“I have to finish packing soon. What do I have already? Ten basic healing potion sets, more than enough food for everyone… Oh! I should grab some bombs too. Can’t rely on Iroha and Sarasa to protect me forever. And finally…” The shelf in front of me held six Torn Violence Potions customized for Iroha. One by one, I grabbed them and placed them on my belt. “No no no, I don’t need all this! Why would I bring six Torn Violence Potions with me?” Why did I even make so many in the first place? I was happy that Iroha trusted me last time, but that’s not an excuse. She didn’t ask for another potion. I shouldn’t have made more in the first place. I’ll just bring normal strength potions for everyone, like a sane alchemist. “Hmm…” I was placing the six potions back on the shelf, but I stopped before the last one. “Maybe one is fine…” Am I being greedy? I kinda want Iroha to take another one of my potions… She wouldn’t mind, right? She trusted me before, and she has already seen that my recipe works, so she should be fine with another one, right? It's much better than even the best strength potions out there. “Yep, I’ll bring one with me. Even if she doesn’t want it this time, carrying one more potion won’t make a difference.”
We’re looking for a missing person, not heading off to battle. Who knows if we’re even gonna need these potions. I could get away with bringing just healing, but this is just in case. I wonder what Iroha does for a living… She said she sort of worked together with that friend of hers that’s missing. But what do they do? I should have asked her about that. She’s a good fighter, but she’s not an adventurer or a mercenary. She’s traveling and training, but for what purpose? How does she get money to eat? There’s a lot I don’t know about her. Before, I thought she could be a merchant or government official who just happened to be good with a sword. But since she said that Carol was also capable of fighting, I don’t know anymore. There’s no way two merchants or officials who work together just happen to both be good at fighting. But that only raises more questions. I wonder if they traveled here together. How lucky… I wanna travel with Iroha too…
She sure gave me a lot of cool ideas… I’ve been lazing around for too long now. I really have to go back to the capital and get back to work. Oh, I’m gonna make so much progress! I hope I can brainstorm with Iroha again. Her ideas are very out there, but they’re really good for me. It’s such a different perspective… I know! I’ll make something with the ideas she gave me and sell it. Then I’ll hire her when I need a bodyguard, and we’ll be able to talk a lot! Hehehe… I’m a bit of a genius, too. My plan’s perfect!
But first, we need to find Carol. My life has been nothing but ups and downs lately. I was so convinced that it was all over, then Iroha did all that cool stuff, and then she even helped me learn new things. Her friend’s disappearance is a bit of a setback, but I think I’ve never been happier! Reminds me of when I first started learning alchemy… I have to pull my own weight today. That’s how I return the favor. I don’t want to see Iroha worried. I want her to be as happy as I am. That, and I want to help Carol. I’m not abandoning someone in need without a good reason. That’s how I’ve always lived my life.
I should finish packing once and for all. Since we’re going into the Forest of Illusion, I should bring things to cure mental ailments. “I’ve never been there, but I hear that they’re common.” I search through my stash and take what’s useful with me. After checking if everything’s in order, I hurry to the fast-travel station to meet with the others.
After reaching my destination and leaving the fast-travel station, I see a familiar figure wobbling away from the town center. “Sarasa?” She was walking like a drunkard, unable to move in a straight line. With every step she took, it looked like she was gonna fall and pass out. What is she doing? Is she okay? “There’s no way she’s drunk…”
I caught up to her, and my prediction proved right. She tripped over nothing, and I caught her before she hit the floor. “Huh…? Ririna…? Ririna! Hi…”
“What were you doing? Are you alright?” I wrapped her arm over my shoulder to help her stand up.
“What do you think? I’m sleepy! *Nyawn…* Whose bright idea was it to meet so early? Maybe I shouldn’t have told Iroha I would help. I’m not made for waking up at these hours.”
“Don’t say that… You being there might end up saving someone’s life. It’s just for one day, so just put up with it.” We had agreed to meet at the town center, but that’s not where Sarasa was going. “You do remember we were supposed to meet near the town center, right? Where were you going?”
