28 Chapter 22: A Glance into the Pas (1/2)

[Hmm… Your face is still red. Is it a fever, after all?]

Hold on. To begin with, does fever exists in this world?

Fleur: ”I-I am fine…! R-Really… Hn… *pant* It is not a f-fever… Haah…”

Oh, there is a fever. I guess the physiology of this world's resident is identical to my former world's.

[I see. You should just rest for now. Purin is out to hunt for food. I think she will be back soon.]

At the moment, we are still inside the cave that was filled with bats- I mean, Matamons. I've cleaned them up so it's no longer a worry. Even those that I failed to exterminate and escaped never bothered to come back. But… I wonder if it's fine to let Fleur rest at such a place.

The floor is a bit damp. Few mosses grow all over the place. It's filled with Glow Stones, so we don't need to worry about our light. Cold wind breezes inside from the huge entrance. They've brought cloth and blankets and stuff, but… If it is indeed a fever, then I really think there is a much better place to stay than here.

Not that I know where to find that place.

It looks like it's Purin's duty to hunt for food even before I came here. She volunteered to do so and departed, wearing a smug face and followed a… 'Purin knows best in what Milady's tastes are. Hmph!' then left with proud bounces.

Is she seeing me as her rival, perhaps?

Not that I care, though.

She prepares the materials, ingredients, and even the fire for cooking. She does everything perfectly that I'm left with the only option of admiring her. She's almost perfect at almost anything there's no way for me to complain.

A convenient party member to have. Yeah.

Fleur: ”Hn… Ah…”

Anyhow, I wonder what is with Fleur. And I've been curious about the tingling sensation I've been feeling ever since we got out of the dungeon.

I have to be careful. If this is somehow a monster that lurks around other monsters and shoots bloodlusts at them, then that's quite a problem. Well, I haven't seen any suspicious movements in my Detect so I'm not that worried at the moment. But still… There may be monsters that are undetected with this skill. Like an anti-Detect skill or something. I can never know.

Better be careful.

Fleur: ”Fuu…”

Hmmm… At any rate, all I can do now is wait and let her rest. Purin hasn't yet come back so I can't leave this place to find something to do.

Honestly, I'm bored.

Maybe this is the first time where I can't find anything to do. Or like, I'm bound to something where I'm left with no other choice. It's not like I'm against being with them, but it's still a lot different when I was alone. It reminds me of how I always wanted to stay alone.

Well, this is nice once in a while. Having a company has its bright side, as well.

[Are you sure you don't want to sleep?]

Fleur: ”Yes… I-I will be fine if I just sit like this.”

[Hmm…]

She's smiling dryly, I can sense her discomfort even without utilizing the Link. Rubbing her legs together, she keeps pressing on her thighs while gripping her skirt.

Fleur: ”C-Ciel… If I may ask. What kind of person are you when you were still a human?”

I kind of feel like she's just throwing me a random question to change the topic, but… It won't hurt to answer, I guess.

[Hmm… Let's see… I was a first year college student. To put simply, I was a student at a school.]

I followed up in case she wonders what 'college' means.

[… Well, there's nothing much even if you ask me, though. I just work, then study, go home, eat, and then sleep. In between those, I just read books to pass the time.]

Fleur: ”Hmm… I do not really know much about your culture back in your world, but… Do students work while studying?”

[Not really. I just have my own circumstances and all. Is it the same here?]

Fleur: ”Yes. Students or young children are only expected to study. I have not yet seen a student work.”

Hmhm. I see, I see. Maybe this world is flourished more than I thought it is? I was expecting a more primitive style of living where children with less privileged are expected to work instead of study, and that Fleur is only an exemption, since she's the daughter of the Demon Lord.

Well, taking her clothes and the technology of this word, like the clock back in the dungeon, into consideration, what she says is more plausible than what I expected.

Or maybe, she had just not seen the darker part of her society?

I think that must be it.

[I see. In our world, you see, to study, you need to have the money first.]

Fleur: ”E-Eh? But to make a community better, education is a must have, right? Then why…”

Hm. Maybe they're still at the phase where education and other aspects of a community is still at their infancy. You can't expect to receive money from people with no money, after all. You have to make them know how to earn first. It's different than my former world's history.

[Well, that's just how it is in our world. And so, I have to earn money to study.]

Fleur: ”What about your parents?”

[I'm an orphan, so I don't have any.]

Fleur: ”Eh… Ah… I am sorry.”

She knit her brows and her gaze fell down to the ground.

In my case, it's not really something for her to be guilty of. It's not like I knew my parents beforehand for me to feel anything about it. And I had my sister. Well, close to sister kind of existence.

[Don't worry about it. I'm used to it and I'm not really bothered by it.]

Fleur: ”… I see. I feel better knowing that.”

Even though she said that, I still feel the guilt from her. Just how much can one girl be this kind and gentle? Man…

[And yeah, I was in the Literature organization then. It was an organization that collects, reads, and studies books as organization activities. We sometimes write our own too and publish them.]

Fleur: ”Waah~ That is nice~ To enjoy literature with others is such a bliss.”

[Oh. You know you're stuff, eh? But for me, I enjoyed reading by myself. I mean, being bothered by a walking 'physical-fitness' is… *sigh*]

Fleur: ”W-Walking…?”