully gathered the treasures and set off on their journey back to Darville.

Although the amount of treasure was considerable, it fit well into the bags that had enough empty space, and while the weight was quite heavy, the members of the group, excluding El, were not particularly troubled by such weight, so transporting the treasures posed no significant issue.

The reward for the arduous journey had returned in the form of gold and jewels, making the footsteps of the group returning to Darville light.

Of course, logically speaking, all the gold and jewels discovered by the group should rightfully belong to El, but she decided to share some of it with the group.

Not just with Dorothy, but also with Charlie and me.

There was no real need for her to do so, yet El insisted on making that decision.

She added that it would have been impossible to obtain these treasures without everyone’s efforts.

Dorothy reacted calmly, but from that moment on, Charlie wore a huge grin and began to lead the way back.

It was a perfectly understandable reaction.

No matter how much Darville’s mercenaries generally charged high fees, and even though Charlie was among those who charged quite a bit, the amount of gold and jewels he would receive this time was something he could not earn even after years of work.

Perhaps, through this commission, Charlie would earn enough money to retire immediately.

Maybe that was why, from then on, Charlie always seemed to be in a good mood, even showing kindness to me, who had been grumpy the whole time.

—

It felt as if he would even stand in for the night watch.

I was surprised by the fact that a person could change this much for just one piece of money, yet I remained somewhat wary of Charlie’s movements.

It was true that the amount he would receive was considerable, but humans are inherently creatures that know no satisfaction.

Moreover, considering his reputation in Darville and the way he had behaved until now, I thought there was a good chance he harbored vain desires and might be plotting something nefarious.

However, contrary to those worries, Charlie showed no signs of such behavior at all.

On the surface, it was to be expected, but even after deliberately observing him closely, I saw not a hint of scheming.

That was surprisingly reassuring, and I felt a sense of relief at the same time.

Setting aside whether I liked him or not, he had shown himself to be a suitable mercenary leading our group, and after all, he was a comrade who had shared in our hardships.

Everything had ended smoothly, and I didn’t want to stir things up unnecessarily.

And as for the other member of our party, Dorothy…

How should I put it… she seemed no different from usual.

Even though she had come into possession of money that would make an ordinary person’s eyes widen, she showed no signs of great joy and maintained a calm demeanor.

The only thing she seemed concerned about was always El.

She was truly a loyal guard, embodying the proper stance of a warrior.

From what I had heard from El, she usually wasn’t this composed.

Thinking of that, it meant she was likely feeling a considerable amount of tension in the forest, worrying about El’s safety.

Upon reflection, she was quite a unique person.

It was clear that El was the child of a noble family, but Dorothy’s skills were certainly too valuable to be confined to merely being a guard for a noble lady.

At her age, with her level of skill, it wouldn’t be strange for her to reach the level of a representative warrior of the country, or at least come close to it, simply with the passage of time.

It wouldn’t be odd for her to step onto a larger stage, and choosing such a path would surely make her future shine even brighter.

Yet, Dorothy seemed entirely uninterested in such things, almost as if she was content with her position.

That meant she was genuinely devoted to serving El, but I couldn’t help but wonder how she had come to be El’s guard.

Well, of course, I had no intention of directly asking her or El about it.

And the last member of our party, El, was not much different from before.

I felt relieved by that fact.

Though it hadn’t affected her physically, her consciousness had been asleep for a full six months.

Sheryl had confidently assured me that there would be no problems or abnormalities regarding that, but it was a period that naturally made me worry about whether something might go wrong.

However, seeing her in good spirits, my worries soon subsided, and our party set off on the road back to Darville without any particular issues.

The journey itself was quite peaceful.

We hardly encountered any monsters, nor did any other accidents occur.

I was simply retracing my steps along the path I had come, in a calm and somewhat lighter manner.

It was on one of those days.

On a night like any other, during my watch, an unexpected guest walked out from outside the tent.

“…Miss.”

It was El.

“May I sit for a moment?”

“…Of course.”

Faced with El’s smiling inquiry, I could only nod silently in agreement.

Thus, El and I sat side by side, keeping watch together.

There were no words exchanged between us.

Only the occasional sound of grass rustling in the breeze flowed through the air.

I wondered how long it had been.

“Do you know what happened that day, Andel?”

Suddenly, El posed that question.

I was a bit taken aback, but I didn’t let it show on my face.

“When you say that day…?”

“That day. The day we arrived at our destination. The moment we opened the door.”

“Um… I’m not quite sure what you mean. Aside from opening the door and discovering the treasure inside, was there anything else?”

I feigned nonchalance.

As if I were speaking of something entirely ordinary.

Without a hint of awkwardness.

In response, El stared at me intently and said,

“…That’s right. That was all.”

As she spoke, she nodded slightly.

“I’m sure that was all, but… I can’t shake the feeling that something happened in that moment. But… I can’t remember what it was.”

“…….”

I listened quietly to El’s words.

Wary that if I spoke, the awkwardness might surface.

Yet inwardly, I quietly pondered.

From what I gathered, it seemed that the memory itself had been neatly erased, but El appeared to feel a faint sense of discomfort about it.

“And for some reason, I felt like Mr. Andel might know something about it. So, I asked.”

“…I see. But… I don’t know anything. What I saw that day is all I’ve mentioned earlier.”

