Chapter 10 - The Same-Age Duo
Lizel was walking through town alone today.
He made his way down a street lined with shops a little nicer than the usual rows of street stalls, using a small sign as his landmark. It read, "We’re confident in our appraisal" in lettering that somehow managed to look anything but confident. He stepped inside.
As usual, the shop's sole employee was busily arranging the merchandise, never staying still for a moment.
Amused by the sight of the young man working so diligently that he hadn't even noticed his arrival, Lizel quietly closed the door behind him.
"Judge-kun."
"Lizel-sama…!"
"Not that."
"Lizel-…san."
Judge groaned as he corrected himself, and Lizel smiled at him in approval.
Since Lizel visited every time he ventured into the dungeon and acquired a dungeon item, he wished Judge would get used to him already.
He looked up at the taller young man, who had a slender build. Still, Judge was younger than him, and Lizel found him endearing, so he was willing to give him as many chances as it took.
After all, when it came to people he didn't care about, Lizel was reluctant even to call them by name.
"Oh, congratulations on forming a party…!"
"Oh? Even you've heard about that?"
"Yes… You're not together today, though."
"We don't have to be together all the time. We're both grown adults, after all."
Even though this was a shop catering to adventurers, the fact that even its employee had heard the news suggested that the rumors had spread farther than Lizel had expected.
It was entirely thanks to Gil's fame. Even when Lizel was out on his own, nobody recognized him as the other person at the center of those rumors.
That was partly because he didn't look like an adventurer at first glance.
As a result, adventurers who didn't know Lizel were firmly convinced that Gil's long-awaited party member must be an extraordinarily skilled master.
"…Are you going to be all right?"
"Hmm?"
"Well, there are quite a lot of adventurers who look up to Gil-san. If any of them give you trouble…"
As Judge had said, ever since forming a party, Gil had been approached by adventurers far more often than before.
Most of them wanted to join his party, and Gil spent his days ignoring their requests with an increasingly exasperated air.
Lizel was often standing beside him when this happened, but most of the adventurers lost their nerve the moment they made eye contact with Lizel.
Lizel had no idea that low-ranked adventurers all said more or less the same thing: standing beside him somehow felt far too intimidating.
He simply assumed they were worried about Gil having to team up with someone as weak as himself.
"Well, I can defend myself to a certain extent, so I'll be fine."
"Is that so…?"
Judge answered as though satisfied, but the slight upward inflection at the end of his question made it clear that he wasn't entirely convinced.
Lizel certainly didn't look particularly strong, so it was understandable that Judge would have his doubts.
From Judge's perspective, it was hard enough to believe that Lizel was an adventurer at all. He couldn't even begin to imagine what Lizel would look like in a fight.
It was only natural for him to worry about a valued customer who had always treated him kindly.
Even so, the items Lizel brought in were always legitimate dungeon goods.
Although Judge had only crossed paths with Gil on rare occasions over the years, he knew that Gil wasn't the sort of person to team up with someone who couldn't hold their own.
Come to think of it, Gil has changed a little lately, Judge thought as he accepted the dungeon item Lizel held out to him.
Lizel had initially brought in two teddy bears in quick succession, but since then, he'd brought in a wide variety of dungeon items.
This time, it was a palm-sized hourglass adorned with beautiful decorations.
"…An 'Unfailing Hourglass,' is it?"
"Does it have any special effects?"
"No matter how many times you use it, it measures exactly three minutes."
Lizel gazed at the hourglass with a conflicted expression, unsure whether its ability was impressive or underwhelming.
Lately, he'd been venturing into the middle and deeper levels of the dungeons fairly often, but he still hadn't come across many dungeon items with the sort of extraordinary effects one would expect from a dungeon.
There had been teddy bears, figurines of dungeon monsters, a tea set that never got dirty, and a wallet that returned to its owner even after being stolen. Everything he found seemed to fall squarely into the category of everyday conveniences.
As a result, Gil had recently taken to grinning mischievously whenever Lizel discovered a treasure chest.
Lizel wouldn't have minded if everyone else had similar luck. What he couldn't accept was that Gil would sometimes go out alone and return with fangs from rare magical beasts or rare ores.
