Chapter 8: A boy and a girl met in a flower field, and ten years later, they made a child.

——I had a nostalgic dream.

It happened a little over ten years ago, not long after I was reborn into this world.

Before my eyes lay a blond brat, fast asleep.

This was my spot—the place I always sneaked off to when skipping my duties. A flower field so vibrant it was almost surreal, bursting with blossoms that shifted with the seasons yet never required tending. Clearly unnatural, this field was the closest thing to fantasy I’d seen since reincarnating here.

In other words… this was my sanctuary.

Born into a stiflingly strict noble house, I’d been reborn in a fantasy world—only to be force-fed economics, statecraft, and other useless drivel, forbidden from even touching magic or swords. Worse, being reborn as a girl meant endless lectures on "proper ladylike behavior." It was infuriating.

This flower field was my only escape.

And now, some blond brat (my age, no less) had invaded it.

The hell? This is MY place!

Fuming, I drew my leg back to kick him into next week—

——He dodged.

My eyes widened. The kid flipped backward like an acrobat, putting distance between us in an instant, then glared at me as I lunged with a drawn sword. Wariness flashed in his eyes—but then his expression went slack.

Looking back, he was probably stunned by my beauty. But back then? I didn’t care.

Because his movements were——

"…Whoa. That was cool."

Straight out of an action movie. The kind of move I’d dreamed of seeing. This was fantasy! This was reincarnation! My excitement shot through the roof.

"Uh, erm… s-sorry—"

"Hey! What was that?! How’d you do it?! Teach me!"

I shoved my face into his without thinking. He’d probably been about to apologize for reflexively pointing his sword at me, but I wasn’t listening. I rapid-fired questions until his face turned beet red, and he scrambled back.

"C-Calm down! It’s just swordsmanship! I’m nowhere near as good as my father, so—"

"Who cares?! You’re the one who just pulled that off! Stop downplaying it!"

"Huh—?"

My earlier irritation had vanished. For someone like me, trapped in a suffocating life, he was a breath of fresh air. A kid my age, moving like that? Proof this world was every bit the fantasy I’d hoped for.

So——

"What’s your name?"

I needed to know him.

That was how it began.

Back then, he was just a new friend—a boy. I had no idea he’d already fallen for me. I asked purely out of curiosity.

"……Yousrid."

"Great name!"

"…And yours?"

I grinned. His face turned even redder—ridiculously so, in hindsight.

"Rinaria Austroheim."

His reaction? Priceless.

"A-Austro…heim…? As in the Austroheim Duke—?!"

"Yep!"

——That’s right. I, Rinaria Austroheim, was nobility.

The highest-ranked nobility in the kingdom, in fact.

As it turned out, Yousrid’s father was close with my lovely old man. Yousrid had tagged along today but slipped away out of boredom.

…Seriously? Who ditches their first formal visit to go wandering?

But that rebellious streak made me like him even more. Someone like him might just crack open the cage of my dull life.

"Alright, Yous—yeah, that’s easier. Yous, teach me swordsmanship."

"Me? Teach you?!"

"Yep. I wanna move like that!"

"B-But—"

——This was our beginning.

"…No?"

"……Fine. Fine."

Rinaria and Yousrid.

The first meeting of two souls destined to become one.

---

“Rina, Yous—I’ll leave that side to you!”

“Got it!”

“Understood!”

The two swordsmen—me and Yousrid—raised our weapons and charged. I wielded a slender rapier, while Yousrid hefted a massive two-handed greatsword. Before us loomed a turtle-shelled monster, its carapace rock-hard. Our leader had assigned us to handle it.

“‘Winds, rise!’”

“Hraaaah!!”

I disrupted its footing with wind magic just as Yousrid’s blade carved upward from below. The monster lurched into the air, immobilized—

—And then—

“Now!”

“Hah!”

We struck simultaneously, driving our blades into its exposed skull. Yousrid relied on brute force; I aimed for both the brain and eyes in one thrust. We’d planned this kill, but sealing its next move was just smart technique.

"GROOOOAAARGH—"

The monster dissolved into shadows—literally. These things were spawn of the Shadow God, born from darkness and returning to it upon death. Honestly, the vanishing act felt like a video-game effect, but damn if the lore didn’t make it cooler.

“Next group!”

“—Chant complete. Brace for impact!”

Anna’s voice rang out. Yousrid and I dove sideways on instinct. When she finished a chant, hellfire followed.

“‘Purgatory Flame—BURST!’”

The inferno that erupted wasn’t just fire—it was annihilation. Her spells traded double the chant time for triple the power. By the time the smoke cleared, not a single monster remained.

“Yous, you good?”

“No wounds. Just tired.”

“Mm. Good.”

I checked Yousrid first, then turned to our leader. he’d taken scratches defending the party—now being healed by Sonariya Graph, our top-tier healer and a petite woman with unassuming auburn hair.

She’s also the benefactor who lent me clothes for my date.

I made sure to wash them properly, so she laughed and forgave me. Seriously, I’m forever in her debt.

"Thank you as well, Paraleya-san."

Anna bows deeply to Paraleya Graf.

He’s a humanoid tree, known as a "Woodfolk," and Sonariya’s husband.

The two met in this party and later married.

Sonariya is the party’s most skilled healer, while Paraleya is its finest enchanter.

Combat in this world plays out almost like a game.

Adventurers each have their own roles, and battles progress according to those roles.

