I’m an Appraiser, But What the Heck is a [Divine Eye]? ~I Want to Live Freely as the World’s Best Beginner Class~ - Episode 163: An Unexpected Survival Life 31

Episode 163: An Unexpected Survival Life 31

“—…Huh? Everyone’s here?”

“””OF COURSE, WE ARE!”””  

Whoa, whoa, don’t yell at me the moment I get back!  

“…Um, Maki? That… beast behind you—what exactly is it?”  

Unlike the three women glaring at me with teary eyes, Glenn looked stunned as he spoke. His face twitched slightly. Meanwhile, Vil-san and the Captain had already placed their hands on their sword hilts, ready to draw.  

“These three are familiars. Don’t worry; they’re harmless.”  

“…Fa-familiars?”  

“…Are you serious, Maki-sama?”  

“…Um, that legendary ones?”  

Glenn, Vil-san, and the Captain all voiced their shock. But when the word “legendary” came up, I was reminded of something Moriya had told me.  

If familiars were still a common part of life, things would probably be much easier. But for now, I needed to clear up their misunderstanding.  

“I don’t know if they’re legendary, but it’s true. This is Sunny, my familiar. Gregori is Madoka’s familiar. And Haku is Arata’s familiar.”  

“Pikya!”  

“…….!”  

“Woof woof!”  

Since Gregori couldn’t speak, it simply raised its right hand in what appeared to be a greeting.  

The three men stood frozen, mouths agape at the sight. Surprisingly, Ricott-san was the calmest of everyone.  

“…So, the three of you are fine, right? There’s nothing wrong, like looking okay on the outside but having something dangerous inside?”  

“That’s way too scary to joke about! We’re totally fine, so don’t worry. Also, Leyreina-san—”  

“Huh? Y-Yes, what is it?”  

I gave Ricott-san a wry smile before turning to Leyreina-san with a question that had been on my mind.  

“In the letter I sent, I mentioned what Moriya told me about familiars once being a regular part of life. Did you ever come across anything like that in the books you’ve read?”  

“Fa-familiars? Some books did mention it, but nothing from the royal capital’s Grand Library.”  

“What do you mean?”  

“Well, when I traveled to other territories as a member of the Maguire family, there was an elderly lord who treated me kindly. He owned some books personally, and they contained such descriptions.”  

Hmm, how strange.  

The books in the Grand Library of the royal capital didn’t have this information. Yet, a retired lord from another territory had it in his private collection.  

……This feels like it might have been deliberately hidden.  

“What kind of person was he?”  

“Well, I’ve heard he was an excellent lord. Even the current lord, who’s wonderful, still respects him greatly and seeks his advice when in trouble.”  

If such a respected figure personally owned those books, they were likely quite credible.  

It’s not that I don’t trust what Moriya said, but I might eventually have to explain this to His Majesty or Dietrich-sama. The more evidence I have, the better.  

“Leyreina-san, would it be possible to copy the contents of those books?”  

“I remember them, so it’s fine.”  

“Then, if you could write them down when you have the time, I’d appreciate it.”  

I made the request to Leyreina-san and then… well, now I needed to deal with the three women still glaring at me. I’d been hoping to avoid this forever, but here we go.  

“We were so worried about you!”  

“B-but I sent you the Mail Birds, Alicia.”  

“That doesn’t make us worry any less!”  

“What was this ‘three months’ nonsense? You could’ve come back sooner!”  

“Yuria, calm down. Look, we’ve leveled up and gotten stronger.”  

“Sensei is angry! Do you know why?!”  

“…Uh, no, I don’t.”  

“Mihiro-kun!”  

“S-Sorry!”  

I mean, Sensei came later, so how would I know the reason?!  

Still, I had to apologize; otherwise, her anger wouldn’t subside.  

“We don’t need empty apologies!”  

Then what am I supposed to do?!  

“………Show everyone who worried about you that you’re safe and sound.”  

“………What?”  

“Even though you sent those Mail Birds regularly, nothing eases someone’s worries like seeing you face-to-face. Alicia-san and Kondō-san were worried about you every single day, you know?”  

“H-Haruka-san?”  

“Stop it, Sensei!”  

Sensei’s words made Alicia and Yuria blush with embarrassment.  

……I see.  

No matter how many letters you send, the fact that they were worried doesn’t change. Unless they see your face or hear your voice, their concerns won’t go away.  

“…I understand. I’m sorry, Sensei.”  

“I’m fine now. Your words reassured me. But there are two people who were even more worried than I was, aren’t there?”  

I couldn’t help but wonder if Yuria had been more worried about Madoka than anything else. But I kept that thought to myself and stepped in front of the two.  

“”……….””

“…Ahem, um… W-we’re back safe and sound. I’m really sorry for causing you so much worry.”  

Apologizing formally like this was embarrassing, but I managed to force out the words as best I could.  

“I’m just glad you’re safe, Maki-san.”  

“Honestly. Do you know how much we worried?”  

“…Yeah. Thanks, both of you.”  

After that, the two of them returned to their usual selves.  

—

Later, I found myself wondering—why was I the only one who apologized? Shouldn’t Madoka and Arata have said something too? But in the end, I kept quiet about that as well.