Chapter 14: The Price of Hope

Seongyeon’s room, where he slept soundly.

“…”

Inas, who had been looking down at him in the darkness, slowly closed his eyes.

At the same time, a faint blue light blossomed and wrapped around Seongyeon.

“…”

But the light faded after only a few seconds.

Staring silently at Seongyeon, Inas muttered,

“As expected… it doesn’t work.”

He couldn’t send Seongyeon back.

He had suspected it would be a lie, but…

“…It’s because you’re a Hero, Seongyeon.”

Even if Seongyeon had been awake, he wouldn’t have understood the meaning of those words.

“A good person, huh…”

Inas lightly shook his head and let out a short sigh.

“That shouldn’t happen…”

Again, words that Seongyeon wouldn’t have understood even if he had heard them.

****

The very next day after Seongyeon had finally gathered the courage to ask Inas to send him home.

“Really? You’re really going to do it?”

“Yeah.”

“Wow! Woooow…”

“But it probably won’t work…”

“Even so, you’re still going to try!”

Seongyeon had been prepared to keep pestering him until he agreed, but Inas brought it up first. He had declared that he would try researching magic to send a Hero back to their original world.

“I honestly didn’t expect much, but you agreed so quickly… I’m touched, Mr. Inas…”

He had fallen asleep thinking about how to track Inas down and persuade him if he hid away out of annoyance… but it had been accepted this easily.

“If there’s anything you need, just tell me!”

It felt like everything had already been solved. If it was something Inas asked him to do, he felt like he could do anything.

“What I need…”

“Yes! Anything!”

“Hm…”

Tilting his head as he thought for a moment, Inas replied shortly.

“Seongyeon.”

“Yes?”

“I need Seongyeon.”

“Huh, me?”

“Yeah.”

He needed me? Why?

Oh, right. Since it’s research about sending me back, maybe that’s why? It’s not like I’ll be used as some kind of experiment material… right?

“Yes! I’ll do my best!”

There was no way that was the case. Shaking my head quickly, I answered energetically. If there was something I could help with, I’d welcome it.

“Then first…”

I swallowed nervously.

What would be the very first thing to do in research meant to send me home? How did people even research magic?

“Prepare bathwater…”

“…What?”

My expectations and curiosity shattered instantly at the request, leaving me speechless.

“Bathwater… um, do you mean you need warm water?”

Maybe he just called it bathwater even though the warm water was needed for research. When I asked, Inas nodded slightly.

“I want to wash.”

That interpretation had been overly optimistic.

“Ah… okay.”

What did this have to do with research? It was just something I usually did… Ah, maybe it meant I should keep doing what I normally did while he handled the research.

“I’ll prepare it right away!”

Rationalizing it was easy and simple. I quickly turned around to prepare bathwater for Inas.

Usually I had to prepare everything myself and tell him to wash before he reluctantly went to do it, but now he was thinking of washing on his own.

Only then did I feel strangely emotional. Was Inas finally developing basic life skills?

Maybe he was thinking about becoming independent since he planned to send me away…!

“…Oh. That feels a little sad.”

Maybe because everything was being prepared too quickly. I hurriedly suppressed the unnecessary emotion that had appeared. I was the one who asked to be sent away, so why was I the one feeling sad?

‘Does Inas even know what sadness like that is?’

When we part later, will I be the only one feeling lonely?

No… that wouldn’t be good either. If Inas felt lonely too, that would be troublesome. It would be easier for me if he stayed completely unaffected.

“Wow, I’m really jumping ahead of myself.”

I shook my head at my own overactive thoughts. He had only said he would try, not that he would succeed. Of course, I sincerely hoped Inas would succeed, but…

‘Let’s just do whatever he asks. And take good care of his condition!’

Regardless of the result, my role was clear.

To support Inas with everything I had!

After all, it was something I had already been doing the entire time.

It shouldn’t have been difficult.

At least, it should have been that way…

****

Exactly three days later.

“Slow…”

“…”

“When will we get there…”

“…”

“I’m sleepy…”

Right now, I was experiencing the limits of my patience.

Because of the very person I had promised to support with everything I had, Inas.

“Seongyeon…”

“Shu-”

Shut up! Just shut up already!

The words that nearly burst out of my throat barely retreated back inside.

What was I supposed to do…?

At this rate, I had a terrible feeling I’d eventually start cursing him out.

