Chapter 72
“How is it? Does it suit your taste?”
“Yes, it tastes very good.”
It was something I hadn’t expected, but somehow, I ended up sightseeing around Intezer with Lisa.
And Lisa called this a date… Well, if I were to be honest, it was a date.
After all, we were spending time together, wandering around Intezer, just the two of us.
“That’s good. Have another one. I’ll buy it for you.”
“No, it’s fine. I’ll pay with my own money…”
“I’ll buy it for you.”
“…Yes, understood.”
At Lisa’s firm tone, I immediately backed down and accepted two more skewers of grilled goat meat.
From what I remembered, this goat meat was a specialty found only around Intezer, and it certainly had a unique taste.
To be precise, its scent was distinctive—but regardless, it was quite an addictive flavor.
“Lady Lisa, are you not going to eat anything?”
“I’m not hungry yet, so I’m fine. And even if I do get hungry, I brought my own food, so I’ll just eat that.”
“Is that so? But for someone who says she brought food, I don’t see any bags or luggage with you…”
“My food—or rather, what I drink—is right here.”
Lisa lightly brushed her fingers along my neck.
“I always have something delicious to drink right beside me, don’t I?”
“Ah, that… yes, you’re right.”
I replied with a slightly flustered expression, and Lisa stared at me silently for a moment.
Then she tilted her head.
“I was just joking, but… was it not funny?”
“Oh, that was a joke? If that’s the case, then it was funny…”
“Lies.”
“Rather than funny, I was more surprised, to be honest.”
“I see. Sorry about that. I meant it as a joke, but I must’ve startled you.”
Lisa rubbed her chin, her voice soft and faintly gloomy.
“I just wanted to see you smile once… but it’s harder than I thought. Jason could make people laugh so easily—how does he do it, I wonder?”
“…Hehe, Lady Lisa.”
I approached the expressionless girl and smiled brightly in front of her.
“Would this count as the smile you wanted to see?”
“…Yes.”
Lisa stared blankly at my face for a brief moment before nodding.
“That’s enough. It’s a very pretty smile.”
“Thank you for the compliment. And, Lady Lisa.”
I took her hand and gently placed it on my neck.
“You might have said it as a joke, but… you can drink my blood anytime. For you, Lady Lisa, I’ll always offer it willingly.”
I spoke while maintaining a calm smile.
Lisa, once again, stared at me blankly for a moment.
I wondered if I had said something wrong, but then—suddenly—Lisa began to step closer.
Very close. So close that her face was right before mine.
Startled by her sudden movement, I tried to back away, but Lisa grabbed the collar of my shirt, preventing me from moving.
“Lady Lisa?”
“……”
We were now so close that our noses almost touched.
Lisa gazed at me silently for a few seconds before finally stepping back.
“…Were you surprised again?”
“Yes, I was a little startled.”
“Then sorry. Just now… I almost moved on instinct. I barely managed to hold myself back.”
“Ah, are you okay?”
“Yes, I’m fine. It wasn’t out of thirst or anything. More than that, Gideon, you really do have something about you that lures women in.”
“Me, you say?”
“Yes, that kind of feeling.”
After saying that, Lisa turned away before I could respond and began walking ahead.
“Anyway, let’s go. It’s time to see Intezer’s head.”
“Yes, understood.”
I followed behind Lisa, walking along the path.
As I glanced around, I couldn’t help but sigh inwardly.
‘We’ve drawn quite a lot of attention again.’
There were quite a few merchants nearby, as well as several Academy students.
Lisa and I had just done something rather strange right in the middle of the street, in full view of all those students.
‘Well, at this point, I guess I’ll just have to get used to weird rumors spreading about me.’
By now, I was already well-known—too well-known—at Lysquare Academy.
And above all…
‘This probably won’t be the last time something like this happens.’
I looked ahead at Lisa, who was walking in front of me.
It didn’t seem like she had called me out today for no reason.
She probably had something to say to me… and I was beginning to suspect what that was.
“Phew.”
For some reason, my heart was beating faster, and I had a feeling Lisa’s was too.
“So this is Intezer’s head?”
“Yes, that’s right.”
“I’d only seen it in pictures before, but it’s enormous in person.”
After some time passed, Lisa and I arrived at Intezer’s final sightseeing spot.
The last stop was none other than Intezer’s head.
‘It’s even bigger than I imagined.’
A gigantic dragon skull rising from the center of the mountain range.
Standing before it, I felt incredibly small.
To be specific, even Intezer’s smallest tooth was much larger than me.
“So Peregrie was the one who brought down this massive dragon alone?”
“According to the records, yes. The Imperial army stopped Intezer’s monster army at the time, and Peregrie subdued Intezer single-handedly.”
“No wonder Peregrie is praised. Taking down such a colossal dragon alone—definitely worthy of being remembered in history.”
“Yes, I think so too.”
As I responded to Lisa’s words, an odd thought crossed my mind.
‘But… did Peregrie really face Intezer alone, just as the records say?’
At that moment, a memory of the dream I’d had not long ago came to mind.
A dream—that is, Peregrie’s memory.
