CJRD CH 09

Chapter 09

“Hm. I wonder what you’re thinking about so deeply, not answering like that. You look surprised—almost like you know who I am.”

Basago whispered softly, then smiled.

His dark, sharp eyes curved like they were painted with eyeliner, and his red lips formed a perfect arc.

The smile was so beautiful it almost made me dizzy.

At the same time, I got chills from his words—as if he had looked inside my mind.

“Just joking. Don’t worry. I’m just a wanderer. I travel from town to town, sharing stories to make a living. Oh, and I read fortunes too.”

He brought his thumb and index finger together as he spoke.

Clink—

The soft sound of metal rang again. It was the same noise I’d heard earlier—his gold bracelets clinking together.

‘What kind of wanderer wears gold bracelets?!’

Wasn’t he supposed to be hiding his identity?

I opened my mouth to say something but closed it quickly.

I didn’t want to accidentally offend him by asking about the bracelets.

Basago watched me quietly and raised one corner of his lips.

“So, don’t be scared. I’m not a bad person. I just came because I wanted to get to know you.”

“Me?”

“Yes. We met before, remember?”

He stuck out his red, pointed tongue slightly through his smile.

His tongue slowly ran over his upper lip.

And when I swallowed nervously—

Gulp.

He pulled his tongue back into his mouth.

“I saw someone looking our way at the inn that day. That was you, right?”

“Yes, it was. Our eyes met.”

“I thought it was just my imagination… but I guess not.”

His red eyes stared deeply into mine.

I didn’t know if I felt afraid or just overwhelmed—but my chest felt tight.

I avoided his gaze and grabbed my elbow, taking a small step back.

“But… Why do you want to get close to me? We only made brief eye contact.”

“Well, when I saw you and Estelle at the inn, I became curious.”

When I stepped back, Basago took a step forward.

He reached out and gently grabbed my hand that was holding my elbow.

‘Cold…!’

Even though it was a warm spring day, his hand was cold like snow in winter.

He moved my hand, releasing my grip.

Then he gently ran his fingers from my elbow to my wrist.

His hand slid down and held my palm.

He pulled my hand slightly, and I lost my balance.

He quickly caught my waist to steady me.

“Estelle and the kids you take care of like my stories. So I’ll come tell you more. Let’s meet together often—with Estelle too.”

I looked up in shock, and his gorgeous face was right in front of mine.

He smiled again, then brought my hand to his lips.

Smooch—

He kissed the back of my hand while looking at me with those intense red eyes.

Startled, I yanked my hand back and stumbled away.

“You’re much more cautious than other humans. How refreshing. How fun. Then, until next time.”

He chuckled low and pulled his hood back up, nodded politely, and walked away the way he came.

Huff, huff…

Once he was out of sight, I finally let out the breath I didn’t know I was holding.

‘I survived.’

I felt relieved.

Luckily, he still seemed interested in me.

But…

‘I really don’t want to see him again!’

I didn’t want another meeting with him.

What if he gets bored next time and decides to kill me?

Estelle still has years to grow up!

‘Right. I’ll make a charm with things demons hate and have Estelle carry it everywhere.’

I should carry one too.

But what do demons hate again?

Salt? Garlic? Silver?

I don’t know. At least one of those should work. I’ll just include all three to be safe.

With that thought, I snapped back to reality.

“Kids! Time to head back to school! Let’s gather up!”

The kids came running at my call.

“Teacher! I think that guy took off his hood. Did you see his face?”

“He wouldn’t show us, even when we asked!”

“How was it?”

“Quiet! That’s enough questions. Since we’re all here, let’s get going.”

As I led the kids, I made a mental note.

First, I’ll grab some salt. That should be easy to get.

I’ll open the kitchen drawer as soon as I get home.

****

Later that evening, as the sunset faded into darkness…

“I’m back.”

“Welcome home, Estelle.”

Estelle returned from the library.

I quickly stuffed the charm pouch I was making into my apron pocket and greeted her.

****

Intelligence: 68 (+8)

****

Her intelligence stat had been steadily increasing. It was the result of her recent library visits and consistent studying.

Feeling proud, I smiled warmly.

“You haven’t eaten yet, right? Go wash your hands.”

“Okay.”

Estelle nodded and headed toward the bathroom.

But suddenly, she stopped and turned to ask me a question.

“Oh, right. Miss Morris—didn’t you meet Basago today?”

Her question made me freeze for a moment.

‘That’s odd. Why is she calling him by name like they’re close?’

A strange sense of unease crept over me.

Were Estelle and Basago… already close?

Honestly, Basago was the kind of character who could help raise her stats because of how knowledgeable he was.

But the reason I wanted to avoid him wasn’t just because of bad endings.

It was because he’s a demon.

This country is deeply tied to the temple.

To become emperor, someone has to receive a prayer from a cardinal and awaken a sacred mark.

But demons are seen as evil—opposites of the temple’s holy power.

Spending time with a demon lowers not only your Faith stat but also your Morality stat.

In short, being with Basago makes the Emperor Ending harder to reach.

That’s why I even made a charm to keep him away from Estelle…!

Pushing away the bad feeling, I nodded.

“Good thing you already met him. I was going to mention something, so this makes it easier.”

Estelle, unaware of my thoughts, smiled and headed into the bathroom.

‘How are they already so close?!’

Watching her go, I felt nothing but despair.

****

A little later…

I couldn’t even tell if the food was going into my mouth or my nose.

I had no idea what Estelle was going to say about Basago.

Fear and nervousness twisted my stomach.

I kept sneaking glances at Estelle, fidgeting like I was sitting on pins and needles.

“Miss Morris, are you feeling sick?”

“Huh? Oh, no, I’m fine.”

I quickly shook my head and waved her off to keep eating.

…Wait, was she worried about me? Did she just ask if I was sick?

‘So sweet…!’

I was so touched, I covered my mouth and looked at Estelle with teary eyes.

“…”

“Ahem.”

Judging by Estelle’s cold stare, I guess my expression was a bit too much.

Feeling embarrassed, I cleared my throat and quickly picked up my spoon again like nothing happened.

Just then, Estelle spoke.

“You said earlier that you had something to say about Basago. I was thinking I should tell you now.”

Cough, cough!

The second she said “Basago,” I choked on my soup.

The soup had gone down the wrong pipe, and the sharp pain in my throat made my eyes water.

I drank some water to calm down.

“You okay?”

“Y-Yeah, totally! So, what were you going to say?”

I tried to look calm and forced a smile.

But in truth, my heart was pounding.

I had no idea what she was about to say.

Honestly, I didn’t even want to hear it.

No—what I really hoped was that she wouldn’t say anything.

‘If… If she says she wants to do something with Basago… then I…’

Then I would live every day in fear of bad endings and constant anxiety about survival.

So please, just don’t say it…

“I’m thinking of learning from Basago.”

…And yet, she said it.

Right out of her mouth.

Just like that.