When they arrived at the city through a deserted valley, the sun had almost sunk beneath the distant mountains. Kyle then created in his head a sequential list of the things to be taken care of as he measured the time.

The village that they had reached was the location where dealers from Yulem handed over the illegally-acquired magical ore to the workers of the factory they conspired with. Three days remained until the promised date of the agreement, and in three days; time, the exact whereabouts of the factory would be revealed.

Locate and then move quickly at once— it was Kyle’s objective. It didn’t seem that assassins nor cooperating wizards had caught up to their tail. Somehow, however, Kyle felt that heading straight to the factory once its location was discovered was not a good option. It was instinctive. So far, Adrian Rossinell had not taken a single action even after hearing the commotion in Noviscosha.

How much does he really know? Kyle wondered with unease. I don’t know if Noah’s back in shape, but… He glanced behind him. The woman he had just brought down from the roof of the carriage was still sound asleep. Noticing a frown on her face from time to time, Kyle thought she was having an unpleasant dream.

Kyle turned his head away without looking at Noah for long. As she guessed, Kyle had been experiencing a phase, which never, not once, occured in his entire life, for nearly three day, leaving him utterly agitated and bewildered. When they had left Noviscosha, the foreign cloud of emotion remained shrouded by peculiarity. Until three days, where the fog seemed to have lifted itself.

What ceaselessly pestered Kyle for the past days was, obviously, a crush on the opposite sex. Now that he mused on it, he realized plenty of evidence to support his conclusion. He couldn’t pinpoint when it exactly started, but there were moments that hinted at it.

I couldn’t let go even the small scar on Noah’s neck. When she was avoiding me, I was very irritated. I was futilely jealous of Adrian. I was in danger of being relegated to Edman, but I was worried more about being away from her. And now, if I’m looking at Noah’s real face, not Eleonora, I want to get closer without realizing it. Kyle reached the point of wanting to have meaning in minor contacts that neither side never cared about at all. Perhaps Kyle failed to realize because Noah was clothed in the shell of the criminal he most hated in his life; there was no indication as certain as such for a man with a clear prohibition on himself. Kyle seemed to find himself lost in a space whenever he became vulnerable without his knowing.

With a deep breath, he called Noah, “Miss Noah, we’re here. You have to get up.”

Of course, mere words wouldn’t wake the woman. Eventually, Kyle managed to put his hand on Noah’s shoulder after a long while of pondering. There used to be no hesitation at all in such trivial skinship, but now, it took Kyle quite a lot of preparation. He thought that once he put his hand on hers, he’d want to keep it on.At times like this, he even longed for the shell of Eleonora, which acted as a brake for whatever surging emotions he felt. Kyle shook Noah carefully, feeling ashamed of himself. “Miss Noah?”

There were numerous things he ought to do before the sun completely vanished beyond the horizon, before the shops closed. First of all, he had to do something about Noah’s outrageous clothes concealed under her robe. Then, he had to feed her and take her to the doctor.

“What…”

A few shakes, Noah opened her eyes, frowning. She blinked slowly, revealing her hazel orbs, and shut her eyes again in annoyance. “Are we almost there?” As she stirred, her pale, slender legs protruded from the robes. Kyle was startled but patiently adjusted her robes.

Noah muttered in a cheeky voice as he rolled over the hood of the robe. “I don’t have to cover my face anymore. I think it’s you who should cover your face.”

“Why me?”

“Neglect of Duty, absence without notice, violation of the Laurent Civil Service Act…” Even though still half-asleep, Noah steadily recited Kyle’s offenses. Then, she flipped the hood, frustrated as the oversized fabric covered her eyes.