The One Who Misses Me the Most
“Were you upset because of me?”
I asked as I landed, and he looked incredibly embarrassed.
“...I know that would be imposing. I didn’t mean to trouble you.”
“Hmm… I’m heading to the Magic Tower now. What do you think? Want to come with me?”
Ash nodded as if he had been waiting for exactly that.
“I’m going to send letters to my friends. Should I tell you about them? There’s Mia and Iruse.”
The way he kept nodding suggested that would be enough. He really was such an easy man.
“Now that I think about it, you already know Iruse. We were kidnapped together—remember? The one with the pink hair.”
“I remember.”
“Oh, and she wanted to become your bride candidate… Do you remember that part too?”
“That will never happen.”
“Are you making a serious face right now?”
“No. Of course not.”
I ran my fingers over Ash’s hand, which had somehow found its way around my waist, and chuckled softly.
Does he really like me that much? At least he has good taste in people. That’s one of the qualities an emperor should have, I suppose.
Though letting me push him around might not be the best imperial trait… still, Ash likes it when I lead him by the nose! Everyone’s happy, so who cares?
Besides, if this body is the one doing the pushing, isn’t that practically a divine blessing?
That night I sprawled across the bed, devouring the snacks I’d bought earlier. Having a room to myself was perfect for moments like this.
I stayed up all night flipping through the books delivered to the inn and found quite a few treasures that genuinely tempted me.
They weren’t enough to ignite any real spirit of adventure, but since I had plenty of money, I figured I could buy anything that caught my eye if the owners ever showed up.
I marked the ones I liked, and before long the margins of the book were covered in my little tabs.
“No I’m not. I have no greed at all. Haven’t you heard of the pure-hearted water Spirit Master?”
I hadn’t paid much attention before, but the legacy left behind by the ancients was staggering. There were countless treasures imbued with all kinds of powers, and far more still waiting to be unearthed.
The documents clearly recorded their existence, yet no one knew where they were buried. It was enough to drive treasure hunters mad.
Reading through the books was strangely entertaining; I started to understand how history enthusiasts felt.
“Ooh… shoes that keep your feet from getting tired no matter how far you walk! I like these too!”
“This one’s nice too. It looks like thin cloth, but it says if you lie on it, it feels like floating on a cloud. ‘Experience the softness of heaven,’ it claims. Jackpot. Perfect for a sleeping bag.”
“Oh my, I have to buy this one!”
I spent the next few days in lazy bliss, browsing the catalog like a bored noblewoman on a shopping spree.
I stayed up all night reading and rolling around, then crawled into bed when the sun rose. I dragged myself up around noon like a zombie, practiced mana training in a half-dazed state, and finally felt refreshed enough to eat.
After a late breakfast-slash-lunch, I returned to my room to lounge some more.
When I had energy to spare, I called Undine for a bath, then lay on the bed in nothing but my underwear, doing absolutely nothing but breathing.
After living like that for about three days, I truly felt happy.
“You seem to be in a particularly good mood today.”
“Chad, you look a little more handsome than a booger today yourself.”
“That doesn’t sound like a compliment…”
“More importantly, did you get the tickets?”
“Ah, well… I went to the person mentioned in the letter of introduction, but they were never home. I’m planning to try again today.”
“You do know there are only three days left until Dra Tum Dra, right?”
I pointed two fingers at my own eyes, then at Chad’s, issuing a silent warning while I watched him.
If Chad couldn’t get the tickets, we’d have no choice but to buy from scalpers. I’d heard rumors the price could reach fifty times the original cost, but money meant almost nothing to me anymore.
It was just a number.
“You’re really putting pressure on me! I’ll wait all night if I have to, so don’t worry!”
“If you come back empty-handed I’ll step on your head to see over the crowd, so I’m not worried at all!”
“You know I’m having dinner with Akia tomorrow, right!”
“I know! My brain is a hundred times better than yours!”
After that exchange with Chad, the next person I ran into was Ash. We met in the inn hallway; even though it had been two days, his face looked exactly the same.
“Jeanie, what exactly have you been doing that you never leave your room?”
“Nothing at all? I do come out to eat, though.”
“…And your medicine? Have you been taking it properly?”
The reason I was meeting Akia tomorrow was because the medicine she’d given me would run out around then.
But I still had two days’ worth of the three-day supply left. I had only taken one dose in three days.
It wasn’t that I’d been saving it. My condition was fine, and more than anything, I’d simply kept putting it off because it was a hassle.
Still, if Ash found out I hadn’t been taking it, he would definitely make that serious face. He had left me alone because I promised I would eat it properly.
“Of course I finished it all!”
“That’s a relief. You do look like you’re in good condition.”
“……”
“If you don’t have any plans today, would you like to explore the city with—”
“Oh, I just remembered I have something to do! Bye!”
