As I subtly turned my head to glance at the man called Lucius, my brows furrowed unpleasantly at his face.
…Well, that’s quite blatant.
He seemed like he was deliberately created to contrast with the Nameless—a man with bright silver hair and clear blue eyes, much like Elia.
His face wasn’t sharp so much as it was round, but….
For some reason, instead of the lively sparkle in his eyes, he had deep dark circles.
Of course, his appearance was also so decadent that it was off-putting, but his seriously tall stature was too noticeable.
Elia was certainly tall as well….
Standing next to the man called Lucius, she looked like an average-height woman.
-Gulp
…Just how tall is he?
His size, as imposing as it was, naturally made me lower my gaze.
I stealthily stepped next to Nameless, tugged on his sleeve, and brought his ear close to me.
“…Nameless! What’s with that giant over there?!”
“Uh, Master, asking me that….”
Nameless had a somewhat dumbfounded expression and took a step back, nodding.
Hmm, what’s over there?
As I subtly shifted my gaze in the direction Nameless pointed, Elia was looking at me with a suppressed laugh.
What…?
Are you, are you laughing at me? How dare you? You, a Saint?
With such a pathetic aura… oh wait, maybe I have more than Nameless, so would that be insulting him?
So… with just that mediocre aura?
In any case.
Despite having an aura that couldn’t even reach my knees, being so puffed up like that makes it clear they’re an ignorant fool who can’t even recognize the gap between themselves and their opponents.
Well, the background of the man next to me seemed somewhat valid, but that’s about it.
Valid enough.
That regardless, he seemed to have a deep aura for someone who looked so young, but compared to me, he was still utterly lacking.
And yet they laugh at me?
“Ugh!”
What an incredibly arrogant brat! They need to be taught a lesson!
‘I didn’t want to bring this out!’
Squinting my eyes shut, I reached for the wooden sword at my waist—
“Master, there are a lot of watching eyes here.”
“Right….”
Nameless grabbed my wrist and shook his head, and I watched him with a sulky expression.
Hmm, “A lot of watching eyes,” huh.
I was just joking, but does this guy mean he wouldn’t hesitate to cut if it came down to it?
Ugh, should I be happy about this or scold him harshly…?
As I gazed at Nameless with a nuanced expression, Elia stepped in front of us, leading Lucius.
“Lucius? It’s time for introductions!”
Elia raised her voice at Lucius, who seemed about a head taller than Nameless, as if scolding a child, and Lucius, with an air of familiarity, scratched the back of his head and sighed.
Hmm, seeing such a big guy being pushed around by a girl is amusing….
Well, thanks to that, the imposing figure I felt now started to seem like a large teddy bear.
Of course, even if I used that metaphor, it doesn’t mean he’s cute.
What nonsense! A man being cute?
Ah, except for Nameless.
It’s a rule that a disciple will always look adorable to their Master, no matter what they do.
With a smile on my face, I patted Nameless’s head, but he just looked at me with a confused expression.
For a moment, Lucius, who was sitting tiredly, slightly bowed his head toward us.
“…I’m Lucius, part of Elia’s party.”
“Hmm… It feels like a lot was left out there…”
Elia shook her head softly, letting out a small sigh before looking directly at Nameless.
“Surely, before, you mentioned your name was Nameless, correct?”
“Yes, that’s right.”
“Then the person next to you… may I ask your name, if it’s not too much trouble?”
Hmm, so Nameless has already shared names with them.
If it were me, I wouldn’t want to tell my name to such unpleasant people. I would have said something like “Vague Character” instead….
I want to applaud Nameless for handling it so well.
Well, we’ll be traveling together for a while, so having at least a basic introduction makes sense.
To make myself appear larger, I placed my hands on my waist and tilted my head upward to look at Lucius.
“My name is Cheon Ha-rang.”
Every time I introduce myself, my heart races.
I raised an arm from my waist up to the sky, pointing with my index finger.
“I’m the one who will ring the bell of the heavens.”
“…”
In the awkward silence, only the uncomfortable sound of Nameless’s clapping could be heard.
