Why don’t you ask the other way around?

“Hey, Noah?”

“Yeah?”

“That’s what happened earlier. that’s it once… … .”

I can’t. I don’t know how to preface this, I don’t know what to say.

“… … If you’re bored, how about playing with Marie? Since we’re going to have lunch soon, it would be ambiguous to let her go to sleep now.”

“That is also true. Then I should play with Marie as usual.”

Eleanor walked around the wagon with the horse and woke the sleeping Marie.

“ha… … .”

A sigh comes out.

It’s not the first time I’ve felt helpless, but this time it’s even harder.

I don’t know what to do with this kind of obscurity.

At least, Marie lived as usual. For the time being, you’ll just have to leave Eleanor in charge of her.

Aren’t the two friends from the beginning? You don’t have to feel guilty.

After moving a little more like that.

We stopped the wagon and had a simple lunch. Of course, you won’t be leaving right after you’ve eaten.

I need to rest and I need to rest too. So, I decided to take a break. And more than anything else, it was because it seemed necessary to carefully examine the condition of the party.

“number of animals. Would you like to come for a minute?”

“yes? All right, Noah.”

At that time, Eleanor led Marie out of sight.

No matter how you look at it, Eleanor’s condition is not normal. No, it’s the same as usual. that’s the problem

He used to be a guy who used to run at me with a sword, but suddenly he behaves normally. I can’t help but worry

“Kuhm… … .”

“… … .”

However, the plan to follow the two of them was absurdly misfired.

It was Arrieta.

She tugged at the hem of my clothes and shook her head quietly.

In the meantime, don’t speak again. I’m still pissed off, but I think I wanted to convey the situation.

“Are you telling me not to follow you?”

“… … .”

nod

Arrieta nodded.

Even after that, Arrieta tried to convey something to me through gestures and gestures. Do I really need to do this? Can’t we just say it?

“Will she be okay?”

“… … .”

“Is that why you took Marie to organize your thoughts?”

“… … .”

“Ah, yes… … . Well sir.”

I see many faces today.

When I see him flapping his body like that and trying to convey something, it seems like a natural smile.

“… … .”

Of course, Arietta is sending signals that she’s pouting, so when I smile like this, her lips pout.

First of all, she gets angry in her own way. It wouldn’t be nice to laugh just because your actions are cute.

“Hmm, hmm… … . First of all, there is a stream nearby. Would you like to go get some water together?”

Arrieta nodded.

I headed for the stream I had seen before moving the wagon with her.

“Well… … .”

Before leaving, I looked in the direction Marie and Eleanor were heading, but they were already gone.

I hope Eleanor will come to a conclusion no matter what.

If she decides to stab me, I’ll avoid it, of course, but if it’s a decent punishment, I’ll accept it calmly.

She must have expected from me as much as I expected from her.

* * *

thought was short. He acted complacently because he thought that Eleanor was the problem.

When I thought about it, it was only Eleanor who was the problem, but the problem was already scattered here and there.

“… … .”

I thought it was especially cute, but Arrieta’s silence is more serious than I thought, so it’s a problem. There’s no dialogue, so it can’t be this awkward.

She doesn’t really say a single word, as if practicing silently was also one of the ordeals to become a saint.

I feel like I’m choking on my breath.

Only then did it become clear how serious the other situation was after moving away from Eleanor.

“Hey, Arietta? I’ll do the watering, so you can sit on the rock and rest.”

“… … .”

dory dory.

Arrieta shook her head despite my invitation.

The stream was shallower than expected, so I had to use a gourd to scoop it up several times to fill it up.

In such a situation, Arrieta whimpers and fetches water. she is weak He has a constitution that makes it impossible for him to gain muscle even with practice.

But when I see her working hard, it makes me feel sorry for everyone watching.

“Arrieta? We share our roles. I’m going to get some water, so can Arietta ask you to deliver the empty water bottle and close the lid?”

“… … .”

Arrieta looked at me silently and then nodded.

thank god. If I refused, I don’t think I would have known how to react.

Maybe I just watched her whimper as she filled the water… … .

“Hey, Arrieta.”

You can’t avoid it forever.

Again, there is nothing good about going overboard like this. Didn’t Arrieta already show me an overflowing level of understanding?

Even if it’s an excuse this time, I’ll definitely have to release it.

“This time, that… … . It was so sudden that I couldn’t react. Maybe if I had noticed what Baekyang was trying to do beforehand… … .”

“… … .”

“… … .”

I don’t think this is. It’s a lie.

Actually, I don’t know how I would have done it. I know she risked her life for me.

I can’t drive her around as if she were the culprit.

“sorry… … .”

In the end, what I had to do was this.

It’s not like an excuse, I should have said an apology first.

“I guess I’m just a greedy scumbag.”

I couldn’t push away.

It must be because I was so hungry for human relationships.

My existence is infinitely blurry, so I tried to fill the gap with others.

It felt like it would disappear. Was Eleanor like this?

Did she want to fill that gap with me?

“I couldn’t push anyone away. I was like this.”

Soyeon was right. I am human scum with no way to save.

Even though I’m confessing like this right now, I hope that she won’t abandon me.

Even though what I’m doing now is literally playing with people’s minds.

How selfish is this?

“… … There are so many precious things that there is no such thing as a foolish monkey who cannot let go of one of them.”

“… … .”

“Sorry, Arrieta. Even in this situation, I don’t think I can make a decision yet.”

I have said everything I have to say.

Even if she gave up her expectations from me with this, she couldn’t help it.

She has shown me enough understanding so far. Even so, what I’m hoping for right now is just ugly human selfishness.

“Mr. Oz.”

“… … Yes.”

“That is a confession too late. How many times do you think I’ve seen something like this?”

“… … .”

“It’s just a matter of degree. Did Oz-sama do that from the beginning?”

