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~Chapter 27~
“…….”
I felt like I had forgotten how to speak, my mouth just opening and closing. Then, panicking that I needed to respond, I nodded vigorously.
It wasn’t that I was afraid of Lysian or wanted to avoid him… well, maybe I was a little scared? Regardless, I was grateful because he always protected me!
“I’m going to go up, so don’t be startled. Or… would you rather jump down?”
He spread his arms wide, as if to say he could catch me no matter what. Then, with absolute confidence, he stated:
“I’ll never let go.”
For some reason, my heart fluttered at that.
After a brief hesitation, I nodded. Lysian smiled and waved his arm once—signaling he was ready.
Carefully, I let go of the tree trunk and slid my legs downward. As my body fell through the air, gravity pulled me strongly.
“…!”
When the ground drew near, I instinctively squeezed my eyes shut. A fleeting moment of fear hit me, but the instant I landed safely in his strong, wide arms, it melted away like snow.
Clasping my hands together and slowly opening my eyes, I saw his face smiling kindly at me.
Lysian held me tightly, whispering:
“See? I didn’t let go, did I?”
“Mm….”
His arms were far more secure than even the thickest branch. And they were warm. The chill from standing on the tree in the wind vanished instantly.
“Are you hurt anywhere?”
I asked with a small note of concern. Lysian chuckled lightly and replied:
“No way.”
Sure enough, his body bore no scratches or bruises. Not even a mark.
The monsters hadn’t even brushed against his collar. The difference in power was overwhelming.
At some point, it seemed Lysian had abandoned the whole amnesia act, so I lightly asked a question I had been curious about.
“I’ve wondered for a while… you really fight well. Who taught you martial arts?”
“My master did. I used to be incredibly weak when I was younger. I didn’t even know how to fight.”
“Everyone’s weak as a child…”
I said, and Lysian laughed broadly. His voice was light, but I sensed the honed sharpness within.
“I couldn’t afford to be weak. I had to grow strong.”
“…At what age did you start learning martial arts?”
I felt a little cautious asking, but Lysian answered without any sign of displeasure.
“Thirteen. I was supposed to start at ten, but I was lazy and didn’t want to study.”
“Ten is so young. That makes sense.”
“Ha ha.”
He laughed pleasantly, then looked at me with deep, warm eyes.
“Muriel, you know you’re surprisingly lenient only with me, right?”
“…!”
I froze, feeling struck. …Was that true? Had I been unusually gentle with Lysian without realizing it?
Lost in thought, a faint voice suddenly came from nearby.
“Uh, excuse me…? Are there people here…?”
“…….”
…I had forgotten. How could I forget? I was speechless at myself.
Embarrassed, I cleared my throat and looked at him. The boy we had rescued scratched the back of his head awkwardly.
“Thank you for saving me. My name is Allen. Are you two adventurers?”
No, we’re farmers… I wanted to answer, but decided to be vague and not give too much information to someone unknown.
“We’re not adventurers… just passing through. How about you, Allen?”
“Ha ha, I was out on an investigation and got lost. Separated from my group… I’m mainly in support, so I’m not very good at fighting. I thought I was done for, but thanks to you two, I survived! Thank you again.”
He spoke politely and amicably, with a simple, innocent appearance—someone who looked like they could easily be tricked anywhere.
I was naturally softhearted toward people like him. I lowered my guard slightly and offered:
“Do you want us to help you find your party? It’s dangerous to be alone; there could be more monsters.”
“I hate to impose… but I don’t think I can manage alone. Could you accompany me to the main road out of the forest?”
“Of course. We have the time anyway… right?”
I realized I needed to check with Lysian before deciding, since he was the one who fought the monsters.
‘Was that too hasty?’
But contrary to my worry, Lysian smiled gently and nodded.
“Of course, it’s fine. Whatever you want, we’ll do it. Any request, we’ll grant it.”
“Th-thank you…”
His answer was incredibly reassuring. I felt a little embarrassed for some reason.
I rubbed my cheeks and tried to act casual, then suddenly remembered something and spoke urgently:
“The monster cores! Don’t forget to collect them!”
“Oh.”
Lysian seemed to remember, too. He carefully moved through the fallen monsters and set me down on a clean patch of ground.
“Wait here. I’ll go get them.”
“Mm.”
I nodded, noticing his tone had become more relaxed than before. I personally preferred this. It felt like we’d grown closer.
‘…No, no! Getting close is bad!’
I nervously tugged at my hair, sensing a curious gaze from beside me. It was Allen. He asked cautiously, trying to read me.
“Uh… are you two married or in a relationship?”
“…….”
Being with Lysian always invited misunderstandings. Was it the world’s fixed assumptions about men and women, or did we simply appear too close?
I sighed and answered:
“We just live together… it happened that way.”
“Ah, I see… sorry if my question was rude.”
“No, it’s okay. You were probably just curious.”
While Lysian extracted the cores from the monsters, I chatted with Allen. There wasn’t much else to do.
“What kind of investigation brought you here?”
“Oh, well… recently the monsters’ behavior has been unusual. Some adventurer guilds are investigating nearby areas as a possible sign of a dungeon appearing. This place is one of them.”
“I see….”
Thinking back, the monsters attacking Allen had been particularly violent. Could a dungeon really appear here?
‘What if it pops up right in front of my farm?’
…Please, far away from the farm. Leave my farm in peace!
“Muriel, I’ve collected all the cores. Sixteen in total.”
I prayed silently that my farm would remain safe as Lysian approached with a large pouch.
He opened the pouch for me to see, and I peered inside. It was filled with translucent stones glowing pale blue.
The stones varied in size—from child’s fist-sized to much larger.
Since they were taken from the monsters’ hearts, some black blood stained the stones and pouch fabric. Lysian’s hands were also dirty.
I quickly grabbed the pouch, pretending to store it in my bag, adding it to my inventory. Allen was watching.
(New!) A new item has been added to your inventory.
Ignoring the system notification, I took out a water bottle and poured it over Lysian’s hands. Then I scrubbed them with a clean towel.
Lysian watched me attentively, a subtle smile on his face.
“Good work. Now, let’s get Allen back safely.”
“Mm, thank you.”
As I put the towel away, he smiled broadly. Allen observed us from the side, looking fascinated.
Why is he staring like that…?
When I glanced at him with a sly, Tibetan-fox-like expression, Allen coughed awkwardly and looked away.
