ALL NOVEL The scenery around me began to warp, and in the midst of it all, Lili was casually waving at me.
Hmm, I guess I should at least say goodbye.
I waved back.
“See you next time!”
Was it surprising that I greeted her? Lili’s eyes widened as she smiled brightly and waved her hand even faster.
“Yes! See you next time!”
Seeing her in such good spirits despite taking a hit from me makes me think how truly her.
Hehe, a smile formed.
I turned my head to look at the cabin.
‘That should be the center.’
Holding the wooden sword that had somehow ended up in my hand, I drew it downwards.
In the end, the world crumbled, and I opened my eyes.
Hmm, am I awake?
I slowly sat up and looked out the window.
The sun was just beginning to rise, as expected for this time of day.
Hmm, surprising.
I felt like I had been talking with Lili in my dream for a long time, but it hadn’t been that long after all.
Was time flowing differently in Lili’s dream?
I tilted my head in thought, but…
We’ll be meeting again, so I can just ask then, right?
Nodding to myself, I glanced at the bed across from me where Nameless was.
Nameless seemed to be having an uncomfortable time sleeping, twitching with a furrowed brow.
“Ugh, no…”
But what was worse, he was mumbling in his sleep!
Hmm, when I asked Lili in the dream, she said she hadn’t cast any spells on Nameless. Was she lying?
Or was it truly a dream?
I don’t think Lili would lie to me, so the latter seems more likely.
Curious about what Nameless was dreaming about, I got up and approached him.
If it’s an embarrassing dream, I’m definitely going to tease him when he wakes up.
‘Come on, create some black history!’
The corners of my mouth lifted.
Nameless looked uncomfortable, groaning with a frown and sweating.
“Sorry, I’m… sorry…”
Something was welling up around his eyes.
Hmm, after thinking carefully, I realized that tormenting my disciple doesn’t suit me at all.
It would be like oil and water.
I settled down next to Nameless’s head and took his trembling hands.
“It’s okay.”
I gently brushed his hair back to wipe the sweat off his forehead.
“It’s okay.”
I moved my hand down from his forehead to wipe away the tears on his cheeks.
Hmm, is he feeling better?
Nameless’s expression, which had seemed uncomfortable, was slowly relaxing.
“Tsk, as a disciple, you’re worrying your master.”
I lightly pinched Nameless’s cheek and stood up.
“Ugh…”
“It’s punishment for making me worry.”
I tucked the blanket up to Nameless’s neck and returned to my own bed.
A little while later, Nameless rubbed his slightly swollen cheek and woke up.
“Did you wake up?”
“…Yes, Master, did you sleep well?”
Nameless’s swollen cheek looked like a child with a cavity, and I couldn’t help but chuckle.
Of course, I was the one who made him look like that.
Nameless looked at his swollen cheek in the mirror and then turned to me.
“Master, do you know why my cheek looks like this?”
“Hmmm, I’m not sure.”
I subtly averted my gaze.
“Well, maybe you got bitten by a mosquito last night?”
“…Do you really think my cheek swells up that much from a mosquito bite?”
No way, it absolutely wouldn’t swell like that.
Nameless probably knew that too, so I didn’t bother answering.
Glancing at Nameless, I saw he was looking at me with a doubtful expression.
Cold sweat began to form.
For some reason, I felt like I was about to be interrogated by Nameless, so I quickly got up, grabbed some spare clothes and bandages, and dashed to the bathroom.
“I’ll wash up first, so at least stay awake!”
“…Yes?”
Nameless and I were currently walking through a slum.
I pouted my lips and groaned; this must be the fifth time I’ve complained.
“Sigh… At this rate, I’ll never get married.”
“Excuse me? Master, aren’t you supposed to be married?”
Married, huh…
Brrr, chills ran down my spine.
I stiffened my expression and glared at Nameless.
“Tsk, that’s just how it is.”
“…Yes.”
Anyway, to understand why I hated walking so much, I need to explain what happened back at the inn.
…
“Master.”
