Published at 29th of June 2023 01:14:35 PM

Doha, of course, didn't hit anyone. No matter how much he didn't want to cause trouble, he couldn't even face a provincial assistant like that.

"This girl..."

Slang words emerged through thick lips with a rough breath. Of course, they didn't come out of Doha's mouth. He was looking at the situation in front of him with his eyes wide open. His open-mouthed face looked like that of a child who received a great gift.

"How dare you insult him?!" There was a storm of shouts.

It was Lariette. The wind in her pajamas, she was huffing and puffing without even properly fixing her hair. Originally, it would have been enough to ignore the crying of a small, slender woman, and it would stop. However, the mercenary who wanted to attack Doha couldn't bear it. It was because the slender woman had kicked him and sent him flying.

"What?! A woman's fist...?!"

The mercenary grabbed his throbbing nape, looked back, and analyzed what had just happened. While harassing the cute girl, he didn't like the way they were doing it, so he threw a punch at her face. But before his fist could reach her face, someone jumped on him and slapped him on the back. It was a ridiculous speed. The power was also stronger than that of most mercenaries. He was so shaken where he was hit that he still couldn't act.

"Dutton, did a woman just hit you and knock you down?"

"Hahaha!"

Other mercenaries laughed and mocked their colleague. They were also surprised at the woman who flew out of nowhere. But no matter how tough they are, even if they fall. This situation is ridiculous for mercenaries who defeat monsters. The fallen mercenary, Dutton, joked as an excuse. Doha was the only person in the restaurant who understood the situation.

"You're using wind magic. It's very useful."

It seemed to create a strong wind and blow her body. The flying pose was quite neat and clean. She must have been with the duke, but he knew where she had learned to kick. He wiped himself off and stood up, looking at Lariette with sparkling eyes. As he stood up slowly, his figure seemed particularly slow. It seemed like time was passing quite slowly.

"Doha, let's go!" Lariette approached him and spoke to him confidently. Doha murmured a response, blushing his cheeks.

"I haven't ordered waffles yet..."

"Eat it later! Let's go!"

"What do waffles matter in the current situation!"

Lariette tightly grasped Doha's wavering hand. She then led him to a room upstairs. The mercenaries moved and laughed, regardless of the fact that their colleague had been hit. They didn't know the exact condition of their companion, so they didn't understand the seriousness. Doha looked at Lariette's face as she dragged him along. Her frowning gaze and closed mouth were so fresh and charming.

"I think I'm in love..."

He whispered softly. He had been in love before, but it was too soon to fall in love again. He wasn't going to be responsible. Fortunately or unfortunately, Lariette was busy taking her steps without listening. She still looked very angry. The door to the room closed with a loud noise. The door's dust fell as Lariette slammed it shut.

"Our lady is so powerful."

Doha thought, never taking his eyes off her. And soon their gazes met. The violet eyes, full of anger, looked at him.

"Why are you still standing there?"

"Huh?"

"What happened to the protective barrier you deployed last time? Are you still not doing anything?" Lariette shouted forcefully.

She was resentful towards him for not defending himself or even avoiding a dangerous situation. He was a man whose forearm was as thick as her waist. If someone like that punches him in the face, the outcome would be obvious. He almost got hurt. Doha responded with a confused face, whether he understood the situation or not.

"Oh, that barrier requires a lot of divine power. Besides, if they find a priest here, I could get into trouble if they catch me."

"Then avoid it! When you taught me how to hide, you were very quick and clever. Was it someone else who recklessly hit me with the fan?"

Lariette recalled the touch of the fan hitting her skin. She used a lot of magic; it was her who couldn't even brush Doha's hair. With that ability, she could easily avoid the punches of such a weak mercenary. However, he, who watched her fist fly without understanding, didn't get it.

"This kid wants to make me laugh!"

"Rie, I think the way the mercenaries are speaking... is a good way to speak to my lady."

"What are you saying?! Bring out your wickedness!" Lariette's voice grew as if she wanted to pierce the ceiling. Doha trembled in astonishment at the appearance he had never seen before.

"Sometimes you need to show the real thing, in this real world!"

Lariette sighed in frustration. She seemed very reliable when she learned from him, now she looked like a newborn deer. Perhaps she underestimated Doha because he was very weak at that time. She thought that way. She felt responsible for him. If she had been in the capital, she would have been without seeing such a harsh situation, but it seemed that she had suffered needlessly because of her.

"I'm sorry, miss."

Doha apologized again and gently lowered his eyes. His innocent and beautiful appearance deepened her guilt. Lariette tilted her head and reflected. Actually, he hadn't done anything wrong, but it was very embarrassing to shout at him on behalf of concern.

"No, don't feel sorry."

"What are you saying? I was worried, and thank you for your help."

...

"Thanks to you, I saved my pretty face," Doha frowned and added mischievously. Lariette unconsciously smiled at that shameless attitude.

Then, as if they had been waiting, a growl sounded from their stomachs. In that exquisite moment, the two burst into laughter at the same time.

"Hahaha! Let's go eat, miss. Wash up and come."

"Yes, I'll be right back."

"Take your time. I'll be attending to my business."

Lariette nodded and quickly went to the bathroom. She was impatient because she wanted to go eat as soon as possible. Doha watched her back with delight. But when the bathroom door closed and she disappeared from his sight, his face turned cold as if it had been shining before. The once sweetened gaze was no longer gentle. The trembling herbivore was nowhere to be found. Only predators searching for prey remained. Doha slowly walked out of the room with an expressionless face.

