“Meira, Meira!”
Confused, El didn’t know what was happening.
He picked up Nia, ready to go find Meira.
Nia, who had seemed “unconscious” before, suddenly “woke up” at this moment.
She grabbed El’s sleeve and shook her head with great difficulty.
“Don’t.”
“Don’t what?”
“Don’t tell the lady.”
Nia squeezed the words out from her mouth.
“But you don’t look well. Back home, there’s a saying: ‘A small illness ignored becomes a big disease hard to cure.’ You can’t joke about your health.”
“Please.” Nia gripped his arm, slowly applying pressure, her voice very hoarse.
El couldn’t bear to see a woman look at him with such a pitiful expression.
His heart softened, and he agreed.
“Alright, alright, I won’t tell her,” El said with relief. “But are you really okay?”
“I’m fine. Stay away from me. Let me rest alone for a while, and I’ll be better.”
“You’re not seriously sick with some incurable disease, are you?”
El seemed to be connecting some dots.
Incurable disease?
Nia wanted to refute it, but then she thought about it—this curse did seem a lot like an incurable disease—so she opened her mouth for a moment but quickly shut it again.
Nia’s hesitation confirmed El’s suspicions.
“Even if it’s an incurable disease, don’t worry. No woman without a male lead dies of something as trivial as that.”
What nonsense was he talking?
Nia’s head spun from his chatter, but she was too weak to interrupt him.
She could only let him babble beside her.
Nia lay there until noon before she finally regained her senses.
After this incident, El found it awkward to ask Nia to continue teaching him, and in the afternoon Meira was meditating in her room, unable to guide him in magic.
Ail thought it over and decided to take his weapons and head down the mountain to the village for a look.
“Where are you going this time?”
Nia, sitting in the yard, noticed he seemed about to leave and asked.
“Down the mountain, to the town to buy some things.”
“There’s a town nearby?”
“Of course,” El answered matter-of-factly. “I just live in the mountains; I’m not cut off from the world.”
“Then why didn’t you mention it before?”
“You never asked.”
“…”
Humans really could be so annoying sometimes.
Nia took a deep breath and said calmly, “I’m coming too.”
“You sure you’re up for it?”
“I’ve mostly recovered.”
“Alright then.”
Since it was going to town, El agreed quickly.
After leaving a message for Meira, the two headed down to the town at the foot of the mountain.
“Since there’s a town at the foot of the mountain, why do you live up here in such a dangerous place?”
Halfway along the road, Nia asked the question that had been bothering her since earlier.
“Living in the mountains makes it easier to search for clues about my home,” El said. “As for danger, it’s not really that bad. Around the edges of the mountain, there’s nothing too strong—mostly goblins or those pig monsters. Taking care of them is no big deal.”
“If you ignore that day when you were chased by dogs, I guess that’s true.”
Nia mercilessly shot down his claim.
“Hey hey hey, you’re no fun like this.”
El immediately tried to defend himself when his male lead abilities were questioned.
“The main reason is that the monsters outside aren’t really a threat. Once you lose that sense of danger, you get careless,” El said. “Normally, I’d take one down in a single encounter.”
One encounter and taken down?
That was the funniest joke Nia had ever heard.
After so many days together, the only thing about El that left an impression was that bow of his.
As for magic and swordsmanship, he was still a beginner.
His physical ability was just passable.
That bow might be powerful, but against fast enemies, it probably wouldn’t be very effective.
With that kind of combat ability, even a thousand enemies would just be an appetizer for the other side.
“Mr. El, do all humans like to brag like you?”
“Considering your level of knowledge, I forgive your ignorance,” El snorted. “If there’s ever a chance, I’ll show you what invincible really means.”
Me?
Ignorant?
You? Invincible?
Nia almost laughed out loud.
“I don’t think that day will ever come.”
“That’s hard to say. If it really does, Nia, then you can stop being Lady Meira’s bodyguard knight and be mine instead.”
“Alright, if that day ever comes.”
Nia took it as a joke and replied in kind.
Following the road from the human town into the monster forest, Nia and El soon arrived at the nearest town, Belon Town.
The dirt road, worn down countless times by footsteps, stirred up little dust.
Standing at the southern entrance of Belon Town, Nia was able to clearly see the full view of the buildings.
Inside the low walls stood rows of two- and three-story wooden houses, with a style not much different from El’s home.
The main road leading into the town was full of sunken potholes—depressions and muddy puddles made by livestock and carts.
Walking along this muddy path, Nia soon spotted the town’s entrance.
Outside the stone walls, two soldiers stood guard, checking everyone who entered.
After the inspection, El, familiar with the route, led her twisting left and right until Nia saw a tavern.
Yes, a tavern.
“You came all this way just to drink?”
“Yeah, what else is there to do coming down the mountain? Go for a walk?”
El looked utterly natural about it.
Ignoring Nia’s incredulous expression, he strode forward, pushed open the tavern’s swinging doors, and headed straight to the bar.
He pulled out a small pouch from his pocket and placed it on the counter.
“Filte, drinks! Same as usual!”
The middle-aged man called Filte responded cheerfully.
“Same price as always.”
He pulled a coin from the pouch and handed it over.
A cup filled with wine was set before him.
“Nia, how long are you going to keep standing out there?”
Hearing the voice, Nia hesitated, then chose to push open the door and enter.
“Over here, over here.”
As if worried she wouldn’t find her way, El waved his hand from the bar.
Nia wore a dark expression as she sat down beside him.
“Oh, Mr. El, and who is this?”
Filte, seeing El bring someone in for the first time, asked curiously.
“My woman.”
El’s tone was that of a cheeky rogue as his right hand slid onto Nia’s shoulder.
But his hand barely warmed up before Nia shot him a glare that could kill, and he quickly withdrew.
Ail didn’t get upset.
He laughed and looked toward the tavern owner Filte.
“This woman is like this—hypocritical but actually loves me to death…”
“Miss, don’t be angry. Mr. El’s just like this. Don’t mind his slick talk; he’s actually a good guy.”
Seeing Nia’s face darken further, Filte tried to smooth things over with a smile.
“Miss, is there anything you’d like to drink?”