The Runaway Maid is Loved by the Archmage - Chapter 161

※ This book contains depictions of coercive/dubcon/noncon acts, violence, and immorality. Reader discretion is advised.

“Hey, who are you?”

After a while, the red-haired man, who seemed to have calmed down a bit, spoke. Roina awkwardly fidgeted with the overalls that the man had given her, the kind a street boy might wear.

Come to think of it, this was the first time she had worn clothes like this since coming here. Because he had fussed over her, telling her to cover herself up so that not a single bit of skin was showing, the newly provided tunic was shaped to cover her well up to the neck.

He hadn’t been able to find any women’s underwear, so he had only given her the clothes, but thanks to the loose overalls, she was able to somewhat conceal her body, which had been so blatantly exposed. Whatever it was, it seemed better than that awful shirt.

“……”

Roina thought for a moment. She knew the light purple-haired woman who had saved her, but she didn’t remember her name. There hadn’t been any time for introductions. How should she describe that woman?

“Um, the light purple-haired… a woman sent me here. I was being chased.”

That was all the vague explanation she could give. Roina felt a bit troubled, but the man in front of her immediately made an “Ah-” sound, as if he understood. It seemed familiar to him.

“Again? I thought there wouldn’t be any of that for a while because of work.”

So, she ended up being noticed after all. He looked Roina up and down, scratched his head roughly, and then blushed slightly again. He shook his head vigorously and gestured for Roina to follow him. She trotted after him as he walked with a heavy tread.

It was a strange place. It was somewhat obvious that it was built underground, but it was reasonably clean, as people seemed to come and go frequently and clean it, and it seemed a bit less chilly and humid.

There didn’t seem to be any facilities for dehumidification or ventilation. Could there be some kind of magical device? Roina briefly had that thought.

The path following the red-haired man seemed to be a hallway, with doors that seemed to lead to various rooms. To be honest, she was curious about what kind of place it was, but she didn’t ask any particular questions. If it was a place hidden secretly like this, knowing too much might be harmful.

The man soon arrived at a place that looked like a kitchen. There were some groceries that were easy to store for a long time, and in one corner, there was a pot with steam rising from it. He took out some utensils and made a clattering sound, and soon brought out a bowl of stew and a few pieces of dry bread. He opened his mouth with a curt voice.

“Eat.”

Roina felt a hunger she hadn’t been aware of rising up at the smell.

“……Thank you.”

She greeted him with her eyes lowered slightly. She had a feeling that this person wasn’t a bad person. She sat down and ate the food, which was more delicious than she had expected. It was much better than what she had eaten during her days as a slave, at least.

Without realizing it, Roina tore the bread well, dipped it in the stew, and slurped it down quickly.

The man stood there askew, watching her eat with a strangely dissatisfied look, and then sighed.

“How many days have you been starving? Eat slowly. There’s more.”

So skinny and emaciated. But it’s good to see her eating well. He muttered that afterward.

Come to think of it, she didn’t remember eating. In fact, all her memories after being captured by Ryuhyeon were hazy, but it wasn’t like she had no memories at all.

As she recalled the memories, she felt a faint displeasure towards the one who had tried to break her will reflexively.

She followed. What on earth was he? A non-human being showing such intense obsession towards her.

“Thank you so much. For the clothes and the food… If you don’t mind me asking, what should I call you?”

Only then did Roina awkwardly attempt to introduce herself. Now that she had something in her stomach, her mind seemed to clear up a bit. She was slightly weary, but until just now, she had been running with all her might with an exhausted body, so she was almost in a state of collapse.

“……Jason.”

“Jason.”

Roina repeated his name, nodding her head. The man felt even stranger as his name flowed from her lips. It was a beautiful voice that suited her delicate and lovely appearance. His heart was pounding strangely. It was his own name that he heard as often as he ate, so he didn’t know what was so special about it that his heart was suddenly acting up. He patted his chest lightly. It felt like he had a bit of indigestion. Come to think of it, he hadn’t been feeling well lately.