Chapter 23

“Abel!”

Why are you so late? So glad, I unwittingly cuddled his back. So Abel flinched and looked back at me, and was almost hit by a surprise shot by Laytan.

“……you, son of a bitch.”

Laytan, who had flown away, growled, spitting blood in his mouth, raising his upper body. I think he was hit, but he still had the power to shoot, and on the other hand, he has great durability. Unlike Abel, an imperfect demigod mixed with human blood, it may be because he is the son of a real God.

“Oh, I’ve heard that a bastard like me is crazy because he’s possessed by a girl. Was it real?”

Laytan jerked at me, but Abel pulled my arm and ordered me to hide behind him.

“Get out of here. If you don’t want to tear your soul apart.”

I can’t see his face because of the threatening black wings, but the voice I hear is as hideous as it can be.

“That’s not very funny.”

Huh, that’s what Laytan laughed at, as if he were dumbfounded.

“A man with a few years to die anyway……Gasp!”

Abel, who grabbed him by the collar before he finished speaking, rushed to kill Laytan. There was a fight right away. No, the word is a fight, but it was almost a one-sided beating. Abel’s energy was frighteningly strong, whether it was because he absorbed all the souls on the ground or because of the Dark Age Field effect.

“Abel, stop!”

I’ve never seen him so angry. I thought he was going to kill Laytan, so I barely grabbed his wings and shook them, but he wouldn’t budge. Lightning and dead scythe hit and roared, and the monsters who watched around didn’t run away and screamed. What should I do? What should I do? I ended up taking special measures.

“I’m hurt!”

…that’s too immediate a response? As soon as he paused and looked back, I pointed to my slightly flushed forehead. I meant to say let’s go get treatment quickly since I got hurt like this, but the problem is.

“……you son of a bitch.”

This was a lightning wound when I ran away from Laytan. Eventually, Asura, who arrived late, was able to stop Abel from running wild.

*

“I’m afraid I’m blinded.”

Who’s blind? Who’s blind? I wanted to spit out my mind, but I decided to shut up and leave my face to the crumpled brow. Abel grabbed my chin with a serious look and looked around, and began to rummage through the medicine box that was brought. Unfortunately, my healing ability doesn’t cure itself. Because I don’t see the red thread itself.…but he’s been rummaging for so long.

“You can’t tell. Bring it here.”

Abel, with his brows crossed, stuck out the medicine box to me. I hold the ointment I found in my hand, and I try to find a mirror, but he takes it away and starts putting it in his hand.

“You don’t apply that much, you idiot.”

“Stay still.”

Is this skin lotion? He applies the ointment almost as fast as he can, and looks at my wound – almost invisible – covered in the ointment. I thought I’d end up like Harry Potter if I left the scar alone, but the scar was straight. Indeed, the burn-specific scar quickly disappeared, just like the herb strongly recommended by Verseppo.

“Laytan, what were you fooling around with?”

……did it seem like he was fooling around. I really almost died. He’s a man I don’t want to see again. I shook my head and closed the medicine box, and then I saw a shiny object on my wrist.

“Yes, I have a weapon.”

Ta-da. I showed Iggis, the shield bracelet I got from my persistence. My perfect weapon with delicate craftsmanship from the dwarves!

“Balkan made it for me.”

“……the cranky old man?”

“Well, I gave it to him in exchange for a little persuasion and bail.”

In addition, we needed a lot of persistence and obsession. As expected, my persistence is best. Looking down pleasingly at the new weapon, he murmured with a strange look.

“It’s a gem in the Dwarf underground mine. He just made it for free.”

That old man wouldn’t do that. Abel stared at my bracelet and seemed lost in thought. Well, Balkan said he didn’t need jewelry or gold coins at first, but it was understandable because he took it from me because he didn’t want me to get it for free. Abel spilled his words.

“……it’s a loss.”

“Huh?”

“Why a shield?”

