I watched as Grace killed that man, and in that instant, a wave of relief washed over me. Thank goodness… I didn't even know what to say—just… thank goodness.
From the sidelines, my heart had been pounding the entire time. At the same time, I felt furious at my own helplessness. I couldn't even protect the person I cared about. And yet Karen… he hadn't panicked at all.
At first, I'd been angered by his words. He showed no intention of saving Grace. But now I understood—he had held back to make Grace grow. That really was just like him.
When Karen turned and walked away, I wanted to step forward and check on Grace. But my legs felt as heavy as if they were bound, refusing to move. Before I could gather myself, Alice rushed over first.
"Ms. Grace!!!"
Alice threw her arms around Grace, crying loudly, while Grace had just finished vomiting and was catching her breath.
"...Alice."
"Waaah… I was so scared you were going to die…"
"Sorry for making you worry."
"But your hair…"
Alice looked at Grace's hair with concern. Her once neat and beautiful long straight hair had become uneven, cut short and messy.
For some reason, Grace glanced at me before replying.
"...It's okay. It'll grow back."
Only then did I finally manage to walk up to her. I hesitated, unable to speak.
On the way here, I finally understood why my steps had been so heavy.
I didn't have the strength to play the hero. When the person I liked was in danger, all I could do was watch and worry. Maybe… I didn't even have the right to pursue Grace.
I was a merchant. I'd never trained with a sword since I was young. If I wanted to catch up to Grace—who had trained since childhood—and protect her, I would need to work far harder.
Grace had already reached the age of marriage. By the time I became strong enough… who knew how long that would take? She might have already passed her prime… or even become someone else's wife.
Maybe I should just give up on her.
The difference in our status was too great. A mere viscount family daring to pursue someone from a duke's family—it was ridiculous. Even if Grace married me, it would only bring shame to her family.
I should go back to how I was before joining this group. Let go of these feelings. Don't let them grow again. If I endure for a while, once this is all over, I can find a new smile… and a new love.
Still… I should continue learning swordsmanship from Grace. After all, Karen had already bought me a sword. Quitting now would only trouble them.
Now that I'd made up my mind, I forced myself to face Grace again with a calmer heart.
"Grace, are you hurt?"
Her face looked pale from vomiting. When she looked at me, she quickly covered the lower half of her face, as if she didn't want me to see her like this.
"...No."
That was a relief.
Then I remembered—after vomiting, her mouth must feel awful. I formed a basic water-element magic everyone learns as a child: Water Ball.
"Do you want to rinse your mouth?"
"...Yes."
She answered shyly, and my heart stirred. But I didn't want to fall any deeper. I pinched my thigh hard, letting the pain drown out that feeling I now hated.
While Grace rinsed her mouth, I heard voices nearby—Miss Ethe, Hera, and Sicilia.
"Shien, wake up!"
"Shien!"
"What do we do? He's not responding…"
The three of them were panicking over Shien, who had been knocked unconscious after I shoved him—his head hitting the partition hard.
Once Grace finished rinsing, Hera and Sicilia stormed over and shouted at me.
"Hey! Why did you push Shien?! He was just trying to save your companion!"
"Exactly! How could you do something like that?!"
Before I could respond, Alice jumped in angrily.
"You're the ones who interfered and made the bad guy angry!"
"We made him angry? We were trying to help! Instead of thanking us, you're blaming us?"
"Yeah! You should be grateful Shien tried to save you!"
Their words were embarrassing. They hadn't done anything themselves, yet they spoke so self-righteously. And Shien? He could use all four elements—that was unusual, sure, but it didn't make him particularly strong.
"We don't need your help! Stop acting so self-important!"
Alice was right. We didn't need help—and Shien had only made things worse.
"Stop, don't argue…"
Grace tried to mediate, but it didn't help. I placed a hand on Alice's shoulder and guided her away while speaking.
"Alice, don't waste your breath arguing with them. They only know how to rely on others—they don't have much ability themselves."
Even as I said it, I knew I was also talking about myself.
"What did you say?! You knocked Shien out! If anything happens to him, none of your lives will be enough to pay for it!"
"Exactly!"
So that was their real concern—Shien. Fine.
"As long as he wakes up safe, that's enough, right?"
"Wha—?"
