Chapter 122 - Kyle and Lauren
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"What do we do after this?"
While Kyle was prepping the Horned Rabbit, I asked him a question as I recovered my arrows.
We could stay in the mountains a little longer and keep hunting Horned Rabbits. We could hunt other monsters. Or we could just head straight back to the village. I had decided to leave the next move up to Kyle.
"I'm going back to the village. I want to bring this Horned Rabbit to Master."
"That's true. I'm sure Lauren-san is worried too."
Since the villagers we met along the way knew that Kyle and I were going hunting, it had likely reached Lauren-san's ears. Information spreads in an instant in this village.
By now, he might be getting restless while being lectured by Martha-san.
Besides, Horned Rabbit is edible meat. For Lauren-san, who was injured and lost blood, presenting him with meat was a very good idea.
"Understood. Well then, let's head back to the village."
Once the Horned Rabbit was prepped, we decided to descend the mountain immediately.
We spotted several monsters on the way, but Kyle calmly bypassed them without showing any fear.
By defeating the Horned Rabbit that had caused his trauma by himself, he must have been able to dispel his past fears.
As Kyle walked down the mountain with me, he seemed the same as before—no, his expression looked a little more mature than before.
After descending the mountain and passing through the forest, Kyle and I arrived at Lauren-san's house.
While I had borrowed his warehouse many times when we butchered prey together, I felt like this was actually the first time I was visiting his home properly.
As that thought crossed my mind and I approached the door, voices could be heard from inside.
"Just stay quiet and sleep already!"
"No, but I'm worried. Did you see Kyle's face back then? If he tries to challenge a monster again in that state..."
"There's no need to worry. Aldo is with him, and he's far more reliable than you. He won't make a blunder like getting injured while protecting his apprentice."
"Hey, isn't that a bit harsh?"
"Just wait and trust your apprentice like a proper master should. It's pathetic seeing a man of your size acting so restless."
It seemed they knew we had entered the mountains.
And, as expected, Lauren-san was worried, and Martha-san was the one holding him back.
"Sounds like they're worried about you."
"...Eavesdropping isn't very good. Let's just go in already."
When I said that teasingly, Kyle spoke bluntly and knocked on the door.
Even so, his expression looked somewhat happy.
When Kyle knocked, Martha-san's voice responded, and the door slowly opened.
"Oh, Kyle!"
"Sorry, I wanted to bring a get-well gift for Master..."
When Kyle said that, Martha-san seemed to understand and showed a soft, relieved smile.
Although she had been firmly telling Lauren-san that everything was fine earlier, it seemed Martha-san had been worried about Kyle after all.
"...I see, you really worked hard. Come, get inside. You too, Aldo-san."
"Pardon the intrusion."
Urged by Martha-san, Kyle and I entered Lauren-san's house.
There was a living room in the back, where Lauren-san was sitting on a comfortable sofa, fiddling with his bowstring. He probably wanted to pretend he hadn't been worried about us.
However, since the previous conversation had been clearly audible outside, there was no point in trying to cover it up.
Well, I suppose he wanted to maintain his dignity as a master.
I suppressed the urge to laugh and walked quietly behind Kyle.
"Master, I've come to visit."
"Oh, Kyle and Aldo, huh?"
Lauren-san reacted as if he had only just noticed our presence.
However, I knew from his presence. The moment Kyle knocked, Lauren-san had hurriedly sat back down there.
"Don't worry about the state of my injury. With Kurune-chan's magic—"
"The conversation from earlier was completely audible outside, so you don't need to put on an act."
Kyle threw out words that completely shattered Lauren-san's attempt to save face as a master.
"Ahahahaha!"
At Kyle's sudden retort, I, who had been holding back my laughter, couldn't help but laugh out loud.
"...Tch, what are you laughing at, Aldo?"
"My apologies."
As I laughed behind him, Lauren-san directed a resentful gaze toward me.
I apologized verbally, but I had found it a bit too funny, and my laughter didn't subside immediately.
"Good grief, Kyle, read the room a little. You're cheeky because you say things like that without any hesitation."
"I don't mind being cheeky. More importantly, this."
Kyle cut the conversation short and took the Horned Rabbit out of the cloth bag hanging from his waist.
"I took down a Horned Rabbit. Though, I did have Aldo-san's help."
"...Are monsters scary?"
"...They are scary. Can someone like me really become a hunter?"
Kyle asked in a trembling voice at Lauren-san's words.
It seemed he was anxious about harboring fear toward monsters despite aiming to be a hunter.
To Kyle, who had a somewhat uneasy expression, Lauren-san stated clearly without any teasing.
"You can! Even I'm scared of monsters! Even so, I manage to work as a hunter!"
"Eh? Master is?"
Perhaps Lauren-san's words were unexpected, as Kyle's eyes went wide.
"Even I, who used to be an adventurer, find them scary."
"That's a lie, right?"
Perhaps because he knew I was Aldred the Dragon Slayer, Kyle's words were a bit harsh. Rather than surprise, he gave me a look as if he were looking at something suspicious.
"It's not a lie. I was acting tough in front of you, Kyle, but I was scared thinking I might get gored by the Horned Rabbit's horn."
A creature with such a sharp horn comes flying at you. If it hits, it could easily put a hole in your body. If it hits a bad spot, there's a possibility of dying in one hit.
Such an opponent is attacking you. There's no way not to feel scared.
The opponent possesses physical abilities, claws, and fangs that far surpass humans. Even if they are low-rank, they should never be underestimated.
They are opponents you must fight or flee from while always keeping the worst-case patterns and threats engraved in your heart.
Those who forget that feeling don't live long.
Even among adventurers, those who boasted that monsters weren't scary were usually the ones who lost their lives due to a moment of carelessness.
"Even Aldo-san thinks things like that..."
"That's right."
"That sensation is only natural. Don't be ashamed of it. I'm not going to expel you just for something like that."
Lauren-san gently patted the head of the stunned Kyle.
Normally, Kyle would have run away as if it were annoying, but this time he accepted it. He looked relieved, even if he seemed a little embarrassed.
"...It feels kind of gross when you're being honest."
"Same here. Please stop touching my head already."
The good atmosphere was ruined by Lauren-san's single comment.
But this felt more like the usual two of them, and it was reassuring to watch.
As I watched Kyle shake off Lauren-san's hand, Martha-san came over, timing it perfectly.
"I'm about to make dinner! Kyle, you eat here too!"
"Thank you very much. Then, I'll help out."
"Are you going home, Aldo?"
She must have guessed from my expression. Martha-san said with a wry smile.
"Yes, Flora is waiting for me at home."
I really wanted to celebrate Lauren-san's safety and Kyle's first monster subjugation together, but I had an important person waiting for me.
"What's this? Your house was on the way back from the mountain, wasn't it? Didn't you drop by?"
"I told him I was fine already, but he wouldn't listen when I said we should head here first."
"No, since I took Kyle into the mountains, I had to take responsibility and bring him to Lauren-san's—"
"You idiot. You could have at least shown your face to put her at ease!"
"Ah."
Being told that by Lauren-san, I realized there were ways to report my safety, such as stopping by to show my face or calling out and waving from outside.
"Hurry up and get back to put Flora-chan at ease!"
"Y-Yes! Well then, excuse me!"
Knowing Flora, she might be worried about me since I hadn't returned for so long.
Faced with Lauren-san's sound logic, I gave a brief greeting and immediately left the house.