Ch.100Chapter 100 – Ambushed

After my conversation with Liriel ended, I was given about two days of free time.

Having received the advance payment, this period was meant for preparations, and in two days, I would be joining the group heading to the fortress.

So I needed to make various preparations, and I took Sera and Beatrice with me to go around the city, but…

“…Sera?”

“……”

“Are you listening?”

“……”

Sera wasn’t saying anything.

She hadn’t spoken a single word since Princess Liriel’s visit.

“Hey, helmet.”

I felt a poke at my waist and looked down to see Beatrice narrowing her eyes and pointing at Sera.

“What’s wrong with the little miss?”

“I don’t know…”

Normally, Sera smiled easily and didn’t show when she was upset about something.

In all the time I’d spent with her, I’d seen her worried a few times, but this was the first time I’d seen her in such a state.

I was just thinking about buying her some food to cheer her up.

“Master, did you do something wrong to Sera?”

“Me?”

“Yes.”

Christina was looking at me seriously, as if she thought there must be something.

‘I can’t think of anything at all…’

No matter how much I thought about it, I didn’t feel like I’d done anything wrong.

Still, just to be sure, I was about to search my memories when Beatrice cut in.

“Maybe she’s jealous because you seemed to get along suspiciously well with that princess?”

“Sera’s not that kind of person.”

“…Are you sure you don’t have bad eyesight?”

This body couldn’t possibly have poor vision.

Ignoring Beatrice’s comment, I looked at Christina.

Christina nodded and said:

“I think you should apologize to Miss Sera, Master.”

Judging by Christina’s eyes, she was convinced I had done something wrong.

“But I didn’t do anything wrong…”

“In situations like this, they say it’s always the man’s fault.”

“Who says that? That’s an outdated notion.”

“I read it in a book once.”

So she’s a bookworm with theoretical knowledge.

I wonder how old that book is.

“What kind of book was it?”

“Well, it was called [How to Captivate Men], it was once a bestseller…”

Christina was explaining with slightly excited eyes.

‘Just from the title, it doesn’t sound like something a nun should be reading.’

Surprisingly, she stated the title so confidently that perhaps her church was more liberal than I thought.

Ignoring Christina who had started chattering away, I looked at Sera.

Sera was my priority right now.

‘They said to apologize no matter what.’

I couldn’t think of anything specific, but…

Maybe that was it? Something just occurred to me.

As I turned toward Sera, I heard Christina quietly cheering “Fighting!” behind me.

I approached Sera.

She wasn’t looking at me.

“Um, Sera.”

What should I say?

I hesitated for a moment.

I was a bit scared that if I got it wrong, she might hold a grudge later.

‘…Oh, whatever.’

Let’s try to change this atmosphere somehow.

I gathered my courage and opened my mouth.

“I’m sorry.”

“Pardon?”

“I’m sorry for making you angry.”

I said it in a somewhat dejected voice.

And the moment I looked at Sera’s face, I could tell.

‘Wrong answer.’

She was looking at me with an expression that seemed to say, “What nonsense are you talking about?”

My sudden apology seemed to have her searching her mind for what I might have done wrong to her.

“…What are you sorry for?”

“For making you angry…”

“I mean, what did you do that made me angry?”

Save me.

I was so desperate for an answer that I genuinely prayed to the heavens.

What should I say in this situation?

If you don’t know, you should ask.

‘At least Christina won’t abandon me.’

Beatrice would definitely be pretending not to notice.

I glanced sideways at Christina and Beatrice.

I could see Christina with her hands clasped in prayer.

Listening carefully, I could make out what she was saying.

“Lady Evgenia, please look down upon my benefactor and grant him the insight to understand a woman’s heart…”

Wrong.

Christina was no help.

And as expected, Beatrice was smoking a cigarette and pretending not to notice.

“K.”

I turned my head at the slightly somber voice to look at Sera.

Afraid of what might happen, I reluctantly turned my neck.

“Sera.”

“Are you feeling unwell?”

With a dark but concerned face, Sera was looking up at me.

She reached out and lifted the face guard of my helmet, then put her hand inside to touch my forehead.

There was a height difference, so Sera was standing on her tiptoes, but she didn’t seem to mind.

“You don’t have a fever.”

“I’m always healthy, you know.”

“I’m glad. That you’re healthy.”

Sera said with a smile.

She looked like her usual self, which was a bit reassuring, but she quickly returned to her gloomy expression.

‘So she wasn’t angry after all.’

The “apologize no matter what” strategy had failed, but there was still something to gain from it.

I could tell that we needed time to talk separately.

+

Despite Sera’s silence, preparations proceeded smoothly.

“There’s not much to prepare, really.”

“Adventurers usually have most things ready in advance.”

Beatrice and Christina exchanged comments.

As they did, they both glanced at Sera.

Even as they carried luggage into the inn where they usually stayed and organized the items they had brought, they kept looking at each other because Sera’s expression remained dark.

Finally, unable to bear it any longer, Beatrice spoke up.

“Um, would you like something to drink?”

“Sure. My throat is very dry, actually!”

Those two.

They’re planning to escape.

“I’ll go buy something. I know a place that makes good juice.”

“Wow, juice. That sounds great, really great.”

Christina awkwardly responded to Beatrice’s suggestion and looked at me.

“Master will have some too. Sera?”

“Please, Chris.”

