Ch.5Chapter 5. Obsessing Over the Porter, Past Mistakes Stand in the Way

I woke up to the sound of birds chirping and felt a heavy weight on my chest.

Looking down, I saw Lucy sleeping soundly, breathing softly.

Believe it or not, since yesterday’s panic incident, Lucy hadn’t wanted to be apart from me for even a moment.

“I’m scared without Lin.”

“I’ll stay by your side.”

“And being close to Lin calms me down.”

Lin was generally cautious about physical contact with the opposite sex, especially being pressed against someone.

But since Lucy had just escaped the betrayal of her hero party and had finally regained her senses, Lin didn’t push her away.

There was no need to upset her when she was in her most stable state since losing her limbs.

Above all, he hadn’t expected her to have such a severe reaction during his brief absence to collect honey.

It was quite unexpected for Lin, who had thought she would continue to dislike him until the end.

“The suspension bridge effect, perhaps.”

“My only ally, my best companion, my Lin.”

Those were the words Lucy had been repeating until she fell asleep.

It seemed she was strongly drawn to Lin, who had saved her amid the shock of betrayal.

Perhaps she had acted harshly on purpose because she wanted to deny those feelings.

Either way, it didn’t matter to him.

If Lucy could maintain her mental stability, he was more than willing to go along with it.

Right now, she was in such a difficult situation, but once her severed limbs were restored, there was a high possibility they would return to their previous cynical relationship.

That might be a bit disappointing.

When Lucy called him her best companion, Lin was honestly happy.

So this is what it feels like to be acknowledged.

Although he had earned it in an extreme situation, almost like being forced to bow down, he was still happy.

Perhaps because of that influence, Lin, who had been stiff and businesslike, was able to smile at Lucy, if only a little.

Of course, it was only meant to reassure her that he wouldn’t leave.

There was no other special meaning to it.

“Let’s wash up.”

He carefully lifted the still-sleeping Lucy and placed her on the bedding.

As he stretched and was about to head to the spring he had located nearby, an urgent voice called from behind.

“Where are you going?”

“You’re awake.”

“Lin, where are you going?”

“I’m going to wash up.”

“Can’t you not go?”

“It’s about time we cleaned ourselves.”

Lin sniffed his sleeve.

“And as you said, I smell.”

“Ah…”

She had always complained about his smell.

But now that he actually wanted to wash, she felt reluctant.

Until yesterday, she had been unwilling to admit it, but Lucy found considerable comfort in Lin’s scent.

It was proof that he was by her side.

Besides, it wasn’t a bad smell.

There was a hint of dust and light sweat, but it was just a normal human scent.

Thinking about losing his scent that she had been deeply inhaling all night, Lucy hesitated to let him go.

“I’ll go with you.”

“Staying here would be safest.”

“What good is that if I can’t calm down? And I need to be washed too, don’t I?”

“You have a point.”

Lin nodded in agreement.

After gathering simple washing supplies from the porter’s bag, he wrapped Lucy in a blanket.

“Put my face toward your chest.”

“What? Why?”

So I can smell your scent while we move to wash up.

Of course, Lucy would never say this out loud.

“I want to sleep a bit more while being carried.”

Yet somehow she could blurt this out without any embarrassment.

Lin smiled gently.

“Come to think of it, you didn’t have any nightmares today.”

“Oh! You’re right! I slept really well.”

Surprised by this new realization, Lucy noticed her mind was considerably clearer.

Was it all thanks to Lin?

As Lin had suspected, whether it was the suspension bridge effect or not, Lucy’s feelings were increasingly tipping abnormally toward him.

For example,

“Did you sleep well?”

“Yes…”

Just seeing Lin’s face and smile made it hard for her to control her own loosening smile.

Wrapped in the blanket, she pressed her ear against his chest as she wanted.

Thump-thump.

Lucy didn’t care whether the heartbeat she heard through her ear was Lin’s or her own.

She simply wore a happy and comfortable expression, wishing they could become one like this.

Now then,

Since the current situation has become somewhat peaceful,

We can finally take the time to learn what Lucy had done to Lin and what she should regret.

I hope you haven’t forgotten the fact that Lin had endured all kinds of disrespect from the hero party until the day they defeated the Demon King.

—

“This is unfair.”

“What is?”

Lucy was looking at a tree.

Having expected to see Lin’s naked body as he washed at the spring, Lucy was now pouting with disappointment.

“You see my body every time you wash me.”

“I try my best not to look.”

“But you still touch me at least.”

“I can’t wash you otherwise. I’m not a magician, after all.”

Being simply a magician wouldn’t allow one to wash someone without touching them.

If someone could use precise mana control to hold a body in place and move brushes or soap to clean every nook and cranny, they would already be considered a great magician beyond Tigria’s level.

“Anyway, it’s unfair!”

“I doubt you actually want to see my body, and I can’t grant your request just because you’re upset.”

“But you’ve seen mine!”

“We’re going in circles, which makes it hard to wash.”

“It would be easily resolved if you just let me see.”

“Sigh.”

Lucy had already tried several times to turn around and peek at Lin, but she was repeatedly stopped and eventually ended up tied in a blanket, facing a tree.

The more she heard splashing sounds from behind, the more impatient she became.

“I get anxious when Lin disappears from my sight!”

“But we’re still talking, aren’t we?”

“Yes, that’s good.”

“…”

“Lin?”

“Yes.”

