Chapter: 128
While Iris was lounging with a relaxed expression, hugging Lian, a red-haired Hunter stealthily approached him.
Iris suddenly sensed a presence and whipped her head around, but by that time, it was already too late.
“My dear Lian!”
Jess popped up from behind Lian, beaming as she threw her arms around his shoulders.
“Ugh!”
Feeling a soft sensation on the back of his head, Lian’s face turned beet red as he hurriedly covered his mouth and nose. Fortunately, blood didn’t squirt out.
“Get away!”
Iris shouted at Jess with fierce eyes. Jess tilted her head innocently, confused.
“Hmm? Why?”
“He’s my brother!”
“But he’s my dear Lian!”
Jess had a much sharper wit than most of her peers and, thanks to her beastly instincts, quickly grasped where the boundaries lay. She knew exactly how far she could push things to keep her little game going.
As Lian firmly told Jess, “This can’t go on!” he still found himself unsure of how to remove her from his side because of the sly way she kept inching closer.
If it weren’t for Iris or Noah being around, Lian would’ve probably been dragged into a marriage engraving and headed straight to the honeymoon suite by now.
Having spent a long time with Jess, Lian was well aware of her antics—like tilting her head and perked-up ears— were all calculated attempts to weaken his resolve.
Because of that, there was no way Iris could hide her fierce glare. She wrapped her arms around Lian’s waist and glared at Jess.
“You’re making him uncomfortable. Back off.”
“Huh? Does my dear Lian feel uncomfortable?”
With her ears drooping and those intense eyes shimmering with tears, Jess looked just like a drenched kitten or puppy shivering from the rain. Lian found it hard to part his lips until the realization hit him like a bucket of ice-cold water.
He cleared his throat softly and said, “Uh, I guess that’s true?”
“See? He’s uncomfortable…”
“Which is why you both should back off, okay?”
“…!”
Pointing out that Jess should be the one to step back wasn’t fair at all, especially since it was only a matter of time before they reached the Duke’s House and the truth about their non-sibling status would be revealed. Lian thought he’d need to limit skinship with Iris as well.
‘…If the knight saw this situation at the Duke’s House… Even if I’ve been taking care of Iris, I’d probably end up in jail.’
It felt a bit far-fetched, but the societal structure here was rigid. No noble would look favorably on Lian, a former slave of lesser value than a stray rock, in comparison to the noble bloodline of Iris.
It was fortunate if he wasn’t killed just to wipe away the disgrace.
‘At least Iris’s mother isn’t the type to threaten lives, so I should be safe.’
If Lian explained to Iris’s mother that he was lying to keep her at ease, she’d likely understand and express her gratitude. But there were limits.
‘If it gets out that I flirted with the future head of the Duke’s House, regardless of any favors received, my head would roll.’
For that reason, Lian pushed Iris away.
“But brother…”
“Iris, as I said last time, we’re adults now. A light hug is one thing, but we really shouldn’t be this close.”
By modern standards, Iris wasn’t really an adult yet—probably somewhere between 15 to 18. However, in this world, she definitely was an adult.
Lian didn’t see Iris as a true adult, but in order to detach her from himself, he intentionally mentioned, “We’re grown up now~” with a playful nuance.
Iris pouted, looking like she was about to cry, but today, Lian had to be firm.
‘It’s time to start preparing for the inevitable farewell.’
Though it tasted bitter, there was no helping it.
‘Once Iris goes to the Duke’s House, I’ll… make sure to help her as much as I can from a distance.’
Even if the original storyline was almost nonexistent now, there was no doubt Iris was of hero blood and would become a hero in the future.
Heroes needed all sorts of obstacles and growth opportunities. Having a cheat-like comedic sidekick around would provide no assistance whatsoever. A cheat should only be used in serious situations.
Thus, Lian decided that he would keep his distance, only offering help when Iris was in genuine danger.
Thanks to his steely resolve, he managed to push away the tearful, lovely-eyed Iris. She looked up at Lian with a shocked expression.
“Hiiing…”
While Iris stared at Lian in shock with a dazed expression, Jess merely sulked nearby, keeping her distance from him.
It felt like a heart-wrenching scenario where a doted-on five-year-old daughter who just got scolded was lingering nearby, clutching a note saying “Daddy, I’m sorry,” but Lian steeled himself and endured.
What was truly terrifying was that Jess had all of this maneuvering planned out. Her approach and expression of desire were strategies to separate Iris from Lian.
She was a gentle lamb in front of her master but a wolf behind the scenes—doing whatever it took to secure her mate.
Jess, ultimately sulking because Lian wouldn’t pet her, grinned smugly on the side.
She couldn’t approach Lian but also couldn’t cling to Iris since she was her younger sister.
Normally, Iris would have noticed Jess’s mood and reacted in rage, but the sheer shock from Lian’s rejection left her only staring blankly at him.
Her eyes dulled, reminiscent of when she had seen the Spirit King. Strangely enough, it felt like her hair had darkened even more, but nobody noticed.
Noah was hit with a wave of reality for having gotten jealous even of Lian’s biological sister.
Iris was utterly overwhelmed with shock after being pushed away by Lian.
Jess felt downcast because Lian was no longer showering her with attention.
Though the three of them had a visibly tense atmosphere, their journey was, surprisingly, incredibly peaceful. Sure, there were occasional monster attacks, but compared to the Demon King’s Land, it felt like a leisurely stroll through the park.
“Lower your posture a bit more, just like that!”
“Phew, huff…”
The atmosphere was so peaceful that the monsters that appeared were practically training tools for the inexperienced kids.
After wandering through the forest for quite a while, they finally reached a village where people lived.
“Ahh…!”
“A-village!”
In contrast to the Demon King’s Land, where the skies were blue and the sun shone warmly, a peaceful village lay below.
The serene landscape, unlike anything they had witnessed even in dreams, left everyone speechless with emotion.
“…Let’s go.”
Starting with Noah, everyone began to enter the village. As nearly a hundred people stormed in, guards, presumed to be part of the village’s security, hurried over.
The village seemed more sizable than expected and requested to see their identity badges. Not many people held such badges in this world, but merchants and mercenaries traveling between towns always had them on hand.
This was due to the heightened vigilance against outsiders in the land where they had been born and raised.
“Here you go.”
By the time they were planning to escape to the Empire, they had prepped for such situations. It had cost quite a bit, but those identity badges were ridiculously easy to get in the crime-infested city of Cardishian.
The guards, expecting them to be refugees fleeing from another village, appeared flabbergasted as they inspected each of the 90+ identity badges one by one.
A family of mercenaries? That was an unheard-of group. They couldn’t simply let them go because there were so many children, but having around a hundred mercenaries roaming around was also a threat.
“We’re mercenaries, but we’re just like refugees. We plan to gather supplies in the village and leave right away.”
As Lily spoke, she discreetly slipped some silver into the guard’s hand, which caused his mouth to drop. It was a hefty sum, equal to half his monthly salary.
Before he could respond properly due to sheer astonishment, another coin was tossed on top of the first. The guard’s eyes widened to the point of nearly popping out. Meanwhile, Lily smiled gently and slipped some coins to another guard with them.
“Well, if that’s the case…”
“Cough… Don’t create any disturbances!”
As expected of a rotten world, the guards decided to overlook the group of mercenaries numbering 100. They would likely report them as passing refugees.
Once the guards left, they began to make their way into the village. To avoid drawing too much attention, they entered in groups of ten, moving slowly into the village.
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