Chapter 43
A date with the Hero.. Should I call it that?
In the world I used to live in, it was called a date, but saying the word myself felt embarrassing and strange. It would be easier—and probably better—to say we just went out together.
I'd had plenty of fun today.
Regardless of gender, whenever I played with this guy, I could forget everything for a little while and simply have fun with him as a friend. For a hastily arranged festival, there had been more things to do and more food to eat than I expected, and after filling our stomachs with this and that as we walked around, the sun was already beginning to set.
In the middle of all that, when the Hero heard the man who had told us about the place say it was incredibly beautiful at sunset, he asked me to go there with him. I agreed, and since the timing seemed just right, we were walking toward the hill.
Though I'd heard that too, the Hero must have thought I hadn't, so perhaps he'd deliberately kept our destination secret and asked me to follow because he wanted to show me the beautiful place.
We were supposed to spend today with the Hero, after all..
The only problem was..
“Haa.. haa..”
I was fucking exhausted.
I was starting to taste sweetness in my mouth.
No, seriously, this couldn't be happening..
It wasn't even a particularly steep hill, so why was I exhausted just from walking a little..?
“Are you tired?”
The Hero asked, looking concerned.
To be honest, I was pretty damn tired.
Lumia was a mage, so she was physically very weak to begin with. On top of walking around all day, I was now climbing a fairly high hill, even if there was a path, so there was no way I wouldn't be tired.
In other words.. it was like forcing someone frail and unaccustomed to physical exertion to go on a grueling march. Of course, I wasn't carrying a pack weighing dozens of kilograms, so it wasn't quite that hard, but walking all day and then climbing a hill consumed far more stamina than I'd imagined.
How did I usually travel without getting tired..?
Maybe I used magic while traveling.
If I had to travel somewhere far, I should probably cast a weight-reduction spell on myself.
Ugh.. I really felt like I was going to die..
When the Hero saw that I'd progressed from panting to coughing, he came over and supported me.
As I'd noticed before, it wasn't that I couldn't make any sound at all; I seemed able to make noises like the sound of wind. I'd deliberately tried to stay as quiet as possible, but I was so exhausted that it was hard to control myself, and I ended up coughing without meaning to.
My cough sounded strange.
Well, if I couldn't make any sound at all, I wouldn't be able to breathe either, so I suppose it was only natural.
I'd sealed my voice with magic, but as far as I knew, Lumia had lost her ability to speak—in other words, to make a sound—because of the Demon King's curse, so this was probably how it was supposed to be. Since the Hero didn't find it particularly strange, I was sure.
Even in a situation like this, was I still only thinking about not being found out..?
I'd decided to change my way of thinking and act a little more like myself, but immediately changing everything I'd done up to now wasn't easy.
I was disgusted with myself, as if everything I'd thought about today had become meaningless.
That's just the kind of person I am..
As I walked along, berating myself like that, the Hero suddenly stepped ahead of me and bent down.
And then,
“Here, get on my back.”
“...”
What, he was going to carry me on his back again?!
I looked around in confusion.
But just as the man had said, it was a hidden scenic spot, so there was no one around.
In other words, the only people here were the Hero and me.
My flustered mind soon cooled again.
Despite that reaction, honestly, I wanted him to carry me on his back.
I was too exhausted to walk any farther; my legs were trembling.
Actually, I'd made it this far while gritting my teeth through the pain.
Maybe because we'd been walking for quite a while, my feet had gradually started hurting, too.
If Cecilia had been beside me, she could have healed me with a miracle and that would have been the end of it, but she wasn't here, so I had no choice but to endure it. As I weighed comfort against pride, I suddenly wondered where my remaining pride had gone and decided to choose comfort.
I made that decision while promising myself I'd get down immediately if the Hero seemed to be struggling.
I approached the Hero, carefully climbed onto his back, and wrapped both arms around his neck. The moment I climbed onto him, he hooked his arms around my legs and lifted me up. With the legs supporting my body finally able to rest, I smiled inwardly, intoxicated by the relief spreading up from my toes.
