Episode 167. Interlude – Warmth

The mentoring class, which had been full of twists and turns, finally ended.

Originally, I should have received at least a suspension for incapacitating a senior during class.

Fortunately, Aaron, Bella, and Rios all agreed to say that we were injured while fighting monsters during class, so we managed to get through it unscathed.

‘Well, it’s hard for Aaron to tell the truth.’

How could he proudly say that he got beaten so badly by a junior that three of his ribs were broken?

I was worried that Aaron might hold a grudge and try to harm Lanes, but he wasn’t that stupid. After returning to school, he holed up in the private treatment room and didn’t come out.

‘Still, I’m a bit worried.’

I wasn’t sure about Aaron, but I was worried about Bella’s temperament, so I peeked into the fourth-year classroom a few times. Thankfully, no candidates were bothering Lanes.

Of course, no one was directly using violence to harass her, but they were still openly ignoring her.

Still, Lanes wasn’t as cowed as before and handled the indifference around her with a rather composed expression.

“A happy ending… well, not quite.”

But at least it was clear that Lanes’ current state was much better than before.

‘The problem is the Blessing of Frost.’

The powerful blessing that resides within Lanes.

In terms of pure ‘blessing’ power alone, it’s hard to find a blessing stronger than the Blessing of Frost, as far as I know.

‘It’s a blessing that can freeze half the continent.’

For ordinary heroes, a ‘blessing’ is more like a supplementary weapon.

The main power comes from the magic and swordsmanship derived from the Power of the Holy Mark, and the blessing is just an added bonus.

‘Even Yurina is like that.’

Just because Yurina awakened the Moonlight’s Blessing doesn’t mean she fights solely with the power of the blessing.

But.

There are exceptions depending on the power and type of the blessing.

‘In my past life, Lanes fought solely with the power of her blessing.’

In other words.

No magic, no swordsmanship, just pure innate power that brought her to that level.

Of course, the power of a blessing varies greatly depending on how it’s used, but in Lanes’ case, the ‘Blessing of Frost’ itself was the alpha and omega of her power.

‘The problem is that now we have to hope that her blessing doesn’t awaken.’

The blessing Lanes possesses is so powerful that even she can’t control it properly.

It’s similar to how Aaron couldn’t properly handle the ‘Blessing of Meteor’ this time.

No, unlike the Blessing of Meteor, which only left Aaron with some self-destructive aftereffects, Lanes’ blessing freezes everything around her.

“Ugh.”

Instead of drawing out her power, she has to suppress it.

‘Is it even possible to prevent a blessing from awakening?’

I don’t exactly know how blessings awaken.

Some heroes awaken naturally while walking down the street, some awaken after rigorous training, and some awaken dramatically when their lives are on the line.

In other words.

It’s completely arbitrary.

“Sigh. This is driving me crazy.”

While I was pondering what to do about this.

Knock knock.

A soft knocking sound echoed in the room.

When I opened the door, I saw Lanes standing there holding a large pot.

“Um… a-are you feeling okay?”

Lanes asked hesitantly.

“…Why are you being so formal?”

“Ah, no. It’s just… y-you’re my savior… so.”

“You can speak comfortably.”

“R-really?”

Lanes blushed and glanced at me.

“Yes.”

“T-then… you can call me Dale too.”

“That’s a bit…”

“P-please!”

Lanes stepped closer and shouted.

Feeling the intense determination in her eyes, I nodded without thinking.

“Yes… I mean, okay. I’ll call you comfortably too.”

“Y-yeah. Hehehe.”

“By the way, what did you bring?”

“I heard you weren’t feeling well…”

“Ah.”

I had lied about being injured since it would be strange if I returned unscathed while Aaron was hospitalized.

“Dale, you’re from the Republic, right? I heard that people from the Republic eat warm porridge when they’re sick. So I made some chicken porridge.”

Chicken porridge.

It was a thoughtful choice that showed Lanes’ consideration.

“Thank you. I’ll enjoy it.”

“Um… c-can I come in for a bit?”

Lanes peeked into my room.

“Ah, sure.”

“Hehe.”

Lanes smiled brightly and quickly stepped inside.

“So this is… Dale’s room.”

Lanes looked around the room with sparkling eyes, as if fascinated.

“There’s not much to see, is there?”

“N-no. But if I look closely… I might learn a bit more about Dale.”

Lanes walked over to the shelf, picked up a half-empty wine bottle, and smiled faintly.

“You like wine…”

“I drink it occasionally.”

“Really?”

Lanes took out a small notebook from her pocket and started scribbling something.

“Drinks wine… has two sets of casual clothes… prefers dark colors… right-handed… likes comfortable canvas sneakers…”

Wait.

Is she investigating a crime scene or something?

“…What are you doing?”

“Ah, n-nothing. Hehe.”

Lanes smiled brightly and placed the pot on the table.

“Here you go.”

She scooped some chicken porridge onto a small plate and handed it to me.

“I’ll enjoy it.”

“Um… s-should I feed you?”

“No, it’s fine.”

“…Really?”

Lanes, who had been sparkling with excitement, suddenly looked downcast.

I ate the porridge she made while watching her.

Long purple hair, flawless skin, a straight nose, and a delicate jawline.

