(Attendance… plz…)
….
It had been some time since Reinhard had left the village.
He had traveled at a steady pace, not particularly concerned about reaching his destination quickly or rather late as there wasn't exactly a time limit on that. Eventually, however, the familiar trees began to thin out, and the atmosphere around him gradually changed.
He had reached the outskirts of the Great Jura Forest.
Beyond this point, the forest would eventually give way to the surrounding lands, and from there, reaching Blumund would be a relatively simple journey. At Reinhard's speed, he could probably reach the country before he even realized how much distance he had covered.
He was about to continue when he suddenly stopped.
There was something he wanted to know before he went any farther.
It concerned something that had happened within the forest, and there was probably no one better to ask than someone who had lived here for who knows how long or maybe from the beginning and was deeply connected to the forest itself.
Reinhard turned around.
"Treyni?"
No more than an instant later, Treyni materialized out of nowhere.
It was almost as though she had been there all along, although she appeared at a considerable distance from Reinhard. By now, she knew enough about his constitution and physical abilities to understand that keeping a little distance between them was probably the safer choice.
With a gentle, happy smile, she looked at him.
"Yes, Reinhard. Is there something you wanted? Or did you decide not to leave just yet?"
Reinhard smiled slightly.
"No, I'm still leaving. Sorry, but I had to… At least for now."
He glanced toward the forest behind him.
"As you already know, things have become quite peaceful. Even my departure shouldn't be much of a problem for the time being. But if something does happen, I'll come running back."
Treyni nodded.
"I'm sure you will. And for that, I thank you."
Her expression became slightly curious.
"So, what did you want to ask? I will try my best to be of any help."
"Yeah. It's about something that happened in the forest. More specifically, around the time when I first came here as an adventurer with the others, including Shizue."
Treyni's expression changed slightly at the name.
She knew what Reinhard was referring to.
Although she wasn't omnipresent or omniscient, even within the Great Jura Forest, the forest was her home. As a Dryad, she possessed abilities that allowed her to perceive and keep watch over many things happening within it.
There were places and events that naturally received more of her attention than others.
The area where Reinhard had first arrived was one of them.
She had been watching the situation surrounding Reinhard, Rimuru and his settlement that would eventually become a village and soon much more.
What she hadn't expected was for Reinhard to bring up something from that time now.
After all, Reinhard had been present when it happened. If there was something he wanted to know, she had assumed he would have simply asked Rimuru.
Treyni became slightly more curious.
"Yes, I do remember that time. What is it that I can help you with?"
Reinhard took a moment before answering.
"I wanted to know about the conversation that happened between Rimuru and Shizue while she was dying and saying her goodbyes."
His voice became slightly quieter.
"Or, more specifically, anything related to her students. If you remember something, that is."
Treyni listened without interrupting.
Reinhard wasn't someone who wanted to involve himself in every situation.
He generally preferred to help when he was needed and leave matters that didn't concern him alone.
But this was different.
Whether it had been directly or indirectly, whether it had been something that simply had to happen, or whether there had been another way, none of that mattered anymore.
Shizue was dead.
And Reinhard had been directly involved in it. Even if he wasn't entirely responsible for her death, he was certainly one of the reasons it had happened.
That was something he couldn't simply ignore.
Especially knowing that she had students somewhere in this world.
Shizue had spoken about them before her death. She had intended to meet them again. She had even admitted that part of her felt selfish for dying so early and leaving them behind.
There was no doubt that those students were still out there. Still waiting for her. Still unaware that she was dead. And if anyone had the right to know what had happened to their teacher, it was them.
Reinhard felt that he should be the one to tell them. Perhaps that was why he had stopped here instead of continuing toward Blumund.
His gaze settled on Treyni.
"Can you tell me anything she might have said before she passed away? Anything that could give me a clue about where her students are or where they might be staying?"
Treyni's expression became thoughtful. She looked toward the deeper parts of the forest for a moment before slowly shaking her head.
"Unfortunately, I cannot." Her voice was gentle. "I was present and keeping an eye on the situation at the time, but she never directly mentioned their names or where they were located."
The faint rustling of leaves filled the silence between them.
"The only person who might know is probably Rimuru." Reinhard's expression tightened slightly. Treyni noticed, but continued. "If you want, I could ask him and tell you what I find. However…" She looked at Reinhard with a knowing smile.
"Considering you came to ask me instead of him, I assume you have a reason for not wanting to ask Rimuru directly."
Reinhard let out a quiet sigh. He had already expected that there might be no answer. Still, hearing it confirmed was disappointing. So there really hadn't been any clue.
And the only person who might possess the information was Rimuru himself, who had absorbed Shizue after her death and likely inherited some of her memories along with everything else.
Reinhard lowered his gaze for a moment. Perhaps he should have asked Rimuru. Perhaps he had simply been overthinking things. Before he could say anything, however, Treyni spoke again.
"Although…"
Reinhard looked back at her.
Treyni's smile had returned.
"She did mention something that might be useful."
"What?"
"She never directly named her students or said where they were living. But she did clearly mention that one of her students is actually a Grandmaster of a guild."
Reinhard's eyes widened slightly.
"A Grandmaster?"
"Yes."
Treyni nodded.
"More specifically, she said that this person manages the Adventurers' Guild and oversees its branches across the different countries, though of course not personally every branch, but he is at the top of that chain."
Reinhard's expression slowly changed.
A smile appeared on his face.
It wasn't a particularly large one, but the disappointment that had been present only moments ago had disappeared.
That was enough.It wasn't a name or a location. But it was still a lead. He no longer had to begin completely from scratch.
Knowing that one of Shizue's students was supposedly someone who managed or oversaw the Adventurer's Guild across the different countries already narrowed things down considerably or fully.
And gathering more information shouldn't be particularly difficult.
He could ask Ellen, Kaval, and Gido when they returned. Or, if necessary, he could simply speak to the Guild Master in Blumund when they meet.
With information like this, it was only a matter of time before he found the answer. Reinhard looked at Treyni with a genuinely pleased expression.
"Thank you, Treyni. That was quite helpful." He glanced toward the forest's edge. "It seems I should get going now."
Treyni smiled in return.
"There is no need to thank me for something so small." Her voice remained warm and gentle. "If there is something else you want to know, you can ask me without any worry."
Reinhard shook his head. "There's nothing else. At least, not for now." He adjusted the strap of his bag over his shoulder that had food and cloth that Shuna gave him.
"What you gave me is already enough to start with." With that, Reinhard turned toward the edge of the forest.
He took a few steps before raising one hand in farewell.
"Thanks again, Treyni. See you soon." He paused briefly. "I'll bring you a souvenir when I come back."
Treyni's smile widened slightly. She raised her hand and waved back as Reinhard began walking away.
"I'll be looking forward to it." Her voice carried easily through the quiet forest.
"Good luck on your journey, Reinhard."
Reinhard gave her one last wave before turning his attention toward the road ahead.
The Great Jura Forest was finally behind him.
….
A/N: Rimuru x Marvel fanfic rewrite is out so add it to your library guys… gonna put it in author note below. And hopefully you enjoyed the chapter.
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