A Little Worry - 76
She clenched her fist and slowly stood up.
Then, she quietly walked past them.
Before going any farther, Nery stopped and looked back one last time.
For a moment, it seemed like she wanted to return.
But her body was shaking with fear.
She turned away.
And then she quickly ran deeper into the forest.
…
After a few seconds, Marc slowly opened his eyes. When he noticed that Nery was no longer beside him, he quickly sat up and looked around, but there was no sign of her anywhere.
Marc stood up and closed his eyes, concentrating deeply as he tried to sense Nery's mana. He didn't know which direction she had gone, so he expanded his mana outward, spreading it throughout the surrounding forest in search of her presence.
"Augh… I didn't really get to familiarize myself with Nery's mana, so I can't just pinpoint it," Marc thought to himself as he continued extending his mana farther into the forest.
At first, all he could sense were the various creatures scattered throughout the area. However, after several seconds of searching, he finally detected the presence of a human. The mana signature was small, so Marc immediately assumed it belonged to Nery.
Without wasting another second, he flowed mana into his legs and lunged forward, sprinting through the forest in the direction of the presence he had sensed.
Behind him, Bell and Juro opened their eyes, already aware of what was happening. They got up and stretched their arms before Juro casually glanced toward the direction Marc had taken.
"Go after Marc. I'll catch up," Juro said.
Bell looked at him for a moment before nodding. "Alright."
With that, Bell sprinted into the forest after Marc.
Juro remained where he was, leisurely stretching his arms as he watched Bell disappear between the trees.
"Crazy kid… Spreading his mana throughout the forest is basically inviting every creature nearby to come after him."
A smile crept onto Juro's face as he noticed multiple pairs of eyes peering out from behind the trees and bushes. Several figures began emerging from the surrounding vegetation, drawn toward the mana that had spread throughout their territory.
"Well, I'd better catch up quickly," he remarked calmly.
..
Meanwhile, Marc continued sprinting through the forest, skillfully dodging the trees and rocks scattered along his path. Before long, he finally caught sight of Nery.
"Nery!"
Marc called out loudly as he rushed toward her. He quickly slowed to a stop, reached out, and pulled her into a tight hug.
"What's wrong, Nery? Why'd you run away?" he asked, his voice filled with worry.
Nery looked into Marc's eyes for a brief moment before tears began streaming down her face. Without saying a word, she clutched tightly onto his shirt.
Bell, who had already caught up, sat quietly on a nearby tree branch, watching the two of them from above.
Marc didn't hesitate. He wrapped his arms around Nery and held her close, allowing her to cry against him without pressing her for an answer.
After a few seconds, Nery gradually began to calm down. Marc loosened his embrace just enough to look at her properly.
"You okay? You're not hurt anywhere, right?"
He gently checked her head and arms, making sure she hadn't injured herself while running through the forest. Nery shook her head, reassuring him that she was fine.
She was just about to open her mouth when a voice suddenly called out from somewhere among the trees.
"Nery!"
Nery immediately turned toward the voice. Her expression changed, and she hurriedly tried to push Marc away.
"Eh? Eh? Wait, Nery, what's wrong?" Marc asked in confusion, reaching out to hold her hand as she tried to pull away.
Before Nery could answer, two children emerged from the bushes, a girl and a boy.
"Nery!" they both called out in unison as they hurried toward her.
"Where did you go?" the girl asked, looking at Nery with concern.
Nery remained silent, her gaze shifting between the two children as she stood beside Marc, looking visibly worried.
At the same time, Juro appeared beside Bell on the tree branch.
"Who are those two kids?" Juro asked, looking down at the children.
"Don't know," Bell casually replied. His eyes then shifted toward Juro. "Did you finish what you wanted to do?"
Juro simply smirked. "Yeah."
Behind them lay a trail of dead creatures, their bodies scattered across the forest floor.
"Let's both go down," Bell said.
"Alright," Juro replied.
The two jumped down from the branch and began walking toward the others. Marc heard their footsteps behind him and turned around. The moment he saw them, his face lit up with a smile.
"Teacher Juro! Bell!"
As Juro and Bell approached, Bell glanced at him before asking, "What are you doing out here?"
"Ah, I didn't see Nery when I woke up, so I got worried and tried to find her," Marc explained.
The boy standing in front of them suddenly spoke up. "Are you three Nery's friends?"
Marc immediately smiled and nodded enthusiastically. "Yes! We're Nery's friends, and I'm her big brother too! You two can call me Big Brother Marc!"
Both children smiled, seeming delighted by his answer. Meanwhile, Bell shifted his gaze toward Nery. Even after seeing her friends, she still looked a little worried.
Before anyone could say anything else, a woman's voice called out from behind the children.
"Ah! There you two are!"
A woman stepped out from between the trees, looking at the two children with concern. "Where have you two been?"
But as soon as she noticed Nery, her expression changed. "Oh, my Nery! Thank goodness you're safe!"
She quickly crouched down and pulled Nery into a hug, relief evident in her voice. After holding her for a moment, the woman looked up at Juro, Bell, and Marc before turning back to Nery.
"Nery, who are these people? Are they your friends?"
Nery remained quiet, giving no answer. The woman didn't press her. Instead, she smiled gently and hugged Nery again before looking up at the three of them. "I'm guessing you three helped her, huh? I'm sorry for getting you involved in all this trouble."
