Narrowing my eyes, I glared around.
“What the heck is this…?”
I grabbed it directly, but contrary to my expectations, I didn’t feel much.
Hmm, could it be a way to release my energy? It wouldn’t hurt to give it a try.
Just as I was nodding to myself and about to harness my internal energy,
“Master.”
“Uhh-!”
Nameless placed his hand on my shoulder.
“Did I surprise you?”
“…Huh?”
Nameless tilted his head, seeming unable to understand my reaction, while I shot him glare after glare.
…Honestly, I thought my heart would drop.
I was trying to hide the fact that I mistook this seemingly useless staff for a sheath, but here he came popping up when I was inspecting it due to curiosity?
Timing, seriously!
Pouting with my lips, I constantly furrowed my brow.
Despite my blatant display of dissatisfaction, Nameless was still tilted in confusion.
Then suddenly, Nameless’s gaze landed on the staff in my hand.
His forehead creased.
“What is this?”
“…Well…”
Words escaped me as I rolled my eyes around in my head.
What should I say…?
“I was looking for a sheath.” I confidently declared, only to end up finding this mere staff, or a twig at best—it felt a little embarrassing.
I mulled over it.
Maybe it’s better to admit I might have found the wrong thing…?
After all, honesty is key between a master and disciple.
Just as I was about to nod and open my mouth, Nameless interrupted with a face full of questions.
“Could it really be a sheath?”
His tone felt oddly disappointed, yet it wasn’t directed at me. He was staring at the staff, struggling to hide his expression of obvious regret.
Could it be he thinks something so hideous is a sheath too?
…Truly, like master, like disciple.
Watching Nameless’s expression resembling mine drew a snicker from me. Not wanting to disappoint him, I shook my head slightly.
“Hmm, I don’t know…”
And detaching from my feelings, I realized I couldn’t give a solid answer to Nameless’s question either.
I mean, with magic existing in this world, can I even rule out the possibility of transforming weapons?
I still lack too much information about this world.
Sigh, I should really look into this place properly sometime… maybe checking out a library in a big city wouldn’t be a bad idea.
Lost in thought, I suddenly felt Nameless’s intense gaze on the staff.
“…Do you want to see it?”
Feeling pressured, I hesitantly offered the staff to him.
“Yes, Master.”
Nameless nodded vigorously and smiled. He really seemed eager to have a look.
I handed the staff to him with a reluctant expression.
“Thanks.”
“Uh-huh, sure.”
As the staff settled in Nameless’s hands,
His pupils began to constrict unnaturally.
Veins bulged fiercely on his arms, neck, and face.
This was clearly not normal.
With a hint of panic, I called out to him.
“Nameless?”
“…”
There was no response from him; instead, a sudden silence fell.
I frowned.
This silence didn’t mean there was no conversation between us—it was, quite literally, silence.
The beating of our hearts, breaths escaping from lungs through nostrils and mouths, the sound of insects crawling, the wind blowing, everything vanished as if the world had turned off.
This wasn’t normal; so why was this happening?
‘It all started the moment Nameless and that staff touched.’
The conclusion hit me in an instant.
I swung my left leg like a whip, kicking the staff out of Nameless’s grasp.
I angled my foot just right to hit only the staff without touching his hand, sending it flying away from him.
…Crack!
The sound of collision rang out—not when my leg hit the staff, but when it hit the ground.
So, that was the cause after all.
However, one thing was unexpected—the strength of the staff was beyond what I anticipated.
Even though I didn’t put my all into it, how could a mere twig-like staff sustain no damage at all?
“Tsk.”
I drew back my tingling leg, clicking my tongue softly.
Still, what really mattered now wasn’t the state of the staff or my sore leg.
I twisted my body harshly.
“Nameless!”
My voice came out nearly as a scream.
“Hah, huff, huff…”
“Nameless!”
Nameless was on the ground, struggling to catch his breath.
…He looked really bad.
Frowning, I quickly rushed to him.
“Are you okay?!”
His normally pale skin was now a sickly shade of blue.
I reached out, clutching his wrist to check his pulse.
It was beating alarmingly fast.
No signs of his veins and pupils stabilizing.
I bit my lip.
“Cough, huff.”
“Breathe slowly.”
But in this situation, I couldn’t lose my cool and let Nameless affect me.
With a hand on his back, I calmly activated my internal energy, beginning to infuse it into his body gently.
…Getting Nameless stabilized was my priority.
I closed my eyes.
Instead of being rough, like when widening blood vessels, I caressed Nameless’s body softly, warming him up.
After what felt like an eternity,
“This is…”
Slowly, I began to see something lodged near his heart like fragments.
It emitted an ominous aura, greedily gnawing at Nameless’s body.
I squinted, feeling it was ugly for me not to have noticed this in Nameless before.
“Cough, erk…”
No, it’s too early for self-blame.
I summoned all my focus and gathered my internal energy near Nameless’s heart.
What I referred to as ‘fragments’ resembled parasites, circling near his heart.
At that moment, I wanted nothing more than to eliminate it immediately.
But…
…there’s no certainty.
This was the first time I was experiencing something like this.
As you know, I’m a coward. When it’s something I’ve never faced before, or anything for the first time, I become endlessly foolish.
It’s dangerous because it’s near the heart, and I couldn’t predict the backlash after removing it.
So… right now, the best option was to slow its movement.
Then I could wait for Nameless to stabilize. Afterward, I could either bring that damn saint or gather information related to this together with Nameless.
It’s something I don’t even want to think about.
If Nameless collapsed, I’d just have to intimidate the gods.
Yes, that’ll do.
I poured my energy into the fragments near Nameless’s heart, half-opened pupils focused.
A dark mist began to envelop the fragments.
Soon, it seemed to chain down like a thick shackle, as dark masses started to flow into those fragments.
In no time, the writhing fragments ceased to move.
*
Nameless felt a warm touch wrapping around his head and slowly lifted his trembling eyelids.
What came into his view was the truly admirable face of his master.
She had half-closed eyes, glistening with red, and an incredibly beautiful smile.
“Did you wake up?”
“Yes, Master.”
Her hand gently stroked Nameless’s head.
He barely hid his quivering pupils as he opened his mouth, his face growing warm.
“…What just happened?”
His voice carried a tone full of questions.
His master, taken aback by his reaction, looked slightly amazed, then pondered for a moment before saying,
“Nothing at all.”
With a little smile, she shook her head.
Nameless didn’t quite understand the current situation, but he realized this was a rare opportunity.
The young disciple, brimming with embarrassment, nervously placed a hand on his chest and closed his eyes.
“Master, for some reason, my chest hurts.”
“Does it?”
Her hand moved from his head down to his chest, then she covered her hand over his.
“…Yes.”
“Why does my Nameless’s chest hurt?”
She uncrossed her fingers and began to gently stroke his chest.
Nameless’s eyes began to curl in a crescent shape, as if he felt good.
Seeing that, Harang chuckled softly, smiling warmly as he spoke.
“Is it still—”
“Yes.”
Before he could finish his sentence, Nameless answered.
Harang blinked in surprise.
“…How unusual.”
She tilted her head, puzzling over it for a moment.
But just a while later, as if sensing something was amiss, Harang’s touch slowed, causing Nameless’s lips to droop in displeasure.
Though Nameless didn’t quite grasp the situation, he decided to enjoy it.
“It’s not strange.”
“Hmm…”
The cunning disciple was thirsty for his master’s affection.
