Chapter 84. Mountain or Sea

In the room left alone after Seraphina departed, Cyril leisurely curled his lips into a smile.

Oh, dear.

She’s going to fall completely into my grasp.

It felt like all the hardships of the past two and a half years were being rewarded.

“Ah, Seraphina.”

I’ve been waiting for this moment.

Desperately so.

Just a few hours ago, I was in a state of anxiety, yet suddenly the world seemed as beautiful as if it had flipped over.

Ever since I gave her the address of our base, I was constantly on edge.

Would Seraphina really come?

Did she refuse that day to spend proper time together, as Jacques suggested? If so, when would she come?

What if she came while I was away? Such foolish thoughts kept me from leaving the base for even a moment.

All day long, I watched out the window, tense whenever a figure appeared in the alley, wondering if it was Seraphina or not.

I thought she would come during the day…

Just when I was half giving up, she came.

Cyril quickly put on the artificial mask. Annoyingly, she only remembered the ‘gentleman’s face.’

She hesitated at the door, as if unsure whether to come in or leave. I grew more anxious, worried she might turn back.

Cyril’s palms were sweating.

Fortunately, Seraphina knocked on the door of the information guild, sat across from him, and made plans to escape.

“Perfect.”

A deep smile spread across his lips.

It had been two and a half long years.

Since he last sat face-to-face with Seraphina like this.

In that damn tavern, she got drunk too quickly for them to truly enjoy a conversation, but today was different. They talked for hours, looking into each other’s eyes.

Cyril was thrilled just to be with her like this, but he had to feign composure to lead the conversation without showing his excitement. He was ecstatic at the thought of hiding Seraphina where the three heroes couldn’t find her.

Well.

In the end, it turned out she came not for the anticipated date but because she needed help…

But it didn’t matter.

Spending her time like this wasn’t bad either.

“Three weeks, you say.”

Tight, but not impossible.

Cyril chuckled, forming delightful plans in his mind. If Jacques saw him, he’d probably worry about the future of the information guild, seeing him look like such a carefree fool, but Cyril didn’t mind at all.

“I’ll make sure no one can find her.”

The thought of having her all to himself made him feel like he owned the world.

* * *

“Wow, this is mind-boggling.”

I was very serious right now.

It was a moment to make a once-in-a-lifetime decision.

“Mountain or sea. That is the question.”

I was initially terrified by the fact that the gentleman was an information guild member, but now I’m grateful to the divine that he was indeed part of the information guild.

Goodness.

Information is such a wonderful thing!

“It’s so difficult.”

While it made me happy, it also made me incredibly troubled. Having never lived in the mountains or by the sea made the choice even harder.

The problem was that the gentleman presented such excellent options that I couldn’t decide on just one.

Looking at the paper detailing each hideout and depicting the general village scenery, I groaned in contemplation.

Both places seemed like earthly paradises to me.

The mountain wasn’t a wretched place like the Grodes Mountains. Borrowing Yoon Jia’s knowledge, it looked like a beautiful village that could be in Switzerland.

And the sea? It reminded me of a Mediterranean city I’d only seen in photos, again borrowing Yoon Jia’s knowledge.

“Ha, it’s so wonderful. So wonderful that I might cry.”

At this point, I folded the paper into a quarter and hid it deep between the neatly folded clothes in my wardrobe. It might seem excessive for someone living alone, but considering the enormity of what I was planning, I became extremely cautious.

No one could ever find out.

I felt sorry for Marc, but I couldn’t even tell him.

Maybe I could send a letter… but what if it got traced back to me?

Worrying, I thought I should ask the gentleman about it.

I briefly considered escaping together, but… doing so with a friend felt odd.

How should I put it?

Like a romantic elopement.

Eloping with a friend seemed very unsettling.

Most importantly, Marc had his own life to live.

Anyway, back to my happy dilemma, I still had time.

The gentleman said I could ponder for about three days. He needed time to prepare as well, so no more than that.

“Hehe.”

I kept chuckling like someone who’d eaten something funny.

“Thinking made me hungry.”

Maybe I spent too much energy contemplating.

I decided to go out to buy something to eat. Or rather, I was about to.

