17 – Ariel Loveheim (2)

At ten, Ariel still enjoyed playing with Edgar.

If there was one thing that was truly peculiar, he did little to interest Ariel.

Ariel was always the one to cling to.

He was always in the same place at the same time, and all Ariel had to do was find that place with something that would interest him.

They say a thirsty man digs a well. That was exactly the case with both of them.

Edgar was the same age as Ariel, but he had a subtle, old-school side to him.

I like killing time alone, and I didn’t get bored just because I had no one to talk to.

It just didn’t stop people from coming, and it just went well with the other person’s play.

That’s why the relationship between the two went well.

“Ed! Let’s go to the mountain today!”

“mountain? suddenly?”

“yes!”

Ariel recently learned for the first time that something called raspberries grows in the mountains.

It was partly because it was hard to see raspberries because the area where she lived was cold, but there were no raspberries among the things that were given to the family by chance.

That piqued Ariel’s interest.

“Why do you want to go to the mountains?”

“Shepherd said raspberries might grow here.”

“raspberry? Oh, well, maybe.”

Ardenum, where Edgar lived, was a place where the four seasons changed quite distinctly for a northern region.

So there were many people who profited from selling seasonal fruits that were difficult to handle in other northern regions, and at that rate, it seemed that raspberries could exist.

If you have just one question,

“But there must be places that sell them, so do we have to go all the way to the mountain?”

“Wouldn’t it be more fun to see it in person?”

“Well, that makes sense.”

Fun is the most important factor for children.

Considering her family in the first place, there was no need to go far, just ask the servants to put it on the dinner table, and it would be served right away.

But what fun would there be in watching it like that?

That was the point Ariel was trying to make.

“Then you decided to go?”

“yes. The problem is the guards.”

Around Ariel, there were escorts who were invisible but were on standby anytime, anywhere.

They rarely come into the mansion, but when they are playing outside like this, they always keep a close eye on the two while hiding in the surroundings.

If these two suddenly disappeared, there wouldn’t be a fuss like that.

But Ariel’s expression was very confident.

As if he had even thought about that in advance, his nose poked up at the sky.

Could there be something sharp? Edgar’s head tilted.

“It’s fine! There are no escorts today.”

“… no?”

why?

Edgar opened his mouth in a daze at the shock as if he had been hit in the back of the head with a blunt instrument.

Of course, as long as the guards were also human, they could take a vacation or leave for personal reasons.

But even so, does that mean that there is no replacement for the only female daughter of the Grand Duchess?

Helene would not be so careless as to condone such a thing.

“I did a good deed a while ago, and my mother granted me a wish, so I asked for it!”

“… Please don’t leave the guards alone for a day?”

“yes!”

no wonder. If Helene was sane, she would never have done such an act with her own hands.

The source was right in front of Edgar’s eyes.

“Did Madame Helen allow that?”

“I’m telling you because you allowed it.”

“ah.”

That’s it too.

Edgar, quickly convinced, shook his head and let out a small sigh.

Of course, it was true that the place where they could come and go was limited because there were escorts.

There was also a memory of being stopped while going to the mountain together the other day.

However, I never thought that I would ask that there be no escorts.

Wouldn’t it have been better if it had gone in a different direction?

“But if that’s the case, wouldn’t it be fine if I just left the guards behind and told you not to meddle?”

“… uh?”

“Right.”

The escort wasn’t the problem in the first place.

The problem was that the escort limited the range in which two people could play.

In fact, it was only Ariel’s point of view that she felt it was a problem, and there was a high possibility that others would not care too much. Mostly because Edgar himself did that.

So, it would have been better to have an escort in case something goes wrong, but just tell them not to pay attention wherever they go.

It is said to be intelligent, but it seems that it was still a child, so it did not even bother to think about it.

“Eh, is Ed a genius?”

“You are a fool, you fool.”

“Chi, why am I stupid!”

Strictly speaking, he’s not stupid. She is just an immature princess who often goes back and forth between a fool and a genius.

Anyway, the most important factor is solved, all you need is to finish preparing for the mountain.

After calming Ariel who was frantic next to him, Edgar headed straight into the mansion.

Please, I should have gone without a hitch.

I was already very worried.

* * * * * * *

‘I should just be at the mansion comfortably.’

It was the first thought that came to Edgar’s mind as he was leading Ariel up the mountain.

What kind of a high school student is this to find a raspberry?

