‘Isn’t that too firm?’

 

Normally, I would have sulked and said something back, but since I was the one at fault, I just pouted and stayed silent.

 

Even if I kept my mouth shut, my face would give it away, so I couldn’t completely hide my dissatisfaction.

However, Endymion didn’t seem to care and continued speaking.

 

“Anyway, after the bet about whether I would believe the story or not, when Selene became convinced that I, who hadn’t experienced anything strange, would absolutely never believe it, you accidentally blurted out that I have memories from the past. Is my understanding correct up to this point?”

 

“Yes.”

 

“Ha…”

 

Then he let out a sigh so deep it seemed like the ground would cave in. His shoulders slumped downward, and he looked thoroughly depressed.

 

Facing his appearance, I pulled my protruding lips back in and apologized again.

 

“Umm… Um… I’m sorry.”

 

Even though I had intended to help the two of them, the result was that I had only deepened the conflict.

 

‘I shouldn’t have meddled in other people’s love lives.’

 

However, no matter how fast regret came, it was already too late.

 

I was lost in thought, reflecting on whether the current Endymion and Selene reached a happy ending or a bad ending, I should not have gotten involved…

 

“Haa…”

 

Endymion, who had been quietly staring at me, let out one deep breath after another.

 

If only he would say something sarcastic, I would feel less awkward, but because he said nothing, my heart grew even heavier for no reason.

 

In the end, unable to endure the silence any longer, I carefully spoke first.

 

“…Should I kneel?”

 

“What?”

 

I had asked with quite a solemn resolve, but Endymion widened his eyes in disbelief and asked back.

 

“Or should I…”

 

“Enough.”

 

I was about to ask what I could do to make him feel better, but Endymion cut me off as if it wasn’t even worth listening to.

 

Then he gave an unexpected answer.

 

“Actually, I wasn’t planning to get angry from the beginning.”

 

“Huh?”

 

“Regardless of your intention or my emotional state, it’s because I already owe you a debt.”

 

I had been prepared to gratefully accept if he said he forgave me, but to hear that he hadn’t intended to get angry at all.

 

“But when it came to getting Selene out of prison, it wasn’t me who helped, it was Sir Huluppu.”

 

The situation was resolving much more anticlimactically than I had worried, so without thinking, I blurted out what was on my mind.

 

‘Endymion was trying to wrap things up nicely, so why am I nitpicking and dragging it out?’

 

I felt like pulling my hair out from the repeated slip-ups, but he, who had been watching every change in my expression, clicked his tongue and muttered.

 

“Tsk, so that guy Yves wasn’t doing needless overprotection after all.”

 

His monologue was a bit loud, so of course it reached my ears clearly, but I couldn’t understand why he was suddenly bringing up Yves’s overprotection.

 

“Suddenly?”

 

“Yeah. There’s only a fine line between being foolishly kind and being stupid, so it’s good to keep that in mind.”

 

I read the true meaning behind Endymion’s so-called advice and sharply retorted.

 

“Wait a minute. Does that mean I’m stupid, so Lord Yves is overprotecting me?”

 

On the other hand, he lifted only one corner of his mouth in a crooked smile and said slyly.

 

“Good thing your senses are quick, at least.”

 

“…!”

 

When Endymion affirmed it in a playful voice, I bit my lower lip hard.

 

If I let my guard down even a little, one of the countless thoughts floating in my head might slip out.

 

‘Especially since something comparing me to Selene might come out, I have to be careful.’

 

Because if Endymion, who liked the foolishly kind but oblivious female protagonist, heard it, he could easily get offended.

 

Also, I had endured it because I somewhat realized that he wasn’t genuinely trying to badmouth me but was joking to ease my awkward, flustered feelings.

 

‘Haa, even though for a moment I really got annoyed contrary to his intention.’

 

While I was calming down the emotions that had suddenly surged up…

 

“You seem to have forgotten, so I’ll tell you again.”

 

Fortunately, Endymion changed the subject first.

 

“From the Laurus barony incident to Sir Huluppu proving Selene’s innocence, everything can be considered a debt I owe you. I’ll also express my gratitude for that.”

 

What was slightly surprising was that the man who had been teasing me slyly just moments ago suddenly put on a serious face and offered thanks.

 

“When you think about it, you got dragged into far more things.”

 

“Umm, that’s certainly true.”

