Chapter 79: Bliss’s World (2)

Bliss stopped speaking and lowered her head.

“I think his finger just moved.”

It was very slight but definitely moved. At Bliss’s words, Echo looked at Caelan’s hand. While trying to check if she was right, there was no other movement.

Finding it frustrating to wait like this, Echo simply hopped onto Caelan’s chest.

“If you get up there, Caelan will…”

As Bliss reached out to stop him, Echo moved faster. Placing his front paws on the chin, he licked Caelan’s face.

“Why are you licking his face?”

Bliss reached out in alarm to grab Echo’s body. However, there was no way Bliss, weakened from tending to Caelan, could catch up to an already agile fox.

“Come here.”

“Why don’t you try waking him up then?”

“Why force someone who’s sick to wake up?”

“So you’ll just keep waiting until he wakes up?”

“I said I’d rest, didn’t I?”

“I don’t believe you.”

“Oh, really.”

What kind of situation was this, interrupting her care of Caelan? Bliss looked at Echo in exasperation as he narrowed his eyes as if smiling.

“If you don’t like me doing it, you can lick him instead.”

“Lick? Why lick?”

As Bliss shuddered as if it made no sense, Echo was stealthily closing the distance.

“Why are you coming back?”

“Since you won’t do it, I’m going to do it again.”

“No.”

Bliss covered Caelan’s body protectively and placed her hand over his face.

“Don’t. Don’t disturb someone who’s sick.”

She guarded Caelan with her body while watching Echo warily.

“If I lick Caelan’s face just one more time…”

“I’ll gladly accept it.”

“…Huh?”

At the voice from below, Bliss looked down. She was flustered by their unexpectedly close distance, and a hand she hadn’t noticed coming up prevented her from rising.

“If it’s you doing the licking, I’ll gladly accept it.”

Bliss’s wandering gaze, unsure where to look, slowly turned to him upon hearing his words. His half-revealed eyes seemed still drowsy as if drunk with sleep, but his gaze was fixed precisely on Bliss.

“…Would a kiss on the lips do?”

Watching his eyes close again, Bliss pressed her lips to his. Though it was a careful gesture, it was a kiss filled with joy at his awakening.

“Bliss.”

Bliss slightly raised her head to Caelan and looked at him as if asking what was wrong.

“The world you’ve chosen will be very warm and beautiful, you’ll like it.”

‘World’ was from the conversation Bliss had with Echo. He had heard everything about how she had trouble adjusting to this world and how Caelan was now her world.

“I’ll make it that way. That will be my gift to you who became Bliss.”

“…Does it not matter that I’m not the real Bliss?”

“What I liked was the person who was wary of me and rejected the necklace I gave. Since my curiosity about you started then, nothing else matters.”

Bliss couldn’t hide the heat rising to her face at his confession, saying he wasn’t surprised even after knowing everything and rather liked her.

“Did you… hear everything else too?”

“The world part struck me most, but I heard you say you liked me too. Don’t worry, I remember it all.”

“…”

She was more embarrassed about showing all her affection without knowing he could hear than about him learning all her secrets.

***

“When Caelan said he would go up, I agreed but I’m worried. His body hasn’t fully healed yet, what if he gets hurt during the match?”

Though it might look like she was talking to herself to others, Bliss was speaking to Echo who was sitting on her lap.

“He said he would forfeit if he felt it wasn’t working, so we just have to watch.”

That’s what Caelan had said when Bliss told him she wished he wouldn’t participate in the match. Having received his promise not to overdo it, all they could do was watch, as Echo said.

“We brought a doctor too, so don’t worry.”

“I wonder if I’ll collapse before Caelan does?”

Even while saying she might collapse first because her heart was pounding so much, Bliss’s eyes never left Caelan.

The match began as the referee stepped back.

Bliss watched the match, too tense to even breathe.

“Please be safe… huh?”

Bliss, who had been muttering while holding Echo tightly, opened her eyes wide in surprise. Skipping the part where they would draw swords and face each other, Caelan rushed at his opponent, easily suppressed a few attempts at resistance, and placed his sword at their neck. All of this happened in the blink of an eye.

As Bliss pondered what had happened, seeing how completely different it was from before, the fox’s eyes narrowed.

“Seems there’s no need to worry.”

