* * *
The moment I heard those words, I was so shocked that the word “surprised” didn’t even begin to cover it.
My mind went blank, and I couldn’t think at all.
‘Even now, I still can’t believe it…….’
No doubt about it… I must have chosen the wrong reward for my first quest.
As I faced this undeniable truth once again, I couldn’t stop thinking about it.
‘She said Sean even knows about the memory loss.’
From what the Duchess told me, it seemed like the former Marquis of Kreveta had been working with the Duke and Duchess of Pantheon from the very beginning—and quite actively at that.
I didn’t know much about the previous Marquis of Kreveta, but judging from what I’d heard, he must have cared a lot about Sean.
‘It’s okay to refuse. Just say whatever feels right to you.’
The fact that she went as far as to say that meant she prioritized my feelings above all else.
“You really don’t have to agree if you don’t want to. Just speak freely.”
The Duchess’s words from that day echoed in my ears.
I looked into the emerald-green eyes shimmering brilliantly under the light and nodded.
“Yes, I’ll do it.”
As soon as I spoke, I could see the Duke and Duchess visibly relax.
They quickly returned to their usual expressions, as if trying not to make it obvious, but I could tell.
“……”
And at that moment, I felt a sharp gaze burning into the side of my face.
∗ ∗ ∗
By the time the sun had fully risen, Raizen and I left the townhouse.
After about five minutes in the carriage, we arrived at Shailot Village.
“Selling top-grade lucky stones infused with white coral! Only available at our shop!”
“Lunch vouchers for the Ocean Heart Restaurant for sale!”
“Two premium seats for the Manifestation ceremony available!”
The moment we entered, a flood of voices filled my ears.
‘Wow, this place is chaos.’
Street vendors lined both sides of the road, with people loudly advertising their wares in between.
Some were actively promoting their products, selling everything from bouquets to premium seats for the Manifestation ceremony.
‘Arthur Sothes wasn’t exaggerating.’
Before we left the duke’s estate, he had explained the schedule and traditions of the Manifestation ceremony and described Shailot Village as “the most lively and chaotic place in the empire.”
‘I get why it’s lively, but I don’t see why it’s supposed to be chaotic yet.’
The merchants were aggressive in their sales tactics, but they didn’t physically stop passersby.
Since no one was resorting to forceful tactics, I figured there must be some kind of legal restriction in place.
Despite the noise, the place seemed fairly orderly.
‘Oh, those chicken skewers look good.’
Even though I had just eaten, seeing them made me hungry again.
“Is it fascinating?”
Despite the noisy surroundings, Raizen’s voice came through clearly.
He must have noticed where my gaze had lingered because I instinctively shifted my eyes elsewhere.
“Huh? Oh, um… yeah, it is.”
I answered without thinking, but I meant it.
Seeing new places always excited me.
Especially since the only time I had ever traveled abroad was a school trip to Japan… or was it Singapore?
I absentmindedly pondered that thought before turning to ask Raizen,
“What about you?”
Raizen glanced around the street. His crimson eyes showed no particular reaction.
‘Yeah, he doesn’t seem interested.’
“Hm… I’m not sure.”
As expected, his response was within my predictions.
I gave a small nod, but then, out of the corner of my eye, I noticed his gaze subtly shift toward me.
For a brief moment, his eyes narrowed slightly.
Was I imagining it?
‘…Did he just smile?’
The thought was so absurd that I immediately dismissed it.
Raizen never smiled—not even with his eyes. In fact, I don’t think I had ever seen him do it before.
‘He probably didn’t even cry or laugh as a baby.’
I made a mental note to ask the Duke and Duchess about it later.
With that trivial thought, I turned my attention back to the front, where a semi-transparent affinity window floated before me.
[Raizen Miel Pantheon / Affinity –9.57]
Of course.
Just as I thought.
It must have been my imagination.
His affinity hadn’t changed much since I last checked.
‘Although… it did go up a little.’
Still, the increase was so minimal that it was hard to tell if it even meant anything.
For some reason, ever since his affinity started displaying in decimal points, I had gotten into the habit of keeping the window open whenever I was with him.
Maybe it was out of sheer stubbornness, but with a quest on the line, I had a clear goal now.
‘I need to figure out what actually works on this guy!’
It felt like trying to min-max a game character.
Of course… I hadn’t had much success yet.
Even when his affinity increased, it was so microscopic that I couldn’t tell if it was a good thing or not.
The only curious detail was that his affinity never seemed to decrease—not even by a fraction.
‘Or maybe the decimals go even further than what’s displayed.’
What is he, π? Since when do people’s emotions change in decimal points?
