Chapter 49: An Unlikely Fall and a Heartfelt Reconnection

A Sudden Encounter

Having experienced it once before, I didn’t hesitate or panic as I had in the past. I calmly took a step into the light.

And then—

“Ugh!”

“!?”

The stepping stone I had been on disappeared, and my foot hovered in mid-air. It was no surprise that I fell suddenly. If nothing else had been around, I might have managed to regain my balance, but in the chaos, something collided with me, and I ended up falling forward.

“Ugh…”

As I fell, my face hit the ground. During the fall, my nose and mouth must have collided with something, as I felt a tingling on my face.

Fortunately, it wasn’t something as hard as a rock, so the pain wasn’t unbearable.

I lifted my head and looked around, and unlike me, Emma, who had landed lightly on the ground, was the first person I noticed.

Her gaze upon me, rolling on the floor, was quite uncomfortable. Please don’t look at me like that.

I looked around more and saw the blue sky. It seemed like we had definitely escaped the labyrinth.

“Ah… ugh…”

At the sound coming from below, I lowered my head and looked down, and a familiar face appeared. The bright red hair that resembled Emma’s, just like earlier.

“OH!”

It had only been a few hours, but I couldn’t be more pleased to see her. In fact, I was more pleased than when I hadn’t seen her for an entire week before we came to Anne’s mansion.

It seemed that the situation made it all the more special.

However, unlike my bright smile, Anne had her eyes wide open, staring blankly, her expression dazed. Only then did I realize that I was sitting on top of Anne.

Being a woman, no matter how little weight I had, it was naturally disorienting to suddenly be sitting on her.

Especially with some equipment on her, it must have been even more disconcerting.

I quickly got up and reached out to help Anne to her feet.

But Anne didn’t take my hand. Instead, she remained lying on the floor, still. Just as I was about to worry if she had been injured, Anne suddenly sprang to her feet without grabbing my hand.

However, her face, which had looked empty, was now flustered, as she fidgeted nervously.

She still wouldn’t meet my eyes and desperately avoided looking at me.

Ah… I guess she’s upset because I sat on her. Honestly, it was just an accident with no ill intent, so I hope she’ll let it go.

“Hey… sorry. Are you okay?”

Even though I hadn’t meant any harm, I apologized first and checked on Anne’s condition.

But instead of answering, Anne briefly covered her mouth with her hand and then moved her hand to her chest, over her heart. I wondered if the weight of me sitting on her had really hurt that much.

Anne’s face, without a word, had turned as red as her hair.

“Emma!”

At the sudden shout, I turned to see Dillon running over to Emma.

With some time to spare, I looked around more closely and saw knights and soldiers on one side, and Ian along with unfamiliar adventurers on the other.

Only then did I realize why Anne was so embarrassed. In front of everyone—knights, familiar retainers, and even adventurers she had never seen before—she had just been in a rather awkward position with me on top of her. It was no wonder she was embarrassed.

Even though Anne didn’t show much of her noble background, that didn’t mean she wasn’t shy. While she had a bold side, she was clearly still a young lady.

“I’m glad. Emma! Are you hurt anywhere?”

“Ah, no. It wasn’t really an issue. How about you? Were there any problems after we disappeared?”

“Lady Anne fulfilled her duties as the acting head of the household. She had the camp moved forward and set up here. Through Ian, she sent back the existing adventurers and brought in new, higher-ranking adventurers.”

Now I understood why Anne was out in front all alone. She really had been handling things. Acting as the head of the household… I had only ever seen Anne as a cute little girl, but hearing that made her seem so dependable, though it was just a brief moment due to her small stature.

“How much time has passed?”

The Morning After

“It’s noon the day after the head of the household disappeared. We were just about to enter the labyrinth.”

“Luckily, we avoided any conflicts. We’ve taken care of the orc village, and the situation has been resolved, so shall we head out?”

“Yes, understood.”

After finishing the conversation with Dillon, Emma walked towards Anne.

“Alright. You did well. It seems you haven’t forgotten your role. As a mother, and as the head of the household, I’m proud of you, Anne.”

Emma said this and reached out to pat Anne’s head.

Of course, the relationship between them was mother and daughter, but outwardly, it looked like a child patting another child’s head.

Anne, still blushing, lowered her head deeply and nodded. Seeing this, Emma chuckled softly and lowered her hand.

“Alright! Then let’s head back! Time to clean up!”

At Emma’s shout, the soldiers began dismantling the tents they had set up and extinguishing the embers of the campfire. Meanwhile, one of the adventurers in the group called out loudly.

“What about us? We’ve come all this way.”

“How could I ignore your dedication? When has the Kleyn family ever been stingy with rewards? Don’t worry, I’ll make sure you’re well compensated, so head back without any concerns.”

“Ah, please, don’t say that. We all know how the Count always takes care of us adventurers. It’s just that this one here was too shy to ask about your well-being. Please understand.”

A conversation between a noble, who represented a family, and a mere adventurer was not common. However, neither Emma nor the other retainers around them seemed to stop the adventurer. In fact, they were even smiling softly.

“Um… didn’t I make you spend extra money on me?”

Since the adventurers were of a high rank, their expenses would undoubtedly be considerable.

Feeling like I might be burdening Emma, I cautiously brought it up. Emma slapped my back playfully and said.

“You don’t need to worry about this, Elysia. At times like this, we can just get a little extra from the kingdom’s support funds. We gain the trust of the adventurers without losing anything, and they get paid well for a simple stroll. It’s a win-win for both sides.”

If you wanted to get technical, it was all funded by the kingdom’s taxes, but as Emma said, the Kleyn family did a lot of work to earn that support. So, I shouldn’t worry. There was nothing I could do by worrying, after all.

“Shall we head out then?”

“…Yeah.”

I quietly spoke to Anne, who was standing next to me. Luckily, her flushed face had returned to normal, but her usual energetic self seemed to have subdued a bit.

She wasn’t pouting or anything, but she was acting somewhat cautious, as though she was being careful of my reaction. She must have realized that the incident earlier was just an accident and there was no reason to feel awkward about it.

Even so, Anne could be such a kind soul.

It was strange seeing her so subdued, but it was still better when she was lively, so I pulled her into a tight hug.

If it had been Yuri or Celian, I wouldn’t have been able to act like this due to their shyness, but with Anne, who was always quick to hug me, I felt just about safe.

“Did our Anne miss me so much?”

I spoke to her with a playful, slightly babyish voice while hugging her. However, despite my teasing, Anne’s reaction was unlike what I expected.

Normally, she would have shrugged off my hand and shouted, “Who’s the older one!” But instead, she just gently nodded her head in my arms without saying anything.

Who are you? Where’s my Anne?!

I looked around but saw no one resembling Anne, except for Emma.

I couldn’t help it. I had to check if the Anne in my arms was really Anne. I released my hand from around her and pulled out my secret weapon reserved only for Anne.

If this was really Anne, she would react like Anne; if not, I would have no choice but to confess where the real Anne was hidden.

Anne looked up at me with her cute face, but I had no intention of letting her off the hook.

“Give me back my Anne!”

“Eeek! Hehehe!”

Confused and still looking at me with wide eyes, Anne didn’t understand what was happening, but as I started to tickle her side, the shy Anne from earlier disappeared, and only the happy Anne was left.

Then came Anne’s perfect body blow to my side.

Hmm. This is definitely Anne. I sacrificed my side to get her back, so I guess it’s all good, right?