“Uh, just to protect my body. I don’t have the confidence to use a weapon. As you can see.”

If you’re good with a shield, I can be hit. Laughing and joking, I winced at Abel’s expressionless eyes. Given that the brows are wrinkled, he looked at me when he was unsatisfied.

“Then what am I. I thought you were asking me to protect you.”

“You can’t always protect me.”

“Why?”

I hesitated for a moment. I promised not to run away, so I can’t say I’m leaving one day. Just.

“You don’t know people’s business. I have to have a backup plan. Humans are imperfect beings, so they always have many plans.”

As I finished speaking, I looked at Abel’s face, which suddenly felt close. I think it’s my first time. It’s not the red thread that connects to the heart, but the fact that I look him in the face. Good jawline, tight lips, nose bridge…When … made eye contact, the red eyes that had been looking at me for a while shook strangely. Instinctively, the idea of facing a situation to be avoided crossed my mind, but somehow I couldn’t avoid that eye.

“……I missed you.”

This is dangerous. I couldn’t turn my eyes away because of the atmosphere I had been avoiding so much, and I moved slowly backwards with an embarrassed look, and Abel said, grabbing my wrist.

“I kept thinking about you while I was up there. To be a complete god, to have you beside me. Which is more important.”

“……Abel.”

“I don’t care if I don’t become a god.”

“Sorry.”

Let’s stop talking about this. There was anger in Abel’s eyes. With the tightening red eyes, I closed my eyes with a troubled feeling. Then the power holding my wrist becomes stronger.

“Why on earth, can’t you be honest? Give me a reason I can understand.”

It’s because I’m selfish. The word was filled to the end of my neck, but I couldn’t bring myself to spit it out. First of all, I’m not the one to stay here. You’ll end up alone and hurt. It’s all for Abel. I repeatedly said so, comfortingly.

“I’m sorry.”

I bowed my head with my eyes closed tightly. No matter what eyes I was looking at, I wasn’t confident to make eye contact with it. Abel was as angry as ever, and nervous as he was about to growl. But Abel slipped off my wrist and left the room in disagreement. I leaned my face on my lap with a long sigh of relief or something. I didn’t know the field with two moons was this dark.

*

The next day, Abel has been out of sight since morning. Was I being too hard on him? I was in deep internal conflict. If I hadn’t met Abel in the first place, I would have no connection with the original story. It had to be. But………no, maybe Abel is the only one who’s caught up with me.

Seriously, why did he have to get involved with me? I was clenching my hair, and the front door bell rang. I trudged out and found Asura standing.

“Hi, Lian!/I need your help with an injury./……”

You don’t look so happy. Asura talked to me from the side, but I answered dryly with my empty eyes, and I was able to be released in half a day.

After such a hard half-day, I was crossing the Black Castle Bridge, listening to Asura-to-be exact, the untiring chat on the left-hand side, and I saw Abel and a woman walking side by side in the distance.

“Oh, it’s Carly. She said she went far away, but now she’s back./……they seem to be on good terms.”

Did you just say that correctly, you? I was looking absurdly, and before I knew it, Abel and a woman were standing in front of me.

“Oh my, this?”

She’s pointing at me and tilting her head, wow, that’s pretty. Shit. Next to her, Abel stood avoiding my eyes. I’ll go first because I’m suddenly overwhelmed with indescribable emotion! I passed by him pretending to be cool.

“Uh, uh, Lian! Where are you going?What happened to you two?/……interesting.”

I felt Asura calling, but I strode forward. What the fuck is wrong with me? I had to be such a weirdo. Then someone slapped me on the shoulder as if it were meant to be.

“Oh, I’m sorry…”

“Human, I’m glad I met you.”

It was Laytan, who was standing there rubbing grenades on his bruised eyes instead of eggs.

—

Note:

Eggs are sometimes used to treat bruises because they have a warming effect. If the eggs are hard boiled first.