There, Peregrie had been standing before his battle with Intezer—and he wasn’t alone at that place.
‘A white-haired man who strangely resembled me. And Peregrie called me the descendant of his great friend.’
Putting all those pieces together, that man was clearly my ancestor, and it seemed that Peregrie had fought Intezer alongside him.
And then, there was that voice I heard a few hours ago near the dragon’s heart.
Intezer had mistaken me for someone else and tried to cast a curse upon me—and at that time, Intezer called me by a certain name.
‘Wanderer of Water.’
From the context, that must have been referring to that man, the one who fought beside Peregrie—my ancestor.
Anyway, the key point here was that there had been a man known by the title “Wanderer of Water,” who fought alongside Peregrie against Intezer.
But even though it was such a crucial detail, I couldn’t help but feel something strange about it.
‘I’ve never once heard of such a man.’
The Wanderer of Water.
He sounded like a figure of great importance.
And yet, despite all the knowledge I’d accumulated about the game, I had never heard a single mention of him.
I was someone who knew every bit of lore this game had to offer—yet here was someone entirely new.
‘They did say my family was sentenced to Record Erasure… Whatever it was, it seems they truly erased it completely.’
Still, since I’d gained a new clue about my family, it was a worthwhile discovery in its own way.
Moreover, in that dream where I’d seen Peregrie’s memory, I remembered a brief mention about other races.
Perhaps there might be clues about my family among those other races…
“Gideon, what are you thinking about?”
“Yes? Ah… it’s nothing important.”
“Hmm, I see.”
At Lisa’s words, I quickly came back to my senses.
Lisa looked at me for a moment before turning her gaze back toward Intezer’s skull.
“I wonder if the textbooks will change in a few years. They say Peregrie died after the battle with Intezer, but that turned out not to be true.”
“I think they probably will change.”
In the game, there had been a line about the textbook being updated later on—so it would likely happen here as well.
“……”
“……”
For some reason, after my reply, silence hung between Lisa and me.
I glanced toward her.
Her expression was as emotionless as usual, but in her eyes, I could sense hesitation.
I waited quietly for her to speak, but Lisa remained silent.
So, I spoke first.
“Lady Lisa, do you perhaps have something you’d like to say to me?”
“…Yes, I do. But… it’s not easy to bring it up.”
“If that’s the case, then you can take your time—or save it for another day…”
“No. I’ll just say it now. Gideon, the reason I called you out separately today… is because I wanted to talk about our relationship from here on.”
“…I see.”
It was what I had expected, so I wasn’t surprised.
But my heartbeat inevitably quickened a little.
“What kind of relationship do you wish for us to have, Lady Lisa?”
“At first… I just wanted us to be close as senior and junior. But after I drank your blood, everything changed.”
Lisa paused briefly before continuing.
“At the beginning, I wanted to keep my distance. I drank your blood out of necessity, but I didn’t want to tie you down. I was worried my family’s situation would drag you into it—and that it might keep you from realizing your potential.”
“Yes, I understand. But now… your thoughts have changed?”
“They changed yesterday. When you risked your life for me and came to help me in that cave… my thoughts changed.”
“May I ask… how they changed?”
“…It’s nothing complicated.”
Lisa hesitated for a while, and I waited patiently for her to speak again.
“I’ve simply decided that from now on… I’ll stay by your side for the rest of my life.”
“You’ve only known me for a month. Can you really trust me that much?”
“I can. Like you said, it’s only been a month since I met you—but in that time, I’ve seen enough to know you’re a good person. And besides…”
Lisa placed her hand on my neck.
To be precise, she brushed her fingers over the faint bite marks that still remained there.
“As someone from the House Balmuth who has drunk your blood, I have the duty to take responsibility for you.”
“In that case, as someone who has offered my blood to you, I’ll fulfill my responsibility as well.”
“You don’t have to think about duty or responsibility or anything like that. I’ll handle all of that—so you just need to relax and stay with me.”
“If that’s what you wish… then yes, understood.”
“Good. Anyway, Gideon, what I really wanted to say is… I want to keep being with you, and I’d like our relationship to grow deeper. Is that alright with you?”
“It would be my honor, truly.”
I replied with a soft smile.
It had only been a month since I came here, but within that month, I had experienced so many things.
As a result, I was gradually beginning to accept that this world wasn’t a game—but reality.
‘If this is reality and not a game… then maybe it’s okay for me to open my heart to the people of this world.’
This was reality, and the person standing before me wasn’t a game character, but a real human being.
Thinking that way, a warm feeling welled up from within my chest.
“I’ll be counting on you from now on. And in that sense… would it be alright if I drink a little of your blood right now?”
“Are you thirsty?”
“Partly… but also…”
Lisa averted her eyes, her face growing redder and redder.
“I want to feel your warmth against me.”
“…That’s quite straightforward.”
“I’ve always been an honest person.”
At her words, I chuckled softly and unbuttoned the top of my shirt.
Then I bared my neck and showed it to her.
Lisa looked at me for a moment with an unreadable gaze, then slowly leaned in and brought her lips toward my neck.