Chapter 107. Should I Put Him to Sleep?

No matter how you look at it,

it’s just too much.

Circling around me for years…

Really doing nothing but circling…

While it was my fault for not recognizing him right away, Cyril was also quite frustrating.

Under the blanket, the two of us whispered and continued our conversation. Somehow, it turned out that way.

The beginning was… my urgent reality.

<But Cyril, I need to urgently go to the merchant guild. Actually, I’m being chased by three heroes right now. It’s complicated to explain…>

<There’s no need for that.>

<I think if I use this blanket, I won’t be discovered. Can you lend it to me… huh?>

<Because I’m that gentleman.>

<…What?>

For a moment, my mind was in chaos.

That meant he recognized me from Elmon…

That was two and a half years ago!

As I stood there, my mouth gaping like a fish, Cyril awkwardly added.

In fact, he was also the wind-like benefactor who caught the thief that day. But because I didn’t recognize him, he felt disappointed and ended up appearing in front of me as the gentleman.

The surprises didn’t end there.

He even followed me to my dispatch location. Since Hilton was too rough, he went to Sahar.

When I heard that he had disguised himself as an ambassador from a newly established eastern kingdom and stayed in Sahar, I almost burst a blood vessel from the frustration.

If you put in that much effort, just say it!

I’m Cyril, the very Cyril who became family with you at the orphanage! Why couldn’t you say it!

Yet, I had nothing to say even if I had ten mouths.

He gave me so many hints.

When we pretended to meet for the first time in Ponitan, I was the only one who gave a fake name. He approached me with his real name.

I forgot his face, I forgot his name.

Would I have been able to confidently reveal our past ties if I were Cyril? Wouldn’t I have gradually approached, anxiously checking if the other remembered, by subtly bringing up stories of the orphanage like he did?

In the end, it was my fault.

“Cyril Xavier.”

“Yes.”

“Xavier…”

“Yes, Sera.”

Was Cyril a noble?

At the very least, he could have been a fallen noble. Commoners don’t have surnames.

As much as my childhood memories have blurred, I wanted to know about him again, starting from the small details.

“It’s the name you gave me.”

“……”

I must have erased something else from my memory.

But I hope you understand. I was six years old at the time. When I built memories with Cyril, I was even younger.

Why do so many childhood memories fly away when you become an adult?

I pretended to remember and slightly raised the corners of my mouth. But Cyril seemed to catch the slight tremor in my eyes.

For a fleeting moment, an emotion I couldn’t identify—whether it was disappointment or hurt—flashed across his face. Although he quickly masked it with a calm expression, guilt pricked my heart.

“I’ll find a new refuge.”

Then Cyril brought up reality again with a seriously subdued voice.

“Let’s get out of Ponitan first.”

“Okay.”

How reassuring.

It was a bit shocking to learn that the emergency contact network was just a show, but since it was a crisis situation, all those things seemed trivial.

More than that, having Cyril with me brought a sense of relief I wouldn’t have had alone.

It really felt like family.

I don’t know what it’s like to have a family since I’m an orphan, but… it just naturally felt like this would be the feeling.

“First, like this with the blanket.”

Cyril removed the blanket and tried to cover me properly. Since I needed to see, he couldn’t cover my eyes. After covering me well from the head and adjusting it near my nose, he continued speaking.

“It’s hard to move together under this, so let’s separate for a while.”

“Then where should we meet?”

“Go straight to the tailor’s house. I’ll stop by your house to bring Sylphid. It’s hard to find a horse faster than that one.”

“Be careful.”

“Don’t worry.”

Cyril lifted one corner of his mouth as if saying it was nothing. His confident demeanor gave me a sense of trust.

We stood up.

And then parted in opposite directions.

I ran, gripping the blanket tightly under my nose, with only my eyes showing. The tailor’s house. It was the home of Louise, my only friend in Ponitan and my sewing teacher.

But why did he tell me to go to Louise in this situation? Is she also a guild member?

“…Haha, no way.”

Cyril, that guy.

He’s not overly protective or anything like that, is he?

The tailor who appeared like magic shortly after I said I wanted to make a dress… it was indeed unnatural.

I just thought I was lucky.

I didn’t know I was in the palm of Cyril’s hand.

Haha, really.

Should I be thankful, or should I tell him to take it easy?

He sent the necessary people for me to the right places, so I am grateful. I really am, especially since I received a lot of help from Louise, but… it felt suffocating.

I felt like a fool.

