“I got a wound on my hand.”

“Who’s worried about whose wound now?”

“I’m used to getting hurt, but you’re not.”

“This guy, really. Who says they’re used to getting hurt? You’re going to be in big trouble.”

Eric chuckled softly at Alicia’s scolding.

It felt good that she was worried, but he couldn’t be entirely pleased.

“Let’s hurry.”

Eric firmly grasped Alicia’s hand and started walking, and Alicia followed.

They walked out from the space where they had been lying down to what looked like a corridor.

Eric suddenly stopped and stared at Alicia.

“Alicia. Why does your walking seem unnatural?”

“It’s not unnatural?”

“……”

“It’s because we’re walking hand in hand.”

“What are you talking about? That’s not it.”

“We don’t have time for this now. We need to hurry.”

Alicia pretended to be fine and strode forward confidently.

After a few steps, Eric still hadn’t moved, so Alicia’s steps were halted by their joined hands.

Alicia turned back to look at Eric with a puzzled face, but his expression was serious.

“Your walking is strange. Are you hurt?”

“No, it doesn’t hurt?”

“Let me see your leg. Lift your skirt a bit.”

“What’s wrong with you?”

As Alicia grabbed her skirt hem with a serious face, Eric sighed in exasperation.

“If you’re hurt, tell me now. It could get worse later.”

“……I fell yesterday and got scratched. It’s just a bit sore.”

“Let me see.”

“It’s not that bad……”

Eric’s gaze stopped at the ankle visible through the torn skirt.

“……”

Preventing Alicia’s hand from covering her ankle, Eric sat down and examined her ankle.

It was already swollen and looked painful even to the eye.

“Sit down.”

Feeling that Eric seemed angry for some reason, Alicia obediently sat down as told.

Eric pressed various parts of the ankle, asking if it hurt.

“How is it, does it hurt?”

“A little? But I can bear it-, ouch.”

“……It doesn’t seem to be broken, at least.”

“Of course not. If it were, I wouldn’t be able to walk at all.”

Eric looked up at the smiling Alicia with a furrowed brow.

“You endured until your ankle got this bad?”

“I was so flustered I didn’t even know it hurt. But I can still walk fine. Look.”

Alicia stood up and took a few steps bravely.

After watching her walk for a moment, Eric sighed and muttered.

“……Thank goodness. At least you’re faster than a snail.”

“……”

“Do you want me to carry you in my arms or on my back?”

“What?”

“Choose quickly. We don’t have time.”

“No, walking on my own feet-”

“That’s not an option. We can’t afford to be just a bit faster than a snail right now. You said it yourself earlier. It’s better to escape quickly.”

“But you’re injured. You’re hurt worse than me.”

“I’m not so injured that I can’t walk.”

“But still.”

“It’s fine. The bleeding has stopped, and I can move and bear the pain.”

Seeing Alicia hesitating out of concern, Eric smiled mischievously.

“Do I need to prove that I’m fine?”

“?”

Eric moved close to Alicia and grabbed her waist, pulling her in.

“In my own way.”

“What are you saying.”

Alicia’s face turned red, and she turned her head away from Eric’s face that was so close.

Taking advantage of that moment, Eric swiftly lifted Alicia into his arms.

“Ah, Eric.”

“See? I’m fine, right?”

“……”

Eric smiled and started walking while carrying Alicia.

“Alicia. It’s harder if you stiffen up like that.”

“I’m not stiffening up, I’m just afraid of touching your wound.”

“In this position, it puts more strain and makes it harder. Even wounds that didn’t hurt before might start hurting.”

“Ah. Then… can I hug you?”

“Do whatever you want.”

Alicia wrapped her arms around Eric’s neck and pressed close to him.

“How’s this?”

“Much better.”

As Eric nodded in relief, Alicia’s hair that had fallen brushed against his neck, tickling him.

Her face was so close that he could almost hear her breathing in his ear.

Remembering last night’s dream made him feel embarrassed, so Eric took a deep breath to try to bury that memory for a moment.

“I’m going to hurry a bit, so hold on tight.”

“Alright.”

“Something’s strange.”

Eric muttered.

It felt like they were going around the same space repeatedly.

Alicia nodded in agreement with his words.

“Hmm. A barrier?”

“Should we look for the barrier stone then?”

“We might have to.”

Eric had never encountered a magician before, so he had no experience with magically created barriers and hadn’t thought that far.

“At this rate, moving around won’t do much good.”

Eric fell into thought with a troubled expression.

Just then, there was a feeling of something rippling.

“What’s this? It’s the same feeling as yesterday.”

“Captain!”

The sound of Kib calling out was heard.

“Kib?”

“Thank goodness. You’re safe.”

“Who?”

“Ah-, he’s a subordinate from the knight order.”

At Alicia’s question, Kib answered awkwardly, and Eric added,

“Even I can’t act alone, after all.”

“Yes, yes. That’s right. But Lady Lancaster. Are you hurt somewhere?”

