―Main Gate of Lumis―

The sun had barely begun to rise when I arrived at the meeting point. Maya was already there, leaning against a tree with her arms crossed. Her armor gleamed, and her expression was about as friendly as a hungry wolf’s.

"You're late," she growled.

"Don’t exaggerate. The sun just came up."

Maya snorted and turned halfway, adjusting the sword at her waist.

"Let’s not waste time. The Frozen Abyss is three days away. If you don’t want to freeze to death in the mountains, we’d better get moving."

Without further ado, we set off.

And so began my journey with Maya.

The first day was... interesting.

Maya walked three steps ahead of me, as if my very presence might contaminate her. Every time I tried to close the distance, she sped up. If I lagged behind, she’d glance back with a look that screamed, "Are you really that slow?"

In the end, it was best not to take Maya’s attitude personally.

At lunchtime, I sat on a rock and pulled out some snacks. Maya settled five meters away, unpacking her own rations—dried meat and a few berries.

"Are you really okay with just dried meat?" I asked, offering her some of my food

"Of course! Adventurers should learn to make do without complaining," she replied, biting into her meat with determination.

"Grrr—"

Suddenly, Maya’s stomach growled.

"I-It’s not what you think! I don’t want your food!"

"Yeah, yeah. Sharing food between party members is normal, right? Any adventurer would do it."

She lowered her gaze.

"...Thanks."

On the second day, we camped near a stream. Maya insisted we each set up our own tents ("In case you try anything weird"), but at least she agreed to light a campfire together. I guess that was progress.

I decided to make a simple soup. As it simmered, we sat by the fire. The silence was awkward, but not entirely unpleasant.

"Hey, Ren," Maya suddenly said. "Why did you take this quest?"

The question caught me off guard.

"Well... I needed the money. What about you?"

"Because it’s an S-Rank quest. Only the strongest can complete it." She paused. "I need to prove I can do it."

"Who are you proving it to?"

Maya pressed her lips together.

"Myself."

I didn’t press further. Something in her voice told me this wasn’t the time.

"Well, even if we’re just a temporary party, you can count on my help," I murmured, stirring the soup.

Maya didn’t reply, but for the first time since we’d met, I think I saw her smile.

Then, suddenly—a tingle at the nape of my neck.

"Ren!" Purin’s voice echoed inside my head.

I nearly dropped my spoon.

"Purin? Are you... talking to me telepathically?"

"Yes! This is one of your abilities. We can only talk like this for short periods, but it’s useful when you need help... or just want to hear my voice!"

Huh. This could actually be pretty handy.

"I see... Hey, can you see what I’m doing right now?"

"Of course! You’re cooking... and that armored girl is still there, staring at you the whole time! Hmph! Why are you so nice to her?"

"It’s just common courtesy! No big deal. Besides, Maya isn’t as bad as she seems."

"It is a big deal to me! She hasn’t even thanked you for cooking!"

While mentally arguing with Purin, I noticed Maya watching me curiously.

"What’s wrong with you?" she asked. "You were staring into space like an idiot."

"Ah... just thinking about tomorrow’s route."

"Hmph."

Luckily, Purin didn’t say anything else... though I felt a sudden gust of wind snuff out the campfire.

"Huh? What was that?"

The wind grew stronger, nearly blowing our tents away.

"Ren! This isn’t normal wind!" Maya exclaimed.

"Purin..." I muttered suspiciously.

"It wasn’t me!" she protested—though her tone was suspiciously cheerful.

On the third day, we reached the foot of the snow-capped mountains. The air grew colder by the minute.

That was when we saw the ruined village.

Many houses were charred, and the scent of ash made me cough.

"The dragon did this. But it wasn’t long ago... probably yesterday," Maya said, examining the wreckage.

A group of survivors approached. The elder leading them explained:

"Oh! Are you adventurers? We’re sorry to receive you like this... Yesterday, we were attacked by a dragon."

"Did you manage to drive it away?" Maya asked.

"Yes! Thanks to a girl... She had red hair and cast a spell that wounded the dragon’s wing. It was incredible. Then she chased after it."

Maya and I exchanged a glance.

"Which way did they go?" I asked.

"North."

"Ren," Maya turned to me. "The dragon’s injured. It won’t get far now. And... I’m curious about that girl."

"Alright. Let’s go."

The elder added:

"If you see her... please thank her for us."

Maya nodded.

"Will do."

As we pressed on toward the mountains, the cold grew sharper.

I had a feeling this quest... was about to get a lot more complicated than we’d thought.