Chapter 54 – Ursphere (8)

Rubia returned quickly with breakfast, just as she had promised. She came back so fast that I didn’t even have time to process the events of last night.

“Let’s eat before it gets cold,” she said, setting the dishes on the table.

The clinking of two bowls suggested she had prepared meals for both of us today. I had been too overwhelmed yesterday to notice such details…

“Noah, take your time getting up.”

Rubia’s arm gently wrapped around my waist, helping me rise.

“You could have just held my hand,” I murmured.

“I don’t want you to trip,” she replied softly, guiding me to the table.

As I fumbled for the spoon, I heard a chair being pulled close to mine.

“I’ll feed you,” she said, her voice warm with a smile. She sat so close our shoulders touched.

“Here we go. Open wide—ahhh.”

“Uh, um… ahhh,” I stammered, opening my mouth wide to avoid spilling. The rich, creamy taste of potato soup flooded my mouth.

I pursed my lips around the spoon, sucking it clean as it left my mouth to prevent drips.

The soup was the perfect temperature—neither too hot nor too cold.

“How is it? Not too hot?” she asked.

I nodded, still chewing on the potato.

Her hair brushed against my right cheek. Just how close is she sitting?

“Alright, here’s another spoonful. Ahhh.”

“Ahhh—mm… Rubia, you should eat too… I can feed myself… Just give me the spoon…”

“Oh, but I only brought one spoon.”

“Huh?”

“Yep, just one. Didn’t think we’d need two since I’m feeding you.”

“But… aren’t you going to eat too…? I can’t finish both bowls by myself…”

“Oh, I’m definitely going to eat. See? Slurp—”

“Wha…?”

There’s only one spoon, two bowls, and we’re… sharing?

“And why… only one spoon?”

“Well, since I’m feeding you anyway, one is enough, don’t you think? Here, open wide.”

“But last time, we—mmf! Don’t let it spill!”

“Hehe, then open up faster.”

“… Ahhh.”

Another spoonful of soup entered my mouth, but this time, I couldn’t close my lips properly or even taste it. My tongue froze, unable to react. I felt like a helpless baby bird being fed by its mother.

This time, it was savory tomato soup.

“How does it taste? My soup is saltier, right?”

“It’s… it’s good, but…”

Something about this doesn’t feel right. What exactly happened yesterday for Rubia to act like this?

“Ru-Rubia… What happened ye—mmf…!”

“Let’s finish eating first, okay? This isn’t really a conversation to have while we’re eating,” she said, her voice dropping slightly.

“Ah, alright…”

Eventually, once my stomach felt full and the burning sensation subsided, Rubia finally stopped.

“That’s it. Are you full?”

I nodded, relieved that the meal was over. My jaw was sore from all the chewing.

“Yes… Now, can you tell me what happened last ni—”

“Let’s leave the dishes for later. Noah, it’s time to undress.”

“…W-what?”

I froze, completely thrown off by her sudden words.

“Should I help you?” she asked casually, already moving toward my clothes.

Before I could process what was happening, Rubia’s hands were on my shirt.

“Eek! W-wait a minute…!”

I shot to my feet and backed up against the wall, holding my clothes tightly.

“Rubia…? Why are we talking about taking off clothes all of a sudden?!”

“I’m not trying to do anything weird. Oh… it looks like it’s already halfway off.”

“Huh?”

I felt around, realizing my clothes were indeed hanging loosely, halfway off my body. How had this happened so quickly…?

“Well, I guess the fabric around your waist was loose to begin with. Maybe we need to get you a new outfit.”

The fabric around my waist…? Oh no. Did I roll around in my sleep? My outfit had held up during battles, but now…?

“Ru-Rubia! Y-you pervert! Give me my clothes back!”

“No, I don’t think so,” she replied with a teasing tone, the sound of fabric rustling as she picked up my clothes from the floor.

I couldn’t do anything but stand there with my arms crossed, trying to cover myself. Even though I still had bandages and underclothes on, the situation was incredibly embarrassing.

“Let’s get these washed. I’ll help you with the bandages too.”

“No! Not the bandages!” I squeaked.

“What about the underwear then?” she teased further.

“N-no! That too!”

“You’ll regret it if you don’t let me help.”

“W-what do you mean…?”

“Well, it’s a bit complicated to explain right now, but do you want to know what happened last night?” Rubia’s voice held a strange mix of humor and irritation.

“…Yes, please.”

I could hear her footsteps approaching.

“Noah, about last night…”

She stopped right in front of me, and I felt her hand gently wrap around my neck. She whispered into my ear, “You got drunk, said a bunch of embarrassing things, and then threw up all over me. After that, you passed out.”

“Wh-what?”

“That’s why I wasn’t wearing my clothes. Sure, I could’ve cleaned them with my holy power, but honestly, it felt… unpleasant.”

Her fingers lightly trailed down my neck, sending shivers down my spine.

“And yes, I did clean your clothes, but I didn’t want to undress you while you were asleep. That would’ve been weird, don’t you think?”

Her fingers moved from my collarbone down toward my stomach.

“And if I told you all this right away, you would’ve sulked, refused to eat… Isn’t that right?”

Her hand slid to my waist and gently pulled me closer.

“Eek…”

“So, either you take them off, or I’ll do it for you.”

