Chapter 13: I Will Protect You

Soft, fluttering pink hair.

Pale green eyes reminiscent of emeralds.

A woman clad in black metal armor stretched out both arms and leisurely spun around a couple of times.

Every time she moved, the sunlight reflecting off her solid armor was blinding.

“How do I look? Cool, right? Don’t I look dependable? Don’t you just wanna hug me? Huh? Huh?”

She placed both hands on her waist and puffed up with pride.

Her confident expression was full of expectation.

“Ufufu! Go on! You’re free to shower me with praise, you know?”

She looked down at me, slyly opening one eye, her lips curved into a radiant smile that sparkled even more than the sun.

My brows furrowed slightly.

Something felt off.

Unfamiliar, yet not unfamiliar.

It was a strange mix of familiarity and strangeness.

‘…Who is she? Do I know her? If she feels familiar, it’s likely a memory from the past.’

I closed my eyes and tried to recall.

Pink hair, green eyes.

And—

‘She asked if she didn’t look like a proper knight, right?’

Of all the knights I’ve seen in my life, has there ever been a woman with long pink hair…?

Was there?

Or wasn’t there?

I thought so hard that I couldn’t even hear the sounds around me.

And after a moment—

I came to the perfect conclusion.

‘Let’s give up.’

It was a survival tactic I’d picked up after my memories got scrambled.

Don’t dig too deep, don’t try to think, just let it all wash over me until it’s over.

That was the way to keep my mind from breaking.

‘…Nice weather.’

Her voice kept coming, but I just stared at the large sunlit window behind her.

‘Must be spring in this memory.’

A sky without a single cloud, banners with intricate patterns fluttering gently in the spring breeze.

An unreal scene.

More than enough to lose myself in.

Because memories tangled in time… always find their place eventually.

“Geez—! Why are you just zoning out like that, Low?!”

I quickly lifted my head.

A woman stood right in front of me with a pout on her face.

‘…Huh?’

She called my name. So casually.

As if we’d known each other for a long time.

And in that moment—

I felt my body sway, back and forth.

My vision blurred.

Then it cleared again.

And what I saw before me—

Was a child, looking up at me anxiously.

“…Ah.”

A short sigh escaped me.

I had returned to reality.

The child was clutching the hem of my clothes tightly, looking like she was about to cry.

After taking a slow breath, I gently placed a hand on her head.

“It’s okay.”

“……”

“I just zoned out for a moment.”

I carefully patted her head.

But something felt a little strange.

One side of her head felt slightly raised.

Wondering what it was, I started feeling around.

“What is this? Are humans growing horns now?”

“?”

“Oh—wait. Is this… a bump?”

“!!!!!!”

When I pressed it gently, the child winced.

A small ‘Ah!’ escaped her lips.

“…Does it hurt?”

“……”

“You can tell me the truth.”

After a moment of hesitation, the child nodded.

That tiny nod felt oddly endearing.

“I see. I’m sorry. I wouldn’t know—since I’ve never gotten one myself.”

“……”

“Just wait here a moment. I’ll go get some ointment.”

The one I bought today is supposed to relieve pain, so it should help.

As I leisurely tried to get up, the child clutched my clothes even tighter.

“Hm? What is it?”

“……”

The child looked up at me silently.

Then, the child began tugging at the hem of my clothes over and over again.

When I stopped, the child stopped pulling.

But whenever I tried to stand up, the child tugged again.

I could tell they wanted something, but the child didn’t speak—just kept repeating the same action.

‘…This is hard.’

Suddenly, the old man at the bookstore came to mind.

“Well then, what matters most right now is how you connect with the child.”

“Someone like you, who doesn’t talk much, needs to be especially careful. The child is probably feeling you through every little action you make.”

He was right.

He said to connect with them.

But that feeling of having found the answer didn’t last long.

‘…What should I do?’

No matter how hard I thought, nothing came to mind.

It had been a long time since my mind had gone completely blank like this.

I watched the child carefully.

The child’s small hand was still clutching my clothes.

The child’s pale green eyes were trembling slightly.

‘Ah, the child was still feeling anxious.’

Slowly, I sat back down.

The child visibly relaxed.

‘You’re still here. I’m glad.’

That’s what the child’s expression seemed to be saying.

“Alright. I’m not going anywhere.”

“……!”

Only then did the child’s face brighten.

Very carefully, the child leaned against my side.

The child’s small shoulder brushed against my arm.

No words,

No laughter,

No tears.

Just a tiny movement.

But even that was enough.

Enough to know—

That this child was beginning to trust me.

‘…Is this how you connect with someone?’

There was no clear answer.

But unlike before, I wasn’t obsessively searching for one.

This, just like this, felt okay.

That thought gently took root inside me.

I softly placed my hand on the child’s head.

Avoiding the bump,

I stroked as gently as I could.

“Looks like we should put some medicine on it.”

“…….”

The child shook her head.

Suddenly, a memory from the clinic surfaced.

The image of the child bursting into tears, saying the child was scared of the treatment.

