Chapter 159

Chapter 159

You’re My Only Family

***

Thanks to Iris’s divine power, Noah’s wounds healed rapidly. However, she still didn’t regain consciousness. The cursed sword reassured them that it was only a matter of physical exhaustion keeping her from waking. Relieved, but still worried, Lian carried Noah on his back as he searched for the rest of the group.

Because the master of the forest had been defeated, the fog dissipated, making it easier to find everyone. Thankfully, there were no casualties.

Even the monsters had been either knocked out or driven mad by the mental attack from the fog.

Once the group gathered, they immediately began heading towards the Duke’s estate.

‘…There’s something off about this atmosphere…’

Inside the carriage on their way back to the estate, Lian was drenched in cold sweat, his eyes darting nervously.

“…”

“…”

Iris, avoiding eye contact with the Duke, and the Duke, occasionally glancing at her.

Lian, caught uncomfortably between them.

The suffocating silence made Lian feel like he was going to shrivel up.

‘Things might be tense within the knights because we failed to contribute properly, but… shouldn’t there at least be some emotional, heartwarming moment between those two?’

Lian had imagined a scene where the two would reunite and embrace each other, shedding tears of joy. Reality, however, was starkly different—emotionally dry. The only solace was that the Duke’s gaze wasn’t entirely cold.

‘Did something happen between them that I don’t know about? Did they fight while I wasn’t watching? But I’ve been with them since meeting the Duke…’

He hadn’t been clinging to their sides, but not so distant that he wouldn’t notice if something had gone wrong either.

‘Is it just that Iris is overwhelmed by her sudden appearance of family—? That makes sense, I guess.’

With what he assumed was a plausible answer in mind, Lian rubbed the back of his neck. Iris, glancing furtively at Lian, inadvertently met the Duke’s gaze.

Her face scrunched up immediately, her eyes turned sharp, and her displeasure was obvious. She looked away, as if she’d seen something she couldn’t stand. Seeing that, the Duke’s eyes wavered slightly.

“…”

Even more shaken than the Duke was Iris herself.

‘Family…’

Was it because they carried similar powers? Or because their magic had similar properties?

Whatever the reason, Iris instinctively recognized the Duke as her family upon seeing her. But she couldn’t accept it. No, she refused to accept it.

‘One family member… is enough.’

Every time Iris felt that instinctive pull towards the Duke, a certain memory surfaced.

…Iris, we are not family.

Her brother, who had denied their special bond, choosing instead to leave her behind. That image of him flitted through her mind, calming her turbulent thoughts in an instant.

‘I don’t need another family.’

Lian, unaware of this internal conflict, could only worry and agonize in silence as the tension continued between Iris and the Duke. Yet, despite the soundless clash occurring between them, the journey to the Duke’s estate pressed on.

***

The group’s pace could not be considered fast by any means. This was for two main reasons.

The first was due to their stamina. Injuries had been easily handled with Iris’s divine power and the abilities of the mages, but the energy drained by the fog’s mental assault left them physically exhausted.

The second reason was that they had yet to identify the remaining ‘enemy’ responsible for everything. Judging from the traces of undead and the remnants of dark magic left behind where the forest master had resided, the real enemy hadn’t revealed their true form yet—at least, that’s what the group concluded.

Uncertain when enemy traps or ambushes might arise, they had no choice but to move with extreme caution.

Though it was still mid-afternoon around 3 or 4 PM, the group decided to halt.

“Prepare the campsite here.”

Looking at a reasonably spacious clearing, Lian called out the order. The soldiers promptly and efficiently began preparations. Even the knights pitched in, as they couldn’t keep the Duke waiting for long. Tents were quickly set up, and campfires were lit.

Since it was nearing mealtime, they began cooking a simple stew with the meat they had hunted during the journey. The mages set alarms that would go off if anyone approached. The knights patrolled the perimeters, cutting down any lingering monsters, and the rangers carefully scouted for enemy traces.

Only after confirming the area was safe did the group finally take some time to rest. Of course, since they couldn’t be sure when an attack might come, only half rested while the other half stayed on guard. Meanwhile, the appetizing smell of their cooking spread through the area.

