“Ugh… that was tough…”
Rubia and I just emerged from the inn after a dreadful shopping spree.
It wasn’t a very big village, but the shops had a decent selection, so we wandered around for a ridiculously long time, buying various necessary items…
“How was it, Noah? How do you like your new clothes? Are they comfortable? I didn’t expect to find Eastern Country clothing here.”
“Hmm…”
Out of everything, Rubia seemed to like my outfit the most.
I couldn’t quite pinpoint the design, but from what I felt, it indeed seemed like traditional Eastern wear, just not of Korean style… Umm… maybe a modified shaman outfit…? A yukata…? Anyway, it gave off that kind of vibe.
It was one of those clothes without buttons, tied around the waist with a piece of wide fabric… the kind of outfit that screamed ‘let’s get creative with the materials.’
What was it made of? The leather from some mutated ogre that appeared in the past on the Halbion Plain or something.
But the right side had long sleeves, while the left was sleeveless. Did they run out of materials midway…?
“Is it uncomfortable?”
“No… the top feels great…”
“And the bottom?”
“Oh, the bottom… well, of course, it feels comfortable. There’s… nothing constricting… Ugh…”
As I struggled to stick my legs together, I pulled down the hem that barely covered half my thigh.
The material is nice… it’s comfortable… it’s cool, everything is great.
But it’s a one-piece…
A one-piece that connects the top and bottom together!
And it’s incredibly short…!
If I’m not careful, I might end up showing off my underwear to the villagers…
It’s clear they skimped on materials…
And despite my protests against wearing it…
I seriously said I’d rather die than wear it…!!
This was the only size that fit me…
Besides, the innkeeper, after a few words with Rubia, suddenly decided to give it to me for free…
So I had no choice but to wear it.
I got a whopping 15 gold outfit for free; I wouldn’t have worn it otherwise.
Seriously…
This has to be worth, like, a few packs of jelly…
“I’m really glad! We got it just before it was going to be thrown out. Hehe.”
“Wha, really…?”
“What’s wrong?”
“It was supposed to be thrown out… But the shopkeeper said it was 15 gold… And after chatting with Rubia in the corner, he just decided to give it away.”
Rubia, who had been quietly observing me, replied nonchalantly.
“Eh, I didn’t say anything. Just asked how old it was, considering it looks like an old item.”
“Is that so?”
“Of course.”
She seems so confident…
Was it really just good luck?
While I was lost in my thoughts, Aileen chimed in, licking her lips.
“If you bought clothes, you should’ve bought some underwear too…”
“W-what?! Underwear is… Only someone like Rubia would need it. I… don’t need it. Bandages are enough for me…”
Rubia might struggle without underwear, but…
I’m… perfectly fine.
I just need bandages. Seriously…
“Yeah, bandages aren’t bad. They’re easy to take off.”
“What do you mean by that?! W-What do you take off…!”
For some reason, I felt a sticky gaze on me, so I turned slightly.
“What do you mean by taking off? Don’t you change your underwear, Noah?”
“Every day… I… uh, change them, but…”
“See?”
“…Y-yeah.”
Am I the weird one…?
Wasn’t Rubia’s tone and gaze kinda strange?
Or maybe not…?
“The robe will come out in a couple of days, so just hold on a little longer.”
“Guess there’s no choice…”
The robe I was wearing was completely torn, so I had to order a new one.
Others could just buy anything, but… I’m so short that… I had no choice but to order a custom-made one.
Now I have to run around with nothing but this outfit for the next two days…
As I felt gloomy, I rummaged through the paper bag filled with jelly.
Touching the jelly made me feel a bit better.
I picked out a few and handed them to Rubia.
“Do you want some jelly, Rubia…?”
“I find them too sweet, so I’d rather pass. You can eat it instead.”
“Re-really? Fine then.”
I guess there’s no helping it.
I intended to share, but it looks like I have to eat it all by myself. Hehe…
I stuffed all the jelly in my mouth.
Chew chew-
“Wow… strawberry flavor! And… um… not sure about the rest.”
I can’t tell the difference when I eat them all at once.
But Rubia thinks it’s sweet?
It’s just delicious?!
Feeling the heavenly taste and the chewy texture in my mouth, I couldn’t help but swing my legs back and forth.
Maybe it was because I was wearing a skirt instead of pants that I felt a huge void, making it hard to keep my legs still.
The refreshing breeze wrapping around my bare legs felt great…
After swallowing the jelly, I dug into the bag to pick out a new one.
What flavor will it be this time?
After rummaging for a while, I pulled out one that felt good.
“Let’s see…!”
“Ah, no…! Not knowing what I’m eating is part of the fun… you don’t have to tell me.”
With one hand holding the jelly and the other holding Rubia’s hand, I felt a little disconnected.
Of course, even if I used my senses, I couldn’t distinguish the jelly’s color.
“Is that so…?”
Nod-
Nodding while putting the jelly in my mouth.
“Mmm…! Apple flavor!”
That’s why it felt so good!
My mood instantly lifted.
I couldn’t stop shaking my legs even more.
Sweet stuff is the best.
“It’s nice that the village is quiet. I could stay longer than planned.”
Swallowing the jelly with a gulp-, I responded to Rubia’s comment.
“But Rubia, didn’t you say we didn’t have time…?”
