Elia, red-faced and fidgeting, exclaimed, “Wh-what are you two doing in broad daylight?!”
“…”
I flinched.
…Yikes.
Nameless also seemed startled by Elia’s sudden reaction, flinching and gripping my hand tightly as if turning to stone.
Seeing that expression was too funny, I squinted and stared at Nameless closely.
He was so surprised that his heart was pounding like a drum.
Yet, oddly enough, his face was flushed too.
It was as if he had been caught doing something naughty.
A strange thrill tingled inside me, making my heart race as well, but I quickly shook my head.
…That’s not what’s important.
I tilted my head, pondering the reason for Elia’s intense reaction.
If Elia reacted so strongly, it must mean something was definitely off….
Hmm, nothing came to mind.
After all, I hadn’t done anything except tease Nameless.
So there was no reason for Elia to react like that.
I tilted my head in confusion, scratching my head as nothing came to mind.
Then suddenly, a thought struck me: ‘What if Elia is referring to someone else instead of me?’ I raised my finger and pointed at myself.
Elia nodded vigorously in agreement.
Hmm, so she was indeed talking about me.
But what did I do?
Totally clueless, I kept tilting my head in bewilderment.
Perhaps out of frustration at my expression, Elia let out a big, exasperated sigh and dramatically turned away.
“Huh!”
Oh dear, this is awkward.
I didn’t even know what to say, just mumbling to myself.
My own thoughts weren’t leading me anywhere.
To get help, I glanced at Nameless and asked, “Nameless, why is Elia acting like that?”
Nameless tilted his head and sighed deeply, rubbing his face with his hand.
Yet, with one hand still gripping mine tightly, it didn’t seem like a big deal.
I felt somewhat reassured.
When I asked, Nameless took a deep breath, calming himself, and turned his head away.
“I don’t really know either.”
“…Really?!”
“Yes.”
Hmm, it seemed like he might know something…
Nameless has one habit.
Whenever he lies or is hiding something, he can’t meet my eyes. Just like now, he turned his head away and spoke.
I tilted my head.
…Is there really any reason for him to lie?
I considered persistently digging into it, but then I stopped.
If it was really serious, Nameless wouldn’t hide it.
Besides, he wouldn’t do anything to harm me, and the fact that he’s hiding something probably means it’s something that would make things awkward if I found out.
With a sigh of relief, I nodded.
…Well, regardless of Elia’s puzzling reaction.
It seems I successfully completed my initial goal of comforting the sulking Nameless, so I’m truly glad.
With that thought, I grinned at Nameless.
“…?”
He shuddered slightly.
The way Nameless was looking at me felt oddly sticky…?
I had no idea how to express this unfamiliar sensation.
“Hmm….”
…Did I really manage to comfort him properly?
…
After that small incident passed, I sulkily climbed the mountain.
However….
“Is something bothering you?”
Seeing Nameless glancing at me from time to time made me sigh lightly.
…What’s going on?
Nameless hesitated before speaking softly.
“…Master’s expression doesn’t look good.”
Hmm, did it show that much?
I smiled at my cute disciple’s concern and waved my hand dismissively.
“It’s fine, don’t worry.”
However, it was true that I felt annoyed.
Pouting my lips again, I continued my walk.
I wondered if Lucius was really concerned about my demeanor.
He kept switching his gaze between the map and me, then stopped for a moment and turned to me.
“Cheon Ha-rang, if we walk for about another hour, we’ll reach our destination.”
“…Is that so?”
Already?
At this rate, it seemed like we would meet the demon that Lili was desperate to protect us from soon….
I bit my lips, frustrated that things weren’t going as planned.
Seeing my expression harden, Lucius began to sweat profusely and hurried his pace.
It looks like he assumed I was unhappy about arriving too late at our destination.
But the reality was a bit different.
…They were going too fast.
Contrary to my desire to slow down even a little bit, Lucius showed no signs of stopping and steadily moved toward the destination.
…And.
There’s another small problem.
I didn’t even know where we were heading.
I forced a smile through my awkwardness and called for Nameless.
“…So, where exactly are we going?”
I hate to admit it, but….
As you know, I can’t read or write the letters in this place.
So naturally, without a way to read the note Camilla handed me, I had no clue about the destination.
Some might say I could just ask Lucius or Elia, but…
Why didn’t I?
I already did ask.
At that time, Lucius seemed to think it was faster to show me directly rather than describe it, or perhaps he wanted to give me detailed information.
He handed me the paper and resumed walking.
How could I possibly admit I can’t read the letters?
…Isn’t it a bit embarrassing to not be able to read at my age?
There’s no need to feel ashamed about a lack of knowledge, but still, at 300 years old, not knowing how to read is a tad…
Anyway.
At that time, I just nodded along.
…Now there’s no way I can ask them.
When I called for him, Nameless glanced at my expression and seemed to understand the situation.
He nodded slightly and opened his mouth.
“I’ll explain it to you.”
…Thank goodness.
Nameless continued.
He had sent out his knights to investigate something at the “End of the World” but before they reached that destination, they detected powerful magic surrounding the Est Mountain Range.
Due to the small number of knights dispatched, they couldn’t handle the magic and reluctantly had to return to the castle.
With the fighting against the barbarians still ongoing, Ellen couldn’t send many knights there, so she thought of us while delivering the information as we were searching for a demon.
Hmm, so the reason they were busy was because of the barbarians….
It makes sense that dealing with the barbarians who were plundering people they had to protect took precedence over the demons who weren’t doing anything right now.
I nodded as I took in Nameless’ explanation.
Even though the barbarians were causing trouble, they couldn’t completely ignore the demons.
They sent a capable knight group for a purge, but the knights were overwhelmed and the purge failed.
However, that didn’t mean the knights achieved nothing; they reported on the appearance of the demons and the abilities they used.
First, the demons were said to have the appearance of a robust man with a giant mountain goat horn on his head and a sharp black tail.
While those encountered were extremely suspicious, the unique magic used by that demon led to the failure of the purge.
The demon could summon infinite chains from the air through magic, and if anyone touched those chains, their mana would cease to function, rendering them as helpless as an ordinary person.
The knights wouldn’t have fared well against such a ridiculous ability, which naturally led to their failure.
Nameless concluded his explanation, but instead of feeling enlightened, my expression grew sour.
As I continued to listen to Nameless, that one particular figure kept popping into my head.
…Wait.
Wasn’t that the demon rather than the beastman I met back in the cabin…?
The one who had looked for Nameless annoyingly, speaking in a condescending manner.
I might be thinking too far ahead, but….
That horned head, the tail.
And crucially, the ability to bind someone with chains pulled from the air.
The similarities to that demon were far too uncanny.
“…”
The very demon that Lucius was tracking was one I already had a connection with….
Cold sweat began to trickle down my back.
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