Can Someone (Anyone!) Please Turn Off the Auto-Skill Setting?! - Chapter 78
Seeing Aaron step out of the prison, Dije cursed and ordered her subordinates to attack. Initially intending to hang back, Dije realized the situation wasn’t favorable and decided to personally intervene by controlling the shadows.
Despite the reinforcements, Aaron fought back fiercely, showing no sign of being overwhelmed.
Nancy, watching Aaron effortlessly fend off their attackers, thought to herself,
‘Honestly, I can’t even tell who’s the bad guy anymore.’
Thanks to Aaron escaping the prison, Nancy was able to easily cast a sealing spell on Dije, who had already been defeated and knocked unconscious.
Now, only one of the Four Cardinal Guardians remained—IIije, who was conducting the resurrection ritual for the Demon King.
“Do you know where the ritual is being held?”
Nancy asked, turning to Lenny, who clutched her head, trying to recall the layout of the complex Demon King’s castle.
“I don’t know the exact location, but I can guide you close enough,” Lenny replied.
“Can you lead us?” Aaron asked.
Lenny nodded, her cheeks flushing slightly. For some reason, her bashfulness bothered Nancy like a thorn in her throat. Even though Lenny had been nothing but helpful, Nancy suddenly felt uneasy.
She sneaked a glance at Aaron to see how he reacted, and caught him noticing her gaze. He smiled, took her hand, and followed Lenny.
‘Why is he holding my hand all of a sudden?’
Seeing her puzzled expression, Aaron laughed and said,
“Nancy, I can feel your heart racing through your palm.”
“…Don’t lie. There’s no way you can feel that through my palm.”
Feeling a pang of embarrassment, Nancy mentally willed her heart to calm down.
‘Why isn’t there a hero skill out of the 144 I have called ‘Calm the Heart’? Ugh.’
Aaron stopped walking and leaned close to her ear, whispering,
“Should I check by feeling your chest, then?”
Nancy glared at him, knowing he wouldn’t actually do it, not in front of Lenny who kept sneaking glances their way. It was clear he was just teasing her.
But even though she knew, her heart still reacted, and she found herself wanting to let go of his hand out of pride. Yet, she didn’t want to let go at all.
While she wrestled with her conflicting emotions, her grip on his hand unconsciously tightened. Aaron, noticing her flustered response, seemed to enjoy it. If they weren’t in such a hurry, he might have actually pushed her against a wall and tested her reaction.
“Lead the way quickly,” Aaron said, suppressing his desires and addressing Lenny.
He was eager to finish their mission and remove all threats, so he could finally let his guard down and be with Nancy. To do that, he had to deal with everything first.
Lenny, flustered but compliant, quickened her pace while babbling excitedly.
“You two must be lovers, right? Are you married already? How did you meet? Were you friends first? Did you always have feelings for each other, or did it happen during your journey?”
The young girl’s curiosity was endless, much to Aaron’s visible exhaustion. But even his vague answers fueled her imagination.
“Are you planning a wedding when you get back to Verus? Will it be small and intimate or big and grand? Since you’re the hero, maybe the High Priest will even bless your wedding!”
Lenny even expressed her hope to be invited to their future wedding.
“Hold on, who said anything about marriage?”
Nancy, who had been silently enduring her embarrassment, blurted out. She quickly glanced at Aaron to gauge his reaction.
Though they’d both implicitly agreed that they were now a couple, the topic of marriage had never come up. In fact, they hadn’t even considered it. She assumed Aaron hadn’t either.
‘It’s not like I never thought about marriage…’
Nancy hesitated, sneaking glances at Aaron. She worried that if people suddenly started asking about marriage after they’d only recently confessed their feelings, he might feel pressured.
Until now, Nancy had always thought that once their mission was over, she wouldn’t care what happened to their relationship.
In fact, she had hoped they’d part ways cleanly. After all, there were some things she had done that made her feel guilty and unable to face him properly.
But now, the thought of him simply leaving after their mission was done, returning to his life as if nothing had happened, made her feel unexpectedly sad.
Now that she had realized her feelings for him, she wanted their relationship to continue for a bit longer. She could only hope he felt the same way.