“I-I’ll take them off…!”

My trembling hands reached for the bandages around my chest.

“C-could you… um… look away for a second?”

“Of course.”

“And don’t peek…”

“How am I supposed to catch your underclothes if I don’t look?”

“Ugh… Fine. I’ll turn around and pass them to you…”

I awkwardly turned around and started undoing the bandages wrapped around my chest.

“Rubia…”

I held the bundle out, trying to guess where she was standing.

She sighed softly, almost sympathetically, and took the bandages from me.

But why… why wasn’t she moving?

“R-Rubia?”

“Yes?”

“Why aren’t you leaving?”

“There’s one more thing, remember?”

Oh.

***

“Hey, you two!”

Hephaestus’s cheerful voice rang out as she burst into the room.

“He-Hephaestus!”

“Oh, you’re back! And… Oh, is the greatsword finished?”

“Yup! I’m so proud of it, just wait till you see—”

“The greatsword!” I exclaimed, unable to contain my excitement.

With each step she took, the sound of metal clinking echoed in the room.

I wriggled out of the blankets, eager to see what Hephaestus had created.

“Here, Noah. Try it out. Let me know if there’s anything that feels off,” Hephaestus said, gently placing the greatsword into my hands.

The familiar, electrifying sensation of holding the sword washed over me. I couldn’t help but smile widely.

“Ahaha…”

The world around me became clear again, thanks to the sword’s power.

I could see Hephaestus beaming at me, her face filled with pride.

“I missed you… So much…”

I quickly examined the sword. It looked almost identical to my old one, except for one significant change. Embedded in the cross guard was the shard from Carpeng.

“Wow… The shard…!” I gasped, running my fingers over it.

When I had handed it over, it was rough and jagged, but now it was smooth and polished. Perfectly round and gleaming.

And below it, the blade extended sleekly—wait.

“A sheath…?”

“Yep! Since you kept dragging the blade around and the tip was always getting bent, I figured you needed one. It’s a gift!” Hephaestus said with a grin.

“Wow…”

I ran my fingers over the thick leather of the sheath. It felt sturdy, designed to protect the blade. But there was one problem.

“Um… I think… my arms are too short to draw it… What do I do?”

The reason I didn’t carry a sheath before was simple—my arms were too short to pull the sword out. I couldn’t strap it to my back, either, so I just carried it.

“Haha, I thought you might say that. See the little hook near the cross guard?”

I examined the area near the cross guard and found a small hook.

“This…?”

“Yep. Try unlatching it.”

With a click, the sheath easily came off, falling away like a loose cover.

“Oooh…!”

It had felt so sturdy before, but now it was almost limp in my hands.

“How is it? Does it feel right?”

“Yeah…!”

I nodded enthusiastically, getting to my feet and testing the weight of the sword. It felt perfect.

I swung it horizontally, then vertically, and even diagonally. Every movement was smooth and effortless.

And the shard… I’d have to test that later, but for now…

“Hephaestus…”

“Yes?”

“It’s perfect.”

I gave her a thumbs-up, smiling widely. I wanted to wink too, but with both eyes closed, that part was left out.

Hephaestus beamed, her smile stretching wide. Rubia’s lips curved upward too, and I couldn’t help but smile even more.

“Hephaestus, you’re the best…”

Rubia’s smile faltered just a bit.

“I mean… second best…”

***

“Did we forget anything?” Rubia asked, adjusting the pouch at her waist and checking her pack.

“I’m ready,” I confirmed, holding my greatsword securely.

Hephaestus nodded as well, hefting her large backpack.

“This won’t be easy,” Rubia warned as she hoisted her bag over her shoulder.

“The higher we go, the colder it’ll get, and we never know when monsters might attack.”

“That’s what my senses are for,” I reassured her.

“And there’s no guarantee we’ll find your master right away,” Rubia added.

Hephaestus clenched the connection stone in her hand tightly. “It’ll be fine.”

“And don’t forget, we’re heading toward the home of the White Disaster, ‘Tyrant,’” Rubia said with a hint of caution in her voice.

Tyrant. The twelve-person raid boss that lived in Karahan. In the game, it was like a massive polar bear, affectionately called the “Cola Bear.” But now, I couldn’t refer to it like that. If Carpeng had been that dangerous, this one…

“Thankfully, unlike Carpeng, Tyrant is still sealed away, so we won’t have to face it,” Rubia concluded.

That was true. In the game, the raid against Tyrant only happened after its seal was broken, but it was still a twelve-person raid.

Led by the master ‘Vermilion,’ a group of sixteen elite knights had attempted to take it down, but they’d only managed to seal it after Vermilion lost both arms. The details beyond that were a bit fuzzy.

“Well, I’ve told you all about Tyrant, so let’s get moving.”

“Yeah… Let’s go.”

I watched as they began walking ahead, pausing for a moment to steady myself.

Tyrant. Even in the game, we had never fought it when it was fully unsealed. Yet it had still required a twelve-person raid. If we were to encounter it now… We’d all die for sure.

But if, by some miracle, we did meet Tyrant… This time, I wouldn’t let anyone die. No matter what.

With a deep breath, I reached for the old one-handed sword at my waist and gripped the hilt tightly. Then I stepped forward.