I came to my senses, and before I knew it, gentle snow was falling from the sky.
“O…”
Leaning halfway out of the window, I reached out my hand to catch some snow.
The snow that touched my hand brought a pleasant chill, but just as quickly, it melted away without any lingering regrets.
Seeing that, I clicked my tongue in disappointment and stretched my arms out the window, waiting for the snow to pile up in my hands.
However, inside the fast-moving carriage, that plan ended up with me getting splashed in the face with snow instead.
Pouting my lips, I leaned further into the window.
Watching this, the Nameless let out a small sigh and pulled out a handkerchief to wipe the snow and moisture off my face, saying,
“Hehe, Master, the wind is cold.”
“Do I look like I care about that?”
“If you really didn’t care, I wouldn’t be worried, would I?”
“…”
This brat knows full well that I don’t let the weather affect me, and yet he still says such things.
I could guess the reason too.
As the weather started to get cold, he was sulking because I hadn’t obliged his request.
His cheeks puffed up indignantly.
“Didn’t I say I handle those things myself?”
“If you did, I wouldn’t be acting this way.”
…Seriously?
How dare he talk back to his master like that?
But getting angry here would be amateurish.
I tried as hard as I could to control my emotions, and just as I was about to speak calmly—
“Ugh! You’re too overprotective of me!”
I couldn’t hold back my frustration and yelled, my face turning bright red as I pinched his forehead.
“Ow! Master, that hurts!”
“Oh! Hah! Put your hands down!”
The Nameless twisted his head this way and that, trying to avoid my fingers, and the more he did, the closer I pressed to him, making it difficult for him to escape.
As a result, the once-quiet carriage got a bit noisy because of us.
“…What in the world are you two doing?”
Elia, who had been clearly trying to sleep a moment ago, turned slightly pink in the face and spoke in a lowered voice.
“C-Could you two please save that for a more private place…?”
“…Yes.”
“…I’m sorry.”
The Nameless and I sat back awkwardly, looking out the window in silence.
An awkward stillness filled the carriage.
…
Whether it was quiet or noisy, the carriage kept moving towards its destination.
When the ground covered in snow turned a deep red, the carriage finally stopped.
…
I threw myself out of the carriage and stretched my sore back.
“Ugh!”
It took us over a month to finally reach Ellen.
A lot had happened in that time…
Memories of the past came flooding back, and a nostalgic smile crept onto my face.
There was the time I encountered a squirrel-like creature; curious, I reached out to touch it, only for the Nameless to stop me, saying it was poisonous.
Then, as the weather grew colder, I worried about him and gave him my outer coat, only for him to wrap it around himself and hastily rummage through his bag for new clothes, all while blushing.
…He did suggest I wear them too, but because they were so uncomfortable, I turned him down.
After all, I had lived my whole life wearing this outfit; it simply didn’t suit my personality to wear a heavy coat now.
Hearing my words, the Nameless attempted to convince me that the people in Ellen might see me and weirdly think I was strange for wearing such light clothing, but my resolve was unshaken.
Just like before.
While I watched over the Nameless during his training, laughter blossomed from our idle chats.
Once a week, we would sweat together at night, expanding his blood flow.
For some reason, Elia didn’t seem to run into us the following day, but…
Last week, I was exhausted trying to make excuses to Lili, whom I met regularly in my dreams.
Why on Earth were the Saint and the Hero traveling with us?
I had no idea how Lili figured that out…
Fearing I had broken my promise and was now at odds with them, I did my best to deceive her, but I felt so awkward fumbling with excuses.
Fortunately, either I had some talent for acting, or maybe Lili was just gullible, because I managed to get through it.
Of course, I wasn’t just making up lies to her.
In reality, I had decided to travel with them to understand what kind of people the Hero and Saint were and for my ultimate goal.
I had no intention of siding with the Hero in the first place.
Just being near him made me feel nauseated from his disgusting aura; how could I stand to travel with him?
And I certainly didn’t plan to ally myself with the Demon King either.
I just wanted to live quietly and safely with the Nameless, just the two of us.
