CH 48

The boat cut through the waves at a leisurely pace. Before long, we were far enough away that the figures of the people on the shore were blurred.

Perhaps because it was a lake surrounded by a shallow forest, the area nearby was quiet, and you could occasionally hear the buzzing of insects. Other than that, the sound of Hisch’s paddling, the churning of the water, and the creaking of the boat, nothing else disturbed the peacefulness.

It was as if we were the only ones in this tranquil space.

How romantic… Thinking so, I turned to Hish, who was rowing diligently.

“Do you remember what Sir Roelich said to us yesterday? We had dinner together, remember?”

Hisch nodded, but he seemed a bit dejected.

“He was really good-looking…”

It seems that even men think a man is good-looking when they see someone with that level of appearance. Yeah, that guy was handsome.

I nodded in agreement, but for some reason, Hisch lowered his head, looking even more sullen.

Ah! Ah. I realized belatedly how he might feel and quickly added.

This is one of those moments when you say the wrong thing and you’re screwed. A cold sweat ran down my spine as a lightning bolt of realization hit me.

“…But personally, I don’t… find that kind of person all that appealing.”

The black-haired man glanced up at me as I barely managed to maneuver my words in a roundabout way.

“I mean, I like someone who’s… you know. He needs to be loveable. It’s not just about being handsome. Even if someone is very good-looking, it doesn’t necessarily mean I’ll like them. It’s all about personal taste.”

To be honest, a man with that kind of appearance couldn’t simply be categorized by taste.

As I added that, Hisch, who must have realized my futile efforts, soon relaxed his expression and gave a small laugh.

At the same time as I was glad that Hisch was feeling better, I couldn’t help but laugh at myself. But as I thought about what I was going to say next, a small cough escaped me.

“By the way, why did that person come to our territory as an investigator… I have a suspicion. I think it has something to do with you.”

Yesterday, I hadn’t bothered to tell Hisch why Sir Edwin had come here in the first place. Because I needed time to choose my words carefully.

But I didn’t bring up this topic now to blame Hisch for doing something behind my back.

I just wanted to talk about it as a couple, as people who run this territory together. I just wanted to decide on the direction of this matter together with him.

At my words, Hisch relaxed his grip on the oar with a slightly puzzled expression on his face.

Like a leaf floating in the middle of the lake on a small boat, I listed the deductions I had exchanged with my father and everything I had been thinking about so far.

The significantly lower appearance rate of monsters in our territory compared to other areas, Hisch’s abilities, the superficial reasons and speculation behind the royal family sending Sir Edwin here, and so on.

After finishing my words, I looked at Hisch. He seemed to be deep in thought, with his gaze lowered.

“If there’s anything you haven’t told me after hearing this, please let me know. I want to take it into consideration when making decisions from now on…”

“…Didn’t you already hear it from Sein?”

“…I purposely didn’t ask him because I wanted to hear it directly from you.”

“……”

In response to my words, Hisch took a deep breath, a little tense, before speaking.

“I was the one… who dealt with the monsters that appeared in the territory. It wasn’t possible to get rid of all of them, though.”

“……”

“Sein helped me during the process.”

Even though it was a fact I already knew, I was inwardly surprised that Hisch admitted it himself.

It was understandable, given that Hisch had tried to hide his own ability even from me and, more than anything, he was a man who was afraid of his own abilities.

He had spoken of his powers with such trepidation that I was actually skeptical that he was involved in this.

I was curious about what kind of change of heart had led him to make this decision, but I was more concerned about him, so I spoke in a slightly anxious tone.

“…Why did you do something so dangerous without any fear… even though you’ve never even dealt with a monster before?”

He probably didn’t have much experience encountering them in his life. Hisch shook his head in response to my concern.

“Sein took care of that part thoroughly.”

“…Sein?”

“Yes… With artifacts that block the surrounding view or nullify most physical impacts with a protective shield… I received a lot of help because of his excellent abilities.”

