Chapter 16
“Y-Your Grace!”
Hearing the shout, they turned around.
The innkeeper had suddenly rushed into the room.
“…What is it?”
Edward looked up with cold, annoyed eyes.
“T-They say… a monster has appeared nearby!”
The moment Lucy heard the word monster, her stomach turned cold, as if she had swallowed a block of ice.
Her heart, which had only just calmed down, began pounding again.
‘Right… This world also has monsters.’
It was an obvious fact, but it hit her all over again.
Just like monsters had existed in her previous life before she possessed this body.
“Help me! Please! I don’t want to die!”
“S-save… m-me… Agh!”
The screams of people dying echoed in her ears.
She remembered the monster that had broken into the shelter and torn people apart.
She also remembered the collapsing rubble that had buried her.
“…Ah.”
Lucy quietly curled her cold fingers into a fist to hide their trembling.
‘Calm down. That’s all in the past.’
Besides, unlike her previous life where ordinary people had desperately formed volunteer defense groups…
This world had someone who could defeat monsters.
The Dragon Incarnation.
“I’ll go now.”
Even while giving off an icy aura, Edward slowly released her face.
Without a moment’s hesitation, he quickly put his armor back on.
Lucy walked up to him.
“Your Grace, I…”
“Stay here.”
“I’ll stay here!”
They spoke at the same time.
A strange silence followed.
Edward had been the one who told her to stay, yet somehow his expression became complicated.
Lucy, however, answered confidently.
Even if Edward had asked her to come, staying behind was the right choice.
It had nothing to do with her wounded pride after being called weak.
‘I’d only get in the way.’
She judged the situation calmly.
Reality wasn’t like a novel.
Someone who couldn’t fight rushing in to help would only become a burden.
Besides…
Just hearing the word monster made her fingertips grow cold.
She still hadn’t overcome her trauma.
‘Facing a monster now would be suicide.’
If only her own life were at risk, that would be one thing.
But other people’s lives were on the line too.
So she had wanted to send him off with a smile.
“Good.”
“…”
“You’d only be in the way.”
Those words brought back an old memory.
“Sis! Take me with you!”
“Stay here. It’s dangerous.”
“But…”
“Honestly, with your athletic ability, you’d only slow us down. Stay here quietly and eat some snacks while you wait.”
Her sisters had smiled as they comforted her…
But their words had been true.
Back then…
And now…
She would only get in the way.
Edward clicked his tongue as he saw Lucy’s face grow pale.
‘She’s really timid.’
If he took her with him, she would definitely become a distraction.
Not because of her…
Because of him.
He would constantly worry about such a tiny woman getting hurt.
Even while fighting, he’d hold back.
Or he’d check after every attack to make sure she hadn’t been shaken.
Leaving her behind while he fought wasn’t even something he considered.
‘What if she got hit by flying debris?’
Either way, his attention would keep drifting toward her.
And if that happened…
‘It would take longer to kill the monsters.’
It had nothing to do with confidence in his own strength.
Even if leaving her alone bothered him…
It was still the better choice.
While Edward reached that conclusion, Lucy forced away her painful memories and smiled bitterly.
“Okay, Your Grace.”
“…”
“Don’t worry! I won’t go anywhere. I’ll stay here and wait.”
She clenched her fist as she spoke.
Still…
Just a tiny little bit…
She felt sad.
‘Yeah… I’m still useless in situations like this.’
She had exaggerated earlier because she wanted to survive.
She had proudly declared she was useful.
That there was no purifier as cute, adorable, and valuable as she was.
Yet she was still terrified of monsters.
She would still only get in everyone’s way.
Maybe…
Even in this life…
The only thing she could do was struggle to survive alone.
Maybe she’d always remain someone who was useless to others.
‘…It’s not like I’m asking for anything more than that.’
So Lucy answered with a bright smile.
“I’m useless against monsters, so I’ll stay here and rest.”
Edward quietly tilted his head as he looked at her.
‘What’s this?’
‘Why does it feel like I’m abandoning her?’
The image of the tiny mouse waiting sadly for him made something inside him uncomfortable.
Those mischievous little lips from earlier now spoke bravely while pretending everything was fine.
He didn’t like seeing that either.
Maybe she was simply that afraid of monsters.
Or…
Maybe she was worried that the man she liked would get hurt and never return.
Either way…
He couldn’t ignore it.
‘At the very least…’
‘I should leave my little mouse feeling reassured.’
“Have a safe trip. And when you come back, please remember to stamp the contract…”
Her sentence was suddenly cut off.
A hand gently cupped the back of her head.
‘Huh?’
The next thing she felt…
Was something soft.
Something warm and gentle brushed lightly across her lips.
Then it pulled away…
Before pressing against them once more, as though leaving a seal.
Only afterward did she realize…
It was Edward’s unbelievably handsome lips touching hers.
‘What…?’
She had meant for him to stamp the contract.
Not here.
Before she could even blink at his crimson eyes so close to hers…
Their lips met completely.
“…Mmph!”
The holy power gathered near her chest suddenly began flowing, warming the cold knot inside her stomach.
‘Th-This is different.’
It wasn’t like when they had simply touched or hugged each other.
She could actually feel the holy power racing across the sensitive skin of her lips…
As if it were being drawn directly into Edward through the kiss.
‘Wait…’
‘Does purification work better if the lips touch?’
Thinking about it…
That actually sounded exactly like the kind of setting a mature fantasy novel would have.
‘This ridiculous 19+ world… Ah!’
The sensation awakened by her flowing holy power was unfamiliar.
It wasn’t painful.
It wasn’t itchy.
It felt as though something was circling through her chest before brushing up her throat.
Tiny tingling sensations spread through every part of her body like static electricity.
Lucy’s eyes slowly lost focus.
‘So this is the tingling feeling the novel described?’
It felt strange.
But not unpleasant.
In fact…
Each wave of tingling that passed through her body left behind an indescribable warmth that swept through her lower body.
It was like a cold flame wrapped inside burning heat moving through her body.
“…Ah!”
Her toes curled.
Her fingers tightened.
Just thenā
A strand of Edward’s long golden eyelashes lightly brushed against the bridge of her nose.
When she looked up…
She met his red eyes.
His eyes curved with amusement.
At that exact momentā
“Ahhh!”
The innkeeper, who had witnessed the kiss, covered his face and screamed like a young girl.
‘I was the one who got kissed, so why is he screaming?’
“Cough.”
Edward slowly let go of the back of her head.
Only then did Lucy realize she’d been holding her breath.
“Cough! Cough… Haa…”
“Even an old man coughs more strongly than that.”
She didn’t even have the chance to argue.
Her mind was completely blank.
‘What was that?’
It hadn’t even been a deep kiss.
‘Just one simple kiss?’
She was still confused by the holy power that had surged through her body.
She had completely forgotten all the worries she’d had only moments ago.
While Lucy stood there in stunned disbelief…
Tap.
Edward’s finger lightly poked her forehead.
Then he slowly closed his hand into a fist, as though holding something back.
He spoke immediately.
“You were right.”
“W-What…?”
“Your purification ability.”
“…”
“It really is useful.”
