USML 06

Chapter 06

A spark entered my monotonous daily life—simply because I had met this man.

He and I shared small, everyday moments, and even discovering the tiniest things we had in common made my heart feel full.
Is this what it means to be on the same wavelength? My head was a field of flowers, as if I were the protagonist of some childish romance novel I used to scoff at.

When Ero asked how I had come to Cent, I answered that I was a servant from a noble household, sent to clean the lord’s seasonal villa. I even added that I’d stayed in Cent for a while, heard the night market was famous, and happened to stop by—where I met him.
It was a surprisingly smooth lie.

Because of that, I naturally avoided talking too much about personal matters. To put it figuratively, our conversations always circled around the edges without ever going straight to the point.

Ah, but there was one thing I learned for certain while spending time with Ero. He’s very kind—yet also terribly mischievous. Just like now.

“Will this do?”

As I examined a dagger decorated with a red rose, Ero made an indifferent face.

“You know swords well, so take a look for me.”

I smiled and held out the dagger. Ero nodded.

“Not bad.”

“Really?”

“Perfect for killing.”

This man—honestly. I shot him an annoyed glance and picked up another dagger beside him, this one delicately engraved with a blue rose. I lightly waved it in front of his eyes.

“Then how about this one?”

The moment I lifted it, the shopkeeper beamed and clapped his hands, praising my discerning eye and saying it was a new arrival that had come in today.

“It just came in today. Guess I’ve got a good eye.”

“Today, huh… not bad.”

“Really?”

“Perfect for dying today or tomorrow.”

Why is he like this? He was smiling so pleasantly just a moment ago.

Could it be…? I narrowed my eyes at him. Perhaps something was bothering him, because he avoided my gaze.

“Is it because I said I’m buying a dagger for the caretaker’s son at the villa?”

“…No.”

Yeah, right. The three-second pause before his answer said it all.

“It is, isn’t it?”

“Not at all. Absolutely not.”

He denied it forcefully. I was so dumbfounded I couldn’t even laugh. Maybe embarrassed by his own behavior, Ero stared off into the air.

Yesterday, I had happened to hear that Gar, the villa caretaker, had a son who dreamed of becoming a knight. Since I’d been pleased with how well the villa was maintained, I thought I’d give the boy a gift in appreciation of Gar’s hard work.

A wooden sword felt too paltry, and a real sword was too dangerous for a child, so I thought a dagger would be nice. I asked Ero—who was clearly knowledgeable about weapons—for help…

‘A coworker’s son?’
‘Yes.’
‘…Didn’t you say your coworker was a man?’
‘Well, yes, he is… Why do you look like that?’

Ever since I told him who the gift was for, he’d been acting like this. Suppressing my laughter, I tugged lightly on his sleeve.

“Ero, look at me.”

“I am.”

“When did my face become a monkey doll? Am I that ugly?”

Ero had been staring at the items displayed in the dart game stall, but he quickly turned his head away. No way. He shook his head with a shocked expression.

That wasn’t the kind of reaction someone as emotionally reserved and expressionless as him would usually show.

Because of that, I had to bite my lip to keep from laughing.

“Pfft. Sorry, Ero.”

In the end, I couldn’t hold it in and turned my face away, shoulders shaking as I swallowed my laughter.

“How long are you going to laugh? If it amuses you, I don’t mind.”

Perhaps embarrassed, Ero asked as he gently toyed with the ends of my hair. The shopkeeper, who had been staring at us intently, seemed to realize something and slapped his forehead with an exclamation.

“Oh! You two are a married couple? A gift for your child?”

Ero froze, then slowly turned his gaze to the shopkeeper. His lively eyes seemed to say, So you’ve got a good eye.

He raised his index finger and gracefully pointed from the far left to the far right.

“From here to there.”

“What are you doing? One is enough.”

I tried to stop him, holding up the dagger I’d chosen last, but he shook his head as if that wouldn’t do.

“These are items selected by this gentleman’s keen eye. There’s no need to inspect them further, wouldn’t you say?”

“Of course, of course!”

The shopkeeper, thoroughly excited, hurriedly wrapped up the items while humming to himself.

“I just can’t with you.”

Even as I shot him an exasperated look, a grin spread across my face.

He can be pretty cute sometimes.

“Wow, the weather’s nice.”

