Chapter 94

“That’s truly amazing….”

 

Evan’s cheeks flushed a peach-like pink, as if he were embarrassed.

 

“This is the caliber of Lep’s groom-to-be. You can brag about me as much as you want.”

 

There was a reason Evan had been so confident despite the danger. To think I had spent all that time worrying about him when he was a Sword Master… I felt ashamed of my past self, who had once shouted that Evan was weaker than me.

 

“Phil says he found a place to rest. Let’s go.”

 

“Huh?”

 

“You’ve been standing for too long. Doesn’t it hurt? Your legs are shaking.”

 

Wait, he was right.

 

Just as Evan said, my legs were trembling violently. Whether it was the shock of the fall or the distraction of Evan’s confession that had numbed the pain, I hadn’t realized my ankle was severely swollen. I must have twisted it while trying to find my footing during the fall. Even to my eyes, the red, swollen ankle looked painful.

 

Evan gazed at my ankle with an expression that suggested he was the one feeling the pain. I waved my hand dismissively.

 

“I didn’t even realize it hurt.”

 

I was simply weeping on the inside, ruminating over my past behavior.

 

“Let’s move. Urgh…!”

 

Contrary to the previous lack of sensation, the moment I took a single step, a sharp, stinging pain shot up from my ankle through my entire body. My swollen ankle was not lying.

 

As I bit my lip hard, Evan lifted me up. Suddenly finding my field of vision much higher, I wrapped my arms around his neck.

 

“E-Evan.”

 

“I’ll carry you.”

 

“W-won’t I be heavy…?”

 

Though he had lifted me briefly many times, he had rarely carried me like this.

 

“Hahaha. You’re not heavy at all. You’re actually quite light. More importantly, we need to treat that injury quickly. I wonder if there are medicinal herbs nearby….”

 

The hands supporting me were large and firm. Involuntarily, my gaze traveled along his neckline down to his chest. For some reason, the memory of a soaking wet Evan from before flickered through my mind.

 

‘His clothes were clinging to him, revealing his muscles so clearly…. Come to think of it, I’m sure I’ve seen that several times before, so why didn’t I notice?’

 

I traveled while cradled in Evan’s arms. In a princess carry, no less…. I was just glad no one was around to see.

 

As soon as we arrived at a cave, Evan set me down. He started a fire so I could rest and went to gather herbs from nearby. After crushing them finely with a stone, he wrapped them around my ankle with a cloth.

 

I flinched just from the touch. Evan looked startled by my tiny tremor.

 

“Sorry. Did that hurt?”

 

“I-it’s okay….”

 

I let out a sigh as I watched Evan remain on his knees, silently wrapping the bandage.

 

“People will come to rescue us soon.”

 

I nodded gloomily. Of all things, injuring my ankle made it difficult to even escape the forest. We were in a position where we had no choice but to wait for help. Fortunately, since we had capable knights with us, I figured they would take action soon, but…

 

“Evan, who do you think it was?”

 

“What do you mean?”

 

“The attackers.”

 

Perhaps because it hadn’t been long since my conversation with Fedeshar, one person naturally came to mind.

 

‘The Empress….’

 

Could she have disguised knights as bandits to avoid getting her own hands dirty? She had a history of such things, so it was highly plausible. I thought it was a gesture of reconciliation, but that might have been my wishful thinking. What if she changed her course again because of the Emperor’s remarks?

 

There was even a mage involved. My heart felt heavy, as if I had swallowed a fistful of gritty sand.

 

“No.”

 

“Huh?”

 

“It’s not the person you’re thinking of, Lep. For one, it was too sloppy. Considering they attacked so boldly and failed to utilize their magic effectively despite having a mage, there’s no way it’s the Empress. It’s likely just some other riff-raff.”

 

Despite his smiling face, Evan’s words were chilling. Although his face had hardened into a stiff mask, his words made sense, so I nodded.

 

Suddenly, Evan took my hand and lay down on the cave floor. I naturally had to lie down as well.

 

“Don’t worry about who the attackers are or what will happen; just let your mind rest. The knights will be here to rescue us soon, and isn’t it nice for the two of us to be alone like this after such a long time?”

 

Evan was casually humming a tune, acting as if the chaotic situation outside had nothing to do with him. He seemed to be enjoying this moment itself.

 

Evan turned on his side, propping his chin on his hand.

 

“I like being alone with Lep like this. Doesn’t it feel like only the two of us exist in the world? Listen to the small chirping of the insects in this quiet forest. There are so many things to enjoy in the woods. I’ve always wanted to show you.”

 

I stared intently into Evan’s eyes. His purple eyes, filled with tenderness, curved into gentle crescents.

 

“This is quite a unique experience, isn’t it? I don’t like that Lep got hurt, though…. I can just take my time crushing the people who hurt Lep once we get out of here.”

