Chapter 27 …
“…….”
I just opened and closed my mouth like someone who had forgotten how to speak. Then, feeling the panic that I had to answer quickly, I nodded vigorously.
It wasn’t that I was afraid of Lissian or trying to avoid him… Well, maybe a little? Anyway, he always watched over me like this, so I should feel grateful!
“I’ll go up, so don’t be surprised. Or… do you want to jump down?”
He spread his arms wide toward me, as if saying he could catch me no matter what.
Then, with a voice full of certainty, he declared:
“I’ll never let go.”
Hearing that made my heart strangely flutter.
After hesitating a little, I nodded, and Lissian smiled and waved his arm once—a sign that he was ready.
Carefully, I let go of the wooden post and slid my legs downward. As my body fell through the air, gravity gripped me hard.
“…!”
As the ground approached, I squeezed my eyes shut without thinking. A fleeting sense of fear surged, but the moment I landed in his strong, wide arms, it melted away like snow.
Clasping my hands tightly, I slowly opened my eyes and saw his face, smiling kindly.
Lissian held me close with great force and whispered:
“See? I didn’t let go, did I?”
“Mm….”
His embrace felt far more stable than the thick, sturdy branches. And warm. The chill from the wind up in the trees quickly faded.
“Are you hurt anywhere?”
I asked, a hint of worry in my voice. Lissian chuckled and replied:
“No way I’d be.”
Indeed, there wasn’t a single scratch on him. No bruises either. The monsters hadn’t even brushed against his clothes. The difference in power was overwhelming.
At some point, it seemed Lissian had given up the whole “I lost my memory” act. So I curiously asked him something I’d wanted to know.
“I’ve been thinking… You really fight well. Who taught you martial arts?”
“My master taught me. When I was very young, I was completely weak. I didn’t even know how to fight.”
“Everyone’s weak when they’re young…”
At my words, Lissian let out a hearty laugh. Though his voice was light, I could sense the finely honed sharpness within.
“I couldn’t afford to be weak. I had to get stronger.”
“…How old were you when you started learning?”
I worried I was asking too much, so I asked cautiously. But Lissian answered plainly, showing no annoyance.
“From thirteen. I was supposed to start at ten, but I was lazy because I didn’t want to study.”
“Ten is still pretty young. That’s understandable.”
“Ha ha.”
Lissian smiled pleasantly, then looked at me with deep, warm eyes.
“Muriel, you know, you’re surprisingly lenient with me, right?”
“…!”
I froze, feeling as if he had hit the nail on the head. …I hadn’t even realized it myself. Really? Had I been unusually forgiving toward Lissian?
As I was lost in thought, a faint voice came from nearby.
“Uh, excuse me…? Is someone here…?”
“…….”
…I had completely forgotten. How could I forget? I was stunned at myself.
Feeling embarrassed, I cleared my throat awkwardly and looked at him. The boy we had rescued scratched the back of his head sheepishly.
“Thank you for saving me. My name is Allen. Are you adventurers?”
No, I wanted to say, “No, we’re just farmers…” but decided not to give too much information to a stranger. I replied cautiously.
“Not adventurers… Just passing through. How did you end up here, Allen?”
“Ha ha, I was out investigating and got lost. I got separated from my party… I usually play a support role, so I’m not very good at fighting. I thought I was doomed back there… but thanks to you two, I survived! Thank you again.”
His tone was gentle and extremely polite. Even his face looked simple and innocent—someone who looked like they could be easily tricked anywhere.
I was naturally weak to people like that. So I slightly let down my guard and suggested:
“Do you want us to help you find your party? It might be dangerous to go alone; there could be more monsters.”
“I’d hate to trouble you… but I think I can’t manage alone either. Could you go with me out of this forest, at least to the main road?”
“Of course. We have time anyway… Is that okay?”
As I spoke, I realized I should check with Lissian. After all, it wasn’t just my decision—he was the one who fought the monsters.
‘Am I being too hasty?’
But contrary to my worry, Lissian smiled kindly and nodded.
“Of course it’s fine. Whatever you want, we’ll do it. Any request, we’ll fulfill.”
“Th-thank you….”
It was an incredibly reassuring answer. Somehow, I felt a little embarrassed.
I rubbed my cheek awkwardly and tried to act casual, but then remembered something urgently.
“Don’t forget to collect the monster cores!”
“Ah.”
Lissian exclaimed, realizing the same thing.
Still holding me, he stepped carefully around the monsters’ bodies and set me down on a clean spot, avoiding the bloodstains.
“Wait here. I’ll go get them.”
“Okay.”
I noticed his tone seemed more relaxed than before and nodded. Personally, I liked it this way; it felt like we were getting closer.
‘…No, no! We can’t get too close!’
I started tugging at my hair nervously, when I felt a curious gaze beside me. It was Allen. He looked me over and asked tentatively:
“Uh… Are you two… married or a couple?”
“…….”
Whenever I was with Lissian, we always got this kind of misunderstanding. Was it society’s stereotypical expectations? Or did we just look too close?
I sighed deeply and answered:
“We’re just staying together. It just happened that way…”
“I see… I apologize if my question was rude.”
“No, it’s fine. You were probably just curious.”
While Lissian collected the cores from the monsters’ hearts, I chatted with Allen. There wasn’t much else to do.
“By the way, what kind of investigation brought you all the way here?”
“Oh, that… Lately, the monsters’ movements have been unusual. It could be a sign of a dungeon appearing, so various adventurer guilds are surveying nearby areas. This place is one of them.”
“I see….”
Now that I thought about it, the monsters that attacked Allen had indeed become more ferocious. Was a dungeon really about to appear?
‘What if it pops up right in front of my house?’
…Please, let it be far from the farm. Leave my farm alone!
“Muriel, I collected all the cores. There are sixteen in total.”
Praying silently that my farm would be safe, Lissian approached carrying a large pouch.
He opened it to show me, and I bent over to examine the contents carefully. The pouch was filled with transparent stones glowing pale blue.
The stones varied in size, from a child’s fist to much larger.
Because they were taken from the monsters’ hearts, they were stained with black blood, and a bit of it had soaked into the fabric of the pouch. Lissian’s hands were dirty too.
I quickly snatched the pouch, pretending to put it in my bag, effectively adding the items to my inventory. Allen was watching.
(New!) New items have been added to your inventory.
Ignoring the system notification, I grabbed a water bottle from my bag and poured it over Lissian’s hands. Then I carefully wiped them clean with a towel.
Lissian watched me attentively as I cleaned his hands, a strange smile on his face.
“Good work. Let’s get Allen back to safety now.”
“Okay, thank you.”
I finished tidying the towel, and he gave a small smile. Allen watched us curiously from the side, clearly fascinated.
Why was he looking like that…?
I glanced at him with a fox-like expression, and Allen cleared his throat awkwardly and looked away.
