Chapter 20

In the lobby was wrapped in suffocating silence as every gaze turned toward us.

Lycian, his expression murderous. James, trembling violently with his wrist caught in his grip.

I stared at Lycian, a strange feeling settling in my chest.

It was the first time I had ever seen him this angry. Then again, of course it was—around me, Lycian was always gentle. Sweet.

With that glacially cold face and razor-sharp eyes… he looked like someone else entirely.

“W‑What the hell are you?”

James’ voice, stiff with shock, burst out at last.

Lycian twisted his wrist harder.

Crack.

“Aaagh! Y‑You’re insane!”

Cold sweat streamed down James’ contorted face.

Lycian was staring at him as if he meant to kill him on the spot.

“How dare you….”

“Ghk—!”

“Do you even know who you were about to hit?”

Whether from the pain of his twisted wrist or sheer terror, hiccuping groans kept slipping from James’ mouth. His face had gone deathly pale.

“W‑Why are you doing this?! Hk—!”

“You’re asking because you really don’t know?”

Lycian released his wrist abruptly—only to lift his leg and drive his foot into James’ stomach.

Bang!

James crashed backward, chair and all, and slammed hard against the floor.

Even as the situation spiraled out of control, not a single person stepped forward to intervene. Somewhere, someone clicked their tongue. I pricked up my ears at the words that followed.

“That bastard James—I knew he’d cause a scene one of these days. Always running around picking fights….”

I see. With his usual behavior, it seemed no one felt inclined to take his side.

“Argh!”

James screamed as Lycian’s foot came down on his fingers.

Crunch. The unmistakable sound of something breaking.

“Aaaagh! M‑My hand!”

“If you’re going to swing your fists without thinking, wouldn’t it be better not to have hands like that at all?”

James writhed beneath Lycian’s foot, trying desperately to pull his hand free. It didn’t look easy.

After struggling for a long while, tears finally began streaming down his face.

Only then did Lycian lift his foot, a faint sneer tugging at his lips. James staggered, trying to push himself up.

Lycian planted his foot on his shoulder, pinning him down again, and spoke in a tone so cold it sent chills down my spine.

“Why are you whining? It’s only a few broken bones. I’m still debating whether I should break the rest.”

That did it. As if something inside him snapped, James burst into sobs.

“I‑I was wrong! Please…! Stop!”

“Do you even know what you did wrong?”

Lycian lifted his foot again, as if to crush his other wrist.

“W‑Wait! Sir! Please calm down!”

At last, the inn employee, Willy, rushed in to intervene.

I also decided it was enough. I stepped closer and gently slipped my arms around his.

He flinched—just slightly—and lowered his foot, turning to look at me. I gave him a faint smile and whispered softly.

“That’s enough. It’s okay. Thank you.”

“…….”

His eyes trembled for a brief second. Complicated thoughts flickered across them in quick succession.

Then he let out a low sigh and wrapped an arm around my shoulders, stepping back.

“Apologize properly.”

“That’s right! Apologize like you mean it!”

As Lycian commanded in a frigid voice, Willy chimed in eagerly.

James, who had been sprawled on the floor groaning, tried to push himself up. Lycian gave another order.

“On your knees.”

“…….”

James looked aggrieved, as if he couldn’t understand what he’d done to deserve this—but he obeyed. He pressed both knees to the floor.

In that position, he glanced up at me and muttered,

“I’m sorry….”

I pointed at Willy.

“Apologize to him, too. Why are you acting like a thug toward someone who did nothing wrong?”

James clenched his fists so tightly his knuckles turned white, trembling as if his pride wouldn’t allow it.

But under Lycian’s chilling stare, he flinched—and grudgingly spat out,

“S‑Sorry, Willy….”

“If this happens again, I’ll report you to your guild, James! Let’s see how that goes for you!”

Willy barked the warning loudly. James’ face flushed red with fury. He looked like he wanted to protest—but in the end, he said nothing.

And just like that, it was over.

No one helped James as he staggered out of the inn. They only watched his retreating back with disdain, clicking their tongues.

“Whew, that took ten years off my life. Honestly, it’s not the first time he’s pulled something like this. You really saved us—thank you.”

Hearing that it hadn’t been a one-time thing left me speechless. Maybe I should’ve let Lycian beat him a little longer.

“Anyway! What will you two do about the room? Other inns are probably in the same situation, so why not just stay here? I’ll take good care of you!”

As if nothing awkward had happened at all, Willy spoke brightly. He really did seem to bounce back quickly.

It wasn’t exactly my fault, but since we had caused a commotion, it felt awkward to just leave. I turned to suggest we stay—

But Lycian spoke first.

“I found another inn with two single rooms left, but the hygiene wasn’t great. What do you want to do, Muriel?”

“…How bad are we talking?”

“Well. A lot of dust. And a few cockroaches roaming around.”

“There are no cockroaches in our inn! We clean thoroughly every day!”

Willy jumped in immediately, assuring us with confidence.

To be fair, the lobby alone was indeed spotless, and I hadn’t seen a single bug.

And I absolutely did not want to sleep in a room with cockroaches. What if one dropped from the ceiling while I was asleep? Actual nightmare fuel.

‘I’m more scared of cockroaches than ghosts.’

Decision made, I turned to Lycian.

“Let’s just stay here. I’d rather it be clean.”

“Alright.”

So we rented one double room and went up to the third floor. The room was spotless, with two beds and an attached bathroom.

Lycian set the sack of flour down in the corner, then turned to me.

“You go wash first. Here—change of clothes.”

He pulled out a fresh set from the backpack and handed it to me, smiling softly. His warm demeanor and gentle gaze were nothing like the man from earlier.

As I took the clothes, I tossed out a casual remark,

“You’re kind of scary when you’re angry. I almost thought you were someone else.”

“…Earlier, I couldn’t see anything.”

He hesitated, watching my reaction, then let out a deep sigh.

“That bastard almost hurt you, Muriel. Someone like that… I should’ve cut his wrist off.”

It didn’t sound like an exaggeration. He meant it.

For someone with such a pretty face, was he actually that aggressive?

Considering how easily he’d crushed James’ hand… there was definitely a ruthless side to him.

‘…Still, he got angry for me.’

If it hadn’t been for Lycian, I definitely would’ve been the one getting beaten.

I spoke again, more sincerely this time.

“Thank you, Lycian.”

“…You’re not disappointed in me?”

“Huh?”

“For being too… violent.”

The way he looked now—shoulders slightly slumped—felt worlds apart from the man who had radiated fury earlier.

But this was the Lycian I knew. The one who constantly watched my expression, who tried to care for me in quiet, attentive ways. The one who always lowered himself to help.

‘…Sometimes I wonder.’

If he were freed from the Husbandry skill, would he still be kind to me? Devoted?

Or was this tenderness he showed me nothing more than an illusion—something that could vanish like foam one day?

‘…No way to know right now.’

Worrying ahead of time would only give me a headache, so I pushed the thought away.

But I couldn’t ignore the warning bell ringing faintly in one corner of my heart.

—Don’t give your heart away and end up hurt for nothing.

I forced a casual tone as I walked toward the bathroom.

“Why would I be disappointed? Don’t worry about that. I’m really grateful to you.”

Then I stepped inside and locked the door.

“…….”

From beyond the closed door, I heard no reply from Lycian.