"Can't I find something a little more… extraordinary?"
"W-Well, I'm happy to get to see so many unusual items…?"
"Judge-kun, you're such a good boy."
Lizel bent down slightly and gently patted Judge on the head, as though offering him some comfort.
Judge's back snapped straight the instant he felt the touch. Laughing at his reaction, Lizel accepted the appraised hourglass.
Most adventurers sold their dungeon finds immediately after having them appraised unless they were particularly useful. Lizel, however, preferred to take them home on the off chance that they might come in handy someday.
Thanks to that habit, he'd even managed to find a gift for Ray.
"Oh, by the way, the wrapping you did last time was a hit, just as I'd hoped."
"R-Really? I'm glad to hear that…!"
Judge was still touching his head, looking faintly embarrassed, but Lizel's words brought a delighted smile to his face.
Despite being a relatively small shop, it somehow seemed to have everything. Lizel had stopped by on his last visit to Ray's home.
Naturally, his purpose had been to decorate a teddy bear with yellow eyes.
While Gil watched them with his usual utterly baffled expression, Lizel and Judge had debated the finer details, trying this and that before finally wrapping up the teddy bear.
"Was it another commission for a delivery?"
"No, the last one was a gift for Viscount Ray."
"I see………… Wait, um…"
"He was absolutely delighted."
At Lizel's bright smile, Judge decided not to think about it any further.
Thinking too much about it was terrifying. Had his handwriting on the appraisal certificate been neat enough? Should he have used more expensive wrapping paper? And, for that matter, had his appraisal itself even been accurate?
As the shopkeeper, he certainly didn't wish Lizel would take his business elsewhere.
Still, Lizel might describe himself as "just an E-rank adventurer," but Judge had never believed that claim in the first place—and now he found it even harder to do so.
"There were lots of paintings that were dungeon items in the Viscount's home."
"Oh, there seem to be quite a few people who collect paintings."
"Do people bring them into your shop often, too, Judge-kun?"
Judge's shop also dealt in dungeon items that it purchased from adventurers.
Perhaps because it catered to adventurers, most of its stock consisted of practical items—things that appeared on the market with some regularity.
Useful dungeon items tended to come from the middle and deeper levels, but there weren't all that many varieties, so anything truly rare seldom turned up.
That was probably why Ray sought out dungeon items from the lower levels, items that shops would never stock, rather than simply buying them from a store.
Paintings weren't particularly practical and probably didn't sell well, so Judge's shop didn't carry any.
"I appraise them from time to time."
"There was a painting of Gil at the Viscount's house. Apparently, it's worth a great deal."
"A painting of Gil-san…"
Judge tried to picture it.
Since the paintings depicted scenes from inside the dungeon, it was probably an image of Gil fighting a monster.
No matter how he imagined it, the result was terrifying. Judge couldn't imagine ever hanging such a thing on his own wall.
Then Judge wondered what a painting of Lizel would be like and turned to look at him.
The overwhelming sense of awe he'd felt when they first met had faded, but it hadn't disappeared entirely. He could still feel it whenever he stood face-to-face with Lizel.
The way Lizel tucked his hair behind his ear, the smile that narrowed his eyes—either would make a scene worthy of a painting.
If there were a painting of Lizel facing a monster, his expression serene and his presence radiating an almost pristine purity, how much would Judge appraise it for?
He took pride in his skills as an appraiser, but he couldn't honestly claim that the price he'd imagined was free of personal bias.
"The Viscount said he wanted a painting of me, too, but honestly, that would be far too embarrassing, wouldn't it?"
"I see. In that case, even at this price, we might be able to find a buyer…"
"Gil was absolutely mortified, too. It was quite hilarious… Hmm? Judge-kun?"
"Huh?!"
When Lizel questioned Judge, who had murmured something under his breath, the young man blinked as though suddenly snapping back to reality.
For a moment, he couldn't remember what he'd said. Then he realized that his thoughts had slipped out loud.
Fortunately, Lizel, who was looking up at him, seemed not to have heard. Judge's face had gone pale, but it quickly relaxed with relief.