In the first place, he didn’t have the right knowledge, so he didn’t even know where raspberries were mainly distributed.

“Ed! Can I eat these mushrooms?”

“Hey, don’t touch me carelessly!”

In addition, this immature princess must have been curious about every vegetation she saw on the mountain, and she tried to touch everything she saw, so there was no windy day.

Even earlier, the inside of the pouch was swollen, so when I questioned it, a poisonous mushroom popped out of it.

‘I’m glad it’s the kind I know.’

Of course, even if it was a mushroom I didn’t know, I would have thrown it away right away.

Unless there was clear information, it was dangerous to take the plants seen in the mountains carelessly.

“Ed, what kind of tree is that?”

“that? Does it look like a chestnut tree?”

It’s a little far away, so I’m not sure, but judging from the shape of the tree and the shape of the upright inflorescences, it seemed to be a chestnut tree.

Ariel let out a small exclamation at that and rushed down the chestnut tree.

By chance, a chestnut that hadn’t ripened yet fell at that location.

“Is this night? It looks strange.”

The chestnuts Ariel had seen so far were cute, round brown fruits.

But this was a furious, porcupine-like figure covered in thorns, so different from the night she knew.

“Perhaps what you saw was the fruit inside. Don’t take carelessly.”

“Hey, I’m curious… … ..”

“Because you’re hurt.”

Edgar, who had a wound on his hand, could see him crying and arguing with himself again, so Edgar cut him off with a single knife.

On the other hand, I wondered if I was curious about what it looked like inside covered in so many thorns.

Ariel pokes at the chestnuts with a branch she picked up somewhere.

Edgar, who was watching this, smiled bitterly and put the bag on his back on the floor as if he couldn’t help it.

“Hey, are you going to show me too?”

Ariel, who had guessed it, always came right up to him and clung to him whenever he was upset.

‘Unnecessarily quick-witted.’

Still, this girl’s charm is that she doesn’t hate her.

“Only this once.”

“Ed is an idiot. He said it was only this one time every day.”

foolish.

While muttering like that the whole time, Ariel watched him carefully.

Soon Edgar opened the bag and took out a pair of gloves.

It’s not that thick, so it’s hard to use when doing rough work, but it’s not too much to use at this level.

I brought it just in case, but I never thought it would come in handy. Also, it seems that you have to prepare and see.

“Now, it looks like this.”

“Is that what Ed said? But there are two.”

Contrary to Ariel’s thoughts, the chestnuts split on both sides were seeking a cozy sleep in the cradle.

Edgar, who told her that it originally looked like that, peeled off the outer skin and showed her the true nature of the chestnut.

Then Ariel, smiling brightly, stared at him, not at night.

“Why are you looking at me? to see the night.”

“Hee hee, Ed looks like a wizard.”

“Wizard? I can’t even use magic, so what?”

As I shook my hands off as if it was unreasonable, I stood up from my seat, and Ariel, who had rushed to my side, continued talking with her hands behind her back.

“But Ed always helps me when I’m in trouble?”

“Even if you’re not a wizard, it’s natural if you’re a friend.”

He didn’t know that he would spit such shriveled words out of his own mouth, but this was the only way to convince her right away.

It was actually true too.

“Then how about putting the two together and becoming a friend wizard?”

“What else is that?”

Ariel creates words that don’t even exist anymore and somehow tries to associate him with the wizard.

At that, Edgar indifferently turned his back and said, “Don’t talk nonsense,” and took the first step.

‘Chit, Ed is an idiot.’

I praised him, but he ignored me.

He himself felt like flying when he was praised by Edgar, but I wonder if he wasn’t.

For some reason, I felt depressed.

‘yes?’

Ariel, who was chasing after him, tilted her head when she saw Edgar scratching his cheek.

Just in case, let’s stride closer and turn to the side to secretly check his profile.

‘Liar.’

To laugh like that and pretend not to be.

I had a chimney-like desire to make fun of him right away, but I decided to let it go this once.

“So, friend wizard, quickly find some raspberries.”

“Will it be that easy?”

Edgar, who responded as if he had no choice, did not know how to stop.

Even if you say that, I will find it again like a show.

Because my friend the wizard has always been like that.

Ariel’s steps, filled with anticipation, were lighter than before.

Are raspberries what she expects? Is it the image of a friend who is delighted to discover raspberries?

The answer to that would be a bit difficult for a ten-year-old to come up with.