“Haa… what is this…”

I truly meant it when I said I would do anything for Inas’s research.

But this…

“Mr. Inas, your legs aren’t broken, right?”

“Why would my legs be broken…”

“And it’s not like you suddenly lost the ability to use that flying magic you’re so good at, right?”

“I can still do it…”

“Then why exactly are you riding on my back?”

“Hm…”

I never said I would carry Inas around!

Should I have realized something was wrong when he asked for bathwater out of nowhere? No, who could have predicted this situation? Who would’ve imagined that starting that day he’d cling to my back like someone who had lost both arms and legs?

“I’m sleepy…”

“Mr. Inas?”

“…”

“Hey, Mr. Inas!”

“…”

My spine was breaking. Inas was much taller than me, and since I had been feeding him well, his body had gotten fairly solid too. Carrying him while walking was absolutely not easy.

On top of that, his room was on the second floor. Considering the high ceiling, it practically felt like two and a half floors. And I had to drag this guy all the way to his room. Something about this was seriously wrong.

“Ha… damn… you’re pretending to sleep, aren’t you? Right?”

“…”

“Why are you doing this to me…”

I cleaned, prepared meals, wrote down trade lists, carried potions, prepared bathwater in advance, cleaned up after he bathed…

And now I was even transporting him.

‘I’m sleepy but I don’t have the strength to go to my room…’

I could still vividly remember the way Inas had stretched out his arms toward me so casually.

Maybe it was a mistake to feel a little sorry for him when he looked like he might collapse in the lab.

Thinking about it, it would have been perfectly fine for him to sleep right there. Before I came to this house, he definitely used to sleep sprawled out anywhere.

Since when did he have to rest specifically in his bedroom?

Even when I brought in the bed I asked a merchant to deliver—

‘I don’t need it…’

Didn’t he say that in an unenthusiastic tone?

“Hngh… this… this is on purpose. It has to be! You’re messing with me, right?”

At this point, there was only one conclusion.

Inas was deliberately bullying me.

I didn’t know what he was thinking, but his recent demands could only be described as harassment.

“Ugh!”

Even though I pretended everything was fine, the truth was my feelings had been hurt.

Maybe he had been upset because I came here intending to use him.

He might have known I was a Hero and that I would ask for such a favor… but maybe not completely.

Maybe he just pretended to know to save face. Or maybe he knew but still felt annoyed when I actually asked.

I didn’t want to think that way, but considering how his attitude changed after agreeing to help me…

“W-we’re here!”

The moment we reached Inas’s bedroom, I tossed him onto the bed.

Seeing him slump down as if truly asleep made me flinch, but catching my breath came first.

“Haah… huff… so heavy…”

His closed eyelids didn’t move at all.

Was he really asleep?

That was surprising in its own way.

“Ha… good grief… what an angel.”

His sleeping face looked like an angel.

Why were his eyelashes so long? Just blinking them looked like it could create a breeze.

And that was exactly the problem, his face made me want to forgive everything.

I waved my hand in front of his eyelashes instead, grumbling irritably.

I wanted to refuse outright when he made me do ridiculous things like this, but…

‘I’m researching really hard…’

Part of me felt like I should tolerate at least this much complaining.

‘It’s such a difficult topic…’

He had really caught me with that excuse.

Hopefully he’d get tired of this annoying teasing soon.

Otherwise my back wouldn’t survive.

“Sleep well, Mr. Inas.”

Please don’t wake up until morning.

I already indulged all of today’s whining.

“Mm…”

As I turned around while patting my aching back, I suddenly stopped.

Inas had curled himself up tightly in his sleep, whining softly.

“…Why are you like that?”

I had even ordered an extra-wide bed.

Why was he sleeping all scrunched up like that? It made him look strangely pitiful.

“…Are you lonely?”

I asked suddenly.

Of course, there was no response from the sleeping person.

But somehow it felt like he had answered yes.

‘Inas and I are different.’

Projecting myself onto Inas was stupid.

He was just annoying me.

There was no need to wonder whether my request to be sent home had made him feel a little lonely after living alone in this house for so long.

Just because I felt lonely didn’t mean everyone else did.

Was I trying to sympathize with him? To feel some sense of shared loneliness?

“…I was better off not knowing.”

I never had these thoughts when I stubbornly insisted I wasn’t lonely.

What a troublesome emotion.