I hugged Ennis tightly, feeling absolutely relieved that she's finally awake after being unconscious for so many days. It's a shame that I wasn't there when she woke up, but regardless, I was grateful that she's looking alright.

"Welcome back, Ennis… welcome back…" I said before I let her go. "I… I'm grateful you're awake now…" I couldn't help but to feel a little misty in my eyes. Ennis also looked away shyly as she tried to hide her slightly wet eyes.

"I'm here now, Yuuto…" the elf said. "You don't have to worry. Now…" she looked at the soldiers who sprawled on the ground, with two of them died. "What should we do with all of them?"

"Why they're here?" I asked, checking the dead soldier that was stabbed by Ennis earlier. As I thought, it was an instant death after being stabbed right on his throat from behind. "Don't tell me they're nearby this area…" I looked at both Ennis and Claire.

Claire nodded. "Yes. After the war began, Fiore's army made their camps around this area, and I think that the closest one is about one kilometer away from this place," she explained. "And since these people needed food to survive, they might search for any settlement around this area and found this place…" she shrugged. "Well, I guess we need to bury the dead ones, but how about the rest?"

"Let's kill them," Lynn suggested as she cocked her musket rifle.

"No, that won't be right," I shook my head. "I guess we need to take their equipments and send them away from here," I said. "And maybe I can put some curse on them so they won't be able to remember a thing," I looked at others. "How is it?"

"A curse…?" Ennis frowned. I knew that she wasn't fond of my dark power, especially when it's about curses and hexes. But then, she sighed heavily. "Well, as long as we don't have to kill these people, we can't help it," then, she looked at the Spriggan who was behind me. "Anyways, you have our gratitude, miss. Thank you for helping Yuuto…" she said, smiling to Lynn. "My name is Ennis Heartstring, the Paladin of Order of the Shining Heart."

Lynn awkwardly smiled before she bowed. "Y-yes, you're welcome, Miss Ennis. My name is Lynn Runesmith, an Alchemist. I am very pleased to meet you."

"And this is my partner, Claire Iscariot," then, Ennis introduced the tomboyish-looking girl beside her. "As you can see, she's a Rune Fencer."

"Nice to meet you, Miss Lynn…" Claire said, bowing.

So, as the girls introduced themselves to each other, I realized something strange. There were only Ennis and Claire who came to search for me. From what I knew, Ennis and Claire weren't in a very good relationship, thanks to Ennis' hatred towards Claire's family, but somehow, they somehow looked friendly with each other, which was rather new. Perhaps something happened when they were trying to search for me in this place. Just thinking that Ennis and Claire were able to get along with each other made me smile, and Ennis noticed my smile before she gave me a pout.

"What's up with that stupid smile, Yuuto?" Ennis asked, giving me a glare.

"It's nothing. It's just that both of you are getting along well, you see?" I said, smirking as I looked at both Ennis and Claire. Upon hearing this, both girls blushed before they looked away in embarrassment. Yeah, something definitely happened between both of them, and I wished I could know about it. "Well, I'm glad you're getting along with Claire now, Ennis," I said, giving a teasing smile to Ennis.

"T-t-that's…" trembling in embarrassment, Ennis then stomped her feet on the ground in a rather childish manner. "S-shut up, y-you stupid!" she exclaimed. "A-and… stop smiling! Stop teasing me! Idiot!" with a huff, she turned around as she crossed her arms. "C-Claire is m-my p-partner now, s-so… it's natural for both of us to get along well, you stupid!"

"Yes, Ennis is a really helpful and caring person," Claire nodded. Hearing that, Ennis' cheeks and pointy ears reddened even further. "Maybe she's not really honest about her feelings, but she's a really nice girl," Claire said before she chuckled.

"C-Claire, s-stop that!" Ennis said to Claire. "A-and it's not like I really like you or anything, stupid!" she yelled at Claire. "Y-you're my partner, that's why I need to take a really g-good care of you!"

"Yeah, yeah," Claire nodded, smiling understandingly. "See, Yuuto? She's very nice, right?"

"Indeed she is," I agreed.

