Chapter 84
“I think… you can put me down now.”
I managed to squeeze the words out, though they sounded a bit stiff. From above my head, I heard Eden let out a sigh.
“To be honest, if we’re talking purely about strength, it would be more appropriate for me to be carried in your arms, Miss Cherry. But as a gentleman, how could I possibly allow that?”
He said that without a hint of shame—the part about being carried by me, of all things.
“That’s not it. I’m saying we can both just walk.”
“It’s pitch black. I think it’s better we keep going like this.”
“We could just hold hands.”
“I’m doing this because I’m worried you might trip. I’m worried.”
“What? Why are you worried about me?”
“Would you prefer I pray for you to fall, then?”
At Eden’s retort, I finally shut my mouth. Fine, there was no reason to refuse a comfortable ride in his arms.
Anyway, as we traversed the underground passage for a while and rounded a corner, I remembered the path that had been blocked off. I spoke up as Eden turned the bend.
“That path blocked by dirt—don’t you think we could clear it?”
“I was thinking the same thing. I think if we just dig out the entrance with a shovel, we can break through.”
I suddenly remembered Eden saying he would stay just a little longer before leaving.
“Why don’t you just stay here?”
Aurora would be safe regardless.
At my question, Eden’s body stiffened as if he were surprised. Of course, it was too dark to see his expression properly. He didn’t answer.
Then, after a long silence, the words he finally uttered were:
“Until the moment you no longer need me, Miss Cherry…”
He trailed off abruptly. Then, he clamped his mouth shut and said nothing more.
‘What? Why stop there?’
They say there are two ways to annoy someone: one is to stop talking in the middle of a sentence, and the other is…
Anyway, saying he’d stay until I no longer needed him was a bit ambiguous. I always needed Eden.
I had only intended to send him away because he was a crucial figure in <Love in a Ruined World>. Since Eden’s combat power was top-tier, having him by my side was an absolute win.
“I don’t know when that will be, but at least help me plan how to drive out those Kintne survivors before you go.”
“I fully intended to. And it would be best to hurry with that operation. Before those bastards completely seize control of the village.”
“I agree.”
I nodded in response to Eden’s words. It was a huge relief that he would stay with me at least until we drove out the Kintne thugs.
Still, the way things were unfolding, I felt I was drifting further and further away from my original plan of living quietly and surviving in Happy House. It was a truly sorrowful turn of events.
