Previously: Liz, having decided to win Zenos over, first drove Ringa away.
【Saint Fabius Calendar, Year 304, Sixth Month, 14th Day (Afternoon)】
In the afternoon, Reve arrived, leading several of her subordinates.
A part of the clinic’s outer walls and pillars was starting to crumble, so it seemed they were there under the pretext of making repairs.
“Thanks, Reve.”
“You’re so strong, Reve-san, so you’re a huge help.”
Zenos and Lily said to their helper.
“Hahaha, in our hands, repairs like this will be done in an instant.”
Led by Reve, several orcs were walking around the residence, carrying lumber on their shoulders.
“Here, everyone, please have some tea.”
The one who came carrying chilled tea on a tray was Liz, the houseguest.
She diligently handed out cups to everyone.
“There have been a lot of hot days recently, so please be careful not to get dehydrated.”
Smiling sweetly, she was acting just like a wife.
“Still, to think you were Zenos’s childhood friend…”
“Yes, my name is Liz. Thank you for always taking care of Zenos-chan, Reve-san.”
“Mmph… no, I’m the one who’s indebted to him.”
Reve replied with an indescribable expression.
After putting down the tray, Liz approached Zenos.
“Zenos-chan, let me help with something too.”
She picked up a hammer and nails that were on the ground and rolled up her sleeves.
“I just need to hammer this into this wall, right?”
“Yeah, but can you do it, Liz-nee?”
“Back at the orphanage, I was sometimes made to do carpentry work, so I’ll probably be fine.”
“Come to think of it, that’s right.”
Liz placed a nail against the wall and raised the hammer. And then—
“Ah!”
—she lost her balance and fell backward onto Zenos.
Zenos, who was now supporting her, said to Liz.
“Liz-nee, are you okay?”
“Oh, I’m sorry. It’s been a while, so I’m not very good at it…”
Liz, clinging to Zenos, shot a glance at Reve.
“M-Mmph…”
“Liz-nee. We’ll take care of the house stuff, so don’t push yourself too hard.”
“R-Right, I’m sorry. I’m just so weak…”
Lowering the corners of her eyebrows, she said to Reve with a look of disappointment.
“This kind of work is best left to strong people, isn’t it. I wish I had muscles like you, Reve-san…”
“M-Mmmph…”
As she passed by, Liz whispered to Reve.
“Zenos-chan seems to like slender girls, you know.”
“Mmmmuuuugh!”
After groaning, Reve suddenly dropped the timber she was carrying on her shoulder and fell to her knees.
“H-Hey, Reve, what’s wrong?”
When Zenos asked, Reve gasped and groaned.
“Kuh, I am also weak, so I couldn’t possibly hold a piece of timber like this.”
“…But you were swinging it around effortlessly just a moment ago?”
“F-For a frail maiden such as myself, this timber was far too heavy.”
“Uh, what are you talking about…?”
“S-Sorry, Zenos. I don’t seem to be feeling well today. You lot, let’s go!”
Reve left, taking her orc subordinates with her.
“…What was that all about?”
Behind Zenos, who was tilting his head in confusion, Liz smiled slyly to herself.
In the evening, the third demi-human female leader showed up.
“Zofia, what’s up?”
“Doc, looks like one of my people was in your care. I came to thank you.”
It seemed she had brought fruit as a gift and the treatment fee.
Zenos asked from his examination desk.
“So, was the slasher ever caught?”
Translator’s note
The author uses toorima (通り魔), which refers to a random attacker or slasher who commits unprovoked assaults in public.
“Well, it seems he was stabbed suddenly from behind, so he says he didn’t see his attacker. Pathetic, isn’t it.”
As Zofia spoke, she turned her eyes to Liz, who had brought tea.
“You’re the one Ringa brought in, the one who collapsed, right?”
“Yes, my name is Liz. It’s a pleasure to meet you.”
“I heard the rumors. You’re the Doc’s childhood friend, right?”
“That’s right. I was so surprised to see Zenos-chan there when I woke up.”
“And, you lost your memory, so you’ll be staying here for a while?”
“Yes, that’s right.”
Liz answered with perfectly clear eyes.
Zofia stared hard at Liz and let out a shallow breath.
“Hmph… well, whatever. I’ll be back, Doc. A little more frequently.”
“You will?”
“Because something’s caught my interest.”
As she stood up, Zofia glared at Liz from the corner of her eye.
Right after she left the clinic, someone called out to Zofia from behind.
“Um, Zofia-san.”
“…It’s you. What is it?”
Zofia turned to look at Liz, who was closing the clinic door behind her back.
After looking around, Liz lowered her voice and said.
“Um, about that slasher incident, there’s something that’s been bothering me.”
“…”
“I happened to be near the scene as well, and I passed by a pair, an orc and a werewolf, who were hurrying away from the area.”
“What did you say?”
“Of course, it’s possible they had nothing to do with it, but I thought I should let you know just in case…”
“Hmph… you remember that pretty well for someone with amnesia.”
“I remember things that happened after I woke up. I’m being serious.”
After a moment of silence, Zofia turned on her heel.
“…Hmph. I’ll keep it in mind.”
“Yes, please do remember it well. Because it will tie your hands.”
To the retreating back, Liz spoke in a quiet voice.
“Hmm… She’s better than I thought, this childhood friend.”
On the second floor of the clinic, Camilla said, touching a pen to her pursed lips.
Somehow, in just a single day, Liz had succeeded in driving the demi-humans away from Zenos.
Honestly, I hadn’t imagined she would go that far.
“Ringa and Reve aside, Zofia is a sharp one. I thought she’d have trouble with her, but she came up with a clever piece of bait.”
Although they had reconciled through Zenos’s mediation, not much time had passed since the end of the demi-human conflict.
With no one knowing when the embers of conflict might reignite, she kept Zofia in check by hinting at the involvement of a werewolf and an orc in the slasher incident.
Now Zofia would have no choice but to keep a close eye on Ringa’s and Reve’s movements.
By feeding her this delicate piece of information, she had prevented them from coordinating closely.
“Hmm, how long should I remain a bystander? It wouldn’t be very amusing to have this place taken over by the childhood friend, but…”
Camilla placed a checkmark next to Reve’s and Zofia’s names.
However, as Camilla looked at the remaining name, she smiled fearlessly. “But, I suppose I’ll wait a little longer.”
“The heroine scramble race is finally reaching its climax. Your next opponent looks weak, but she’s surprisingly tough, oh childhood friend.”
A/N: Heroine Scramble Race