We got in contact with the client and came to the flower field she said she’d been in on the day she lost it.

“Waaah! Saints really do come to places like this a lot, huh? It totally fits the image.”

The client this time, Citrine, said that with a gentle air around her.

While Moe replied with a slack, “Hoooh~” off to the side, the words the professor told me yesterday kept looping in my head over and over.

* * *

“Hey, you were later than I expected. I said five hours. Fine, anyway, I examined this girl—Karua, was it? I’ll give you the results. What’s with that face? You told me to, so of course I’d do that much.

It’s not like I’m heartless… honestly, what do you take me for… Anyway, look at the paper. Her stamina, her mana storage capacity, everything else… every value is far below the baseline. And her insides.

You know I have good eyes, so you understand I can see inside too, right? Have you ever seen her eat? You have?… I see… strange. There are things missing that any human organ should have at least a little of… but doing more tests is a hassle for various reasons, so I won’t. Huh? She threw up?… Well, of course.

With this body, she’s probably been in a state like she hasn’t eaten anything up till now. If you suddenly make her do that, she’ll panic and it won’t go down. Also this girl… she’s not your child, is she.

I can tell without you making that face… you picked her up? I see… What about her parents? Anyway. If you try to save this child, you’ll end up carrying something heavy, at least to some extent.

Whether that’s karma or a trial, I don’t know. And. You show everything on your face too easily. Thinking ‘I was worried’ or ‘it’s my fault’ is fine, but you shouldn’t show it too much in front of her. It’ll become a burden.”

* * *

“Uh… senpai?”

It was already around noon before I knew it and Moe tapped my shoulder, pulling my awareness back.

“Ah, sorry.”

“What’s up? You were totally spacing out.”

Moe said it casually, so I told her a condensed version of what the professor said.

Moe had been asleep then, so she wouldn’t know.

After I told her everything, she looked like she was thinking for a moment, then—

“Mmm… but yeah, there’s only one thing we can do. From here on, so Karua-chan doesn’t get hurt, we crush every threat that stands in the way!!!!”

She laughed and touched the mace she kept at her waist.

That’s reassuring.

“Still, we seriously couldn’t find it, huh? That lost item.”

I feel like we’ve been searching pretty thoroughly, but the flower field is just too huge.

“It was an accessory, right?”

I think the details said something like a necklace.

We decided to speed up the search from here.

After a while, carefully parting the flowers so we wouldn’t damage them as we searched—

“Huh.”

There was something with a gleam that clearly wasn’t a flower.

I pick it up for now and call out to the saint in the distance.

“That’s it!!!”

Her eyes sparkled as she ran over.

“Thank goodness… thank you so much.”

Is she kind of tomboyish?

She takes the accessory from me, immediately puts it around her neck and looks relieved.

Moe comes over too when she hears her.

“Is it done?… Whoa, it’s super shiny… was it a present from someone?”

She asks with a hand to her chin.

Then—

“Yes… a long time ago… kyah!!?”

Just as Citrine-san starts talking, a gust of wind blows and she vanishes right from in front of us.

“Senpai! Up!!!”

At Moe’s shout, I look up and see a huge rhinoceros beetle-like thing grabbing Citrine-san.

“No, let go!”

She struggles but can’t move at all.

We immediately start preparing to fight.

“Guri-chan, you can do it, right?”

‘Of course! This time I can do it.’

Power swells and my body feels lighter.

When I glance over, Moe is already charging with flames wrapped around her.

“Alright! Let’s go!!”

“It’s good to have energy, but don’t burn the flowers!!”

I shout that at Moe as she runs ahead.

“Eh.”

* * *

“Nice to meet you♪”

She holds out a hand about the size of mine toward me, like she wants a handshake.

I’d probably die.

She’s way too strong.

But if I refuse, I’ll probably die anyway.

I reluctantly take her hand.

Even though she’s that strong, her skin is still smooth.

While we’re shaking hands, I look up.

Whoa, she’s smiling like crazy… did I do something?

Also, Aruka? If someone showed up, you could’ve told me…

I look at Aruka and she has this expression I can’t really describe.

I’ve never seen that face before.

When the handshake—with faint pressure—ends, she calls out behind me too.

“Hey, Aruka. Has it been about twenty years?”

Huh?

So they’re connected?

Isn’t this girl a Jewel Merchant (faction)?

‘Yeah… long time no see, Kuneria.’

Aruka’s voice even sounds a little happy.

Seems like their relationship is good.

Thank god it’s not a fight right here.

After that old man, I can’t even imagine a path where I win.

“Mm♪… then, as a token of getting acquainted, I’m inviiiting you to my castle!!”

She yanks my arm and I’m about to fall—except instead I get slotted neatly into her arm in a bent shape and she just carries me.

Is this…

A princess carry?

Getting princess-carried by the enemy… well, I’m a cute girl, so it’s fine…

Watching the scenery rush by through an open doorway in a daze, it hits me that I didn’t even close the door… and I didn’t leave a note either…

Then I close my eyes again.

* * *

[Jewel Merchant]

At this point, they’re still shrouded in mystery, but there are rumors they collect already-contracted monsters and go out into the city.

Whether it’s true or not is unclear, but at the very least, it won’t hurt to stay on guard.

From Professor Eishu, Elyujine Official Fanbook.

[TL: Honestly this series is really hard to translate, changing monster speech to ‘this’ filtering out the weird 4th person dialogue Karua does and so on. If you really like this series message on discord so I know to continue.]