Juro smiled casually and waved away her concern. "Meh, no worries. Helping kids out is what an adult should do, isn't it?"
The woman smiled and nodded in agreement. "That's very kind of you."
Her gaze then shifted toward Bell and Marc. Noticing her attention, Marc straightened up a little and introduced himself with an earnest expression.
"Ah! I'm Marc, and this is Bell!"
The woman chuckled at his enthusiastic introduction.
"How old are you two?"
"We're both nine, but Bell is a bit older than me by a few months," Marc answered.
"Oh?" The woman smiled, slowly getting back to her feet while carrying Nery in her arms.
"Since it's already getting late, and you've helped one of our children, how about staying at our place for the night?"
Before any of them could answer, Juro spoke up. "Who are you to Nery?"
"I'm Nery's caretaker. Well, not just hers, but these children's caretaker too. We actually run a small orphanage around this area."
The moment Marc heard the word orphanage, his eyes lit up.
"Ooo, an orphanage?! Bell and I are from an orphanage too!"
The woman smiled in surprise.
"Oh, really? What a coincidence!"
She chuckled, and Marc chuckled along with her. But a moment later, he let out a yawn, his excitement briefly giving way to his tiredness.
The woman noticed and smiled warmly. "Oh my, looks like you're sleepy. Come on, follow us. We'll lead you to the orphanage."
With Nery still in her arms, she began walking through the forest, while the two children followed close beside her.
"Okay!" Marc exclaimed happily as he followed them.
Bell and Juro walked along behind him, but Bell soon noticed something peculiar. The two children and the woman all wore collars around their necks, each with a shiny, marble-like object attached to the front.
He quietly observed them without saying anything.
After walking through the forest for a while, they finally arrived at an open field. Several small houses stood scattered across it, four of them surrounding a much larger structure.
"Oooo! Is that the orphanage?" Marc exclaimed, looking around with excitement.
The woman nodded. "That's right."
As they walked closer, Marc noticed people going about their daily routines. Some were sweeping fallen leaves from the ground, others were washing clothes, and a few were tending to plants. The place seemed lively, with everyone busy doing something.
As the group passed by, the people greeted them with smiles and waves. Marc happily waved back at them, not hesitating to return their friendly gestures.
However, something soon caught his attention.
"What's that thing on your neck?" he asked, looking at the collar worn by one of the people nearby.
The woman walking In front of them seemed to react strangely to his question. She paused for a brief moment before turning back toward Marc with a quick smile.
"Ah, these?" She lightly touched the collar around her own neck. "These collars symbolize that we're all part of this orphanage's family."
"O… oh… okay," Marc replied.
He accepted her explanation, but he couldn't quite shake the odd feeling he'd sensed from her when he asked. Still, he didn't pursue the matter and continued following.
Eventually, they arrived at the entrance of the large building. The woman stopped and turned toward the three of them. Standing beside the entrance were another man and woman, both of whom smiled at the newcomers.
"Ah, these two will guide you to your room," she explained. "We don't have enough rooms to give each of you one of your own, so I hope you don't mind sharing a single room for tonight."
The man and woman beside her nodded with their smiles still in place.
Before they could lead the way, Marc spoke up. "Ah, can't I check on Nery? I wanna know if she's okay…"
The woman smiled gently. She placed a hand on Nery's head and gave it a soft pat.
"Don't worry, she's fine. In fact, I think she's already asleep. I'll let Nery know you asked about her in the morning, okay?"
Marc looked at the woman's smile before turning his attention to Nery. Unfortunately, Nery was facing the opposite direction, so he couldn't see her face or tell what expression she wore.
After a moment, he nodded.
"Okay…"
"Good! Now, you two, treat our guests well."
With that, the woman carried Nery inside and disappeared through the doorway.
The remaining man and woman then led Marc, Bell, and Juro through the building to a room with two beds.
"Please, feel free to use this room for your stay tonight," the man said warmly.
The woman beside him smiled and nodded in agreement. After making sure the three had entered, they closed the door behind them.
Juro immediately walked over to one of the beds and flopped down onto it.
"Phew, I'm tired," he exclaimed, his face sinking into the mattress.
Marc stood quietly, his earlier excitement fading as his thoughts returned to Nery. He still couldn't help feeling a little worried about her.
Bell noticed and walked over, gently placing a hand on Marc's shoulder.
"Don't worry. She'll be fine. After all, she has a new big brother now, right?" Bell smiled at him.
Marc looked up at Bell, and the reassurance seemed to ease some of his worries. A small smile returned to his face.
"Yeah!"
But just as he answered, Marc let out a yawn. His eyelids were growing heavy, and his body was beginning to feel sluggish after everything that had happened.
"Pfft… looks like you're getting sleepy," Bell remarked with a quiet chuckle. "Go ahead and get some rest."
He guided Marc over to one of the beds and helped him sit down.
"Wha… wabot yo.. Bell?" Marc asked, his words already beginning to slur with drowsiness.
Bell chuckled softly. "I'll sleep after you. Don't worry."
Marc seemed satisfied with that answer. He slowly lay down, his eyes closing as sleep finally caught up with him.
Bell stayed beside the bed for a moment, watching as Marc drifted off to sleep.