“Coffee…” Ah… I see… This way leads to Gathering of Flowers, doesn’t it?
“It’s too late for that now. You should have thought about it before fast-traveling. Or maybe you should have woken up earlier so you’d have time to go there before our meeting.”
“And then I would have had to wake up even earlier! Are you trying to kill me?”
“Alright, fine… I might have something to help you wake up.” I took a healing potion with an energizing effect and gave it to Sarasa. It’s a bit of a waste, but if it wakes her up.
“Hmm… Well… It’s a little better… Just a little, though… Actually, now I’m hungry.”
Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon.
“You didn’t eat breakfast?”
“What did you expect? You think I had time to eat?”
“*Sigh…* You’re so hopeless… Where would you be without me?” I packed more than enough food to last us a whole day, so I gave Sarasa half of a sandwich I made. “Here you go. I can’t give you more than that since I made them to share with everyone.”
“Wow! Thanks, Ririna! You’re the best!” With a sudden burst of energy, Sarasa took the sandwich off my hand and started munching. “*Yawn…* That’s not too bad. That should keep me awake for ten minutes.”
“It better! Now, let’s hurry up. I bet Iroha’s already waiting for us. I don’t want to make her wait.”
“Yeah, yeah… You know, you’re really into Iroha lately… She’s all you ever think about now.”
“Wh- what do you mean I’m into her…? I mean, Iroha helped me out a lot, so it’s normal for me to think about her. I want to repay her for what she’s done. Besides, she’s a nice girl, and I like talking with her. She actually listens and cares when I talk about alchemy—unlike a certain someone.” I’m into her? Why did she have to phrase it like that…?
“She has to be nice. Either that, or she’s completely crazy for putting up with you and trusting your crazy ideas. Nyahahhaah!”
“Ehh… Crazy ideas, huh? Hopefully I don’t get any ideas about mixing some mild poison into your next potion… That would be crazy…”
“Uhmm… That was a joke… Nyahaha…”
…
“Ahhhh… Noooo… I can’t… Still too tired… Carry me, Ririna. Wake me up when something interesting happens. No, when something that can hurt me appears.” Sarasa wobbled with sleep as she lagged behind us and threw her weight onto Ririna.
“You really underestimate me…” Ririna pried Sarasa off her and forced her to walk on her own.
Right now, the four of us are on our way to the Forest of Illusion to find Carol. We met up near the town center and set out as soon as everyone showed up. I was the first one there, followed by Flanne and, with Ririna and Sarasa arriving together a little later. The deeper we head into the forest, the closer to the Forest of Illusion we’ll get. But for now, we’re heading to the place where I saw Carol’s footsteps. The only problem is that the location is pretty close to the portal. I don’t know how people from this world are going to react to the portals, so I showed them the way to the furthest tracks I saw.
I really hope nothing bad has happened to Carol. I wanted to come find her right away, but it was already too late yesterday. I’m a bit worried about Carol’s condition, but not everyone here shares that sentiment…
“Hey, Ririna… You can’t be mad at me if I disappear today. If that happens, it’s not because I went off on my own, okay? I just fell asleep somewhere, so don’t worry about me and don’t wake me up. I’m still a growing girl, so if my body needs to rest, it’s bad to interrupt it.” Sarasa’s being really sloppy today. I don’t know if she’s just not a morning person or if it’s just because she was celebrating yesterday, but either way, it’s amusing to watch.
“As the one who’s guiding you through the Forest of Illusion, let me give you some advice. If you’re going to sleep, do it before we get there. If you fall asleep and get separated from us in there, chances are you’re not getting out.”
“Don’t encourage her, Flanne. Sarasa’s not falling asleep, and that’s final! *Sigh…*” Ririna picked up her pace and approached me. “How are you feeling, Iroha? Did you sleep well?”
“It was fine. I’m worried about Carol, but other than that, I’m fine. Seeing you and Sarasa acting so carefree cheered me up a little.”
