Chapter 28
“Huh?”
It’s strange enough to see him apologizing with such a serious face.
“…Huh? Why?”
He’s asking for forgiveness despite not doing anything wrong.
‘Did he eat something bad?’
Or did he hurt his head by accident while fighting?
When I tilted my head, puzzled, he hesitated before speaking.
“For putting you in danger.”
“Danger….”
Repeating his words, I thought deeply.
Could it be that he’s apologizing for not being able to tell us about the hidden quest?
But that’s just—
“Well, you couldn’t say anything about it, or it would’ve been voided, right? It can’t be helped.”
I’m not that petty.
Even though his early arrival made things difficult for the team initially…
Xenon did his best in his own way, and in the end, it worked out for the better.
‘Isn’t that what matters?’
But it seemed that wasn’t the reason, as he corrected himself.
“It’s not that.”
“Huh?”
“The quest that appeared when we ran away—it was my choice.”
“…You chose it?”
When I frowned, still not understanding, he continued.
“There were two options. One was the choice we made.”
“…….”
“The other was a quest where the team would be safe, but many innocent people would be sacrificed.”
So, what he’s saying is—
Instead of choosing the quest that would have kept me and the team safe—
He chose the more dangerous one that would save everyone.
‘This precious fool.’
I should have known!
No wonder he didn’t complain at all when we escaped together.
Normally, he’d grumble about how he had to run because of me or how I owed him for his troubles.
‘There was a reason behind it.’
Still, in retrospect, it’s a good thing.
Thanks to his choice, we minimized the damage and saved as many people as possible.
And didn’t Yeriel also awaken because of it?
‘It’s a bit of a shame that Lyria didn’t awaken, but still.’
Since Lyria is the original protagonist, it’s not like she won’t awaken eventually.
‘Anyway, that’s that.’
Because of him, the most notorious early stage of Three Lives Chronicle ended relatively smoothly.
Of course, it wasn’t without any sacrifices.
There were those who suffered severe injuries and those betrayed by their own teammates.
But through that, a few weak individuals had the chance to band together.
Through this experience, they learned that even in dire circumstances, they could survive if they united.
While I wanted to praise his actions—
Clench.
The spirits who had barely survived thanks to him were practically worshipping Xenon as a savior.
I clenched my hand, which was itching to join in, and maintained my composure.
I couldn’t add to his already inflated reputation.
‘Ahem.’
I asked with a neutral expression, trying to hide my feelings.
“Why did you do it?”
At my question, Xenon’s face briefly hardened.
He scratched the back of his neck and then, with a small sigh, spoke.
“So that you…”
Xenon trailed off, uncharacteristically.
“So that I?”
I echoed his words, feeling impatient.
“…Would like it.”
His next words were truly unexpected.
“You… thought I would like it?”
But soon, he returned to his usual, indifferent expression and looked at me.
“You want no one to die, don’t you?”
“…….”
“Was I wrong?”
It’s true that I want to minimize unnecessary killings.
In the early stages of Three Lives Chronicle, people often hurt each other for survival.
But later on, they have to unite to fight mythical beings or god-like entities.
Survivor numbers matter greatly in those stages.
But this guy, who doesn’t even understand those reasons—
This guy, who would normally abandon the team and run ahead without looking back—
Chose the hidden mission thinking about me?
‘Why?’
…No, more importantly—
Why was he even thinking about me?
This guy, who’s always calculating about debts and costs, even for a single life.
I lost my words and stared blankly for a moment.
This felt even stranger than when he called me a “comrade.”
Thump, thump, thump.
Suddenly, my heart began to beat irregularly.
“…Wendy Porcelain?”
But just then—
“Sister! Let’s head out too.”
Through my now-clear vision, I saw Lyria and the children.
“Sister!”
“Pretty sis!”
Celestine and Sylvester, each carrying a bundle larger than their bodies, ran up to me and Xenon.
[Wendy, please… help me. This place is so unstable.]
Looking at the small sapling in Lyria’s hands, I regained my senses and finally spoke.
“Ah….”
An awakened state allows for a momentary burst of strength beyond limits.
It seems that Yeriel, needing time to recover, has returned to the form of a sapling.
“Yeah. We should go.”
“I’ve got the little guy covered. It looks like he fell asleep right after his awakening ended.”
