* * *
Zerbin didn’t look happy by any stretch, but this wasn’t a particularly significant matter to him.
Once he had something good to eat later, his mood would surely improve.
I was relieved not to waste the future Hero’s precious time.
The stronger Zerbin became, the more he’d be able to help in the fight against the Demon King.
Not that Zerbin wasn’t already incredibly strong.
“Thanks for the offer! I hope you know I didn’t reject it because I disliked you or anything. I just didn’t want to get in your way.”
His cold gray eyes pierced into me.
Ah, chilly. It had been a while since I’d gotten such a frigid look.
I genuinely meant it when I said I wanted to save his time, but maybe that didn’t come across.
Still, what loss was it to him if he didn’t get to teach me?
Why was he this upset?
I couldn’t understand, so I stuck close to his side, pestering him with questions about whether I’d said anything offensive.
Unfortunately, no answer came.
The more I asked, the faster his strides became, and soon I was struggling just to keep up.
‘Is he sulking?’
If so, that’s kind of cute.
I dared to entertain such a thought before shaking my head.
It was presumptuous for someone like me to think of him as cute.
Besides, there was no reason for him to sulk over me.
He was probably walking quickly to save time, just like I suggested.
That made the most sense.
“Wait up, Zerbin!”
All I could do was hurry after him as best I could.
After pushing myself to keep pace without rest, I was a little out of breath.
Still, I could manage.
The desperate escapes I’d made in my pre-regression body must’ve left some muscle memory behind.
‘What’s this?’
A strange stench reached me.
Near the village, of all places, there was no way I should’ve smelled rotting corpses.
And not just one or two.
The foul odor carried on the wind triggered an instinctive sense of danger.
Fortunately, it didn’t seem to be human.
As I followed Zerbin’s brisk pace, we came across the source of the smell: the bodies of thorn wolves Zerbin had slain scattered nearby.
Beasts? That wasn’t normal. Adventurers usually dismantled their kills to sell, so it was unusual for carcasses to be left like this.
If the village’s guards had dealt with them, they wouldn’t have needed to kill so many.
In fact, rural guards weren’t strong enough to take down this many thorn wolves.
‘Could it be…?’
Oh no, wait.
Lost in thought, I realized Zerbin had already gone far ahead!
Shoving aside my useless musings, I dashed after his retreating figure.
❧
Thanks to Zerbin’s speed, we reached our destination faster than expected.
I thought we’d have to camp out for two nights, but we managed to secure lodging at an inn.
Though I was utterly drained from keeping up with his pace!
The old inn building felt like salvation itself.
Even if the beds were little more than straw under sheets, I didn’t care.
While I sat slumped in front of the inn, panting for breath, Zerbin returned with a room key.
“Not going in?”
“I can’t get up…”
It was embarrassing to be so worn out from just walking faster than usual.
But maybe now Zerbin would realize I wasn’t worth teaching.
Let’s think of that as a silver lining.
“Is that so.”
His tone seemed lighter now.
Perhaps his mood had improved.
He hadn’t said a word during the entire journey, which kept me on edge.
That might’ve been why I felt even more exhausted.
“Sorry… Just tell me the room number. I’ll go in later.”
“No need.”
What?
What does he mean by “no need”?
Is he saying he doesn’t want to drag around someone as weak as me?
That’s not allowed!
“Whoa!”
Zerbin scooped me up.
And this time, he wasn’t slinging me over his shoulder—he was carrying me in his arms.
I wanted to pass out from sheer embarrassment.
“I-I can walk on my own! I’m fine!”
“Quiet.”
I’d rather faint!
Or die!
No, I couldn’t die.
But I wanted to.
I wriggled in protest, but of course, my strength was no match for his.
My desperate resistance crumbled to nothing.
“Could you please put me down…?”
This made me feel like a burdensome package that needed constant care.
My face burned with shame.
I couldn’t see it, but I was sure it was bright red.
Not even in the dire pre-regression days had I been carried around like this.
“No.”
“Please… just let me live… or kill me.”
I sincerely begged, but neither did I die instantly, nor did Zerbin put me down.
Zerbin carried me into the room and placed me on the bed.
The sheer absurdity of the situation made me squeeze my eyes shut.
I wish this were a dream!
“Are you going to sleep?”
I snapped my eyes open.
“No!”
Honestly, if I closed my eyes, I felt like I could sleep for 12 hours straight, nightmares or no nightmares.
But if I just collapsed and slept here, it would cement my image as a complete physical wreck!
A burdensome liability Zerbin would have to carry around and personally take care of, just to keep going.
The thought alone was horrifying.
“You can sleep,” Zerbin said.
No, he probably already thought of me that way, but now was the time to work on my image.
“No, I’m fine. Really, I’m fine. Thanks for carrying me, but you don’t have to do that next time.”
I forced my heavy body to sit upright.
At least the breathless gasping from being carried all the way here had subsided, so my words sounded more convincing.
Thank goodness.
“Ah!”
The warrior suddenly ruffled my hair roughly, his unrestrained hand knocking the golden ring that held it in place onto the sheets.
What the heck was that?
Knowing my hair must be a mess now, I quickly covered my face.
I’d already shown enough pitiful sights; I didn’t want to ruin the one decent aspect of my appearance too.
“Don’t! Just look at my handsome side!”
Not that it mattered to Zerbin, who was so stunning himself that such things probably didn’t even register.
But still… I wanted to leave a good impression on someone I admired.
Surprisingly, Zerbin withdrew his hand.
Was that such a pathetic thing to say that he didn’t even think it was worth engaging with?
“I’m hungry.”
Right! Food!
Zerbin left the room immediately, and I hurriedly tied my hair back with my hands and followed him out.
In inns like these, there’s usually a small dining area, and this one was no exception.
On the first floor, I spotted a large cauldron of soup bubbling away—a so-called “eternal stew.”
I wasn’t eager to try it.
No matter what ingredients they used, everything in that pot would have been boiled into a tasteless mush.
Zerbin and I didn’t care much about food quality as long as it filled us up, but there was no reason to willingly choose something unappetizing.
“Do you think there’s anything decent for you to eat in a place like this?” I asked, sitting across from him.
Maybe it would be better to ask them to cook something from hunted ingredients or eat what we brought ourselves.
Zerbin didn’t answer.
That was fine—I was used to it.
Still, I wanted to feed him something good, so a reply would have been nice.
As I was thinking that, I noticed something strange.
‘Wait… is he looking over there?’
I’d assumed he was just ignoring me like usual, but Zerbin’s gaze was darting subtly toward the other people in the dining area.
Zerbin… interested in someone else?
Instinctively, I followed his line of sight.
For the first time since my regression, Zerbin seemed genuinely curious about another person.
And he wasn’t just watching someone I’d brought over; he was observing them himself!
I spotted an elderly man and a middle-aged man engaged in conversation.
They looked like ordinary people, seated at a table with nothing on it.
Judging by their demeanor, they weren’t guests like us but seemed connected to the inn.
Likely staff too busy with something else to tend to us.
Was Zerbin annoyed about not being served?
* * *
