[CHAPTER 61]
Kiiiiiik!
The moment Noah finished speaking, a bizarre sound rang sharply by their ears.
It was such a loud, monstrous shriek that it was difficult to tell which direction it had come from.
“What was that?!”
Startled, Ratia covered her ears.
Theo also looked up at the sky with a frightened expression, and tension showed clearly on the others’ faces as well.
“A monster?”
“No, perhaps a dungeon entrance has opened.”
Sian spoke as he placed his hand on the hilt of his sword.
“Dungeon entrances do open frequently these days, but this feels different.”
“From what I can sense, one creature…… at most three.”
Noah waved his hand lightly, as if reassuring the group.
Sian asked him calmly.
“If you can tell the number from this distance, can you also tell what rank of monster it is?”
“Unfortunately, no.”
“Spirits and monsters are natural opposites.”
“If we were closer, maybe.”
“At this distance, the most I can tell is the number.”
“I see……”
“Let’s split up and search.”
“That’ll be the fastest.”
As if organizing the situation, Noah spoke and lightly leapt onto the horse he had ridden in on.
The one who voiced concern toward him was none other than Ifrit.
“Split up?”
“Isn’t that too dangerous?”
“Who here would be in danger from a single monster?”
“I’ll take care of Theo.”
“And if you’re really worried, you can take Ratia with you.”
“No, it’s not Ratia I’m worried about……”
Ah, he’s worried about me?
Perhaps having the same thought, an incredulous expression briefly crossed Noah’s face before disappearing.
“Ifrit, did you forget?”
“……Ah.”
He’s the Demon King.
The question had left out all the important words, but Ifrit and I understood.
Having realized it, Ifrit let out a short sound.
The only ones who failed to grasp the meaning behind Noah’s words were the humans.
Sian stepped forward.
“I cannot allow Jerena to go alone.”
“She will come with me.”
“Please do not worry.”
“It would be faster if everyone went alone.”
“Faster is meaningless if it puts someone in danger.”
At Sian’s firm words, Noah closed his mouth.
His expression suggested that there was no way to persuade Sian as long as he did not know that I was the Demon King.
“Then I’ll also—”
“No.”
“You’re coming with me.”
“Why me……?”
“Theo seems to have grown attached to you.”
“Help me out.”
“There are a few things I want to ask you too.”
“Hey, that’s fine, right?”
Jahar tried to casually join our group but was stopped by Noah.
For some reason, Noah asked Sian before taking Jahar along, as if seeking permission.
Sian looked puzzled for a moment, as though thinking, *Why are you asking me?*, but soon nodded without much thought.
Contrary to Noah’s original plan of everyone splitting up, the groups ended up being Sian and me, Ifrit and Ratia, Noah and Jahar, with Theo joining them.
“Even if you get lost, come back here.”
Before separating, Noah inscribed an earth mark onto each of our hands.
It was a thoughtful precaution in case anyone lost their way.
With the earth marks engraved on our hands, we finally split up.
“We’ll go this way.”
“Then we’ll head this way.”
Noah and Jahar left in one direction, and Ifrit and Ratia in another, leaving only Sian and me behind.
I couldn’t remember the last time we had been left alone like this.
We were always with Jahar, or Ratia, or everyone together.
The atmosphere felt awkward somehow.
I scratched the back of my neck sheepishly when—
“Jerena.”
Sian’s voice called out.
When I turned, he was standing below, holding the reins of the horse and looking up at me.
“Please get on.”
“We should be going as well.”
Together?
“I can ride too.”
“It would be better for the horses if we rode separately…….”
I hurriedly tried to prove that I could ride alone while looking around.
We came with four horses.
Sian, Noah, Ifrit, and Seria had each ridden one.
Noah had left with Theo on one, Jahar had taken one, and Ifrit and Ratia had taken one…… which meant……
There’s only one left, damn it.
Until I confirmed that only one horse remained, Sian waited without urging me even once.
I quickly gave in and stepped toward him.
I could mount on my own, but since Sian had clearly been waiting to help me, I decided to rely on him.
Holding onto Sian’s hand, I climbed onto the horse.
I didn’t look back, but I felt him mount behind me immediately after.
My back straightened instinctively with a strange tension.
It wasn’t that I disliked riding with him.
It was just that……
It’s been itching since earlier.
Ever since Sian had taken my side during that small argument with Seria, my heart had felt strangely restless whenever I looked at him.
Seeing him was bad enough, so riding pressed together on the same horse was unbearable.
I bit down on my lower lip.
I couldn’t stay still.
At first, I thought I was just happy and satisfied that Sian had taken my side.
But it was different.
It wasn’t just relief or reassurance……
The fluttering wouldn’t go away.
If he even entered the corner of my vision, or if his voice brushed my ear, my heart started pounding wildly.
Only then did I realize why seeing Sian and Seria together at the night market had made me feel so awful.
Why I had felt so hurt.
Why I had been so anxious ever since learning that Seria intended to harm him.
I knew what this feeling was.
Honestly, there was no way I wouldn’t.
I’m not that young.
……And that was exactly the problem.
This is insane.
I had lost my magic, couldn’t meet the World Tree, and had reunited with Seria of all people, yet here I was feeling flustered and excited.
And Sian was……
“Jerena, are you very uncomfortable?”
“What?”
Sian’s voice interrupted my thoughts.
When I turned my head in surprise, his face was right there.
“Your body seems rather tense……”
His words trailed off, and his calm expression instantly filled with confusion.
“……Jerena, your blood……”
The hand holding the reins moved toward my face.
“Blood?”
“Please don’t speak.”
His hand gently cupped my chin, and his thumb lightly pressed against my lower lip.
Only then did I feel a stinging pain.
Ah, my lip.
I must have bitten and picked at it without realizing, because it was bleeding now.
I looked at Sian with flustered eyes.
“Using holy power…… wouldn’t be possible, would it?”
“…No, probably not.”
He seemed to recall how I had collapsed after receiving his holy power before.
Honestly, just thinking about that time made me……
After staring at my lips briefly, Sian pulled out a handkerchief and pressed it gently against them.
He carries something like this?
“Sir Sian.”
“The wound will reopen.”
“There’s something I want to ask.”
It seemed like he meant for me to stay silent, but I ignored it.
“Why did you say you’d go with me?”
“Wouldn’t it have been more efficient to split up to find Seria?”
“…Because it’s dangerous, of course……”
“Were you worried about me?”
“Is that not allowed?”
“You know that I’m……”
A Demon King.
I swallowed the words before they reached my throat.
“You know that I’m a demon.”
“Does that matter?”
“Monsters don’t attack demons.”
“They recognize us as kin.”
“So why……”
I inhaled sharply, my words trailing off naturally.
“Why were you worried about me?”
It was common knowledge that monsters did not attack demons.
However, that did not mean demons were never attacked.
If a monster sensed that its opponent was weaker, it would still strike.
Like demons, monsters could not tolerate something weaker standing above them.
The reason monsters were said not to attack demons was because demons were generally stronger than monsters.
Did Sian know that much?
I looked at him, struggling to hide my trembling heart.
Soon, his lips parted.
