He must have been very enthusiastic. Maybe he was chasing his prey and did not hear the whistle.

This rain probably won’t stop even when night comes. I hope he can find some shelter from the rain, but I don’t think young Ryan knows how to protect himself in the forest.

“Excuse me for interrupting, Sandrion-san.

“Sapphiras-sama?”

“Can you leave it to me to look for Ryan?”

“But……”

‘I’m sure it would be faster if I looked for him myself. And the rain is terrible. I’m afraid you’ll only get wet if you stay here, so would Sandrion-san and Countess Foster go back to the castle first?”

Vanderwall’s horses are strong and sturdy, so they can pull the carriage even in bad weather without any problems. We’ll be worried about them no matter where they are, so it would be better for them to go back to the castle rather than stay here.

Besides, if the ladies wait here, the escorting soldiers and knights won’t be able to return to the castle.

“I will search for Ryan-dono with Sapphiras. So, sister-in-law, please do as Sapphiras says and go back to the castle first.”

Sandrion-san was a bit hesitant, but she quickly made her decision.

“I understand. I will leave Ryan-sama to you two.”

“What should I do?”

“Dylan, please go back with Theodore-aniue. With this weather, it’s better to have more guards just in case.”

“Understood.”

It’s been a while since the carriage left, but I’m sure Dylan-san and Theodore-san will be able to handle any unforeseen circumstances.

“Countess Foster, do you have any of Ryan’s belongings?”

“Eh? Yes……I have his jacket.”

Countess Foster’s maid holds out the jacket.

“I’ll return it when we get back to the castle, may I borrow it for a moment?”

“Of course.”

Countess Foster insisted on staying here and waiting for Ryan, but Dylan-san persuaded her to get into the carriage with Sandrion-san.

“I’ll let Theodore know that the two of you are staying. Well, I’ll leave the rest to you two.”

“Leave it to us!”

Dylan-san, on horseback, followed the carriage that departed last, acting as the rear guard. After seeing him off, I summoned a reliable companion.

“Guardian of the fairies, Cu Sith!”

A large, dark green dog jumped out of the summoning circle and wagged its tail happily. The most reliable companion at a time like this is Cu Sith. Even if it’s raining, he can find Ryan’s scent.

“Cu Sith, I’m sorry to bother you in the rain, but I need you to follow this scent for me.”

Cu Sith put his face close to Ryan’s jacket, sniffed it a few times, and ran out into the rain.

“Let’s go, Percival.”

“Yeah.”

I straddled Mateo with Percival and followed Cu Sith. I put on a rain cloak, but when we entered the forest, the rain weakened considerably due to the thick foliage and branches.

I hope he doesn’t move around too much and waits for help somewhere. It’s getting darker and darker, and the rain is making it hard to walk. If we move around carelessly, it will take longer to find him, and the danger will increase accordingly.

Cu Sith occasionally stops to look for the scent. He seems to be struggling a bit, perhaps because the rain has washed away the scent. Still, he is able to follow the scent because he is a fairy dog, Cu Sith.

“I guess it’s hard to smell it with the rain.”

“Yes, it seems so.”

It was nightfall, and the forest was even darker.

Matteo follows closely behind Cu Sith, whose deep green body blends into the darkness. The rain will keep dangerous beasts from wandering around, but I lit the way to brighten the surroundings so that we can see clearly. Even if a large beast does appear, Matteo, who usually deals with magical beasts, will not be shaken at all.

The forest is completely different from the daytime when the sun is out. With it getting this dark, Ryan may be overwhelmed by fear and anxiety. I want to find him as soon as possible, but……

“I wonder how far Ryan has gone?”

“I don’t think Ryan can go that far, but someone who doesn’t know the forest may make a mistake and step into a dangerous place.”

The whistle would have sounded to call off the hunt, and the soldiers would have returned to their tent to see if anyone was still in the forest, but if Ryan had no intention of returning, he could easily slip past their eyes.

Ryan was excited to offer me his prey. If he hadn’t hunted anything when he heard the whistle to stop, he wouldn’t have just returned to the tent.

This forest is flat and there don’t seem to be any dangerous places like cliffs, so it’s a blessing in disguise that there is no risk of falling.

I thought Cu Sith would be able to find him quickly, but it seems that the search will be difficult. Just as we were starting to think that we might have to search all night, Cu Sith howled and ran off, disappearing into the darkness.

Shortly thereafter, a scream echoed through the forest. I turned and nodded to Percival.

“I think we found him.”

“Don’t come! Go away!”