----------------

First, they checked in and then transferred their luggage to another inn. Doha's opinion was that luxury inns may not have many seats, so they went to check-in quickly. Although she was very hungry, the argument made sense, so Lariette struggled to ignore her growling stomach and followed his suggestion. Fortunately, there was an additional room in the luxury inn, and they moved their luggage without difficulty. And when they finally arrived at the restaurant, Lariette couldn't bear it and her appetite kicked in. The two ordered four dishes.

"I ate too much!" she said, stuffing traditional Fusian food into her mouth. She was so impressed that she seemed like she wanted to cry. She couldn't even pronounce it correctly.

"Eat a lot, eat more."

He was so cute that she felt like she was going to die. Lariette didn't hesitate to eat more. With a fork and a knife in her hands, she looked comfortable but not elegant. Even after that, she smiled and offered him more food. Her cheeks were full, and her mouth kept moving. She drank fresh sangria in the beautiful square, ate cotton candy in front of the temple, and nut snacks in the green park. She didn't know if her trip was a culinary tour. Lariette thought it might be.

Fusian was truly a beautiful city. The buildings were shorter than in the capital and had brighter colors. Overall, it was round and smooth. Moreover, because it was a coastal city, people's attitudes were more relaxed. The faces of travelers and mercenaries often looked tired, but the residents were laid-back. If one lived under such warm sun, it seemed that anyone would be relaxed. After the hottest time, Lariette and Doha headed to the observation deck. It was quite difficult for them to climb as it was on a fairly high hill.

"Should... uh... I go... uh... to the observatory?"

"What? Where's the girl who kicked so hard earlier?"

"She's dead. She kicked and died afterward," Doha pointed out Lariette's physical resistance, clicking his tongue. They were simply climbing, and she was having such a hard time. There seemed to be something wrong with her.

...

"Oh, I guess this is my limit. Leave me behind..."

"No, no."

"Argh! Leave me! Leave me!"

Doha ignored her cry and pushed her from behind. Lariette screamed at being forced to walk even though she didn't want to take another step. Still, it was a little more comfortable to have her back pushed. About twenty minutes had passed since they arrived at the observation deck. Until then, she had been cursing herself for the past half hour. However, when she faced the open scenery, her thoughts changed.

"Wow..." no words came out except admiration. The sparkling sea and the dense city were so beautiful. It was the first time in her life that she saw such a landscape.

"I'm glad to be alive."

Just a few weeks ago, she was crying, saying that she wanted to live. But now she couldn't believe that she could survive and laugh happily. She couldn't believe it.

"Thank you, Doha."

"Huh? What's happening all of a sudden?" Doha asked, pulling out a skewer of meat he didn't even know when he bought. Of course, it seemed like she believed he would also eat something like that.

"Just... thank you for letting me see this view."

"For pushing your back?"

"No, since I came to the West. Thank you, Doha."

Lariette smiled softly. If it weren't for him, traveling like this would have been impossible. He taught practical skills, including stealth, and helped them pass through checkpoints. In particular, if it weren't for Doha, she would have quickly weakened and returned to the capital again. It was he who persuaded her to set fire to her behavior. Remembering all of that, she felt filled with gratitude. And her anger rose again against the mercenaries who insulted him before.

"Doha, I will protect you from being hit by weird guys in the future. Definitely!"

...

"Doha is so kind that I'm worried," she added, lowering her eyebrows. She couldn't believe they were talking so lewdly. Doha really seemed to have a too fragile heart.

"Thank you, Rie," Doha responded without correcting her, though he realized her thoughts. After all, that was also the reaction he wanted.

"How will Miss react when she finds out they were killed?"

She killed a man by herself, so she will understand, or she will be scared and run away.

"And what if she knows what I've done?"

Doha smiled and thought. Regardless of her reaction, he had no intentions of letting her go, so it was practically a meaningless concern. Lariette, who didn't know anything, asked with a messy smile.

"By the way, did the letter go well?"

"Sure, it should have already arrived," his heart skipped when he heard that it had arrived. He was curious about Asrahan's reaction when he read her letter.

"If only I could alleviate some of his anger."

Lariette looked at the shimmering sea level and impatiently longed for her sincerity to touch him, so that the wounds she suffered would heal better.

----------

"This is..."

Asrahan muttered with his head bowed. He had an envelope in his hand, and it seemed like he had already torn it apart. He felt stuck. He felt like stabbing his chest with a sword. So if that frustration could be alleviated, even just a little, he would do it. He continued with a desperate and disastrous voice.

"Is this your true heart..."

His large hand clenched the envelope, his muscular arm also trembled. His face was distorted by anger and sadness, his blue eyes filled with brutal obsession. There was no need to worry about wrinkling the precious letter with Lariette's handwriting. In the first place, there was no letter in the envelope; instead, it only had one of her small hair accessories. It was exactly what Asrahan had given her. The implications of returning this were so obvious. They had truly ended. It would be an expression of that will.

"...Where is the letter from?"

"After checking, I found out that it came from the Suran post offices."

"Suran."

Suran. It's a town where travelers passing through to the West stop. This made their destination clearer. The train that departs from Suran stops first.

"We're going to Fusian."

"Yes!"

"Let's go!"

Asrahan drove the horse without hesitation. No matter what her will is. It was his will that mattered. The very will to not end this relationship.