Awoken by the chirping of birds, Lin felt a heavy weight on his chest. 

Looking down, he saw Lucy, soundly asleep, her breathing steady and calm. 

It was hard to believe, but ever since the panic of yesterday, Lucy had refused to be away from him for even a moment. 

“I’m scared when Lin isn’t around,” she had said.

“I will stay by your side,” Lin reassured her.

“And when I’m close to Lin, I feel calm.”

Despite being a brave warrior, Lucy was wary of the physical closeness and entanglement that came with being so near Lin. 

However, after escaping the betrayal of the hero party and finally regaining her sanity, Lin couldn’t bring himself to push her away. 

It seemed unnecessary to provoke her, especially when she was in her most stable state after losing her limbs. 

More than anything, it was surprising to see her react so intensely to his brief absence. 

Lin had thought Lucy would always harbor a dislike for him, so her dependence on him was unexpected.

“Must be the shaky bridge effect,” Lin mused. 

His only ally, his best companion, his Lucy. 

The words she repeated before falling asleep were a testament to how strongly she felt towards him, perhaps in her way of showing gratitude for saving her from the betrayal’s shock.

Lin was willing to accommodate her as long as she could regain her mental stability. 

Although the current circumstances were dire, and the prospect of restoring her lost limbs might eventually return their relationship to a more cynical state, it was a possibility Lin found a bit regretful. 

When Lucy had called him her best companion, Lin had felt an unexpected joy.

This was what it felt like to be recognized. 

Even though it came under extreme circumstances, it made him genuinely happy.

Influenced perhaps by this newfound connection, Lin, who was usually so stern and business-like, managed to smile at Lucy a little more. 

Of course, it was meant to reassure her that he was staying by her side, with no further implications. 

“Let’s wash up,” Lin said, gently picking up Lucy, still asleep, and placing her down on the bedding.

As he stretched and prepared to head towards the nearby spring, a hurried voice came from behind.

“Where are you going?”

“You’re awake,” Lin replied.

“Lin, where are you going?”

“To wash up.”

“Can’t you stay?”

“It’s about time to freshen up,” Lin said, sniffing his sleeve. “As the hero said, I do smell.”

Lucy had often chided him for his odor, but now that he was about to wash, she seemed reluctant to let him go. 

Although she hadn’t wanted to admit it until yesterday, Lucy had found a considerable sense of comfort in his scent. 

It was a sign of his presence. 

Moreover, it wasn’t a foul odor—just the smell of dust and faint sweat. 

The thought of losing that comforting scent made Lucy hesitant to let him go.

“I’ll go with you.”

“It’s safest here,” Lin argued.

“If I can’t calm down, what good is it? Besides, I need to wash up too,” Lucy insisted.

“Fair point,” Lin conceded.

He nodded and, after gathering some basic washing supplies from the pack, wrapped Lucy in a blanket. 

“Let my face be towards your chest,” Lucy requested.

“Why?” Lin asked.

“So I can smell you while we’re moving to wash up,” Lucy thought but didn’t voice aloud.

“I want to snuggle and sleep a bit more,” Lucy said, without any embarrassment.

Lin smiled softly. “It seems you didn’t have any nightmares today.”

“Oh! That’s right! I slept so well.”

Surprised by the newfound clarity in her mind, Lucy realized that it might be all thanks to Lin. 

Whether it was the effect of the shaky bridge or not, her feelings were increasingly tilted in Lin’s favor. 

For instance,“Did you sleep well?” Lin asked.

The mere sight of Lin’s face and smile was enough to make Lucy’s own lips curve into a relaxed smile. 

Wrapped in the blanket, she pressed her ear to Lin’s chest.

Thump-thump.

At that moment, Lucy didn’t care whether the heartbeat she heard was Lin’s or her own. 

She only wished to stay united like this, smiling happily and comfortably. 

Given the current peacefulness, they had the leisure to reflect on what Lucy had done for Lin and what she might regret.

Lin hoped she would never forget the humiliation she faced in the hero party until the day she defeated the Demon King.

“This is unfair,” Lucy complained.

“What do you mean?” Lin asked.

Lucy stared at the trees. 

She had expected to see Lin’s bare body while he washed at the spring, but now she pouted.

“Every time Lin washes me, he sees my entire body.”

“I try not to look,” Lin said.

“But you at least touch me,” Lucy retorted.

“Otherwise, I wouldn’t be able to wash you. I’m not a magician,” Lin explained.

Simply being a magician didn’t mean one could wash someone without touching them. 

Only a great mage with delicate magic control could fix someone in place and move tools like brushes or soap to clean them thoroughly.

“Well, it’s unfair!” Lucy insisted.

“It’s not that you want to see my body, but merely because you’re frustrated, I can’t accommodate such requests.”

“But Lin has seen me!”

“This is becoming difficult because the conversation keeps going in circles.”

“Just showing me would solve the issue easily.”

“Ha.”

Lucy had tried several times to turn around and sneak a look at Lin, but she was always stopped and eventually ended up bound by the blanket, staring at the trees. 

As the splashing sound from the spring grew louder, Lucy grew more anxious.

“When Lin disappears from my sight, I feel uneasy!”

“But we’re still talking, aren’t we?”

“That’s good.”

“….”

“Lin?”

“Yes?”

“I’m glad to hear your voice.”

“…I see.”

“And how about you, Lin?”

“It’s good to see the hero regaining her energy.”

“Hee-hee.”