“Do you not like putting on medicine?”

“…….”

“No? Then why?”

The child stared at me.

Then, the child grabbed onto my sleeve tightly with both hands.

“…You don’t want to be apart from me?”

“……!”

The child nodded.

The answer was swift and certain.

The hesitation from just a moment ago now seemed meaningless,

Her eyes filled with determination and conviction.

“I see. So that’s why.”

“……!”

I gave a small smile and gently patted the child’s head again.

‘Not bad.’

I didn’t know if this was what people called bonding,

But understanding the child’s feelings was more enjoyable than I expected.

“Spend precious time with the child. Watch closely, listen carefully, and hug the child often.”

That’s right—

The bookstore owner had told me to hug the child often.

Maybe…

Maybe he said that for moments like this?

I slowly opened my arms.

So the child wouldn’t get scared.

Carefully, gently.

“Can I hold you?”

The child looked at me in surprise, then quickly dove into my arms.

The child wrapped her little arms around my waist and pressed her small face tightly against my chest.

“Alright. Let’s put the medicine on like this. That okay?”

“…….”

The child nodded.

There was the faintest hint of a smile on her lips.

I rummaged through the things I had brought and took out the medicine packet.

Scooping out some ointment with my finger,

I began to gently apply it to the swollen area.

The child flinched a little at times,

But held on tightly to my waist and did their best to endure it.

“You’re doing great.”

“…….”

“Good job. Let’s put some on your leg too.”

This place needed to be disinfected.

“I wonder if disinfectants in this world sting as much.”

Just in case,

I handed the child a fruit before applying the disinfectant.

“They usually give you something to eat in times like this.”

“……”

“So I thought I’d try it. Not sure if it works, though.”

The fruit in the child’s hand gave a little shake.

After a moment, the child carefully brought it to her mouth, and I took out the disinfectant.

“This might hurt.”

“……”

“If it hurts a lot, just hold onto my clothes tight.”

The child nodded.

I applied the disinfectant to the scraped and bruised knees and shins.

“…Ugh.”

The child’s lips trembled.

Tension ran through their arm,

And her small hand clenched my shirt tightly.

Once the disinfectant dried, I applied ointment and sprinkled powder over it.

“You did great. Just one more leg and we’re done.”

“……”

“It’s okay. It’ll be over soon.”

The treatment was done.

The child held on and endured until the very end.

Proud of them,

I gently brushed the sweat-dampened hair away from their face.

“It’s over. You did really well.”

“……”

“It hurt a lot, didn’t it?”

The child wiped their tears and shook their head.

Come to think of it—

At the clinic, they used to give kids something as a reward after treatment.

Usually something sweet.

Maybe that’s why they did it.

But now, I had nothing to give, which left me in a bit of a bind.

‘What should I do?’

The fruit I gave earlier was more tangy than sweet.

“…Hmm, what should I give you as a reward?”

“……?”

“Something sweet… or maybe… something they like, was it…?”

The child burrowed into my arms.

I could feel her little hand gripping my clothes tighter.

“Hm?”

“……”

The child snuggled even deeper into my embrace.

“…Vice Principal.”

Would I be able to read the child’s intentions this time, too?

Just as I was observing the child closely,

I heard a rustling sound right next to me.

Wondering what it was, I turned my head—

A rabbit was buried in a grocery bag, munching on clover.

“…What the.”

Half the bundle of clover had already disappeared.

The rabbit, chewing leisurely on the leaves,

It seemed to sense my gaze and looked up at me blankly.

But only for a moment—

It soon went back to munching the clover, completely unfazed.

“You’re pretty bold.”

“…?”

“You must’ve seen the roof collapse…”

Suddenly—

I remembered the moment when the child had thrown themselves flat, shielding the rabbit.

“You protected it, huh? That’s probably why it didn’t see anything.”

“?”

“Good jo—ugh!”

Once again—

A wave of memories surged over me.

The same scene as before.

The same person.

A woman with pink hair and green eyes stood before me.

‘…Again.’

It seemed like the memory was continuing from earlier.

She leaned her upper body toward me,

Her eyes gleaming as she spoke about why she became a knight.

And that reason was—

“You can lean on me a little more, you know.”

“I became a knight to protect you, Row!”

It was such a simple and unbelievable reason.

“…Why?”

“It must be hard.”

Both the me watching this memory and the me from that time asked at the same moment.

The woman blinked in surprise,

Then burst out laughing.

She looked truly happy.

“That’s so you, Row. Always worrying about me, huh?”

“You keep saying worrying things.”

“Hehe.”

She placed her hands on her hips and stepped closer to me.

“It’s fine, really.”

“Protecting what you want to protect—that’s what being a knight is about!”

“You’re the most important thing to me, Row, so I will protect you.”

“Don’t worry. I can do it.”

Every word was laced with a laugh,

But her conviction was unmistakable—she feared nothing.

Without hesitation, the woman came closer,

Smiling brightly, winking with one eye.

“Because I’m the world’s biggest greedy girl!”

She said it like that—shining, radiant.