Chapter 113
I tilted my head as I examined the bracelet he handed me.
“…What’s this?”
Surely, he wasn’t giving away his hard-earned item as a gift.
…Was he just showing off?
Reluctantly, I accepted the bracelet and squinted at it while fiddling.
Despite having all sorts of things dangling from it, it was light.
Among thick golden chains, pink beads shaped like grape clusters were strung together in rows.
When the bracelet swayed—
Jingle, jingle.
It almost sounded like tiny bells ringing.
[Curse Seal Banishment]
A sacred item that grants immunity to all curses. Protects the wearer as long as it’s equipped. Destroys itself after repeated exposure to high-level curses. Binds to the wearer upon equip.
As I read the description, my eyes widened.
Immunity to all curses? And it’s not even single-use?
Where did he find such an incredible item?
Surely Agatha and her group had already looted most of the good stuff.
And yet, he found something on par with a divine relic.
“It’s a great item.”
Definitely worthy of being shown off.
If it were me, I’d be bragging all over the place too.
But he remained expressionless, even at my praise.
Xenon simply stepped closer and slowly raised the bracelet.
‘Is he going to wear it now?’
Makes sense. Since it binds on equip, he should put it on right away to avoid losing it.
But what he did next was totally unexpected.
He gently grabbed my left wrist—
Click.
“…Huh?”
—and put the bracelet on me.
I stared, dumbfounded, as my face slowly twisted into pure shock.
“W-What are you doing?!”
He just put such a rare item on me without a single word.
And this thing… once it’s on, you can’t take it off, right?
‘Ugh, it won’t come off.’
As I struggled to pull the bracelet off in a panic, he calmly watched me and finally spoke.
“It’s a gift.”
“…A gift.”
That word coming from Xenon’s mouth left me stunned.
Never in my life had I received a gift like this.
Normally, when someone gives a gift, they at least say, “Here, put out your hand,” or something like that, right?
Since when did gifts get forced onto people?
I stared blankly at the bracelet now gleaming on my wrist.
The fact it wouldn’t budge meant the description wasn’t lying—it really was bound.
Sighing in resignation, I looked at Xenon and spoke.
“Even so… Giving away something this valuable without even a word of warning…”
I trailed off before I could finish my complaint and looked up at him again.
The Curse Seal Banishment wasn’t something mentioned in Three Lives Chronicle, but…
Judging by its effects, it had to be a relic-level item, close to the top seven divine artifacts.
At my hesitant words, Xenon flinched slightly, then answered in a small, dejected voice.
“…Sorry.”
That reaction surprised me more than anything.
Knowing Xenon’s usual attitude, he would’ve said something like:
“You talk too much. Just take it.”
Or even:
“Then I’ll just cut off your wrist and take it back.”
But now? He looked like a sad puppy.
And Xenon, of all people, had just bowed his head and apologized first.
Now I just felt like I was the jerk for getting upset over a gift.
Quickly, I waved my hands in denial.
“I didn’t mean I hated it. I was just surprised, that’s all.”
“Surprised?”
He furrowed his brows, clearly not understanding.
…Wait. Does Xenon really not get why I reacted like this?
“Well, it’s just such a valuable item. Getting something like this out of nowhere is… overwhelming.”
To put it in modern-day terms—
It was like being used to exchanging $10 coffee coupons with friends…
Then suddenly getting a luxury watch.
Like opening a gift that was “no big deal” and finding the latest smartphone inside.
“…Overwhelming.”
Xenon muttered the word quietly, then opened his mouth with a troubled expression.
“I didn’t think you’d see it that way. I just wanted to…”
His fingers trembled slightly.
His gaze, as if having lost its destination, drifted in the air and slowly landed on my lips.
“…I only thought about how happy you’d be.”
The moment he said he only thought about making me happy, something softly ached in my chest.
An item he searched for—just for me, just to make me smile.
“I see.”
Yet I had thrown careless words at him, without understanding his feelings.
I hadn’t meant to, but regardless of intention, I’d hurt him.
I gently stroked the Curse Seal Banishment wrapped around my left wrist and slowly closed and opened my eyes.
This was what he had been searching for in the Golden Labyrinth until the very end.
And he gifted that hard-won treasure to me.
I slowly lifted my heels.
It didn’t bring me to eye-level—Xenon was still much taller—but this height was just right.
“Thank you, Xenon.”
I stretched out my hand. My fingers just barely brushed his hair.
“For thinking of me.”
As I slowly ran my fingers through his soft hair, I smiled warmly.
“What should I do in return?”
My red lips curled into a gentle arc.
Our faces were so close that he could feel my breath.
Xenon’s throat bobbed as he swallowed, and his eyes trembled slightly as he stared at me.
“What I want…”
He stood frozen, like someone who had forgotten how to breathe.
Then, after biting his lip, he suddenly took a step back.
“…It’s nothing.”
He turned his head away to avoid my gaze and quickly turned his back.
“And don’t do that again.”
He muttered, low and firm, like a warning.
I tilted my head and asked again.
“Huh? Don’t do what?”
What exactly wasn’t I supposed to do?
All I did was pat his head and thank him.
He hesitated at my question, then sighed and ran a hand through his disheveled hair.
“Don’t… do things like that.”
Things like that—did he mean patting his head?
Did he hate getting his hair messed up?
…Or was it that he still didn’t consider me a true companion?
“Sorry for touching you without asking. I just—”
—I thought we’d grown close.
We’d entrusted our lives to one another, fought side by side on the front lines.
I thought, at least a little…
Yes, I thought we’d opened our hearts to each other.
Was that just my illusion?
“…”
No—it couldn’t be.
I knew Xenon held feelings for me. And I did for him.
He made me a bracelet and necklace with his clumsy hands.
He scolded me for not taking care of my body.
He told me to live, even if it meant sacrificing himself, with such a sad face.
All of it came from sincerity.
So what he just said—couldn’t be his true feelings.
I only acted that way because he looked so adorably sulky.
Because I was happy about the gift.
Because I was just doing what I’d normally do with people I care about.
So then… what did I do wrong?
I just—
“Xenon.”
—I wanted to get closer to him.
When I took a step toward him, he reflexively pushed me away.
It wasn’t hard—just enough to stop my step.
But even though he was the one who pushed me, Xenon looked startled. His eyes widened.
“…Sorry.”
He looked at me with a face full of guilt, confusion, and countless other unreadable emotions.
“I’ll step away for a bit. I’ll find you at the next location on my own.”
With those words, he turned away coldly.
Then he vanished into the forest we had first come through.
I stood blankly, staring at his back.
Then, the others—who had been waiting for me and Xenon—approached.
“Miss Wendy, are you alright? Where did Xenon go…?”
Yeriel’s voice trailed off faintly.
From a distance, it probably looked like a normal conversation.
Then they must’ve seen Xenon suddenly walk away and sensed something was wrong.
“…Well.”
But honestly, I didn’t know either.
Why had he suddenly acted so cold toward me?
I didn’t understand at all.
Just as I was struggling to find the right words—
[A new quest has arrived!]
[Stage 4: Devotion and Reward begins.]
A notification echoed in my ears, announcing a new quest.
—
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