Chapter 43

Perhaps because she was still half-asleep,

Emilia didn’t resist the hand stroking her hair. She simply lay there, accepting it.

Like a young child basking in praise from an adult.

---

*Stroke, stroke.*

---

"Hehe."

The serpent smiled softly.

Unlike his usual sharp demeanor, today he gently caressed her, savoring her drowsy, unguarded state.

He seemed to enjoy watching her half-conscious reactions.

---

For a moment, the scene continued with an odd sense of intimacy.

As if lifting from a fog, Emilia's mind gradually cleared, and she came back to her senses.

A faint sigh escaped her lips.

---

"...Ah."

Emilia flinched, quickly turning her head.

Her eyes, brimming with confusion, flickered as the boy withdrew his hand, satisfied.

With a serene look in his eyes, he watched her.

Emilia bit her lip, feeling the uncomfortable silence around them.

---

"......"

"......"

---

The awkward atmosphere lingered as Emilia's gaze darted around.

The serpent sat right beside her.

There were so many things she wanted to ask, but the words wouldn’t come easily.

The silhouette of him in that shadow-filled laboratory lingered vividly in her mind.

Perhaps... she was afraid of him.

---

"Oh dear... I wonder why you look so timid."

Whether he noticed or not,

the golden serpent merely shrugged with feigned innocence.

After a moment’s hesitation, the first question Emilia managed to ask was rather trivial.

---

"...What exactly happened?"

"While you were unconscious, reinforcements from Galimar arrived. Without delay, we returned to the academy."

"Then... what about that huge monster?"

"Surely, you already know."

His response was cryptic.

Unintentionally, Emilia swallowed nervously.

---

Just like back then... another deal, perhaps?

The vivid memory left an unusually strong impression on her.

---

"Don't be alarmed."

"As long as I'm here... you won’t be at a disadvantage, Lady Emilia."

She remembered it well.

The warmth that had embraced her from behind, followed by the shiver that coursed through her body.

The shadows that had danced at her fingertips were still clear in her mind.

---

"Even for a brief moment, I’ll show you a new world."

Emilia recalled the moment.

Whenever their hands touched, the world turned pitch black, leaving only darkness.

In the void, there was a single star.

A gentle, radiant fragment appeared before her.

The sole starlight lingering through the dawn, transforming into a dazzling, beautiful vision.@@@@

---

"It’s possible."

The sensation was unforgettable.

What she had felt—a sense of omnipotence—was like the power of a god.

If someone in the church had heard her, they might have called it blasphemy, but there was no other way to describe it.

What she experienced was nothing short of divine.

---

"......"

Emilia fiddled with her fingers awkwardly.

Her thoughts tangled in a complicated web.

Most of them revolved around the boy.

---

He was powerful.

Not someone she could assess with her own judgment.

At the very least, he was at the level of a professor—perhaps even rivaling the headmaster in strength.

The abilities he had displayed defied her understanding of what was possible.

---

"So, he’s been hiding his powers all this time..."

It was a curious thought.

Despite wielding such immense strength, he had concealed himself.

A cold instinct prickled down her spine.

---

"It seems you’re deep in thought."

"......"

"I understand. A lot has happened, after all."

His lips curved into a calm smile.

Watching the serpent behave as though nothing had changed, one question filled Emilia's mind.

She whispered it almost inaudibly.

---

"...Why?"

"Hmm?"

"Why did you save me?"

She couldn’t understand.

---

"Our deal... what I told you back then, I meant it sincerely."

"......"

A deal.

Finally, Emilia understood what he truly wanted.

Some of his words resurfaced in her memory.

---

"All I ask is that you continue living for my sake."

"So that I can keep watching your story... staying by my side is more than enough."

That was what he had said.

In exchange for saving her, he had wanted her by his side.

Though his words held no ulterior motives, Emilia had no way of knowing that.

And so, she misunderstood.

She convinced herself that the boy standing before her... was in love with her.

---

"I... I..."

Her heart pounded.

Perhaps because of the unfamiliar situation.

Her pulse raced in a strange way.

Trying to calm the heat rising in her face, she hesitantly expressed her thoughts.

With a hint of worry.

---

"I’m... not sure I can do this well."

She had learned that emotions don’t always go as planned.

Though she’d promised to stay by his side, she wasn’t sure if her heart could align with his.

It was uncertain.

---

"As I mentioned before, I don’t have any experience in these things... I don’t know if I can meet your expectations."

But.

---

"...Still, I’ll try."

After all, he had saved her.

If she owed him her life twice, the least she could do was make an effort to fulfill the deal.

At the very least, she’d try to like him.

---

"I may not meet all your hopes."

"I understand."

"I’m really clumsy."

"Everyone is."

"If that’s alright with you... I’ll give it my best."

Emilia murmured softly.

The serpent, momentarily dazed, let out a faint chuckle.

---

"Hehe... that makes me happy."

The boy affectionately stroked her hair.

This time, she didn’t pull

away.

She simply lay there, eyes shut, accepting the warmth.

---

"......"

"Hehe."

---

In truth, the two of them perceived the situation entirely differently.

Though Emilia had spoken with deep resolve, to the boy, it merely sounded like she was promising to help him sincerely.

As the misunderstanding between them deepened—

---

"Ugh... my head hurts."

A voice suddenly mumbled beside them.

Following it, they turned their gaze to see green eyes blinking open.

---

"Wh-where am I? There was a monster..."

The girl with disheveled pink hair looked around in a daze.

Suddenly, her gaze met the two people watching over her.

---

"You’re awake, Miss Regia."

"Ah, it seems you’ve regained consciousness, commoner."

"...Huh?"

Regia was bewildered.

One person she had thought dead.

The other had been on the brink of death with her.

As her sleepy gaze cleared, her eyes began to shake with recognition.

---

"My lord? Lady Emilia...?"

Tears welled up in her eyes.

Her voice trembled as she murmured a soft question.

---

"...Am I dead, too?"

"......"

"......"

She seemed to think she was in the afterlife.

Tears began to stream down her face.

---

"Oh no... my poor lord... sniffle... Lady Emilia...!"

Oddly enough, she seemed more saddened by their deaths than her own.

It was, in any case, an awkward situation.

---

"Come now, stop that!"

"We’re not dead! Pull yourself together and stop crying!"

"Hic, sob... b-but...!"

The pilot sobbed loudly.

The serpent and Emilia spent the next while struggling to console her.