Christina and Beatrice quickly exchanged glances at Sera’s response, as she had been silent for so long.

They immediately left the room.

Like sprinters at the starting line, the two of them began to flee the room quickly.

Yet somehow, Beatrice managed to show me a fist bump, and Christina put her hands together in a brief prayer as they left.

And so the two began their escape act.

Finally, only Sera and I remained in the room.

‘Now, what should I do?’

I knew she wasn’t angry, but I still didn’t understand why she was upset.

This was truly the first time I’d seen Sera looking so down.

‘…It really is the first time.’

Come to think of it, it was.

Whenever I made a decision or asked for something, Sera always came along and granted my requests.

Quietly and diligently.

Once, she even came to a dangerous place looking for me.

I felt like I was starting to understand.

“Sera.”

“K.”

We called each other at the same time.

“You go first.”

“No. You speak first, K.”

I was about to defer again, but Sera’s eyes wouldn’t allow it.

I briefly avoided her gaze and answered.

“I’m sorry.”

“For what?”

“For making decisions without consulting you.”

At my words, Sera’s eyes widened slightly.

Then she chuckled.

“K, have you been thinking all this time that I was angry because you didn’t consult me?”

“Aren’t you?”

“No.”

Sera answered with a smile.

Her expression was still dark, but she was smiling.

“Then why have you been looking so upset?”

“Before that.”

Sera reached into her pocket.

She took out the familiar wooden box.

“Please take off your helmet. I want to apply some ointment.”

I obediently removed my helmet.

It was the ointment she regularly applied to heal my burns.

The color was slightly different, suggesting she had modified it again.

I closed my eyes and felt Sera’s touch.

“I’m not angry, you know.”

“Then?”

“Not consulting me, well, that was a bit disappointing. But I know you don’t make decisions thoughtlessly.”

So she was disappointed after all.

“I’ll definitely consult with you next time.”

“That would be nice, but didn’t you already discuss this with Eve? Or at least, didn’t you hear that something like this would happen?”

I almost jumped up in surprise.

I heard a giggle, followed by Sera’s voice.

“I guess I’m right.”

“How did you know?”

“Eve gives me the impression that she gathers information in ways ordinary people can’t. I thought she might have told you everything—that the princess would come, what she would propose, and what reasons were hidden behind it all.”

I wished Eve were here.

We might see her unusually surprised for once.

“And you know what method she uses, don’t you? Am I right?”

“…Yes.”

I surrendered readily.

I felt her hand applying the ointment press a little harder.

“Hey, why the pressure?”

“I’m a little jealous. A secret just between the two of you. That’s mean.”

Sera said this but still laughed softly.

Then she spoke again.

“I was purely worried about you.”

“About me?”

“It’s true we survived the dragon, but that was because the dragon underestimated us, and because something strange happened to you.”

Sera’s voice wavered slightly when she mentioned the “change.”

“…That power isn’t exactly good for your body, and yet you keep pushing yourself and facing death.”

I felt Sera’s hand gently stroking my hair.

“And suddenly you have more gray hair. Something bad is happening, isn’t it?”

“I suppose so.”

It’s a power that shortens my lifespan by overexerting my body.

It’s definitely not good for me.

“I don’t want you to be in danger.”

Sera said quietly.

“Since then, I’ve wanted to ask if you could reconsider. I don’t want you to be in danger again.”

“Sera.”

“I understand you have reasons to go, but still.”

Her hand withdrew, having finished applying the medicine.

“You’re the only one of your kind in the world.”

When I opened my eyes, I saw Sera with an expression that looked like she might cry.

“So I always want you to choose the safer option, and I guess I was unconsciously being a bit childish.”

Sera was just worried about me, that’s all.

“I’m sorry for making you worry.”

‘I really am something.’

I looked at Sera.

“Sera.”

“Yes.”

“I’m sorry. But I have to go this time.”

For the future, you know.

“I thought it was the only way to prevent the Emiris Order from targeting the people around me.”

“There might be other ways, right? Your thinking might not be entirely correct.”

“Maybe I was thinking too simplistically.”

As Sera said, there could be things I didn’t notice or overlooked.

Such possibilities certainly exist.

“Still, I wanted to do everything I could within my capabilities.”

“For what?”

“For me… and those around me.”

My voice grew quieter toward the end.

It’s embarrassing, saying things like this.

At my words, Sera smiled slightly.

“…Now that I understand, please try not to worry those ‘people around you’ in the future. You’re precious to them too, you know.”

“…I’ll try.”

I don’t know if I can keep that promise, but I’ll do my best.

Thinking this, I looked at Sera, and she was looking back at me.

For a moment, neither of us said anything.

“…Where did Christina and Beatrice go? Should we go look for them?”

Of course, I wasn’t really going to look for them.

I just needed some time to cool down my flushed face.

I heard Sera laughing behind me.

“Don’t go too far, just walk around a bit. You probably need time to reflect on our conversation and cool down.”

“Alright.”

“Would you like me to come with you?”

“Better wait here, just in case.”

Sera nodded, as if she knew I was trying to get some air because being alone with her was making me uncomfortable.

I stood up and approached the door.

I moved my hand to put on my helmet.

“Here’s your helmet.”

“Ah, thanks.”

I turned my face to look at Sera.

Sera’s face was coming closer.

I was caught off guard.