“I’m not sure about the next one, but at least this time…”

Bliss, saying she could feel relieved, hurriedly approached Caelan.

“Are you alright?”

“As you can see.”

After hearing Caelan’s calm voice and checking his complexion, Bliss gave a small nod.

“Let’s go home.”

There’s time until the next match now. Thinking he could rest, she felt urgent.

“Go lie down. You need to rest without doing anything.”

“Want to lie down together?”

“You said you needed training so your body wouldn’t stiffen… please don’t say such things so casually.”

Apart from her joy when he woke up, it was hard to respond when he kept saying embarrassing things.

“Hold me warmly. Let’s sleep together.”

“I’ll cover you with a blanket. I can’t warm you completely. Only your chest and stomach and waist…”

Bliss responded seriously to his casual remark. As she answered while thinking about where they would touch when embracing, Caelan smiled pleasantly.

“Let’s go quickly.”

Noise filled the space they left behind.

“To defeat a knight of House Spiral so easily…”

“What were all the matches he showed until now?”

“Unless he was being considerate of his opponents all along, there’s no way to explain this.”

Though he was a strong candidate for champion, Caelan Adrian’s matches had always been somewhat courteous, and the difference in skill wasn’t glaringly apparent. At first glance, it seemed like matches between similar skill levels where they were careful not to hurt each other, so the matches themselves hadn’t generated much interest, but today was different.

Not only did it happen in a whirlwind moment, but by revealing such an obvious skill difference and overwhelming a famous person, it stimulated the audience’s excitement.

“As expected of the previous tournament’s champion.”

“He’s finally shown his hidden claws.”

“So the finals will be between Marquis Adrian and… Viscount Jimilta?”

People’s expectations were growing that he might become the champion while clearly capturing everyone’s attention from the start.

Voices echoed everywhere anticipating the match between Caelan, who had fought quietly, and Lloyd, who had made every moment impossible to look away from like a storm.

Meanwhile, someone in a high and secluded place overlooking the stage struck their armrest.

“That fox.”

Duke Blast ground his teeth. He had known the skill level was considerable from the start. He was the previous tournament’s champion and wasn’t he considered better even compared to Viscount Jimilta? But he had been cunningly hiding his true skill.

That became certain in the match just now. He had expected that if Caelan fought with his original skill against Viscount Jimilta, it would be somewhat fierce before Caelan won, but that wasn’t it.

“Unless he loses an arm, Viscount Jimilta won’t be a match.”

Anger boiled up toward Caelan, who could make others tense even while hiding his skill.

“Your Grace.”

“Did you find out?”

“Yes. Sir Hash was indeed taken to the Adrian mansion. And… judging from their hurried movement by carriage at the time and traces of blood drops at the scene, he was certainly wounded.”

“Is that so?”

It was regrettable that the knight handling the secret orders was caught, but that was all. He could be discarded now that he wouldn’t be useful anymore, and knowing Caelan’s condition precisely was more important.

“According to information obtained from a servant at the mansion, the marquis couldn’t open his eyes until just before this match.”

“Couldn’t open his eyes?”

“Yes. Seeing how the lady tried to make him forfeit several times, he must have received a serious wound.”

“Is that right?”

She tried to stop him even knowing they would have to hand over the dagger if he forfeited.

Then the previous match could be interpreted differently.

“He ended it quickly because his body wasn’t well.”

Rather than trying to pressure with skill enough to toy with the opponent, the attack that was close to an ambush succeeded because he was trying to end the match quickly.

“Find out where he’s wounded.”

If Viscount Jimilta could attack that wound, there might be a chance. Duke Blast rose from his chair. As the duke turned to return to his mansion, he seemed to have completely pushed away the anxiety that had filled his mind until just now.

“Good thing the ambush worked.”

There was no guilt about using underhanded methods. Creating a weakness in Caelan helped calm his boiling anger.

“Let’s go back.”

“Viscount Jimilta’s match is right after this. Won’t you watch?”

“No need. But call him when it’s over.”

“Understood.”

Duke Blast’s smile deepened.

Viscount Jimilta, who had come to express disappointment after learning about the duke’s ambush plan, must have realized through this match. That if Caelan hadn’t been wounded by that ambush, there would have been absolutely no possibility of him winning.

“Everything will be decided in the finals.”

He was full of anticipation about who would obtain not only the championship but also ownership of the dagger.