 

“Uh, okay….”

 

Since he went from smiling brightly to saying something so bloodthirsty, I wasn’t sure how to react. However, seeing Evan looking so happy was a good thing, so I smiled back.

 

“You should sleep for a bit to recover faster. It seems there are no monsters nearby, and if any attackers show up, I’ll take care of them.”

 

Those were the exact words I used to say to Evan when he was the one who was ill. As if telling me not to worry, Evan gave me a light kiss on the forehead.

 

My eyes began to close involuntarily. The sweet, quiet sounds echoing beside me lulled me further into sleep. Although I hadn’t made it obvious, Evan seemed to know my condition better than anyone.

 

Given the situation, I shouldn’t have been able to sleep at all, but perhaps because Evan was beside me, my body felt heavy and relaxed. It felt as if I had been soaking in hot bathwater for a long time.

 

 

***

 

 

Evan watched the peacefully sleeping Lepina beside him and softly stroked her hair. His eyes were dripping with sweetness as he looked at her.

 

“She sleeps so beautifully, doesn’t she?”

 

— What nonsense are you talking about after you’re the one who put her to sleep? And enough already, I’m sick of it!

 

Phil snapped in irritation. He couldn’t believe how much Evan bragged day in and day out. As a spirit, Phil didn’t even have ears, yet it felt like his non-existent ears were itching.

 

— That girl has a right to know too! How much you nag me and force me to stay by her side!

 

Phil grumbled, clearly harboring a grudge against Evan for constantly sending him on long journeys to check on Lepina’s well-being. Of course, since Lepina wasn’t the contractor, she couldn’t hear Phil’s complaints.

 

“That’s why I give you plenty of mana.”

 

— W-well, that’s….

 

To a spirit who subsists on a contractor’s mana, that mana was like delicious food. Evan tended to give Phil mana as a token of appreciation, even when it wasn’t strictly necessary.

 

Unable to find a comeback, Phil just flitted about restlessly.

 

“Stay still. You’re too bright. What if Lep wakes up?”

 

Phil puffed up in annoyance but obeyed the words of his contractor, Evan. Phil took his place on a small stone in the corner.

 

Evan gently touched Lepina’s cheek.

 

“Tsk. To think we’d get ambushed of all things. I told her I’d protect her, yet I’m sorry I couldn’t prevent it beforehand.”

 

— Evan! They’re here! They’re here!! Someone is approaching!

 

“Right. I get it, so stay calm.”

 

Phil was making a fuss. The reason Evan had put Lepina to sleep was because intruders were closing in.

 

He couldn’t let such a gruesome sight enter her eyes. The image of her looking shocked at the bleeding knights was still vivid in his mind.

 

His gaze naturally drifted toward Lepina’s ankle. Who on earth was responsible for this mess?

 

Lepina suspected the Empress, but Evan did not.

 

‘I can’t rule her out entirely since I don’t know who’s behind it.’

 

However, the ‘someone’ Evan suspected was a very familiar face to him. For someone with the blood of House Weiss running through their veins, Evan found it lamentable how foolish they were.

 

“Phil, you stay here and protect Lep.”

 

Phil quietly took his place beside Lepina. The numerous knights he had brought along seemed to be tied up above, as there was no sign of them entering the forest yet.

 

“Is this a good thing for me?”

 

Evan silently picked up the sword beside him. He had no intention of being forgiving this time. And conveniently, was this not a monster forest where no one would come looking? The fact that they had even hired a mage meant they were quite determined.

 

— Call me anytime if things get dangerous.

 

Since they were bound by the bond of contractor and spirit, they could communicate even from a certain distance.

 

“I will.”

 

Evan walked silently toward the uninvited guests who were searching for him.

 

“Find them quickly! Didn’t I tell you they couldn’t have gone far?!”

 

“They are definitely near here, sir.”

 

Through the cover of trees and bushes, he could see several people searching the forest. Among the group, Evan spotted a very familiar individual.

 

Evan let out a short chuckle.

 

Hedeis was stomping his feet like a gorilla, shouting at the others at the top of his lungs. Did he not realize that his noise would give him away?

 

Though they called themselves bandits, the swords they carried were not the kind bandits would typically possess.

 

As the bushes rustled, one knight whipped his head around. He was an amateur among amateurs, only noticing Evan’s presence once he was already close.

 

The mage was unexpected, but unlike the massive mana swirling around him, his actions were passive.

 

Earlier, if he had used a variety of spells suited to the situation, he could have caused enough chaos among the knights to fluster even Evan, but he hadn’t. He only launched monotonous attacks, as if his only goal was to hinder Evan’s movement.

 

However, the fact remained that he had targeted Lepina. It was certain. The ground Lepina had been standing on collapsed because of that mage.