Chapter 49 – Ursphere (3)

“We’ll have the bounty delivered to the inn you mentioned,” Rebuge said.

“Yes, thank you,” Rubia replied.

Since I was still sniffling and unable to speak properly, Rubia continued the conversation on my behalf. She was still holding me in her arms…

As I slowly calmed down, I realized how embarrassing this was. But she showed no signs of letting go. She told me to keep my distance earlier, so why is she holding me now?

“What’s your plan for the next few days?” Rebuge asked.

“For now… we’re planning to rest for the next three days. We’re quite… exhausted,” Rubia answered.

Rebuge nodded as she organized the pile of papers on her desk. “I see. Ursphere is a decent city to rest in… you’ll find it quite comfortable.”

As she stood up to leave the office, Rubia stopped her with another question. “Oh, and this is a personal question, but… do you know someone named Yuria?”

Rebuge paused. “Yuria… Are you referring to the adventurer Yuria?”

“Yes.”

Rebuge turned to face us, her expression curious. “I do know of her… may I ask why?”

“We came here with her disciple, Hephaestus,” Rubia explained.

Rebuge’s face tensed slightly. It was such a subtle change that only my heightened senses could detect it.

“Lady Yuria left this city ten days ago. She said she was heading toward Karahan.”

“Do you know why she went there?” Rubia pressed.

After a moment of hesitation, Rebuge finally spoke. “Technically, I’m not supposed to say… but I’ll tell you. She went to Karahan in pursuit of Master Sirin.”

Sirin? I thought. Was there a Master named Sirin among the NPCs? Even though I skipped a lot of the story, I was pretty sure I remembered all the Masters.

“A Master?” Rubia asked.

“Yes. Sirin recently became the tenth Master.”

There was something off about her expression. It was a barely noticeable shift, but I could sense it. Rubia didn’t seem to have noticed it yet. I’d have to tell her later…

“I see… thank you for the information,” Rubia said.

“You’re welcome. If you ever need any assistance, feel free to call on me,” Rebuge replied before leaving the office. Her footsteps echoed with a sense of urgency as she walked away.

“Master… This Sirin must be incredibly powerful, right?” Rubia mused.

I thought back to the Masters I had encountered in the game. The first Master I met… I couldn’t remember his name, but he was a character clad in black armor, wielding a terribly worn-out sword. He had a lot of pride. Eventually, he became corrupted for some reason, and the player had to face him.

But… I never managed to beat him. He wasn’t meant to be defeated. No matter how much you upgraded your stats, it was impossible. No matter how many times I tried, I could never win.

So, in response to Rubia’s question, I said, “They’re… unbelievably strong. They’re in a whole different league. They belong in the ‘overpowered’ tag…”

“If you say that, Noah, they must be something else,” Rubia remarked.

“They’re extremely powerful.”

“I see… but, did you see them in person? Or is this…” Rubia’s expression suddenly became cold. Her grip on me tightened. “Did that ‘master’ of yours tell you about them again?”

Oh, right, I once referred to the game as my ‘master.’ But… why does Rubia seem so angry…?

“Uh… in person…? No… uh… I mean, y-yeah, I’ve seen them,” I stammered.

“Where?”

“…Uh, I’m not sure… I can’t read maps, so… hehe.”

Rubia let out a deep sigh and shook her head. “Alright. Shall we head out then?”

“Mhm… yes,” I agreed, quickly rubbing my eyes and slipping out of Rubia’s embrace.

“Hahaha… Noah, your face is a mess. Do you want to wash up before we go?” Rubia pointed to a washbasin in the corner of the office.

“I-Is it that bad…?”

“Yes. Your face is covered in tears and snot. Haha…”

“Ugh… F-Fine, I’ll wash up first…” I don’t remember having any snot, though…

I slowly walked over to the basin and turned on the faucet. As the water gushed out, I reached out to wash my face when—

“Alright, Noah, blow,” Rubia said, suddenly holding her hand in front of my nose.

“Huh…? Blow…?”

“Yes, you need to blow your nose.”

“Into… your hand?” I asked, incredulous.

Rubia nodded as if it was the most natural thing in the world.

“That’s… gross…”

“I can just wash my hands afterward.”

“Still…!”

“It’s fine. Go ahead—blow!”

Looking at her expression… she wasn’t teasing me. “Are you… really sure?”

“Yes.”

“You’re… really sure I should do this?”

Nod.

“N-No, I’ll just… use my own hands… You can stand over there. It’ll be unsightly.” Honestly. For a second, I almost did it instinctively. But I held back. It’s just too embarrassing. How could I blow my nose into someone else’s hand!

I lightly pushed Rubia away and turned my back to her. Because it was too embarrassing, I tried to blow my nose as quietly as possible.

“Sigh…” But I still didn’t feel completely better…

I turned away completely, making sure Rubia couldn’t see me, and was about to blow my nose again when—

“Gotcha!” Rubia suddenly came up behind me and started tickling me.

