Elia seemed to have completely forgotten that I was even there, muttering something under her breath.
“Did I tamper with time…? But there’s no way a person could do that….”
“Um….”
Watching Elia mumble, I couldn’t help but keep pursing my lips.
I had no idea what she was talking about.
Honestly, I wished she would stop rambling and pay more attention to the Nameless instead.
“Wait… if that’s the case…?
“Tsk.”
Seeing Elia’s blank stare, it felt like she was half out of her mind.
She wouldn’t regain her senses for a while.
And she hadn’t said nothing at all; didn’t she hint at something?
She definitely mentioned that it wouldn’t interfere with life… although there could be issues with her personality.
Well, I could always try to beat some sense into her regarding her personality, and surely the mention of it being affected was just her trying to downplay the worst-case scenario, right?
“She should be fine….”
There’s probably nothing wrong at all.
After a small sigh, I moved my feet.
My disciple was lying on the cold ground; I should wake him up soon.
I approached Nameless, who was sprawled out with his eyes rolled back, and poked him in the side.
“Nameless.”
“…”
Nameless jumped a bit at the poke but showed no other signs of movement.
“…”
At this point, I started to worry that maybe I hit him too hard.
“Nameless…?”
I squatted down and shook his body gently.
However, he just rolled around in response to my arms, showing no signs of waking up.
What should I do? Did I really mess up…?
A cold sweat trickled down my back, and feeling anxious, I checked Nameless’s pulse.
“Ugh….”
Thankfully, it was still beating normally. His eyes were rolled back, but his complexion was stable. There was no reason for Nameless to be knocked out like this.
As I squinted in confusion, I stared at him intently.
“Nameless, um…?”
I thought I saw the corners of his mouth twitch, but I quickly brushed it off. I mean, why would he play such tricks on me?
But, with a glimmer of hope, I opened my mouth softly.
“…Nameless, are you awake?”
“Cough, cough! Yes, Master… I just woke up.”
Considering Nameless’s usual flair for lying, this was an awkward performance.
…He was indeed awake.
My forehead furrowed, and instinctively my fist clenched.
“You little! Are you trying to fool your Master?!”
“M-Master, wait a moment!”
I narrowed my eyes and glared at Nameless.
…He certainly looked desperate, so I sighed softly and nodded.
“…Alright, give it a shot.”
Nameless gulped loudly, then nodded seriously.
“…I haven’t fully regained my senses yet.”
“And so?”
“Yes?”
As an awkward look appeared on Nameless’s face, I puffed my cheeks and asked again.
“And so, do you have anything more to say?”
“Um….”
Nameless’s eyes began to dart around.
But since he seemed to be completely at a loss for words, Nameless tilted his head slightly.
“What more is there…?”
“What you just said isn’t a valid reason for not getting up.”
Listening to his words, it sounded as if he was intentionally choosing not to wake up to play a prank on me.
Surprised, Nameless widened his eyes and subtly averted his gaze.
I knew it!
“Bite it hard!”
I raised my fist, and Nameless squeezed his eyes shut, causing me to snort and then—
-Slap!
I lightly slapped the back of his head.
“Ugh—”
“Don’t pull these pranks again.”
I gently placed my hand on top of Nameless’s head and ruffled his hair.
Nameless, looking bewildered, received the affection graciously and nodded.
“Yes….”
“That’s right.”
Seeing Nameless nodding with his lips pouting put a smile on my face as I got up.
Lucius was starting to come back this way, and Elia seemed to have regained her composure, so I didn’t want to linger here any longer.
“…If you’re planning more pranks—”
“What was that?”
“Nothing.”
—
“Cheon Ha-rang.”
Lucius approached me with an unusually serious expression, as if he had no time to waste.
“Where did the one holding that weapon go?”
Lucius’s expression looked somewhat anxious, and I tilted my head.
The one holding the weapon? Was he talking about the staff? But who was even holding it? It was just lying on the ground….
“The owner—”
‘Isn’t there none?’ I was about to say when a thought crossed my mind.
How could he be so certain that the staff had a separate owner?
“…Owner? What’s your next question?”
“Just wait a minute, I need to jog my memory.”
As Lucius urged me with his question, I waved my hand dismissively.
I narrowed my eyes.
I was already struggling to figure out how to explain this mess, and for some reason, Lucius was under a grand delusion. And shockingly, it was working in my favor.
He was starting the conversation with, “Where is the owner of that staff?” which was already a blatantly wrong question.
Considering the scene, if he was asking about the “owner of the weapon,” he clearly assumed that person had survived this carnage.
I gently tapped my chin.
…Let’s poke around a bit. I needed more information.
“Lucius, you seem to know that owner.”
“…”
Lucius scrutinized me, his eyes assessing.
I tried to scowl as angrily as I could and lowered my voice.
“Depending on your answer, the things I’ll tell you might change.”
I placed my hand over the wooden sword for emphasis.
Of course, there were reasons for taking such extreme actions.
Anyone seeing the battle-scarred scenery would guess that Lucius inferred I had a bad relationship with this “owner,” going beyond simply clashing swords.
It was a gamble, but Lucius probably didn’t have much of a good relationship with said owner either.
When I first got here, he might’ve examined my state and Nameless’s after seeing the staff.
And….
I felt a strong sense of hatred from Lucius whenever he glanced at that staff.
At my words, Lucius seemed to be deep in thought, gazing at the aftermath before slowly nodding.
“They are my enemy.”
“…An enemy, huh.”
A simple, straightforward answer.
But even though he tried to hide it, I could sense deep emotions seeping through his voice.
Clearly, it wasn’t just a straightforward grudge.
Well, at least my guesses were right.
Nodding slightly, I withdrew my hand from the wooden sword.
…So, now the question was, who was the owner of that staff?
If Lucius was the kind of person who lived and breathed being a hero, then there was no need to look further—the owner was definitely a demon.
No way I could just keep poking around for information now.
I had to answer Lucius’s questions to avoid unnecessary suspicion.
“They went south.”
“…South, outside the Demon Realm.”
Lucius nodded as if my answer made sense.
Fortunately, it seemed he sensed nothing wrong with my statement.
But just as I let out a sigh of relief, an ominous thought crossed my mind.
…What if he suddenly says we should pursue them?
I couldn’t go chasing after someone who wasn’t there, and starting a pursuit now would just be a huge waste of time, not knowing when it would end.
Of course, I could refuse, but I had previously spoken to Lucius in a manner that completely treated him like an enemy.
…What a lapse in judgment.
Caught in constant anxiety, I nervously chewed my lips, prompting Lucius to bow his head slightly.
“I apologize, but it seems we’ll be the ones in a hurry right now.”
“…Hmm?”
Lucius lifted his head, a look of guilt on his face.
His voice was shrinking, as if he didn’t want to speak up.
“Even if we chase now, tracking them isn’t feasible. And….”
He added briefly, “I’m still not sufficient yet,” forcing a bitter smile.
“But they likely won’t be able to move right away.”
“…Why’s that?”
I casually tossed out the question, but Lucius shook his head lightly.
“I don’t know what kind of relationship you have with that person, Cheon Ha-rang, but you shouldn’t worry about that anymore.”
While it seemed like a decisive tone, guilt kept seeping through his words.
He must have had his reasons. It felt like a complicated situation…
A cold sweat began to drip down my brow.
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