Chapter 58

…Truth is, I’m not completely oblivious.

I’ve just been pretending not to notice all this time….

‘This situation right now too…!’

We’re three seconds away from our lips crashing together!

‘Aaagh! This is way too fast!’

I shoved Lycian away with all my strength and shouted on reflex.

“Sit!!”

“…!”

Of all moments, the Husbandry effect chose then to activate, and Lycian’s body went rigid like a block of wood.

Eyes wide, he stiffly shuffled backward, then dropped to his knees on the floor.

And just stared up at me.

“…….”

“…….”

This… this is insane.

I wasn’t going to use that! It just came out before I could stop it!

That was when—

“Muriel….”

He called my name in a strangely heated voice, golden eyes sparkling.

‘W-what’s with him.’

I had a terrible feeling something unhinged was about to come out of his mouth….

Sure enough—

“That felt really good.”

“…….”

“Will you give me another command? Hmm? Master.”

I almost asked if he’d lost his mind, but that would’ve been stating the obvious, so I didn’t bother.

Pressing a hand to my throbbing forehead, I said,

“Lycian…. That was a mistake. Don’t just stay like that—get up….”

He had just opened his mouth to reply when—

Knock knock—

The sudden sound froze both of us.

I stared at the door, then exchanged a look with Lycian.

A voice followed.

“Miss Muriel? It’s Rozenic. I have something to deliver—would this be a good time?”

The timing was impeccable.

If someone saw us like this, it’d be a disaster. I hurriedly tried to haul Lycian to his feet.

“Get up! If someone sees, they’ll get the wrong idea!”

“The wrong idea…? Isn’t that exactly what it is?”

“What are you even saying!”

But Lycian didn’t budge.

And of course, the command effect didn’t activate this time.

“Get up!”

“Muriel, aren’t you getting a little too friendly with other people?”

“What are you talking about out of nowhere? I said get up!”

“Don’t tame anyone but me, Master.”

“I’m not taming anyone!”

I grabbed his arm and tried to pull him up, but he was immovable.

After struggling back and forth for a while, I finally gave up, panting, and headed for the door.

I couldn’t keep Rozenic waiting any longer.

“Whew….”

Letting out a long breath, I turned the handle and opened it.

Rozenic stood there waiting, holding two large boxes.

“Ah—!”

They looked heavy, and I suddenly felt guilty.

“I’m so sorry, Mr. Rozenic! Please, come in!”

“It’s quite all right, don’t worry about it! Then, excuse me.”

With a bright reply, Rozenic stepped over the threshold.

And the moment he spotted Lycian kneeling on the floor, he froze.

“…….”

“…….”

An awkward silence fell.

Rozenic nearly dropped the boxes before barely regaining his composure and asking, haltingly,

“Um… I-I’m not interrupting… an enjoyable moment between you two, am I…?”

“What? No—! Absolutely not!”

I had no idea what kind of misunderstanding had just formed.

Watching me wave my hands frantically, Rozenic laughed awkwardly.

“Don’t worry! I won’t tell anyone! The world is wide, and tastes are diverse…!”

It’s not like that!

At this point, I wanted to cry.

Rozenic walked to the table and set the boxes down with a heavy thud.

Judging by the sound, they were fairly weighty.

I edged closer and asked,

“What are these, Mr. Rozenic?”

“Guild member supplies! I should’ve delivered them sooner, but I was confirming the measurements, so it was delayed…!”

“Supplies…? May I open them?”

“Of course!”

At his permission, I opened one without hesitation.

Inside—

“…Clothes?”

The first thing I saw was a light ivory shirt.

I wasn’t sure what kind of fabric it was, but it felt incredibly soft and tightly woven.

And somehow, it was exactly my size.

Holding the shirt up against myself, I blinked in confusion.

“Um… did I ever give you my measurements?”

“Ah, that’s…!”

“I told them.”

At some point, Lycian had risen and come to stand beside me.

He slipped an arm naturally around my waist and shot Rozenic an unfriendly look.

Then he leaned slightly toward my ear and continued,

“They asked for the sizes for the supplies we’d be receiving. It was the night you were drunk, Muriel.”

“Oh….”

So that wasn’t long ago at all. Which meant this had been made surprisingly fast.

As if reading my thoughts, Rozenic explained,

“Clothing alterations are Allen’s responsibility. The crafting itself is done by artisans, of course. But Allen is both quick and skilled—he can finish altering a few sets of clothes in a day or two.”

“Wow, really…. So he altered pre-made garments?”

“Exactly. The shirt I’m wearing now was altered by Allen as well. Clean work, isn’t it?”

“Oh….”

To be that good at sewing—impressive.

Then why is Allen so lacking in confidence about his abilities?

Next time I see him, I’ll have to praise him properly. Honestly.

“Oh, and… our guild supplies have magical effects engraved on them.”

“Magical effects?”

“Yes. If you look inside the collar of that shirt….”

Following his words, I examined the inside of the collar and found a small, intricate magic circle.

“This?”

“Yes, that’s right! That shirt is enchanted to maintain cleanliness.”

“Wow, that’s amazing.”

At my sincere admiration, Rozenic puffed his shoulders proudly.

‘Enchanted items are expensive. And they’re just handing them out like this—truly a Ranker Guild.’

Lycian and I went through the rest of the supplies.

A hooded cape, leather boots, a belt with small pouches, trousers made from special fabric….

Items any dungeon-exploring adventurer would covet.

“Thank you so much, Mr. Rozenic! Could you pass along my gratitude to the Guild Master and everyone else as well?”

“Of course, I’ll let them know. These supplies are given to all our guild members, so please don’t feel too burdened!”

Feeling like I’d just received a gift, I beamed.

The people were kind, the guild benefits generous.

Joining the Veratis Guild really had been the right choice.

The next morning, Lycian and I planned out what we’d do for the day.

Then we went to find Dante.

‘He said to let him know in advance if we were going anywhere.’

Knock knock—

We arrived at the Guild Master’s office and knocked. A response came shortly after.

“Yes, come in.”

“Excuse us….”

I opened the door politely and stepped inside—and immediately saw Dante standing face-to-face with someone.

The person before him was turned away.

Long, dark-blue hair braided into three strands, dressed in black.

‘Who is that…?’

Curiosity piqued, I edged closer.

Dante smiled at me.

“Perfect timing, Miss Muriel. I was planning to introduce you sometime today anyway.”

“Yes, and this is…?”

No sooner had I asked than the person slowly turned their head toward me.

The moment their face came into view, I froze in shock, eyes flying wide.

A face pale as the moon. Sharp, deep-set features.

And between them—amethyst eyes.

‘They look exactly like Dante…?!’

My lips parted, and before I could stop myself, the words slipped out.

“Twins…?”

Dante burst into laughter.

After laughing for quite some time, he wiped at the tears gathering at the corners of his eyes and said,

“As if. My older sister is already dead. And we weren’t twins.”

“Th-then…?”

As I stammered in confusion, Lycian stepped up beside me, indifferent.

“Bad taste.”

At his blunt remark, Dante’s eyes flashed sharply for a split second.

But soon he rolled them and gave a mocking smile, gesturing to the person who looked exactly like him.

“You said you were curious before, didn’t you? About my magic doll.”

“…What? Then….”

“This is the one. Her name is Rena.”

As Dante finished speaking, the person—no, the doll—stared at me silently.

With deep, gleaming violet eyes that were impossible to believe belonged to something without life.