Chapter 99

“It’s not the whole universe, but I do carry emergency supplies in my pockets. You never know when you might get stranded.”

Wink. Melissa winked one eye at Roro.

…Stranded?

‘She thinks she might get stranded?’

What kind of life has she been living?

Roro asked in disbelief.

“Aren’t you nobility?”

“Nope.”

“Then how did you end up married to a Grand Duke’s son?”

“That’s a secret.”

Melissa winked again and looked around.

“Anyway, it’s really strange. After walking this much, there should be some environmental changes like temperature or humidity, but everything here feels so uniform. I’ve never seen a place like this.”

“I told you. We’re going to wander around here and die!”

Roro grumbled, chewing on a biscuit, and then grabbed the water bottle.

She was supposed to drink sparingly.

As she carefully tilted the bottle, making sure not to spill a drop, her eyes suddenly caught something.

…Huh?

Roro’s pupils dilated.

In the corner of the glowing cave, something was lying around.

“What’s that?”

She reflexively blurted out, and Melissa turned to follow her gaze.

At the same time, Melissa’s eyes widened.

Crinkled clothes, shoes, and a thick cloak.

“I-I think it might be a corpse!”

Roro screamed, but Melissa immediately started running toward the spot.

“What are you doing?! It could be a corpse!”

“It’s not.”

By the time she reached the cave corner, Melissa was already shaking her head as she lifted the clothes.

“There’s no person here.”

“…What?”

Only then did Roro start walking cautiously.

The soft sound of the water bottle shaking went unnoticed as she approached carefully. Finally, she realized that what she had thought was a person was actually just a bundle of clothes shaped like a human form.

It looked like expensive clothing and a cloak, most likely belonging to an adult man.

When Roro realized it wasn’t a corpse, she crouched down and started rummaging through the pile of clothes.

In a place like this…

‘Found it.’

Roro quietly tried to hide what she had found behind her back.

“What is that?”

“What, what’s what?”

Roro rolled her eyes in response, but Melissa gently asked again.

“What did you just find? What’s in your hand?”

Damn it.

Roro had no choice but to take out the object she had tried to hide in her pants.

“…This.”

What Roro held in her hand was an expensive pocket watch.

It was made of solid gold, and its heavy body gleamed without any signs of wear. The thickness also suggested it was a very valuable item.

Melissa took the watch and examined it from all angles.

She checked the surface and even pressed the button on top to open the lid, but she couldn’t find any clue as to who the owner was.

Anyone who owned such a thing would be someone of considerable status, but…

‘But.’

She remembered from books that some people don’t want their status to be known, so they engrave their family crest or name inside, on the inner parts of the item.

But she didn’t have any tools now.

Melissa sighed in disappointment.

“If only I could tear it apart if it were at home.”

“…Huh?”

“It’s fine. There might be other clues.”

Melissa placed the watch down and looked around.

She scanned the bottom of the pile of clothes and searched the surroundings to see if anything had been tossed out.

Her movements were natural, whether she was bending low, walking carefully along the floor, or checking the dark, curving shadows of the cave. It felt as if she had been doing this for years.

She looked like someone with at least 10 years of experience.

While Roro stared blankly at Melissa…

“I found something!”

Melissa pulled something out from a hollow in the cave.

She really found something…?

Roro unintentionally shouted.

“You did it!”

“Yes, I found it!”

As Roro yelled out, Melissa waved her hand excitedly and exclaimed.

“It’s a ring with a family crest!”

Melissa blushed with excitement and spoke quickly.

“Other than these clothes, there’s no sign of a person around here. This ring must belong to this person. If we examine the pattern on it, we might even be able to figure out who they are…”

Oh.

When she took a closer look at the ring, a sorrowful expression passed over Melissa’s face.

It was a pattern she didn’t recognize.

‘I should’ve studied more about noble crests.’

She hadn’t read much since she was fifteen, so it made sense that she didn’t know this symbol.