Judge shook his head and assured Lizel that nothing was wrong. Lizel smiled and refrained from pressing him further.
"So you only appraise paintings, then? You don't buy them?"
"Oh, no, we do buy them. We just don't put them on display here. We sell them somewhere else."
"Somewhere else?"
"There is, at least, a shop that specializes in handling paintings that are dungeon items. We send them there."
It sounded like an extraordinarily niche shop.
Ray would probably be delighted to hear about it. Then again, he likely already knew of its existence, given how many paintings he owned.
Judge explained that the shop was run by a friend of his grandfather. Thanks to the previous owner, this little store seemed to have quite an extensive network of connections.
"Is it in this nation?"
"No, it's in the Merchant Nation."
The Merchant Nation, as its name suggested, was regarded as a holy land for merchants. Lizel had only recently heard its name during his visit to Ray's residence.
The Royal Capital, the Merchant Nation, and the Magic Ore Nation were, in fact, nothing more than three cities within a single nation.
However, each had its own distinct character and functioned as an independent nation in all but name, which was why they each called themselves a "nation."
The Merchant Nations lay south of the Royal Capital, and reaching it by carriage would take about five days.
As the existence of a shop specializing in paintings suggested, there was hardly a type of business one couldn't find there. New ventures were constantly springing up, too.
One of the nation's defining characteristics was the fierce competition among merchants, with every shop striving to outdo its rivals.
It sounded like a lively, bustling place brimming with energy. According to Gil, however, it was noisy and restless, with nowhere to find a moment's peace.
"…Lizel-san, are you planning to visit Marcade?"
"Hmm? What makes you ask?"
"Well, actually, my grandpa lives in Marcade."
"Ah, the previous owner Gil mentioned."
Judge nodded at Lizel's words.
He was tall enough to surpass even the already towering Gil, yet his mannerisms were more reminiscent of a small animal.
Perhaps his youthful face made such gestures seem natural on him. Gil often remarked that Judge was lucky not to have inherited his grandfather's looks.
Judge's gaze wandered uncertainly for a while, as though he were hesitating over something. Eventually, he timidly looked at Lizel.
"I'm planning to visit my grandpa soon. So, if possible—and only if you can…"
"If you and your companion are planning to go to Marcade, I'd really appreciate it if you come with me as my escorts…!"
Lizel waited quietly as Judge's confidence gradually faltered.
He had a fairly good idea of what Judge wanted to ask, but he wasn't so indulgent that he would do all the work of asking for him.
"I've never taken an escort job before, you know? I think you'd be better off hiring someone with more experience."
"…Would you not want to?"
Judge fell silent with a small, choked sound at Lizel's perfectly reasonable objection.
There was, in fact, no problem with taking an escort request. Since forming a party with Gil, Lizel's party rank had risen to D, even though his individual rank remained E.
That meant they could accept C-rank requests, the category under which escort jobs fell.
Even private requests had to go through the guild because only jobs officially registered with the guild counted toward an adventurer's completed quests.
Thus, even a request intended for a specific individual had to be submitted to the guild first, after which it could be assigned directly to the named adventurer.
Lizel himself had no objection to accepting the job.
He had wanted to visit Marcade someday, and since Judge owned his own carriage, as one might expect of a shopkeeper, accompanying him would be relatively easy. They already knew each other well enough that there would be little awkwardness.
However, if he truly had Judge's best interests at heart, wouldn't it be better to hire someone more experienced at escorting clients?
Gil had also mentioned that he rarely accepted escort jobs, partly because of the restrictions that came with working solo. The prospect of spending several days eating and sleeping alongside strangers probably didn't appeal to him, either.
"It's not that I don't want to. Come on now, don't make that face."
Judge looked dejectedly at Lizel, his unruly chestnut hair tied back in a single ponytail seeming to droop along with his spirits.
Lizel placed a hand against his cheek and gently stroked it.
Judge's eyes, which looked on the verge of tears, had grown warm and slightly red. Lizel rested his thumb against the area as though cooling the heat there, and Judge contentedly narrowed his eyes.
"How do you usually manage? You must have to go out to buy supplies sometimes, too."
