episode_0128

Ian approached Lucia, who was on her butt.

I was worried that her red face was about to explode.

Ian chuckled when he saw her with her eyes tightly closed.

It was quite new and fun to see Lucia, who is usually relaxed and calm, flustered like this.

“Oh, don’t come… !”

Ian said, wiping his sweat with a towel.

“Wasn’t it Lucia who came first?”

“Yes, but… .”

“What’s going on at this hour? Is something going on?”

“No, I just couldn’t sleep, so I woke up early… .”

Lucia spoke gibberish.

I could never tell why I couldn’t sleep.

“Hmm. Did you have a bad night’s sleep?”

“Well, it’s similar… .”

“Try talking to the maid.”

“Yes, yes… .”

Lucia lifted her trembling eyelids and narrowed her eyes.

Ian, with a towel wrapped around his neck, was drinking water.

The uvula sticks out like an apple stuck in the throat.

The thick neck twitches.

The water that had just flowed from his lips ran down his neck as if stroking it.

Lucia glanced at him repeatedly with narrowed eyes and swallowed.

“You usually train alone like this… ?”

Behind Ian was not just the exercise equipment they usually use.

There were also various training weapons spread out.

Did he swing it?

Ian shrugged.

“I rarely fight directly, but I can’t be lazy. I don’t even have that kind of personality.”

Because I’m anxious. He added in a whisper.

“What are you anxious about?”

“I’m weak so I might have a problem.”

“Aha… .”

Lucia, who was glancing at his body, became curious.

Why are you so confident?

Unlike usual.

After hesitating, I couldn’t help myself and asked.

“That… . Don’t you hate showing off your body?”

“Why did you think that?”

“Yes? Yeah, yeah… .”

“I’m not particularly exhibitionist, but I also don’t hide it like a treasure.”

“When Mari came… You hid it.”

“Isn’t it weirder to take your clothes off in front of someone who suddenly asks you to take them off?”

“But… .”

Lucia was confused.

It was early morning, but my face was as hot as the midday sun.

Even though I think I shouldn’t look at Ian’s body, I keep looking at it.

The more I look at it, the more I am swept away by the contradictory feelings of not wanting to see it but wanting to see it again.

‘what’s this… . I feel strange… .’

A corner of my heart feels warm.

For some reason, my entire body feels hot.

I even have the urge to touch that body.

It was difficult to tell whether the impulse was desire or curiosity, so I dismissed it as curiosity.

It’s just that it’s my first time seeing a body like that in my life.

Unlike himself, he looks very strong, that’s all.

Ian, who was looking down at Lucia, realized why the fruit warriors were acting like that recently.

What Lucia said yesterday?

-Can you please show me your body?

I said something like this later.

-Do you not like showing your body to others?

Before Lucia, I immediately remembered Helena asking why she didn’t take off her clothes.

‘The reason you’ve been following me all this time… .’

Ian twitched one corner of his mouth.

It was an expression of obvious contempt.

Lucia saw that and quickly explained.

“It’s a misunderstanding!”

“Isn’t this a correct understanding?”

“Well, I know it looks like that! It’s really a misunderstanding!”

“Aha.”

As if asking him to talk, Ian leaned his back against the wall.

Lucia swallowed her saliva as she looked at that and explained.

“Ian always wears similar clothes, right? I even wear multiple layers in the summer.”

“That’s right.”

“I was wondering if it was hot. So I asked, and they said it was a secret, even from us… .”

Lucia sighed.

How on earth did this happen?

“Because you hid it so much, I became more curious for no reason, so… .”

“So you became a voyeur?”

“I can’t deny it.”

Ian grinned and nodded as if he understood.

“As you can see, you enjoyed it to your heart’s content.”

“No, someone said they enjoyed it… !”

Although I denied it in words, my heart did not.

Ian shrugged his eyebrows and continued speaking.

