[CHAPTER 73]
“……?”
The one who stepped forward and blocked the space between Sylphid and me was Sian.
Sylphid’s brows furrowed.
“What is it?”
“……”
Even at the confrontational question, Sian merely looked down at him without a word.
He did not answer.
“I asked what it is.”
It was when Sylphid, growing impatient, questioned him again.
The previously expressionless Sian suddenly curved his lips into a smile.
His mouth, drawing a gentle arc, slowly opened.
“I believe it would be best for us to depart soon.”
It was an exceedingly polite voice.
It almost sounded gentle at a glance.
The atmosphere completely changed from when he told him to let go.
Flustered, I looked up at Sian, but he did not spare me a single glance and kept his eyes fixed solely on Sylphid.
“Yeah, yeah. Let’s get going already.”
Ifrit hurriedly stepped in, wrapping an arm around Sylphid’s shoulder and guiding him toward the carriage.
He seemed to be trying to prevent the situation from turning hostile again.
“We’ll talk again later.”
Even as he was dragged away by Ifrit, Sylphid kept looking back at me, unable to let go of the contract idea until the very end.
I said I’m not doing it.
Just minutes ago he had been antagonizing me without reason, yet now this.
Shaking my head inwardly at how incorrigible he was, I moved to step forward.
No, I tried to.
If Sian, who was still standing in front of me, had not blocked my path again, I would have.
Sian looked down at me with the same expressionless face as before.
“What is it?”
“Will you do it?”
It was a question missing all the important details, but I understood immediately what he meant.
But why was Sian curious about that?
“I won’t. Why would I make a contract with a demon?”
Before?
Ah…
The question quickly settled, because something came to mind.
He must have been talking about when I tried to make a contract with Ratia.
“That situation was different. Back then, that was the only way. To go to ‘Leaf’s Kitchen’ and meet the related people…”
“…If there comes a time again when you think the only option is a contract with a spirit, will you do it then?”
Why was he nitpicking my words like this?
The repeated questions and probing were starting to irritate me.
It did not even seem like such an important issue, so why was he digging into it so thoroughly?
“Probably.”
I answered curtly.
My gaze remained on Sian.
His complexion still looks bad…
His body may have recovered, but since it had not been long since he rose from his sickbed, his face could hardly be called healthy.
The shadows under his eyes were dark, and he seemed thinner than before.
My gaze slowly drifted downward from where our eyes met.
From his eyes to his nose, from his nose to his cheeks, from his cheeks to his lips.
As my scrutiny reached Sian’s lips, my mind snapped back to reality.
Did Sian remember that I had kissed him?
Judging by his reaction earlier, it seemed like he did.
I bit down on my lower lip.
Even after living through so many repeated lives and experiencing all sorts of things, I could swear I had never once secretly kissed someone on the lips.
Of course, there had been unavoidable reasons for that moment…
If Sian remembered, what should I say?
Should I apologize first?
But it was to save him… artificial respiration, yes, artificial respiration.
In the end, I saved Sian, so it was no different from artificial respiration.
That was how I reasoned it out.
Still, the justification of the act and the embarrassment I felt were two entirely separate issues.
If Sian remembered it, I might die of mortification.
“Jerena.”
“I, um… I’ll be going now.”
Before Sian could say anything, I quickly cut him off and moved away.
“I’ll return it soon.”
I added it just in case he might worry, but it seemed Sian did not quite hear me.
Leaving him behind, I spoke to Noah.
“I’ll step away for a moment.”
“Where are you going?”
“Just up ahead. I’ll be back soon.”
Perhaps because he thought it would take some time to gather the group and move anyway, Noah only told me not to go too far and said nothing more.
I really did return quickly.
The city wall was not that far from here, and bringing Sian’s brooch with me made it easy to accomplish my purpose.
When I came back, my arms were full of several wine bottles.
“You said you’d be gone for a bit, so I wondered where you went. You went to buy alcohol?”
“It’s not alcohol.”
At my casual reply, Sylphid stared at me intently.
His look clearly said, then what is that in your hands, holy water or something?
“I got some supply lemon juice from the soldiers guarding the wall. Sour things help with motion sickness.”
I deliberately lifted the clinking wine bottle.
“Really?”
“Yes. Though spirits who never get motion sickness wouldn’t know.”
Sylphid looked doubtful, but he did not stop me.
I handed out the bottles to the companions who were still crawling on the ground.
“It should help with the nausea.”
“Th, thank you…”
“Ugh… I finally feel like I can live again.”
They accepted the bottles as if they were life-saving elixirs and gulped them down frantically.
Jahar Knox, who seemed to regain his senses after drinking the juice, brushed his hair back.
I turned my gaze from Jahar to Sian.
“Sir Sian, you seem relatively fine.”
Sian, who was pouring lemon juice into his mouth, nodded.
“This much is… manageable. When you hunt monsters regularly, there are plenty of times you’re riding on top of them while they thrash around.”
I glanced at the spirits, worried they might take offense, but they did not seem bothered.
Relieved, a sense of doubt suddenly crept over me.
How had I ended up stuck between humans and spirits like this, constantly watching my words?
Having lived twelve lives, excluding the Spirit Kings… no, perhaps I had lived even longer than the Spirit Kings themselves.
Swallowing a sigh at my strange fate, I turned my head.
Just then, they arrived.
“We have come to escort you.”
I was not surprised.
After all, they had come because I showed Sian’s brooch to the knights at the wall.
Still, being told by unfamiliar people that they were here to escort us was understandably confusing.
Questioning looks appeared on the faces of all but a few.
“Who are they?”
Ifrit whispered to me while I remained calm.
“They’re from the Temple.”
“Ah…”
From the start, there were two reasons I had taken the Temple Knight brooch from Sian.
One was to easily obtain lemon juice, and the other was precisely to summon them.
So this much was within expectations.
By using Sian’s brooch to announce our arrival, I planned to send Seria, the priests, Sian, and the rest of the Temple-related group back to the Temple.
Of course, I had no intention of going with them.
There’s nothing good about constantly being seen by priests. It’s better to avoid the Temple people whenever possible.
After that, I would spend time with the remaining companions until we met the World Tree, sorting out my thoughts…
And I’d be able to整理 my feelings toward Sian on my own.
No matter how I thought about it, sticking together was clearly what caused problems.
I nodded to myself and silently praised my own good judgment.
However, when the man standing at the very front opened his mouth, I could not help but be taken aback by what he said.
“You must have gone through much hardship on your long journey, Your Excellency.”