"Some adventurers who've known my grandpa since his time here come by now and then, so I ask them. But if I keep relying on them, it'll feel like I'm still depending on Grandpa forever…"
"Why not post a request with the guild?"
"…I don't want people taking the job just because they're attracted to the shop's name."
Judge's grandfather was a born merchant who had built the shop into a thriving business all on his own.
He never dealt in shoddy goods, which meant his prices were correspondingly high. As a result, low-ranked adventurers rarely ever patronized the store.
On top of that, the shop was known among those in the know for its accurate appraisals and its ability to procure just about anything a customer requested.
Judge seemed to believe that the shop's reputation was entirely due to his grandfather, leaving him with little confidence in himself.
From Lizel's perspective, however, given what Gil had told him about the previous owner's personality, it was hard to imagine him handing the shop over to an incompetent grandson, no matter how dearly he loved the boy. Judge had every reason to hold his head high.
"I see. I can understand how you feel."
If Judge was planning to visit his grandfather without relying on him, then he probably wanted to prove that he could stand on his own two feet as a merchant.
That made it all the more important for him to make the effort to hire adventurers himself. But perhaps that was asking too much of him.
Lizel gave Judge's cheek a gentle pat before withdrawing his hand.
"Is hiring other adventurers absolutely out of the question?"
"It's not that I absolutely can't, but…"
"But?"
At Lizel's gentle prompting, Judge touched the cheek where the warmth of Lizel’s hand still lingered and turned his face away.
After a brief pause, he kept his face turned aside but glanced down at Lizel from the corner of his eyes.
"I want to go with you and Gil-san."
His words came out in a strained voice, trembling slightly and carrying a hint of childish pleading.
Judge covered his reddening face, wishing with all his heart that the floor would open up and swallow him whole.
Overwhelmed by embarrassment to the point that he could barely stand upright, Judge braced himself against the desk with one hand while peeking at Lizel through the fingers of the other, which still covered his face.
Lizel's expression showed surprise for an instant, but it soon softened into a helplessly indulgent smile. Seeing that, Judge struggled to keep himself from collapsing to the floor, thinking that this was exactly why he couldn't help himself around Lizel.
It was that indulgent gaze of his that was the problem.
That soft, indulgent atmosphere he seemed to create was the problem.
And Lizel himself was the problem, making Judge feel as though he could act spoiled and be forgiven for absolutely anything.
Judge knew he had no business thinking such things about a customer, but if he didn't find some way to blame Lizel, he wouldn't be able to keep himself together.
He was a grown man, no longer a child, yet here he was acting like one. He couldn't exactly blame anyone for seeing him that way.
"You don't have to be so embarrassed."
"I'm s-sor…ry……!"
In the midst of his overwhelming embarrassment, which had left him practically unable to speak, Judge's only consolation was that Lizel didn't seem to think anything of it.
Lizel chuckled at the sight of Judge's hands trembling as they covered his face, then placed a hand on his back.
"I'll be heading home for today. I'll talk it over with Gil on the assumption that we'll accept your escort request."
"……!"
Judge nodded repeatedly. Lizel smiled, then placed a few copper coins on the silver tray on the counter as payment for the hourglass appraisal.
After watching Lizel leave, Judge slowly sank to the floor, clinging to the desk for support. He couldn't help wondering what would happen if another customer came in now.
He let out a long, trembling breath and pressed his burning cheek against the cool surface of the desk.
He continued staring blankly at the door, thinking of the image of Lizel that his merchant's intuition and appraisal eye—both sharp enough to see through lies—had conjured up.
"I don't think he's simply a kind person, though…"
Then again, Lizel was genuinely kind to him, so perhaps it didn't matter. With his head still boiling to the point that he could barely think straight, Judge let the thought drift dazedly through his mind.
"So, that's the situation. I think Judge-kun will be bringing a request for us to take on before long."
"Judge?"
After leaving Judge's shop, Lizel headed to the guild, having no other plans for the day.
It was just past noon, when the number of adventurers began to dwindle. Inside the guild, gentle sunlight streamed through the windows, and the employee responsible for handling requests, seated beside Studd, was nodding off from sheer boredom.
