Graham Side: The Ghost, when Examined Closely, was Withered Silver Grass
(TN: 幽霊の正体見たり枯れ尾花 (yūreinoshōtaimitarikareobana), That's the meaning literally, the idiom is "if you look carefully, it's more ordinary than it appears")
"Graham-san, please wake up."
At dawn on the third day of exploration, I was woken up by Light who was keeping watch.
"What's wrong? Is it a monster?"
"No... um... it seems it's the woman we are looking for..."
With those words, I immediately got up. Then, there was indeed the woman I saw next to Light.
"Light, I'm sorry, but please wake everyone up."
Light obediently listened to my orders and went to wake up the others. In the meantime, I decided to talk to the woman.
"I'm sorry, young lady. I'd like to check on you a little. Is it okay if I touch you?"
The woman nodded in response to my question, so I took her hand. Then, without disappearing, she obediently grabbed my hand.
"Thank you, young lady. What is your name?"
She tilts her head and doesn't answer. As if she couldn't understand the language.
"Can the young lady speak?"
"I can speak. But I don't know my name."
I was gripped by a slightly unpleasant feeling.
"Do you know where you lived or how old you were?"
She shook her head at my answer. It seems like she's lost her memory.
"Do you know how long you've been here?"
She answered this question by shaking her head. We last saw her about two weeks ago. If she had been here since then, she must have had a very difficult time surviving.
"What have you been doing all this time?"
"I was hiding."
"What about food?"
"I am eating nuts and wild plants. Also, the monster's leftover meat..."
That would be bad... She might have been on the verge of starvation. She probably appeared in front of us because she was hungry.
I gave her the dried meat I had and let her eat it.
"I'm sorry. This is the only thing I have right now. I'll have something warm for you soon, so just bear with it for now."
"Thank you……"
With that said, she bit into the dried meat.
Light woke everyone up and brought them in, and I told them what I heard from her earlier.
"Light, I'm sorry, but I'm going to ask you for a warm meal. After eating, let's go back to town right away. I'll take her to the doctor quickly... Light is here, so it's okay. I'm sorry for relying on you for everything, Light. .”
"It's okay. Leave it to me."
"Thank you, Light."
While Light prepared the meal, the others packed up the tents and started moving as soon as they finished eating. Considering the woman's physical condition, we decided to hurry back by having everyone take turns carrying her.
On the way, I decided to ask something that caught my eye.
"Young lady, I saw you before, but then you disappeared?"
She thought for a moment and pointed in a certain direction.
"Could it be because of that?"
A medicinal herb with a hypnotic effect called phantom flower was growing there.
"That's a flower that leads people astray. There were times when I got lost because of that, too."
I see... It may indeed be so, if you ask me. In fact, right now, she's here without disappearing, and if you think about it normally, it might be the case.
It is possible that she has been wandering in the forest for a long time because of that flower. And she lost her memory. I pity her when I think of that.
By rushing back, we were able to reach the town in a day and a half.
When we arrived at the adventurer's guild before sunset, we immediately reported to the guild and left her there. Once they finish questioning her, our request will be accomplished.
The interview would take place tomorrow morning, and our reward would be handed over in the afternoon.
"Light, you've been a great help again. Thank you."
"No, thank you again."
"See you tomorrow then."
Our party and Light's party parted here today.
The next afternoon, I rejoined Light's party to hand over and distribute the rewards. At that moment...
"Excuse me, Graham-san... the person you rescued yesterday..."
According to what I heard from the troubled-looking receptionist, she didn't have any memories, so she had no idea where to go.
"I can’t keep her in the guild like this, or send her to an orphanage because of her age, and I can’t just kick her out of the guild penniless…"
Apparently, the guild was having trouble dealing with her, who had nowhere to go, so they consulted with us.
"Then how about I keep her at my house?"
It was Light who said that. She certainly feels safe at Light's place, which is a household full of women.
"I'm sorry, can I ask you for that?"
The receptionist was also relieved by Light's offer.
"Light, it's not much, but please accept it. Please help her with her living expenses."
I took out part of the reward and handed it to Light. Light was reluctant to accept it, but we forced her to him, saying this was all we could do.
With that, we parted ways as I saw Light take her to his house.
Light Side
When I brought the spirit's master back to the house, I immediately decided to ask her what I wanted to know.
"Um... Master-san. If you have shown yourself, could you please tell me your name?"
Master-san answered, her long dark green hair fluttering, her delicate body arching, and her arms folded.
"Yes, this is a good opportunity. I am the Green Dragon King. I am one of the Seven Dragon Kings who created all things in this world."
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