Lili tilted her head curiously as I remained silent for a while.
“Harang? What’s wrong?”
“…”
Good question… Why am I like this?
I wanted to respond to Lili with a nonchalant expression, but….
“Is there a problem?”
I couldn’t even open my mouth because I didn’t understand why I was acting this way.
My chest felt tight. It was like being trapped underwater. I wanted to escape this feeling right away.
With that desire, I let out a deep sigh, rubbed my face, and shook my legs, but….
There was no sign of improvement.
Why was I feeling this way… If I thought about it, I had no reason to be like this.
“…”
Why did I get in a bad mood in the first place?
It was just that the Nameless had a ‘secret’ conversation with Lili, right?
– Crank
The armrest of the chair I was sitting in broke, causing my eyebrows to furrow in frustration.
“Ouch.”
“…”
“I’m sorry.”
Lili’s pupils wobbled as if there was an earthquake, and she spoke with a trembling voice.
“It’s okay; it’s just a dream anyway….”
“Hmm.”
If she says so…
I waved my arm lightly at Lili and closed my eyes for introspection.
After all, if I don’t resolve these bad feelings quickly, they’ll fester inside me and haunt me for life. It’s best to solve them as soon as possible.
What on earth is this gooey bad feeling inside me….
Looking at the situation, I definitely felt disappointed in the Nameless for lying to me, but calling it simply disappointment has an oddly heated nuance.
I tilted my head.
Hmm, I really can’t figure it out.
One thing I know is that I’ve been feeling this way more often lately; I never felt like this when I lived in the cabin.
And one more thing is certain:
Whenever I feel this way, the Nameless is always involved.
Before coming here, I felt a similar emotion when the Nameless seemed to side with Elia more than me, and now, isn’t the reason for my current feelings related to discovering the Nameless communicating with Lili behind my back?
Of course, the case with Elia is a bit far-fetched, and I hadn’t told Lili either….
Pouting my lips slightly.
While I was lost in thought, whether to comfort me or ease her own awkwardness, Lili approached me and began moving her feet anxiously.
“Harang~”
Lili, who was on my left, skipped to the other side, putting her face in my view.
“Harang~”
Does the girl really not know why I’m like this? There must have been a moment when my words disappeared!
Seeing the person who caused the ripples in my heart fidgeting like that made my fists shake.
I wanted to give her a little smack.
However, I couldn’t just ignore Lili either.
“…What is it?”
With a small sigh, I answered.
Lili smiled brightly, placed her hands behind her back, and moved away from me.
“You finally noticed me!”
Though I found that a bit annoying…
A smile crept up on my face.
Isn’t she just trying to comfort me in her own way?
“So why did you call?”
“The thing you asked about earlier! Jackal said he understood too!”
Lili’s eyes sparkled with pride as she made a peace sign with her fingers.
“That’s a relief.”
Then, Lucius’ and Elia’s moods might improve a bit too.
If the timing is right, I might even be able to use this as an excuse to kick them out.
Thinking that way, my previously gloomy feelings started to lighten.
“Yes! Now that we’re done with my business, I’ll be going!?”
Seeing my somewhat brightened expression, Lili smiled awkwardly and slowly stepped away from me.
I tilted my head slightly at Lili’s departing figure and stood up, grabbing her shoulder.
“Um? Where are you going?”
“…Huh?”
Lili’s head began to swivel as if it were broken, looking at me.
I couldn’t help but smirk at her expression and spoke.
“Don’t we have more to talk about?”
“…Ahaha, I’m not sure.”
With an awkward smile, Lili let out a hesitant laugh. At the same time, she started lifting her arms to pull away from my grip.
“Hey.”
I tightened my hold on her shoulder, and a smirk appeared on my face.
“Why did you meet with the Nameless separately? I need to hear that reason.”
Lili’s complexion turned pale.
…
Suddenly, the atmosphere changed, and I blinked in surprise, looking around.
What lay before me was the tarp used to pitch a tent, my sleeping bag wrapped around me.
And a peacefully sleeping Nameless face.
“Tch.”
It seemed that Lili had forcibly woken me up and fled.
I had planned to have a long, serious conversation, but nowadays, folks run away at the slightest hint of discomfort.
“Tsk.”
Clicking my tongue softly, I turned my head to see the stupid disciple who was grinning in his sleep, completely unaware of my concerns.
I couldn’t stand it.
Here I was, a worried mentor, and this disciple was grinning like an idiot?
Of course, the Nameless had no way to know I was troubled.
“…”
Still, I couldn’t shake off the annoyance.
Frowning, I stood up and approached the Nameless.
“…Hmmmm.”
Oblivious to his impending fate, the Nameless was still happily smiling in his sleep.
Seeing him like that only deepened my frown. Naturally, my lips began to poke out in response.
…So, did he have a fun time playing with Lili in the dream?
Crouching next to the Nameless and clenching my fist.
“Hup!”
– Bam!
A tremendous noise echoed through the snowy mountains.
…
Elia looked at the Nameless’ head with a puzzled expression.
Right now, there was a bump on his head the size of his face.
“…Are you okay?”
Elia glanced at me before asking.
“I don’t know.”
“…What?”
Elia blinked in disbelief, but I repeated, “I don’t know.”
“Ah, okay.”
I turned away from her and pouted.
Elia sighed, looking at the Nameless, who was rubbing his bump with a worried expression.
“Seriously… How can we have a peaceful day?”
“…”
I found her remark a bit outrageous, but I couldn’t help but remain silent, as I had no excuse.
But that was just for a moment.
I recalled something to say to Lucius and approached him, who was busy packing up with the Nameless.
“Lucius.”
“Cheon Ha-rang?”
Surprised, he tilted his head as if he hadn’t expected me to call him.
I gestured for him to come over, and then spoke.
“I have something to discuss, so come here.”
“Something to discuss…?”
Lucius glanced at the Nameless as if checking for permission.
Curious as to why Lucius was checking on the Nameless, I looked too, and the Nameless merely pursed his lips while packing.
Hmm, no problem there.
I nodded slightly, but in contrast to my expectations, Lucius sighed lightly and asked,
“Can’t we talk here?”
I didn’t mind either way, so I nodded and motioned for Elia to join us as well.
After all, the upcoming discussion was about what I had already discussed with Lili; I figured the Nameless would know anyway.
Well, since Lucius was saying this, talking here wouldn’t hurt either.
I confirmed that everyone was gathered and opened my mouth.
“I have something to say about Jackal.”
“…Jackal.”
“Jackal?”
Lucius furrowed his brow, and Elia looked at him.
Sighing softly, I waved my hand a little.
“Relax, it’s good news.”
“Good news?”
“Yeah, good news.”
Lucius and Elia’s eyes widened, and their brows furrowed slightly, seemingly having no clue what kind of good news might come from me.
Seeing their confused expressions made me grin.
“Well, there’s no reason to drag it out.”
I smirked slightly.
“For the time being, Jackal won’t be able to harm people like you’re worried about, even if he has run away.”
When my words didn’t register, Lucius tilted his head.
“Why not?”
“Do you remember the black fog that appeared before Jackal fled?”
“I remember….”
Their eyes began to widen as if they were connecting the dots.
“Yeah, I intervened in his teleportation.”
“!”
Lucius and Elia’s mouths dropped open in disbelief.
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