“At night, I, uh… I did something weird, didn’t I?”

He rubbed his hand over the abrasions left by the ropes. He then nodded to see me with a curious face.

“You did do something.”

“Ah… Like what…?”

“Well… You wanna try to attack me again?”

His eyes widened as soon as I threw in a joke.

He suddenly seemed to be shocked, like a big abandoned dog. What’s going on?

“Um, well, I…”

His large hand couldn’t help but wrap around mine and squeezed it tight. I wasn’t sure what to do.

I didn’t know why he looked so scared.

Big, heavy teardrops started to fall from the man’s eyes.

… No, why are you crying?

His face was the definition of purity. Innocent, but evoking a sense of completeness, as if it were something that shouldn’t be looked at carelessly.

His fluttering eyes completely captured me.

“The benefactor….”

His tears fell thick, like waves, forming a stream that ran over his perfect cheeks.

Soon, his eyes were burning, as if it was morning dew glistening atop flower petals.

His face was worn out and filled with sorrow.

Trembling, he parted his lips.

“I’ll take responsibility.”

… What?

When I looked at him, my face seemed to ask: ‘What are you talking about?’

I felt the sincerity in his eyes, it was shaking like a bird in rain.

“At all costs, let me take responsibility.”

“How do you plan on doing that?”

I was just asking a genuine question, but the man’s neck flared a bright red. Wow. I think he might explode.

“Uh, um… marriag-”

“OK, that’s quite enough.”

Then Heimdahl stared at me, looking shocked.

He was crying like a man who’d just lost the last of his fortune. Why do you look like you’ve just been rejected?

“I’m kidding. Really, I was just kidding.”

I squatted down in front of the man and tilted his head to the side as if it was my own chin. His night-side was indeed a bad guy, despite his looks.

The man’s eyes were full of tears and beneath the glasses they shone like blue jewels in the sea.

I didn’t hate this pure atmosphere.

Seeing his trembling eyes, I couldn’t even joke around, although I’d wanted to.

“A little while ago… you said I attacked you…”

“No way. I meant it as a joke. I was kidding. Just kidding.”

I was willing to correct myself at this point. Wow. This is the same person as last night, right?

Even though I already knew what to expect, it still felt strange.

I was watching his expression as I continued thinking.

Should I wipe that tear away or not? I really wanted to wipe it away.

Of course, I was only thinking about it.

‘If you touch it, I’ll tell you to take responsibility.’

Heimdahl briefly brushed his confused face, and then carefully asked:

“Then may I ask why I was tied up…?”

“You were threatening me.”

Heimdahl’s gaze changed a little.

Until a moment ago, his eyes were filled with tears like a child, but now he’s stopped crying, revealing his deep blue eyes.

Soon, his face morphed from sadness to a mix of calm and serious.

Eventually, there was even a twinge of anger.

He tilted his gaze and it became more serious.

“How did you make it out? Are you hurt?”

Heimdahl’s face eventually went back to slightly red.

“No, I wasn’t hurt. You were using a dagger.”

I shrugged my shoulders.

“I have a talent for not getting hurt.”

There were three types of surprising residents in the back streets of Creixos. These were women, children, and the elderly.

In particular, if they were living well here, you shouldn’t touch them.

Yet it’s another way how I’ve been surviving and protecting myself.

Bragging wasn’t my intention, though.

Why did I mention that small skill of mine?

The way Heimdahl looked at me seemed to have changed.

He was cautious a while ago and it seemed like he didn’t know what to do.

Even now, his attitude was still the same, but his aura was different.

“Um, do you happen to be…?”

He bit his lips before dropping the subject.

I looked at the shape of his lips. Its stunning red shade contrasted with his white skin very nicely.

“Can you help me out just once?”