“…Is that so?”

El smiled.

However, it wasn’t the bright smile she usually wore.

And once again, silence settled between us.

Neither El nor I said a word.

We simply gazed up at the starry night sky.

Then, after a time long enough for the starlight to etch itself into our eyes.

“I actually wanted to be a magician.”

El began to share a story she hadn’t been asked about.

“Our family is quite a famous magician lineage, you see. My parents, as well as my older brother and sister, all learned magic from the moment they were born and became outstanding magicians. Given that I was born into such a family, it was only natural for me to walk the path of magic. But… there was a crucial difference between my family and me. I had no talent for magic. In fact, it was horrifically lacking.”

So calmly, she unfolded her past.

“No matter how hard I tried, my skills didn’t improve, and mastering even the basics of magic was a struggle. Even cutting back on sleep to immerse myself in practice, I could barely grasp the fundamental spells. In the end, I gave up on magic.”

It wasn’t something she likely wanted to shout about, yet her voice remained serene throughout.

“By that point, my family had stopped expecting anything from me. They didn’t cast scornful glances my way; rather, they treated me warmly… but they no longer mentioned magic at all.”

Could it be that she could speak of such things so calmly because it was a story that had already ended within her?

“However, around that time, I developed a strange ability. How should I put it… perhaps I should call it intuition? Whenever I had a good feeling, something good would happen, and when I felt an ominous sense, an accident would inevitably occur. At first, I thought it was just coincidence, but… it didn’t take long for me to realize it was more than mere chance.”

She said that at first, the people around her found it merely intriguing, but at some point, they began to regard her intuition as something special.

“At the same time, I started having a certain dream. A dream that showed me events that would happen in the future, almost like a prophetic dream.”

As her intuition emerged, she began to occasionally have precognitive dreams.

Most of them depicted events in the near future that would only occur once or twice, but there was one exception.

It was the dream of the forest.

“I had that dream not just once or twice, but almost daily, so I couldn’t help but become intrigued.”

As she repeatedly dreamt of it, she grew fascinated by the dream itself.

“After dreaming the same dream dozens, if not hundreds of times, I realized that the forest existed next to Darville. Intrigued, I began to research the forest and Darville, studying everything related to them as if branches were extending outwards. The history of the forest and Darville, and research on the ancient empire that once stood there… thus, I became engrossed in archaeology.”

In this way, she devoted herself to archaeology instead of magic.

“And at some point, I started to think. I have to go there. At least, I must go at least once. Naturally, my parents opposed it, saying it was dangerous, but I didn’t give up. In the end, I was able to get permission on the condition that Dorothy would never leave my side, and I came here. And… I’ve finally achieved this long-held goal.”

“…How does it feel to have achieved your goal?”

I couldn’t help but ask, looking into her eyes.

“Well, I’m not sure. It’s somewhat relieving, and it’s not that I’m unhappy… but I feel like there’s something I’m missing. Perhaps it’s just this feeling that I’ve forgotten something.”

“You forgot….”

“Yes. I’m certain that something must have happened back then.”

“…What is the reason for that?”

“Because of this.”

Whoosh—

As she finished speaking, a clear flame erupted from her hand.

I recognized it. It was a flame created by magic.

“It’s magic that I haven’t been able to use properly until now. But… ever since that day, I feel like I can use it so easily. Not just this, but I also feel like I might be able to use other types of magic that I only knew in theory but never dared to try.”

“…….”

Suddenly, a talent for magic had emerged.

I realized.

This was one of the rewards that Sheryl had given to El.

Sheryl had given her a possibility.

The possibility of magic.

“…How fascinating.”

“Indeed. I have no idea what on earth is going on.”

A vivid question sparkled in her eyes like starlight.

However, her expression didn’t seem bad at all.

“But I’ve decided to stop overthinking it. I don’t know how this happened, but… I’ve chosen to think of it as a gift someone gave me.”

“…I see.”

I felt relieved by that thought.

After all, even if she had questions about it right now, there would be no way to resolve them.

Maybe after a long time, it would be different.

“What do you plan to do now, miss? Haven’t you achieved your goal?”

“Well… I’m not really the type to act with a set goal in mind….”

At my question, El hesitated, showing signs of contemplation.

However, that pause didn’t last long.

Soon, she seemed to recall something, and a bright smile spread across her face as usual.

“Well, since this has happened, maybe I’ll become an explorer, exploring the ruins of the entire continent.”

“…What a wonderful dream.”

It wasn’t just empty words; I truly believed that.

“Right?”

Elle smiled, and I returned her smile as I looked at her.

Thus, the conversation flowed, and the watch was over, as our party set off on the journey back to Darville.

From then on, the journey continued without any particular incidents, and our party drew closer to Darville at a swift pace.

However, as we neared the vicinity of Darville, we realized that the surroundings were in disarray.

The chaos intensified as we approached Darville, and by the time we arrived, our party was certain that something had indeed happened.

There were far more people than usual in Darville, and a distinctly different atmosphere filled the town.

To clear our doubts, Charlie immediately stopped a passing mercenary and asked what had occurred.

The mercenary glanced at our party with a look of annoyance, then finally spoke.

“They say a hero’s grave has been discovered in the forest.”

A shocking piece of news.