Farewell to the hero! chapter 25

* * *

I stared in shock at the twigs rolling in every direction before my legs gave out, and I collapsed to the ground.

Even what I had gathered by myself was no small amount.

Now, with Sehir’s twigs added on top of that, I had way too much to pick up.

I let out a sigh and steeled my resolve before standing up to start gathering the fallen branches.

That’s when I heard a faint voice.

“…ka.”

“Hm?”

Recognizing the familiar voice, I straightened up.

In the distance, I saw Owen talking with Kaindel.

“Are you two in a relationship?”

Owen asked Kaindel with a calm face, as composed as always.

His expression showed no signs of emotion, as if a small crack couldn’t be found.

Although he didn’t mention a specific person, I knew exactly who he was referring to.

Owen believed that the reason for Kaindel’s unusual behavior was none other than me.

Not only I but also Kaindel seemed to have realized this, as he maintained a peculiar silence.

Eventually, a languid smile appeared on his face, as if the question was utterly unnecessary.

“Why do you care?”

“I need to know what kind of relationship you and Isa have so I can make decisions more easily in the future.”

“Hm.”

Kaindel tilted his head at Owen’s explanation and let out a long breath.

The sound was filled with hesitation.

His brow furrowed slightly as if he were having trouble finding the right words.

But his eyes remained relaxed, almost as if he were enjoying the situation.

Unable to stand the prolonged silence, Owen spoke again.

“Do you like Isa?”

“Well.”

Kaindel answered Owen’s final question with a sly smile, rubbing his chin.

“Do I like him?”

Ah.

I tried to calm my suddenly racing heart.

But the flood of emotions rising with the heat made my mind feel disordered.

Was it because I had just heard Kaindel’s true feelings directly from him, after only ever hearing them through others?

I couldn’t control the fluttering that was now spreading throughout my body like a broken machine.

Even though Kaindel’s confession was phrased as a question, I knew he wasn’t truly asking.

He just lacked the final confirmation, but the answer seemed already decided.

And that answer seemed close to the hope I had held in my heart.

I had to quickly cover my mouth to keep from grinning too wide.

I crouched down, hiding under the shade of a tree.

My chest felt like it would burst as I desperately held back the constant giggling.

I had to suppress the urge to run straight to Kaindel.

Not yet, not yet.

As I tried to steady my breathing, I suddenly made eye contact with a pair of jet-black eyes that had been watching me for who knows how long.

They belonged to Daniel, who had remained silent during Kaindel and Owen’s conversation.

“…”

“…”

It surprised me that, even though I had tried to hide myself, Daniel had still found me.

Especially since I had barely exchanged words with him before.

How long had he been watching?

I stared at Daniel, whose gaze hadn’t wavered, and pressed my lips together.

Daniel’s face, which had always looked sleepy when we were in the village, looked unusually sharp today.

I felt uneasy, suspecting that he hadn’t missed my momentary emotional slip.

Did he see everything?

If he had, it would be the worst.

The thought of him witnessing my foolish behavior, as I swooned over Kaindel, made me feel incredibly embarrassed.

I pressed my palms to my flushed ears as I awkwardly stood up.

“Is there something over there?”

Just as Owen’s gaze was about to shift in my direction, Daniel’s eyes stayed locked on me.

Then, suddenly, someone tapped me on the back.

Startled, I spun around to find Sehir standing there with a large bird tucked under his arm, looking down at me.

“Isa, what are you doing here?”

“I dropped some branches.”

I glanced briefly at Kaindel, whose expression was strange.

I couldn’t possibly admit that I had been hiding to eavesdrop on their conversation.

Luckily, Sehir seemed to accept my answer without question.

“You’re not feeling well, it must’ve been heavy.”

“It wasn’t that heavy. By the way, where’s Ruen?”

“He’s on his way.”

“Look over there.” I turned my gaze in the direction Sehir was pointing behind me.

At that moment, I saw Ruen striding toward us with a fierce expression set in stone.

Like Sehir, Ruen also had a bird perched on his shoulder as he walked confidently toward us.

“Hey! This bastard went ahead of…”

He was pointing at Sehir accusingly, but then he caught sight of me standing there and lowered his hand.

