CWWV 10

Chapter 10

At this point, it was harder to believe this man didn’t like her.

Could it be that he’d deliberately followed her down just now?

“Can you walk? Shall I at least hold your hand?”

The man asked, looking at her hand.

See this, see this. I told you he likes me!

Actually, the fact that she’d encountered a bear twice in a row was so shocking that fear had rushed over her belatedly. To the point where not just her hands but her legs were trembling.

“No, should I carry you instead?”

The man seemed to have noticed even her trembling legs. His eyes were sharp too.

“No. I can walk.”

Actually, the path was downhill so her legs seemed to tremble even more, but how could she ask a man she barely knew to carry her?

Besides, she clearly knew this man liked her. If the man had no particular feelings for her, that would be one thing, but precisely because of this, clinging to him would be even worse.

If she gave him unnecessary room, problems could arise, and also… misunderstandings could arise.

“Just let me hold you?”

But the man was already extending both arms in front of her. As if telling her to hurry and come into his embrace.

Being held in those thick, firm arms would probably feel stable…

Looking at the man’s arms, her heart weakened.

“No.”

Still, that wasn’t right.

“Then at least hold my hand.”

“Hmm…”

Holding hands should be fine, shouldn’t it?

Actually, she was still slightly staggering—if she didn’t hold onto something, she felt like she’d collapse. She hadn’t known the shock of encountering a bear twice in the same place would be this great.

“Let’s go.”

Roddy grabbed Sella’s hand as she was still deliberating.

“This is…”

“How much money do you need to bring your sister back to the orphanage?”

Sella’s words, about to ask him to let go, were cut off by Roddy’s question.

“Ah… It’s 600 gallops.”

In the end, Sella didn’t pull her hand out of his.

Right now she needed someone to lean on with her trembling body, and this man who was falling more and more for her might be asking because he was thinking of lending her money.

The mood was good right now—she shouldn’t ruin it.

“600?”

“…!”

Sella tensed, feeling the strength enter the man’s hand.

Was he surprised because it was too much money?

The man said nothing for a while after that. Sella glanced at his face several times, but his face as he walked looking only ahead seemed quite dark, and she couldn’t tell what he was thinking.

Should I not have honestly said 600?

Was it burdensome enough money that his desire to lend it completely disappeared?

…Should I try asking for a bit less?

“We’ve come all the way down to the mountain entrance.”

Sella, who had been watching Roddy’s every mood, suddenly came to her senses at his words. At some point his gaze was on Sella’s hand holding his.

“…!”

Ah! He’s telling me to let go.

Sella quickly released the strength in the hand holding his, but strangely, Roddy didn’t release his grip.

Wasn’t he telling me to let go?

She was confused, unable to understand the man’s intentions. It would be good if she could placate him and borrow some money.

“Your hand…”

When Sella spoke quietly, he finally let go of her hand.

“Goodbye.”

“Ah… Yes.”

He wasn’t going to say more about the money from earlier, just goodbye?

The faint hope fizzled out. It seemed he didn’t like her enough yet to lend such a large sum.

“See you the day after tomorrow.”

“Us?”

Oh my, is he asking me on a date right now?

Her heart suddenly began to pound. Probably because the ember of hope was coming back to life.

If they went on dates, feelings would deepen, and then he might really want to lend her money!

“After I deliver the wood to the warehouse, shouldn’t you check the quantity? Last time you weren’t there so I just left it, but I prefer things to be certain. It would be troublesome if you raised an objection about the quantity later.”

“Ah… Ah, yes, yes!”

So that’s what he meant…

In principle, it was correct to check whether the wood was delivered properly after delivery.

But since deliveries were rarely wrong, Betty, who was busy, had always skipped it. Last week’s order to this man had been the same.

But why is he suddenly telling her to check?

Could it be that he’s using that as an excuse to see her face even one more time?

“Ah, Miss Sella, wait a moment.”

Roddy suddenly stroked Sella’s hair.

“Mommy!”

Sella was so startled she stepped back. Then Roddy grabbed her arm.

“W-what did you just do?”

“There was a leaf stuck here.”

“Ah!”

“Why are you so startled?”

“Anyone would be startled if you suddenly touch their hair!”

“Really? I see… Then from next time, I’ll tell you before I touch you.”

“Pardon?”

Does that make sense?

That’s not it, is it? It means don’t touch at all.

“Then let’s meet then.”

Roddy shook the leaf he’d removed from Sella’s hair, then turned to head back into the forest.

“Didn’t you say you had business coming down the mountain?”

“Yes.”

“Then why are you going back up the mountain?”

“Bringing you here was my task. Now that it’s done, I should go back. Goodbye, Miss Sella.”

“……”

Sella swallowed hard as she watched Roddy turn smartly and head into the forest.

What is wrong with that man, really. Making her heart pound like this.

Sella watched the man growing distant, then finally turned her steps. And she began to ponder again how to get money.

Rodiac stroked the black bear’s head.

“Well done.”

It was a coincidence that this creature had appeared before him and the woman last week, but today was not a coincidence. He had used his ability to make it obey him.

So when he’d offered to walk her down the mountain, she should have accepted from the start. Then he wouldn’t have needed to scare her so much with this black bear.

But she refused, so what could he do?

He had no choice but to make her need him.

Was it because he’d been holding her hand the whole way down? Or because he’d held her from behind as if embracing her when the bear appeared? Or was it because he’d touched her hair?

His body felt light enough to fly.

Judging by the current feeling, it seemed the storm of madness wouldn’t come for several days.

There were many things he wanted to experiment with regarding contact with the woman. He wanted to check how the effect changed depending on the contact area and duration.

Of course, it was already certain that anywhere and anyhow would be fine.

He’d even thought about granting her request to have her sister return to the orphanage and offering to take the woman out of the orphanage and hire her.

But what would have happened if he’d revealed his identity and offered to hire her?

“Anyway, since there are such rumors, wouldn’t it be better for me to find a job in another region? What if I get a job knowing nothing and, unluckily, it turns out to be the deposed Crown Prince’s house? Even if I’m not that unlucky, I could run into the deposed Crown Prince while going back and forth on Mount Tolto. So if you’re introducing me to a job, could you please find a house far from this village, with a generous, kind, and good master?”

This was a woman thinking such things.

A madman…

It was a word he’d never heard even when he was truly raging mad. Whether out of fear of him, or because of his status, no one had ever dared to say such a thing.

Of course, they only refrained to his face—behind his back they surely said plenty.

It was understandable. When his madness exploded due to the manifestation of his ability, he was, literally, a madman.

In truth, after leaving the imperial palace, he hadn’t cared about such rumors. He’d intended to bury himself alone until he died from the pain—what did rumors matter?

In reality, he’d cut off interest not just in the imperial palace but in humanity itself, so he never heard them directly.

Well, even if he had heard them, he wouldn’t have felt particularly bad. It was true, after all.

That said, though…

So rumors about him had even permeated to an orphanage employee.

Enough that she wanted to avoid him as much as possible out of fear of that madman.

Yes, that’s understandable.

It’s understandable, but.

But… you shouldn’t be like that.

Sella, only that woman, shouldn’t be like that.

Now his situation was different from the past when he’d only waited for death to end this pain.

Now that he knew this pain could be eliminated.

Now that he’d tasted what a pain-free state was like.

And it was you, Sella, who showed me that.

So even if the entire empire’s people avoided him calling him mad, at least one person—Sella, that woman—had to want to stay by his side.

She dislikes madmen, likes handsome men.

A generous, kind, and good master…

So that’s what she wants.