―Myeaeaeaeong

‘Don’t ignore meee. That kind of work is like hunting dead fish.’

He must mean it’s as easy as hunting dead fish.

Nero’s amber eyes sparkled with confidence.

The reason he seemed more enthusiastic than yesterday was probably because he had eaten my bracelet.

―Myaeoong, ong

‘In exchange, give me more of those good-smelling pouches you gave me.’

“That’s not difficult at all.”

After examining the map several times, Nero expressed his ambition that they could start trial operations as soon as tomorrow.

After that, things became hectic.

I contacted the Count’s mansion to let them know we’d move the medicinal herbs tomorrow, and they said they’d inform their merchant guild in advance.

Then I contacted the Guildmaster to ask him to keep an eye on the delivery cats in the capital.

Finally, I commissioned the production of small saddles to be worn on the cats’ backs.

Similar to the saddle that Ptero wears, with ‘Jinjijo Transportation’ written on it.

By the time I finished all the necessary tasks, lunchtime had long passed.

Goodness, I can’t believe I missed mealtime.

“Marco, Bonnie! You need to eat before working! Next time when it’s lunchtime, go eat lunch on your own. Understood?”

I felt sorry for the children who hadn’t eaten because they were being considerate of me.

“Yes!”

At least their responses were energetic, which was fortunate.

“And you can go home after lunch! We’ve finished most of the urgent work… I’ll allow early departure as an apology for working through lunch time. Hehe.”

“Thank you, Master!”

I sent the children ahead and left the branch office later.

After working intensely for the first time in a while, my head was throbbing dully. It reminded me of my past when I was pushed around in various ways as a guide.

‘No, still, now is much better than then.’

I got goosebumps remembering the time I had to take a carriage to Pandora Forest.

I never wanted to go back to those times.

Since I’d unnecessarily recalled the past and was in a bad mood, and work was done anyway, I thought I might as well head home too.

I should buy some food to eat with Bless on my way back to the inn.

I walked through the city with my face hidden under my hood.

The cats that were commonly seen until yesterday were now rarely visible in the city.

Once Nero and the cats officially start the transportation work, we might never see stray cats stealing fish again.

Somehow, my shoulders rose a bit, feeling like I’d done something good for the Philia Islands.

A devious expression must have been hidden under my hooded face.

It was then, while I was buying various types of fish skewers that both Bless and I liked.

I felt that spine-chilling gaze that made the hair on my neck stand up.

It was similar to that lightning-like gaze I felt at dawn earlier.

I quickly turned around.

But among the passing people, I couldn’t see anyone suspicious. They all looked like local villagers.

How strange. Did I imagine it again?

However, even if it was just my imagination, I couldn’t feel at ease, so I started walking quickly toward the inn.

Perhaps it was because I was too anxious and wasn’t properly looking at my surroundings while walking.

An unfortunate accident occurred when my foot caught on a stone embedded in the road.

“Ah!”

My body started tilting forward. It was nearly impossible to regain balance once I’d lost my center.

Thinking I should at least save the fish skewers, I tightly hugged the paper bag containing them. My fingertips were trembling.

Just as I closed my eyes tight, imagining the pain of hitting the dirt ground, someone caught and lifted my body.

I opened my eyes and looked at the person who was helping me.

That person was very tall. And like me, they wore a robe with a hood, so I couldn’t see their face.

But judging from their height, hands, and large frame, it seemed to be a man.

“Th-thank you.”

The man didn’t say anything.

“……”

“Excuse me?”

“……”

He’s… still not saying anything?

Although I was grateful that he helped me, I took a step back.

I was suspicious of this man.

I even began to wonder if he might be the owner of that lightning-like gaze.

“Haha. Well, I’ll be going then.”

As I tried to turn around naturally, the man’s white hand grabbed my wrist. It was a strong grip that I couldn’t easily escape from.

I froze in place while being held by him.

An ominous feeling began creeping up.

But at that moment, the man who had grabbed me took something out from his chest.

It was a small notebook and a fountain pen.

Then the man quickly wrote something and showed it to me.

「I can’t speak」

…A mute person?

But why is he using informal speech from the start?

***

When Benjamin arrived at the Philia Islands after jumping non-stop, it was already morning.

And he, quite by complete coincidence, discovered Yerena.

He had merely walked to the beach because his attention was drawn to the unfamiliar sea.

He never understood why people went to resorts for vacation, but now he was starting to get it.

The sunlight sparkling on the sea was quite a sight to behold.

That sparkle reminded him of the look in Yerena’s eyes when she used to gaze at him.

That look in her eyes when she would stare at his face absent-mindedly, separate from her negative feelings toward him.

And there, Yerena was.

Sitting alone on a desolate bench on the white sand beach, gazing at the sea.

She had cut her hair short and changed its color.

But a mere change in hairstyle couldn’t prevent him from recognizing her at first glance.

That’s Yerena. Without a doubt.

He had planned to confront her immediately upon finding her.

To demand what she had hoped to gain by pretending to be dead. To ask if she really watched the fireworks with Duncan. To question what she was doing buried in a place like this.

To ask if she had no intention of being his guide anymore.

But now that he actually faced her, he couldn’t gauge what to do. His legs wouldn’t move, as if buried in the sand.

It was truly strange.

Perhaps because of the distance, Yerena hadn’t noticed that she was being watched.

Benjamin just kept staring at her like that.

And when she finally turned around, only then did he nimbly move his frozen legs to hide.

Benjamin held his breath behind a nearby building.

His rapidly beating heart wouldn’t calm down for some reason.

Was it because he almost got caught by Yerena? Because of the joy of meeting her?

His heart wasn’t racing for such reasons.

How to put it… It seemed that Yerena’s appearance, which gave off a different atmosphere than usual, had left a deep impression.

Her image spread like a stain in his mind.

Even after several deep breaths, his heart wouldn’t calm down. Benjamin was bewildered by his heart that didn’t feel like his own.

***

Benjamin quietly followed Yerena and discovered her current inn and the building she seemed to go to work at.

That building was the branch office of Jinjijo Transportation.

As he had expected, she was connected to ‘Jinjijo Transportation’.

Unable to imagine Yerena as anything but a guide, he began surveillance on her.

As a result, he learned that Yerena was planning to conduct transportation work needed for the Philia Islands in collaboration with animals.

After burning through the morning with work, she went downtown to buy food.

‘Isn’t she eating alone? Why is she buying so much?’

Benjamin suspected that someone else might be staying at the inn with her. Perhaps another man, if not Duncan…

As soon as that thought crossed his mind, he realized his aura had become menacing. Yerena seemed to sense that sharp atmosphere and turned around.

Benjamin skillfully concealed himself while contemplating when to reveal himself.

And the opportunity came in an instant. The foolish Yerena acted as if she was about to fall.

Benjamin completely forgot his deliberations and revealed himself before Yerena.

Unable to watch her fall, he helped her.

Fortunately, Yerena didn’t recognize him with his face covered.

But her backing away cautiously made it clear she found him suspicious.

‘If I speak, she’ll recognize who I am.’

At that moment, Benjamin’s eyes caught sight of various price tags displayed in the store.

It was a way to express himself without speaking.

A bright gleam appeared in Benjamin’s eyes.