The hollow space that served as the boy's secret base had its own light source, but it was far weaker than my magical light, leaving the area shrouded in dim shadows.
Perhaps that was why Niki sat huddled against the wall, squinting as if the sudden brightness were painful. Though he remained curled in a ball, he didn't seem to be in any immediate distress.
"I'm glad to see you're safe," I said. "Are you injured?"
"……I’m fine."
"Are you sure?"
"Ugh…… I twisted my ankle while I was running away, but I can still walk if I have to."
"I see."
So he’d been fleeing from the goblins when he ducked into this hole.
"Can you show me the ankle? I can use healing magic."
I figured I’d treat him and then we could head back, especially since the goblins outside were already taken care of. But as I stepped closer, Niki suddenly stiffened and yanked his right leg back toward his chest.
"……No."
"What?"
"I don't…… I don't want to go back."
"Ryo…… kun! Is that…… you!?"
Just as Niki muttered his refusal in a thin, trembling voice, Shin’s muffled shout filtered down from the surface.
He doesn’t want to go back…… Regardless of how I handle this, I should update the others first.
"『Whisper』…… Can everyone hear me? This is Ryoma. I’m using wind magic to project my voice since it's hard to hear through the tunnel."
"—ma! We hear—!!"
"Glad to hear it. Here’s the situation: I’ve found Niki. He seems healthy and uninjured, but—"
As I continued the explanation, a chorus of voices erupted from above. It sounded like the whole party was shouting at once, their words overlapping into an unintelligible mess. Even so, the stern tone made it clear they were ordering Niki to come out.
The response from the surface had the opposite of the intended effect.
"Shut up! Just shut up!!" Niki screamed, lashing out against the pressure from above. "I don't care what anyone says, I'm never going back! If no one's going to believe me anyway, what's the point in talking!?"
Though he shouted defiantly, he kept his head buried in his knees, and his voice began to crack with tears.
This place was cramped with no exit; it would be simple to restrain him. I could toss him into my Dimension Home, let the slimes hold him still, and deliver him to his parents to end the search. But if I did that, the cycle would just repeat.
The fact that he had built this secret base by himself showed he had a lot of initiative and drive. If I forced him back now, he’d likely just run away a second time.
"……Sorry, everyone," I projected toward the entrance. "I want to talk to him for a bit and see if I can calm him down. Could you give us some time?"
It was probably overstepping my bounds, but I asked the five adventurers on the surface to be patient. After a brief consultation above, Shin gave me the okay.
I thanked them and turned my attention back to the boy.
"I've bought us some time, so let's just relax for a minute. By the way, Niki…… did you really build this place all by yourself? It’s incredible."
The entrance required a stomach-crawl, but the interior was surprisingly roomy. I could almost stand up without brushing the ceiling. He must have cleared out the mud from between the massive tree roots and even trimmed some of the smaller ones to create this void. He’d then reinforced the walls by weaving branches and cut roots through the living structure to keep the dirt from collapsing.
The work was rough, but for a boy Niki’s age to accomplish this without magic was a massive undertaking.
"I used to live in places like this back in the forest—"
"Shut up…… I don't need your flattery. You didn't come here just to talk about that."
"……Fair enough."
Well, my attempt at an icebreaker had flopped. I genuinely meant the compliment, though.
"Then I'll get straight to the point."
"Go ahead. You're just going to tell me to go home like everyone else, right? You said so before."
"No. Before we get to that, I want to hear your side of the story."
"Hear my side? You mean the part where I'm supposed to say I'm sorry and go home?"
"Not that. I mean what you said just now—'If no one's going to believe me anyway, what's the point in talking?' You have something you want to say, don't you?"
I was hoping that giving him an outlet would help vent some of his frustration, but his reaction caught me off guard. He snapped his head up and stared directly at me, eyes wide. He immediately looked away again, as if startled by his own honesty, but it told me he wasn't as hardened as he pretended to be.
"Why would you even care?" he asked.
"If I had to give a reason…… I suppose it’s just a whim. To be honest, I barely know you, but I’ve spent all this time searching for you. I’ve already come this far, so if there's something you need to say, I'm willing to listen. To the very end. I think we’ll both be better off if we understand each other."
"……But you already heard all about how I’m just a prankster, right?"
I certainly had, but his choice of words made me pause. The fact that he brought it up now meant he was acutely aware of his reputation. Combined with his claim that no one believed him……
I recalled what I’d heard back in the village. Niki was a prankster, but he always kept his promises to the elders. He was usually forgiven with a lecture and a rap on the head.
Wait. Was my entire premise wrong?
"Niki…… were you even trying to play a prank this afternoon?"
The boy flinched, his eyes darting toward the floor. That was all the confirmation I needed.