“I lived as an underdog for quite a long time. These scars are proof of that.”

Lucia glanced at Ian’s body as if his words were permission.

Certainly, there are too many scars.

“So, I feel anxious if I don’t have at least the minimum amount of weapons that I can be satisfied with. Because I lived a life where I didn’t know when something would happen.”

“Ah… .”

“Now I’m not as weak as I was then, but it’s become a habit. Disliking suits is also in a similar vein.”

I had no idea such a situation would exist.

It seems like a funny joke to say that Ian was a weakling.

But looking at those scars, I couldn’t even think that way.

How cruel and cruel was his life.

“But why did you keep it a secret from Helena?”

“Everyone would have believed in me and followed me, so what good is there in showing a weak side? I’m just saying it now that everything has been caught.”

I was worried that I might not be able to trust him.

Lucia felt sorry for him.

There will be no need to betray trust like that.

Both yourself and others.

But from Ian’s perspective, it would feel different.

This is a slightly different issue from mutual trust.

As Ian said, it is anxiety that has become a habit.

“If you had just rolled up your sleeves or something, I would have listened. … But, in conclusion, isn’t it that you were curious about my inner skin? Isn’t it a misunderstanding?”

“It’s a misunderstanding! Well, I was curious about how you dress hot even though it’s summer! The fact that I became curious about what was inside was somewhat incidental… .”

“Hmm.”

Ian was skeptical, but Lucia’s argument was valid.

There was no reason for the fruits to be curious about their own bodies.

It is not uncommon for curiosity to degenerate into another curiosity.

“Well, I understand.”

Ian understood reasonably well.

Lucia breathed a sigh of relief, but then became curious about one thing.

“The princess said she had seen Ian’s body… .”

Phew!

Ian spit out the water he was drinking.

“What… . No, did you ask the princess that?”

“… … .”

“Huh… . Well, it’s true.”

“It’s true?!”

“Don’t imagine anything strange. therefore… .”

Ian’s hesitation was unfamiliar.

With a reaction like this, how can you not imagine something strange?

“You must not go anywhere and talk about it.”

My imagination grew stronger and then dispersed with the next words.

“In the past, the princess was almost assassinated.”

“… yes? Oh, assassination?”

“It was a time when the prestige of the empire was not as good as it is now. I had many enemies. Anyway, they sent an assassin who uses magic. Since he planned to commit suicide if the assassination was successful, it would not have mattered if he was caught. At that time, I protected the princess, but all her clothes were burned by the wizard’s fire.”

“Ah… .”

Ian shrugged his shoulders as if it was just something.

However, Lucia saw Ian again.

The more you get to know him, the more amazing he is.

He was the one who personally prevented the assassination of the princess.

Does the fact that he even says this mean that he trusts him that much?

That made me a little happy.

*

When Lucia returned to the room, it was time for everyone to wake up.

The first to wake up was Helena with Mercy hanging on her shoulder.

“Lucia… . good morning… .”

Helena rubbed her eyes and greeted in a quiet voice.

“Ugh. Good morning to you too Helena.”

“Where did you go earlier?”

“Huh? Oh, just. I couldn’t sleep well, so I took a walk… .”

Vivian also woke up after hearing their whispering conversation.

She got up and stretched with a frown on her face.

“Uu tsk tsk… !”

Even making strange noises.

This is the first thing Vivian does when she wakes up in the morning.

Greetings come next.

“Hehe… . hello… .”

No one knew why she felt embarrassed every time she stretched out in front of others, but it didn’t matter because it was Vivian-like.

It was strange that the morning greeting was hello, but I understood because it was Vivian.

Vivian, who was looking blankly at Lucia with half-closed eyes, blurted out.

“Lucia, was it cold at night? Or where does it hurt?”

“Yes?”

“Your face is red.”

“… … .”

Lucia carefully touched her face.

There was still a strange feeling of heat.

“It’s not like that, sister. It’s okay.”

