The Guide Played Her Role as a Stand-in a Little Too Well - Chapter 53
I must hide my body.
I waited until the eyes of the Blackbird were fully closed, then I burrowed through a pile of jewels to make myself a space.
Hidden in the middle, I sighed.
Though I was dragged here, at least one mystery was solved.
‘The Fairy’s Tears.’
Now I understand how such a rare gem as the Fairy’s Tears appeared in this dungeon.
It was certainly here in this treasure vault.
‘Should I search for it now?’
But I didn’t want to make noise and wake the Blackbird.
It seems harmless now, but who knows what it might do later.
I don’t want to risk my life blinded by greed…
I looked around tensely.
‘I must not fall asleep.’
This place is enemy territory.
You can’t just fall asleep in the midst of enemies!
But my physical needs overcame my will.
The continuous strain had left my body extremely weary.
The energy drained while guiding, along with the fatigue from the tense memories, hit me one after another.
Maybe it was also because the cave was cozier than I expected.
The last face I saw, Hedonia’s, troubled my mind.
‘…This is why I told him not to come.’
The fact that I hadn’t seen his face for so long troubled me even more.
It would have been better if I had never known.
Even thinking about it is a problem, really.
As his face came to mind, I nodded off, dozing again.
* * *
Once again, it was the bird’s cry that woke me.
Kieee!
At this point, it might as well be my alarm bell. The loud screech seemed particularly displeasing.
Its movement through the treasures was unusual.
It looked like it was searching for something.
‘For me?’
Chills ran down my spine.
I had a strong feeling that I should not encounter it this time.
It was instinct.
‘The atmosphere is completely different from before.’
There could be no good reason for it to be looking for me.
I burrowed deeper between the gold coins and treasures. The sharp edges of the jewels scraped against my body, but that was the least of my concerns.
The feeling that I might actually die was overwhelming.
But my movements seemed to have attracted the Blackbird’s attention.
It started moving towards me in an instant.
“Kieee—”
“Don’t come!”
I yelled reflexively and threw a gem.
The Blackbird glanced at the thrown jewel, hesitated, then flew towards me again.
“Aaaah—”
I thought I was truly going to die, but suddenly, the Blackbird moved away from me.
Kieee!
After making another sound, the Blackbird began to hang jewels on its wings.
It didn’t seem to care about me anymore.
‘…Did I have an ability like this all along?’
I wondered, clenching my fists in astonishment. Then, the sound of the wind cutting through the air echoed. It was oddly familiar. Squinting, I heard a voice right beside me.
“Karina.”
Esban found me buried within the mound of treasure and pulled me into his embrace.
…Did he just call my name? I stared at him dumbfounded as Esban closed his mouth.
He returned to his usual cold expression and cleared his throat.
“We need to get out of here quickly.”
“Yes…”
Cradled in his arms, we quickly escaped the cave. The Blackbird flew off faster than us and soared high into the sky.
The giant bird soon became a mere black dot.
‘I survived.’
A wave of relief washed over me, having escaped death.
“It was our carelessness that caused this. I will make sure it doesn’t happen again.”
Esban glanced at me surreptitiously and coughed slightly as he spoke.
It wasn’t an apology, but… given his personality, this was significant.
“Okay.”
I readily nodded.
Eventually, I stepped out of Esban’s embrace.
“Karina!”
Hedonia, who had been waiting there, immediately pulled me tightly into his arms as soon as I moved away from Esban.
It was so tight I could barely breathe.
“Ugh.”
I had to hold my breath, that said it all.
I hadn’t realized Hedonia’s strength was this formidable.
He sighed and whispered,
“You really…”
I’m suffocating!
But I couldn’t just push him away.
His body was trembling as he held me.
‘He was really worried.’
It was the moment I realized Hedonia wasn’t just using me.
‘…And I was just trying to use him.’
I felt ashamed for only wanting to maintain a superficial relationship.
After all, he was genuinely engaged in this relationship.
“I’m really fine.”
I placed my hand on his back and patted it. It was awkward since I’d never done this to anyone before, but…
I hoped my sincerity would come across.
“…It’s good that you two are reunited, but the problem isn’t resolved yet.”
The warm atmosphere quickly dissolved.