“Whoa, ahhh!”

But as soon as I opened the door and saw Johann’s face, I almost fainted in shock. Letting out a strange scream, I fell back onto my butt.

“…Quite the welcome.”

“What are you doing here!”

I yelled.

Why does he keep appearing out of nowhere, scaring people like this! At this rate, I’ll die of a heart attack before I can even escape!

“I came because I have business.”

Oh…

Why does the atmosphere feel so off?

I quickly retracted my words, sensing the tension.

“No, it’s just that I was so surprised… How long have you been there?”

“I just arrived.”

He spoke indifferently, as if tossing the words away, and without being invited in, stepped inside. Then he lowered his body and extended a hand to me.

“Are you going to stay like that?”

“Ah…”

He was talking to me as I sat there fallen.

I took his hand and stood up, somewhat bewildered.

“This is all because Your Majesty suddenly appeared.”

“Most people would be honored if Marseus came.”

“If you called, I would have gone.”

I grumbled as I offered him a seat.

Sitting across the table from each other, an oddly awkward air lingered.

Johann, who was looking around the small house, spoke up.

“It’s just the same.”

Come to think of it, it had been a long time since he last visited.

Almost two years, perhaps.

I remembered how cramped it felt the last time when the three of them filled the place, making me sweat nervously. I even had to seat them on the bed because there was no room to sit.

Back then, I was worried the house might break down.

Looking back, it was all just memories.

For some reason, I was caught up in nostalgia and looked around the house with eyes similar to Johann’s.

“Was your salary not enough?”

“What?”

But before I could fully indulge in my nostalgia, Johann’s words pulled me back to reality, like a fish yanked out of water.

I looked at him with wide eyes.

His expression was quite serious, as if he was about to discuss something official.

When did he threaten me not to even dream of resigning, and now it seemed he had talked more with Ionia after that.

“Ah, that’s…”

I scratched the back of my head, wondering how to respond.

Although I wavered for a moment, it wasn’t about the salary in the first place.

Well, I’d appreciate a raise, but trying to negotiate now that I’m leaving would be pointless. If they raised it and I ran away, they’d be even more furious.

“Do you spend money lavishly?”

“What kind of question is that?”

I asked, feeling slightly offended.

Was he indirectly saying that I was ungrateful for such a large salary?

This was frustrating.

I had never initiated a salary negotiation in the first place. Besides, Ionia had said it was fine even if they offered double or triple.

But what did he take me for?

Then Johann scanned the house once more before speaking again.

“Shouldn’t you be able to move to a better house?”

“It’s cozy and nice here, why?”

…was just an excuse, since I planned to run away, so buying a house here would be pointless.

But I couldn’t exactly reveal my true intentions.

I made up an excuse that Johann might understand.

“I can’t come to Elmon often anyway, and the bigger the place, the more dust it collects. I don’t like cleaning much, so this place is convenient.”

“What if you end up staying in Elmon?”

“What?”

I asked back, not fully understanding the question.

Johann rose, neither too quickly nor too slowly.

Standing before me, across the table, he looked at me with a somewhat sunken gaze. My startled face was reflected in his clear, blue eyes.

“I heard the real reason, not the unnecessary embellishments in your resignation letter.”

“Did you talk with Miss Ionia?”

Johann gave a small nod and spoke. If it wasn’t my imagination, it seemed like there was a hint of worry in his blue eyes.

“You said you were scared you might die.”

“……”

I felt a lump in my throat, unable to answer. Silence served as another form of response.

Johann looked down briefly, then met my eyes again.

“Even with the heroes, you did travel to dangerous areas.”

With that, he bent down, bringing his face closer.

I instinctively tensed and swallowed dryly. His subtle scent wafted over, making me dizzy.

Hold on.

Could you keep a respectful distance?

Your face is dangerous to my heart.

Unaware of my plight, Johann, as if examining something, held my chin and turned my face side to side.

“W-what are you doing?”

My face flushed with heat.

Why is he doing this? It’s embarrassing to be looked at so closely!

“You’re not scared now, right?”

“Huh?”

I asked back, not fully grasping the question.

It was completely unexpected when Johann’s fingers touched my lips, which had parted in disbelief.