101. Small Rewards (2)

“Sit back.”

“… Excuse me for a moment.”

From noble mtl dot com

I cautiously sat across from Siabelle. A soft leather chair supported my body. I want to bury myself in the comfort of a chair, but I am wary of a loose posture.

As she sits at her right angle, Sia Bell shrugs her shoulders. Several types of refreshments and tea prepared on the table. Siabel looked at me in silence, then she took a sip of her tea.

“It’s the same car you drove when I went to Shione’s room the other day.”

“…… ?”

“Because Bronte is so much better than the bittersweet tea she usually rides. I ordered you to ride with this in the future. We have prepared enough for you, so enjoy yourself.”

“Thank you for your consideration.”

Afterwards, Sia Bell sipped her own tea instead of her horse. But that was all. Even though she was drinking her tea in silence, she did not enjoy the scent of tea that spread to the tip of her nose and did not savor the taste of her tea in her mouth.

Her attention was only on me, not on the car. Even while drinking tea, her open eyes contained my face.

Click.

Siabelle took me slowly for a moment and then lowered the teacup onto the saucer.

“Hmm—”

It is shown that she puts on her playful expression with an intentional voice to be heard.

Then she reached out her hand to me with her graceful gesture, her palm facing the sky.

“Please borrow your right hand for a moment.”

“You mean right hand?”

I don’t know why he suddenly asked for his right hand….

Quietly waiting for my right hand to be placed on top of mine. I put my right hand on top of Siabelle’s, who seemed unwilling to back down.

During the battle with the orcs, Siabelle showed more cold-blooded and cold-handedness than anyone else. Her hands on her skin were warm, not cold.

“Whoa.”

Sia Bell let out a small sound as she took my hand towards her.

She checked every corner of me with her eyes, and touched me.

“With such skillful handling of the bow and sword. Also, it seems that you don’t usually train separately. Compared to the exposed state, the calluses on her hands are noticeably less.”

“… ….”

“Of course. When I trained my sword and bow, it must have been a year ago, until I was sold to my count family. A mere attendant, and even a man, cannot wield a sword in an arena full of rough women.”

Siabelle’s red lips go up in an arc. Her dark and deep smile blends nicely with the arrogant Sia Bell, creating her alluring atmosphere.

“Ray. Do you think you have a level worthy of the time and effort you put in?”

Siabelle let go of my hand. My hand was suspended in the air aimlessly, then returned to my lap.

Siabel poured tea into her cup again.

She raised her teacup, this time clearly inhaling the scent of her tea as she spoke.

“You know that too. Compared to the effort you put in, your level is undeserved.”

I responded in silence to her words.

This is the credit I put in. The ball is full and overflowing.

Hunters are only crazy people. A momentary mistake caused the head to be cut or the whole body to be pierced. It’s because the hunters are the ones who crawl into the dungeon full of all sorts of f*cking dangers with their own feet. Hunter is a madman.

And I was one of those crazy people. It’s not a crazy person, but a crazy person. I was one of the world’s most elite hunters who headed for the S-class dungeon, not anywhere else.

‘It’s an undeserved state for me.’

Where are you talking nonsense?

Over the years, how many monsters have you killed while constantly raiding dungeons? Frugal archery and swordsmanship. And how far I’ve lived to try to handle magic more skillfully.

My status is the result of reasonable efforts.

Yeah, it’s a reasonable result, but…….

‘… Only like this, I can’t say anything.’

But right now, Ray, the original owner of this body, and me after taking this body, just like she said, didn’t show much effort.

Just quietly, eye contact with Siabelle.

“… So, I’m asking you, do you think that the reason you reached that level was because of your talent from heaven? Ray-“

“…… ?”

“Wouldn’t you like to learn a sword from your sister?”

“… Yes?”

Learning the sword from Siabelle?

That… I’m sorry, but can I learn something…… ?

“… Are you telling me to become Siabelle’s disciple?”

“Right.”

After saying that, Sia Bell got up from her chair and walked beside me.

The moment she tried to get up from her seat following her. Before I knew it, Sia Bell came up behind the chair I was sitting on and pressed her gently on my shoulder. Thanks to you, I was seated again.