I hadn’t noticed before because she always had her head down, but Lanes’ appearance was stunning enough to stand out anywhere.

‘In my past life, there were heroes who sided with the Night Witch because of her looks.’

Well, most of them ended up frozen to death after approaching her recklessly.

“How does it taste?”

“It’s delicious.”

I had noticed before when I ate her soup, but Lanes’ cooking skills were impressive.

“I’m glad.”

Lanes smiled brightly.

But only for a moment.

She then spoke with a tense expression.

“Um… Dale… are you okay?”

“With what?”

“I’m… a child of a Mine.”

She asked in a trembling voice.

“…….”

It was true that her body flowed with the blood of a Mine.

The blood of a Mine who was once called the ‘Archbishop.’

“If I said it doesn’t bother me, that would be a lie.”

“…….”

“But I still want to trust you more.”

“You… trust me?”

“Yes.”

I believe that she didn’t become the ‘Night Witch’ by choice.

That she didn’t become a monster that froze half the world by choice.

I trust her.

And since I’ve taken her hand, I will do everything to make sure she doesn’t become that.

That’s the fate of a hero who has taken the hand of a witch.

“…Ah.”

Tears welled up in Lanes’ eyes.

“This is the first time… I’ve heard such words.”

She bit her lip and started sobbing.

“Thank you… thank you. For trusting me… thank you.”

“…….”

Just because she was born as the daughter of a Mine.

How much of a nightmare must she have endured?

Without thinking, I placed my hand on Lanes’ shoulder as she cried.

“Ah.”

Lanes let out a soft sigh.

She carefully held my hand on her shoulder with both of her hands.

“…It’s warm.”

She rubbed her cheek against my hand and smiled brightly.

Her smiling face, which I had never seen in my past life.

For some reason.

I couldn’t help but think, ‘I’m glad I found her.’

“I’ll do my best.”

“Do your best?”

“I’ll work hard to live up to Dale’s trust.”

Lanes clenched her fists, her eyes sparkling.

“O-of course, my grades are bad now, and my magic skills are lacking! But I’ll become strong enough to protect Dale!”

“…….”

No.

Actually, you shouldn’t become that strong.

I swallowed the words that rose to my throat and nodded awkwardly.

“Don’t overdo it.”

“No! I’ll become strong even if it’s overdoing it!”

No.

You shouldn’t become strong.

“Actually… it’s a bit hard for me to say this, but I’ve been suppressing my power on purpose. If I use my power, everyone will curse it as the power of a Mine.”

“…….”

“B-but now I don’t have to do that! Because Dale is here!”

“…….”

“I… can do anything for Dale! So…”

Lanes, trembling with anxiety, gently pulled my hand.

“Don’t… abandon me.”

“…….”

Sigh.

A sigh escaped my lips.

“People aren’t objects to be discarded. Anyway… well, okay. It’s good to have a goal. But promise me one thing.”

“…What promise?”

“Put your own well-being first. If… the power you’ve been suppressing becomes uncontrollable, come to me immediately. Okay?”

“Ah.”

Lanes’ eyes widened.

She teared up and muttered softly, “You really… care about me.”

“…Dale.”

“Yes?”

“Dale, Dale, Dale… haa, haa.”

After calling my name several times, Lanes stood up abruptly, breathing heavily.

“I-I should go now!”

“Ah, okay.”

As I saw her off to the door.

“Ah, um… Dale.”

“What?”

“Can I… have your Hero Watch number?”

“Of course.”

Exchanging contact information was essential to control her, who was like a ticking time bomb.

“Hehe. Dale’s number…”

Lanes turned on her Hero Watch and smiled at the empty contact list (only my number was registered).

“W-well, good night, Dale!”

After saying goodbye, Lanes hurriedly disappeared.

‘Does she need to use the bathroom or something?’

I tilted my head as I watched Lanes’ retreating figure, then closed the door and lay down on the bed.

“Phew.”

Maybe because of all the things that happened.

Fatigue washed over me as I lay on the bed.

‘Let’s… rest for now.’

Perhaps because I used the power of the Primordial Flame while fighting Aaron, an irresistible drowsiness overwhelmed me.

I didn’t resist the drowsiness and fell asleep.

Ding, ding.

For some reason.

That night, I dreamed of wandering through a room filled with dozens of hanging beads, trying to escape.

* * *

The next day.

When I woke up, I habitually turned on my Hero Watch.

[You have 257 missed messages.]

“…What?”

257?

I frowned and opened the message box.

[Um… Dale,]

[Thank you so much today.]

[If it weren’t for you, I would never have felt this way in my life.]

[Ah… did I bother you by contacting you like this?]

[I’m sorry.]

[I was thoughtless.]

[I shouldn’t have contacted you so casually, right?]

[I’m really sorry. It’s my first time exchanging messages with someone, so I made a mistake.]

[Dale… are you mad?]

[Why aren’t you replying?]

.

.

.

[Ah, or did you notice that I was thinking about you while doing something bad?]

[I’m sorry. I won’t do it again.]

[I didn’t think you’d notice.]

[I’m sorry, sorry, sorry.]

[I was wrong.]

[Please don’t abandon me.]

The messages continued in this vein.

“…What.”

What is this?