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Chapter 437: Pleasant Dream

「… 」
Butler stood rooted on the spot, the ambiguous smile still plastered on his face.

「… 」
And me, I averted my eyes.

「… 」
Forest Noth ーI mean Note ー lit the fireplace.

The fire in the hearth went from flickering gently to blazing fiercely, warming the room a little bit too quickly that it’s kinda unnatural.

Ugh, Forest Noth, don’t suddenly appear like that, will you!? I thought Butler suddenly blurred! Ah, but thanks for helping with the fire, I guess?

「Ack, this won’t do, I’m having double vision, there’s two Butler now. I have tons of things to tell you before Martina wakes up, but nah, I’m gonna sleep! 」
Dean crawled into the make-shift bed.

Ah, no, you’re right, there’s two of them now. You’re really seeing two of them! Dean’s fire lizard also crawled into the bed with him, while the little girl spirit happily dived into his shoes.

Fetish for armpit smell, and fetish for stinky feet…? Fire Lizard-kun is a tiny fire spirit ー seems like fire spirits frequently take on lizard’s appearance, huh. The little girl must be fire and light spirit, I guess?

Anyway, ‘Martina’ must be this woman that they brought along with them, huh. So, why did they bring her along? Is it because their task is to guard and escort her, or is it out of pure concern that they wanted to help her? Which is it? Mm, they’re calling her by her name properly, so maybe it’s the latter?

「Sorry for interrupting you, is the water outside? 」
Chris couldn’t read the room, as usual.

「Ahh, I’ll get some for you. There’s a spring outside, but it’s too cold right now. 」
I got two pitchers and a cup each for everyone.

Hmm, it might be tough to drink from a cup when you’re lying down, huh. Using a kettle won’t be appropriate, and I don’t have enough. A straw might be good ー ahh.

「Here you go. 」
I inserted a thick straw in the cup and handed it over.
「Ohh, thank you ー ah, you didn’t have to do that for me, since I’m still standing. 」
Chris avoided the straw and just drank directly from the cup.

The straw is, well, just that: a straw made from actual straw ー you know, the stalk of grass. It’s hollow inside when you remove the nodes. I’ve seen a straw stuck into a coconut that has its top cut off back in Es.

Seems like they also use it in Canum. As for how, it’s good for making folks drunk, apparently. It’s easier to get drunk when you drink alcohol with a straw, but I’m not sure if that’s really how it is, or if it’s the influence of spirits.

Nobody around me is stingy with spending money on alcohol, so I haven’t seen any of them do that with me. It’s normal for adventurer’s with low tolerance to put on airs, after all.

「You’ll feel refreshed even with just wiping your face and hands, you know. 」
I handed warm towelettes to everyone.

「I’ll leave the women to you. 」
I gave two to Butler and one to Forest Noth.

「I also feel as though I am on the verge of collapsing at any moment.. 」
Butler said while wiping Ash’s face and hands.

「Are you alright? You don’t seem to be injured… 」
Maybe he was beaten all over? Ah, but I already cast【Heal】all over him earlier so all his wounds should’ve been healed.

「…The mental exhaustion that I currently experience is far more taxing upon entering this home. 」
Butler glanced at Forest Note, who was doing the same thing to Martina beside him.

Urk, maybe it’s really bad that they look alike? But it doesn’t seem like he’s gonna press me about it right now, though.

「Think about an alias before Martina wakes up. Or you can also call Hauron and just shift everything to him ー sorry I intruded this place. 」
Retze must’ve woken up because of the towel on his face, but he grabbed it from me and covered his face with it like a typical salaryman uncle in Japan.

「Nah, I’m glad that you came here. Actually, how did you even make it here? 」
「It’s pure chance. We can’t see the stars that well in the woods. I saw some familiar trees and whatnot… I finally noticed it when I came closer. Well, I approached the house in search of water. 」
「I see. 」
Good thing I requested the Snow Leopard for a location near a water source to make it easier for me if I want to cool down or wash the monsters I hunt. It’s helped them. It’s hard to find water available for use in the depths of the forest after all, and any water further in would be frozen.

「I wanna explain everything, but not enough energy for that. 」
He became quiet again after saying that.

「I will also rest! Oh, to rest in a warm room like this, it feels like a dream. 」
Chris barely finished pulling the blanket up to his chin before his snores resounded.

Dean was already asleep. Hey, can you not cover your face with the towel like that?

「There are various matters I wish to explain and inquire about, but I must excuse myself. This warmth is truly irresistible. 」
Butler removed his outerwear and settled inside the blanket.

「Mm, goodnight. 」

I tried to come up with an alias ー I can either pretend to be someone who unknowingly rescued them, or I can get Hauron and just chuck everything to him.

Hmm, how about chucking them all back to the fortress city while they’re asleep? But I don’t know what the quest is all about, so I don’t think that would work.

At any rate, I casted a sleeping spell on Martina first. Let’s just interrogate that spectator guy who is probably being attacked by the black spirits right now, and maybe capture the fortress city’s adventurers while at it. I’m sure they haven’t gotten out of the forest yet.

It’s been a while since I’ve been this angry!