Chapter 21: Scoot over (1/2)
”Ah, how about we drop it for now…” Scratching his head with an uneasy smile on his face, Kaster decided to laugh the topic away. It was obvious that the meaning of being marked was deep, otherwise, he would just explain it. What's more, if it was something silly, the guards wouldn't play along with it in the first place.
But ultimately, Layn decided to just nod his head and drop the topic. If for some reason it was hard on Kaster to speak about it, then there was no point in pushing his buttons. After all, it was only a matter of time before the archmage would learn what it means.
Walking along with the party, Layn quickly noticed that they were really leaving the city. Considering how everyone seemed to only carry a small bag, a pouch and their weapons, it didn't seem like it was any trouble for this group to move around on short notice. But that didn't mean Layn wasn't grateful for how considerate they were.
After all, he was the only reason why the situation escalated back with Kerren. Even though he was obviously bullying the girl, there was no way he would dare to do anything serious in the middle of the city. The fact that Layn couldn't keep his tongue behind his teeth ended up forcing the entire group to leave the war camp - something that they didn't seem to want in the first place.
”Hey…” After several moments of walking, Irea closed in on the archmage before snuggling rubbing her shoulder against his arm. Her lowered head made it impossible for Layn to read her mood or intentions.
”I… I wanted to thank you. I wanted to thank you for standing up for me.” Fingers of her hands played with each other above her abdomen as she silently whispered those words. For a moment, her body trembled, as if she was scared of Layn ridiculing her for some unknown reason.
”Don't even mention it. While I was quite excessive with it, isn't it the way that all men should act? Are the guys in your culture really that different from those I knew?” As silly as his excuse of being groomed by some kind of expert on the desert could be, Layn still could use it for his own benefit. It was thanks to how broad this fake backstory was, that he could adopt any mindset in the public, without anyone recognising it as a sign of him being from the future.
”I don't…” Instantly attempting to rebuke Layn's words, Irea raised her head up while doing so, only to reveal how teary and red her face was. Realising this fact while in the middle of denying what the archmage said, she turned mute only to lower her head again.
”I don't know… But yes, you are different from the others.” After a long moment of silence, Irea finally admitted before rapidly running away from the archmage's side.
'What a strange girl…'
Layn didn't feel insulted by being called out for being different from the others. While it wasn't a good sign for his disguise, if he were to appear just like everyone else in these times, it would be a far greater problem.
For the rest of the day, nothing else of significance happened. Walking forward at a slow yet steady rate, the group didn't stop even for a moment. If someone had to go to the side, it was his or her duty to catch up with the others later on.
The only event that stood out from the monotony of walking for several hours, was mealtime. While everyone pulled some kind of rations from their small backs whenever they were hungry to snack on it as they walked, when Irea did so, she quickly cast a glance at the archmage before once again getting close to him.
But instead of talking him up or even pretending that the events from before didn't happen at all, she simply forced a huge piece of beef jerky in his hand before moving several steps aside and starting to munch on her own piece.