The mischievous laughter seemed to reassure Lin as well. 

Despite the initial uncertainty about how to handle things without any goodwill, it was a relief that Lucy was able to open up her heart. 

Though she displayed a blend of playful and earnest antics, they were tolerable and wouldn’t pose a significant challenge moving forward.

Lucy, having regained her composure, was able to sense her surroundings and detect the presence of others by relying solely on her instincts, without the aid of skill scrolls, during their journey to the Samgak. 

Such was the nature of someone chosen as a hero—an embodiment of strength.

“This isn’t fair,” Lucy grumbled.

“What do you mean now?” Lin asked.

“Yes, Hero.”

“Look, this is what I’m talking about.”

Lucy sighed and complained, “Why is it only me who calls you by name?”

“Originally, within the party, we decided to use codenames…”

“Don’t talk about party rules. This is between you and me.”

There was an oddly pressing tone in her voice. 

Lin felt perplexed by her intentions, though he couldn’t quite grasp the larger picture she was drawing.

“Don’t you remember?”

“Remember what?”

“You told me not to call you by name.”

“Me?!”

Lin had no recollection of this at all. No matter how much he tried to recall, it remained elusive.

“Did we ever have such a conversation?”

Lin himself thought the question was pitiful. 

Something felt off. 

Lucy’s intuition was ringing alarm bells. 

Specifically, the behavior of Lucy and Estel from the past seemed peculiar.

“It was the second or third time, right?”

“Really?”

“Yes. You got angry when I called you by name instead of ‘Hero.'”

“…Really?”

“Yes.”

“Why did I do that…”

“That day, there was a major battle. It was the first time we repelled the demon invasion.”

It came back to him. 

It was an incident that occurred shortly after the hero party was formed. 

They had fought so hard that their breaths reeked of sweat, barely securing their first victory. 

Lucy, who couldn’t participate in the battle and was preoccupied with protecting herself, had lost her affection for Lin. 

Not just her, but the entire hero party had implicitly agreed to treat their baggage carrier as nothing more than a two-legged mule.

“It must have been frustrating since everyone was exhausted and on edge. I was lacking in sensitivity.”

Lin wanted to argue otherwise but found it difficult to, given his own lack of decency. 

His heart sank with a chilly heaviness. 

He simply wanted to call Lucy by her name, but his past self had ruined it all. 

Tears welled up in his eyes as he stared at the trees.

He scolded himself for crying over something so trivial, his nose scrunching up as he let out an involuntary sniffle. 

The sound was clear enough for Lucy to hear.

After a moment of contemplation, Lin finished his bath and emerged, drying himself off. 

With a deliberate flourish, he flicked the towel, allowing the sound of Lucy’s sniffling to penetrate through.

“Is it that bad?”

Lin understood that Lucy felt remorse, but this seemed a bit excessive. 

Nevertheless, considering it was a reflection on past mistakes, he decided to accommodate her. 

After all, he had always been the accommodating one.

“Lucy, it’s time for your bath.”

“…”

“Lucy.”

“Lin.”

“Yes, Lucy.”

“Call me Lucy. And speak informally with me as well.”

“…Lucy.”

“Yes, Lin.”

“Did you cry?”

“I didn’t cry!”

Her sudden outburst as if to break the mood made Lucy bristle. 

With Lin now using her name and speaking informally, her sniffles gradually subsided. 

As she unwrapped the swaddling and carefully held him, her eyes were already red.

Entering the Samgak, Lin wet a cloth and began to wash Lucy’s face. 

She closed her eyes and felt his gentle touch.

“Cheer up, cheer up.”

“I won’t!”

A bit of playful banter elicited a haughty reaction from Lucy as if nothing had happened. 

When drying her back, Lin was especially cautious, ensuring she could see him. 

Although the sensation of his hands on her chest and lower body was conveyed, neither of them addressed it explicitly.

After finishing what felt like a shower, Lin dried her hair with a towel. 

Lucy, who had been silently observing him, finally spoke up.

“Lin”

“Yes?”

“You’re handsome, so why were you wearing a mask?”

“Uh…”

Lin’s awkward smile and the sudden silence made Lucy uneasy once more. 

Could it be that…?

“When we first met, you said I was ugly. And that you didn’t want to see any male faces except for the shield knight’s…”

“Ah! Aaaaah!!!!”

Lucy, shouting in denial with all her might, burst into tears. 

“Why did I say that back then? And especially, not wanting to see any male face other than Linefold’s?”

The thought drove her nearly mad. 

She felt utterly pathetic. 

Simultaneously, a wave of fear overcame her. 

She remembered how she had been devoted to someone who had treated her with such disdain.

“I’m sorry… I’m sorry…”

Lucy could only offer her apologies through tears.

“It’s okay, it’s okay,” Lin comforted her, holding her close and patting her back.

As Lucy, full of regret and tears, calmed down to the rhythm of his heartbeat, she closed her eyes. 

If possible, she wanted to let Lin hear her own heartbeat, to show that she no longer despised him as she once did. 

She wanted to convey that she couldn’t do without him anymore.

But with nothing but memories of mistakes, Lucy fell silent and eventually drifted off to sleep. 

Before falling asleep, Lucy noticed a lingering, sticky emotion in her heart—an affection for Lin, who continued to embrace her despite her major mistakes, and an anxiety that it wouldn’t be strange if he left her at any moment.

Thus, Lucy’s obsession and dependence on Lin began to intensify.