"Both of you are horrible! I-I… I don't wanna talk to both of you tonight!" Ennis childishly threw a tantrum, which caused the rest of us, including Lynn to laugh. So, after done teasing Ennis about her getting along pretty well with Claire, we took the equipments of the soldiers I downed before I cast a curse on them that could wipe their memories. For extra protection and perhaps for amusement, I also put a charm into their heads that would allow them to dance whenever they were in battlefield. That would be hilarious, I thought to myself.

After seeing the naked soldiers going away from the hut, we buried two bodies of the soldiers that were killed by Lynn and Ennis before we entered the hut so Lynn could prepare some foods and refreshments for Ennis and Claire. Seeing that Ennis still refused to talk to both me and Claire, pouting while having her tea, I decided to talk to Claire instead. "So, what happened at the Capital? How's the city?"

After taking a sip of the tea she had, Claire answered my question. "Davren is still safe, for now. Thanks to you who managed to hold the army, stopping their advance all by yourself, Davren's army managed to prepare itself on time and the reinforcements from our allies came just in time. But it will take a few more days before Blest, Camelot, Mu and Bevelle can give their full support. They're still assembling their armies, and Davren needs to stay defensive for the time being," she stopped for a while as she cleared her throat. "But I'm afraid that we cannot stay on defensive forever because compared to Fiore, Davren's army isn't that really big. We need to help them in order to protect Fiore," she said.

"Yes," then, Ennis interjected. It seemed that she finally talked to us. "That's why we need to return to the Capital immediately after finding you," she said, looking at me. "And now that you're alive and well, you've made quite a reputation. After you stopped Fiore's advance, there was a rumor about a swordsman in black coat who managed to take down more than seven hundred soldiers singlehandedly," she nodded for a while, as if she was impressed by my achievement. "And with that, you've become a really fearsome figure who is feared by both sides, either enemy or friend," then, she glared at me. "You're still stupid, though."

"That stings, Ennis," I deadpanned. "So, I guess we need to return back to Davren, right?"

"Yes, that would be good," Claire nodded as she stood up. "By tomorrow morning, we will return back to the Capital and get involved into the war."

"Yuuto, wait," Lynn said. "Before you go, you need to recondition your sword first," she said, looking at me. "I will do it for you."

"You can recondition Yuuto's sword?" Ennis looked at Lynn. "But I thought you're an Alchemist, not a Blacksmith."

"Multiclass," Lynn answered simply, and Ennis let out an 'oh'. "And please don't worry because my skills in blacksmithing are higher than a regular blacksmith's, and my success rate to recondition a sword is about 95 percent," she informed.

"95 percent…?" Claire gasped. "That's so high! That's already a master level! For a regular blacksmith, it's maybe around 60 to 70 percent," she said before she looked at Lynn. "Umm… if you don't mind, w-would you like to recondition Tezcatlipoca as well?" she asked.

"Oh, sure, that would be no problem. But it's going to take a while. I can recondition a sword in three hours," she informed us.

"Three hours?" Ennis was thinking for a while before she looked at Lynn with a rather serious look. "Miss Lynn, forgive me for this, but… would you like to recondition Noblesse as well? I-it's been a while since the last time Noblesse had been reconditioned," she said. "And… would you mind if I ask you to come to Davren to help us as well? Your skills in alchemy and blacksmithing are useful for us."

"Eh?" Lynn blinked confusedly.

Blade/Arc

Chapter 28: I Will Protect You

"Ennis, are you sure you want to have Lynn joining us?" I asked Ennis who was sitting outside the hut. It's already morning, and Lynn had started reconditioning Karma, Noblesse and Tezcatlipoca. "I mean, of course she's a good Alchemist and Blacksmith, but other than that, she's still a citizen. Are you sure you want her to join us to help in this war?"

"I'd rather not ask her for help, but…" Ennis began. "…we need to get anything that can help us to win this war. Her Highness had explained all things about this war, and failure is not an option. We need to use all things that we can use," she smiled at me. "And let's consider this as a way to recruit a militia. Of course she won't have to fight in battlefields, but she will provide us with things that can help us to fight Fiore…"

"T-that makes sense," I nodded. "Well, I guess we can't help it, after all. And considering that our army is a dwarf compared to Fiore's, we need anything that can be used," I sighed. "By the way, Ennis, are you alright? You're not feeling sick or something?"

"Huh? What's up with that question, Yuuto?" Ennis frowned.

