Chapter 57

Evan felt his head going cold.

After venting everything that had built up until just now, he began to assess the situation properly.

What on earth had he done to Aria, who had saved him?

From Aria’s perspective, she had acted to prevent him from dying as he fell, yet here he was, utterly confused about why she would sacrifice herself for him. He was just relieved that he hadn’t been told it was a mistake to save him.

Evan thought this and discreetly glanced at Aria, but for some reason, she didn’t seem particularly angry.

On the contrary…

‘Is she… understanding me?’

She was listening to him and showing understanding.

Seeing that made Evan feel his head heat up even more.

However, it was not the sort of heat he felt earlier; instead, it was a chilling heat.

He felt a sense of shame.

To think that the words he had held back all this time were speaking to her directly like this.

They were even in a situation where their clothes were soaked through and clinging to them.

After finally venting his frustration, he was taken aback by the sight of Aria’s exposed skin.

‘W-what is this…?’

Aria’s body was hard to describe as beautiful, even if it was flattering. It was difficult to see her as an appealing mature woman, and instead, she appeared as a cute girl.

Though she was of the same age, her appearance was youthful enough that it was natural not to find her attractive in a romantic sense.

But…

‘Was this really my original preference…?’

It couldn’t be.

Up until he had met Aria, he had liked women with more mature bodies.

Yet now, that wasn’t the case.

Even though he had never experienced love in his life, he wasn’t such a fool that he couldn’t understand his feelings.

The emotions he had accumulated while watching Aria had led him to feel something beyond mere preference.

No matter that she was the same age, it was inevitable to wonder if there was a problem with his emotions as he gazed upon her diminutive form.

Perhaps it was a story that would anger Aria if she heard it, but he was being serious.

Bringing up something like this with her, who might have her own complex about her small and fragile body, could be considered the worst mistake one could make.

So, what should he talk about?

The only adult of the opposite sex he had encountered in his life was his teacher, and even then, the emotional gap was immense.

If he were to ask if he had any real friends he could call peers at the Academy, it would be someone like Stella, but with her, they were strictly friends, and nothing had ever happened that could spark any feelings.

After witnessing a boy turn into a demon through countless hardships and dangers, as he faced everything without giving up… After seeing him saved by the efforts of a boy destined to become a hero, Evan’s heart had uncontrollably taken residence in the feelings that formed with the girl who bore such a huge heart.

Although he hadn’t intended to, he found himself in a situation where they could talk privately, yet he couldn’t muster the words to express anything.

‘Ah… what am I…’

How could he stand beside Aria without being able to hold a proper conversation or become close to her?

Standing beside her… promising that he would protect her one day…

Even in a situation where they were both only wearing their underwear and facing away from each other, how could he possibly speak?

The feelings he had come to realize were unfortunately lost and stumbling around.

“[I’m sorry for showing you such an unflattering sight…]”

In the end, when their clothes had dried completely, he still couldn’t summon the courage to speak until Aria did first.

*

For someone, the sight might not be ugly at all, but Evan would rather not believe that it was his preference.

The way Aria turned away from him in embarrassment was partly because they were the same age, and he hoped it wasn’t due to some preference of his.

“…”

They had just had a heated argument and were now in a situation where they had taken off their wet clothes to dry them.

At first, he thought it wouldn’t matter if they got wet since no powerful monsters appeared when they did, so he tried to move about while still wet, but for some reason, Evan insisted way too much on drying.

Since it wouldn’t take long to dry, he had insisted they approach it with caution and held her back.

Initially, he thought that Dannes would definitely be worried after they had gotten separated, but…

‘Well… I’ve already cleared that much, so unless he moved ahead alone, he shouldn’t have any major issues…’

Upon reflection, Dannes was likely stuck in a room he had already cleared, so even from a purely safety standpoint, things weren’t as dire.

It wasn’t that variables wouldn’t occur, but since this wasn’t a place for Dannes, but was created to test Evan, he thought it didn’t warrant immediate concern.

Besides, no matter how worried he might be, he understood well how risky it was to venture alone into the unknown.

Of course, he would worry about her, but Dannes had originally been an adventurer, so his ability to gauge whether things were feasible was quite impressive.

Otherwise, he wouldn’t have survived this long.

In a situation where he could offer no assistance, it would be best for him to either return as he had shouted before falling or at least not do anything and stay still.

So, he likely wouldn’t need to be concerned right now.

‘This is embarrassing…’

Since he had become this body, he had never felt this way before.

Not seeing or hearing anything made things feel even stranger… although he was sitting nearby, exposing himself just to dry his clothes was the first time.

‘Maybe I should learn a drying spell quickly…’

For a moment, he considered using the divine powers of the sun god to evaporate them, but he quickly dismissed the idea, fearing he might ruin his precious clothes.

Damn it.

“I’m sorry… I don’t know how to use magic…”

“[… It’s okay. I’m really sorry, I don’t know any drying spells either.]”

He could excuse himself for not knowing, but if the hero were to show signs of knowing magic, he might just leap out in despair.

There were sometimes players who would max out both magic and swordsmanship and become hybrid sword mages in the game, but spreading one’s investment between two made them lackluster as a result, ultimately rendering them weaker than if they’d focused on one exclusively.

Due to that, it wasn’t something people typically did unless it was for concept play.

Thus, not being able to use magic was itself a reassuring point.

However, in regard to these aspects… well… it was clear that having Stella around made a huge difference.

If it were Stella, she would surely know some basic household magic.

And speaking of magic, she would have some as well…

‘No, stop it…’

It was unclear whether she could even be brought here.

Anyway, while it was embarrassing, it wasn’t as if he was completely naked; it was merely a matter of showing a bit of himself while drying his clothes, so he reassured himself that it was fine.

Evan must have decided to firmly state they should dry their clothes since he determined movement was restricted because they were wet.

In reality, it wasn’t a wrong decision since movement was indeed important in swordplay.

In other words, even if he wanted to make an issue of it, there were no grounds for concern.

“Aria…?”

“[What is it?]”

“Uh…”

Was there something she wanted to say?

She had seemed troubled since a while ago, but ultimately remained silent and kept frustrated to herself, making him wonder if she was hurt.

Seeing her calling him while still wearing a contemplative expression indicated she had something to say but was unsure if it was appropriate to voice it.

“No… it’s nothing…”

In the end, she probably couldn’t say anything.

It was annoying to be made curious without an actual answer…

Right now, they needed to clear the dungeon first, so he would have to ask her later.

“…”

Well…

It was disappointing, but while it had ultimately been an unnecessary action, the way she had thrown herself to sacrifice for him was a bit cool.

He felt that little by little, he was growing as a hero, so it wasn’t a bad feeling.

He chuckled to himself as he thought this.