“Ren is a good person, so it’s inevitable to be swayed. It’s okay.”

Having already reorganized her thoughts, emotions, and mind became simpler. Sharti got up with a lighter mood.

She braided her wavy dark hair into three strands and finally pulled the hood down deeply.

“I should go to the patients.”

Sharti opened the door and left her accommodation.
Still, Ren’s figure was not visible. His absence felt strange as he was always by her side.

“But the atmosphere in the village seems quite chaotic.”

Sharti, who was looking around the accommodation to find Ren, glanced at the village.

“Ah! Grandmother!”

Sharti, who belatedly recalled the news that the mercenary group had fought overnight outside the village, turned her body abruptly and accidentally bumped her head into the face of someone behind her.

Sharti, who swallowed the stinging pain, stepped back.

“A-Are you okay, Miss?”

At Ashu’s surprised voice, Sharti looked up.

“I’m sorry! I was trying to greet you, Miss…”

“……!”

Sharti urgently reached out.

At the same time, blood trickled from Ashu’s slightly crooked nose.

“Nose… Nosebleed!”

Approaching a bit closer, Sharti covered Ashu’s nose with her sleeve.

The herbal scent soaked into Sharti’s body reached Ashu’s nose, freezing him in place without even blinking.

“Oh, what to do. Seems like you bumped quite hard. The blood keeps flowing.”

Sharti inspected Ashu’s nose with a serious expression.

In the meantime, Ashu’s face started to turn red overall. The proximity and Sharti tilting her head caused his face, hidden by the hood, to be revealed.

From the white face, through the jaw, lips, cheeks, and the bridge of the nose, finally… as Sharti discovered the crimson eyes, Ashu gulped dryly.

“So, so beautiful……. Ugh!”

Ashu, who was speaking in a trembling voice, suddenly felt pain as a foreign substance was pushed into his nostrils, causing him to tightly shut his eyes.

Sharti, who took out a hemostatic solution from her bag to put it deep into Ashu’s nose, was surprised and let go.

Sharti received a note from the apologizing person, and Ashu finally came to his senses.

Feeling his nose, which Sharti had just touched, Ashu covered his face with his hands.

“T-Thank you.”

Ashu turned his body abruptly. Then he covered his face with both hands.

He looked so embarrassing, putting herbs into his nostrils with meticulous care even though he had dressed up carefully. It was embarrassing to realize that he had not noticed the nosebleed and showed such a foolish appearance.

Ashu groaned softly at the embarrassment and awkwardness.

Seeing Ashu staggering due to embarrassment and shame, Sharti’s expression also became serious.

‘Is he feeling dizzy because he lost too much blood from the nose? Or did he not bump properly?’

Worriedly watching, Sharti lightly tapped Ashu’s back.

“Is it really bad?”

“……!”

Ashu’s back flinched at Sharti’s voice.

However, he couldn’t communicate with someone covering their face and staggering. After watching Ashu, who was reluctant to show his face, Sharti finally gathered her courage.

“Bones might have collided. Let me take a look.”

“I-I’m fine.”

Ashu shook his head abruptly, refusing.

“If some time passes, it might swell up.”

“…….”

To avoid the worst, Ashu turned his body.
Closing her eyes tightly, she reluctantly lowered her hands.

“Well, it seems like the bones are not injured.”

Sharti carefully examined Ashu’s slightly swollen nose and felt relieved.

As a precaution, she took out the ointment for swelling that she had brought.

“Even if it hurts, please bear with it for a moment.”

“Yes, yes!”

Ashu nodded vigorously, holding Sharti’s hand as if praying.

Feeling the sticky sensation of the ointment applied to his nose, Ashu opened his eyes slightly.

Sharti was still close. Suddenly, Ashu thought Sharti’s arm might hurt, so he bent his knees slightly.

“…Ugh.”

“Does it hurt?”

“Oh, no, no! Not at all!”

As Sharti and Ashu became eye level, Ashu couldn’t bear it and closed his eyes again.

For Ashu, who had no immunity to the opposite sex, the stimulus was too strong. Thanks to that, he couldn’t feel the pain in his nose.

“Sha, you’re up.”

Bireta arrived when Sharti was finishing the treatment.

Watching from a distance, Bireta scanned Ashu from top to bottom with a dissatisfied look.

It seemed that those who were fond of Sharti were all somewhat awkward guys.

If Ren was a big dog, Ashu in front of him was a small dog.

“Ah, no. No one got injured. Don’t worry.”

Bireta turned her gaze away from Ashu and patted Sharti’s shoulder.

“And I should be the one to ask such questions. I heard it from the kids. They must have been surprised.”

While Bireta and Sharti were having a conversation, Ashu, who was standing awkwardly on the side, reluctantly moved away.

He couldn’t help feeling disappointed at the missed opportunity when Sharti left in the middle of their conversation last time. As the opportunities kept going awry, Ashu felt regretful and distanced himself awkwardly.

“The village chief’s son, right?”

When Bireta took notice of Ashu, Sharti blushed.

Bireta must know what kind of person Birena, her granddaughter, likes.

Sharti decided to give Ashu a little help.

“Um?”

“…Is that so?”

Bireta looked at Sharti surprisingly. When Bireta made a contemplative expression, Sharti became tense.

She hoped Bireta would like Ashu enough to include him in Birena’s preference.

“Sha, the atmosphere is quite different from that big dog. Which one do you prefer?”

<For the ideal type, maybe.>

Sharti, who was pondering over the ambiguous words, suddenly lifted her head.

She pointed at herself with a puzzled expression.

‘Me?’

Bireta looked at her with a gaze that seemed to say, “Then who else could it be?”

Sharti raised her head desperately. Bireta’s eyes narrowed at Sharti’s vehement denial.

“So, did you choose that big dog?”

“…….”

Unable to answer, Sharti looked flustered. Bireta chuckled at Sharti’s perplexed expression.

“Well, you’ve become quite clever.”

“……?”

It was an unexpected and somewhat generous evaluation from Bireta, who had looked at Ren unfavorably.
Bireta informed the perplexed Sharti about Ren’s whereabouts.

“…Is Ren seeking education? From the mercenaries?”