There are four basic types: Attackers, Tanks, Wizards, and Healers.

Wizards are further divided into Attack Wizards, who specialize in offensive magic, and Enchanters, who handle support spells.

In our party:

—Yous is a classic Attacker—frontline, focused on thinning enemy numbers.

—The Leader is our Tank, drawing monster aggro to create openings for the rest of us.

—Anna is the Attack Wizard, and Paraleya is the Enchanter, both shaping the battlefield with magic.

—Sonariya, as Healer, shoulders the critical task of keeping us alive.

And me? I’m an ALL-ROUNDER.

That means I can fight as an Attacker, guard allies as a Tank, assist with healing, or sling spells like a Wizard.

Normally, I team up with Yous as an Attacker, but if the Leader takes heavy damage, I switch to Tank duty—though I’m an evasion tank, so no blocking hits head-on.

If the party’s in trouble, I’ll spam heals alongside Sonariya, and when we need firepower, I’ll unleash high-tier spells with Anna.

The one thing I don’t do much is enchant—buffs usually don’t stack, so half-baked enchantments are pointless.

"Leader, how’re the other parties doing?"

"Hmm… The scouts moved ahead, but no reports yet, so nothing noteworthy’s turned up. Everyone else is just fighting scattered battles."

The Leader answers Anna while holding something like a stone slate.

—Right now, we’re (unsurprisingly) exploring the hidden passageway I found with Ries.

Turns out, it’s less a passage and more a full zone, teeming with monsters a rank above the ones we fought in the lowest stratum.

Realizing this is bad, we launched a full investigation—but in practice, that just means splitting the party into smaller teams to scout.

Generally, six is the ideal party size for dungeons or quests. Any more, and coordination falls apart.

So for large-scale ops—like this stratum-clearing mission with dozens of members—splitting up is standard.

Multiple parties advance under the Leader’s direction, staying close enough to support each other.

Oddly enough, it’s pretty efficient.

"If we push further, the others’ll fall behind. I’ll tell the scouts to hold position, so let’s wait here for the rest."

"...Understood."

Even Paraleya agreed—rare for the silent type. Yousrid and I exchanged nods, pulling foldable stools (well, repurposed crates) from our inventory.

.

.

.

“Whew… Tough fight.”

“Rank-up’s no joke. Every battle drags.”

Truthfully, progress was slow. These enemies were legit—proof we’d found the dungeon’s true depths.

Then—

“Now, now. This dungeon’s hardly beyond us. Steady wins the race.”

A gentle voice rang out.

We both looked up—and there she was.

"Sonariya-san!"

Sonariya Graph, the party’s sweetest, most soft-spoken beauty, stood before us with a warm smile. In her hands were steaming drinks—probably prepared just for us. Anna and I eagerly accepted them.

Oww, hot!

"Cat tongue~"

"Shut it."

I shooed Anna away with a hiss, then blew on the cocoa—or this world’s equivalent (note: from here on, I’ll just translate unfamiliar foods/drinks into their closest Earth counterparts for clarity)—before taking a sip.

Ahh. Sweet and warming. The sugar rushed to my tired brain, melting the fatigue away.

"Hehe, there’s plenty more where that came from."

"Thank you. Are you feeling alright, Sonariya-san?"

Anna studied her face. Sonariya’s perpetual smile made it hard to gauge her condition—though she wasn’t as unflappable as our gleaming-armor leader or her ever-silent husband.

"I’m perfectly fine~ Thank you for worrying!"

"Nah, nah."

"Oh! Right, Rina-chan—"

Suddenly, Sonariya turned her beaming gaze to me—

"Congratulations! You and Yousrid finally made a baby!"

PFFFFFT—

I sprayed cocoa everywhere. Cough-hack-wheeze—

"W-WHAT KIND OF BOMBSHELL IS THAT?!"

The sheer audacity left me reeling. Every head in the vicinity swiveled toward us. Ugh, stop staring—especially YOU, Yous!

"Hm? But you did mate, right? Isn’t it wonderful when lovers take that step?"

"WAIT WAIT WAIT, TIME-OUT, SONARIYA-SAN!?"

Ah—damn it! Yousrid’s face turned tomato-red as he looked away. Idiot! I literally just told you not to react like that—now I’m embarrassed too!?

"Why the fuss? There’s no need to blush, Rina-chan. We’re family here!"

"Exactly! You should be proud!"

Gah— Even the leader was piling on! H-Help me, Anna—!

"…………"

Whoa. Her face was frozen in disapproval. Pfft, salty ‘cause she’s the only single one left. Back off—I’m the victim here!

"S-Sonariya-san… L-Let’s, uh, drop this? Look how flustered Rin is—"

"’Flustered’ my ass!"

"If I said ‘blushing,’ you’d bite my head off!"

Shut up, moron! STUPID YOUSRID!!!

"Huh? But you did mate, right?"

Sonariya tilted her head, then exchanged a glance with her husband, Paraleya—

"Where did you do it? If you know any nice sunbathing spots, do share!"

————Silence.

…Oh.

Right.

Paraleya was a Woodkin.

For Woodkin, "mating" meant sunbathing together in specific locations.

In other words—Sonariya’s entire frame of reference for "mating" began and ended with photosynthesis dates.

……Ooooh.

……………………Rinaria, Anna, and Yousrid slowly turned to glare at the leader.

He gave us a thumbs-up.

YOU KNEW AND DIDN’T CORRECT HER!?