The three individuals, each conscious of each other’s gaze, fell silent for a moment, leading to an awkward confrontation. Sharti was the first to break the silence in a situation tangled with misunderstandings, confusion, and truth.

“If you’re here to inquire about something, please go to the Croph Mercenary Corps.”

Sharti spoke as solemnly as possible. However, due to excessive awareness of Matapju’s true identity, the tension made her appear awkward.

“Hmm.”

Instead of answering, Matapju openly looked at Ren, showing signs of contemplation.

Sharti’s mouth became dry.

‘Is he considering whether to take Ren with him now?’

Of course, Matapju’s scroll might not be a wanted poster. There was also the possibility of a missing person notice issued by Ren’s family. Considering the speculation that Ren might be associated with nobility, Matapju’s involvement wouldn’t be too surprising. As an example, Viretta and Matapju maintained a cooperative relationship while privately contacting each other.

‘If it’s someone Ren knows or a request from his family, he would have directly called him by his real name.’

It was reasonable to assume that Matapju, in his current state, wouldn’t casually mention the name ‘Leodelt Gwendhil’ due to Sharti’s presence.

“Well, okay. Let’s properly confirm and then investigate.”

Matapju, who had been scrutinizing Ren for a while, quickly agreed, causing Sharti to be surprised as Matapju, who had just shown interest in Ren, nodded obediently.

At that moment.

Snap!

“……!”

As Matapju flicked his finger, Sharti covered her ears. Suddenly, her ears became muffled, and no sound could be heard. Startled, when Sharti looked up, Matapju was seen covering his mouth with his sleeve and smiling with his eyes.

Following the direction of the laughter, when Sharti tried to turn her body, a large hand appeared, covering Sharti’s field of vision.

“…….?”

With one hand holding each other and the other hand covering her eyes, Sharti found herself leaning against Ren’s body, unable to move.

‘Soundproof magic?’

Sharti realized that Matapju had cast a soundproof spell only on her.

Ren, noticing it, reached out to calm her.

‘Is Matapju blocking my ears to talk to Ren?’

Why?

‘He wouldn’t be trying to threaten Ren, would he?’

She thought Matapju might have cast soundproof magic because she was an unrelated civilian. But why did Ren deliberately cover her eyes?

‘What reason is there to cover the eyes? Is he trying to prevent me from reading his lips? Why?’

As the endless suspicions continued, she felt increasingly frustrated.
Sharti paused for a moment, using Ren’s palm as a shield, and closed her eyes briefly. The heart, which had been beating rapidly due to vigilance against Matapju, gradually slowed down, returning to its normal pace as the mind calmed. As her emotions settled, she belatedly felt a slight tremor in her fingertips.

“So, Ren held my hand.”

Blocking Matapju’s path in front of Matapju was not a typical behavior for someone in their right mind. Sharti was someone who lived in hiding, someone who should not be revealed to the world. Especially in front of Matap sorcerers affiliated with the Newton Empire and the War Alliance, it was right to either avoid or flee as much as possible. It was inappropriate for her to step forward to protect Ren.

However, Sharti was entirely focused on Ren without noticing the danger signals her body was sending.

“Because someone recognized Ren.”

Looking at Matapju’s expression upon recognizing Ren, Sharti felt a sudden flutter in her chest. The pounding of her heart was so loud at the mention of finding the person she had been searching for.

“If I hadn’t reached out at that moment, I might not have known what Matapju would have done to Ren.”

Just by seeing Matapju casting a soundproof spell, Sharti could roughly understand his personality. If it were Matapju, he might have used teleportation magic to kidnap Ren and take him away.

“……. ”

Suddenly, a pang of regret pierced her heart.

If Matapju’s casting had been a bit faster, if Sharti had reached out a moment later, she might have been left alone by now.

That way, without any warning, without being mentally prepared, helplessly, she would have had to let Ren go.

“Sha.”

With the low sound in her ears, the darkness lifted.

Sharti slowly opened her eyes and turned her head. Cyan eyes were looking at her.

“He’s gone.”

Sharti lowered her gaze to the hands holding Ren’s. She was holding them properly.

When she applied some force, a firm grip awaited her as they shook hands directly.

Sharti took a deep breath.

“Sha, I have something to ask.”

“Yes.”

Sharti recalled the expected questions.

Either about Matapju, Ren’s own memories, or about the future.

Either way, Sharti was mentally prepared.

‘… Huh?’

In the dim view, faint water droplets were visible. Following the floating water droplet in the air, Sharti raised her gaze, discovering swaying water droplets around her due to the wind.