Then, we made our way to the Rimani Forest, located northeast of the Elpida Orphanage.
It’s a peaceful and beautiful place, nestled at the base of a steep mountain.
The reason we came here is that Filoé insisted, “There’s a perfect place for healing injuries!”
—Now that I think about it, I remember hearing something from the headmaster a long time ago. The Rimani Forest has water imbued with sacred power flowing through it. Apparently, it has the effect of dispelling the evil energy of monsters, and it’s sometimes sprinkled on roads or used in the mud for making bricks.
Back when I was at the Elpida Orphanage, the headmaster always accompanied us whenever we entered the forest, and I never ventured deep on my own, so I never actually saw the sacred water.
As we walked, following Filoé, I could hear the distant calls of wild birds. Her long blonde hair bounced cheerfully as she led the way.
We pushed deeper into the forest. She’s quite fearless, for better or worse.
There were no signs of monsters. The sacred water must be working.
Now then, what should we do next?
With the orphanage no longer an option, we’re completely without a plan. As Filoé’s guardian, I can’t leave things as they are.
A warm meal and a safe place to sleep—that’s what I need to provide for her as soon as possible. It’s my duty.
The first thing I should do—no, it would be better to start by—
“Isto-san!”
“Whoa, you surprised me. What’s up, Filoé?”
I suddenly realized Filoé had turned back and was staring intently up at my face.
“Isto-san, what about you? You’ve been quiet for a while… Does your wound hurt badly?”
“No, the pain’s manageable. Sorry, I was just lost in thought.”
“Lost in thought?”
“About what comes next. I’ve taken you under my care, so I have a responsibility. I want to get you a safe place to sleep and a full meal as soon as possible. That’s my role. But right now, we’re lacking in everything—money, a place to stay, and more.”
—I regretted saying that much. Even though Filoé is one of the older kids at the orphanage, she’s still a child under my care. I shouldn’t be complaining to her like an adult.
“…I’m happy.”
“Huh?”
“I’m so touched that you’ve thought about me that much!”
“What? No, I—”
“And that line you just said, ‘I want to provide for you’—it was so cool! You sounded really heroic!”
Heroic, huh…
“Isto-san, you’re amazing. I really look up to you. I want to be an adult like you.”
She gazed at me with pure, sparkling eyes.
With a face like that, how could I respond with anything but:
“I’ll do my best not to let you down, Filoé…”
“I’ll do my best too! So please leave it to me today. I’ll show you around properly—”
Grrrrr.
Her stomach rumbled so loudly it almost drowned out the birds.
Filoé froze, her face reddening in embarrassment, while still maintaining her wide smile. I softened my expression and patted my own stomach.
“Guess we’re hungry. Let’s look for something to eat first.”
“If that’s the case!”
Filoé snapped back to herself and enthusiastically pointed at a nearby tree.
On it hung a massive fruit, about the size of an adult’s head. It was a delicate green with a soft gradient, quite beautiful in appearance.
“It’s a Kiso fruit. It’s really sweet and filling—just one can fill you up!”
“Yeah, it’s definitely huge.”
I nodded and asked the girl, who was now looking up at me proudly:
“But doesn’t it have pretty strong hallucinogenic effects?”
“Eh?”
“Yeah, ‘eh?’ That’s what I thought. Come on, there are plenty of other fruits we can eat. Let’s gather those instead.”
—After that, Filoé kept getting ahead of herself, though her desire to help me was clear.
“Ah, Isto-san! A rabbit—it’s meat! Leave this to me! Gifted Skill【Flash—】”
“Wait, wait! You’ll blow this whole area away along with the meat! I’ll handle it. Watch, I’ll use this small stone… Skill【Long-Throw】.”
“Amazing! You got it in one shot!”
—That’s how it went, with me constantly stepping in to back her up. Every time, she would look at me with awe and admiration, praising me—a lively experience like I’d never had before.
After taking a short break, we gathered around a campfire to eat the meat.
As I watched Filoé happily devour the freshly roasted meat, I couldn’t help but feel a mix of contentment and sadness as I thought about what she’d been through.
For such a bright and honest girl to be pushed to the point where she believed, “I wouldn’t mind dying”… It was a clear sign of how bad things had gotten at the Elpida Orphanage.
She probably never had the chance to share a meal with someone like this before.
“Isto-san?”
“It’s nothing. Just eat up.”
“The meat you hunted is delicious, Isto-san!”
“Glad to hear it—ouch.”
The dripping meat juices stung the wound on my arm, and I winced.
Filoé rushed over with a worried look, carefully wiping the mess away with a cloth. For some reason, she blew gently on the wound, which tickled a bit, but I didn’t say anything.
“Let’s hurry to the healing river.”
After quickly tidying up the campfire, Filoé took the lead once again, and we started walking.
We pushed through weeds and followed an animal trail for about ten minutes.
The sound of trickling water led us to a small stream. It was about two meters wide, flowing slowly. The sunlight filtering through the trees made the water sparkle.
Kneeling by the bank, I slowly dipped my arms into the water. The cool sensation soothed the heat, and I let out a sigh of relief. Filoé, sitting close beside me, gently scooped up water with her hands and poured it over my arms.
Gradually, the pain subsided, and the scars began to fade, albeit slowly. It seemed I would heal quickly at this rate.
But just as I was beginning to relax, I noticed something strange about Filoé. Her joyful expression had vanished, replaced with a serious look.
“Something’s off…”
“What’s wrong, Filoé? What’s off?”
“When I saw this place before, the water was clearer, and… it had a different feel to it. More mystical, more fitting for sacred water.”
I followed her gaze to the surface of the stream. Sure enough, it did seem a bit murky.
“The wound should be healing faster, too… Something’s definitely wrong. Maybe something happened upstream.”
Filoé bit her nails, a mix of anxiety and frustration on her face.
“Is there something upstream?”
When I asked, she nodded.
“There’s a waterfall further up the sacred river. It’s an incredibly beautiful spot, one of my favorites. I wanted to show it to you.”
“Alright. Let’s go check it out together.”
The strange behavior of the sacred water could affect our safety, so it was no trivial matter.
Urging Filoé on, we hurried upstream along the small river.
