Chapter 67. Cramped House

You end up doing whatever comes your way.

I felt this when I came to live as Seraphina after possessing this body, and when I faced the terrifying undead in the Grodes Mountains and the Sahar Desert, but I didn’t know it would apply to situations like this too.

Goodness.

I had never acted before.

“Ugh…”

From my mouth came a rather convincing groan of a sick person, even to my own ears.

That’s right.

I was currently putting on an act, pretending to be ill. Although I had lied occasionally in my life, this was the first time I had ever truly acted.

“Miss Sera.”

“Haa, haa…”

Lying in bed, I breathed heavily and looked up at Mihail, who stood with his arms crossed.

“Sir Andantino…”

Calling him with difficulty, I subtly shifted my gaze to the side. There, Johann was cheering me on with a look that seemed to say, ‘That’s right, you’re doing well!’

Damn it.

He said he wouldn’t let anyone in, that I shouldn’t worry. Ugh.

Is he really going to make me do this, making me feel so pathetic?

Johann’s voice, which had boldly declared that no one except Bremen would be allowed in under the pretext of absolute rest, scattered into useless dust within me.

How can an emperor be so powerless? Ugh.

He couldn’t even stop Mihail, who came from the east.

I decided to close my eyes since I couldn’t continue acting any longer. That’s right. I decided it was better to pretend to be asleep, feigning exhaustion.

It was better to just close my eyes and stay still.

“You really don’t look well.”

At that moment, Mihail’s voice rang in my ears.

I must be quite a decent actor.

Johann replied as if to say, ‘See?’

“My personal physician said she needs absolute rest. Now that you’ve confirmed it, you should leave.”

“I’ll stay here until her condition improves.”

……What?

I was startled inside, but I continued to pretend to be asleep without showing it.

“I told you, I’ll take her to Sahar once she’s better.”

“I believe I said that even seeing your face might cause an illness that wasn’t there.”

“We’ll see the results in due time.”

With that, I heard the sound of Mihail pulling a chair over to my bedside.

At that moment, there was a sound of something being grabbed, and Johann growled. It seemed he was preventing Mihail from sitting in the chair.

“This is troublesome. I have no intention of leaving you here alone.”

Hey, hey.

What’s wrong with both of you?

I maintained my sleeping expression with remarkable acting skills, but internally, I felt like my heart was shrinking.

They really needed to leave soon…

If these guys stayed here for long, it would be troublesome for no one else but me…

I earnestly prayed that Johann would hold his ground.

“It seems inappropriate for a man and a woman to be alone in such a cramped house.”

Although I didn’t like the reason he brought up, it was somewhat persuasive, so I decided to overlook it.

So please, take Mihail with you.

And of course, Johann, you too.

“I admit that Miss Sera’s house is smaller than my bathroom, but it’s not so small that two people can’t be here. Three would be a bit cramped.”

…Hmm.

Isn’t he being too blunt, thinking I can’t hear?

Even if it’s true, comparing it to a bathroom is a bit much.

I had the urge to ask if their words were too harsh, but I exercised remarkable patience and held back.

They say if you endure three times, you can avoid murder.

Bang, bang, bang!

Then someone began knocking on the front door.

For reference, my house was like a one-room studio without separate rooms. Once the front door opened, the entire house was visible at a glance.

I quietly resigned myself, predicting the new visitor’s identity.

Damn it.

Marc was supposed to come over in the evening.

Everything was ruined.

I was particularly worried that Johann might point a sword at Marc again.

Click.

The sound of the doorknob turning resonated unusually clearly through the air. At that moment, I sensed something was wrong.

Marc would never just open the door and come in like this.

At the very least, he would announce his arrival by calling out ‘Seraphina!’ or saying ‘I’m here!’ or something to let me know he had arrived.

Who is it?

Who is this rude visitor?

Not being able to open my eyes was incredibly frustrating.

Fortunately, the two heroes who arrived first solved my curiosity.

“What brings the Guardian of the North here?”

“Who told you about this place?”

In succession, Mihail and Johann spoke in voices that could never be called pleasant.

Even without seeing, I could imagine Claude walking in with a menacing demeanor like a beast. The heavy vibrations echoing through the floor sounded like the footsteps of a grim reaper.

I pretended to be asleep even more desperately.

Being dragged to the Grodes Mountains would be the worst.

“I came to see your face, and Ionia kindly informed me.”

“……”

I heard Johann quietly mutter “Damn Ionia.”