If only Lili and the Saint hadn’t ever laid eyes on me, maybe I would be going around various towns with the Nameless tasting different kinds of strawberries right now…
My brows furrowed.
Speaking of strawberries, memories sprang to mind.
What kind of thief stole something? The strawberries I had bought so generously disappeared in just three days, and because of that, I was left chewing on awful jerky, nearly dislocating my jaw from it.
If I ever found that culprit, I wouldn’t let it just slide.
The more I recalled, the more my brows knitted together.
“…”
Sigh, those aren’t particularly good memories.
Pouting and staring into the distance, the Nameless came over and took the load from my right hand.
“Master, it seems the carriage can’t go any further from here.”
“Got it.”
Nodding, I reached out my hand to the Nameless.
He looked at it for a moment, but then took it, and we moved forward together.
…
The painfully cold wind brushed against my cheeks.
With every step I took, I felt a fresh smile spread across my face as I watched my legs sink into the snow.
I had never seen snow piled up this high in my life.
Suddenly, I became curious about the Nameless’s reaction and shook our joined hands playfully.
“Nameless, isn’t this amazing?”
“What do you mean?”
“That the temperature and weather differ by region.”
The Nameless looked down at his feet, covered in snow, and smiled back at me.
“Yes, it is amazing.”
“Hmm.”
Seeing the Nameless’s pure smile made my heart flutter, for some reason.
Is it the cold…?
Or maybe…
Just as I was about to think deeper into it, I heard Elia’s voice from behind me, causing me to turn my head.
“Ah… I’m sorry!”
“It’s fine.”
Lucius caught Elia, who had nearly fallen over, and carefully helped her up.
Tsk, how foolish.
How lazy must one be with their training to trip in such a fluffy pile of snow?
I clicked my tongue lightly and waved my hands in the air next to the Nameless.
Now, the question is…
I need to find a proper time to separate from them…
But for some reason, it’s difficult to get away from them because of a scheduled duel.
After all, the reason the Nameless and I came to this place, the North, wasn’t for Ellen but rather to the Demon Realm, known as the end of the world.
We had come to find the Nameless’s sword, the matching Sheath…
At this rate, it seemed likely we would end up staying in the duke’s residence in Ellen, who is said to reside there.
A small sigh escaped me.
Wondering about it, the Nameless tilted his head and shook my arm.
“What’s wrong?”
“…I’m already feeling a headache just thinking about meeting a new person.”
The Nameless murmured softly, “Ah,” then nodded in understanding.
“Indeed, thinking about the person we’ll be meeting makes me tense up already.”
It was almost as if he spoke as if he had some knowledge about the person we were going to meet…
I narrowed my eyes.
I kept my tone bright so that the Nameless wouldn’t notice my suspicion.
“Hmm? Do you know who it is?”
“Yes, it’s Iron Blood, isn’t it?”
Despite hearing the Nameless’s answer, I didn’t have a single person in mind and tilted my head.
…Who is that?
I had lived my entire life holed up in a cabin, so I didn’t even know the name of the current emperor; how on earth would I know the name of someone in such a remote place?
Yet, the Nameless must have lived in the village for a brief time as a child… If he had heard of this person, just how famous could they be?
Seeing my puzzled expression, the Nameless smiled slightly and continued to speak.
“They say he is currently the strongest person in the empire.”
“Oho…?”
“They say at the age of thirteen, he slayed wyverns living in the north.”
A glimmer of admiration sparkled in the Nameless’s eyes.
“They say that at fifteen, he threw himself into battlefield, achieving countless deeds.”
The Nameless kept talking, gazing far off at a castle perched precariously on a cliff.
He didn’t even glance at me.
“Yes, even now, she has yet to marry and calls herself the Empire’s shield while stopping the monsters that come rushing from the north.”
“…”
Something slimy and heavy stirred deep inside my heart.
“…You seem to know quite well?”
The Nameless flinched and froze in place like a stone.
“Why do you ask? Go on, tell me more.”
I smiled slyly and looked at the Nameless.
Suddenly, I noticed cold sweat trickling down the back of his neck.
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