“Don’t lump me in with her. I’m serious about this. But, well, if it cheered you up, I guess that’s fine. Seems like Sarasa’s useful even when she’s a lazy slob.” The two of us took a peek at Sarasa, struggling to keep her eyes open, and giggled. “We’re gonna find your friend, so don’t worry too much. Trust Flanne. She said she wouldn’t be dead, and I’m carrying enough medicine to heal an entire battlefield. It will be fine.” Ririna looked back at me with a supportive smile.
It wasn’t long until we arrived at the place with Carol’s footsteps. “Hmm… We’re definitely close to the Forest of Illusion here. It looks like a lot of your friend’s tracks disappeared over night. It’s hard to tell exactly where she went.” Flanne looked around the place to understand where we should go.
“I got here by following other footsteps, so they should keep going in that direction, right?” I’ll be really upset if we can’t track her anymore because we didn’t come right away.
“There’s no need to guess. I may not be able to tell, but we have an expert with us. Sarasa, I think it’s your time to shine.”
“*Yawn…* Nwhat?” Sarasa approached Flanne while stretching her neck and shoulders. She crouched down next to Flanne, who explained the situation to her. Tracking things down was more of a job for adventurers, and Sarasa had a pretty keen eye. “Well… Iroha’s right. She went that way. My sense of direction is still asleep. Is that the way to the Forest of Illusion? If so, your hunch from yesterday was right, Flanne.”
“Ughh… So in the end, we really have to go there… Thanks, Sarasa. I had already steeled myself for this, so let’s just go.” Flanne took the lead, and the three of us followed her down a trail leading deeper into the forest. After we walked a bit more, the forest grew denser, and a gentle mist surrounded us from afar. It’s coming back to me now, this is how it was in the game. I only saw it a bit, but it’s the same. The mist makes it impossible to see far away, but it’s not an oppressive feeling.
“Is this it? The Forest of Illusion?” How’s Flanne going to find Carol here? I wish coming here wasn’t optional during my playthrough. It would have helped to know my way around somewhat.
“That’s right. Don’t go off on your own now, alright?” Flanne turned back to us and stopped.
“We know. H- how are we going to find Carol?”
“It’s going to be fine. I need you three to stay here while I do something.” Right after telling us not to go off on our own, Flanne started walking away from us.
“Flanne? Where are you going?” Ririna was the one who spoke up.
“I have to… concentrate… to find where Iroha’s friend is. It’s not going to take long, so just wait for me there. As long as you don’t move, I’ll be able to find you again.” Flanne waved at us with a smile and disappeared in between some trees.
“Uhmm… Any ideas what she’s doing?” That was weird… She needs to concentrate? What does that even mean? Maybe Ririna knows something?
“Sorry… I also have no clue…”
We both turn to Sarasa, looking for an explanation when Sarasa starts stretching. “That was some good sleep. I’m awake now. You know, I’ve been half asleep for two hours now, and if I put the two halves together, that means I’ve gotten an extra hour of sleep, right?” Sarasa’s wrong, but she’s making sense. That should be how it works! It’s the world that’s wrong, not her!
Apparently, Sarasa also didn’t know what Flanne was doing, but she was curious and wanted to follow her. Me and Ririna stopped her, and Ririna lectured her while we waited. Somehow, I think I’m hearing someone talk in the direction Flanne went. Is she talking to someone? Am I imagining things? It didn’t really matter, and after a few minutes, Flanne came back.
“Good news, Iroha. Your friend came through here, and she shouldn’t be that far away. Follow me.” Finally… I haven’t been able to do anything but worry thus far, but maybe that’s gonna change soon. Flanne set the pace again, and we followed her. I’m glad I went back to ask them for help. I wouldn’t have come this far if not for them. I feel bad that I’ve just been relying on them. I’m still lacking… But maybe it’s not all bad. The girls from the House of Imaginary Boundaries would not have found Carol at all. Even if it’s not on my own, I guess I managed to find a way to get to Carol.