Chapter 55 – Our Home

He strode towards Ashia with a scared expression. Verna was walking behind Tero.

“Are you alright? Did you get hurt?”

“Tero.”

Theros asked the same thing as Vernia.

“I’m okay.”

“Haa…” Theros grabbed Ashia’s hands and placed the back of her hands on his forehead. His deep sighs were trembling.

“So you were worried…”

“…”

“But I’m really fine. I was just on my way back from a delivery.”

“…”

Theros’ fingertips were still trembling despite Ashia’s attempt to reassure him.

“The building… crumbled to pieces.”

“Ah… you saw that?”

Theros was probably surprised when he heard that there was an explosion in the capital, and in Ashia’s store as well. He also might have heard of the news from Verna.

“I was afraid I would find noona under the pile of rocks… If that happened… I will really…”

“Tero, I’m fine. Look, I’m well.”

Only then that Theros buried his face in her hands.

“Huh? Tero! What happened to your face?”

No, his face wasn’t the problem. Due to the present circumstances, she noticed Theros’ condition only now.

“He went into the building and dug up the pile of rocks.”

“What?!” Ashia’s forehead wrinkled at Verna’s words. “Goodness, you.”

It was a mess.

“What the hell… is this?”

Theros’ hands were stained with blood. It seems like he dug into the pile with his bare hands. Judging from his personality, he wasn’t the kind of person who would carefully pick the rubble up one piece at a time.

“Ah, really…” Ashia’s eyebrows furrowed. She turned to the innkeeper. “Aunt Chelsea, let me use the kitchen a little bit.”

“Ah, uh, go ahead.”

Ashia hurriedly took Theros’ hands and headed for the inn’s kitchen. She washed his dusty and bloody fingertips, then placed his fingertips on hers. Very faint energy slowly flowed out and seeped over his wounds.

“Why are you so stupid?!”

“…”

The wounds that were cut and torn very slowly began to heal. But it was too slow. Ashia’s healing magic was not very effective compared to the priests of the temple.

“This won’t do. It’s too slow. Hurry and go back to the Imperial Palace.”

“Noona.”

“You know I’m not good with healing magic. Hurry up and receive proper treatment.”

“…”

“Tero.”

Theros looked down at Ashia and lowered the corners of his eyes. “But… if it goes like this.”

“Why? Are you afraid I’ll run away?”

“…”

“I am thinking of going to another estate because there are no rooms in Aunt Chelsea’s inn. Though it would be a hassle to open a gate.”

Theros looked at Ashia with a more worried expression.

“Don’t worry. Wherever I go, I’ll write down the location and contact you. Since the store looks like that after all, I won’t be able to open it for a while. Just think of this as me having my first vacation and quietly living somewhere…”

“…”

“So, don’t worry about me and get treatment. Do you understand, Tero?”

He sighed. “Which estate, which inn?”

“I will tell you.”

“The next day, too.”

“Okay.”

“And the next day.”

“…”

“And, the next day, and the day after that.”

“Tero.”

“Don’t say no or that you can’t. I feel like I want to be by your side even if I have to rent a room next to you.”

“…”

In any case, he was still overprotective. Well, Ashia would have been too if it was Theros who was the one under the wreckage…

‘Ugh…’

Just thinking about it gave her goosebumps all over her body.

“Okay. I won’t forget to contact you.”

“Yes…”

She managed to persuade Theros to go back to the Imperial Palace.

He repeatedly looked back and had difficulty walking away.

“Phew…”

Starting from the Third Avenue of Dersio, many people were rushing to the streets—a person who lost their home overnight, a person who lost their store, and like Ashia, people who lost both.

Ashia stood blankly on the streets among the crowd of people until Theros disappeared.

‘Ah… I also have to go now. Anyway, where should I go…’

The surroundings were noisy, and her point of view was congested with people coming and going.

“Ashia.”

She turned.

He stood out conspicuously—his appearance, voice, gaze, and the overwhelming atmosphere surrounding him.

“Ka… ligo.”

He was among the crowd but wasn’t mixing with them. Except for his unrivaled aura and voice, he was invisible and no one could see him.

’Maybe it’s because I was exhausted.’

Calm up until this moment, Ashia choked when she saw Kaligo slowly walking toward her. The dark blue cape fluttered with each step, falling from his broad shoulders. Through swaying black hair, her heart was also captured by his red eyes.

She was enthralled as he approached her with an indifferent expression.

Taking off his black gloves, Kaligo came closer and put his hands on Ashia’s cheeks. His face, which had been smooth until now, was contorted so badly that it was impossible to tell whether he was feeling sorry or angry.

“Let’s go first.”

“…”

“Ashia.”

The warm body temperature from his palms again put her heart at ease. He didn’t ask if she was alright like everyone else, but she was grateful for his warmth.

Pretending to be composed, Ashia cleared her throat and asked quietly, “…Where are we going?”

“Our home.”

“…What?”

Kaligo followed up faster than Ashia, “To the Grand Duchy.”