It was funny that he didn’t mind Claude rudely calling the emperor ‘you,’¹네놈 translates to ‘you’ in a derogatory or informal manner. It’s often used to express disdain or disrespect towards someone, akin to calling someone ‘you bastard’ or ‘you punk’ in English but he only complained about Ionia, but well. He should be used to Claude by now.

“I thought it was just a feigned illness.”

Then Claude, who had come right next to my bed, spoke in a cold voice as if biting off his words.

Why is he so angry…

Just his voice seemed to freeze my heart.

I was really glad I had a thick blanket over me.

Anyway, having Mihail and Johann on my left and Claude on my right, surrounding my bed, was not a pleasant situation.

I wanted to applaud my own courage for steadfastly acting amidst all this.

Nevertheless, my face felt quite prickly.

I could feel on my skin that three pairs of eyes were simultaneously focused on me. I praised my earlier decision to pretend to be asleep.

Just then, Johann stepped in to support me.

“Since Seraphina is asleep, let’s talk outside.”

“Asleep?”

Despite my intense acting, Claude’s skeptical voice dropped over me.

What’s this?

Why does he sound like he’s assuming I’m obviously not asleep?

Is it just my imagination?

I prayed internally for this hellish moment, surrounded by three heroes, to pass quickly.

I’m going to get holes in my face.

Stop staring.

“Hey, Purifier Seraphina.”

But it seemed the gods had no intention of answering this humble soul’s prayer. Claude started shaking my shoulder.

“Umm…”

“What kind of lousy acting is this?”

“……”

At the moment, I seriously considered the deep irritation in his voice. Maybe I should stop acting before my heart shrinks and I die.

And soon, I realized that I never had a choice in the first place.

“Stop pretending. Do you think I can’t distinguish your breath when you sleep?”

“……”

If I open my eyes now, it’s off to Grodes.

I was caught in an intense internal conflict, but ultimately, I had no choice.

What else could I do now that I’d been caught?

With a resigned heart, I slowly opened my eyes, trying to emphasize that I was still exhausted from overworking. At least, that was my intention.

But the moment I lifted my eyelids.

Gasp!

“How do you know Seraphina’s breath when she sleeps?”

Johann shot a cold glance at Claude. It was an intimidating aura, as if he could devastate the surroundings if he wanted to, even without holding a sword.

I painfully realized that what Marc had said wasn’t an exaggeration.

To have such an overwhelming presence…!

Is this the true nature of Johann, one of the three heroes?

Honestly, I was very frightened. I must have turned pale with fear. And how I looked was conveyed to my ears by a third party.

“Are you planning to put her to eternal sleep out of curiosity for her breathing? Shouldn’t you let Miss Sera breathe?”

It was Mihail.

He interjected softly, glancing at Johann. Only then did Johann turn his head and meet my eyes.

Huh?

His eyes seemed to waver with anxiety…

Was I mistaken because I was gripped by fear?

As I swallowed dryly, Johann quickly turned his head the other way, suppressing the terrifying aura he had been emitting.

Wow…

I finally felt like I could breathe.

“Are you alright, Miss Sera?”

Then Mihail asked in a gentle voice. Since my heart was still pounding, I simply nodded without speaking.

Mihail gave a faint smile, as if that was enough, and gently closed and reopened his eyes. Then he turned his head toward Claude.

“I’m also curious how the Guardian of the North knows Miss Sera’s breathing.”

His voice, though softly spoken, felt even more chilling.

I instinctively shrank my neck like a turtle.

I knew the answer.

Because when I was coming down with a cold on the way to Hilton, he warmed me with his body heat, and when I fainted after the subjugation, he held me tightly all night.

But somehow, I felt it wouldn’t be right to tell the truth.

I didn’t know why, but my instincts warned me not to blurt it out.

“That…”

Claude glanced at me.

In that brief moment our eyes met, I desperately conveyed my intention through my gaze.

Don’t tell the truth.

Will you take responsibility if my house gets destroyed?

“I took care of her when she fainted.”

Fortunately, my intention seemed to have been well conveyed. Claude left out any words that might provoke the two men.

But there was nothing he could do about his reddened ears. Thinking about what kind of misunderstanding Johann and Mihail might have seeing that, my vision went dark.

So I just closed my eyes.

If you’re going to fight, please do it outside…

“Seraphina!”

It was then.

Marc’s cheerful voice was heard.

I felt like all the blood in my body was draining away.

“Huh? The door’s open?”

Marc, who innocently turned the doorknob and stepped inside, froze like a statue after taking just one step in.

The gazes of the three heroes turned to him all at once.

Sigh…

Oh, God…

I covered my face with both hands.