Chapter 19
How much time had passed?
The frantic pounding of my heart gradually steadied.
The trembling left my body. My breathing eased.
I let out a long breath and finally lifted my head from Lycian’s chest.
He was staring down at me, his eyes unreadable.
‘Ah….’
Only then did my mind clear. I parted my lips awkwardly. How was I supposed to explain this?
As I scrambled to piece together an excuse, Lycian smiled faintly.
“Are you feeling better now? You look a lot better than before.”
I’d been staring at him blankly and answered a beat too late.
“Yeah… I think I’m okay.”
“We can’t stay here forever. Let’s find somewhere else. Should I check if there’s a decent inn nearby?”
“…Yeah. Let’s.”
Because he didn’t ask anything, I found myself momentarily confused. Wasn’t he curious why I’d suddenly hidden like that?
Then it hit me. He was pretending not to know—on purpose. Out of consideration for me.
“……”
“Muriel, take my hand.”
With a backpack and a burlap sack slung over one shoulder, he held out his free hand.
I stared at it for a moment before quietly placing mine in his. As before, Lycian slid his fingers between mine and laced them together firmly.
It felt different this time. Before, it had been nothing but flustering and embarrassing. But now—
“That man seems to be gone. Don’t worry.”
“…!”
I flinched at his words. Lycian glanced back at me and smiled softly.
There was no mistaking it. It was a smile meant to reassure me.
‘He knows who I was hiding from?’
The question lodged in my throat like rough sandpaper, never making it out.
I walked a step behind him, watching his back lit by the fading light.
Not long after, we arrived in front of a neat-looking three-story building.
A sign caught my eye.
Pigeon’s Nest Inn. Travelers Welcome!
Of all birds—why a pigeon? I was still wondering that when Lycian opened the door and stepped inside first.
“Welcome~!”
A staff member who had just spotted us stopped wiping down a table and greeted us in a bright voice.
The first floor, visible as soon as you entered, seemed to serve as both lobby and dining hall.
“There are a lot of people….”
“Yeah.”
The boisterous atmosphere, voices rising over one another, made me shrink a little. But with him beside me, I didn’t feel overly afraid.
“Hello there, you must be traveling?”
As we approached the counter, a boy who looked about seventeen flashed us a playful smile.
His face was dotted with freckles, his hair a bright red, and he had a lean, wiry build.
After exchanging a glance with Lycian, I nodded.
“Yes, could we rent two rooms?”
“Two? I thought you were newlyweds.”
“…No.”
“Oh, siblings then? Haha, sorry! You two just look so good together, I couldn’t help it!”
Every time someone made that mistake, my face burned hot with embarrassment. I fanned myself with my hand and continued, eyes darting away.
“We’ll take two single rooms. No need for meals….”
“Ha ha, yes! Just a moment.”
The boy pulled out what looked like a ledger from a drawer and flipped through it quickly. Then his expression faltered, and he hesitated.
“Um, guests… what should we do? All the single rooms are taken… We only have one double room left….”
“…Excuse me?”
“It’ll probably be the same elsewhere. It’s festival season, so there are lots of travelers. You two are… siblings, right? If it’s not too uncomfortable, how about staying here? We’re the best inn in town.”
“……”
Leaving the boy fidgeting anxiously, I turned to look at Lycian. When our eyes met, he added an awkward smile.
I was debating what to do when Lycian wrapped an arm around my shoulders and led me to a nearby table. He pulled out a chair and sat me down.
“You’re tired, right? Wait here for a moment. I’ll check what the other inns are like and be right back.”
“What? No! It’s not like it’s just one or two inns—you don’t need to go to that trouble—”
“It’s fine. Don’t worry about it. Just stay here.”
He pressed down gently on my shoulders when I tried to stand, making me sit again, then walked over to the boy and said something to him. It sounded like he was asking him to keep an eye on me.
The boy nodded enthusiastically, then clenched a fist and thumped his chest as if to say leave it to me.
With a small chuckle, Lycian shot me a glance and walked past the lobby, out the door.
I stared blankly at the closed door, then turned at the sound of hurried footsteps.
The freckled boy was standing beside me. When our eyes met, he grinned.
“Here, have some warm tea and bread. It’s on the house, so don’t feel pressured!”
“Oh… Thank you.”
“Ha ha, it’s nothing.”
“Hey, Willy! Take our order over here!”
“Yeees! Coming!”
Called from another table, the boy gave me a quick bow and dashed off. The quickness of his movements reminded me of a squirrel.
‘What a genuinely nice kid.’
I watched his retreating figure as I sipped the warm tea. It was sweet—maybe he’d added a bit of honey.
I tore off small pieces of the soft bread, nibbling slowly. I’d drained about half my cup when—
A tall shadow slid into the seat across from me with a thud.
Startled, I looked up, eyes widening.
He looked to be in his mid-twenties, with the sleazy air of a street thug.
“Hey, miss. You alone? Wanna grab a drink with me?”
“……”
The sheer absurdity of his sleazy line left me speechless. I stared at him, dumbfounded.
Even under my sharp glare, he carried on without shame.
“Got a boyfriend? If not, how about getting to know me starting today? I may not look it, but….”
He prattled on about how capable he was, how much money he had—things I had absolutely no interest in knowing.
From what I could gather, he belonged to an adventurer’s guild focused on dungeon raids.
His greasy tone and blatant swagger made my stomach churn. I rolled my eyes.
‘Time to send him off.’
I’d just opened my mouth to tell him to get lost—politely—when—
“Hey! Mr. James! What do you think you’re doing to our guest?”
The inn worker, Willy, rushed over and scolded him.
James scowled at Willy and barked loudly.
“Hey! Willy! I’m a customer too, aren’t I? I’m just trying to get friendly with a fellow guest—”
“Friendly? You’re the only one bothering her! Stop this and go somewhere else! Now!”
“What, you little—”
When Willy grabbed his shoulder to haul him up, James slammed his fist down on the table—BAM!—and shot to his feet.
He’d looked big even sitting down, but standing, he was massive. Next to him, the relatively small Willy looked like he’d topple over with a single shove.
“Who the hell are you to interfere? You’ve barely got milk off your lips and you—!”
“This guest isn’t alone! She’s waiting for someone she came with!”
At Willy’s shout, James froze. Then he frowned and looked at me.
“What…? If you’ve got a man, you should’ve said so!”
“……”
At his outraged accusation, I twisted one corner of my mouth in a cold smirk.
What kind of piece of shit is this?
From my pocket, the hidden spirit’s voice echoed in my head.
—Master, want me to beat the crap out of him?
‘…Wait a second.’
There was no need to draw attention by using a spirit’s power.
He should be here any moment now.
“Forget her—hey, Willy! You and I need a talk! I’ll straighten that attitude of yours right out!”
“What? Who’s straightening whose attitude? How about you fix your own habit of clinging to women who tell you no all day!”
“You little bastard!”
“…!”
James raised his hand high, as if to slap Willy.
Clatter! I shoved back my chair and sprang to my feet, hurling the teacup in my hand straight at James.
It struck him square in the forehead before dropping to the floor.
Crash!
The shattered ceramic exploded in all directions with a sharp clang.
James stood frozen for a moment. Then his eyes turned vicious as he glared at me.
“You wanna die?!”
He swung his hand toward my face, rage blazing blue in his eyes—
“You’re the one… are you that desperate to die?”
The person I’d been waiting for arrived at the perfect moment.
He caught James’s wrist and murmured coldly.
At the sound of his voice—so frigid it seemed to freeze the air itself—the once-rowdy inn fell abruptly silent.