IPSC 29

Chapter 29

Jerome let out a low, trembling groan. The hand gripping my wrist was as cold as ice.

“Haah, Miss Amervier, please… stop.”

Ah. Did I touch him too much?

I quickly pulled my hand away from his body.

He had said he disliked physical contact.

When he injured his ankle at the campsite, he had carried me and even treated my wound, so I had completely forgotten.

“I’m sorry. I thought you were hurt, Duke, and I got worried. I won’t touch you anymore.”

“Haah…”

Jerome exhaled shakily.

But seriously, why are his hands this cold?

When he wiped my feet at the campsite, his hands had been warm. Now they were icy and even trembling slightly.

That wasn’t all.

I could feel his chest rising and falling rapidly where we touched. His heart was pounding fast and roughly beneath it, and his body was damp with cold sweat.

This was more than just the reaction of someone who disliked skinship.

“Duke?”

“Haah…”

Jerome continued to breathe as if in pain.

I tried to put as much distance between us as possible. It didn’t really change how close we were, but I wanted to ease his discomfort.

“Duke, I’m not going to do anything to you. And nothing is going to happen.”

I spoke as calmly as I could to reassure him.

“If we just stay here for half a day, the Imperial Knights will come rescue us. So can you hold on until then?”

Was he even hearing me? His breathing was still ragged, and his hand continued to tremble.

There was no sign of improvement.

I spoke gently, as if coaxing him.

“Duke. Can you try taking a deep breath through your nose?”

When he didn’t respond, I continued.

“Duke, follow me. Inhale—.”

I slowly breathed in through my nose. I felt his chest swell where it touched mine.

“This time, exhale through your mouth. Hoo—.”

“Hu…”

As he let out his breath, his chest slowly sank back down.

After confirming he was following along, I calmly moved to the next step.

“Let’s repeat that.”

I inhaled and exhaled slowly again.

As Jerome continued to follow my breathing, the cold trembling in his hand gradually began to steady. His rough breathing also started to calm.

“Are you okay now?”

“…I’m fine.”

His voice was much more composed than before.

“Then could you let go of my wrist?”

“Ah.”

Jerome released my wrist.

“I apologize.”

“No, it’s okay. I’m the one who should be sorry. I didn’t realize you hated physical contact that much.”

“It’s true that I dislike physical contact. To be precise, I cannot endure others touching my body.”

Wait. So it’s fine when he touches other people, but not when they touch him?

Isn’t that a double standard?

I narrowed my eyes at him.

Not that I could see anything.

Then Jerome continued calmly.

“…Still, you’re fine, Miss Amervier.”

“What is?”

“Touching. Being touched. Even this much is difficult with most people. But you’re fine.”

My mind suddenly went blank.

What is that? When you say it like that, it sounds like I’m being treated as someone special.

He probably meant it’s just bearable—not that he likes me as a woman.

Even though I knew he didn’t mean anything deeper, my cheeks felt oddly warm and tingly. I scratched them awkwardly.

Don’t overthink it. He just feels comfortable with me.

If that’s the case, then it’s only fair I return the sense of closeness.

“Well… I’m fine too. You smell nice, Duke, and you’re handsome, and your body is firm— I mean, warm and all.”

“…What are you talking about?”

Ah. Did I ramble?

I reorganized my words for his sake.

“What I mean is, you can touch me without worrying!”

Jerome coughed lightly. It felt like heat was rising from his body where we touched.

Now that I think about it, what I said could definitely be misunderstood.

“I don’t mean you can just touch me anywhere anytime. I just mean I’m okay with you touching me.”

This is getting weirder the more I talk. If I don’t wrap this up, it’s going to get really awkward.

“So in conclusion, I just wanted to say you don’t have to feel uncomfortable around me.”

“……”

Silence fell.

I couldn’t even see his face, and with everything so quiet around us, that brief silence felt much longer.

What is he thinking?

Just as I began to grow uneasy at his silence, Jerome spoke.

“…Understood.”

Whew. I guess I managed to get across that I want to get closer to him.

Still, this is major progress.

Until recently, he wouldn’t even speak to me. This much closeness is a big improvement.

Wait. Did I fulfill a special condition?

With a pounding heart, I activated the Charm skill.

[Activating ‘Charm’ skill.]
[Skill activation failed.]
[To activate the skill, special conditions must be fulfilled.]

Damn it, I’ve still got a long way to go!

Is it even possible to raise Jerome’s affection level? Will I ever get to go home?

Anxiety washed over me, dampening my mood.

Still, Theodore said he would help, so all I could do was cling to that hope.

Though I had no idea what he meant by his “last resort.”

I couldn’t just sit around feeling gloomy until Lowell arrived, so to lighten the mood, I spoke to Jerome.

“About earlier—when you killed that wyvern. How did you cut its neck so cleanly?”

Jerome’s sword wasn’t as large as Theodore’s greatsword. I couldn’t understand how such an ordinary-looking blade had so easily severed the thick neck of a magical beast.

“I used mana.”

Jerome can use mana?

That’s news to me.

“You can use magic?”

“I have mana, but it’s different from magic in how it’s used. If I channel the mana within my body into my weapon, the weapon becomes reinforced.”

Oh. I understood absolutely none of that.

But I get that it’s useful.

“I don’t possess enough mana to become a mage, but it can be applied in combat.”

“I had no idea you could use mana too, Duke.”

“Members of the Winston family are born with a small amount of mana.”

Oh, I see.

Even with the aid of mana, Jerome’s movements in battle had been anything but ordinary.

His fighting style was fast but not light; every movement was restrained and efficient. When he struck his target, there was condensed strength forged through training.

A style that extracted maximum efficiency from controlled power. Even someone like me, who knew nothing about combat, could tell Jerome was an exceptional swordsman.

“May I ask one more thing?”

“You may.”

“Who did you come all the way to the South to find?”

Judging by how he had joined the Imperial Knights under the pretext of investigating magical beasts, he must be desperately searching for someone important.

Family? A friend? A benefactor?

Wait…

A chill ran down my spine.

‘What if the person he’s looking for is a lover?’

What if the reason his affection level won’t rise is because he can’t forget a past lover?

What if he’s afraid of getting close to me because he doesn’t want to forget the woman he once loved?!

That actually makes sense!

That’s why he keeps pushing me away!

The question—Is the person you’re looking for your lover?—rose to my throat, but I held it back, remembering Theodore’s advice not to be pathetic.

Don’t be pathetic.

Don’t be—

“Is the person you’re looking for your lover?”

My traitorous mouth moved on its own.

You useless mouth!

Are you trying to widen the distance I barely managed to close?

While I was mentally slapping my lips in regret, Jerome spoke.

“Not a lover. It’s someone I met in childhood.”

Whew. At least it’s not a lover.

Wait. He’s still looking for someone he met in childhood? And he even came all the way to the distant South? That’s hardly just a casual acquaintance.

Well, maybe it was just a childhood friend. Or some older neighbor he once knew.

As long as it’s not a woman, right?

“Wow, they must be someone very precious to you.”

“They are.”

Jerome continued in a solemn voice.

“So precious that I could never forget them for the rest of my life.”