When Lizel entered the guild alone, Studd had calmly moved from the newcomer reception desk to the request counter. Since then, he'd been staring steadily at Lizel without looking away, prompting Lizel to approach him.
"Oh, are you two acquaintances?"
"When the guild receives a large number of dungeon items that need to be appraised, we sometimes ask him to help."
Apparently, it had all begun back in his grandfather's day, when the previous owner sent young Judge to the guild in his place.
The guild had initially been bewildered since they made the request because Judge's grandfather was renowned for his accurate appraisals. However, Judge's talent for appraisal had already blossomed, and he performed the work with even greater accuracy and speed than his grandfather. As a result, the guild had continued relying on him ever since.
Studd, who was also a young boy already working at the guild when Judge first arrived, had naturally begun talking with him regularly.
"We're the same age, more or less, so we've had plenty of opportunities to talk."
"Are you two close?"
"I'd say we're close enough that his lack of self-confidence gets on my nerves."
In other words, Studd acknowledged how accurate Judge's appraisals were.
That was precisely why Judge's lack of confidence irritated him. Studd's matter-of-fact demeanor made it difficult to tell, though.
"You're going to Marcade, aren't you?"
"Hmm?"
At Lizel's questioning response, Studd abruptly fell silent.
It was unusual for him, since he normally answered questions almost reflexively, one after another.
Studd stared at his hands for a moment before slowly raising his head to meet Lizel's gaze.
His expression remained as unreadable as ever, but to Lizel, he looked as though he'd made up his mind about something.
"Does that mean you're relocating your base of operations?"
Under Studd's unwavering gaze, Lizel repeated the word base of operations to himself.
It seemed Studd was worried that Lizel might move to Marcade and never return.
It was true that adventurers rarely stayed in one country forever, but Lizel had no intention of moving on just yet.
He hardly felt he'd had enough time to make his mark in this nation. More importantly, this was where he'd first been transported to this world.
He didn't want to leave for somewhere else on a whim and risk missing his chance to return home.
"No, I'm just going there for a little sightseeing. I've never been before."
"I see."
Lizel patted Studd on the head. Though Studd showed no outward signs of relief, he seemed reassured nonetheless.
Watching him accept the gesture with an expressionless face might have been unsettling to some, but Lizel knew Studd didn't mind, so there was no problem.
As Lizel ran his fingers through Studd's smooth, short hair, the young man seemed to be thinking about something. Then, he murmured a few words under his breath.
"Even so, that means we won't be able to see each other for a while, doesn't it?"
"Studd-kun?"
"Do you have any plans to take on a quest today?"
Rather than answering Lizel when he asked what he'd said, Studd turned the question back on him as though nothing had happened.
Even as he asked, he was already certain Lizel had no plans, since Gil wasn't with him.
Just as he'd expected, Lizel said he had nothing scheduled. Studd promptly stood up.
"It's time for my break now, so I'd be glad if you could accompany me."
"Sure, if you don't mind having me along."
Lizel glanced at the employee behind Studd, who was staring at him in astonishment, as if to ask whether this was all right. The employee nodded.
The reason for the surprise was that Studd usually worked as though breaks didn't exist.
According to Studd himself, he didn't need one because he wasn't tired.
The other employees often urged him to take a break, only to be met with a shake of his head. They couldn't believe he was voluntarily taking one now.
Nevertheless, many of them looked at Lizel standing in front of Studd and gave him warm, understanding smiles.
It was common knowledge that Studd had grown attached to Lizel. He was probably the only one who hadn't noticed.
Studd had been affiliated with the guild since childhood, and even as a boy, he'd been unusually composed and detached. The veteran employees who'd known him for years were genuinely happy to see him take an interest in another person.
The newer employees, on the other hand, found his change amusing.
The guild employee who'd been nodding off beside him moments earlier was grinning especially conspicuously. However, Studd kicked his chair from a position hidden from Lizel's view, prompting the man to turn pale and stammer, "S-Sorry…"
"Let's go outside. Please wait here for a moment."
"Take your time."
Lizel watched as Studd hurried off toward the back of the guild, his expression as impassive as ever.
