CH 67

To Theo, Helvi was the perfect woman.

“Are you alright Theo?”

A monster tried to attack Theo, but a single magic attack from Helvi cut it to pieces.

At that point, Theo wondered if what she used was actually just magic.

“Y-yes. Thank you.”

He fell on his backside after the monster suddenly appeared from behind a tree, and felt a little embarrassed about looking so pitiful in front of the woman he liked.

(I think it’s a little late for that…)

Thought Theo as he grabbed Helvi’s hand, and was pulled back to his feet.

Theo thought about how Helvi saw him, and how he saw her.

He realized all he ever did was look pitiful in front of her, and he never once looked cool.

He sometimes felt a little anxious, thinking his love for Helvi was one-sided.

But then…

(S-stop! Don’t think about what happens at night…! We’re in the middle of a quest!)

His face turned red, and he faced down to hide it from Helvi.

Thankfully, it seemed Helvi did not notice it, as she was looking away.

…In reality, she was reading his mind, and actually turned away because her face was also red.

Theo felt a little embarrassed thinking about nighttime, but the words he heard that first night…

“I, Helvi Asper, love you, Theo Asper.”

Were still etched into his heart, and he felt very happy every time he remembered them.

He felt happy, knowing his feelings were not one-sided.

“L-let us continue Theo. We are almost at the spot with the medicinal herbs.”

“Ah, yes!”

Helvi said to stop Theo’s thoughts, which she was reading.

She feared for what might have happened if she read them any further, and stopped for the time being.

They walked silently through the forest.

Helvi quickly dealt with any monster that popped out, and so it was surprisingly uneventful.

They spoke occasionally, but that day, they were mostly advancing quietly.

Helvi was still feeling awkward because of Theo’s thoughts earlier, and although Theo wanted to speak, he was afraid of breaking Helvi’s concentration while she defeated the monsters that attacked them.

In reality, Helvi barely needed to pay any attention to deal with them, and talking would be no issue at all.

(I want to be strong enough to defeat monsters too…)

Helvi was the strongest, and needed no protection. Even Theo knew very well he was the one that needed protecting.

However, he was a man, and the feelings of wanting to protect the woman he liked were very natural.

Even if he could never defeat a monster like the Chimera, he wanted to at least be able to deal with the monsters that appeared in that area.

Before, when he was kidnapped by another devil, he thought to himself that he would not have bothered Helvi so much if he was stronger.

Also, one thing the devil said in particular was stuck to his heart like a torn.

“He has no power at all, even for a lowly human.”

He thought he knew that. He had heard it many times before, from several people.

But thinking about himself and Helvi not being a good match because of it was too much for him to bear.

He wanted to become stronger to get closer to her, even if just a little.

(But there’s only so much I can do alone. I could ask Helvi to teach me but…)

Theo thought asking the woman he wanted to protect how to do so seemed quite pathetic, so although he thought that was the best way to learn, he wanted to avoid it.

(Ah, I know! I should ask Xena and Celia…!)

They were not as strong as Helvi, but were still considered to be the strongest mercenaries.

It was a little embarrassing for Theo to ask women to teach him how to fight, but it mattered little if it meant he could stand beside Helvi as an equal.

(But when…)

Ever since he met Helvi, they had been together almost all the time.

He was only alone when he took a bath, and Helvi had been wanting to do so together as well.

He had never thought to get away from Helvi before, and still did not really want to, but the idea of her watching him learn how to fight embarrassed him.

The problem was, if he was going to go somewhere without her, he would have to tell her why.

(Leave for a bit but tell her why, or stay and ask Helvi to teach me… Hmm… What do I do?)

He thought as he walked, before Helvi stopped in front of him.

“We have arrived Theo. This is the place, right?”

“Ah… Y-yes, it is.”

“Are you alright?”

“I am. I was just thinking.”

“I see. If anything is troubling you, do not hesitate to say so.”

“…Yes, thank you.”

Theo was so deep in thought that he failed to realize he had reached his destination, and worried Helvi.

As he looked around looking for medicinal herbs, he thought.

(I really don’t want to worry her… As embarrassing as it is, I have to ask her to teach me how to fight.)

He decided he would do it once he finished picking the herbs, but Helvi already knew, as she started reading his thoughts again.

(Hm, it seems Theo wants to be stronger… And protect me… Fufu, to be thought of in such a way…)

Of all living beings, Helvi stood at the top.

Even after remembering about hell, she still saw no one that could stand above her.

And yet, Theo thought to protect her.

From a different point of view, this could seen as an insult, but that thought never crossed Helvi’s mind. She simply thought it was adorable, and felt happy.

(I really am a woman in front of Theo… Or rather, Theo makes me into a woman.)

As she looked at Theo, who was determined to become stronger, she thought about how that night would be yet another exhausting one.