"W-well… you see," I said. "You're fired at black point range with darkness spell, and that spell can potentially cripple you for the rest of your life. So, are you feeling alright? You don't feel weird or sick?" I asked.

She seemed to understand my question before she looked away. "Mostly, I'm alright…" she began. "B-but… thanks to that darkness spell, my holy power is slightly disrupted, so my power is slightly weakened," she admitted. "And my body too…" she said. "My body is still weak, and I can't use most of my special attacks for the time being, including Lambent Arc. My body is going to heal soon, but I can't just sit on my bed and do nothing when there's a war going on. I need to help to protect Davren," she said. I could sense determination in her tone and voice, and I knew that even if she had to lose all her powers, she would fight, no matter what.

"I see…" I said before I placed my hand on her head. She yelped and blushed, and I thought that she might want to snap at me, but she seemed to stop herself at the last moment. "Please don't overdo it, Ennis. This time, leave the rest to us…"

"…Right…" she mumbled. Then, she looked away. I didn't know why, but she looked more shy than usual. It felt like something felt rather wrong, but I couldn't name it. "Yuuto, actually, I…" she stopped before she bit her lower lip. "Actually, I… I think we've known each other long enough," she said before she moved closer to me, who was sitting beside her. "You see, it's kind of unfair if we don't know each other good enough…" she looked at me. "I'm not implying that I want to know all things about you, don't misunderstand! I-it's just that… we're friends, right? Friends should know each other good enough…" she said. Her cheeks reddened even further.

"S-so, you want to know about my life before I came to this world? Is that what you're asking?" I asked. She responded to that question with a nod. "Well, if you say so. Actually, my life before I came here was rather boring, uneventful…" I sighed, recalling the time when I was no one but nobody in my world. No one would ever give a damn about me, except my family. "I was just a wimp with only a handful of friends, who were a bunch of losers, just like me. Well, they said that losers need to get together, right?"

"How about your parents?" the elf asked.

"My parents, huh…? Well, my dad already passed away when I was little, and I lived with my mom and my little sister," I chuckled when I said that. "Actually, she's not my little sister. My mom adopted her when her parents died when she was a baby. She's adopted, you see? Well, even though she already knew that we're not real siblings, I guess we were okay with that. She's not my real sister, and yet I still considered her as one…" I shrugged. "I guess that's it about my life. It's uninteresting and dull…" I said. "Nothing special, if you want to make it simple…"

"Yuuto, don't you feel… homesick? Don't you miss your family?" Ennis asked, seemingly curious.

"Uh, sometimes, I feel homesick, and I kinda miss my mother and my sister," I answered. "I bet my sister's gonna be worried sick about me, but…" I smiled a little. "I still need to do something here. Maybe after I'm done doing my job as a chosen one, I'll be able to return home…" I said before I let out a heavy sigh. I didn't know if magic could work in my world. "I don't know whether my sister's going to believe me or not, but… I bet she's going to like it when I tell her about this world. She loves this kind of world, you know?"

"Does she have the same level of sensibility as yours?" Ennis asked again, and I winced as I heard that.

"Ennis, that's harsh!" I protested. "But well, unlike me, my sister is good in everything she does. She's good with archery and academic, unlike me…" I looked up, gazing at the morning sky. "When I was young, I resented her for being much better than me. How could she be so good in anything she did, while I couldn't? I was jealous of her," then, I smiled. "Once, I told her about that, and you know what she said to me?"

"What did she say to you?" that's Ennis question.

"She said that she's jealous of me too," I said. "She said that even though she might be the best in everything she did, it would never change the fact that by blood, she's not even related to my family…" I let out a soft sigh, remembering that time when we decided to make it even between us siblings. "And since that day, we stopped resenting each other…"

"That's nice," Ennis commented. "I bet it's nice to have a sibling…"

"Yeah, if that sibling isn't an annoying or obnoxious one," I nodded. "So, it's your turn now, Ennis? It's unfair if you only know mine," I reasoned.

"Right," Ennis said. "Well, my childhood was normal for an elf. My parents and I lived in a very friendly neighborhood. My father was an adventurer and a swordsman, and my mother used to be a mage before she decided to stay at home as housewife. We lived together happily, until…" her expression darkened, as if remembering something horrible and sinister. "…that civil war. The noble families began taking sides, and my father was hired as a mercenary in order to fight in the civil war. My father had quite a reputation back then, and the noble families that my father fought against were afraid of him. So, they made a drastic measure to eliminate the threat."