“I like hearing your voice.”

“…I see.”

“What about you?”

“I’m glad to see you’ve regained your spirits.”

“Hehe.”

The playful laughter also reassured Lin.

He had been worried about how to handle the situation without any affection points, but fortunately, persistence paid off and he was able to open Lucy’s heart.

Although she played mischievous tricks and made unreasonable demands, whether in jest or earnest, they weren’t unbearable, so the journey ahead would be much smoother.

Just the fact that Lucy had regained her senses meant they could detect presences around them on the way to the spring without using skill scrolls, relying solely on her senses.

That’s what it meant to be a chosen hero, a powerful being.

“This is unfair.”

“What is it now?”

“Lin.”

“Yes, Hero?”

“See, this is what’s unfair.”

Lucy sighed and grumbled.

“Why am I the only one calling you by your name?”

“Originally, within the party, we agreed to use code names like—”

“Lin, don’t talk about the party. This is about you and me.”

There was a strangely pressuring tone in her voice.

Lin was perplexed, not knowing what big picture she was trying to paint with this intention.

“Don’t you remember?”

“What?”

“You told me not to call you by your name.”

“I did?!”

She had no such memory.

No matter how much she tried to recall and dig through her past, nothing came up.

“Did we ever talk about this?”

Even as she asked, she thought it was a pathetic question.

Something felt off.

Lucy’s instincts were ringing alarm bells.

More precisely, there was something wrong with how Lucy—or rather, the woman named Estelle—had treated Lin in the past.

“It was the second or third time, I think.”

“Really?”

“I called you ‘Lucy,’ and you got angry, saying I shouldn’t use your name so casually.”

“…Really?”

“Yes.”

“Why would I do that…”

“There was a major battle that day. It was the first time we repelled the demon army’s invasion.”

She remembered.

It was an incident that occurred shortly after the hero party was formed.

It was their first victory, barely achieved after everyone fought so desperately they had sweet breath from exhaustion.

Lucy had completely lost respect for Lin, who had been too busy protecting himself to participate in the battle.

Not just her, but the entire hero party had tacitly agreed to treat the porter as nothing more than a two-legged cart.

“Everyone in the party was so tired and irritable. I was insensitive.”

She wanted to deny it, but she couldn’t because of her guilty conscience.

Her heart sank, feeling cold.

All she wanted was for Lin to call her by name, but her past self had ruined everything.

Tears welled up in her eyes as she stared at the tree.

Wondering why she was crying when she hadn’t done anything right, she wrinkled her nose and inadvertently let out a sniffle.

And that sound was enough to reach Lin’s ears.

After briefly contemplating, Lin finished washing and came out to dry himself.

He deliberately flapped the cloth loudly, and through the sound, her sniffling penetrated.

‘Is she crying that much?’

He knew she was sorry, but this seemed a bit extreme.

Still, since she was repenting for her past harsh behavior, Lin decided to accommodate her.

After all, he had always been the one to accommodate.

“Lady Lucy, it’s your turn to wash.”

“…”

“Lady Lucy.”

“Lucy.”

“Yes, Lady Lucy.”

“Call me Lucy. And speak casually to me, Lin.”

“…Lucy.”

“Yes, Lin.”

“Were you crying?”

“I wasn’t crying!”

He deliberately said something to break the mood and make her bristle.

As he called her by name and spoke casually as she wanted, Lucy’s sniffling subsided.

When he untied the blanket and carefully lifted her, her eyes were already red.

Entering the spring, he wet a cloth and started by wiping her face, while Lucy closed her eyes, feeling his touch.

“Blow your nose, come on.”

“I won’t!”

As he teased her playfully, Lucy responded primly as if nothing had happened.

When washing her body, he positioned her so her back was facing him and moved even more carefully.

Though his hands felt her chest and below, neither Lin nor Lucy chose to point it out.

After the makeshift shower, as he was drying her hair with a towel, Lucy, who had been quietly watching him, finally spoke.

“Lin.”

“Yes?”

“You’re handsome, so why were you wearing a mask?”

“Uh…”

As Lin’s words faltered with an awkward smile, Lucy was again gripped by an uneasy intuition.

Surely not again…?

“When we first met, you said I was ugly… and that you didn’t want to see any man’s face except the shield knight’s…”

“Ah! Ahhhhh!!!!”

Shouting with all her might to deny it, Lucy eventually burst into tears.

“Why on earth did she do that back then?!”

To think she had said she didn’t want to see any man’s face except Rainford’s!

It was maddening.

She felt utterly pathetic.

At the same time, fear overwhelmed her.

Because she remembered how she had been so desperately infatuated with that man throughout their journey.

“I’m sorry… I’m sorry…”

All Lucy could do was apologize while crying.

“There, there, it’s okay.”

Lin held Lucy in his arms and patted her back.

Shedding hot tears of regret, Lucy soon calmed down to the sound of his heartbeat and closed her eyes.

If possible, she wanted Lin to hear her heartbeat too.

She wanted him to hear that she no longer despised him as before.

She wanted him to hear that she couldn’t do without him anymore.

But because she only had memories of wrongdoing, Lucy remained silent until she fell asleep.

Before falling asleep, Lucy realized that a sticky emotion had already formed in her heart.

Affection for him, who continued to embrace her despite her great mistakes, and anxiety that he might leave her at any time because of those mistakes.

And so, Lucy’s obsession and dependency on Lin began to intensify in earnest.