Then, we made our way to the Rimani Forest, located northeast of the Elpida Orphanage.
Itโs a peaceful and beautiful place, nestled at the base of a steep mountain.
The reason we came here is that Filoรฉ insisted, โThereโs a perfect place for healing injuries!โ
โNow 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 itโs 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 Filoรฉ, 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. Sheโs 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, weโre completely without a plan. As Filoรฉโs guardian, I canโt leave things as they are.
A warm meal and a safe place to sleepโthatโs what I need to provide for her as soon as possible. Itโs my duty.
The first thing I should doโno, it would be better to start byโ
โIsto-san!โ
โWhoa, you surprised me. Whatโs up, Filoรฉ?โ
I suddenly realized Filoรฉ had turned back and was staring intently up at my face.
โIsto-san, what about you? Youโve been quiet for a whileโฆ Does your wound hurt badly?โ
โNo, the painโs manageable. Sorry, I was just lost in thought.โ
โLost in thought?โ
โAbout what comes next. Iโve 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. Thatโs my role. But right now, weโre lacking in everythingโmoney, a place to stay, and more.โ
โI regretted saying that much. Even though Filoรฉ is one of the older kids at the orphanage, sheโs still a child under my care. I shouldnโt be complaining to her like an adult.
โโฆIโm happy.โ
โHuh?โ
โIโm so touched that youโve thought about me that much!โ
โWhat? No, Iโโ
โAnd that line you just said, โI want to provide for youโโit was so cool! You sounded really heroic!โ
Heroic, huhโฆ
โIsto-san, youโre amazing. I really look up to you. I want to be an adult like you.โ
She gazed at me with pure, sparkling eyes.
With a face like that, how could I respond with anything but:
โIโll do my best not to let you down, Filoรฉโฆโ
โIโll do my best too! So please leave it to me today. Iโll show you around properlyโโ
Grrrrr.
Her stomach rumbled so loudly it almost drowned out the birds.
Filoรฉ froze, her face reddening in embarrassment, while still maintaining her wide smile. I softened my expression and patted my own stomach.
โGuess weโre hungry. Letโs look for something to eat first.โ
โIf thatโs the case!โ
Filoรฉ snapped back to herself and enthusiastically pointed at a nearby tree.
On it hung a massive fruit, about the size of an adultโs head. It was a delicate green with a soft gradient, quite beautiful in appearance.
โItโs a Kiso fruit. Itโs really sweet and fillingโjust one can fill you up!โ
โYeah, itโs definitely huge.โ
I nodded and asked the girl, who was now looking up at me proudly:
โBut doesnโt it have pretty strong hallucinogenic effects?โ
โEh?โ
โYeah, โeh?โ Thatโs what I thought. Come on, there are plenty of other fruits we can eat. Letโs gather those instead.โ
โAfter that, Filoรฉ kept getting ahead of herself, though her desire to help me was clear.
โAh, Isto-san! A rabbitโitโs meat! Leave this to me! Gifted SkillใFlashโใโ
โWait, wait! Youโll blow this whole area away along with the meat! Iโll handle it. Watch, Iโll use this small stoneโฆ SkillใLong-Throwใ.โ
โAmazing! You got it in one shot!โ
โThatโs how it went, with me constantly stepping in to back her up. Every time, she would look at me with awe and admiration, praising meโa lively experience like Iโd never had before.
After taking a short break, we gathered around a campfire to eat the meat.
As I watched Filoรฉ happily devour the freshly roasted meat, I couldnโt help but feel a mix of contentment and sadness as I thought about what sheโd been through.
For such a bright and honest girl to be pushed to the point where she believed, โI wouldnโt mind dyingโโฆ 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.
โIsto-san?โ
โItโs nothing. Just eat up.โ
โThe meat you hunted is delicious, Isto-san!โ
โGlad to hear itโouch.โ
The dripping meat juices stung the wound on my arm, and I winced.
Filoรฉ 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 didnโt say anything.
โLetโs hurry to the healing river.โ
After quickly tidying up the campfire, Filoรฉ 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. Filoรฉ, 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 Filoรฉ. Her joyful expression had vanished, replaced with a serious look.
โSomethingโs offโฆโ
โWhatโs wrong, Filoรฉ? Whatโs off?โ
โWhen I saw this place before, the water was clearer, andโฆ it had a different feel to it. More mystical, more fitting for sacred water.โ
I followed her gaze to the surface of the stream. Sure enough, it did seem a bit murky.
โThe wound should be healing faster, tooโฆ Somethingโs definitely wrong. Maybe something happened upstream.โ
Filoรฉ bit her nails, a mix of anxiety and frustration on her face.
โIs there something upstream?โ
When I asked, she nodded.
โThereโs a waterfall further up the sacred river. Itโs an incredibly beautiful spot, one of my favorites. I wanted to show it to you.โ
โAlright. Letโs go check it out together.โ
The strange behavior of the sacred water could affect our safety, so it was no trivial matter.
Urging Filoรฉ on, we hurried upstream along the small river.