Rin, What's Your Ideal Type?
Their journey through the nameless forest was finally drawing to a close.
True to its status as the starting area of Chapter 1, there were no enemies capable of threatening Lucy and Rin.
However, the mere absence of enemies did not mean they were out of harm's way; the forest was teeming with other nuisances.
There were tiny venomous insects, pests like snakes that targeted them from their blind spots, and trees that all looked identical, threatening to rob them of their sense of direction the moment they let their guard down.
For a non-combatant and a quadruple amputee, it was a perilous environment.
“Ah—”
Rin prioritized Lucy in everything he did.
Even if it was uncomfortable for him, if Lucy said she was comfortable wrapped in the carrier, he would keep walking or holding her just like that. He pushed through the grueling march even when drenched in sweat, yet the moment Lucy showed the slightest hint of exhaustion, he stopped to rest.
It was no different now. The moment Lucy’s stomach growled, Rin did not hesitate to pull out some honey and bring a spoonful to her lips.
“Mmh, ah—”
Lucy opened her mouth, mimicking him. She eagerly swallowed the honey he fed her.
Even if she had no choice since she lacked limbs, Lucy loved meal times. It was the one time she could watch Rin closely as he meticulously checked if she had finished or if she was eating well.
“Aren't you going to eat, Rin?”
“If I need to.”
“You have to eat too...”
“I'm fine for now.”
He was not fine. Rin's stomach growled constantly.
No matter how much Lucy worried, Rin would only pull out a withered brown weed from his breast pocket and chew on it when he felt like he was about to collapse from starvation.
When she asked what it was, he told her it was bracken, boiled and soaked in water.
Unable to watch any longer, Lucy tried to firmly tell him to eat a proper meal.
“You're making me anxious! Please, just...!”
“It's fine. I've been trained since the journey to subjugate the Demon King, so I'm used to it.”
Seeing him smile so casually made her freeze.
It was because she remembered how, in the past, while he—a non-combatant—had gone to attend to some chore, the rest of the party had frequently devoured all the food he had prepared.
At first, it happened because everyone was starving and ate like beasts, but since he calmly claimed he was fine, she had taken it for granted.
In truth, he had been hungry too. He had forced himself to endure it, getting used to the hunger, sacrificing himself solely for the Hero's party.
She utterly loathed her past self, who had constantly belittled him as a useless, walking inventory slot.
This was the greatest source of torment for Lucy.
She loved Rin.
My only ally, my best companion, my Rin.
She remembered the warm smile he had given her when she said those words.
But mere words were not enough to make her feel closer to him.
Rin, who had silently endured all kinds of belittlement and contempt, remained unresponsive even to the affection she hesitantly tried to show.
She wanted to close the distance between them—a distance that had never widened no matter how much she pushed him away—but nothing seemed likely to change.
“Are you uncomfortable anywhere? You look pale.”
“No, I'm fine.”
“Tell me if you need anything.”
I want you to smile at me without any pretense.
But Lucy knew she had no right to make such a demand, so she only wore a bitter smile.
“No, really, I'm fine.”
“Alright.”
“Rin.”
“Yeah?”
“...”
“What is it?”
“...Just, thank you.”
“It's only what I should do.”
Lucy worried that Rin's kindness stemmed merely from a sense of duty.
There was a reason Rin was pushing himself to the absolute limit to keep moving.
First was the presence of pursuers.
He didn't know if they existed. But he had to assume they did and avoid the worst-case scenario.
Reinhold was a meticulous man. For the sake of the Crown Princess, he would want to eliminate even the slightest possibility of danger, no matter how small.
He might have secretly sent pursuers on his own initiative.
Alternatively, Rinasien herself might have given the order. Desiring to stand at the very top, she lacked the patience to temporarily ignore an obstacle, regardless of necessity or priority.
She always lacked patience. Ever since we were kids.
Rin knew the Crown Princess's tendency all too well—acting without even checking whether a stone in her path was a stumbling block or a lifeline. He used to like that proactive side of her.
“Rin, are you listening?”
“Sorry. I was focusing on our surroundings.”
“I don't hear anything.”
“That's a relief.”
“Rin.”
“Yeah.”
“Focus on me.”
“Alright.”
“You're all I have.”
“That's not necessarily...”
“You are. Who else is by my side besides you?”
“...No one.”
“And I'm all you have, too.”
As the only Hero who could save the world, that was true. Rin gave a slight nod. Lucy's face brightened.
“Rin, what do you want to do once peace returns to the world?”
“Once it's peaceful?”
“I want to know how you want to spend the rest of your life.”
Lucy's tongue was itching. It was a topic she had pondered over and over. Realizing that dwelling on the past would only bring pain, she had come up with the clever idea of talking about the future instead.
Lucy wanted to hear Rin say he wanted to spend the rest of his life with her. Even though she knew the chances of him saying that were extremely low, she pricked up her ears in anticipation.
“Well, I'd like to rest. I've been running without a break, though not as much as you, Lucy.”
“Ah... Just that?”
“It's been so long since I've had a proper rest.”
“And after that? After you've rested enough? You'll have saved the world, so you'll have plenty of wealth and fame. Isn't there anything you want to do with that?”
“Those things should go to you, Lucy. You're the one who suffered the most.”
“Still! You're a member of the Hero's party, so you'll get a decent share, even if it's not as much as me!”
“Hmm.”
Rin racked his brain, but he couldn't picture it at all.
“It doesn't really feel real. Maybe because I've lived scraping by every day.”
“I see...”
“But if I had the money, I suppose I'd build a house in a quiet place and live comfortably.”
He felt a pang of bitterness after speaking. Before he knew it, his desires had become so mundane. He felt as though he had lost his past self, who, if not ambitious, had at least been full of passion.
