Evading the Hero’s Party with Full Effort

Chapter 61

Ch.61 That’s Right, Why do you keep doing it when I tell you not to?

“Ugh…… It’s cold.”

As we gradually got closer to the North Pole, the wind became bitingly cold.

My face stung from the knife-like wind that seeped into my very bones.

“Ugh… It’s insanely cold.”

I also hunched my shoulders and nodded in agreement.

“It’s probably the coldest place, after all.”

It’s no joke; quite a few people actually die from frostbite.

The cabin was relatively warm, but Selena seemed to feel stifled from staying inside all the time.

I followed her out to the deck as she wanted to get some fresh air.

No merfolk appeared today. The water surface was just calm.

Thanks to that, we hadn’t yet faced the grueling struggle of having to fight in this cold.

–Whoosh.

Instantly, we shivered uncontrollably from the chill that engulfed our entire bodies.

Geez… Isn’t this even colder than a snowy field?

I fixed my gaze for a moment on the scattered ice floes visible on the deep blue water.

“Shall we head in soon?”

“Yeah, let’s.”

Selena and I had been using separate rooms until recently, but because it was so cold, we now stayed together in one room.

The method chosen by me and Selena, who were worn out by the fierce cold of the Arctic.

In the narrow cabin, we could warm the room with each other’s body heat.

One might think human body heat isn’t much, but here, even that helps.

That’s how severe the cold is.

Well, of course, I use my own cabin when changing clothes or washing up.

Returning to the guest room, I took off my thick coat.

“By the way, when do we arrive at the Arctic?”

“Um… In about two weeks?”

Selena also took off her coat, hung it on a hanger, and tidied up.

Once we carefully passed the area with the sea whirlpools, the next was a sea area with drifting icebergs.

Just a bit further from there was our destination where we planned to disembark.

“Really? That’s a relief, at least.”

Stretching out both arms, Selena let out a yawn.

“I was getting so bored with life on the ship.”

I grinned and teased her with a mischievous joke.

“Are you bored of being with me too?”

Did she not expect me to jump in like that?

“Eeek! Wha… what was that all of a sudden?”

Selena’s face turned bright red as she stammered. It’s cute, though.

Seeing this cute side of her makes me want to tease her even more, doesn’t it?

“So, are you bored of being with me too?”

“Tha… that’s not it. But I want to do other things too.”

Oth… other things?! At those words, my face now grew hot.

“While traveling alone with you, I want to eat delicious food and see fun plays too.”

Ah, was that what she meant? I got excited for nothing.

“Let’s do that later, once our business in the Arctic is over. We’ll definitely do it then.”

–Knock knock.

Suddenly, a knocking sound was heard, followed by a man’s voice.

“Mr. Hans? You need to come out for a moment.”

It was Carlos.

What’s going on?

I answered towards the door.

“Yes, I’ll be right out.”

I apologized to Selena, who looked curious.

“I’ll be back soon?”

“Okay, come back quickly.”

-Click.

As I stepped outside the door, Carlos was standing there with a worried expression.

“What’s the matter?”

“Well… It seems we’ll have to change our course.”

“Huh? What do you mean?”

Carlos slightly avoided my eyes.

“There’s a whirlpool of tremendous size ahead of us now. We must avoid that area.”

It seemed the sea whirlpool we had been concerned about had formed.

“I’ll handle it.”

I hurried up to the deck, took Kirke’s Staff out of the spatial bag.

I had used it a few times for testing after obtaining it, but unlike in the game, it consumed a lot of stamina, so I hadn’t really planned on using it much. For me, who possesses many usable artifacts, it was inefficient.

Then again, if I could spam Meteor unlimitedly like in the game, it would be the end of the world.

“Fly.”

I used the Fly spell to lift the ship into the air.

Huh? Wait! This is harder than I expected!

I ended up staggering.

“Wh… what is this?”

“The ship, the ship is shaking terribly. The waves are rough!”

“Fool! It’s not the waves… the ship is rising!”

“What?!”

From the moment I used the spell, my head started throbbing as if it would burst.

“The ship is flying in the sky?”

“What in the…? This is unbelievable!”

I could hear the sailors making a frantic uproar, but that wasn’t important right now.

My head felt constricted.

From the terrible pain, I let out a scream without even realizing it.

“Gyaaah!”

Just a little more… just a little more and…!

We’ll soon be past the whirlpool.

If the magic wears off midway, the ship will fall and get smashed into the whirlpool, and then everyone will die!

That must never happen.

Thinking of Selena, Carlos, and the sailors who followed me here…

Moreover, if our lives are threatened by a natural disaster like a whirlpool, the power of the Goddess’s Wedding Ring doesn’t apply.

Meaning… I could die too.

So, desperately enduring the pain, I safely landed the ship on the other side of the whirlpool.

“Puh, haa… haa…”

The strength left my legs and I collapsed.