Lyria, holding the small sapling carefully in her hands, smiled brightly.
“He’s so cute now!”
Lyria twirled around playfully, holding the sapling, her eyes sparkling.
[…Urgh.]
Yeriel groaned as the sudden spinning made him nauseous.
I patted Lyria’s head gently.
‘Others can’t hear Yeriel’s voice, so they think he’s just asleep.’
It’s unfortunate for him, but seeing how exhausted Yeriel looks, it’s better to keep him this way for now.
“Thanks, give the sapling to me.”
“Okay!”
As Lyria handed over the sapling—
“I’ll carry it.”
Xenon’s hand touched mine under the sapling, causing me to flinch away instinctively.
Thanks to that, I ended up in an awkward position, holding the sapling up high, and I quickly averted my gaze from him.
“…Uh, photosynthesis!”
“Photosynthesis?”
“…Might be needed, don’t you think?”
For a brief moment, when his hand touched mine, I felt something strange.
My palms tingled, and I felt sweat forming.
I fidgeted with my fingers and avoided his gaze.
“Since we’ve used a lot of energy… it might need some photosynthesis?”
“…….”
“It’s still a plant, after all….”
“I see.”
I quickly turned around, hoping he wouldn’t notice my flushed face.
“Anyway, I’m fine, so you should help the kids carry their bags.”
Xenon stared at my flustered back before responding.
“Alright.”
He turned around without further comment.
…Or not.
‘Wait, why did he stop?’
He suddenly turned back to face me.
“By the way.”
“…W-What?”
He leaned in close without any warning.
“You’ve been acting strange for a while now.”
He held my gaze, his eyes studying mine.
“Your eyes keep darting away.”
I had no time to hide my flushed face.
His narrowed eyes scanned my expression as he leaned even closer.
“…You.”
His large hand slowly approached my heated face.
Instinctively, I took a step back to avoid his touch.
“Ah.”
But unfortunately, his arm was longer than mine.
His cold hand pressed gently against my forehead, gauging its temperature.
“You’re burning up.”
Warm breath spread over my forehead with his words.
“To think you pushed yourself this far….”
He frowned as if he had more to say, but seeing my frozen expression, he closed his mouth.
“…Never mind.”
I could only stand there in a daze until he pulled his hand away.
“You’ve clearly overexerted yourself with this fever.”
The warmth from his hand lingered on my forehead.
It’s strange. His hand has left, yet the warmth remains.
“…….”
“It’s good to care for your teammates, but you should take care of yourself first.”
I couldn’t quite process what he was saying.
My head buzzed.
“Catch up when you can.”
With those final words, he turned and headed back to the others.
“I’ll go ahead.”
With a brief parting, he moved quickly.
Despite his words of concern, there was an air of coldness in his actions.
After making sure he had gone some distance, I released the breath I had been holding.
“…Haah.”
Even though Xenon had become a distant figure, I still couldn’t bring myself to move.
‘Thump, thump.’
[Wendy?]
Sensing something was off, Yeriel called out to me, but I couldn’t respond.
[If your head is hot, are you really unwell…?]
“Absolutely not!”
[W-Whoa?!]
No, I didn’t want to admit it.
Admitting that my head was hot now would be like admitting—
That I was flustered for a moment.
‘It doesn’t matter if he’s far away!’
I wanted to grab my head with both hands.
I wanted to wring out the fragments of memory like wringing out a cloth.
[Waaah, Wendy, everything’s shaking.]
But I couldn’t just drop Yeriel in my hands, so I could only scream inwardly.
‘Did I really get flustered?’
—Ronan (xgfxxx): Does he… like her?
ㄴ Mia (miaxxx): Ohoho, love is in the air~
—Wendyriel Stock Rising (wetxxx): I thought I wasn’t investing in this stock.
[You have gained the favor of 5 observers.]
[Total favor: 35]
Was I really flustered over him of all people?
The mysterious thumping that started so suddenly lingered for quite a while.
—
Read More at – GENZNOVEL.COM!!
PLEASE JOIN OUR DISCORD AND SUBSCRIBE THE ROLE TO RECEIVE LATEST NOTIFICATIONS!!
Click here -> https://discord.gg/S8c2kGVr2g
Comment