She still has her hands on my shoulders. I lowered her back to close the distance between me and her.

“Can I hear the reason?”

“Didn’t I already tell you why? Because of your talent Besides-“

After saying that, Siabelle started stroking my hair leisurely.

“It seems that the relationship between you and Sione is getting stronger day by day. Wouldn’t it be difficult for you to be among you if you don’t take the seat of a teacher?”

“Me and Poetry—”

“Let’s share this story with Sione later.”

Siabel cut me off cleanly and stepped behind her. She continued, standing beside her instead of behind the back of the chair, sharing her gaze with me, and then putting her left hand into her pants pocket.

Meanwhile, Siabelle held out her right hand to me, as if asking for my hand, and smiled.

“Now, let me give you the reward you expected. Come on, hold hands and wake up.”

“… Excuse me.”

“It’s even rude.”

I grabbed Siabel’s hand and stood up from her chair.

Then Sia Belle took out her left hand from her trouser pocket as if waiting.

‘A ring?’

Siabelle’s left hand was holding a ring. A cold silver iron ring. There were no jewels or other striking ornaments embedded in it, but the precisely engraved intaglios made the ring look old-fashioned.

Siabelle explained as she put a ring on my index finger.

“Three times in total. The ring will protect you in dangerous moments. Wear it all the time if you can.”

The identity of the ring is a tool imbued with magic. It was an artifact.

Artifacts were expensive even on Earth. In this world, more would be more, it wouldn’t be cheaper.

What’s more, it wasn’t just magic, it was engraved with magic to protect the wearer. It certainly seemed like it could be useful.

Having received an unexpected reward, I bowed my head to Sia Bell.

“Thank you.”

Siabel gave me a deep smile at my greeting.

“There are still rewards left. I’ll listen to the thank you later.”

As soon as I expressed my curiosity about her words, Siabelle lifted her right hand, which was holding her hand.

Sia Belle’s hand led and led up by her hand.

The back of that hand—

“Siabelle?”

It wasn’t until it touched Siabelle’s lips that it stopped going up.

Sia Bell put her red lips on the back of her hand for a moment. Her warm, soft lips felt through the back of her hand. Afterwards, even after she removed her lips, the spot she touched seemed not to be her dream. A warm feeling remained.

Siabelle suddenly kissed my hand. Why is she staring blankly at her face?

“Um… ….”

Uncharacteristically for her, Sia Bell avoided her gaze.

“… That should be enough compensation.”

After saying that, Sia Belle quietly let go of her hand. In an instant, she caught her breath and straightened her expression. She returned to her signature mischievous smile.

“How do you feel about receiving the first kiss from the next head of the count family?”

“Don’t you kiss the back of your hand?”

“Well, it’s a kiss after all, isn’t that what it is?”

I thought, barely letting in the sigh that was about to burst out of my mouth.

Why the hell are the people in this family so upset that they can’t catch and eat me?

Somehow, I think Siabelle’s name should also be listed as the vigilant following the drunken Shione.

* *

Took. Took. Took.

Nel Cianella, the child in the quiet office, rests his chin on his chin and taps the desk in a regular rhythm.

Dioria returned to the county from the western part of the territory. She succeeded in eradicating the monsters rushing in at once, and calmed the commotion in the territory. The stability she’s regained always feels like the calm before the storm, she said.

“Before the storm—”

Certainly, the fact that cultists were secretly working in the village near the territory was also the same. Just half a year ago, finding the demons in the Beltrin Mountains was like that.

Maybe it’s because the situation in the territory, no, in the kingdom has been going crazy lately. Dioria’s words remained in her memory and were not forgotten.

Took. Took. Tuuk-

Ainel’s index finger, which was tapping on the desk, stopped.

“… The scouting party we sent to the mountains hasn’t returned yet.”

Drruck.

Ainel pushed the chair and stood up. She put on the overcoat that was hanging on her hanger, and grabbed a piece of her paper.

Half a year ago, a piece of paper that briefly summarized information about cultists’ altars and demons found in the mountains. She folded her papers neatly and put them in the inside pocket of her overcoat.

Then, carrying the sword hanging from the wall in her office at her waist, she whispered as she opened her door.

“… We will have to send a new search party and scouting party.”