We rushed over and found Ryan desperately swinging a tree branch to chase away the big Cu Sith. Cu Sith was worried about Ryan and was trying to get closer, was wandering around him in a confused manner.

“Ryan. Cu Sith won’t attack you, so stop swinging the branch.”

“Sapphiras-sama! —!”

Ryan, who was sitting at the base of the tree, noticed us and frowned as he tried to stand up quickly. Maybe he’s hurt somewhere.

“Are you okay? Did you hurt yourself?”

“……I think I sprained my ankle.”

We got off Matteo and checked on Ryan. He must have fallen and was completely covered in mud.

“Didn’t you hear the whistle to call off the hunt?”

“I heard…….”

“Then why didn’t you return to the tent immediately?”

“Th-that’s……”

When Percival asked, young Ryan bit his lip in frustration.

Yeah. Percival was his rival. It must have been hard to accept that he had been wrong.

“Ryan, Countess Foster is very worried. We were lucky to find you quickly this time, but if we hadn’t, we would have had to search on a large scale. Vanderwall-kyou would have had to mobilise many soldiers and knights because of your reckless actions, and if it had become such a big deal, it would have put a damper on Theodore-san and Sandrion-san’s celebrations. Still, it’s fine since you were found safely, but what do you think would have happened if something had happened?”

“……I-I’m sor-ry…….”

Young Ryan had a dissatisfied look on his face, but he finally understood that his actions were something he should have reflected on, and he shook his shoulders and shed big tears.

I wonder what it is. Maybe it’s because he’s close in age to Aquila, but I can’t help but feel like I can’t just leave him alone. I sighed and patted young Ryan’s head.

“Well, when you’re inexperienced, you tend to overestimate your abilities. You may learn something from the pain, but if you lose your life, that’s the end. That’s why it’s important to be careful sometimes. You learned a good lesson this time.”

“Yes……”

“……That’s enough. Let’s go home, Sapphiras.”

“That’s right.”

It should be fine with Madam Adeline there, but Countess Foster is probably in a state where she can’t even drink tea by now, so we’ll have to reassure her soon.

Anyway, I’m glad he wasn’t hurt too badly.

When we returned to the castle, Jacob was waiting for us at the entrance.

“Welcome back.”

“Jacob-san, I’m back!”

“I’ve just returned. Ryan-dono is injured. I don’t think he needs healing magic, but I’d like to ask Dr. Davis to take care of him.”

“Understood. We will take care of Ryan-sama. There is hot water in your room, so please warm up your wet bodies.”

Good preparation! I’m not that wet, but it’s nice to be able to soak in the water. After all, I’m pretty dirty from all the mud.

Ryan had a blank look on his face, not understanding what was happening when we suddenly moved to the castle, but a knight carried him on his back and took him to Dr. Davis.

As I was slowly soaking in the hot water to wash off the mud and enjoying some tea after a light meal, Percival came into my room.

“Is this a good time?”

“Of course.”

I invited Percival into my room and we both sat down on the sofa.

“Thanks to Sapphiras, things didn’t get any worse today. Thank you.”

“No, I think I was the cause of it all……”

I didn’t expect him to be so attached to me, even though I told him I had a fiancé. I should have been more forceful, but I remembered Aquila and couldn’t say anything too harsh.

Even though I hardly saw him, he saw me as an older brother until the end. I don’t care what happens to the former Earl and Countess or Veritas, but I have feelings for Aquila, and I hope he doesn’t become unhappy.

I’m sure he’s doing his best with Gabriel-san now, so I’m not worried.

“It’s not Sapphiras’s fault.”

“’Mmm, that’s true. When I see Ryan, I somehow remember Aquila. I feel a bit of affection for him, or maybe I just couldn’t say anything too harsh to him.”

“……I see.”

Suddenly Percival hugs me.

“Percival?”

“……Can I sleep with you tonight?”

When we studied abroad at Sternkurst, we slept in the same bed every day. I nodded and said it was fine, and Percival slowly carried me to the bed.

“Eh, Eh? Are you going to sleep already?”

“Yeah.”

We’re going to sleep after all.

It felt a little early, but unlike me, who was waiting in the tent drinking tea, Percival had been working since early in the morning and had been hunting in the morning, so he must be tired.

I lay down, still in Percival’s arms, but somehow I got the feeling that he was pampering me, so I buried my face in his reliable chest without any hesitation. I wasn’t going to get sentimental just because I was remembering Aquila, but it was a very thoughtful gesture.

The scent of Lemon and Mint is even stronger because we use the same soap. I was thinking how good it smelled, and before I knew it, I was asleep.

……Magicians who sleep will grow.