“Huuuhng—! Hyaa—! S-Stop it…! Aah!”

“Nope! Noah, you lied, so you’re getting punished!”

“I-I didn’t… l-lie…! Hyaa!”

Her hands, which had been tickling my sides, now moved up my spine to my armpits and neck. But I couldn’t stop her because… I still had snot on one of my hands…

“H-Hyuk! S-Stop! S-Stop, Rubia! Aaah!”

I twisted and turned, trying to escape Rubia’s grasp, but the more I struggled, the closer Rubia clung to me. Our bodies were completely pressed together when—

“Huff… Ugh… S-Stop… I-I need to use the bathroom…!”

Just then, the door clicked open.

“Oh, and about dinner—” Rebuge walked in and froze, staring at us. “Oh my.”

Startled, Rubia quickly let go of me.

“Hah… huff… I… almost… wet myself…” I gasped, dropping to the floor with a thud.

“Um… ahem… sorry about that… I’ll leave you to your dinner…” Rebuge mumbled before closing the door, leaving the office in an awkward silence filled only with my labored breathing.

Back at the inn, Rubia tried to apologize. “No… Noah. I’m really sorry.”

“It’s fine… just go away…”

“Shall we eat some jelly?”

“I don’t want any.”

I retreated to the edge of the bed, avoiding Rubia as she tried to approach me. “Just… stay over there.”

“Ugh… okay…”

I was avoiding looking at Rubia, worried that my resolve would weaken, but her voice sounded so deflated… I sneaked a glance at her face. She looked like a dejected kitten…

I hadn’t planned on speaking to her at all, but seeing her face like that made my heart soften. I shouldn’t have looked.

“I told you… I said I needed to use the bathroom,” I muttered.

“Yes…”

“And when did I ever lie to you…?”

“…Sorry.”

“What if I had really… had an accident?”

“I’m sorry…”

“And now Rebuge saw us! What do you think she’ll think?!”

The more I talked, the more my frustration grew, and I slapped the bed with my palms as I spoke. “This time, Rubia, it’s totally your fault…! I’m not letting this slide…”

I turned my back to her again. I’m so mad…

“U-Um, ladies? So about dinner…” Hephaestus, who had been fidgeting nervously, finally spoke up.

“I-I’m not eating. You go eat with Rubia,” I said firmly.

Rubia swallowed nervously, her face looking shocked. But I didn’t care. Even last time, I told her not to tickle me. She tickled me all day long. And this time, even when I said I needed to use the bathroom, she didn’t stop. Not to mention, she made me look ridiculous in front of someone else! And my… my underwear was probably visible too… This is so annoying.

“Noah… are you really not coming?” Rubia asked.

“No.”

“We’re going to eat dinner, and then we’ll have a bunch of desserts. You’re really not going?”

“…I’m not going.” I stubbornly waved them away, ignoring the hunger gnawing at my stomach.

“Gasp…” Rubia looked utterly devastated.

But I can’t help it. This time, I have to stand my ground.

“Just go already.”

I hugged my greatsword tightly and lay down on the bed. “I’m going to sleep.”

I pulled the blanket over my head and curled up. After a moment, I heard their footsteps moving away and the door opening. They seemed to whisper something to each other as they left, but I couldn’t hear them with the blanket over my head.

The door clicked shut, and after counting to ten in my head… I carefully expanded my senses. Yup. They’ve definitely gone downstairs.

Finally, I tossed off the blanket and sat up. Then I carefully searched the room. They definitely brought back some jelly and sugar-dusted raspberries earlier.

“Aha!” I spotted the bag in one corner of the room and rushed over to it.

Rustle Rustle

As I shook the bag, I could hear the sugar shifting inside. “Hehe…”

The smell was perfect. I couldn’t see the color, but the shape was perfect! And the texture…

“Oh… so soft.” Perfect!

I immediately popped one into my mouth, chewing it slowly. The first taste was sweet from the sugar, followed by the tartness of the raspberries! So tangy!

“Mmm… it’s so good…”

It’s incredibly good…! And the texture is amazing. It’s much softer and chewier than the jelly I had in Roholon… I could eat this for the rest of my life…

Before the jelly melted away, I quickly swallowed it. Then I grabbed a handful and shoved them into my mouth.

“Waaah!”

The jelly washed away all the frustration I’d been feeling. It’s so… so good. I’m in heaven… The sweetness that filled my body pushed away the sadness.

The jelly was so much that it was hard to chew, but I kept chewing diligently. As I chewed, I suddenly remembered something I was supposed to tell Rubia. Rebuge seemed to know something about Yuria…

But I was too angry to bring it up earlier… Well, we haven’t left yet, so I can tell her tomorrow, right? I’m not speaking to Rubia today. I’ll sleep in the next room with Hephaestus tonight. Rubia can sleep alone here!