The sharp glint in his eyes also dulled.

Just as he had done before Sehir and I went hunting, Ruen was making a visible effort to control his temper in front of me.

It was like watching a child trying not to be mean to a new friend.

“Tsk.”

Scratching his head awkwardly with an empty hand, Ruen clicked his tongue and began to walk past us.

At that moment, Owen, who had been watching the situation unfold, pursed his lips in disapproval.

Crossing his arms, he shot a remark at Ruen.

“It seems you can’t shake the habit of speaking crudely, being a former pirate and all.”

“…What did you just say?”

“More importantly, how did the three of you end up together? Weren’t you supposed to go separately?”

Ignoring Ruen’s question, Owen turned to Sehir and me, clearly puzzled by Ruen’s sudden addition to our group.

I glanced at Ruen, who was grinning foolishly, and then stood on my tiptoes.

Understanding my intent, Sehir bent down slightly.

“Ruen was a pirate?”

“Not exactly a pirate. I heard he used to be a ship captain. Do you want me to find out more?”

“No, I’m not that curious.”

It seemed I wasn’t the only one he had given a vague explanation to—Sehir was in the same boat.

But since my curiosity wasn’t strong enough to dig deeper, I quietly lowered my heels.

Just then, as Ruen and Owen were bickering, Ruen suddenly threw his arm over my shoulder.

“I almost died, and this one saved me.”

“Oh!”

Caught off guard, I lost my balance and stumbled as he pulled me close, ending up leaning against Ruen.

Startled by how quickly the situation had changed, I looked at Ruen with confused eyes, but he was too busy laughing heartily.

Watching Ruen giggle, Owen couldn’t suppress his curiosity and asked me, his expression a mix of disbelief and interest.

“Isa saved him?”

“Well, I just stopped his from eating a red berry.”

“A red berry? Do you mean the parasitic plant that grows by feeding on blood?”

“Yes, I think you’re right.”

I nodded in agreement.

Owen rubbed his chin with his hand and scowled.

“How stupid do you have to be to try eating random things?”

“How was I supposed to know? Hey, before you criticize my way of speaking, fix yours first, you stick-in-the-mud.”

“Don’t lump me in with you. At least I make an effort to be polite.”

“Is this your idea of polite?”

“I said I make an effort.”

“You’re one to talk about effort, you lowly priest.”

Ruen stomped his foot angrily, as if dismissing Owen’s claim about his manners as ridiculous.

Watching Ruen charge at Owen like an enraged bull, I couldn’t help but shake my shoulders in amusement.

They may have thought they were having a serious argument, but from my perspective, their lively bickering was entertaining.

Still, I stifled my laughter, embarrassed to be the only one chuckling.

I barely managed to compose myself, and just as I got rid of the lingering smile on my lips, I heard the sound of footsteps in the distance.

The moment I raised my eyes to look, I gasped.

Kaindel, who had been sitting far away, had silently made his way to me, now only three steps away.

He walked as if I were the only person he could see.

With a relaxed tone, Kaindel spoke as if happy that I had noticed him.

“Isa, why didn’t you say something when you arrived?”

Kaindel’s lips curved in a beautiful arc, as though nothing was out of the ordinary.

His hand casually slid down my shoulder and traced the length of my spine.

“Let’s go.”

With Kaindel gently pushing me forward, I started walking.

The warmth from his large hand soothed the nerves that had been churning in my stomach.

“Did you collect those branches for firewood?”

Kaindel easily took the branches I was holding and glanced at Sehir, who was following behind us.

I stared intently at Kaindel, my gaze lingering on his shimmering golden hair, which looked as though it had gathered all the light in the world.

Snapping out of it, I squinted and smiled softly.

My vision narrowed, and Kaindel filled it entirely. Just looking at him was enough to make me feel satisfied, full even.

“Yeah, I gathered quite a lot.”

At that moment, I realized that this much was enough for me. Even if I was living off the kindness and hope Kaindel occasionally showed, this was all I needed.

* * *

*Summary page is only available for login users. Non-users can view the chapters on the chapter list.*