“Meal’s ready!”

At the cook’s shout, half the group that had been resting started their meal first. Once they were done, they switched with the others who had been standing guard to continue eating in shifts.

After the meal, everyone settled into their own spots—some tending to their weapons, others talking with fellow members to check on each other’s condition.

“…”

“…”

In the midst of this busy atmosphere, there was one particularly silent place—where Lian and Iris sat side by side.

Since they had left the forest, Iris had become unnaturally quiet, and even now, alone with Lian, she kept her lips tightly shut. If Lian initiated conversation, she would respond, but something was undoubtedly off compared to her usual self.

‘It must be because of the Duke, right?’

The reason behind her silence was easy enough to guess. The problem was Lian couldn’t figure out how to solve it.

‘There’s no way to just force them together… But persuading her, well…’

Given the situation involved family matters, Lian felt wary of saying anything careless.

‘Ugh, Noah would be great with this… Where the heck is she?!’

After every meal, Noah would disappear like the wind, only to reappear just before the group set off again. If Lian yelled for her, she would usually come running back, and since neither the Duke nor the knight captain seemed bothered by her absences, it didn’t seem like she was going far.

Lian swallowed his frustration, lightly shaking his head. (To others, it might have appeared like Lian’s head was spinning like a drill, but thankfully, no one saw it.) Clenching his fist, he made a firm resolution.

‘I can’t let things spiral into disaster. This world is like that..!’

This wasn’t some “drama world” where misunderstandings would eventually lead to heartwarming reunions.

In this dark fantasy world, by the time people realized each other’s feelings, one of them would already be dead.

‘I won’t let that happen!’

With a serious expression, Lian looked at Iris and cautiously opened his mouth.

“So, Iris, how was it… meeting the Duke?”

At Lian’s tentative question, Iris quietly glanced up at him. Even though her hair wasn’t as white as Lian’s, her soft, flowing locks and exquisitely beautiful features, as delicate as a sculpture, arrested his attention.

Being at the prime age where beauty blossoms, she was almost dizzyingly gorgeous to look at.

“…Why does that matter?”

“H-huh?”

“Why are you asking about her? That person.”

Confronted with Iris’s blunt response, Lian barely regained his composure and awkwardly continued speaking.

“Well… it’s just, you two reuniting as family after so long, I thought—”

“She’s not my family.”

Iris’s cold voice cut him off before he could even finish his sentence. Lian, startled, widened his eyes as he looked at her. Her brows were furrowed, and she kept her eyes downcast.

“My only family is my brother.”

“But Iris…”

“I don’t need anyone else!”

Suddenly raising her voice, Iris lifted her head to lock eyes with Lian. Her gaze was filled with stubbornness and uncertain anxiety, a force fueling her conviction that she was in the right.

‘This isn’t good.’

Attempting to persuade her had completely backfired, only making her more defensive. Trapped under the weight of silence, Lian broke into a cold sweat, his mind racing wildly.

‘Noah would be perfect for something like this… Damn it…’

As the gears in his head whirred desperately, trying to figure out how to calm Iris—

“Master!”

“Whoah!”

The familiar sound of someone calling out from behind startled him. A red flash streaked by, and he felt a soft cheek press against his own.

“Wait, Jess!”

“Rrrr!”

Jess let out a happy growl, her tail flicking wildly behind her, something large and powerful pressing into his back, making him stand up straighter than ever before.

“Hehehe, I love you, Master!”

The tension that had coiled tightly in Lian’s body finally began to unwind. No matter the situation, Jess was still… Jess. He raised his hand to stroke the area between her twitching ears. Her tail wagged vigorously, so much that it looked like she might take off into the air.

“Hehehehehe!”

Feeling overly satisfied after receiving Lian’s affectionate touch, Jess sprawled herself on his lap, her beast ears drooping lazily as she pulled his hand to rest on her head.

Just as Lian was about to instinctively pat her head, a white hand appeared from the side and firmly grabbed and yanked one of Jess’s fluffy red beast ears.

“Oww! That hurts!”

“Get off my brother right now.”

Iris’s voice was even more chilling than when she had screamed that the Duke wasn’t her family.

End of Chapter