I gulped as she told me about the details of the war she had to endure. I had imagined what she was about to say, but I remained silent, listening to her without making any comment.

"The opposing noble families, led by the House of Iscariot," Ennis stopped, biting her lip for a while. I somehow felt that she might feel bad for saying that, after finally getting along with the last heir of Iscariot, Claire. "They attacked the village where my father lived in, intending to kill all the villagers along with him, because they thought that my father might have gathered some followers in the village. So, they killed indiscriminately, including women and children…" I could feel that Ennis was trembling while she said that. "E-even… even my mother… t-they… they killed her, in front of me when I was hiding… a-and… and…" she seemed to had difficulty to say any more words, and I had some idea about what they did to her mother. "…I-I saw them did… did s-something horrible to her. They killed her, a-and they…"

"It's alright," I said, touching her shoulder. "You don't have to tell me everything. I understand…" I said gently. As I said that, she began crying. Well, it's not my first time seeing her crying like that, but it was my first time seeing her so vulnerable and weak. Perhaps it's due to the effect of the darkness spell or perhaps due to the traumatic events that she had to remember. "So, what happened to your father?" I asked, deciding to avoid the topic that had anything to do with her mother.

"They also killed him," Ennis said. "But… he died fighting them…" I could feel a hint of pride in her voice as she said that, which was kinda good, considering that she was still sniffling and wiping her tears. "I didn't see him when he fought those people, but… they said that he took a lot of people with him as he died. He died a heroic death. And he also used Noblesse when he made his last stand at that time," she smiled.

"…I see," I didn't know what to say. Compared to her, I had a luckier life. I felt bad for saying that my life was dull and boring, so I gave Ennis an apologetic look. "So, you survived, right?" that was a lame thing to ask. Of course she'd survive. If she didn't, she wouldn't be sitting beside me right now.

"I was the only survivor," Ennis told me, and I gulped. It was hard to imagine being the only one who was left alive after the rest of your people being completely annihilated by your enemies. It might be horrible… and lonely. "A member of the Order of Shining Heart rescued me, and I was put under care of Whiterock family until the end of the war. Then, when House of Whiterock began to take control of Davren to be the first monarch ruler of the capital, I was mentored by Ludd and I became a Paladin, just like my father. I wanted to become strong and capable to protect everyone around me…" she looked down. "I don't want to feel the same helplessness again. Because of that war, many people suffered, even Claire. Because of that war, she also had to endure the humiliation that her family had to face, and the sins that she never committed. That's why I want to fight in this war to stop it. I want to prevent something that will make people suffer. I will put a stop to this conflict. With my strength, I will fight until the end."

"Ennis…" I looked at her determined look before I remembered that the sole reason of this conflict was me, the chosen hero of Highleans. "W-well, I guess I'm responsible for this war as well. It's because of me, you know? That King Jerk doesn't favor me for being the chosen one," I sighed.

"King Leonard needs to be stopped by all cost," Ennis said. Then, she held my hands as she smiled at me warmly. "So, let's work together from now on, Yuuto. I am weakened and drained because of the darkness spell, but I still want to fight. So, please stay by my side so I can continue fighting for other people's sake. I don't want to stop fighting just because my body is weakened…" she said as her blue eyes looked deeply into my eyes. "Let's fight together and protect everyone around us, Yuuto. Maybe this is selfish of me because you may not share my ideals and thought about the people around me, but… I also want to believe that you will help me, Yuuto. I also want to believe that you share the same things that I feel right now. I want to protect everyone, and I believe that you also want the same."

"I…" I stopped, thinking for a second. Truth be told, while I also wanted to protect everyone around me, I didn't feel like being someone who could protect anything. There's no way a pathetic excuse of a man like me could protect anything, and yet, I also wanted to believe that I could do it. "I… I also want to protect people," both of us were holding each other's hands as we looked into each other's eyes. "I'll fight alongside you, Ennis. Even if you're weakened, that's alright. My strength is enough to support you. This time, it's my turn to protect you."

"Yes," Ennis nodded. "I can't believe I'm going to say this, but… please protect me this time, