When Romiya opened her eyes again, she thought she was still dreaming.
Instead of the cold, muddy ground where she had collapsed, she was now wrapped in soft, fragrant bedding.
Even more, Sigmund, who had once harshly pushed her away, was sitting by her side.
Romiya stared blankly at Sigmund as he gently helped her sit up in bed. Clicking his tongue, Sigmund spoke sharply.
“When was it that you were so confident, demanding to be made my guide, and now you’re acting like such a fool as soon as you wake up?”
“W-what?”
“Of course, someone as dull as you wouldn’t even realize your body was a wreck and got drenched in the rain. Why do you even have a mouth? You had no problem asking to hold hands, yet couldn’t you at least ask to be treated? And you call yourself a guide?”
Romiya blinked her large eyes in confusion.
Sigmund spoke so quickly that she missed her chance to respond, and on top of that, his words didn’t match his actions.
Though his words were nothing but scolding, the way he helped her sit up and covered her with a blanket was gentle and cautious.
While Romiya was still reeling from the contradiction, Sigmund had already placed a small table in front of her.
Soon, he placed a bowl of thin porridge on it and even put a silver spoon into her hand.
“Eat.”
When Romiya froze in surprise, Sigmund’s expression twisted in irritation.
“Why are you just staring at it? Don’t tell me you want me to feed you?”
“W-what?”
“Haa. You really are high maintenance.”
“No! I-I’ll eat it myself!”
Seeing Sigmund actually prepared to feed her, Romiya hastily began eating. She was so flustered she couldn’t even tell if the porridge was going into her mouth or her nose.
What in the world is happening?
She had left Sigmund of her own accord, so why was she back at his side? Romiya absentmindedly touched her smooth neck, blinking in confusion. The wound that had been throbbing with fever just before she collapsed was now completely healed.
Did Lord Sigmund save me…?
Judging by her healed wound, it seemed so, but she couldn’t understand why. Why had Sigmund saved her? To him, she was nothing but a bothersome burden.
Moreover, how had Sigmund even known she had collapsed? It was as if he had been following her.
Could that shadow I saw…
Before losing consciousness, she had seen a figure rushing toward her. She hadn’t been able to confirm it because of the heavy rain, but now it seemed possible.
Could it have been Lord Sigmund?
As her thoughts reached that point, the shadow in her memory began to seem more and more like Sigmund. She could now vividly picture him, pale and desperate, lifting her into his arms, as if she had witnessed it herself. Her heart sank with a jolt.
What is wrong with me? I must be going mad.
Romiya lowered her head, shoveling porridge into her mouth. Even as she ate, his desperate voice echoed in her ears.
「Romiya, please…!」
To pull herself back to reality, Romiya sneaked a glance at Sigmund. As soon as their eyes met, Sigmund frowned deeply, his expression full of displeasure. Romiya felt a strange sense of relief.
He’s the same as ever. It must have been my imagination.
In the past, she would have been hurt by his cold attitude, but not anymore. Now, it felt comforting. As Romiya was eating the porridge, she suddenly paused.
Wait a minute. I think I’ve changed a little.
For reasons she couldn’t quite grasp, Romiya felt more at ease with Sigmund now than she had before they parted ways. As she pondered, the reason soon became clear.
It wasn’t her who had changed—it was Sigmund. Though he still seemed to disapprove of her, he wasn’t as cold and distant as he had been right before they separated.
Back then, it was harsh enough to hurt me.
At that time, Sigmund had been almost cruel, as if he had purposely hardened his heart against her.
If he had been that cold from the beginning, it might have hurt less.
But the way he had been before made it harder to bear.
Now, however, Sigmund seemed more like the one she had first met—gruff and grumpy on the surface, but quietly attentive.
I must have missed that version of Sigmund.
Her eyes stung with the heat of unshed tears. Romiya held back the tears as she took another spoonful of the porridge he had prepared for her.
At that moment, a hand suddenly grabbed her wrist, followed by a sharp question.
“What’s wrong?”
“Huh?”
“Don’t tell me you’re hurt somewhere? Is there another wound you haven’t told me about?”
Startled, Romiya looked at Sigmund. His golden eyes were fixated on her face, scrutinizing her as if he were searching for something hidden.
“Sigmund…?”
Just then, Sigmund’s face twisted in frustration. His hand moved toward the corner of her eye but paused midair.
After a brief moment of hesitation, he released her wrist abruptly and muttered through gritted teeth.
“You really are trying to drive me mad.”
At the same time, a golden energy flowed into her body, bringing a cool sensation to the corner of her eyes.
Romiya reflexively touched her eyes and realized what had happened.
I cried without even realizing it. And Sigmund… wiped away my tears.
She was about to awkwardly thank him when Sigmund suddenly asked another question.
“Do you still want to be my guide?”
“…What?”
“I asked if you still wish to be my guide.”
Romiya froze for a moment, then took a deep breath.
“Y-Yes! I want to! If you give me the chance, I’ll do my best! I really will!”
“Fine. Do as you wish.”
“R-Really?”
“But there’s a condition.”
Nervously, Romiya swallowed hard.