"Move."
I pushed them aside like opening a door, then knelt next to Shien. Miss Ethe looked up at me.
"Mr. Merchant…"
"I'm sorry for hurting your childhood friend. I'll take responsibility and wake him up. Nutrient Recovery."
After apologizing, I used a biology healing magic. A soft blue light radiated from my hand until Shien's stomach let out a loud growl.
"What is this…?"
Miss Ethe stared at my hand, as if she wanted to ask about the spell—but I couldn't explain.
"He should wake up soon. There won't be any lasting effects."
"Thank you, but—"
"What did you do to Shien?! What kind of magic is that?! I've never heard of it!"
Hera cut her off. I stood up, turned around, and answered flatly.
"There are plenty of magics you've never heard of."
I walked away, but as I passed her, she grabbed my arm.
"Tell me what that magic was. I don't believe you."
I shook her off without looking back.
"Whether you believe me or not is your problem."
"...Huh? I… what happened? Why am I so hungry…?"
Shien finally woke up. Miss Ethe and Sicilia rushed to him.
"Shien!"
"Shien!"
"...I'll let you off this time. Shien, are you okay?"
Hera's tone flipped instantly—from hostile toward me to gentle toward him. The speed of that change was honestly terrifying.
Then Grace and Alice approached me. Grace spoke first.
"Mr. Jacob, you used biology magic in front of them… is that okay?"
"It's fine. I didn't chant—they won't be able to replicate it."
Then Alice spoke.
"Mr. Jacob, you should've let me handle the healing. I'm a saintess."
"It was something minor. No need for you to step in."
"I see."
Her light magic was rare, but widely known. In fairy tales, white light was always described as the blessing of the Goddess of Fate.
If Alice used it, her identity as a saintess would be exposed.
Karen would definitely be angry.
He had never liked Alice. I'd never once seen Karen smile at her—only irritation. The only reason he allowed Alice to join was because she was half-demon and could use dark magic.
If her identity were exposed… I feared Karen might eliminate her on the spot.
I'd better get back to Karen.
"The only enemy left is their boss. Let's go to Karen."
"I haven't retrieved my sword yet. Give me a moment."
Grace went to pull her sword from the man's chest… but after a while, she still hadn't succeeded.
"...It won't come out—ah! It broke!"
Her near-despairing voice made me rush over.
"What broke?"
She was crouching on the ground, not answering. I knelt beside her—and the first thing I saw was her face.
Tears streamed down in large drops.
I froze, startled.
"Y-you're crying?! What broke?!"
"I… I… my sword… waaah!"
She burst into tears. The blade in her hand was snapped in half—the other half still lodged in the man's chest.
"Grace, don't cry. It's just a sword," Alice said.
Grace shook her head, her voice filled with sadness.
"Alice, how can you say that? It's been with me for two years. I can't just throw it away."
"...I'm sorry."
Alice meant no harm—she just lacked tact. For Grace to cry like this, she must have cherished that sword deeply.
I tried to comfort her.
"Grace, sometimes losing something means it's time for something new. Maybe it's a sign you need a new partner."
"...But I only just truly used it for the first time… and now it's gone…"
She really loved that sword.
I didn't know much about weapons, but… it should be repairable, right?
"Then let's fix it. We'll go to the best forge in the capital."
"Mr. Jacob… thank you."
She seemed a little better. I felt relieved—until Alice poured cold water on it.
"Will Mr. Karen agree?"
"Ugh…"
Grace's mood sank again.
"It's okay. Karen will understand. Don't lose hope."
Karen might not like wasting time, but she was considerate.
When I had considered skipping Kenli because it was a detour, Karen still went—clearly to help me expand my connections.
Then suddenly, Grace covered her entire face.
"...Um… I look terrible right now. Please don't look."
"O-okay."
Caught off guard, I quickly stood up.
She was just embarrassed in front of a man—that had to be it. It wasn't because she didn't want me to see her like this.
I repeated that to myself over and over.
(Don't be delusional. Grace doesn't like you. She likes strong man.)
Still…
Maybe I should keep trying. At least… I should become strong enough to protect my future wife.
After wiping her face, Grace finally pulled out the broken blade and sheathed it.
Then we headed off to find Karen and Ethefelis.