My heart hurts. It’s all the more so because it’s word for word.

I guess so. I had Eleanor around me from the beginning.

It’s understandable since he only went out with women, such as Lucia and Marie.

It doesn’t necessarily lead to romantic feelings, but that kind of gaze wasn’t small either.

If I had to make an excuse, I tend to interact with the guy from Dispree, but he didn’t talk to me when he was looking at me.

“… … Come to think of it, I think I was trash from a long time ago.”

There is no excuse. I hadn’t even thought about how Arrieta had been looking at me all this time.

“Because I’ve known for a long time that Oz-sama is popular.”

“Not particularly popular… … .”

“… … I’m talking right now Mr. Oz.”

Arrieta’s strict tone makes her dumb.

“Oz. So what do you think is the reason I’m angry this time?”

“… … kiss.”

“… … .”

Arrieta’s mouth twitched.

“I heard number 6.”

“Yes?”

“Six times! I heard that Oz-nim kissed Baekyang-nim!”

Come to think of it, I think I said that before being kissed.

To be honest, the memory was blown away right after that, so I forgot about it.

“What is it?”

“… … .”

“What the hell is it?”

“… … .”

“Does Oz-sama think of me as a child?”

“… … no.”

It couldn’t have been.

I have never seen a woman as mature as her.

really… … .

There were no professors, no warriors, no decent adults.

“Have you ever been like that before? Was I satisfied with kissing you on the cheek without knowing that?”

“… … sorry.”

“No, why is it real again!”

It’s not too common.

In the past, I might have been able to pass it off as skinship, but I don’t think it’s possible now.

“It’s too much.”

“sorry… … .”

“It’s really too much. Whatever it is… … . Having said that, I… … .”

I broke into a cold sweat watching Arrieta, who showed a very emotional side unlike usual.

“Six times. What the hell did you do 6 times… … . stupid… … !”

“Saintess, please give me one chance to make an excuse.”

“It’s Arrieta!”

“Ah, yes… … . Arrieta. Please give me one chance to make an excuse.”

“like. Excuse me, I will listen.”

oddly resembles someone

why the hell Of all the many, many people, does it resemble Eleanor?

It’s not that I hate her, but it’s clear that she’s the most annoying.

“It was part of the medical practice.”

“Medical practice… … . Are you talking about artificial respiration?”

“Similar.”

“Tell me exactly. I don’t intend to become an easy woman who can easily get over Oz-sama’s words.”

Arrieta, who was kind, became strict.

I reflect on the fact that this is the disaster I brought.

“There was a fruit of the World Tree… … .”

“So?”

“The sheep was in danger of dying, so we had to feed it.”

“therefore?”

“But since I’m not in a state where I can eat myself… … . mouth to mouth… … yes, that… … . Yes… … .”

“yes… … .”

The words get shorter and shorter.

Her brow narrows. It’s a rare, perhaps the first time seeing her angry expression.

However, Arrieta just muttered and said nothing.

It must be because she knows.

There was no lie in what I said, and that it was really a medical practice.

Of course, it feels a little more like artificial respiration, but… … .

“Medical practice… … . Yes, that’s right. medical practice… … . There is nothing wrong. It’s something you can be proud of.”

“no.”

“So you’re saying you had to let Miss Baek die?”

“On second thought, it seems like something to be proud of.”

“I guess so. I heard you did it six times, but it’s okay.”

“… … .”

please.

rather kill me

“Um… … .”

Arrieta is still narrowing her eyebrows and pondering.

“Um… … .”

Her lips are pouting and her eyebrows are quivering.

Even without activating [Contemplation], you can feel that you are struggling between reason and emotion.

“Eight.”

Arrieta, who was struggling like that, suddenly pushed me away with a cute spirited sound.

The place where she and I are by the river.

It wasn’t deep, but it was in a state where it came quite deep.

It was such a sudden action that I couldn’t resist much.

with a plop!

I’m submerged

It was only at the end, when my ears were deafened and my gaze wavered, that I was able to notice that fact.

“Ugh… … ?!”

It was not even as deep as my thighs, so I was careless.

No, I didn’t know that Arrieta would pull a prank like this in the first place.

Of course, I knew that she had a surprisingly mischievous side, but I couldn’t have thought that she would be like that in this situation.

“Puha!”

It struggles and raises itself in the water. As it had happened in the daily dungeons before, it felt like this familiar fear was rather touching.

Somehow, when I raised my upper body, I saw Arrieta, who was soaked like me.

That’s right. Falling from this distance, she must have splashed quite a bit.

“Whoa… … .”

It was the moment when I swept back my wet hair and wiped off the running water to secure my sight.

“town?!”

Arrieta kissed me as if I was collapsing halfway and raising only my upper body.

Unlike Baekyang’s kiss, it was a kiss that was just kissing, but I could vividly feel the heat she embraced.

After a brief kiss like that, she pulled away from me and said,

“It’s a medical practice.”

“… … Yes?”

“That, so this was artificial respiration to save Oz-sama from drowning.”

Arrieta smiled briskly while clutching at her chest as if feeling the pain of being lied to.

Then he put his head on my chest and whispered quietly.

“Because I have the position of being a saint. It is a medical practice.”

Was it because of impatience?

It was something she would never have done, and shouldn’t have done.

That’s why he must have acted with the lie of artificial respiration.

“ah… … . Yes, Arrieta. You saved me. I live thanks to you.”

It was very easy to respond to that crude lie.

“Whoops. You are a liar.”

Arrieta giggled at my answer, then banged her head against my chest again.

The distance between them does not change.

I was the target of many assassins and had to try to save the world, and she was a saint who should not be married.

Right now our relationship can’t go any further. But a little invisible. Slowly, imperceptibly.

was narrowing down