22. She Looks Toward You as if Wanting to Join the Party

Thanks in part to the merit of freeing Halfa, the lecture regarding the Pandora Gift ended with nothing more than a light scolding. Success!

Since my room was a bit too cramped for a real discussion, we moved back down to the dining hall. I felt bad for asking so many times, but Reila-san and Brass-san both graciously let us use the space again. I’d have to do something to thank them later.

"Um... thank you. To everyone, for saving me."

She seemed embarrassed about her earlier outburst of tears, as she’d been fidgeting restlessly for a while now.

She had just been liberated from being an illegal slave. It was only natural that she’d be overwhelmed with emotion. There was really nothing to be ashamed of.

After she calmed down, we asked Halfa more about herself.

Halfa was twelve years old—the same age as me. She was indeed a Wingfolk. Furthermore, according to Rei, those with white wings belonged to a clan held in high regard even among their own kind. Halfa herself didn't seem to realize it, though, so I wasn't entirely sure if she was actually a member of that specific clan.

Regarding how she’d become an illegal slave, it turned out she’d fallen victim to a slave hunt by outlaws. Apparently, she had been abducted by strangers one day after leaving the village where her clan lived. From there, she was moved around with a large group of other slaves, and by the time she realized what was happening, she was in Cygnil.

"That must have been so hard for you."

Mil pulled Halfa into a hug and gently stroked her hair. Her life as a slave must have been agonizing. Partway through her story, the tears started falling again and Halfa couldn't stop them. However, with Mil there to comfort her, she eventually regained her composure.

If only there were some way to return her to her family.

"There are several places where Wingfolk are rumored to live, but almost no one knows their exact locations," Rei explained. "They have cut off contact with other races to that degree."

"It would be fine if Halfa-chan knew the way, but based on what she’s told us, that seems unlikely..." Sally added. "It sounds like she was transported quite a long distance."

Just as Rei and Sally said, it would be difficult to return Halfa to her home immediately under the current circumstances. Of course, since there were at least some Wingfolk who visited the cities, I figured we might be able to manage something if we could make contact with them.

In the meantime, we had to figure out how she was going to live. If she could be hired as an assistant at Rei's house or something similar, it might work out.

"Halfa, what do you want to do?" I asked.

She had finally settled down. She tilted her head slightly, looked at me, and spoke.

"What about you, Big Brother?"

"Gwah!?"

I let out a pathetic squawk of surprise.

Big brother? Me?

Halfa’s face turned beet-red, and she started flailing her hands in front of her.

"N-No! Tort! Tort, what are you doing?"

Ah, I see. It was that phenomenon. The same kind of slip-up where you accidentally call your school teacher "Mom."

Only those who have experienced that particular brand of embarrassment can truly understand it. Since I felt her pain, I decided to let it slide.

"I’ve formed a party with Rei and the others and I'm working as an adventurer. I’m staying here at the Wildcat Inn. The food is great and it’s a good place to live."

"Then I want to be an adventurer too! I’ll stay at the Wildcat Inn!"

Halfa clenched both her fists in a victory pose. She didn't exactly look intimidating, but her motivation was clear enough.

"The inn is one thing, but an adventurer? That's dangerous work, you know. You have to fight monsters and everything."

I hadn't personally felt like it was all that dangerous since officially becoming an adventurer, but it was still a job where one wrong move could cost you your life. Although I was being a hypocrite by saying it, it wasn't a career I’d recommend to others.

However, Halfa wasn't so easily deterred.

"I'll be fine. I'm good at sniping things with a bow! Plus, they told me my songs are special."

"The bow is one thing, but songs?"

"Yes! They said that when people hear me sing, they feel energetic, or like power is welling up inside them!"

Could something like that really happen?

When I glanced at Sally, who seemed like she’d know the answer, her eyes were sparkling. Yeah, she was definitely intrigued.

"That’s Singing Magic! I’d heard only a few specific races could use it, but I guess Wingfolk are one of them!"

"Hmm. Not everyone can use it. But my mother can."

"I see! In that case—"

I left Sally to her excited rambling.

It seemed Halfa possessed a power called Singing Magic. And by her own account, she was also proficient with a bow.

She wasn't suited for solo work, but I felt like she could certainly make it as an adventurer. At the very least, she had abilities far more suited for the job than I did back before I took the guild's lectures.

When I looked at Rei, he gave a small smile and nodded.

"I think it's a good idea. Even if we search for Halfa's hometown, there's a limit to what we can do by staying in one place. It's not a bad thing for her to learn to fight for herself if she's going to be traveling between cities."

That was true. Even if she didn't become an adventurer, the world was still dangerous. In that case, it might actually be safer for her to gain strength as an adventurer. Glory's Steps was a good party, after all. It was the best possible environment for her to gain experience without overextending herself.

"If you're so worried, Tort, you can just protect her! You are her 'Big Brother,' right?"

Mil teased me, but that was the kind of comment that hit Halfa harder than me.

Sure enough, Halfa—who had clearly heard her—turned bright red and started a repeat performance of "That's not it!" even as she blushed. Still, the atmosphere was pleasant.

I suppose this was the start of the new Glory's Steps. We still needed a bit more preparation before we could truly start our activities, though. First things first, we had to get Halfa registered as an adventurer.