Chapter 128………………………………………
“Anne…”
At the sound of someone calling, I approached and saw a massive rock formation.
And through a narrow gap barely wide enough for a person to pass, the figure that appeared was, astonishingly, Anne.
The one I had longed to see so much.
She walked past the knights who were staring at her and came closer.
Step by step, her form became clearer.
She seemed to have grown a little taller.
Her red hair reached down to her waist.
Another step, and her face began to appear.
Eyes that used to smile so brightly.
Lips that had such a gentle laugh.
Her soft, cute cheeks remained just as they were.
The Anne I had missed so desperately, Marianne, was there.
Ron wanted to make sure.
To confirm that she really existed before his eyes.
So he reached out, wanting to touch her.
“…It really is you, Anne. You’re the Anne I’ve been looking for.”
“Yes, I’m Marianne.”
“Anne, I’m here. I… I’m here…”
Ron’s crimson eyes glistened with moisture.
Overwhelmed by emotion, he confessed what he had longed to say to her.
“…I really, really like you!”
Feeling her hands touch his face, Ron embraced her tightly.
He took a deep breath.
She smelled of sweat and earth—and he loved it.
Breathing a little deeper, he caught her natural scent.
Soft, comforting, soothing his heart.
Everything felt perfect.
Every part of him that touched Anne seemed to awaken from dormancy.
He wanted to fall asleep just like this.
He wished this moment would last forever.
His hands wrapped firmly around her back, holding her even closer.
Even her slight flinch gave him happiness.
Then, the face of Anne in his arms suddenly lifted.
“…Ron, me too. I like you very much, too.”
“…!”
“But Ron… you’re like a baby lion.”
“…?”
The joy of hearing that she felt the same was fleeting; Ron’s crimson eyes narrowed slightly.
A baby lion? What did she mean by that?
Then, suddenly, he noticed her red hair lightly caught between his lips.
“….”
Since when had he been biting it?
He shook his head, releasing the hair from his mouth.
He must have been so infatuated that he bit it absentmindedly.
“Anne, did it hurt?”
“Not at all. That’s why I said you’re like a baby lion.”
Anne brushed back the red strands of hair that had fallen across her face and smiled sweetly.
As they looked at each other in that moment,
“Excuse me, but… there are too many people gathered here right now.”
At Kautz’s words, Anne and Ron turned their heads simultaneously.
“…!”
“…!”
Earlier, there had only been a few people, but now it seemed that all the knights had gathered.
Anne quickly stepped back from Ron.
He reached out with a longing expression, but when Anne shook her head, he had no choice but to lower his hand.
Gurter, having heard everything from Kautz, explained the situation to the knights.
He also added that they should express gratitude to the brave ladies who had come all this way to rescue them.
Suddenly dubbed “brave ladies,” Kautz and I were guided to rest for a while.
And there, we spent time with people we hadn’t seen in a very long time—three years, to be exact.
There were so many things I wanted to say, but when faced with them, it was strangely enough just nice to simply look at each other.
Ron and I couldn’t take our eyes off one another and exchanged small talk.
How much had he grown? How long was his hair?
We even compared our hands to see who had grown bigger.
Unfortunately, we couldn’t stay too long because there was work to do.
We followed Ron to the site of the landslide.
“The rocks have piled up tremendously.”
Rocks were scattered everywhere.
The knights had gathered where the damage was minimal, but even there, it wasn’t easy to get out.
The main reason was that paths in both directions were blocked.
I trailed closely behind Ron, and I was constantly surprised.
The biggest surprise was…
‘Huh? Why does everyone avoid Ron?’
The way people looked at him.
At first, I thought it was because of Kautz and me.
From the knights’ perspective, these were complete strangers who had come through the landslide; surely they’d be curious and stare.
But every time we passed, the knights averted their gazes.
It was as if a commanding officer had appeared before them.
And then I realized:
‘Ron is overwhelming everyone.’
Some knights even approached him to report the current situation.
He should be much younger than them.
Yet I couldn’t help but look up to him.
He had grown so tall in the time I hadn’t seen him that I had to crane my neck.
“Ron, you’re amazing.”
“Huh? Amazing?”
Ron turned and smiled gently.
Ah, when he does that, he’s still the Ron I know.
But the way he looked at the knights was so unfamiliar.
“Seeing you after so long… you look impressive.”
“Hearing you say I look impressive…”
My heart raced.
Muttering softly, Ron tapped his chest with one hand.
“Hah… if I’d known you were this healthy… I shouldn’t have worried so much.”
I pouted my lips, pretending to make a show of how much I had worried.
Through his dark blue hair, Ron’s bright crimson eyes glistened with moisture.
“Did worrying about me tire you out?”
“Uh… a little.”
“I was wrong. I should’ve tried harder to avoid making you worry.”
“Ah, I didn’t mean it like that. I slept well, ate well, and look—I’ve grown this much! Though, of course, you’ve grown much more than me.”
Even when I stood on my tiptoes, I was still far shorter than him.
I felt like I had lost.
I used to be taller.
But we had parted when we were about the same height.
Ron had cheated while I wasn’t looking.
He chuckled lightly and poked my cheek with his index finger.
“…!”
It all happened in a flash.
But the impact was tremendous.
It felt like my heart dropped.
I almost grabbed Ron’s hand and pressed it against my cheek again.
Whew, that would’ve been embarrassing.
But… can this really make me so fluttery?
This trembling, which I had never felt before, was definitely love.
“Ron, what was that just now?”
“I wanted to try it too.”
“…Huh?”
“I got teased a lot before.”
“…Ah!”
I remembered too late.
I must have done the same thing to Ron before—pinching his cheeks, grabbing his face with both hands.
I guess I was worse.
Well, poking cheeks isn’t a big deal.
Still, the cheek Ron touched felt strangely warm.
“By the way, Ron. I think I can help move the rocks. I’m a pretty skilled mage, you know.”
I shrugged and lifted my chin confidently.
But Ron’s expression was not happy.
“No.”
“No?”
“If you use too much mana, you’ll collapse and fall asleep again.”
Kautz, who was nearby, nodded in agreement.
“That’s right. She’s already used a lot of mana to teleport here.”
“Kautz!”
When I glared at him, Kautz quickly hid behind Gurter.
Seeing this, Ron said,
“Anne, it’s fine. Reinforcements are on their way, so we’ll be able to leave here soon.”
“What if it takes a long time?”
“Then… I guess we’ll have more time together. I’ll think of ways to make it better for you—hunting, finding warm places…”
Ron seemed to be enjoying this situation.
Of course, I was scared while waiting at the mansion, but now, facing Ron like this, I didn’t feel any fear at all.
Still, my family must be worried.
The Duke, Shubert, Krimu, and even the staff.
They were family to me now.
“They must be worried at home. So I’ll rest today. But once my mana is restored, let me use it tomorrow. Everyone must have been in a panic since I disappeared too.”
I hated seeing my loved ones anxious and worried.
Ron nodded.
“Right. But the most important thing is your health. Got it?”
“Yes!”
I couldn’t teleport over a hundred people at once, but I could use my magic to blow up the rocks.
No matter how huge the rocks were, it would be much easier than relying on the reinforcements.
Then, Gurter spoke, pointing toward someone approaching.
“Miss, someone is coming over there.