“Ah. Eric. You can put me down now.”

Embarrassed by Kib’s concerned question, Alicia spoke softly, but Eric pretended not to hear and asked Kib,

“She hurt her ankle and can’t walk. Anyway, what’s going on? Wasn’t it a barrier?”

“It is a barrier. After you suddenly disappeared yesterday, Captain, we’ve been trying to find you ever since. Well-”

As Kib glanced at Alicia, she quickly spoke up.

“See? I told you to put me down.”

“Alright. Wait a bit.”

Eric looked around for a place to set Alicia down and spotted Noah slumped on a nearby rock.

“Kib. Is Noah alright?”

“His magic power and physical strength are completely depleted, that’s all.”

Eric moved towards Noah and set Alicia down next to him.

Then he made eye contact with Alicia for a moment before turning to Noah.

“Noah. How are you feeling?”

“I’m fine. I just need a little rest.”

“You did well.”

“It was nothing.”

Eric patted Noah’s shoulder encouragingly and then stood up and walked over to Kib.

“So?”

“According to Noah, it seems to be a magician’s barrier.”

“A magician?”

“Yes. Honestly, there wasn’t much we could do from the outside. It’s not clear how you entered the barrier, Captain.”

At those words, Eric rummaged through his pocket and pulled out the invitation.

“This is the invitation that called me here. Could it be the connection that allowed me to enter the barrier?”

“Ah, that could be. I’ll have it investigated.”

Kib accepted the invitation Eric handed over.

“By the way, Kib. What about the magical beasts?”

“We’ve eliminated all the ones that were around. Oh, and we’ve sent a rescue request. We sent it to the Grand Temple, so they should arrive soon.”

“Well done. You’ve worked hard while I was gone.”

“Thank you……?”

Kib smiled unconsciously at Eric’s praise and tilted his head.

Noah glanced repeatedly at Alicia, who was watching the two men talking.

Feeling his gaze, Alicia turned to Noah.

“I’m Alicia Lancaster.”

“I know. I’m Noah. A divine arts user.”

“Ah. I see.”

A moment of silence passed.

Noah glanced at Alicia again and asked,

“Did anything happen inside?”

“No, nothing happened.”

“?”

Noah stared intently at Alicia, who had answered immediately as if caught off guard.

Feeling embarrassed, Alicia soon closed her mouth and turned her gaze towards Eric and Kib.

Seeing her cold expression, completely different from when she was with Eric earlier, Noah carefully opened his mouth.

“You shouldn’t hide anything.”

“……What do you mean, hide?”

“You were kidnapped by a magician and were inside the magician’s barrier for a while. You need to tell us everything, even the smallest detail related to them, for a smooth investigation-”

“Nothing happened. At least not while I was conscious.”

Alicia’s expression and attitude were calm and composed as she replied firmly, looking as cool as if she were talking about someone else’s business.

“I fainted and when I woke up, there was no one around. There were no traces either.”

“Is that so?”

“I looked around in case there was something, but there was nothing unusual. However, there are no moving living creatures inside there.”

“?”

“There are birds here, right? There’s not even a small animal in there. The plants looked familiar, but their shapes were a bit different. Oh, and the air was heavy, but it wasn’t bad to breathe.”

“……You’re amazing. To calmly assess the situation in such circumstances.”

“I was already sorry for being kidnapped, so I thought I should at least try to be of some help.”

An ordinary person would have been too scared to do anything.

But Noah nodded as if understanding.

“As expected of you, I suppose.”

“?”

“It’s nothing. Then, may I trouble you for a moment?”

As Noah reached out his hand towards Alicia, she backed away warily.

“What is it?”

“I apologize. But I sense a faint magical power from you. Something might have happened while you were unconscious, so I think we need to check.”

“Ah.”

Alicia gripped her dress hem tightly in anxiety.

But she quickly composed herself and asked calmly,

“What should I do?”

“Just give me your hand and stay still.”

As Alicia nodded, Noah’s hand began to glow faintly.

‘Huh?’

For a moment, something appeared and then disappeared on the back of Alicia’s hand that was resting on the rock.

‘What was that just now?’

“What’s wrong? Did something go wrong?”

Alicia asked anxiously, noticing Noah’s unsettling expression.

When she woke up in the ruins, she couldn’t remember due to the headache, but she had felt uneasy, as if she had forgotten something important.

Moreover, since Noah, a divine arts user, said he sensed magical power, she felt ominous, wondering if something really had happened.

However, contrary to expectations, Noah waved his hand and smiled.

“No, it’s not that. Rather than something going wrong, it seems that, well, something good happened to you.”

“What do you mean?”

“Well, I’m not sure myself, but should I say you’re being protected?”

“Protected? By whom?”

“I’m too low on magical power right now to determine it clearly. I’ll investigate it later.”

“Ah, I see.”

After that, they both fell silent.

Just then, a familiar voice began to echo from far away.