I should talk to him properly later.

As I was thinking that, a sudden chill ran down my spine.

What was that?

Why the chill…

“……!”

As I was running and glanced back, I saw something I shouldn’t have. Mihail was closing the distance with a chilling smile.

“I thought I said I was tired of hide-and-seek.”

“How, how did you…?”

Damn.

Is this blanket actually ineffective?

“You have an interesting item.”

Judging by the way he said it, it seems to conceal presence…

I was so scared that I instinctively took a step back. It was at that moment.

Thud.

I suddenly felt a heavy presence behind me. It had fallen from a building.

“Ah…”

Even a short gasp trembled out.

It seemed that the two heroes were scanning every moving figure on the buildings.

Claude’s solid chest touched my back.

I turned my head slightly and met Claude’s fierce gaze, then stepped forward again. This narrowed the distance between Mihail and me.

Mihail was in front, and Claude was behind.

“If you keep this up, I’ll have to tie you up.”

“…How can you say such a thing!”

I looked at Claude as if he were a pervert. This made Claude, who was annoyed by the misunderstanding, furrow his brows menacingly.

“Then behave!”

But that was just telling me to quietly be dragged to the Grodes Mountains, wasn’t it? That was absolutely not an option.

I anxiously rolled my eyes.

With both ends blocked in a narrow alley, there was no escape route. I wished I could leap gracefully like these guys and fly over the rooftops, but unfortunately, my physical abilities weren’t up to that level.

At that moment, Mihail forcefully pulled the blanket away and grabbed my right hand.

He kissed the palm of my hand as usual, then intertwined his fingers with mine, holding my hand tightly. This way of holding hands was something new.

My heart fluttered for a moment at the unfamiliar sensation.

“I won’t let you go.”

He opened his mouth while looking straight into my eyes. Despite his soft tone, there was a heavy weight to his words.

Then Claude, unwilling to lose, stepped in front of me. He alternated between looking at Mihail’s hand holding mine and my face, then clenched his teeth.

“Ah!”

I was very surprised.

Given Claude’s personality, he would have carried me like a bundle, but he did the same thing as Mihail. That is, he held my left hand tightly.

“……?”

What is this situation?

I was dumbfounded.

Are we just going to walk side by side like this?

“Let’s go.”

“Let’s go.”

I could feel Mihail and Claude glaring at each other over my head, their competitive spirits clashing. I started walking forward, feeling the prickling sensation on the top of my head.

……?

What is this?

Walking between Mihail and Claude, holding their hands tightly, felt like…

‘Like a child walking between Mom and Dad?’

Sniff…

Suddenly, my heart swelled, and my nose tingled.

I know that’s not what it is. These guys just want to take me to use me…

Why do I foolishly feel like this?

It felt like I was a foolish person knowingly stepping into a trap.

Following these guys would lead to hardship.

I knew that fact clearly in my head, yet my heart was reacting on its own.

* * *

“What a splendid house.”

“If you run away again, I won’t let you off.”

I ended up spending a strange day with Mihail and Claude.

The three of us walked hand in hand, and our aimless steps led us to the beach, where we walked along the sand listening to the sound of the waves.

There was a debate about whether it should be the Grodes Mountains or the Sahar Desert. However, the fierce competition between the two didn’t reach a conclusion, and naturally, none of us could leave Ponitan.

So are we just going to stay in Ponitan like this?

I knew it was a ridiculous idea, but I was so confused about what was happening that I couldn’t think straight.

“See you tomorrow.”

I said a farewell that would shut their mouths and closed the door. As Claude and Mihail disappeared from view, I felt like I could breathe again.

“Whew.”

I let out a deep sigh and turned around.

It had been a tiring and long day.

I just wanted to lie down now.

But what happened to Cyril? He said he would bring Sylphid, but the day ended without meeting him.

Could he be at Louise’s house…?

Thinking that, I crossed the living room to check if Sylphid was in the backyard. Or so I intended.

“Gasp!”

I had forgotten!

Johann was coming by boat!

“Gasp?”

Johann, who was sitting on the sofa with his long legs crossed, raised an eyebrow, seemingly displeased with my reaction.

He soon stood up and approached me with long strides. A chill emanated with each step.

“It’s late at night…”

So, should we talk tomorrow after you leave?

…I was about to say.

“Indeed. It’s late at night.”

Johann leaned forward, bringing his face closer.

“So, shouldn’t you put up a guest who came from afar for the night?”