Erika: My Friend Is Obsessed with Me
Chapter 23
Chapter 23
Every single one of them stared straight ahead without blinking.
To avoid making eye contact with Caron, they glared intently at the ceiling, the floor, and the walls—glaring murderously, as if an assassin were lurking right there.
“Since this whole mess happened because Commander Pechenik isn’t here, everything will be resolved once he returns. Which means someone needs to go find him.”
Caron surveyed the room. Yet not a single person met his eyes.
Not even the youngest, Erica.
“Are there any volunteers?”
Everyone averted their eyes with a look that screamed, Why should I?
Commander Pechenik had set off to explore the Ancient Ruins and hadn’t returned for this long; perhaps he had his reasons.
Even so, nobody was worried about the safety of the strongest monster in the south.
Someone certainly needed to check what on earth he was doing holing up over there—whether he’d set up house or something—but that someone didn’t have to be them.
‘As long as it’s not me.’
‘I’m curious, sure, but someone else can go.’
Who in the world had so little to do that they’d go looking for Guildmaster Pechenik?
What if they went to fetch him and just got beaten to a pulp?
There had to be a good reason he was running late. Going out of their way to search for him was a complete waste of manpower.
I don’t want to go. There’s no reason to go.
Even without hearing them say it, the sentiment was written plain as day across the mercenaries’ faces.
Even Erica wore the exact same expression.
‘Even Erica?!’
Did Pechenik have any idea that the disciple he had raised so dearly was currently staring blankly into empty space, terrified of getting dragged into such a dreadfully boring errand?
“This won’t do.”
As if he had anticipated this, Caron pulled out a cylindrical tube.
“We’ll draw lots.”
A bolt from the blue.
Everyone’s eyes went wide.
Tension hung thick in the air, as if they were facing down a colossal, top-tier monster.
If you were unlucky enough to get picked, you wouldn’t be able to take any commissions for at least three months, trapped on a boring, thankless journey with zero payoff.
And all that awaited at the end would be Pechenik nagging you about why you’d even bothered coming.
Gulp.
Swallowing hard, everyone drew a paper slip from the tube, one by one.
The cylinder made a full round.
A suffocating tension lingered.
“Gasp…!”
“What?! Is it you? Are you the one going?”
“Nope?! Not me! Bwahahaha!”
Horizon, the first to open his paper slip, let out a triumphant cheer.
Then, one by one, the others squinted with one eye as they slowly unfolded their hands.
Sighs of relief erupted throughout the room.
Caron clicked his tongue, amazed at how desperately these fools wanted to avoid going.
Though frankly, he was just glad he wasn’t among them—a privilege of being the acting guildmaster.
“Hey, who is it? Who got picked?”
“Not me!”
“Jeremy, is it you?”
“Not me either. I have a commission from the Temple booked right away, so whew—if I’d drawn it, I would’ve been totally screwed.”
Jeremy even mimed wiping sweat from his brow as he let out a sigh of relief.
With even the usually mild-mannered Jeremy speaking so bluntly, the others were practically ready to do five consecutive backflips out of sheer joy.
Then who on earth was it?! Who drew the short straw?!
Everyone craned their necks and looked around. Was there anyone who hadn’t opened their slip yet?
Then they noticed someone was missing from their seat.
“…”
Rustle.
Horizon tilted his head up toward the ceiling.
“Hold it right there.”
“…”
Shift.
Nine pairs of eyes turned upward in unison.
“…”
A girl clinging flat against the ceiling.
Erica, who had been trying to sneak away by quietly popping open the ceiling hatch, froze dead in her tracks, caught red-handed.
Her eyes darted nervously.
Every single gaze was fixed on her. A bead of sweat formed between her brows.
“…Wh-why is everyone looking at me? Is there something on the ceiling—”
“Have a safe trip.”
“I-it’s not me?!”
“I think I’m gonna cry. Not even drawing lots can sever the bond between master and disciple!”
“Damn it.”
Erica couldn’t believe it.
How on earth did she get picked out of all these people? Was her master pulling the strings from afar or something?!
“Looks like it’s settled. May I be excused? My schedule for the Temple commission is tight.”
“What’s this Temple commission? Count me in too.”
“All right, all right, let’s disperse for now.”