“Dammit… I almost died for real.”

It was so tough that even my nose ran, and I wiped it away with the back of my hand.

“Huh? Blood?”

But what came off was blood.

A nosebleed.

“Mr. Hans, you’re an amazing magician?!”

“Haha… It’s… it’s nothing.”

I answered Carlos, who was beaming, as if it were no big deal.

Carlos took a handkerchief from his pocket and wiped my nosebleed for me, as I was disoriented.

My head was buzzing so much I wasn’t in any state to do anything, so I quietly waited for him to stop the bleeding with holy magic.

“Carlos, help me up.”

With a headache that felt like my skull would crack, it wasn’t easy to get up.

“Of course, I should.”

Carlos slipped his hands under my shoulders and hoisted me up.

I barely managed to put strength into my trembling legs and stood, bracing myself.

“Thanks.”

I expressed my gratitude to Carlos for his help and put the staff back into the spatial bag.

“Oh? Is that a spatial bag? I’ve only heard rumors about it. This is my first time seeing one in person.”

“Yes. While traveling, you need various things. Now that things are okay, please maintain the course.”

Dragging my staggering body, I headed towards Selena’s room.

Ugh… I might fall over again.

It seems that the more powerful magic the user casts with Kirke’s Staff, the stronger the recoil they pay as a price.

Determining not to use it anymore in the future, I knocked on Selena’s door.

-Knock knock.

“You’re back alre……? Hans, what’s wrong with your face?”

“Ah… I was dealing with something outside.”

She placed her hand on my forehead with a surprised expression.

“My goodness, this is cold sweat!”

Only after her hand touched me did I realize how hot my forehead was.

“Ugh…!”

“Are you okay?”

-Thud…!

I ended up collapsing.

“No… I think I’m going to die.”

Those were my last words before I lost consciousness.

***

“Kyaak!”

Selena hurriedly pulls the collapsed Hans over and lays him on the bed.

“Let me check your fever.”

Selena calmly examines Hans’s condition.

Apart from a raging fever, Hans’s body showed no particular symptoms.

‘Just like a mage who used high-level magic?’

Seeing Hans exhibit symptoms similar to magic depletion, Selena got up from her spot.

She took an unused towel, wet it with water, and placed it on Hans’s forehead.

‘Ugh… He hasn’t even said he’ll join the organization yet.’

Because her relationship with him was ambiguous, a small conflict arose within her.

If she wanted, she could kill Hans right now, while he’s unconscious.

Inside, she repeated Hans’s name, pondering and pondering what to do.

Should she kill him? Or save him?

‘Hans… Hans… what should I do?’

Considering the prophecy that the master of Equality would kill their god, it was right to eliminate him immediately.

But……

For her, experiencing love for the first time, that was too cruel an act.

So, she began to rationalize.

‘Perhaps we can make him our ally.’

She didn’t know how he knew, but he knew the locations of the god’s powers.

He probably even knew the locations that hadn’t been deciphered yet.

If he obtained the remaining powers, he might truly be able to annihilate even those celestial gods.

The scale in Selena’s heart tipped in one direction.

He could be a great asset to her organization.

Therefore, she should save him.

“Right? Hans? You’ll help us, won’t you?”

Sadness clouded Selena’s eyes as she stroked his forehead.

Because even she wasn’t sure whether he would help them or not.

‘If… he doesn’t become our ally…’

A desperate determination swirled in her eyes.

‘…then I’ll have no choice but to kill him.’

Although it hadn’t been long since she met him, Selena was fully aware of the love for Hans that had grown within her.

Because when she saw him, her heart fluttered, and the time spent with him was fun and enjoyable.

The clever Selena knew, even without having experienced it before, that this feeling was love.

But.

If this private feeling called love interfered with the organization and her reason for existence…,

She would hold back her tears and kill Hans.

“So… please be on my side.”

As her murmur settled on Hans like a small feather, he flinched.

“Ugh…”

“Are you awake?”

Selena shook off the gloominess as if it never happened and smiled as usual.

***

“Are you awake?”

I answered the question from beside me with a cracked voice.

“Wa… water.”

I took the cup she offered and quenched my thirst.

“Haa… I think I might live now.”

As I drank the water and looked at Selena, she made a worried expression.

“Does it hurt anywhere else?”

“Huh? I’m fine after sleeping and waking up?”

I slowly rotated my shoulders to check if anything was wrong, but my body wasn’t as bad as I thought.

“Huh?”

Then, the wet towel placed on my stomach caught my eye.

“Did you do this for me?”

Only then did I notice the damp moisture on my forehead.

“Yeah. But are you really okay……”

-Grab.

Before she could finish her answer, my body moved first. I tightly hugged Selena and beamed brightly.

I’m so touched, aren’t I? You prepared a wet towel because I was in pain?

Is this why people want to get married and settle down as soon as possible?

A scene played in my mind.

