I glared at the strawberries in my pocket.
“Scary….”
Even though I had reached quite a high level, the taste was so intense it made me momentarily lose my senses…
In my opinion, this is a very dangerous item.
To exaggerate, one could say this flavor threatens the peace of the world, and it is my duty to deal with it to protect that peace.
With a determined expression, I nodded and threw another strawberry into my mouth.
“Master… If you eat that much, it’ll spoil.”
“This isn’t candy! Do you think I’m going to get cavities?”
“… I don’t know.”
I felt a surge of emotion seeing Nameless shaking his head and sighing…
But those who walk the righteous path are always lonely.
Nameless might not know it, but I am still protecting world peace today!
“Hehe.”
Feeling proud of myself, my shoulders involuntarily lifted.
For some reason, Nameless looked at me with somewhat cold, deadpan eyes.
“…What is it?”
“Nothing…”
“Tsk.”
I ignored Nameless as he turned his head away.
I never thought I’d be understood by someone like Nameless, who hasn’t even lived a fraction of my life. How could this novice possibly grasp my lofty thoughts?
I sighed and shook my head.
…Now that I think about it.
Recently, since coming out of the mountains, I’ve been feeling that Nameless lacks respect and a desire to learn from his master.
‘How infuriating.’
Extremely infuriating.
Nameless deserves a little punishment.
What kind of punishment would be good…?
As I tilted my head back and forth in thought, a brilliant idea suddenly struck me.
The one thing Nameless hates most about me.
Ignoring him.
The corners of my mouth turned up slightly.
‘I won’t even glance at him until we get back to the inn.’
Well… I guess I could be seen as pouting unilaterally, but if I show this attitude, it’s not like I’m really upset.
Unlike Nameless, I am a truly broad-minded master.
So, this can be seen as proper education from a master.
“Hmph.”
I huffed and turned my head away, acting all snobby.
After walking in silence for several minutes.
I gradually began to get bored.
Watching the market scenery was fun for a moment, but seeing the same buildings and items repeatedly was so dull.
I let out a light sigh and casually glanced back at Nameless.
…By now, wouldn’t he have realized his mistake and be properly reflecting?
However, such hopes were figments of my imagination, for contrary to my expectations, Nameless frowned, and his lips poked out like a duck’s beak.
No matter how I looked at it, that wasn’t a face of someone reflecting.
…This guy?
Still doesn’t realize he’s in the wrong?
How foolish…
No, even if he doesn’t realize it, that’s still a problem.
You, the disciple! I, your master! Am making it obvious that I’m feeling bad! Can’t you at least apologize first?!
What on earth is this guy pouting about?!
As my emotions escalated, my face turned bright red.
“What! Why are you making that face?!”
“…What’s wrong with my face?”
“Wha—! Just get your lips in check!”
I reached out and pinched Nameless’s lips.
“Ugh! Master! It hurts!”
“You need to hurt a little!”
Nameless struggled to pull my hand away from his mouth.
‘Not a chance.’
I immediately drew upon my internal energy, tightening my grip so Nameless could never escape.
Because of that, every time Nameless tried to pull my hand away, he felt more agony, reducing his struggles to mere taps on my shoulder.
“Tsk, you’re still infuriating, but I’ll let it go for now.”
As I said before, I’m a very broad-minded master, so I can overlook a mistake or two from my disciple.
Lost in my own thoughts, Nameless suddenly let out a groan.
“Master… it really hurt.”
Nameless’s lips were clearly in bad condition.
Hmm, maybe I went a bit too far…?
Using my internal energy to pinch Nameless’s lips did seem a bit excessive.
If it wasn’t Nameless, those lips might have come off completely.
Thinking this, I felt a bit guilty for being too harsh and decided to offer some comfort.
“Hmm, I guess I was a bit excessive. I should put on some ointment.”
Isn’t there a universal remedy for wounds that’s been known since ancient times?
I extended my index finger, put it in my mouth, and soaked it in saliva for a while.
“Blech—”
As I took my finger out of my mouth, a long strand of saliva connected my lips to my finger, shimmering in the sunlight.
‘Hmm, did I get too much?’
After shaking off the excess, I stretched my arm out and touched my finger to Nameless’s lips.
“Master, what—!”
“Shut your mouth, will you? It’s hard to apply if you keep moving!”
“…”
I slowly wiped my saliva from the edge of his upper lip to the tip of his lower lip, making sure it was spread evenly.
Jerk—
“Hey, stay still, will you?”
I poked Nameless’s annoying moving lips.
“Are you saying you don’t want the ointment?”
Finally, Nameless firmly closed his lips, as if resolved to stay still, even squeezing his eyes shut.
That sight was so amusing that I smiled a little and continued to apply the treatment properly.
Whenever my saliva ran out, I replenished it and kept it going until Nameless’s lips healed.
“Alright! This should be enough!”
“…”
Nameless’s formerly hurt lips now shimmered without any wounds.
Perfection.
Indeed, old people’s sayings are never wrong.
Of course, it’s not like I applied my saliva to Nameless’s lips based solely on old sayings.
If it really had no effect, he would clearly feel discomfort; how could I proceed like that?
In a time long past when Nameless wasn’t around, I would often treat my wounds with my saliva, and each time, miraculously, they healed.
I suspected it might be due to some extraordinary properties of the herbs I constantly consumed.
Well, that might not be the case; it’s just a guess.
Who knows if some unknown reason exists? Maybe it’s just because we’re in a fantasy world.
Though this isn’t all that significant.
As long as Nameless’s wounds are healed, right?
After finishing my short reminiscence, I turned to look at Nameless.
Hmm, was it really worth feeling that bad?
Nameless’s face was an unprecedented shade of red.
…He looks redder than strawberries!
Well… still, wouldn’t it be better to heal quickly even if he’s slightly displeased?
‘Hmm, naturally.’
I nodded to myself.
After that, Nameless continued to sigh deeply, his face bright red, and not a single word was spoken even after we arrived at the inn.
Oh, he did say “goodnight” at the end.
In any case.
It seems Nameless is quite angry, so next time, I should at least say something in advance or restrain myself.
…
The next morning, when I woke up, for some reason, Nameless was awake before me.
“Nameless, what’s this? You’re up early today.”
“…”
“Nameless?”
Not hearing any response, I squinted and looked closely at Nameless.
He seemed not fully awake yet, sitting on the edge of the bed, staring blankly at the ceiling.
Curious if he saw something on the ceiling, I looked up too, but of course, saw nothing.
Hmm, why is he like this?
Today we need to hurry to find a carriage, and Nameless had said so himself.
Yet, here he is, awake early but just staring at the ceiling.
This is something…
Should I say it’s diligent to be up early, or should I call it lazy because he’s just zoning out?
Unable to hold back, I jumped off the bed and poked Nameless in the side.
“…Master, are you up?”
“I woke up ages ago, you brat.”
To jolt him back to reality, I lightly flicked my finger against Nameless’s forehead.
Nameless rubbed his forehead for a while, then his eyes gradually widened as he stammered out incoherent words, flushing red, and dashed into the bathroom.
Hmm, what’s going on with him?
Did I accidentally trigger a forgotten trauma with that flick on his forehead?
But… he used to just huff when I flicked his forehead before; he never reacted like this….
Hmm, what’s the point of thinking deeply?
Time will solve everything.
So, I lay back on the bed and tossed and turned, waiting for Nameless to finish washing.