That’s why I mapped out a risky and quick route and opted for horses instead of a carriage…
Uh-oh.
“Uh…?! R-Rubia! Where are our horses?!”
Come to think of it, I can’t see the horses…!
“Ah… they got eaten by a wolf. Poor things…”
The jelly I was holding dropped to the ground with a thud-.
“Eh…?”
I did forget, but… they… died…?!
N-No… um… sure, they were annoying and made me frustrated, but…
They didn’t deserve to die…
Even if I held the reins, they walked carefully.
They could understand me to some extent…
They even spat on me, but still…
I kind of felt like having a pet, and I thought I’d eventually warm up to them…
I felt a lump in my throat.
“Ugh, uh… d-died…?”
“Hehe-! Haha! Just kidding.”
“N-no…? A joke? Then they’re not dead?”
“Nope. They’re fine. I left them at the stable. I packed everything, so you don’t have to worry. They’re alive and well.”
“R-really…?”
“Yeah, we’ll go see them later.”
Phew… thank goodness…
Even though they were annoying, I still liked them for being able to carry us around, after all.
But… I don’t remember bringing them with us…?
Huh?
I didn’t hear any hoofbeats…
“But… I didn’t hear any hoofbeats on the way here… You’re not lying, right…? Like… you’re not saying that one horse is dead, and you brought another and told me they were the same horse, right…?”
Bad memories started surfacing, and I gripped Rubia’s hand tightly.
Once, I bought a chick for 500 won in front of a middle school.
One day, I noticed the sound of its chirp was oddly different, so I asked my mom if it was the same chick.
Mom kept insisting it was the same chick, but after my relentless questioning… she delivered a shocking fact.
The chick I had raised had died, and this was a new chick…
She did it secretly, so I wouldn’t be too sad about it, claiming it was an expensive chick, so it’d be healthy…
But still!
I had grown attached to it for a week…
I hadn’t even buried it myself…
Saying goodbye was never an option…
Ugh… I feel tears coming again.
So…
Wait…? It’s not like that, right, Rubia…?
Rubia fell silent for a moment before cautiously opening her mouth.
“…I gave it hoof protection boots. The hooves got damaged a lot.”
“Oooh…! So you put shoes on it! That means it’s truly alive, right? Let’s go see it together later!”
“Yeah. Okay. But Noah.”
Rubia’s voice suddenly turned somber.
“Yes…?”
“Um, this might be a bit sensitive to ask, but…”
Rubia tightened her grip on my hand.
“Is it true that you can’t feel your senses without the great sword?”
“Uh, uh… Huh…?”
I’ve been found out…!
Emergency!!!
Did she just figure it out because of what I said…?!
“No, um…”
Huh… But Rubia shared her secret.
Shouldn’t I do the same…?
“Umm…”
You know what? Just spill it.
I can trust Rubia…
I carefully leaned closer to Rubia and whispered as softly as I could.
“It’s true… Actually, without my great sword, I can’t feel anything.”
Then I loosened my hand just a bit and hooked my pinky with hers.
“So promise me… you won’t tell anyone. This is a secret even Hermila doesn’t know… It’s just between me and you, okay?”
Rubia didn’t respond for a moment.
“R-Rubia…?”
“Me and… Noah’s secret?”
“Yes.”
Rubia tightened her pinky around mine.
“Okay. So now we’ve become really close friends who share a secret?”
gasp…!
“R-really close friends…!”
“Hehe… Yes.”
My heart swelled…
“So, that’s why I asked earlier if you were okay with the lack of time?”
Rubia loosened her pinky and intertwined our fingers again.
“Yes, that’s why we rode the horses through the dangerous path.”
“Right… My original plan was to take at most ten days.”
“Then… we should hurry and set off!”
“It’s okay. Even if we’re a bit late… it should be fine.”
Rubia sighed, filled with hesitation.
“Hmm… Rubia said you were on the run, right?”
“Right…”
“So, are they coming back to ‘bring you home’ like the knights did last time?”
“…Yes.”
“What does Rubia want to do?”
I felt Rubia’s hair tickling my face as we were glued together.
Probably because she turned towards me.
“I… I still… don’t want to go back.”
“Is that so?”
“Yes… It’s just so pathetic, right?”
I shook my head.
“No, not at all. So, Rubia, can I help you?”
Should I save Rubia?
“How?”
“I’ll defeat the people who are trying to take you!”
“Are you going to do that, Noah…?”
“Do you think I won’t be able to?!”
With the hand that wasn’t holding hers, I patted my chest confidently.
“Those punks… I’ll take them all down!”
Because I’m…
Rubia’s pretty friend, an 8-year veteran of [Black Sun], ranked second in PVP!
I’ll take them all down!
“Punks… Haha! Hahaha! You called them punks?!”
“Of course! You don’t trust me…?!”
Rubia’s hand patted my head.
“I trust you. Of course I trust you. If not Noah, who else would I trust?”
“Right? So Rubia, just trust me and relax.”
“Yeah. Please, Noah. Protect me.”
“How long?”
Rubia, who had kept quiet for a moment, spoke with a radiant smile, even though I couldn’t see it.
“Forever.”
Until I die.
“Okay.”
I promise to protect you forever.
“Just trust me.”
I won’t let Rubia die.
By any means necessary.