“Anyone up for an escort commission to transport goods to Rosenstar? It’s a one-month job, paid in gold, and the perks are great.”
“Me.”
United in congratulating Erica on her ‘win,’ everyone was eager to break up this painfully boring meeting.
“…”
In silence, Erica dropped from the ceiling with a dull thud.
And sprawled out on the floor.
“…”
All she had to do was check on her master’s whereabouts.
It wasn’t a difficult task, nor was it dangerous.
In short: completely boring.
It was something they could have easily hired a D-rank mercenary for.
Wasn’t it a total waste of efficiency to mobilize an S-rank mercenary for this sort of thing?
“Go get ‘em.”
“…”
Looking at Erica sprawled on the floor, everyone offered their words of encouragement.
“Cheer up. It’s not like the Commander’s gonna hit you just for showing up, right?”
“Exactly. Even if he hits you, you can just take it. It’s not like he’s gonna kill you.”
Naturally, none of it was the least bit comforting.
“Bring back a souvenir from the Ruins Area!”
“…”
As if there are souvenirs in a place like that.
Everyone heartlessly departed, leaving only Erica behind to sniffle through a dry nose.
Yawning, Erica grabbed her sword and stepped out of the house.
“Heading out on a commission so early in the morning?”
On the streets of Dangtus, there were many merchants starting their day earlier than anyone else.
“Just going to the mountain out back to train!”
“I heard at the market yesterday that you’re setting off to find Guildmaster Pechenik?”
“Yes, I plan to leave later this afternoon.”
“How admirable, Erica.”
It wasn’t particularly something to be praised for, but she just gave a sheepish smile.
“Haaahmm~”
Under the dark predawn sky, she stretched as she climbed the back mountain.
This was the time Erica normally trained.
It was a habit ingrained in her since childhood, thanks to Pechenik’s grueling regimen.
She had been too busy to train at dawn lately, so it had been a long time.
The crisp, cold air.
The predawn silence that seeped deep into her body.
“…”
Adjusting her grip on her sword, she slowly lowered her gaze.
Some days she practiced archery or did physical conditioning, but usually, she trained in swordsmanship.
Whoosh—
The sound of repeated sword forms cut through the chilly morning air.
The blade extended long and sharp.
The air sliced cleanly apart.
Whenever she focused and swung her sword for a long time, time would suddenly stand still.
Sound ceased as well.
Only she remained in the entire world.
She didn’t notice dawn giving way to the bright rays of early morning. She didn’t even feel the sweat dripping down.
Pechenik had called this a state of selfless trance.
“There will come a moment when you become one with the sword.”
She had felt that sensation many times.
Yet that was all.
Erica simply could not feel that resonance in the palm of her hand.
What on earth did becoming one with the sword even mean? How was she supposed to do that?
“Someday, you will hear the sword calling to you first. The resonance is as faint as a fairy’s whisper, so always keep your ears open.”
She thought of it as an unsolvable riddle.
Pechenik had explained it to her in a language known only to him.
No matter how much he talked about the exhilarating, brimming sensation of manifesting Aura, Erica couldn’t understand.
It was no different from describing a painting to the blind, or explaining a fragrance to someone with no sense of smell.
Unable to even speak of it, she felt miserable.
Ever since the moment she first saw her master’s Aura as a child, becoming a Swordmaster had always been her dream.
She took pride in knowing she had worked herself to death. She swore that she had never once been anything less than entirely devoted to the sword.
Sometimes, Erica wondered.
They said hard work never betrays you, so what was it that had betrayed her?
‘The sword.’
What had betrayed her was the sword.
‘When I love you this much…’
How could you not grant me even a single sliver of light?
Aura—what was it, really?
Whoosh—
Swish—
Along with her increasingly ragged breathing, the speed of her swings quickened.
Faster.
Faster, even faster!
Like a madwoman, she cleaved through the air countlessly, carving away the world with the tip of her blade.
Then—snap!—she swiftly spun around and hurled her sword.
Whoosh!
Thunk!
It slammed deep into a tree.
Embedded in the trunk, the slender blade vibrated with a low hum from the violent impact.
“…”
Step.
She walked over to pull out the sword stuck in the tree.
Step, step.
She looked down at Chaud, who was sprawled out comfortably at the foot of the tree.
“What are you looking at?”