“Ugh… .”

Fortunately, Vivian no longer suspected Lucia.

Then, before breakfast, when the three of us had a moment left.

Lucia said quietly.

“Well, Ian… You know.”

The detailed explanation was omitted, but Vivian and Helena understood.

“I thought it would be better to give up.”

“Yes?”

I was taken aback by the sudden suggestion, but it wasn’t difficult to understand.

“That’s right. Actually, it’s a bit strange to try to view other people’s bodies according to our will. There must be some reason why it’s a secret.”

Even as she spoke, Lucia felt puzzled by her words.

‘Why do you lie?’

I came to see Ian this morning.

I even know why he hid it so much.

It would be okay to explain it as is, but why are you repeating it?

‘I’m not lying. It’s definitely not a lie.’

I feel a slight sense of guilt that I am lying.

Why don’t you speak honestly?

Are they worried that their colleagues will see what they see?

She herself didn’t even know what she was feeling right now.

“Well, that’s right… .”

Fortunately, Vivian was not suspicious.

She seemed to feel guilty too.

Helena, on the other hand.

“Lucia.”

“Huh?”

“You saw something.”

I was persistent.

Lucia was surprised that this child had such sharp senses.

“You saw it?”

“It’s hard to express in words, but… .”

Helena looked up at Lucia with narrowed eyes, like a detective who had caught a clue.

Although he was shorter than Lucia, he was quite intimidating.

“Something has changed. Clearly different from yesterday.”

“Um.”

Lucia thought for a moment and decided to tell it.

What is that fact?

Isn’t it strange to hide it?

“Our Helena is amazing. Actually, earlier in the morning… .”

After hearing the whole story, Helena exclaimed! I screamed.

“No way! no way! No way that happens! That, that, that… ! Argh!”

Vivian’s face immediately turned bright red and she looked down at the floor.

It feels like steam is rising from my head.

Mercy and Katy heard Helena’s shout and approached.

“What’s going on?”

“Oh… .”

Everyone froze for a moment at Kati’s appearance.

But Lucia decided to reveal everything that happened.

“Oh… .”

Mercy nodded and grinned as if she found it very interesting.

Surprisingly, Katy was calm.

It was fortunate for the three of us.

“Anyway, I guess quitting is… .”

“Not correct.”

Helena shook her head firmly.

It was so solemn and sword-like that it made even the Supreme Court Justice cry.

“It is not right to quit just after looking at Lucia.”

in other words.

First of all, it means that you have to see it yourself.

Lucia, who was about to refute, stopped.

‘… is it?’

It seemed like the right thing to say.

And yet, for some reason, I didn’t like them seeing Ian.

It was an unknown feeling.

*

next day.

Vivian, Helena, and Mercy went to the time and place Lucia told them about and found Ian, who was also shirtless.

The three of them had to look at Ian’s disdainful expression.

An embarrassed Helena makes an excuse, and shameless Mercy steps forward to confront the enemy.

Vivian liked that disdainful expression a little.

So much so that I find it strange.

And Katy hid and watched.

She already knew this time and place.

Sometimes I hid and watched.

This was possible because she was able to hide from Ian.

It was just a bit of a shame that other people found out too.

***

I left the castle.

The Fruit Warriors went with Katy to clear the nearby E-class dungeon.

Since it was okay for him to not be around for that much, I am spending some of the dungeons separately these days.

Everyone looks a little anxious about falling, but there’s nothing they can do.

‘Among them, Helena… . It is a reaction that is difficult to determine whether it is welcoming or regretful of falling. ‘I can’t speak well these days.’

anyway.

So today, it’s just me and Mercy.

“It’s been a while since I went on a date!”

“Go back.”

“Ahh.”

If you think about it, they are not alone.

I’ll be joining Marie soon.

The destination is the Superbia Manager Guild.

The day has come to begin the process of taking over the guild in earnest.