Chapter 11: The Sound of Cloth Rustling Across Skin

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While the campfire crackled softly, Lusha gently stacked the empty bowls and lowered her gaze, hands folded on her lap. Her profile on the other side of the fire gave a softer impression than it had during the day. The flames’ flickering light illuminated her silver hair, making her look almost ethereal. After Lloyd swallowed the last sip of his soup and set the bowl down, he let out a small breath.

After a meal, words naturally became fewer. The warm afterglow and drowsiness quietly spread between them. Since monsters supposedly couldn’t enter the barrier, it would have been fine to fall asleep just like this. Still, even if she said everything was safe, it wasn’t easy to believe so simply. Night had deepened, and this was the time when vicious monsters became active in the surrounding forest. Maybe it was better to stay awake until he was sure they were truly safe—or so he was thinking, when Lusha let out a small cough.

“Um… Lloyd. I’m sorry, but could you please turn your back for a little while?”

She glanced at Lloyd and spoke timidly. Her cheeks were slightly flushed, looking strangely embarrassed.

“Huh? I don’t mind, but what’s wrong?”

“…I want to wipe my body.”

When those quietly spoken words fell, Lloyd finally understood what she meant. Of course. Lusha had been on the run for several days and hadn’t been able to enter any towns. Naturally, she couldn’t have bathed. And in that state, she had been pressed close against Lloyd… For a woman, it was only natural to be self-conscious about it. She might have been worrying about it all day.

“S-Sorry! I should’ve noticed. Then I’ll go fetch some water from a nearby stream—”

“N-No! It’s fine! I have this.”

As Lloyd fumbled and tried to stand, Lusha hurried to stop him. In her hand she held something like a palm-sized crystal orb. A magic item? It was something he had never seen before. 

Lloyd asked.

“What’s that?”

“It’s something like a household magic tool? The Church called it an ‘Element Gem.’ If you pour magic into it, it can produce water, heat, or send out wind.”

“You have something that convenient!? This is the first I’ve heard of it.”

Lloyd leaned forward in amazement. On journeys or on battlefields, thirst could be a matter of life or death. If he’d had something this useful before, it would have helped countless times. Why wasn’t something like this widespread? He would have paid a fortune just to get one.

“Apparently, it’s a magic tool the Church secretly created… I only learned about it after I was chosen as a ‘Saint.’”

Lusha handed Lloyd the Element Gem. Although it looked like a crystal ball, it was surprisingly light. Perhaps a weight-reduction spell was imbued in it. It looked like an ordinary crystal, but when he held it, he could sense various magical energies swirling within. Just touching it gave him no clue how it produced water or wind.

“You were in the underground prison, right? How did you manage to bring something like this out?”

Lloyd returned the Element Gem to Lusha and asked. A prisoner branded a heretical witch wouldn’t normally be allowed to keep such a valuable item.

“When I escaped… He gave it to me. He said it would help me on my journey, so I should take it.”

“I see. Sounds like he was a pretty thoughtful guy.”

“…Yes. He was a kind person.”

Lusha lowered her gaze and smiled a little sadly. That expression made Lloyd’s chest tighten sharply.

“That man” must have been the one she trusted as her ally until the very end, the one who helped her escape from the prison. Since she called him “he,” it was undoubtedly a man… And for him to risk his life plotting her escape, he must have been more than just an ordinary believer. He might have had a close relationship with Lusha. Imagining what kind of “close” relationship that might have been caused a dull ache in Lloyd’s chest.

What am I even thinking?

They were simply escaping together. For him to be thinking things like that was disrespectful to her. Before long, Lusha poured magic into the Element Gem, producing water in the empty bowl, then soaked a silk cloth in it. Realizing this, Lloyd hurriedly turned his back.

“Shouldn’t I step outside after all?”

“N-No! That would make me feel too guilty… And besides, going outside the barrier would be dangerous.”

“I-If you say so, then… Okay…”

Giving a vague reply, Lloyd turned away.

Behind him, he heard the faint rustle of Lusha shifting her clothes. The soft brushing sound of fabric intertwined in small movements pricked at his ears, making him suddenly far too aware. The sound of the silk cloth soaking up water. Then the soft, wet sounds—picha, picha—as it stroked across skin reached his ears.

Every time the water sounds reached him, vivid images flooded into Lloyd’s mind, and he hurried to distract himself by counting blades of grass. But it was useless no matter what he tried. His imagination refused to stop, and worldly desires rose up to his throat.

Seriously…How immature could I be?

Lloyd squeezed his eyes shut and forced down his desires. Clearly, his training was still far from complete.

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