He's actually quite straightforward. He just doesn't show his emotions, Lizel thought as he stepped away from the counter.
Even though there were hardly any adventurers around, he felt a little guilty about occupying the reception area indefinitely.
He was about to head over to the request board to browse the available jobs when Studd reappeared, sooner than expected.
"Sorry to keep you waiting. Let's go."
Studd was still wearing his guild uniform, but the badge he usually wore on his chest was gone.
Assuming that must be the rule, Lizel followed Studd, who walked with an impeccable posture, out of the guild.
"Have you decided where we're going?"
"There's a place nearby that serves excellent coffee. Would that be all right?"
"That sounds wonderful."
Studd stared intently at Lizel for a moment before turning sharply and setting off again.
He must be happy, Lizel thought. In a way, Studd was easy to read. Then again, Studd rarely showed any emotion around anyone other than Lizel.
That was why nobody else agreed when Lizel remarked, "Studd-kun is so honest and adorable, isn't he?"
Gil, for one, had reacted with an absolutely appalled expression and vehemently disagreed.
As Studd had promised, the café was nearby, only about a five-minute walk from the guild.
Its wooden construction gave it a warm, old-fashioned charm, and the moment they reached the door, the faint aroma of coffee beans drifted toward them.
"After you," Studd said, holding the door open for Lizel.
Lizel thanked him and stepped inside.
Perhaps because the lunch hour had passed, the café, which wasn't particularly spacious to begin with, was relatively quiet, with only a handful of customers scattered throughout.
They sat facing each other at a table for two and each ordered a coffee.
"It's refreshing to see you outside the guild, Studd-kun."
"Was it presumptuous of me to talk to you outside of work?"
"Not at all. I'm happy you did."
"I see," Studd replied with a nod as Lizel smiled at him. Then he fixed his gaze on Lizel's hands.
Noticing his stare, Lizel unclasped his fingers and held out both hands, palms facing upward.
Studd reached out and ran his fingers along one of Lizel's palms, tracing them all the way to the inside of his wrist.
Lizel found it a little ticklish but let Studd do as he pleased. Studd glanced at him, looking somewhat satisfied, before lowering his gaze to the exposed wrist.
"Your bruise is gone."
"Gil hadn’t put a serious amount of strength in his grip in the first place."
"I would have liked to see it if the 'Lone Blade' really had begged for mercy."
When the two coffees arrived, Studd withdrew his hand.
Lizel merely laughed at Studd's remark, seemingly with no intention of revealing the truth after all.
Normally, if someone didn't deny an accusation, one might assume it was true. But with Lizel, it was impossible to tell; he somehow made either possibility seem equally plausible.
Thinking this over, Studd watched Lizel take a sip of his coffee.
"This is delicious."
"I'm glad you like it."
Feeling his mood lift at Lizel's words, Studd took a sip of his own coffee.
Since the guild remained open until late at night, Studd liked to drink coffee here to keep his mind sharp. Yet he'd never brought anyone here before.
Even so, he had absolutely no regrets about bringing Lizel. Although the unfamiliar sensation puzzled him, he allowed himself to enjoy it.
If it had made him feel uncomfortable, he would have rejected it outright. But this was a pleasant feeling unlike anything he'd ever experienced.
"Hey, you're the guy who formed a party with Lone Blade, aren't you?"
Precisely because of that, an interruption like this was utterly infuriating to Studd.
"I expected some kind of mighty warrior, but this is what we get?"
"If you hired him with money, you'd better cut your losses, kid. He's way out of your league if you're just looking to show him off."
Three men entered with a clatter and headed straight for Lizel.
They'd probably spotted him through the large windows that let sunlight pour into the café. Having recognized Lizel, who was often seen with Gil, they'd apparently made sure Gil wasn't around before deciding to pick a fight with him.
Lizel glanced around the café and sighed. Did they really have to do this here of all places? There were other customers, too.
"If you have something to say, I'll hear it outside. Sorry, Studd-kun. Let's do this another time…"
"No. I want to spend time with you."
Studd stopped Lizel as he began to rise.
Despite his impassive expression, his voice was sharp and dangerous, making no effort to conceal his displeasure.