‘…Well, it’s Raizen we’re talking about.’
Yeah.
He was practically a future villain in the making.
If the world was that unbearable to him and people annoyed him that much, it made sense that he’d go on to unseal the Demon King one day.
“Well, where should we go first, Raizen?”
I had grabbed a pamphlet listing Shailot Village’s top attractions before we left.
Holding it up, I asked, and Raizen took a moment to answer.
Then, very slowly, his gaze shifted toward something.
I followed his line of sight.
‘No way. It can’t be.’
Why… why was I looking at the chicken skewer stand I had glanced at earlier?
“Raizen…?”
“Should we check out that chicken skewer stall?”
This time, I was sure.
His eyes had curved slightly.
∗ ∗ ∗
The chicken skewers were ridiculously good.
Juicy, tender chicken thigh meat, seasoned with salt and pepper, grilled over an open flame until it had a perfect smoky char.
Between the chunks of chicken, thick green onions were roasted to a golden brown, releasing a sweet, piping-hot juice with every bite.
Honestly, I was craving a beer to go with it.
Then came the ice cream.
It was served in a cup that looked like it was sculpted from ice—clear and cold, like a frozen crystal.
They placed the ice cup inside a paper holder for convenience.
At first, I wondered why they went through all that trouble.
But then, I saw people around me finishing their ice cream and… crunching down on the cup itself.
‘Wait… this is edible?’
Curious, I gave it a hesitant lick.
A burst of sweet and tangy raspberry flavor hit my tongue.
Surprised, I glanced at Raizen, who casually explained that it was a well-known ice cup that didn’t melt.
Afterward, we stopped by the shop the Duchess had recommended to buy a handkerchief—a gift for Sean’s grandfather.
And we could have returned to the townhouse peacefully after that, but…
“Raizen, I wasn’t staring because I wanted to eat it. I was just looking.”
Raizen was the problem.
If I so much as glanced at something for more than five seconds, he insisted we check it out.
“Really?”
His eyes curved into an unmistakable smile, and the corners of his lips lifted slightly.
It was the kind of face that said he was having fun teasing me.
[Raizen Miel Pantheon / Affinity –9.51]
Damn it. The affinity score confirmed it.
“Aren’t you still hungry?”
His oddly amused voice irritated me to no end.
Since when did he care so much about what I ate?
‘Okay… maybe I did stare a little too much.’
At the duke’s residence or the townhouse, I was always served luxurious desserts and gourmet meals like those found in high-end hotels.
Because of that, I often found my eyes drifting toward the street food sold at the stalls. It looked delicious, and to be honest… it was.
‘But this… this is just humiliating.’
“I’m really fine. Seriously.”
I emphasized the last part, and only then did Raizen give a small nod.
A sigh escaped me on its own.
“Let’s just go…”
And then—
“The parade will be starting soon! Please check the pamphlet for the parade route!”
The voice came from nearby, and before I even realized it, my gaze had instinctively followed.
It wasn’t just a reflex—I was genuinely intrigued.
I regretted it immediately, though, as I felt Raizen’s gaze settle on me.
“Per…”
“Hyung! Let’s stay and watch the parade!”
I cut Raizen off and spoke quickly. He let out a quiet chuckle and nodded.
As I unfolded the pamphlet to figure out which way to go, someone suddenly grabbed my hand.
“Hyung…?”
It was Raizen.
“There’ll be a lot of people gathering for the parade.”
His expression was the same as always—calm and unreadable, his voice steady as he gave me a perfectly reasonable explanation.
And just as he finished speaking, a flood of people started pushing toward us.
“Ah, um…”
And yet, for some reason, I couldn’t shake this strange, ticklish feeling.
Maybe it was because his hand wasn’t as cold as usual—so warm that I almost didn’t recognize it as Raizen’s.
‘His hand…’
It felt a little warmer than before.
But then again, when I focused, it still seemed somewhat cold.
Before I could dwell on it any further, the thought was swept away by the literal wave of people pressing in.
Raizen adjusted his grip on my hand and naturally guided me toward the edge of the street.
The knights who were surely following in secret wouldn’t even have a chance to intervene.
‘But… isn’t this too close?’
Right now, our bodies were practically pressed together—so close it was a little embarrassing.
I had grown quite a bit in the past few months, but Raizen had gotten even bigger and more solid.
Maybe it was all the sword training, but his body felt…
‘Agh, what the hell am I even thinking right now?!’
I just wanted to move.
But with the crowd around us, I couldn’t even unfold the pamphlet to check which way to go.
“It’s fine. Just keep walking straight like this.”
His voice was soft, a quiet breath brushing against my ear.
* * *