“Never show me what I saw earlier again. I won’t tolerate seeing you on the verge of death because you neglected some trivial wound. You are now… someone who belongs to me. I cannot allow my person to collapse like that.”
“Yes, I understand.”
It was a perfectly reasonable condition, so Romiya nodded eagerly.
The golden eyes, whose emotions were unreadable, quietly observed her. Then, Sigmund slowly closed them.
He spoke in a voice that sounded a bit weary.
“Second, from now on, never let anyone harm you. If anyone dares to threaten you, you must declare that you are mine. And if, despite that, you end up with wounds…”
His voice dropped.
“I will kill every single one of those responsible. If you don’t want to see me slaughter humanity, you’d better remember my words. Do you understand?”
“Yes. I understand.”
Though the thought of wiping out all of humanity over something as trivial as a wound seemed a bit excessive, Romiya didn’t take it too seriously.
Sigmund was a transcendent. It wasn’t right to judge a transcendent’s mindset by human standards.
Well, it’s not entirely incomprehensible, is it?
Now, Romiya was Sigmund’s person. From the perspective of a transcendent like Sigmund, he probably couldn’t tolerate the idea of someone under his protection being harmed by mere humans.
But still… “my person”… That’s a little embarrassing.
“My person”… That phrase was something lovers might say to each other, wasn’t it? Romiya fidgeted with the blanket in her lap, feeling embarrassed. Despite her best efforts, a smile kept tugging at her lips.
She was no longer a burdensome, half-forced guide—she was now his true guide.
“And lastly.”
At that moment, Sigmund spoke again.
“All of this is only until I get used to the human world. Once I’ve adjusted, you must leave.”
Romiya froze. Then, she quickly lifted her head.
“Leave? What do you mean?”
“I said you must leave.”
Sigmund’s firm gaze made Romiya’s heart sink. Just when she thought she had finally grown closer to him, Sigmund felt impossibly distant again, like an eternity stretched between them.
The air in the room turned frigid, stabbing at her heart.
“Why are you looking at me like I’ve wronged you?”
Sigmund’s gruff question melted away the icy distance she had just felt. As if the gap had never existed, the tension thawed.
“Did you think you could stay by my side forever? You’ve got to know when to let go if you’ve received something. How can you be so greedy?”
“W-What?”
“Give me your hand.”
“What?”
“I said give me your hand. You’re going to be my guide for a while, so you can’t live in constant fear of me, can you? I’ll grant your bold little wish until you get used to me.”
Sigmund lightly patted the blanket. Romiya, still flustered by the sudden shift in conversation, stared at him in confusion.
“You made such a fuss before, and now you don’t want it even when I’m offering?”
“No! I do want it!”
Romiya quickly grabbed Sigmund’s hand.
“I’m happy, really. If you’ll allow it, I’ll hold on tight.”
She anxiously tried to intertwine her fingers with his, afraid that he might change his mind and pull away. However, her nervousness caused her to fumble, merely wriggling his hand instead.
Sigmund frowned as he watched her fidget, then shut his eyes tightly. His voice came out strained, as if he were in some sort of discomfort.
“…Please, just stay still. I’m begging you.”
With those words, Sigmund’s thick fingers intertwined with Romiya’s delicate ones.
The familiar yet oddly intimate sensation made Romiya flinch.
It wasn’t the first time she held his hand, yet an unusual image popped into her head—a scene of them holding hands like lovers.
I must be going crazy!
It was probably because she had imagined Sigmund desperately searching for her earlier.
Feeling flustered, Romiya quickly averted her gaze from him. Her heart raced in her chest, completely unaware of the inner turmoil Sigmund himself was facing.
* * *
Darkness had quietly settled into the room.
Still glowing with the happiness of officially becoming his guide, Romiya slowly drifted off to sleep.
Even as she slept, curled up toward him, Sigmund watched her with conflicted eyes.
Despite realizing his feelings for Romiya, Sigmund had no intention of accepting them.
She felt far too dangerous to him.
Even now, every small action she took left deep marks on his soul.
And if this was how it felt while he was still doing everything in his power to keep his distance, what would happen if he truly accepted his feelings?
He didn’t even want to imagine the chaos that would follow.
Romiya had no idea, but Sigmund had already broken his own principles.
While she lay unconscious, he had gone after the humans responsible for her injuries and made them pay.
And not in a simple act of revenge—what he had done was far more brutal than anything that could be justified.
He knew he shouldn’t have, but he couldn’t stop himself.
Recalling his actions from that moment, Sigmund rubbed his face in torment.
But pushing her away recklessly isn’t an option, either.
That decision had been made the moment he saw her collapsed after he had cast her aside.
Even now, with her wounds completely healed, the shock from that day continued to stab at his heart.
He couldn’t just push her away. He couldn’t continue treating her coldly. So, there was only one path left for him.
He needed time.
Time to grow accustomed to this strange, overwhelming emotion that was tossing him around. Time to figure out how to distance himself from the growing affection he felt.
That was why he had offered for her to stay as his guide. So he could keep her close while searching for a way to put these feelings to rest.
Yet, even then, fear gnawed at him.
Is this really going to be enough?
His chest ached.
Once I’m used to it, will I truly be able to let her go?
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