 

“Why do you look so reluctant all of a sudden?”

 

“After hearing you say it, Lord Endymion, it really feels like I’ve suffered a lot of losses.”

 

Only then did my tension completely loosen, and I was able to reply in my usual blunt manner.

 

Then Endymion let out a light chuckle and brought up a heavy topic in a casual tone.

 

“However, separate from me forgiving you, the situation has worsened because of your meddling, so I’d like you to take responsibility for that part.”

 

Why was he releasing the whole atmosphere only to shift the blame?

 

I was taken aback by his sudden change in attitude, but no proper counterargument came to mind, so I asked back in a much smaller voice.

 

“What kind of responsibility?”

 

“Didn’t you say that Selene’s expression when you left the prison was far from normal?”

 

“Yes, I did.”

 

“The truth is, the reason I couldn’t easily reveal my secret to Selene wasn’t just because I thought she would be sad. It was also because I couldn’t easily gauge how she would accept my change.”

 

Unfortunately, there was no room to find fault in his claim.

 

“So I’d like you to help me restore my relationship with Selene.”

 

In the end, the only thing I could choose was calm acceptance.

 

“So what exactly should I do?”

 

“I don’t know that either.”

 

“Huh?”

 

Yet Endymion continued to baffle me to the end.

 

“I told you. I can’t even fathom Selene’s reaction. So I’ll decide what to do by watching how the situation develops from now on.”

 

As expected, I really shouldn’t have meddled in other people’s romance.

 

💫

 

The next day.

 

From early morning, I had to deal with Fenrir, who showed up without warning.

 

He said he had come because he was bored, and apparently, he really had no particular business; he kept chatting about trivial things until it was almost lunchtime.

 

[By the way, last time you acted like you would set off immediately as soon as you found the dragon’s location, so why are you suddenly postponing the schedule now?]

 

“That’s…”

 

I trailed off at Fenrir’s question.

 

I couldn’t possibly answer that it was because Endymion and Selene’s lovers’ quarrel seemed like it would get bigger, so I wanted to watch the situation for a while.

 

Instead, I praised the one who was nonchalantly occupying my bed.

 

“It’s thanks to you, Lord Fenrir. You said you would give us a ride. Thanks to that, we have some leeway. Thank you.”

 

Besides, this wasn’t a lie either.

 

Originally, we would have had to take a teleport from the Holy Kingdom to Dilbat and then travel by land to the Zagros Mountains, but because Fenrir willingly offered to help us, the time had been greatly shortened.

 

[It’s not giving a ride, it’s using teleportation magic.]

 

“It’s the same thing. Anyway, thank you.”

 

[Hmph, there’s no need for thanks. It’s so easy I can do it with just a flick of a finger.]

 

Fenrir turned his head away with a snort, looking embarrassed.

 

Even so, he couldn’t hide his tail, which was wagging pleasantly.

 

I deliberately looked away from his white, fluffy tail and asked a new question.

 

“By the way, I heard that Lord Xenon Achelide returned to the Babylonian Empire. Is it okay for you not to go with him, Lord Fenrir?”

 

[Ah, we agreed that I can live freely until next year and then return.]

 

Suddenly, what Huluppu had said flashed through my mind.

 

‘He said he had something to discuss with Xenon… so it was probably about where to stay.’

 

While I was briefly lost in thought, Fenrir’s voice rang in my head.

 

[More importantly, it’s strange that your guardian knight is nowhere to be seen today.]

 

“Um, now that you mention it… You’re right.”

 

I had forgotten while talking with Fenrir, but normally, Yves would knock exactly when I woke up.

 

‘Even on holidays, he always came to find me first as soon as I got up.’

 

But today there was no sign of him at all.

 

Only then did I feel the strangeness. I told Fenrir to wait a moment and left the room.

 

After all, Yves’s room was right next door.

 

Knock knock—

 

“Lord Yves, are you still sleeping?”

 

I knocked several times and called for Yves, but there was no response.

 

‘Is he sick or something?’

 

Of course, until yesterday, he hadn’t shown any sign of illness, but people could suddenly fall ill, so worry suddenly washed over me.

 

“Lord Yves, are you okay?”

 

[It seems like there’s no one inside.]

 

Fenrir, who had followed me out at some point, paced around the door and spoke.

 

“No one?”

 

[Yeah. I don’t sense any human presence from inside.]