TCMED 28

Chapter 28

I forced the corners of my mouth back down, and Ethan, seeing that, let out a laugh.

“Ah, I’m sorry, Thetis.”

“It’s fine…”

When I answered weakly, feeling embarrassed, Ethan bit his lower lip hard.

I wondered where the man who had looked like he could bury two grown knights just moments ago had gone.

“Still, we have something in common.”

“Something in common?”

“Yes. I’m also on vacation starting tomorrow.”

“Oh…”

“To be precise, it’s a leave of absence, though.”

At Ethan’s declaration of leave, one of the major episodes from the novel suddenly came to mind.

In this country, the perception of Mapel was truly miserable.

The only reason Ethan had been revered as a hero until now was because of his achievement in defeating the apocalypse, and even that was only temporary. To the public, Ethan was an outsider they had “taken in,” and therefore someone they could force sacrifices upon and criticize freely.

In similar situations, protagonists from other hero novels usually endured the criticism. Until the day they would finally be recognized for everything.

But Ethan was different.

He, too, felt the guilt of not being able to save people.

However, he didn’t use that guilt to justify the excessive criticism directed at him. So one day, when the level of blame surpassed a certain threshold, Ethan went to see the Crown Prince without hesitation.

*<I fully realize my lack of skill. I will go to a place where I won’t cause trouble for people and train further.>*

And he submitted his leave of absence.

What made Ethan unique was that he didn’t wait for the public to acknowledge him.

During his leave, Ethan traveled across the country alone, helping people in places the imperial family’s reach didn’t extend. As a result, his reputation, which had hit rock bottom due to his leave, rose even higher than before he took it.

In other words, he knew how to act “cleverly,” not just “quietly.”

This decisiveness, this shrewdness of not mistaking absurdity for duty—that was why I liked Ethan.

*’But was this episode originally supposed to come this early?’*

As I hesitated in my response, taken aback by the plot’s sudden progression, Ethan stepped in.

“May I ask what you plan to do during this vacation?”

“…I’m thinking of visiting Oligo for the first time in a while.”

At my words, his mood grew slightly heavier. I don’t think I’d ever told him what happened to the people of Oligo, but he seemed to have figured it out through intuition.

After a moment of silence, he carefully asked me.

“I’m also going to Mapel for the first time in a while. Mapel is in Echettre territory too, so if you don’t mind, how about we travel together?”

Aren’t we not close enough to travel that long road together…?

As my discomfort showed on my face, Ethan made me an offer I couldn’t refuse.

“I’ve been recognized quite a bit, so I borrowed a carriage from an acquaintance. There’s extra space anyway, so wouldn’t it be nice to ride together?”

A carriage was quite tempting.

Since traveling long distance on horseback was no small feat, I was genuinely intrigued.

The thought of readily accepting such a favor felt burdensome, alternating with pity for my poor body that would be overworked on horseback.

Ethan watched my internal struggle with amusement.

And I made my decision after a single cloud passed by in the wind.

“…Alright, let’s do that.”

Yes. In the end, I succumbed to comfort.

—

Looking back, I think I was still naive back then.

Judging by the fact that I had completely forgotten the obvious rule that traveling with the protagonist inevitably means getting caught up in some incident.

—

**10. The Cursed City and the Guest**

—

Including travel time, my schedule wasn’t very generous. So we departed the very next day after meeting at the Crown Prince’s palace.

Now, about a day into the carriage ride, I was feeling infinite gratitude toward Ethan for suggesting we share the ride.

The remarkable stability of the seats practically screamed wealth, so the acquaintance who lent the carriage must have been Dalin, the head of the Philea Trading Company.

“We’ll take a short break here.”

“Alright.”

The coachman tapped on the window and announced we were stopping. He said the horses, which had been working hard for a long time, needed water. I was feeling stiff myself, so that worked out well.

The carriage came to a smooth stop on a side road.

The moment I rose to get off, the seat across from me was suddenly empty.

Wondering what happened, I looked outside, and there was Ethan, who had gotten off in the blink of an eye, reaching his hand out to me.

“Hold on and step down.”

Even though he had moved at incredible speed, he didn’t seem rushed at all, and his refreshing smile actually radiated ease.

Amazing.

I took Ethan’s hand and hopped down. It was my first time in a while wearing regular clothes, and the skirt only went down to below my knees, so it was much easier to get out than in my priest robes.

After confirming I had landed safely, Ethan gave my hand a slight squeeze before letting go.

As summer approached, the sun grew hotter. We moved under the shade of a tree.

Ethan, who must have been stiff from sitting so long, stretched his arms and pulled them back. The movement clearly carried the air of an expert.

I watched him intently, like watching a YouTube video, and secretly mimicked the motions from behind.

“Your shoulders are too high, Thetis.”

But Ethan seemed to have eyes in the back of his head.

Approaching with sparkling eyes, he gently corrected my wrong posture.

As I followed his instructions one by one, for some reason, I thought of my Pilates instructor back home.

By the time I was doing the finishing move, a groan naturally escaped me.

“One more breath at the end.”

“Hoo… Like this?”

“Yes, well done.”

I rotated my shoulders, receiving Ethan’s applause. It certainly felt much better than when I had stretched haphazardly on my own.

“By the way, Ethan, I think you’d do well if you opened a fitness studio later.”

“A studio?”

Ah, I forgot there are no gyms here…

Getting flustered here would only make things weirder, so I replied with deliberate nonchalance.

“It’s just a business idea that came to me now. You teach people how to exercise properly or correct their posture and charge them for it. With office jobs gradually increasing, I think it might catch on someday.”

For some reason, I felt a slight pang of conscience, as if I were scamming someone who knew nothing.

It seemed like my audacity had only grown since I was reincarnated.

“…That actually sounds like a really good business.”

When Ethan expressed genuine admiration, a small laugh escaped me.

“Right? I’d normally charge people for this kind of business idea, but since you gave me a ride, I’ll give it to you for free.”

“Then I’ll have to give you a lifetime membership.”

We laughed idly, painting a future that would never happen. And for a moment, we forgot the weariness of the present.

I watched as his blue eyes sparkled with joy, sometimes clear, sometimes sinking deep.

Then, just as Ethan’s words began to dwindle, I pulled out a palm-sized cookie tin from my bag.

After indulging in pleasant fantasies, the realization of reality and the ensuing gloom are best shaken off quickly, so I intended to change the subject with this.

“Would you like one?”

And in fact, these were the familiar butter cookies to both of us.

I knew this would look like I was deliberately targeting him, but a child from the orphanage I’d briefly met this morning had given them to me.

Ethan just stared blankly at what I’d offered for a moment, then spoke softly.

“I like them.”

My hand, which had been about to give a few cookies to the coachman, stopped abruptly.

“These cookies.”

“…”

*Click.*

My hand slipped, and the lid of the tin closed again.

Lifting my head straight ahead, I saw the coachman a little distance away, feeding the horses water and snacks. The early summer sky was clear and bright, and the ground stretched green to the horizon.

It was a truly peaceful scene, but strangely, my chest felt constricted.

“…Ethan, can you put up a soundproof barrier?”

“Of course.”

With the crisp sound of fingers snapping together, an unnatural transparent membrane briefly appeared and then vanished. The soundproof barrier was properly set.

Only after confirming that did I face Ethan.

“Do you know what?”

“What do you mean?”

“It’s been well over two months since your knighting ceremony.”

I remembered the promise: that on the day I met him again not as June but as Ethan, he would tell me what he was hiding, after two months had passed.