The faint sign we felt had already disappeared. But that doesn’t mean they have escaped.
I could feel no sign of them, but I knew they were still there.
It’s difficult to put into words, but I felt something close by.
『I can’t sense them at all even after coming this close. This is no ordinary person.』
（Nn.）
Even if I can’t accurately sense their presence now, I still know their position thanks to the mistake they made earlier.
We should be able to tell if they made any attempt to move, so they must be currently staying put and holding their breath.
『That’s the one.』
Fran’s eyes widened lightly and she paused.
As soon as I saw the house, I felt something was off.
This house was in much better condition than the other abandoned houses. There were obvious signs of repair on the roof and walls.
Someone had clearly made an attempt to patch it up.
However, the source of Fran’s surprise lied elsewhere.
（That house is……）
『Fran?』
（……Auntie’s house.）
『Auntie?』
（Nn, the lady living next door.）
So she used to know the resident of this house. Well, I highly doubt she would still be living here, but……
『Fran, even if it’s a trespasser, don’t just attack them out of the blue, okay?』
For example, they might be an adventurer taking a rest in an abandoned house. Since they couldn’t tell if we’re enemies or not, they would try to hide until we left.
（I know.）
Fran slowly edged closer until she was right in front of the house.
The front door was about three meters away.
『I’m opening it.』
（Nn.）
I tried to open the door with telekinesis, and then…
（Master!）
『I know!』
I canceled my telekinesis. To my surprise, the person in the house had made a move. They must have realized that Fran knew their location.
It seems they gave up on hiding and decided to reveal themselves.
The presence slowly walked toward the entrance, probably to avoid seeming hostile.
「……」
『……』
Creak.
The wooden door creaked as it was pushed from the inside. At the same time, the person on the other side of the door called out to us.
「Hey, I’m not looking for a fight. Let’s talk first, ‘kay?」
I was surprised.
What greeted us was a tall, middle-aged woman.
Her short, violet-colored bobbed hair was shaggy and unkempt. Her pale skin was scarred all over, showing the intensity of the battles she had overcome.
The woman’s face must have been on the pretty side, but her tired expression and dirty clothes erased most traces of femininity. Judging from the depth of wrinkles that have started to show on her face, she must be in her forties.
Her amethyst-like eyes were carefully staring over us.
Now that she was in front of me, I could understand her strength. She was so strong that we couldn’t take her lightly.
She was wearing a long coat-like garment and a leather poncho. There also seemed to be a weapon hidden inside her coat, probably a sword.
「……」
Fran’s eyes widened in surprise. Too much surprise to be only due to the woman’s strength.
「……Auntie……?」
「Huh? I guess I’m old enough to be…… No, that face…… Could you be…?」
The woman heard Fran’s mutter and looked at her suspiciously. However, her expression immediately turned into surprise.
「Could you be, Fran, is that you……?」
The woman murmured in a hushed voice.
She said Fran’s name.
Did she know Fran? If she’s acquainted with her, then she’s really Fran’s “Auntie”? So the Auntie she mentioned earlier still lives here?
While I was frozen in surprise, Fran and the woman slowly moved closer to each other.
They stared silently at each other’s faces.
Almost at the same time, they realized that the other was the person they knew.
「Auntie!」
「Fran!」
Both of them hugged each other tightly.
「Fran……! You’re really Fran!」
「Nn……!」
「You’re safe, thank god you’re safe……!」
「Nn……」
Fran was clinging to the woman’s chest, tears streaming down her cheeks.
The woman did the same. Her tears flowed freely as she completely covered Fran with her hug.
They held each other wordlessly for a whole five minutes.
Only after that did their excitement calm down slightly.
They let go of each other’s bodies and finally began to check each other’s situation.
「Fran, are you an adventurer by any chance?」
「Nn.」
「What have you been doing…… since that day? I thought you would have met the same fate as them……」
「Mom and Dad were killed by monsters――The antidemons, they killed them……」
「I knew it……」
Apparently, this woman did not witness the death of Fran’s parents. All she knew was the village got attacked by antidemons, Fran’s parents disappeared, and someone built a grave for them.
But that was more than enough to understand what transpired.
「Nn. Then I was captured by the blue cats and forced into slavery.」
「The blue cats……! Those shitty bastards!」
「So I was a slave for a long time, but I got rescued and have been an adventurer ever since.」
「Rescued? What happened? If it’s not too painful, can you tell me?」
The woman asked Fran with a gentle voice. There was no curiosity in her tone, showing her obvious concern for Fran.
（Master?）
『Sure, I don’t mind. I’m interested in her story too.』
「Nn. I’ll tell you everything.」
「Oh yeah, I don’t wanna make you stand here and talk. Come on in.」
And so, the woman invited us into her house.
