* * *
My original plan was just to meet the healer and pick up the medicine.
Then I’d use that to argue my way out of house arrest.
Sure, sneaking out might get me in trouble, but by then it wouldn’t matter.
Ending up all the way out here… that really was an accident.
He looked at me quietly.
Then pressed his hand to my forehead, brushing my hair back as if to check for a fever.
“Cold winds aren’t good for a frail wife like you. You should head back now.”
The ominous air was gone.
In its place was something gentle.
It wasn’t that icy core of his, nor that clumsy act he sometimes put on.
It felt… strange.
Almost ticklish.
Maybe he realized he was being too harsh.
He helped me up, and with the hand that wasn’t holding the basket, he wrapped an arm around my waist and pulled me close.
“I-I can walk on my own!”
“You nearly collapsed just now. I can’t let my wife walk alone like that.”
“…”
This must be what they mean by getting caught in your own trap.
In the end, I had no choice but to walk while being supported by him.
I couldn’t speed up either.
The awkward posture meant I was basically stuck to Klen’s side, and the way back suddenly felt impossibly long.
Neither of us spoke on the way back.
All I could hear was the sound of my own pounding heart.
It made everything feel strange—uncomfortably intimate.
Did he really come running out here thinking I was in danger?
This sort of thing means nothing to me.
Honestly, I wanted to say, “I’m not fragile in the least.”
The words were right there, at the back of my throat.
But I couldn’t let them out—because I couldn’t fully explain the situation I was in.
I swallowed the sigh that threatened to escape.
First things first, I had to lighten this awkward, uncomfortable atmosphere.
“Your swordsmanship is impressive.”
I opened the conversation, genuinely impressed by his skill.
They say even an orc will dance if you praise it, after all.
“It’s nothing, really…”
“…?”
Just as he started to reply with the expected humility, he suddenly clamped his mouth shut, looking strangely uncomfortable.
Silence fell between us.
Now what was I supposed to say?
I couldn’t understand why Klen had gone quiet mid-sentence.
If he’d just finished his thought, I might’ve said there was no need to be modest or expressed amazement at how he took down that orc in a single strike.
Should I just go ahead and say what I’d prepared?
I was about to speak when his lips moved first.
“But I wouldn’t go so far as to face an orc wielding nothing but a stick.”
“…?!”
I nearly hiccupped in shock.
The bright smile that followed those words seemed to say a lot more than just the words themselves.
A truly fragile person wouldn’t go up against an orc with nothing but a thick stick.
And maybe the problem was also how calm I’d seemed the entire time.
If I’d known Klen was nearby, I would’ve at least pretended to tremble a little.
“I just picked up whatever I could to defend myself since my life was in danger.”
“Is that so? Caldric certainly is… different. Would you care to train with me sometime?”
“……”
Was it just me, or did that suggestion have a bit of a bite to it?
It didn’t sound like pure admiration.
If he’d said it in a mocking tone, like “What could a weakling like you even do?”
I might have gotten defensive.
But instead, he knew full well how much my body was itching to move—so the offer sounded dangerously tempting.
I almost said yes.
“Ha… What a shame.”
But right now, I had to play the role of someone weak due to a chronic illness.
All I could do was swallow my disappointment.
After that, we walked along the path without exchanging any more words.
As we neared the city walls, the tension in the air grew.
Was it okay to go in just like this?
But the warmth at my side gradually soothed my nerves.
If I were with Klen, maybe it wouldn’t be a problem to walk right in through the front gate.
The only reason I hadn’t used it before was because I didn’t want Klen to catch me sneaking out.
‘Hm?’
But Klen wasn’t heading toward the main gate.
Instead, he turned and walked toward a spot that couldn’t be seen from the entrance.
‘Ah, of course.’
The teleportation spell leading to the healer’s room should still be open.
It would remain unprotected until we returned.
I quickly scanned the area.
All I could see were trees and grass.
Everything looked the same.
‘Where was the teleportation spell again?’
So this was what she meant by “don’t lose your way.”
The path to get here was simple enough, but now that I had to find the spell circle, my eyes were darting everywhere.
There were no special markers, and leaving anything noticeable near a teleportation spell was too dangerous.
Klen, supporting me as we walked, didn’t even glance around.
He moved ahead confidently.
Only after he passed a particular tree and turned back slightly did the surroundings look familiar.
‘Ah!’
There were faint signs of the grass having been brushed aside.
With a gentle sweep in the opposite direction, the spell circle revealed itself.
It glowed faintly—still open.
“Adrian. Please, come a little closer.”
“O-okay.”
Klen pulled me even closer by the waist.
We were already standing near, but now it was as if he was hugging me from the front.
“……”
“……”
Of course, this was all because the spell circle was meant for a single person.
If one of us were small, it might’ve worked out.
But we were both average-sized adult men.
Thump, thump.
My heart, already pounding, started racing faster.
No, it had to be my imagination.
A heartbeat just proves you’re alive, that’s all.
Mine was just reminding me it was still there.
As we stood silently within the magic circle, my vision suddenly rippled.
And in the next instant, we were transported to the healer’s room.
Even before my sight cleared, that familiar, odd scent reached us first.
“…You’re here. Even if you’re married, there’s a time and place for everything. Hugging like that in public—it doesn’t look good.”
Came the healer’s voice.
“We’re the only ones here, aren’t we?”
Klen replied with a soft chuckle.
As my vision cleared, I took the hint and slipped out of his arms.
His hand, which had been resting on my back, loosened and returned to his side.
The healer reached out and sliced the air with her hand.
The glowing spell circle dimmed and began to melt away.
Soon, the portal was completely sealed.
Not a single trace remained.
‘Wait… huh? Why did we both squeeze into the circle again?’
Teleportation doesn’t stop until she closes the portal.
Which means it wasn’t single-use.
There had been no need for both of us to cram into that tiny space.
He could’ve just told me to wait until he’d gone through first.
Surely Klen had noticed that, hadn’t he?
I looked up at him, but his eyes weren’t on me.
“You said you needed this?”
Klen handed a basket to the healer.
* * *