He had grabbed Lizel's arm to keep him from standing, and Lizel gave him an awkward, troubled smile.
Studd was being more straightforward than ever, which Lizel found endearing, but he had no intention of dragging him into this.
"Studd-kun, I promise I'll come here with you another time."
"Another time won’t do. I want to spend time with you now."
"Please listen to me, all right?"
"As long as it will get you to stay with me, I'll be as selfish as I please."
The adventurers gaped at Studd as he spoke in his usual flat tone, as though they'd witnessed something utterly unbelievable.
And, in truth, they had.
But once their initial shock wore off, it no longer seemed to matter. Instead, they grew irritated at being completely ignored while the two continued their conversation. With a loud bang, one of them slammed his fist down on the table where Lizel and Studd were sitting.
"Looks like you've gotten pretty attached to him, huh?! But don't you dare ignore us—"
"Yes, I have. That's why…"
The next moment, mana stirred around Studd.
The look he slowly turned on the man was no longer the emotion-laden yet calm gaze he'd directed at Lizel. Instead, his eyes were as cold as absolute zero as they bore into the adventurer.
And it wasn't just his gaze. The mana swirling around him seemed to drain the heat from the air, steadily lowering the temperature around them.
"If you interfere, I won't guarantee your life."
"—!!"
The table began to freeze from the spot where Studd's hand rested. Before long, ice spread over the hand the man had placed on the table.
As the frost crept up his arm, the man let out a strangled sound and hurriedly pulled away.
With a sharp crack, his arm came free, frozen solid all the way to the elbow. The cold radiating from it was so intense that even touching it with his other hand seemed likely to freeze his fingers.
The man turned pale at the sight of his fingers, which could no longer move. Studd, however, spoke in the same flat tone as before.
「早く溶かさないと腕を切り落とす事になりますよ」
"If you don't thaw it quickly, you'll have to have your arm amputated."
Lizel gave a wry smile at Studd, who no longer spared the stunned men so much as a glance, as though they were no longer worth his attention.
"It's dangerous to warm it up too quickly. You should thaw it gradually."
Lizel's words jolted the men back to their senses. They let out strangled cries and hurried out of the café in a panic.
Apparently, they'd realized that the man’s arm was in genuine danger, and that Studd hadn't been joking.
From what Lizel could tell, the injury shouldn't be too serious at that level. He watched the men run off through the large windows.
Leaving the arm untreated would still be dangerous, of course, but judging by their frantic reaction, they would probably get it thawed out right away.
The exchange had taken place in a corner of the café, and the other customers hadn't gotten caught up with what had happened. When Lizel bowed apologetically to them, they seemed relieved and gradually returned to their usual activities.
Meanwhile, Studd was briskly brushing the ice off the table.
"Try not to do anything dangerous, Studd-kun."
"Will you dislike me if I do?"
"No, I'm just worried about you."
"I'm glad."
Now that Studd had acknowledged to himself that he'd grown attached to Lizel, he no longer held back.
He hadn't been particularly reserved before, but recognizing his own feelings had made him even more open about expressing his affection.
Studd looked faintly pleased with himself. Lizel could only smile indulgently and reach out to him.
"For some reason, I tend to be popular with younger people."
"If you're doing that unconsciously, that's creepy as hell."
Since their dinner times happened to coincide, Lizel had joined Gil for a meal without hesitation.
As he thought back over the day's events and voiced his puzzlement, Gil dismissed his concerns without the slightest mercy.
It's not like that, Lizel thought with a sigh. He did want to get along with people if possible, but it wasn't as though he'd deliberately done anything to win their affection.
"Well, I suppose I might be a little indulgent toward people I take a liking to."
"…It's too much trouble to even comment on that."
"What’s that supposed to mean?"
Lizel frowned and replied with indignation. Then, remembering the matter, he brought up Judge's escort request and began discussing it with Gil.
***
Author’s Note:
The same-age duo are around twenty.
Lizel and Gil are in their late twenties.
Judge gets embarrassed after acting clingy. Studd, on the other hand, simply owns it.
That's just how they naturally turned out. Somehow, it's a little surprising.
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