Can Someone (Anyone!) Please Turn Off the Auto-Skill Setting?! - Chapter 63
When Nancy looked at him in disbelief, he made a sound urging her, “Come on, hold my hand.”
She couldn’t backtrack and say she was just joking. Caught off guard, Nancy took his hand. His hand, already warm by nature, was now burning with fever.
Sitting in the quiet tent, holding his hand without saying anything, made her feel awkward. It felt even more embarrassing than the times when they had lost control and given in to their instincts.
“You’re more like a spoiled young master than a knight.”
Nancy said it to ease her embarrassment.
Unlike her, who was fidgeting, Aaron seemed much more at ease, clearly finding comfort in holding her hand.
“You’re the one who offered first,” Aaron said, closing his eyes and bringing her hand to his feverish cheek.
The coolness of her hand seemed to soothe him, and he let out a deep breath.
Despite claiming he wasn’t tired, he soon started breathing heavily in his sleep.
“He must’ve been really sick,” she murmured to herself, relieved as she watched him sleep.
But suddenly, Aaron’s eyes shot open. His face, which had been peaceful, now looked tense.
“I don’t want to add more people to the party.”
“What? Where is this coming from all of a sudden?”
“If I rest for just one night, I’ll be fine. We don’t need anyone to replace me.”
Nancy had no idea what he was talking about. It wasn’t like she had ever mentioned adding new party members.
“Where would we even find new companions at this point?”
That much was true. Aaron nodded and closed his eyes again, rubbing his cheek against her hand in a playful manner.
“Didn’t you say your grandfather was a hero? How many people were in his party back then?”
Nancy asked if she had heard any stories about it.
Aaron briefly considered pretending to be asleep to avoid answering, but soon he parted his lips.
“About ten people.”
“That’s quite a few.”
“We don’t need that many. It’s just you and me, and that’s enough. The Demon King’s army isn’t as strong as it used to be. Look at the path we’ve traveled so far. We handled it pretty well, right? Even facing one of the Four Cardinal Guardians wasn’t too difficult….”
“Calm down. I wasn’t saying we should add more people. I was just curious.”
Nancy reassured him, sensing that his fever might spike again if he kept getting worked up.
Aaron still eyed her with suspicion.
She was telling the truth, but to convince him, she offered a logical reason.
“We don’t have the money to hire anyone. We’ve already spent a lot on travel expenses.”
Aaron quickly rebutted her.
“We could split the reward we’ll get from the temple when we return to Verus. My grandfather recruited companions the same way.”
Since even his predecessor had used that method, it was hard for Nancy to argue. She decided it was better to change the subject.
“What kind of people were his companions?”
“Lots of them snored loudly. Some ground their teeth. There was even a warrior who would suddenly shout in his sleep, and at first, everyone thought they were under attack and would wake up in a panic.”
“That must’ve been annoying.”
Nancy imagined the chaos of waking up to a shouting warrior, and she shook her head at the thought.
Until you experience someone’s sleeping habits firsthand, you never really know. Aaron’s grandfather must have found it quite troublesome as well. Nancy concluded again that adding more people wasn’t a good idea.
“Why are you bringing this up all of a sudden?”
“…….”
“Are you worried your share of the reward will shrink?”
“Let’s go with that.”
Aaron, sounding a bit irritated, abruptly placed her hand over his eyes.
“Why are you sulking?”
Nancy asked, but he pressed his lips together tightly, showing no intention of answering. His frowning face was visible under her hand. She tried to use her skill to figure out what was going on but learned nothing more than the fact that he was disappointed in her.
Not knowing why he was upset was frustrating, but she couldn’t just ignore him. Still, she figured she had to be more understanding since he was sick.
“Were you close with your grandfather?”
She asked softly, and his lips twitched slightly. After a little coaxing, he finally gave in.
“He told me a lot of stories about his adventures. That’s why I wanted to be a hero like him.”
“I feel bad, like I took your dream away.”
“If it wasn’t you, it would’ve been Leo. I would’ve been burning with jealousy. I still can’t accept that Leo is better than me. Having a duel and then being like this isn’t exactly appropriate for a paladin.”
‘You’re not even a paladin anymore. You’ve long since lost your chastity.’
Nancy wanted to point that out, but if they delved too deeply into the topic, it would only lead to trouble for her, so she kept it to herself.