-Clap, clap, clap
“Master, you’re so cool.”
“…”
Hmm, why no reaction?
The last time I introduced myself like this to Nameless, his eyes were sparkling…
Thanks to that, my face started to flush, but I shook my head to dismiss it.
First impressions matter, so it’s crucial to maintain a confident expression at times like this.
I’m not embarrassed.
Yep, really.
…
As I opened my mouth, the moment that felt like forever passed.
I turned my gaze to Elia, who was wearing a forced smile.
As I said before, I’m not embarrassed.
…Probably.
For a moment, trying to forget the past, I gazed at the distant mountains, but then Elia’s awkward laughter reached my ears.
“Ahaha…, then can I call you Cheon Ha-rang?”
“Um….”
Narrowing my eyes slightly, I stroked my chin.
Honestly, being called by name is a bit uncomfortable….
But showing that discomfort and building walls wouldn’t be wise.
I pondered briefly, but found an answer quickly.
For now, my primary goal is to build some sort of rapport with them.
Considering what I heard from Nameless, the giant man next to that Saint must be a Hero.
It would be unwise to alienate ourselves from them in the long run.
…Of course, given that I’ve allied with the Demon King, there will come a time when we’ll have to face them, but when the time comes, explaining the situation and trying to resolve it amicably is also important.
Above all….
I raised my gaze, glaring at the sky.
To achieve my goals someday, I’ll need that Saint who stands before me too.
With one side of my mouth lifting in a smirk, I nodded my head.
“Sure, you can do as you like.”
“Thank you!”
Elia beamed with satisfaction upon hearing my response.
That joyful expression was quite refreshing; I glanced back at Nameless, where his gaze was turned toward me.
Hmm, why is he looking at me instead of Elia…?
Now that I think about it, he didn’t react much to Lili either.
Remembering how Nameless used to act when we stayed in the cabin, it’s not like he has no interest in women…
…Could it be that his taste is peculiar?
Just as I seriously started to wonder about that, Elia continued speaking.
“Then, Ha-rang? I’ve been curious about something since earlier….”
“What is it?”
“Do you hold a title from anywhere other than the Empire?”
Hearing Elia’s words naturally narrowed my brows.
A title? Is she talking about nobility?
Ugh—nobility?
Suddenly, the memory of the nobility that traumatized Nameless in the town we visited flashed into my mind, causing my mood to sour rapidly.
My tone automatically turned aggressive.
“Not nobility, why do you think that?”
“Ah, I’m sorry if that upset you….”
Upon hearing my somewhat sharp reply, Elia flinched and immediately lowered her head.
While it’s true I have a surname, looking at my wooden sword at my waist or my messy hair, it’s hard to see how anyone could think that….
Elia straightened her back and continued speaking immediately.
“Well, it was also because of the surname you have—”
“Another reason?”
“The way you speak seems accustomed to treating lower-status people….”
“…That’s definitely a misunderstanding. …No, more than that, ‘Rang’? What’s that supposed to mean?”
Elia hesitated for a moment, then blushed slightly as she placed a hand on her cheek before speaking.
“Well, this might be inappropriate, but… um, it’s mostly because of your appearance, right?”
Why is her cheek turning red…?
No, more importantly.
“Appearance?”
“Yes? Well, Cheon Ha-rang, you’re cute, ahem! Beautiful, after all?”
Something about her earlier cough was incredibly annoying, but digging deeper into that made my head hurt, so I decided to just lightly brush it off.
No, more importantly, did you just say I’m beautiful?
I had a puzzled expression naturally, and upon seeing that, Elia seemed rather incredulous and added.
“You didn’t know?”
“…Even that doesn’t make me feel better, so stop pandering.”
Looking at Nameless, he has a European-like appearance, so what would that make the people around me think?
To them, I’m just someone with a peculiar appearance.
When I regarded Elia with a displeased expression, she patted her chest, appearing frustrated.
Suddenly, my eyes were slightly drawn to that ‘thing’ that moved a lot.
…It was inevitable.