A scene of me killing the King of the Dead and living with Selena in a beautiful mansion.

A son and daughter with black hair resembling me and her.

And happy times pass. The son grows up before we know it, brings home a woman to marry, and we even see our grandchildren…

I can just get the house from Pisa, right?

Despite how I may seem, I am a proper baron ruling Pisa.

I haven’t been there much, but since there’s a mansion, it wouldn’t be bad to make it our nest.

But what should I name the grandchildren?

Is Ian a good name? For a grandson, Ian, and for a granddaughter, Renée would be nice, right?

If anyone heard, they might think I’m a true virgin, but so what? It’s true, I am a true virgin.

“I can’t breathe……”

Selena, seemingly frustrated, hit my arm, so I let her go from my embrace.

“What, you surprised me all of a sudden?”

“Well… you were so pretty, I couldn’t help it. I just hugged you, that’s all?”

She opened her eyes drowsily, her face slightly reddened.

“Weren’t you just saying that as an excuse to sneakily hug me?”

It was Selena, who usually fumbles awkwardly in these situations, but today she sharply called me out.

But…

“Yeah, I hugged you because I wanted to.”

As I gave a faint smile, her face burned up. I was almost worried if smoke would start coming out.

“Eeek…”

Selena fanned herself with her hand to cool down the heat.

She grumbled with an expression of frustration.

“Seriously. How can you say things like that so easily?”

“I wonder? Maybe it’s because you’re just so pretty?”

I mean it. A woman as pretty as Selena, and with no disqualifying factors personality-wise either.

I’m happy.

“Really, be honest. How many people have you dated until now?”

To hide her embarrassment, she glared at me even more intensely, and I said to her:

“I told you, it’s my first time dating?”

“Ugh… But why are you so skilled at it then?”

I thought for a moment, but no particular reason came to mind.

I just said what I felt honestly.

“Am I skilled? I don’t know? I just said what I felt.”

Now Selena covered her face completely with her palms, her shoulders trembling slightly.

Instantly, a mischievous thought came to mind, and I poked Selena’s shoulder with my finger.

“Why……”

Hearing her voice filled with embarrassment, I lightly touched her shoulder again.

“What’s wrong?”

“Look at me.”

Only then did she slowly lower her palms.

As I moved my lips towards her beautiful cheek…

“Kyaak!”

“Yah!”

Selena pushed my chest hard.

Is it because she’s a magic swordsman? It hurts more than I thought.

Did my rib just break?

“Ugh… cough…”

Seeing me in so much pain, Selena looked at me with a flustered expression.

“Hans, are you okay?! Wha… what do I do if you suddenly do that? You surprised me!”

It hurt more than I expected, so I rubbed my chest with my hand.

“You were so pretty, I couldn’t help it.”

The place where Selena hit me hurts incredibly more than I thought.

The gradually increasing pain made me grimace involuntarily.

“Does it hurt a lot?”

“No. It doesn’t hurt at a… cough!”

When blood showed through my cough, Selena’s face turned pale as a sheet.

“What should we do?! Does it hurt a lot? Wait, I’ll get a potion.”

Selena, frantic with panic, rummaged through the shelf.

I took the red vial she handed me.

-Pop.

I downed the contents in one shot, and the heavy pain subsided.

Even so, Selena, seemingly still anxious, kept asking about my condition.

“Are you okay?”

“Yeah, I’m really fine now.”

The beautiful face hiding between her palms again.

Only then did she let out a deep sigh of relief.

“Haa… Thank goodness. But why did you suddenly do that? You surprised me, you know?”

I formed an awkward smile.

“Well, it’s just that you were so pretty, I didn’t think you’d dislike it. I’m sorry.”

Selena couldn’t say anything and just trembled.

Seeming offended, she glared at me with sparkling eyes and said:

“It’s not that I dislike it, it’s just that you surprised me by doing it suddenly!”

It seems it wasn’t so much dislike but more surprise and fluster.

Thinking I’d tease her a bit more, I approached her and said:

“Did our Selena get very surprised?”

As I stroked her lovely hair, she turned her head away, seemingly embarrassed.

Well, she would be embarrassed. She just shattered the rib of the guy she’s seeing who tried to kiss her.

I don’t know where such strength comes from in her slender body.

“Stop it……”

Her fading voice made me happy, and I couldn’t stop, teasing her even more.

“Why? Were you surprised because I tried to kiss you?”

As I spoke as if soothing a child, Selena’s irritation exploded.

“Ah! Stop it!”

She shot me a sharp look and hit my chest.

-Thwack!

“Ack!”

Only then, perhaps remembering that my rib had been broken earlier, Selena looked at me with a surprised expression.

“Are you okay? Did it hurt a lot? No… That’s right, why do you keep doing it when I tell you not to?”

She’s right, her hand is fierce. I shouldn’t mess around. Next time, I might really die.

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