ISMLT 18🔥

Episode 18

Was I the only one feeling embarrassed?
Jared, seemingly unaware of anything strange, simply stared intently at my face.

Maybe it was only natural.
Nobles aren’t the kind to act with consideration for commoners, and besides, I wasn’t even the person Jared held feelings for.

Yet even knowing that, my heart thudded restlessly, ignoring all reason.
Before the heat could reach my cheeks, I lowered my head to hide what was seeping through.

My hand clutching the handkerchief had reddened without me realizing it. I tugged down my sleeve with my fingertips and lightly pushed Jared’s chest with my arm.

“…That’s how startled I was.”

Jared obediently stepped back.

“Are bugs that scary to you?”

“They tend to show up more often when it rains, and no matter how many times I see them, I never get used to it.”

The stain of risotto on my clothes bothered me. I took out a change of clothes from the wardrobe and headed for the bathroom.
Just as I reached for the doorknob, I heard footsteps following me. I had no choice but to turn around.

“You did throw it out properly, right?”
“Probably.”
“Probably?”
“I closed the door too quickly in case it flew back in. Didn’t really check properly.”
“……”
“Don’t worry too much. I’m sure I did.”

Jared smiled, pulling at the corners of his lips, and opened the bathroom door for me himself.
He looked down at my frozen figure and jerked his chin toward the room.

“Hurry up and change before the sun comes up.”

Forced into the bathroom, I stood there blankly for a while.
I couldn’t even remember how I managed to change my clothes.

When I returned to the room, Jared’s bedding was already laid out.
He was sitting on the bed, but when he noticed me, he stood up.

“Cried again?”
“Do you think I cry every time I hear the word ‘bug’?”
“Don’t you?”
“I’ll turn off the light.”

Too drained to argue, I turned my back to him, pretending not to care.
Once the lights were off, the room was faintly illuminated by the moonlight seeping through the window.

Even after I sat on the bed, his large shadow stood still in the middle of the room.
The small space suddenly felt suffocatingly cramped.

“…Do you want to sleep on the bed?”
“Together?”
“No. I’ll sleep on the floor.”

At my quick refusal, Jared chuckled softly and returned to his spot.
Outside, the rain pattered against the window — a quiet lullaby that made me force my eyes shut.

Rustle.

My eyes flew open at the ominous sound.
Was it just my imagination, or was something really crawling nearby?

“What’s wrong? Afraid there’s another bug?”

Jared, who had already sat up again, leaned on my bed and asked.

…Could a first-rank Awakened even hear eyes opening and closing?

“Just ignore me and go to sleep.”

I murmured softly and turned to face the wall.

“Should I stand watch for you then?”
“……”
“When else am I supposed to use a first-rank Awakened, if not for bug catching?”
“……”
“What would you have done without me?”

He didn’t seem to tire, continuing to talk behind me.
If I kept responding, I was sure I’d never get any sleep, so I bit my tongue and ignored him.

But strangely, as I listened to his voice fade in and out, my eyelids grew heavy.
It was odd. He still made me feel pressured, yet there was this inexplicable comfort seeping in — a warmth I shouldn’t feel toward him.

Even knowing that I mustn’t, my body relaxed helplessly into that peace.

* * *

Jared Castion had been called the man destined to shoulder the Empire since he was a very young boy.

We first met when I was thirteen.

At that time, I was an apprentice trainee assigned to help transport the wounded after a battle.

“Hey, you see that rock?”

There was a boy sitting against a gray wall, half his eyes lowered.
The shadows of his long eyelashes fell across his face.

An Awakened one.
The sharp aura radiating from his unsteady breaths felt dangerous. Sweat trickled down his pale cheeks as if it had rained.

“Hit me with that.”

Hit what — with what?
My legs trembled; it was impossible to stay calm.

Corpses and blood everywhere.
For a thirteen-year-old, this first glimpse of war’s aftermath was far too cruel.

I nudged the broken stone at my feet away. I didn’t know exactly what he meant, but whatever it was, I didn’t want to do it.

“If you don’t want to die, then kill me.”

Each syllable came out painfully slow, yet his tone was resolute, biting.
Did they teach Awakened soldiers to discard their lives without hesitation?

The boy’s innocence had long been buried under the ash-colored dust.
He didn’t fear death — his heart and mind were already shredded beyond repair.

But still—

“…Sorry. I’m someone who saves, not kills.”

To be honest, I was terrified.
Old enough to be past wetting the bed, yet I almost did.

The sharp energy pouring out of him pierced through my body like blades.
Calm down. Just calm down.
My trembling hand reached out and took his wounded one, and our eyes met.

‘Ah…’

His face was dirty, smeared with blood and grime, yet his gray-blue eyes shone like glass.

For a brief moment, I forgot to be afraid — he was that beautiful.

I expected him to jerk his hand away, but surprisingly, he didn’t.
No — he looked dazed, as if stunned.

Feeling his gaze fixed on me, I performed purification — for the first time in my life.

It was forbidden. Apprentices were not allowed to purify without permission, and I had broken that rule.

“Ugh…”

It felt like a dam had burst, energy being drained uncontrollably.
I’d never experienced anything like it.

Awakened and Purifiers were ranked according to their innate power.
Unfortunately, I was a low-ranking Fourth-tier Purifier.

But this boy — he had to be at least Second-tier, maybe even higher. Otherwise, how could he—

“Ugh…”

It felt like I would dry up and die, yet I couldn’t bring myself to let go of his hand.
He devoured the purification energy greedily, his eyes scanning my tear-streaked face as if studying his prey.

The wild aura around him gradually calmed, and a strange euphoria filled me — until he was the one who finally let go.