I’d come on a picnic with Ero. Honestly, calling it a picnic was a stretch. All that awaited us was a vast empty field, a single large tree providing shade, and a goat farm.

Well, whatever. If it’s green, it’s grass—and flowers too.

We settled down facing the goat farm instead of a flower field. Ero spread out the mat he’d brought and opened the cake box he’d bought. Come to think of it, I hadn’t prepared anything. Feeling a bit embarrassed, I glanced at him, but fortunately he didn’t seem to mind.

“Wow! That looks delicious.”

Inside were beautifully decorated slices of cake. But… how many were there? Even if we both loved cake, this was far too much for just two people.

At least ten slices, I’d say. Did he buy this much because I eat cake every time we go out? Well… I do eat a lot.

Perhaps puzzled by how uncharacteristically restrained I was, Ero slid his gaze toward me. He stared at the cake for a moment, then nodded as if he’d realized something.

“If it’s not enough, I can buy more.”

He started to get up, as if ready to go buy more cake immediately.

“No, it’s fine!”

I hurriedly stopped him. Did he think I’d bet my life on cake? Well… I won’t deny it. Ahem. I cleared my throat and asked what I’d been curious about.

“You’re unemployed—are you sure you can spend money like this?”

“Unemployed…?”

Ero repeated the word slowly, as if chewing on feed like a cow.

“Unemployed. Unemployed…”

I mean, we’ve been hanging out together every day for half a month—didn’t he quit his job…?

Ah. He must’ve gotten fired because he was spending time with me! I was so insensitive. I shouldn’t have said that. Flustered, I waved my hands to backpedal.

“Don’t worry about it. I heard mercenaries have work sometimes and sometimes they don’t.”

I scrambled to find something comforting to say.

“I’m unemployed too, so it’s fine.”

When I tried to reassure him, Ero made a subtle expression—somewhere between a smile and a frown. A breeze heavy with the scent of summer brushed past his forehead.

“That’s not exactly something to boast about.”

“…Th-this one looks good too!”

I hurriedly changed the subject. Ero let out a soft chuckle and called my name in a low voice.

“Basil.”

Listening to his sweet voice, I stabbed a mousse cake with my fork and brought it to his lips.

“Eat first, Ero.”

He took a bite and smiled warmly.

“Oh.”

My hand shook, smearing cream at the corner of his mouth. My hand flew up instinctively, but I hesitated—was wiping it too much? I quickly lowered it.

“Ero?”

At that moment, Ero took my hand to his lips and licked the cream away. Startled by the warm, lingering sensation against my skin, I pulled my hand back. His eyes curved into a smile more intoxicating than the cake.

“Delicious.”

The cake—he means the cake, right? I like cake too. And this man’s name is Ero of all things. At first I’d questioned the author’s naming sense, but now I felt like giving them an award.

I turned my gaze to the cake, desperately trying to hide my flushed face.

One bite for Ero, a big bite for me.

Unlike before, I stabbed the fork straight into the center of the mousse cake, cut off half, and piled it on. The piece wobbled, threatening to fall, and I steadied it with my finger before stuffing it into my mouth.

“Mmm, it’s good.”

I closed my eyes, savoring the cream and the soft texture on my tongue. And now that I thought of tongues again…

To hide my reddening face, I pretended to discover something important in the empty field and focused hard on it. I narrowed my eyes, doing my best to avoid meeting Ero’s gaze.

“The goats sound happy.”

After swallowing the cake, I even added pointless commentary and moved on to the next slice.

One bite for Ero, several bites for me.

As I focused on the cake, the earlier embarrassment eventually drifted away with the wind.

“Basil.”

When I turned at his call, the breeze tangled my hair. Was he dissatisfied because he couldn’t see my face? Ero gently tucked my hair behind my ear.

“You know…”

I tilted my head while chewing on cake. What is it?

“Marry me.”

Pfft! The cake mashed in my mouth refused to go down my throat. The unrecognizable mush splattered right onto Ero’s face.

Oh my god—on that beautiful face, of all places… My heart, already shocked, nearly burst.

Unlike me, Ero showed not the slightest sign of displeasure. He calmly took a handkerchief from his pocket and wiped his face, as composed and tidy as ever.

“I’m not very familiar with the customs of the capital.”

“……”

“Is spitting usually the response to a marriage proposal?”

Meeeeeh—.
Meeeeeh—.

Seriously—why would you say something like that while eating cake in front of goats?