* * *
Not a single word. Instead, his expression darkened, as if regretting that he had let something slip.
Should I just ask the temple people?
There’s no way no one here remembers Zerbin.
That deep purple hair alone is anything but common.
They’re all too busy to notice now, but if I ask around one by one, I might get something.
It’s a possibility.
But.
“Hey, Zerbin.”
“What?”
See?
He answers everything except the topic he doesn’t want to discuss!
He may have let it slip earlier, but now it’s painfully obvious that he doesn’t want to talk about the ‘one who recognized his talent.’
“Ah, never mind.”
I only asked to see if he’d answer, so I brushed it off.
Regardless, I can’t go around asking about this mysterious figure while Zerbin is right here.
Sneaking around to dig up something he refuses to talk about?
That would make me the worst kind of companion.
No matter my intentions, it would come off as creepy.
And I wouldn’t even be able to explain myself properly.
As long as I’m traveling with Zerbin, I can’t afford to be reckless.
Even now, I can feel the back of my head tingling—he’s definitely watching to make sure I don’t do anything stupid.
If only he were distracted by something else…
But what here could possibly interest Zerbin, who hasn’t set foot in this place for ten years?
‘Hmm?’
Wait. Zerbin said it’s been ten years since he became independent?
He left the temple at seventeen? That means he’s twenty-seven now.
‘I’m twenty-eight this year.’
So… he’s younger than me?
The Hero is younger than me?
I had never once imagined that.
Before my regression, I’d heard that he wasn’t quite thirty yet, so I knew he wasn’t that old.
But younger than me?
Why does he suddenly feel so incredibly young? T
his is unfair.
He left the temple at seventeen and became an adventurer—risking his life every step of the way.
Then, after barely adapting to that for ten years, they threw him straight into war, telling him to be a Hero?
And in the middle of all that, how is he supposed to find true love?
Sure, ten years have passed, but for someone as socially inept as Zerbin, that’s nowhere near enough time.
Honestly, this is the gods’ mistake.
There’s no way it’s Zerbin’s fault that he couldn’t awaken the Holy Sword.
The circumstances were just too cruel.
It’s heartbreaking.
But also… kind of a relief.
So that’s why he’s been acting so cute!
It’s because he’s younger than me!
He was actually young enough to have those cute moments!
I wasn’t imagining things out of arrogance—he was genuinely adorable!
Lately, I’ve been worried that my admiration for him was starting to take a weird turn, but now I feel reassured.
Zerbin is ridiculously strong and unbelievably handsome, so it’s not that strange to think he’s cute.
He’s just a naturally charming person!
Unbelievable… He’s adorable.
Even though he’s over 10 cm taller than me.
Even though I always have to look up at him.
Even though his cold eyes constantly look down on others.
Even though this ‘King of Adventurers’ is only twenty-seven!
Wow. No wonder the older adventurers are probably losing their minds with jealousy.
They can’t match his skills, so all they can do is spread weird rumors to bring him down.
Like what Ricardo mentioned.
“Why are you looking at me like that?”
Zerbin’s voice held a rare hint of emotion, catching me off guard.
Wait.
Did my thoughts show on my face?
How was I just looking at him?
Feeling awkward, I quickly averted my gaze.
If he was annoyed, he would’ve said something, right?
This isn’t considered rude, is it?
“Ah… nothing.”
There’s no way I can say, ‘Because you looked cute.’
I floundered, but thankfully, a priest came running over just in time.
“Aah! I’m so sorry!”
“What is it?”
There’s no one else here but us, so this must be directed at us.
“Well… now that I think about it, you’re an important guest, and I forgot to ask what brought you here…”
The attitude was definitely rude, but considering how much money we paid, I guess we are important guests.
Wait—so they didn’t assign someone to guide him because he’s from here, but just because they forgot?
I thought they were leaving him alone on purpose!
Just how chaotic is this place?
“Ah!”
The relatively young-looking priest flinched when they saw Zerbin.
Up until then, I hadn’t thought much of it.
I mean, Zerbin does have a face that tends to startle people.
For many reasons.
But then…?
“Bati hyung?”
Bati… hyung?
Bati?
It was such a shocking form of address that my brain momentarily stopped functioning.
Someone actually exists who calls Zerbin Batista by his first name, without even using his surname, and in such a familiar way?
It felt like being struck by lightning.
I’m so glad I came!
Just being in a place tied to the past is enough to make all sorts of things pop out!
“You’re Bati hyung, right? Wow, you’ve gotten so much taller. Well, I guess you were always a bit small for the amount you ate.”
So, he wasn’t that tall back when he was living at the temple?
That would explain why the other temple members wouldn’t recognize him.
But this priest spotted him immediately.
There’s no doubt—there must be a deep connection between them.
“Who is he? Do you remember him?”
No response.
I have no idea what to make of this.
I thought I’d gotten pretty good at reading Zerbin’s reactions, but this one?
I really don’t know.
If they were strangers, he would’ve responded the way he did when he first saw me—something cold like, ‘Are we even acquainted?’
So it does seem like they know each other.
But if they do know each other, why the silence?
It’s not like it’s hard to just acknowledge it.
He could at least give a nod.
‘Is this guy connected to that person he doesn’t want to talk about?’
That might be reaching, but I should still keep the possibility in mind.
The more leads I have, the better.
“You’re still just as quiet! You always had a unique vibe, but now it makes you look really cool.”
Amazingly, even with Zerbin staying completely silent, the priest wasn’t the least bit discouraged.
“Oh, wait, you’re not saying anything because you don’t remember me, right? It’s me, Fer! I remember everything clearly. You used to help me all the time when I tripped and fell, remember?”
“Zerbin?”
He means that Zerbin? I was so shocked I blurted it out.
No, if he grew up in this temple and was called Bati, then it has to be Zerbin.
But I just can’t picture him as the type to diligently take care of a clumsy younger kid.
Of course, personalities don’t always stay the same from childhood.
Did he develop his dislike for people after becoming an adventurer?
But if that were the case, then the claim that he never once formed a party since becoming an adventurer wouldn’t add up.
Which one is true?
“Huh?”
The priest looked at me in shock.
Why is he that surprised?
Does doubting Zerbin’s kindness really seem that outrageous to him?
He’s not about to tell me that Zerbin used to be some kind of angelic, sociable child who loved helping others, is he?
“Zerbin? Wait, you’re telling me Bati hyung is actually ‘Zerbin Batista’?”
…What?
What’s with that reaction?
He sounds like he’s hearing Zerbin’s surname for the first time.
Now that I think about it, Zerbin’s an orphan—he’s never even seen his parents’ faces.
It’s pretty rare for orphans to have surnames.
Did he take on the name himself after leaving the temple?
It was surprising, but not nearly as shocking as the idea that he used to be warm and affectionate.
* * *
🤣🤣🤣