The cold gaze directed at me gradually warmed, shifting back to her usual gentle one.
Her expression softened into the familiar, ever-present friendly smile.
"Hm~? Aren't you supposed to be in a meeting today?"
Carol tilted her head quizzically as she asked.
Taken out of context, she looked exactly like her normal self—but after seeing how she had been just moments ago, it tugged painfully at my heart.
I did my best to act casual as I replied.
"The meeting's already over. It's past noon now."
"Eh!? It's already that late!? Time flies so fast on days off~"
"Yeah. Today's a rest day. So—don't force yourself. You can just be yourself."
When I said that, Carol caught her breath.
Up until now, whenever she tried to brush things off, I'd let it slide.
After the battle with Oliver half a year ago, I'd gradually lost the mental bandwidth to concern myself with others.
But that was just an excuse.
I couldn't claim something grandiose like "I can save Carol," but if she looked like she was suffering, I should at least be able to help ease her burden a little.
"Wh-What're you talking about, Master? I'm always being myself, you know?"
There was a slight tremor of agitation, but as she said—her expression, tone, and overall vibe were completely unchanged from usual.
Apparently words at this level wouldn't get through.
"I see. Guess it was just my imagination."
"Yeah. Geez, don't say weird stuff out of nowhere, Master."
"Sorry, sorry. Still—this really is a nice spot. It's close to town but quiet. Perfect when you want to get away from the city's noise."
I sat down beside Carol, desperately thinking of what to say next as I spoke.
"...Do you come here a lot too, Master?"
"Nah, this is only my second time."
"Heh~. Oh, the first time was with Sophie, right! She told me about this place too! Said it was a great spot to recommend!"
"Unfortunately, I found it on my own."
"Huh? So Sophie had nothing to do with it?"
"Hmm... She wasn't involved in discovering it, but I can't say she's completely unrelated to the memories here. Back then, I was sitting here worrying about a lot of things—what came next—and I ended up finding this windy hill while searching for a good vantage point."
"Even you get worried sometimes, Master? I always thought you decided everything decisively."
"I have plenty of worries too—big and small. Everyone does, to some degree. You too, right, Carol?"
"I..."
When I gently prodded, I saw her eyes waver slightly.
"...This might be something you don't want to talk about, Carol, but I'm going to step in today."
Perhaps sensing something from my expression, a flicker of fear seemed to appear behind her smile.
Even so, I'd decided to face her head-on today.
If I kept dancing around with indirect words, she'd just keep deflecting.
I might end up hurting her even more by pushing.
This could all just be my own self-satisfaction.
But I still believed this was my responsibility as her master.
I reaffirmed my resolve and spoke clearly.
"...I think you've already guessed, but I've heard about what happened to you before you came to the Silver Moon Rabbit of the Night Sky. Including how the Cyclamen Order treated you."
"—!"
"I can't claim to fully understand how you feel right now. I don't think it's something I could even imagine properly. That's why I want you to tell me. Carol—are you suffering right now? Or do you really feel nothing at all?"
"B-But..."
Her heart seemed to waver at my words—hesitant, conflicted.
That hesitation meant there were things she wanted to say, at least to some degree.
"I like the person named Caroline Inglet."
"...Huh?"
"From the moment we met, I could tell you were carrying something heavy. And I could tell you didn't want people prying into it. But let me say this: Carol, you're an important disciple and comrade to me. So you don't have to be afraid. No matter what kind of person you were before, I'll accept all of it. You don't have to overthink it. Sometimes—just letting out how you really feel, what you want, what you're thinking—can make things feel a lot lighter."
I borrowed the words that had touched me the most since joining the Silver Moon Rabbit of the Night Sky—the words from the First Unit members that had made me happiest.
They weren't my own words, but they had resonated deeply with me—someone who feared intruding too much on others—and I believed they might reach Carol too.
"...Really? No matter what I'm thinking... you'll still be my Master?"
Carol asked timidly, glancing up at me.
There seemed to be a glimmer of hope in her eyes.
"Of course. I told you on the day I became your master, didn't I? No matter what happens, I'll always be on your side. That will never change."
After hearing my reply, Carol lowered her face and murmured softly, "...Yeah."
A not-insignificant silence followed.
"...Mom told me, back when she was alive. 'When things are hard, smile.' 'If you keep smiling, someday you'll truly feel happy.'"
Carol began speaking about herself in a murmur.
"...I'm scared of people."
"Log, Sophie, Master, Luu-nee, and everyone in the Silver Moon Rabbit of the Night Sky—I really love all of you. That's true. But I also know there are people out there who won't change their expression no matter how much someone suffers—or who'll hit you just because they're in a bad mood."
The Cyclamen Order where Carol used to live was one of the world's most notorious criminal organizations.
The incidents they caused were countless.
To me, those had always been distant, unrelated affairs.
But half a year ago, and again two months ago, I'd been directly involved in incidents caused by the Cyclamen Order—twice in such a short span.
The mastermind half a year ago, Philly Carpenter, was someone who toyed with people's memories and perceptions at will, manipulating others for her own convenience.
Ozwald McLeod, involved two months ago, had been ready to casually kill imperial royalty without regard for the chaos that would follow. And he was likely the one who had hurt Carol the most.
Those were the only two Cyclamen Order members I knew personally—but the fact that people like them could act with impunity made it clear the organization was rotten to the core.
Carol had lived in that place.
I couldn't say it out loud, but for someone with her gentle, "good girl" personality to have survived there was honestly fortunate.
Maintaining ordinary values while living in the Cyclamen Order spoke to an extraordinary strength of spirit, I thought.
