Don't Be Holy! - Chapter 63
The next day, when Eir woke up, she was lying alone on the bed. And not just lying—she was sprawled out, limbs stretched wide.
It felt as if she had let go of consciousness, traveled somewhere far away, and returned, but at the same time, the moment she woke up, she was hit with a cold, sobering feeling. It had been far, far too comfortable.
She hurriedly sat up and looked for Rubel, only to see him curled up on the floor, sleeping. It would have been better if he had just disappeared, but seeing him sleeping uncomfortably like that made her feel even stranger.
Eir carefully lowered her foot and poked the protruding bone of his shoulder with her toe.
“A-are you asleep?”
Fortunately, there was no response. Eir pulled her exposed calf back under the blanket and carefully stepped onto the floor, intending to leave the room.
But at that moment, Rubel sat up and roughly ran his hand through his hair.
Still not fully awake, his half-closed eyes sharply scanned the surroundings. He was usually a sharp and precise knight, so even when he woke up, he always looked the same, but today, perhaps because he had slept on the floor, his hair and demeanor were much more disheveled.
Eir, seeing this unfamiliar side of him, unconsciously raised the corner of her mouth, then furrowed her brows to suppress a laugh.
“What’s with that strange expression?”
“It’s morning. Aren’t you looking forward to the day?”
“Who lives their life looking forward to each day? You just live by doing what needs to be done.”
He stood up and started to take off his shirt to head to the bathroom, but then he remembered her and turned back. As a result, Eir, now face-to-face with his exposed upper body, blushed and quickly looked down.
For a man who had gone a month without sleep and fought daily battles, his body was surprisingly pale and smooth. The contours of his muscles were like the statues she had seen in the square of the capital.
No, actually, it was even more impactful than that. The raw power of a living man’s body…… Was that too awkward to think about? Yes. Let’s not. Let’s not even think about it.
Thinking this, Eir held out her wrist. Every morning when Rubel washed up, he would tie a long string around her wrists and one of his own before heading to the bathroom.
But contrary to her expectations, instead of taking out the string, he slipped a thin silver bracelet onto her wrist.
“W-what’s this?”
“What do you think? It’s a bracelet infused with divine energy. I bought it from the innkeeper last night.”
So, while she was asleep, he had actually left the room?
Rubel, who had even stationed a female priest to watch her when he went to the bathroom, what had gotten into him? Eir was dumbfounded and opened her mouth. It didn’t seem like his suspicions had been cleared, rather, it seemed like he had grown tired of her.
And…….
“Are you sure this is okay? It consumes a lot of divine energy, doesn’t it?”
The reason Rubel had been keeping such a close eye on her was because Eir, as a witch, might summon shadows and cast spells.
There were two ways to deal with shadow-summoning spells, one was to stay close to Eir and keep watch, as he had done until now, and the other was to prevent shadows from seeping into the entire space, as Rubel had done when he left Eir alone in the cabin. This bracelet was based on the same principle, but of course, it consumed much more divine energy than the first method.
In their current situation, where anything could happen at any time, this was an impractical approach.
Rubel shrugged as if it were nothing.
“You’re shameless, and you have a habit of crossing lines once you’ve crossed them. So I’m giving this to you before you take over my entire bed.”
So, was this because she had crawled onto his bed last night?
He could have just kicked her off the bed, but why was he going this far? Did he understand how hard it was for her to sleep properly?
Receiving such consideration, the freedom she had regained didn’t bring her joy, instead, it weighed heavily on her heart for some reason.
Eir looked at the plain silver bracelet and furrowed her brows, muttering to herself.
“Who knows what might happen?”
Seeing Eir seriously worried, Rubel couldn’t help but laugh. Why was a witch concerned about his divine energy running low? Shouldn’t she be preparing to escape while she had the chance?
As expected. A second-rate witch.
Thinking this, Rubel playfully added.
“What do you mean by that? Are you threatening to cause trouble?”
Eir, of course, was about to furiously deny it, saying she would never do such a thing, but when she saw the faint playfulness in his expression, she froze. It was the first time she had seen such a familiar expression on his face.
For some reason, the inside of her elbow itched. Was there a tiny fly buzzing around? Eir waved her hand in the air as if shooing away a bug, and Rubel chuckled, thinking she was being silly.
He went into the bathroom to wash up, and just like that, Eir was free.
Before, the door couldn’t fully close because of the string connecting them, but now it shut with a loud thud.
Eir stared at it in disbelief, then slowly got up and walked toward the door. But Rubel didn’t suddenly burst out and ask, “Where are you going?” with his watchful gaze.
As she approached the door, her heart raced, and when she finally stepped outside and closed the door behind her, her heart was pounding with joy.
“Freedom!”
So thrilled, Eir unconsciously raised her hands and shouted in the inn hallway.
The sunlight streaming through the window was beautiful, and the people outside looked happy, enjoying the early summer.
With a spring in her step, she went downstairs and found a group of knights and priests having breakfast. They stiffened slightly when they saw Eir.
Since she was always stuck to Rubel, they expected him to appear any moment. But the person who came around the corner wasn’t Rubel Shinote—it was just a middle-aged man staying at the inn.
The man, embarrassed by the stares, coughed awkwardly and covered his face with a newspaper as he walked out. The others soon turned to Eir with looks that said, “Why are you alone?” and Eir chose to follow the middle-aged man outside rather than explain.
She could have eaten at the inn, as the knights’ expenses covered meals, but skipping one meal wouldn’t kill her.
Enjoying her freedom was more important.
Eir walked leisurely through the streets, her hands clasped behind her back. The way her skirt swished between her legs felt incredibly pleasant.
The clothes she had brought were a bit warm, so she rolled up her sleeves and headed toward the mountains. She didn’t know how long she could continue living in this lucky delusion (that she had a special relationship with Rubel), but she thought it would be good to earn some money while she could.
Careful not to attract attention, she hid herself and gathered herbs, making sure not to be accused of stealing by the villagers.
Unconsciously, she kept looking for herbs that boosted divine energy, and she even picked herbs that complemented them, but Eir didn’t connect her actions to Rubel.
Even after selling the herbs and returning, she didn’t think her behavior was strange when she went looking for Rubel.
At that moment, Eir spotted Verina, the female priest who had examined her body and had become awkwardly close to her after accompanying her to the bathroom. Eir quickly approached and asked where Rubel had gone.
“Lord Shinote? He probably went to meet the lord to resolve the dark flowers around the village. Well, it’s just an excuse—the lord probably wanted to greet him. He’ll likely stay for dinner, so don’t wait for him.”
As she said this, Verina affectionately brushed Eir’s arm.
Eir stood there blankly, thinking about what she had said.
He was staying for dinner? Did he give her the bracelet because he couldn’t take someone like her to such an important meeting?
But as soon as she thought that, Eir dismissed the idea. She knew better than anyone that Rubel Shinote wasn’t the type to care about others’ opinions.
Having spent days by his side, she was certain of that.
