🔊 TTS Settings
~Chapter 29~
The world shook.
No, more precisely, the bed shook.
Not just the bed. Furniture and miscellaneous items—all of the house seemed to tremble as if it might collapse.
‘What’s happening?’
I woke up with a start, jumped off the bed, and opened the door. The moment I did, I bumped my forehead against something solid.
I let out a yelp and stumbled, only to feel large hands grab my shoulders.
“Muriel!”
It was Lissian’s voice. The thing I’d bumped into… was his chest.
‘What kind of chest muscles are these…’
Rubbing my throbbing forehead, I looked up. His face was mostly hidden in the darkness.
“Muriel, are you okay?”
“Is this… an earthquake?”
We blurted out our questions simultaneously. When I told him I was fine, Lissian let out a quiet sigh.
“It is an earthquake. It’s safer if we go outside just in case.”
“Okay… what about Ninabel?”
“Master! I’m here!”
Before I could answer, the droplet-like spirit flew around me.
Spirits that can hover in the air aren’t affected by the shaking of the ground.
That thought sparked a good idea in my mind.
‘I can assign patrol duty to this one!’
I grabbed the head of the droplet spirit and gave it a command.
“Nini, go check the nearby area. Look for suspicious people or any monsters’ movements. Can you do that? I’m counting on you.”
“…!”
Hearing that I trusted her, Ninabel’s tiny eyes sparkled, and she jumped up.
“Yes, Master! Leave it to me!”
Then she flew away through the kitchen chimney. She was a simple creature, just needed some praise to follow orders.
“Let’s evacuate too.”
“Yeah, let’s go.”
Lissian wrapped his arm around my shoulder and led me outside. I first went to the barn to take out the rabbits.
Then, we squatted together in the middle of the wide front yard. The rabbit, apparently unbothered, calmly stretched on my lap.
The rabbit seemed more composed than I was. Stroking its back, I muttered to myself.
“Why a sudden earthquake? I hope the house doesn’t collapse…”
“It won’t, don’t worry. Even if it did… we could rebuild.”
“Right…”
I tried to calm myself, hoping the system wouldn’t suddenly make me homeless.
“There might be a dungeon nearby. The earthquake could be its aftershock.”
Lissian’s gaze was fixed on me as he spoke. I looked toward the garden and replied.
“If a dungeon appears in the Winterberg territory… Raul will benefit. Though it might be troublesome, having a dungeon city boosts the economy.”
Mentioning that name made Lissian pause slightly.
After a moment, he moved and suddenly wrapped his strong arms around me from behind.
I jumped in surprise and turned around. Golden eyes met mine. Lissian had seated himself behind me, trapping me in his embrace.
His arms held my shoulders, and his legs were positioned on either side. There was no escape.
Flustered, I tried to speak.
“W-what is this?”
“Just wait here until the earthquake stops.”
“Why…?!”
“This way, you’ll be safer, Muriel.”
“No need to go that far…”
He hugged me tighter. I shivered and curled in.
His breath brushed against the skin of my shoulder. The ticklish sensation made me purse my lips and close my eyes.
“This… isn’t quite right…”
“Why not? Just think of me as a blanket.”
“….”
His embrace was warm like a blanket, but my heart raced uncomfortably. I worried he might notice my pounding heartbeat.
Feeling slightly dizzy, I blurted out the first thing that came to mind.
“Y-you… your body’s really warm.”
“About a degree higher than a normal person.”
“Really?”
“Yes, it’s just my physiology.”
I widened my eyes at him, and Lissian smiled softly. The moonlight cast a gentle glow across his face.
‘Higher than normal body temperature… Could he be a beastman? If Lissian is a beastman…’
I was certain he was a fox beastman. His fur would probably be platinum, matching his hair.
I imagined pale cream-colored ears twitching on his head and a fluffy tail swaying behind him, and I couldn’t help but chuckle.
Lissian looked puzzled at my sudden laugh. I said boldly,
“You resemble a fox. In looks and behavior.”
He seemed slightly incredulous, then nodded as if admitting it. Then, with a playful retort, he said,
“And you, Muriel, resemble a hamster.”
“W-what?!”
I gawked. A hamster? How?
‘Fox and hamster… The hamster’s way too weak!’
Somehow, it felt unfair. Even the animal I resembled was the weakest.
“…If I’m a hamster, at least I’m fast at running away.”
I muttered in resignation. Lissian laughed heartily. The ticklish sound felt like feathers brushing over my heart.
‘What a voice…’
On impulse, I asked,
“You’re popular, right?”
He looked like the type that would have people lining up just for him: handsome, capable, and a pleasant voice.
He smiled faintly and replied with a question instead,
“What do you think?”
I answered honestly.
“…You’re probably popular.”
“Ha ha.”
He laughed lightly and continued,
“Being popular isn’t necessarily a good thing. Even if many people like you, it’s meaningless if you can’t win the heart of the one person you truly want.”
I nodded quietly, thinking it over.
“True.”
“Rather than being liked by many, I prefer that the one person I care about likes me in return.”
“That one person…”
I almost asked if such a person existed but stopped myself. I wasn’t sure I could handle the answer.
Lissian seemed to sense my thoughts and smoothly changed the subject.
“The earthquake seems to have stopped.”
“Oh… it really has.”
With that, there was no need to stay like this. I tapped his arm a few times, signaling him to let go.
He obliged without making things awkward, though he seemed somewhat reluctant.
Looking up, the sun was about to rise. The vast sky and fluffy clouds were tinged with soft orange.
‘Luckily, the house is fine. No dungeon appeared in the yard either.’
It could have been a normal earthquake, but maybe a dungeon really did emerge nearby.
“Master~! Cute Nini is back~!!”
Perfect timing—Ninabel appeared again. She hovered around me, reporting in her chatty voice.
“I didn’t find anything suspicious in the forest or on the paths near the farm! And I didn’t see any buildings that looked like a dungeon!”
“I see. Good job.”
“Ehehe.”
Praising her, the droplet spirit shivered and laughed oddly.
Seeing this, Lissian frowned slightly, grabbed Ninabel, and tossed her toward the vegetable garden.
Since no other incidents occurred afterward, the earthquake seemed to be just a minor event.
However, four days later, an unexpected guest arrived at the farm.
The adventurer we had saved—Allen.
“W-what… how is this possible…?”
He muttered, staring in disbelief at the fresh crops in the garden.
I was just as surprised. How did he find us?
‘Well… our farm isn’t exactly hidden, so I expected this day might come…’
But I never expected it would be the same person I had met a few days ago.
