Elia grabbed my arm and has been babbling about something I can’t quite understand.
“I really think that’s not a good idea…”
“…So what exactly have you been talking about since earlier?”
I sighed deeply, holding my throbbing forehead.
Why the heck am I being lectured by someone so much younger than me?
Well, sure.
I’ll grant you that if we stretch things a bit, being lectured isn’t the worst thing in the world.
I mean, I get scolded by Nameless from time to time.
“…”
Hmm, this feels weird.
Anyway!
I shook my head to clear my mind and looked at Elia again.
At the very least, shouldn’t she tell me what exactly I did wrong?
Puffing out my cheeks and glaring up at Elia, I declared, “What exactly did I do wrong to deserve this?!”
“…Huh? No, um, it’s not so much about being wrong…”
Elia’s eyes started to shake as if an earthquake had struck.
She turned her head slightly away from me, clearly unsure herself why she was scolding me.
How infuriating.
I think I’ve been very patient.
“Well, since you’re a woman too, I thought maybe you could understand a little…”
“…Ugh! I don’t care!”
I roughly shoved Elia’s arm away and ran off toward Nameless.
“Wait! Harang! Where are you going?!”
I could hear Elia’s flustered voice behind me, but…
I am the ruthless Cheonma, Cheon Ha-rang.
I totally ignored Elia’s pitiful screams and dashed toward Nameless.
“Nameless!”
“Master?”
I leaped onto Nameless’s back without holding back.
With a thud, Nameless stumbled slightly but quickly regained his balance, turning to face me with a puzzled expression.
“…What’s going on now?”
“Nameless! She’s harassing me!”
“Excuse me?”
Following the direction of my finger, Nameless squinted at Elia who was far away.
Receiving that glare from Nameless, Elia jumped and quickly shook her head.
Is she trying to deny it now? How incredibly irritating.
I smirked at Elia, then grinned and rested my chin on Nameless’s shoulder.
You’re in deep trouble now!
When Nameless gets angry, he is terrifying.
My eyes sparkled with eager anticipation of what was about to unfold, but when I turned to look at Nameless…
“Nameless?”
Contrary to my expectations, Nameless let out a small sigh and continued to tidy up the tent.
…Why is he just standing there?
I nudged Nameless’s shoulder with my chin.
“Why aren’t you doing anything?!”
“…I’m not sure what the saint did to you, but…”
Pausing in his packing, Nameless turned his head to meet my gaze.
…It was too close.
“How about our generous Master gives her a break?”
“…Hmm.”
Well, thinking about what Nameless said, it doesn’t seem like a big deal anymore…
Besides, as Nameless said, I am a kind person.
“Okay, fine.”
I nodded my head.
…
After a simple meal with Nameless, we sat around the crackling campfire face-to-face with the saints.
Naturally, this wasn’t a gathering arranged by me.
“Shall we decide the night watch then?”
Elia, who just spoke, was the one who organized this.
Speaking of night watch…
It seems I wouldn’t care what order I was in.
To begin with, my sleep is short, and I’ve already gotten some rest in the carriage, so I’m not tired at all right now.
Plus, if I want, I could go several nights without sleeping.
However…
I glanced subtly at Nameless.
Tonight, I have something to do with this guy.
If I repeat that periodically, it should clear up Nameless’s mind and help ease my own discomfort.
With that thought in mind, I spoke up.
“Could you exclude me and Nameless from the first round if possible?”
“Huh? Um… the first and last rounds are usually the most comfortable, are you sure you don’t mind?”
Upon my suggestion to give up the first spot, Elia’s eyes widened as she stared at me and Nameless, seeming genuinely concerned.
Does she think I wouldn’t understand such things?
I nodded my head.
“I don’t think I can keep watch tonight because I have something to do with Nameless.”
“…You two have… something to do tonight?”
Elia squinted at me, trying to decipher my words.
…Maybe I was a bit vague in my explanation.
It’s not like it’s a top-secret mission, and I had no intention of hiding it in the first place.