“What is it?”
Nameless looked serious while resting his chin on his hand.
“No matter how I look at it, this doesn’t seem right.”
I replied while popping a strawberry in my mouth.
“What are you talking about?”
Munch munch.
Hmm, delicious as always.
“It’s already high noon, so… what’s going on?”
What is Nameless talking about?
I scratched my belly casually and grabbed another strawberry.
“Hehe.”
A silly smile spread across my face.
Seeing me like that, Nameless shook his head repeatedly.
“No… this is really not right.”
After a moment, Nameless seemed resolute as he came closer with his arms raised.
“What, what are you doing?! Get away!”
His walking stance was quite suspicious.
As he swung his arms around, Nameless stopped briefly, narrowed his eyes, and glared at me.
“Weren’t we going to find my sword today?!”
“You told Lili to take care of your sword!”
Did I forget to mention that?
Hmm, I’m not sure if I did or didn’t.
“But isn’t it better to do something than to just be a bum like this?!”
Nameless pressed closer to me without concern for what I said.
His arms raised and wiggling fingers looked like a soft-bodied creature, making it quite a sight to behold.
“Yikes! Get away!”
“Don’t we have other things to do aside from getting your sword?!”
That’s true, but…
“Aren’t we allowed to take a day off?!”
Ever since coming down from the mountain, I’ve been wrapped up in events, and my energy’s entirely depleted.
This is a time for recharging.
I expressed my thoughts to Nameless, but his expression remained unmoved.
“No, really! If we spend a day like this, I think this kind of thing will happen frequently in the future!”
“Gah!”
I haven’t skipped my training, and I just wanted to take a short break after my breath exercises and sword dance!
Is this Nameless’s rebellion?
As a disciple, trying to dictate how the master should act is obviously an abuse of power!
I, Cheon Ha-rang! Can never lose to such a vile traitor like Cheon Mu-myeong!
As I dodged Nameless’s unruly hands, the bed became a mess, and items in the room were thrown about.
Nameless narrowed his brows even further and let out a sigh.
“…As you’re running away, doesn’t that just add to my workload?”
Is this like the one who farted getting angry about it?
I couldn’t help the exasperation spilling out.
“No, you can just give up in the first place, right?!”
Nameless, unfazed by my voice, began to calmly reason with me.
“Master, don’t you think we need to gather people to show to the demon king as soon as possible?”
“Ugh, well…”
That’s a fair point, but…!
I ran out of words and pouted my lips.
“You were the one who first brought it up, weren’t you?”
…That is also true.
Now my lips were protruding so much, I couldn’t pout more.
As I thought of things to argue back, suddenly Nameless was right in front of me.
Huh? When did he get there?
“Eek!”
Nameless lifted me under his armpits.
“L-Let me go!”
I struggled my legs helplessly, but Nameless didn’t budge.
“Didn’t you say you and that… Lili? Anyway, that girl agreed to regularly check up on each other? If there’s no progress by then, you’ll feel really embarrassed.”
Is that so…?
I tilted my head.
Hmm, still feels off…
Nameless spoke up without giving me time to think.
“I don’t want Master to go through such a humiliating situation; that’s why I’m so forward even though it’s rude…”
“R-really?”
“Yes, indeed.”
Hmm, now that I think about it, there might indeed be danger in having no progress at all.
I nodded.
“Fine, then put me down first.”
“Ah, yes.”
As the floating sensation faded, my feet finally touched the ground. As soon as they did, I turned to run away, and Nameless reached out to grab me.
In that moment, Nameless’s hand grabbed the collar of my clothes, and since we were in the inn, I wasn’t bandaged!
“Ah!”
Without a care, our mutual sigh escaped.
…
“Uh, Master.”
“What is it?”
Nameless hesitated for a moment before speaking.
“I-I’m really sorry about what happened at the inn…”
While listening to Nameless, something caught my eye.
“Ooh! Nameless, look over there! A strawberry I’ve never seen before!”
“…Yes, I’ll go get it.”