But this guy..
His back was really broad, huh..
I'd noticed it before, but perhaps because it felt like my father's back, it gave me a sense of security.
As if entranced, I rested my face and body against his back and closed my eyes.
I should rest for a little while..
“Your feet hurt, don't they?”
...
When had he noticed that..?
As expected of the Hero, there was no fooling him.
I was about to ask how he'd known, but the Hero seemed to have figured out what I wanted to ask. He said I'd seemed to be limping for a while, and that he'd briefly checked my feet while lifting me onto his back.
Had he checked them in that short time?
“You should've told me if you were having trouble.”
“...”
I thought for a moment about how I should answer, then suddenly came up with a good method. I straightened up and began writing something on the Hero's back. Since we were facing the same direction anyway, he should be able to understand it.
So..
- I didn't want to worry you.
Would this be enough?
I briefly wondered how to write, but as soon as I tried, my body automatically wrote in the continent's common language. I heard everything the Hero and the others said as Korean, and when I saw written characters, I could clearly tell they were in a script I didn't know, yet I still understood what they meant. I decided to try it, and it worked.
The Hero noticed me writing on his back and let out a small snort of laughter.
“I hadn't thought of that.. Heh heh..”
During relaxed moments like this, it might not be such a bad method after all.
“It's not as if I can notice everything you're having a hard time with.”
That's.. true.
- Still..
“If something happens, you have to tell your companions. That way, we can help you.”
Hmm..
The Hero was quite firm on this point.
He was seriously telling me that I had to say something next time.
Maybe the usual Lumia would have.. No, I'd decided to stop thinking that way. I wanted to talk about the genuine feelings I was experiencing now—about the fact that I genuinely felt joy and gratitude toward him as he spoke out of concern for me.
A smile naturally spread across my face.
- Yeah.. I understand.
“Do I really have to tell you?”
I said I understood.
How long had we spent conversing, writing several times on his back? For me and the Hero, conversing without looking at each other was difficult, especially with me unable to speak, and a long time passed.
The Hero's senses were sharp enough that he could concentrate on my back while walking and decipher the letters to understand me; an ordinary person wouldn't have been able to communicate well that way. It didn't feel as if we'd talked all that much, yet the hill was already coming to an end.
“We've arrived.”
Twilight welcomed us.
Beneath the red sunset slowly sinking toward the mountains, the village and the countless mountains surrounding it came into view at once—a sweeping panorama of nature. Even though it was late enough for the sun to be setting, people were still carrying on with the festival.
Far in the distance, I could also see the forest path we'd entered to capture the necromancer.
A huge village surrounded by forests and mountains, with a small but well-built wall, guards patrolling around it, and people wandering the streets. It was a small village, but its shape was clearly visible. Twilight
“They said this was the view of the village at 【the hour between dog and wolf】.. That man really did tell us about a wonderful place.”
The Hero said that with a smile.
We had been busily conversing by writing on his back only moments before, but before long we were too absorbed in looking at the village, as if we'd become one.
“Hey, Lumia.”
- Why?
“What.. do you think of me?”
Normally, if I'd heard the Hero say something like that, I'd have wondered what kind of bullshit he was spouting, but perhaps because of the atmosphere, I didn't think that way. Instead, I found myself seriously pondering his words.
I thought for a long time.
Honestly.. I didn't know.
What did I think of the Hero..?
I thought of him as someone I was supposed to love, but so far, I had no way to describe him except as the Hero.
But now.. at least right now, I felt as if I could say what I thought of him.
...
...
After thinking for a long time, I finally answered.
My answer grew long, but the Hero sat quietly and listened to all of it.
My answer may have been somewhat rambling, but the Hero's response was merely a small chuckle after hearing it. At the same time, he seemed to have a satisfied expression.
“Shall we go back?”
- Yeah.
Even as we said that, we couldn't tear our eyes away from the village, and in the end, we weren't able to descend the hill until the sun had completely set and night had fallen.