Besides, if we say we want to go to our spot without a proper reason, wouldn’t they have some doubts about it too?
I nodded and spoke.
“Think of it as making a narrow hole wider; would you understand that?”
“…Master?”
“Hmm? What’s the matter?”
Nameless turned to me looking bewildered, while Elia had suddenly frozen in place, unable to say anything.
Did I accidentally say something wrong?
Hmm, I don’t think I said anything incorrect…
Their reactions are just strange.
Among us, the only ones whose expressions haven’t changed are me and Lucius.
I looked over at him casually, and Lucius let out a tiny sigh and gently nudged Elia’s shoulder.
“Saintess, you do realize that Cheon Ha-rang has a knack for saying things that can easily be misunderstood, right?”
…No matter how I look at it, is it appropriate to say that?
I felt slightly offended…
Elia was mumbling something like, “That’s true…” and then looked at me with a determined expression.
…That look of hers is strangely intimidating.
“…Could you explain it in more detail?”
“Well, regarding Nameless’s body—”
“Master, just a moment.”
Just as I was about to answer Elia’s question, Nameless interrupted me and stepped up.
…I never taught my disciple to interrupt the Master.
My lips puffed out in irritation.
“Just keep your thoughts to yourself… No, I’ll just speak instead.”
“…Why do you always do this?”
For some reason, I feel very hurt.
It seems like every time I try to do something, Nameless jumps in and cuts me off.
Is that because he thinks I’m not reliable?
A strand of hair above my head drooped down in front of my face.
…Why am I thinking like this?
Lately, my emotions have been all over the place; is there something wrong with my body?
Seeing me like this, Nameless awkwardly waved his arms and came closer to whisper.
“Perhaps it’s better to keep certain things from them?”
“…Why is that?”
“Wouldn’t it be better to keep it just between you and me?”
…Just between us?
I glanced up to see Nameless’s eyes quivering intensely, resembling a shade of deep red.
“Hmm, alright.”
If he’s going that far, Nameless must have his reasons too.
Still.
“Then I guess I’ll have to speak more vaguely.”
“Huh? Master? What do you mean by that—”
Now that I know what he’s trying to say, doesn’t that mean I can explain it well?
I can manage at least that much.
I pushed Nameless aside and turned to Elia, who had a curious look on her face.
“It might be difficult to explain everything clearly.”
“…Is that so? Well, it’s fine if you just want to clarify the misunderstanding—”
“I’m going to be fiddling around inside.”
I didn’t specify whose body that would be, so this should suffice.
Feeling quite proud of myself, I closed my eyes and nodded confidently, only to hear a light thud sound on my forehead from beside me.
…What was that?
Cracking open one eye, I saw Elia’s mouth hanging wide open, almost as if I couldn’t believe it.
…Huh? Why is she acting like that?
Feeling bewildered, I glanced beside me to see Nameless facepalming and letting out a deep sigh.
“…I really don’t understand.”
“What the heck does that mean?!”
Honestly, this is beyond comprehension.
…
-Saintess, Elia
Why doesn’t the tent we use have any soundproofing…?
Knelt down, I prayed to the bright shining moon.
…Oh Moon, how do I get through this situation…?
“Ugh, Master.”
“…Just hold on a little… if you keep moving like that, it’s going to be hard for me too…”
The sounds of Harang’s strained moans drifted over the crackling fire…
“Ugh…”
Why is my face feeling so warm?
Even when I fan myself with my hand, it doesn’t seem to cool down…
“Ugh, how is it… feeling nice, huh?”
“Yes… it’s warm.”
Really… I saw this coming, but this is too much…
Even though we have a Mage right in front of us, do those two not understand the meaning of restraint…?
They clearly know I’m supposed to take the first watch…
“Seriously…”
Could they be doing this on purpose for me to hear…?
“…”
I shook my head.
No way they’d do something like that…
“Ugh, Nameless…”
How am I going to face Harang tomorrow…?
