Chapter 16
“Y-Your Grace!”
Startled by the shout, Lucy turned her head and saw the innkeeper rushing inside without warning.
“…What is it?”
Edward, whose eyes had already turned cold, looked up with annoyance.
“T-There’s… a m-monster nearby!”
The moment she heard that word—
A monster.
A cold feeling spread through Lucy’s stomach, as if she had swallowed a burning piece of ice.
The heartbeat she had finally managed to calm began pounding again.
Right… This world too…
It was an obvious realization, but this world also had monsters.
Just like the world she had lived in before possessing this body.
“Save me! Please! I want to live!”
“H-Help… hel—… Urgh!”
The screams of people dying flashed through her ears.
She remembered the sight of people being torn apart by the monster that had broken into the shelter.
And then—
The moment the collapsing ruins had buried her.
“…Ah.”
Lucy quietly curled her rapidly growing cold fingers into a fist.
Calm down. It’s all in the past.
Besides, unlike her previous life, where ordinary people had desperately formed neighborhood defense groups because no one had powers…
This world had someone who could kill monsters.
The Dragon Incarnation.
“I’ll go now.”
A hero truly was a hero.
Even while giving off a freezing aura, Edward slowly let go of Lucy’s face.
Without even the slightest hesitation, he quickly put his armor back on.
Lucy walked toward him and spoke.
“Your Grace, I—”
“You stay here.”
“I’ll stay here!”
They spoke at exactly the same time.
An awkward silence followed.
Even though Edward had been the one to tell her to stay, he wore a strange expression.
Lucy, however, looked confident.
Even if Edward had asked her to come, staying here was the right choice.
This had nothing to do with her wounded pride after being called weak.
I won’t be any help.
Lucy judged the situation calmly.
Reality was different from a novel.
Running into battle just because she wanted to help, despite not knowing how to fight, would only become a burden.
On top of that, just hearing the word “monster” made her fingertips turn cold.
She still hadn’t overcome her trauma.
Facing a monster now would be suicide.
It would be one thing if only she got hurt.
But other people’s lives were also at stake.
That was why she wanted to send him off with a smile.
“You know that well.”
“……”
“You’d only get in the way.”
Those words brought back an old memory.
“Unnies! Let’s go together!”
“You stay here. It’s dangerous.”
“But…!”
“Honestly, with your reflexes, you’ll only get in the way. Just stay here quietly and eat some snacks while you wait.”
They had smiled as they comforted her.
But…
Their words had been true.
The truth that both the Lucy from back then and the Lucy now would only be a burden.
Edward clicked his tongue as he looked at Lucy’s pale face.
She’s scared of everything.
If he took this woman with him, she would definitely become a distraction.
Not because she was the problem.
Because he was.
He would keep holding back while fighting because he would worry about the tiny woman getting hurt.
Or after every attack, he would find himself checking whether she had been shaken.
Of course, leaving her behind somewhere and fighting had never even crossed his mind.
What if this tiny thing gets hit by flying debris?
Either way, his attention would constantly be drawn toward her.
And then…
It would take even longer to kill the monster.
That was a completely different matter from being confident in his own strength.
So, even if he felt uneasy about leaving her behind, he had no choice.
While Edward came to that conclusion, Lucy forced away the painful memories and smiled bitterly.
“Yes, I understand, Your Grace.”
“……”
“Don’t worry! I won’t go anywhere. I’ll quietly wait here.”
She clenched her fist as she said it.
Even so…
Just a little.
Just as much as an ant’s tiny tear…
She felt a little sad.
Yeah… I’m really useless in situations like this.
She had exaggerated it to survive.
She had confidently declared that there was no Purifier as cute, useful, and capable as herself.
Yet she was still afraid of monsters.
No—
Monsters.
And if she stepped forward, she would only become a burden.
Maybe…
Even in this life, all she could do was desperately struggle to survive alone.
Maybe she would always remain someone useless to others.
…It’s not like I have any bigger wish than that.
Lucy deliberately answered in a cheerful voice.
“Since I’m useless against monsters, I’ll just rest here.”
Edward quietly tilted his head as he looked at her.
What is this?
Why did it feel as though he was abandoning her?
The image of a tiny mouse pitifully waiting for him made him strangely uncomfortable.
Just moments ago, those little lips had been shamelessly tempting him.
Now they were pretending to be brave while speaking so weakly.
He didn’t like that.
Was she really that afraid of monsters?
Or…
Was she worried that the man she liked might never return after fighting?
Either way, it bothered him.
…At least.
At least he should leave after giving his little mouse some peace of mind.
“Have a safe trip. And when you come back, please don’t forget to stamp the contr—”
Lucy suddenly stopped speaking as a hand gently held the back of her head.
Huh?
The next thing she felt was something soft.
Something warm and gentle brushed lightly across her lips.
It pulled away for a moment—
Then pressed firmly against them again, as if stamping a seal.
Only then did she realize…
The thing touching her lips was a pair of unbelievably handsome lips.
What… ?
I didn’t mean for you to stamp it here.
Before she could even blink at the crimson eyes right in front of her—
Their lips touched.
“…Mmh!”
The holy power resting near the pit of her stomach suddenly began flowing, warming the coldness inside her.
I-It’s different.
It wasn’t like simply hugging him or touching him before.
She could clearly feel the holy power racing through the sensitive skin of their lips before being drawn into Edward’s lips.
No way…
Was purification actually more effective when their lips touched?
Now that she thought about it…
That sounded exactly like the kind of setting a novel like this would have.
This ridiculous 19+ novel… Mmh!
The sensation awakened by the flowing holy power was completely unfamiliar.
It wasn’t pain.
It wasn’t ticklish either.
It was something that circled through her chest before scratching gently up her throat.
A tingling sensation spread through every part of her body like tiny sparks of electricity.
Lucy’s eyes slowly became unfocused.
So this is the tingling feeling the novel talked about…
It felt strange.
But it wasn’t unpleasant.
In fact…
Every time the tingling sensation swept through her body…
An indescribable feeling slowly spread through the lower half of her body.
It felt as though a cold flame wrapped in burning heat was moving through her body.
“…Mmh!”
Her toes curled on their own.
Her fingers tightened.
Just then—
Rustle.
Edward’s long golden eyelashes softly brushed against the bridge of Lucy’s nose.
She slowly looked up.
Their eyes met.
The crimson eyes looking down at her curved slightly, as if amused.
Then—
“Aaaaah!”
The innkeeper, who had witnessed their kiss, screamed like a young girl and covered his eyes.
No, I’m the victim here, so why is the old man screaming…?
“Cough!”
Edward slowly let go of the back of Lucy’s head.
Only then did Lucy realize she had been holding her breath.
She hurriedly gasped for air.
“Cough! Cough! Haaah!”
“Even an old man would cough more healthily than that.”
Even after hearing what was almost an insult, Lucy had no chance to argue.
Her mind was in complete chaos.
What was that?
It hadn’t even been a deep kiss.
Just one little kiss on the lips…?
She was completely confused by the holy power that had surged through her body.
The inner conflict she had been struggling with moments ago had completely disappeared.
Just as Lucy stood there with trembling eyes—
Tap.
The finger that had moved away returned and lightly poked her forehead.
Then Edward slowly clenched his fist, as though holding something back.
He spoke without hesitation.
“You were right.”
“W-What…?”
“Your purification ability.”
“……”
“It exists.”
“And it’s useful.”
As if he had read every single thought that had just passed through Lucy’s mind.