… Wait, this guy? He didn’t intentionally get involved, but he practically had a hand in everything with Hisch?

As I thought about whether to grab Sein by the scruff and shake him when I got back, I replied for the time being.

“I see, it’s fortunate that you are safe thanks to that. But…”

Hisch looked at me silently in response to my question.

“Considering this situation alone, if you use that ability… someone is bound to find out about it. But you don’t like that, right? Other people finding out.”

The man just looked at me silently as I spoke. His jet-black eyes were so still that I couldn’t tell what he was thinking.

“…I’m worried about you.”

Not that he might get hurt [1] , but that he might be taken advantage of and hurt by his ability.

At my words, he lowered his gaze and spoke.

“I just need Liddell to be safe. And this… is just a method.”

Hisch spoke calmly.

“Ever since Liddell told me that something bad might happen in this world, I’ve been thinking about it consistently, and this is the result.”

“…….”

“I just hope that you’re safe, and furthermore, I hope that we are both unharmed. Whether it’s revealed or not… none of that matters to me anymore.”

“Hisch…”

He looked up at me.

“But the person I least wanted to find it out already knows.”

As he said that and laughed, I simply reached out and took his hand.

Of course, I could have told him about all the practical things that would happen if he used his ability.

That things wouldn’t go as naively as Hisch thought, and there might be unexpected malice and evil that could come our way.

But I wanted to tell him this first because I could feel how determined he was to make this decision.

“Hisch… thank you for doing that.”

The man who had been struggling with this problem all his life had found a resolution because of me, and I felt more touched by this than anything else.

“But this is a very important matter for you, Hisch. I’m so glad to be part of your consideration… but I don’t think it should be just about me.”

The man spoke with a slightly bitter smile.

“Are my actions, perhaps, burdensome to you?”

No, not at all. How could I feel burdened by a man who is willing to sacrifice himself for me?

But why?

Maybe all I had to do was play the role that Hisch wanted, just smiling and being grateful for his kind sacrifices.

Didn’t I just want to live a quiet life, more than anyone else, away from the great events that would befall this world?

And that goal could be so simple if I could just get a little help from the man in front of me.

But I feel like I couldn’t bear the thought of him getting hurt while moving for my sake and putting himself last.

“No. I’m only saying that because I care about you, just like you care about me.”

Hisch raised his head at my words.

“I just… don’t want you to get hurt. And honestly… wasn’t it scary? Those monsters, I mean. It looked creepy just to look at.”

Even though I said it as a joke and smiled, the man just looked at me quietly without returning my smile, so I spoke slowly.

“I hope that the reason for all your actions is not just because of me. Just like I am not doing this only because of you.”

“…….”

“But if you’ve thought about it enough and made your decision even after hearing what I’ve said…”

I looked straight into his eyes, giving his hand a firm grip as if sending him my support.

“Then I will always support you.”

“Liddell.”

“I will be on your side more than anyone else.”

At my words, the black-haired man looked at me as if he was a little unfamiliar with what I said.

As we talked, the surroundings gradually turned red, and I realized that any further delay would worry those waiting for us, so we decided to go back.

Hisch paddled again, and the boat was getting closer and closer to the shore.

As I glanced over, the brown-haired knight was still looking in my direction with an upright posture and expression.

He could have leaned on something or sat somewhere and waited. He really is inflexible.

As the depth of the water became shallower, Hisch stood up first. I noticed Sir Ted’s figure rushing towards us for a moment, but the man [2]  shook his head and lightly jumped into the water first.

Since the water had reached up to Hisch’s thighs, it was deep enough to reach my waist.

Submerged in the water, Hisch reached out to me with his arms.

“It’s okay.”

“You’ll catch a cold if you get wet.”

“Then what about you?”

“I’m tough, so I’ll be fine.”

“Yeah, you seem like it.”

As I said so, kneading his firm arm, Hisch blushed but didn’t retract his outstretched arm.

So, I just decided to obediently embrace him. His warm body enveloped me, and he lifted me up like a child.