“Jeanie, wait… Jeanie?”
I dashed back to my room like I was fleeing and locked the door behind me.
Then, to destroy the evidence, I tried stuffing the remaining medicine into my bag. But the bag was so full that nothing would fit, so I ended up dumping everything out.
Half the things that spilled out were completely useless. I swept them aside, hid the medicine at the bottom of the bag, then decided it wasn’t safe there and pulled out my magic pouch instead.
The pouch was also a chaotic mess of random items, so I ended up starting the luggage organization I had been putting off for ages.
“Rai, take out everything I stored with you too.”
While organizing, I realized I had acquired quite a few treasures on this trip.
The first one I’d obtained was Lubao’s Compass, given to me by the gold dragon Adelaide. Before that there had been the Dragon Heart, but…
There had been the tragic incident where a passing metal spirit absorbed it.
If I ever wanted to act sad, I could just remember that event.
I gathered Lubao’s Compass together with the two spirit stones Arnel had given me.
“How’s the restoration of the spirit stones coming?”
“You said it would take three months, right? It’s already been three months.”
“Groin protector.”
In that case, it would be better to put the spirit stones back inside Rai for the sake of restoration.
So this goes to Rai, this goes in the luggage bag. This one I don’t use often, so into the magic pouch… While sorting, I unearthed something I had completely forgotten about.
It was inside my own bag.
“Mermaid’s Scales have to be carried on the body to have any effect, right?”
“I’ll have to ask Ash to turn them into a necklace for me.”
The Mermaid’s Scales still gave off a beautiful glow. I placed them on the bed where I could see them easily so I wouldn’t forget again.
Looking back on the treasures I had gained during the journey brought a fresh wave of emotion.
The bracelet I always wore was one of my favorite acquisitions. I had received it after rescuing a dark elf, and if I could get more of them I would pay any price.
Still, if I had to pick the most impressive treasure from this trip, it would be this ring without any hesitation.
Tears of Truth.
Considering its historical value, it might even surpass the Dragon Heart. Since it was said to have been created by a god, how could anything compare?
Thanks to Ash we had also found the Cup of the Golden Star.
Objectively speaking, the spoils of my journey were of extremely high quality.
This was exactly the standard of this body…
“Crap! No!”
I hurriedly hid the remaining medicine. Panicking about getting scolded for not taking it was definitely not my style!
The festival began today. The main event, Dra Tum Dra, would take place in exactly three days.
The city was already packed with people from all across the continent; it was almost hard to breathe.
If I hadn’t promised to have dinner with Akia, I would never have wanted to walk through this crowded square.
I would rather keep rolling around in my room. Going outside was such a hassle.
“It’s true! I waited almost all night yesterday! But what can I do if the owner never comes home? It’s not my fault!”
On a bright afternoon, our group crossed the square while engaged in lively conversation.
The main topic was still that Chad had failed to obtain tickets for Dra Tum Dra, and Chad felt deeply wronged.
“What are we going to do now?”
“I think we relied too much on the letter of introduction Lox wrote. Shouldn’t we try to find tickets through another route?”
“How? Haven’t you heard the rumors that even scalped tickets are so scarce the price is whatever the seller wants?”
“I did hear someone bought two for twenty-four gold yesterday.”
Listening to Gail and Enk, I clicked my tongue.
“They’ve gone crazy. Completely insane.”
Twenty-four gold—roughly calculating one gold as a million won… yikes.
“And there’s a rumor someone paid a hundred gold just to get through the city gates faster.”
“…That’s us.”
“Yeah… it’s spread everywhere. They’re calling you the God of Spending in this district.”
I wasn’t in any position to criticize others.
When the four men turned their heavy gazes on me, I snapped.
“What are you looking at? Being the center of attention no matter where I go is a skill too, you know!”
“If you say so…”
“Of course it is…”
Since I saved their lives, maybe I should just take them back. The problem was that even if I did, they’d be useless.
“What?”
Rai, in his wolf form, had both ears perked up high.
I had to admit it was rather cute.
He seemed to be talking about Lubao’s Compass. Yesterday, when I asked Ash to turn the Mermaid’s Scales into a necklace, I had made sure the compass no longer pointed at Ash.
Therefore, it was now reacting to someone else who missed me.
If the target was far away, the needle barely moved. But if they were close, it reacted violently.
“Jeanie, wait.”
Suddenly even Ash began acting strangely and stopped in the middle of the street.
There really seemed to be something there. He narrowed his eyes in the same direction Rai was looking and murmured in a low, uncertain voice.
“Someone… from over there.”
The way his eyes focused on the distance was so captivating that I stared openly.
It was sharp and flawless, like a predator eyeing its prey.
Ash usually behaved like a gentle herbivore, so this expression was rare. After a moment of silence he nodded, now certain.
“It’s definite. Someone is looking for you.”
“For me?”