“By yourself?”
“Huh?”
“Are you going to live in that house all by yourself?”
“It's my house, so wouldn't I be alone?”
“Like, starting a family? What about that?”
“I'm not popular.”
“No, you're handsome, Rin.”
“Hmm.”
“Back then, I said that without really looking at you!”
"Back then" referred to the day she first met Rin. Indeed, it was the day she told him he was ugly and should wear a mask.
As the conversation kept hitting walls, Lucy decided to ask him directly.
“Then what about your ideal type? Rin, what's your ideal type?”
Rin stopped in his tracks.
“Ideal type?”
“Yeah, your ideal type.”
To be honest, Rin found this conversation uncomfortable. Perhaps because he had been exposed to indifference or malice for too long, the idea of someone trying to get to know him felt strange.
Hearing a soft, lively voice directed at him felt unrealistic. While he was certainly the protagonist of his own life, he was not the protagonist of the world, making this feel incredibly foreign and unfamiliar.
Rin was bewildered by a topic that seemed fit only for popular social circles.
“Rin...?”
But he was currently taking care of Lucy. He had to keep her in good spirits. To restore her limbs and prepare her to fight against the impending dangers of the world, he had to do this.
“An ideal type... you mean, the kind of person I like?”
“Your dream lover or spouse.”
“Uh...”
“You don't have one?”
“Nothing specific comes to mind, but... someone who isn't calculating?”
“What about looks?”
“If they just like me, I'd be grateful enough.”
“R-really?”
“Yeah. That person would be so precious. Just that alone is more than I deserve.”
Lucy felt a surge of accomplishment, as if she had finally made a breakthrough. Did she like him? Of course. Was she a calculating person? If she were, she wouldn't have been betrayed for her reckless arrogance. If anything, she had been devoted to her companions.
...Though she had fallen far short when it came to Rin, she had resolved to change. Lucy hoped she might soon qualify as a candidate for his heart. Since there would be no rivals anyway, she optimistically believed she only needed to win him over.
“What about you, Lucy? What's your ideal type?”
“My ideal type?”
A new opportunity had arrived. For once, Rin was asking about her. This was her chance to drop hints so he could realize she had feelings for him.
“Someone who is gentle.”
Rin, who tolerates all my irritation and anger.
“Considerate.”
Rin, who notices the moment I toss and turn and asks if I'm okay.
“And someone who protects me.”
Rin, my only ally, who saved and protected me from the betrayal of the Hero's party.
Surely, this was enough to get the message across?
“I figured as much.”
The conversation ended there. It was a clean wrap-up, leaving no room to add anything else. But what did he mean by "I figured as much"? How did he know? Did Rin already know how she felt?
As Lucy busily spun a web of doubts and questions in her mind, she suddenly went pale.
Someone who is gentle.
Reinhold, who is gentle to everyone, matching his handsome blond-haired, blue-eyed appearance.
Considerate.
Reinhold, who speaks softly and considers others' feelings.
And someone who protects me.
Reinhold, who raised his shield to protect her in every battle against the demons, and who protected her as his fiancée without ever laying a finger on her.
“No!!!”
“Lucy?!”
“I said no!”
Realizing she had shot herself in the foot, Lucy screamed in denial.
“What's wrong, Lucy?”
“Rin!”
“Yes, I'm right here.”
“You're the only one I have!”
“I know. You told me earlier.”
“I absolutely wasn't thinking of Reinhold when I said that!”
“Reinhold? Ah, you mean your ideal type.”
“No! I wasn't thinking of Reinhold! Did you forget that bastard instigated everyone to cut off my limbs?!”
This was awkward. Rin had simply assumed that the reason Lucy liked Reinhold in the past was because he fit her ideal type. Back then, before Reinhold showed his true colors, he had seemed like the perfect fiancé and protector.
That was why he said he figured as much, but it seemed he had accidentally pushed Lucy's panic button.
“Rin, Rin... Because it's you, you shouldn't jump to conclusions about my feelings like that. Okay?”
“Of course.”
“Rin, I... I only have you. If I'm not in your arms, the world feels like it's spinning. If I don't hear your heartbeat when I sleep, I have nightmares every night. Nightmares of that bastard Reinhold tearing me apart!”
“It's okay, Lucy. I'll stay by your side if that's what you want.”
“Really? You promise?”
“Yes, I promise.”
“I don't like Reinhold. You know that, right?”
“Who would like their enemy?”
“I regret the days I was engaged to that bastard to death.”
“Of course you do. He's the one who hurt you.”
Their words seemed to align, yet they were completely missing each other. Lucy was desperately trying to deny the misunderstanding and convey her true feelings, while Rin was simply trying to soothe her and move past the moment. The more casually he reacted, the more Lucy craved him.
If only I had legs, I would walk to him myself. If only I had arms, I would hold him and whisper to him. I would sing of how much Luciena Estelle loves Rin all night long. But with a body like this, I can't do anything.
Her craving bred anxiety, anxiety bred impatience, and impatience bred frustration.
“When on earth does this damn forest end?!”
Just as Lucy let out her frustration in irritation, Rin stopped walking once more.
Right in front of them stood a wooden signpost.
Just a little further to the hopeful, chilly city of Epaltelga!
Lucy, however, glared at the signpost as if she wanted to kill it for making her look like an impatient woman.
Epaltelga. The only city located at the foot of the northern Frozen Mountains. The sole outpost where they could stay after leaving this forest.
“It's finally here.”
It was the first time in a while he had muttered to himself. However, his mutterings were thick with tension.
The forest devoid of magical beasts had ended. In other words, the tutorial was over. From now on, real enemies would begin to appear.
According to the memories of the reincarnator, Lee—which could not be wrong—demons were hiding in that city.