"...Back there... it was painful. Every day I wanted to die. I finally decided to kill myself—and I tried. But I couldn't die. That's when the 'curse' called [Self-Healing] appeared."
Curse, huh.
To me, unique abilities were weapons that protected me.
Probably most ability users felt the same.
But for Carol, her ability must have been something to loathe.
"Since I couldn't die anymore... all I could do was smile. I clung to Mom's words. Once I started consciously smiling, the pain and suffering didn't hurt as much anymore. And when I gave people what they wanted and got good results, they'd smile—and then no one would hit me or hurt me. So I thought Mom's words were true. If I smiled, I wouldn't suffer. If others smiled, no one would hurt me. Everyone would be happy. —That's why I smile. I make everyone smile."
My heart ached.
I'd imagined it.
That Carol's past wouldn't be gentle.
But this...
My own village had been massacred by bandits in my childhood—including my parents and everyone I knew.
But I had Oliver, someone in the same situation—so I wasn't alone.
And after coming to Tsutorairu, I gained more comrades and allies who supported me, which helped me keep going.
But Carol had endured years of inhumane treatment in an environment with no comrades or allies.
In the end... those people needed to be sent straight to hell before my anger would settle.
Whether it was past events or my personal grudge—none of that mattered.
They had done something unforgivable to someone precious to me.
There was no way I'd let it end with silent tears.
I renewed my determination to crush the Cyclamen Order—but right now, Carol came first.
"...Thank you for telling me, Carol. I'm sorry for making you remember painful things."
As I spoke, I gently stroked her head.
"...You're not... disgusted?"
She seemed bewildered by my action and asked hesitantly.
"Disgusted? Why would I be?"
"You said it yourself, Master. Being able to consider others is one of my virtues. But really... I was only acting for my own sake?"
"Oh, that. No, I'm not disgusted at all... This is just my personal belief, but I think humans ultimately act for themselves. Even when we act for others, we're usually expecting some kind of return. Someone I respect once said society is built on mutual benefit—and I agree. So in the end, the people who can act for others are the ones who benefit most in the long run. That's what I believe."
I shared my opinion in response to Carol's question.
I knew it was an extreme view and didn't think it was absolutely correct.
It was simply one of my beliefs.
"...Do you feel that way too, Master?"
"Yeah. For example—I'm teaching you all the basics of being explorers as your master. But it's not purely for your sake. When you grow and achieve results, it raises my own reputation as the one who trained you. I don't want you to misunderstand—I genuinely want you all to become splendid explorers."
"...I see. So it's not just me."
"Exactly. You're not strange, Carol. You're a normal girl. Meeting your brother and sister probably brought back old memories and made you think about a lot of things—but no matter what anyone says, right now you're Caroline Inglet of the Silver Moon Rabbit of the Night Sky. No one here will hurt you. You don't have to force yourself to smile. It's okay to say when you're hurting. It's okay to lean on your comrades. Log, Sophie, Luna—they won't hate you for it. —Right, you two?"
After saying what I needed to Carol, I called out to Log and Sophie—who had been tailing me and hiding in the shadows.
They emerged from the trees with awkward expressions.
"You two..."
Seeing them, Carol's face turned uncomfortable.
"Ahaha... Trying to fool Master really was reckless, huh..."
"Carol, sorry for eavesdropping like that."
"Uh, um, well..."
Carol stammered, unsure what to say.
"You two heard what Carol was really feeling, right? Are you disappointed in her?"
"Of course not!!" "No way!!"
When I asked, both of them denied it vehemently.
Then they approached Carol and poured out their feelings.
"Carol, it must have been so hard. I'm sorry for making you hold back all this time. I might not be reliable, but I want to stay by your side forever! That feeling will never change!"
"Someday—someday we'll make you laugh from the bottom of your heart, Carol. We'll fill your days with so much happiness that you won't even have time to remember the bad past. I promise!"
"Yeah... yeah, thank you..."
Hearing Sophie and Log's words, tears welled up in Carol's eyes.
The power of comrades really was incredible—I felt that anew.
Seeing Carol's expression, I judged things would be okay for now and turned to head back to headquarters.
From here on, this was their time.
Me staying would just be in the way.
"Master, thank you. Talking like this... I feel a lot better!"
When I turned at Carol's voice from behind, she was wearing the best expression I'd seen from her in a long time.
Yeah—Carol really does look best when she's smiling.
◇
When I descended the hill, Luna was standing in an inconspicuous spot.
"You don't have to go to them, Luna?"
"...Yes. I'll hold off for today."
Luna answered with a gentle smile.
She didn't seem to be forcing herself.
"Orun-san, thank you for drawing out Carol's true feelings. You really are a wonderful master."
"Stop that. I'm nothing special. In the end, I just did it for my own satisfaction."
"'Humans ultimately act for themselves,' right?"
"Yeah. I'm telling you because it's you, Luna—but I wanted to remove even a little of the knot in her heart."
"For the ninety-third-floor conquest?"
"That's part of it. But... I had this really bad premonition. Like if I didn't face Carol here and now, I'd never get another chance... I don't think that's actually true, though."
"...Whether you think that way or not, the fact remains that you gave Carol the chance to start moving forward."
"...I hope so. How Carol faces her past is something only she can decide. Our role right now is to create an environment where she can think things through slowly—and watch over her. So we have to do our best for that."
"Yes. I'm one of the people whose smile has been saved by Carol's. I'll do everything I can to help her spend her days with a real smile."
"That's reassuring. I want to focus on conquering the ninety-third floor for the rest of the year. Can I leave the disciples to you for a while?"
"Fufu, you don't even need to ask. Those children are my precious comrades too. Please focus on your own matters, Orun-san."
"...Thank you, Luna."