"I'm sorry. Until just a minute ago, I assumed it was a prank, too. But while I was looking for you, I heard a lot of things that didn't quite add up."
He was a kid who kept his word. Why would he suddenly target a stranger—me—when he knew it was the one thing he was forbidden to do?
The answer was simple if the 'prank' wasn't actually a prank. I replayed our encounter in my head. He had thrown the creature and shouted, 'Here, have this!'
"If I take your words at face value, you were actually trying to give me that Octa as a gift, weren't you? But when you threw it, it sprayed ink everywhere, which made it look like a malicious prank. I don't know why you chose an Octa…… but am I close?"
I kept my tone as gentle as possible. Niki remained silent for a long moment before he began to whisper.
"Earlier…… on the beach…… I saw your slimes. There were so many, and they were moving so weird. It was…… it was amazing."
So he’d been watching us train. And he thought the slimes were cool? The kid had good taste, but I didn't interrupt.
"I got interested. I wanted to talk to you. But you were a stranger…… and I remembered what my mom gets when people come to visit. A greeting gift. You’re supposed to bring something when you meet someone new, right?"
"Ah, I see. So it was a greeting gift. But why an Octa?"
"I thought you’d like them because they look like slimes. Your slimes were sticking out bits that looked just like an Octa's legs."
I had to bite back a laugh. I never would have guessed that was the logic. But he wasn't wrong—both slimes and Octa had soft, squishy bodies. My slimes often extended tentacles to move things, so the resemblance was definitely there.
"Well, that clears up my confusion. Thank you, Niki. So, you tried to be polite, but everyone assumed you were making trouble and started yelling at you. Is that it?"
Niki’s face twisted into an expression of guilt and frustration.
"I felt bad about getting ink all over you and running away. I threw the Octa because…… I don't know, I guess it’s just a habit from my other pranks. I can't say I didn't do anything wrong, so I took the scolding at first. But then…… but then!"
"It’s okay. Take your time. I’m listening."
Remembering the scolding seemed to break his dam, and he started to sob. I pulled a cup and some water from my Item Box, handing it to him as I patiently waited for the story to come out. Between gasps and tears, the details were a bit scattered, but I managed to piece it together.
Apparently, Niki had been a scapegoat before. Another child in the village had accidentally ruined some snacks an elder had prepared, but out of fear, they had pinned the blame on Niki because he was the local troublemaker. Back then, his parents and the village elders had stood by him, believing his pleas of innocence. They had told him, 'If you haven't done anything wrong, you should hold your head high and say so.'
Because the adults had been fair that time, Niki had truly believed that if he was honest, the grown-ups would always understand.
But today, that hadn't happened.
"They wouldn't listen," he choked out. "Every time I tried to say it was an accident, they just screamed at me to stop making excuses. They wouldn't let me say anything! It just kept happening and happening until I couldn't take it anymore, and I just…… I just ran."
"I see."
An impulsive flight because no one would listen. I remembered feeling that same burning frustration when I was a child. I understood it perfectly.
"But if that's the case, I think you really should go back and talk to them."
"Why!? What’s the point? I tried talking and it didn't work! If they were going to listen, they would have done it this afternoon!"
"Maybe they weren't ready to listen then. But what if we tried again now that everyone has cooled down? I'll even help you. If they try to hit you before you can get a word out, I'll stop them."
"You would?"
"I'm an adventurer. I'm stronger than I look, and I can physically protect you if I have to. Besides, the only reason they’re so angry is because they were terrified for your safety. We’re the ones who found you, but half the village was out searching for you. Once they see you're okay and everyone calms down, you can have a real conversation."
"Do you really think so?"
"I know so," I said firmly. "If they didn't care about you, they wouldn't have spent all night looking for you in a dangerous forest."
Getting scolded is rarely pleasant, and kids often feel like adults just enjoy being bossy. But getting angry takes a lot of energy. It’s stressful, it ruins relationships, and there’s almost no personal gain in it. People don't waste that kind of effort on someone they truly don't care about.
"……Okay. I'll go back."
I was surprised by how quickly he agreed. He still looked reluctant, but his voice was clear. He’d probably just lost the right moment to return after his impulsive escape. Deep down, he really was an honest kid.
"Big Brother?"
"Ah, yes. Sorry."
He was ready.
"You said you twisted your ankle, right? Let's fix that before we go out. Give me your foot."
I examined his right ankle. It was swollen, but the bone was fine. A Basic Heal was more than enough. I cast the spell, then sent a message through the wind to the party above, letting them know he was coming out.
"All right. I'll go out first to explain things to the others. I'll be waiting for you."
The tunnel was too narrow for two people. I crawled out of the secret base first, trusting that Niki would follow on his own two feet.