Of course, she had been rereading books while helping Natalianne with her thesis, but aside from those, she hadn’t touched any other books.

‘I guess I need to study more throughout my life.’

She promised herself to read all the books in the library once she returned and then looked at the ring again, trying to see if there was any name or year etched on it.

Just then, a spirit that passed above Roro’s head casually spoke.

Tough luck.

Then, a spirit that had been wagging its tail next to Roro whispered.

It’s pointless to figure it out. That’s just a keepsake.

“…What?”

Roro slowly turned her head to the side.

Then, the spirit that had climbed onto her shoulder mischievously whispered.

That person starved to death. This is a spirit cave. There’s nothing here that a human could eat.

“-Ugh, Aaaaah!”

“What’s wrong?”

Melissa quickly turned around as Roro pointed at her shoulder and screamed.

“We’re going to die!”

With a pale face, Roro desperately continued speaking.

“It’s a keepsake! She said it’s a keepsake! This is a spirit cave, and we’re all going to die! We’ll never get out of here, we’ll starve to death just like that person!”

“…Hmm.”

Melissa tilted her head for a moment, then spoke up.

“I don’t think so.”

“…Huh?”

While carefully sifting through the clothes, Melissa spoke thoughtfully.

“The bones of a human would decompose slower than clothes made of plant fibers. This person’s body just left here.”

A-ha-ha-ha! You got tricked!

Baa-bo!

Those bastards.

Roro waved her arms in anger, but the spirits sitting on her head and shoulders flew off, laughing as they scattered in all directions.

Melissa stared at them, eyes wide.

“Wait, did the spirits say that? Are there spirits here?”

“There are. Too many, actually.”

Roro replied irritably, waving her hands.

The elusive spirits darted around, laughing as they brushed past Roro’s hands like they were playing tag.

“This is so annoying!”

Roro screamed, but Melissa unexpectedly smiled brightly.

“That’s a relief. I thought there was nothing here.”

“That’s a relief? Do you know what they just said? They tricked us! They told us we were all going to die!”

“I’ve learned that spirits can sometimes play tricks, but they don’t usually have bad intentions. Of course, sometimes they cause bad things despite that. Anyway, it’s good news that there are spirits here, in a cave we thought was empty.”

“You learned that? From who?”

“My father.”

“Your father’s a spirit master?”

“Yes.”

What?

Roro stared at Melissa, wide-eyed.

“You said you weren’t nobility, but if your dad is a priest, then you’re from noble blood, aren’t you?”

“No. My father isn’t a priest.”

“But he’s a spirit master? He survived without being caught by the temple all these years?”

“Yes. He’s well in our hometown.”

“…!”

Roro’s eyes widened at the unexpected answer.

I see now.

He managed to survive without the temple catching him.

A faint glimmer of hope bloomed in Roro’s mind.

Melissa smiled softly and looked off into the distance.

“I learned a lot from my parents. I had a father who was a spirit master, a botanist and farmer, and a doctor. The last one passed away, though.”

For a brief moment, Melissa wore a wistful smile, but then her tone brightened.

“I also have three mothers.”

“…!”

Roro jumped slightly and reflexively asked.

“Is it okay to talk about all this?”

“Was it not okay?”

“No… I don’t mind, but…”

“I see.”

Melissa nodded, her expression a bit downcast.

“I still don’t really understand what’s okay to say and what isn’t. Sometimes I think I make people uncomfortable. If I upset you, I’m sorry.”

“Ah, no! I’m not upset. And you might not know! People are different, so they react in all sorts of ways even if you say the same thing.”

Why am I defending her?

Roro, saying this, felt a strange sensation, as if she was a different person.

I’m not that nice of a person.

Roro clenched her lips and then pouted in a gruff tone.

“Can’t we just do nothing? You don’t have to help others all the time.”

At that moment, the image of Melissa jumping out of the window to save herself flashed in Roro’s mind.

She quickly added.

“Of course, it’s weird for me to say that! But you don’t need to help others to survive. So why do it if it means taking on misunderstandings?”