Chapter 10
Her mildly annoyed, scolding tone and that scrunched‑up expression were things Alnazir had never once encountered in all his eternal life as a sovereign being. It was rude, unrefined, incredibly improper…
Yet strangely, it struck him right in the chest.
He slowly nodded, staring at the back of her head.
“Do that again.”
“…Do what?”
“That sound you made. The ‘shh.’”
Instead of repeating it, Fay glanced back over her shoulder, giving him a “what nonsense are you talking about?” look.
She didn’t repeat it, which was disappointing. But that expression was good in its own way.
“I like it.”
…Like what exactly? Fay thought.
This man was definitely strange.
An uneasy feeling pricked at her, but compared to the danger level of whatever tentacled horror was lurking in the mist, her discomfort was nothing. She turned away and crept forward cautiously.
The writhing tentacles, the eerie glowing eyes, none of it was in sight.
If the summoning circle was still intact, the summoned creature should still be around. And yet, nothing. Not even a shadow.
“…Did you erase my summoning circle on your way out of the mist?”
Fay whispered as she stared into the fog.
“The drawing on the floor?”
“Yes.”
“Possibly.”
Ambiguous, but considering how thoroughly the creature had vanished, his answer was probably true. Fay finally relaxed her shoulders.
“Looks like the monster went back to its own world. Now we just have to get out of here. Can you show me the way you came in?”
At the question of which direction he’d entered from, Alnazir glanced down at the summoning circle on the floor.
“Before that… may I say one thing? It might be meddling, but just in case.”
“Of course. What is it?”
His gaze slowly drifted down… toward Fay’s chest.
“Your clothes are disappearing. If you don’t do something, your body will probably turn out the same way. Are you fine with that?”
What he was actually looking at was her disintegrating clothing. Her side was already gone, and one b****t was nearly exposed.
“Kyaaaa!!”
“So you’re not fine.”
Her scream echoed through the abandoned temple. Her skin tingled where the fabric had vanished. Panicked, Fay tore off the half‑rotted rags clinging to her body.
“W‑what the…?”
She had no idea why this was happening. It felt like she’d been hit with some vile corrosive spell. But there was no one here who could’ve done such a thing. The only people in the abandoned shrine were herself and this mysterious man.
…No.
There was one more.
That octopus‑thing from earlier.
Fay glared into the mist. She could practically feel it lurking somewhere.
“If you need something to cover up with, use this.”
Alnazir offered her a piece of cloth. Fay didn’t need to ask where it came from. His lower half was once again breezy.
She wanted to say, “No thanks, you cover yourself,” but the words wouldn’t come out. Fay grabbed the cloth and wrapped it around herself as fast as possible.
“T‑thank you.”
She bowed her head as heat rushed to her face. She was too mortified to meet his eyes.
To think she had scolded him so fiercely earlier for not covering himself, and had declared she would protect him—only to look like this. Her head throbbed.
Fay glanced at the discarded clothing on the floor. It was already shrinking, dissolving into nothing.
“It was your favorite outfit?”
“No, it’s fine. I’m actually better off now. Someone with only one outfit was kind enough to lend it to me.”
It barely counted as clothing, but still.
Her heart stung, but she forced a smile.
Things were ridiculous, but at least she’d met someone kind. Odd, yes, but kind enough to lend the only thing covering him. That took a big heart.
“Your garments fall apart after just a little touch. Such fragile clothing you wear.”
“…I’m sorry, is that supposed to be a joke? Should I be laughing?”
“A joke?”
They stared at one another.
Fay’s smile slowly faded as realization dawned.
The monster had vanished. And immediately afterward, this man had appeared. The timing was suspiciously perfect.
She hadn’t doubted him because invoked were supposed to be beasts, not people. She had never heard of an invoked that could take human form.
“C‑come to think of it… I never asked your… your name. Wh‑what’s your name?”
Of course it couldn’t be him.
Her denial only made the stuttering worse.
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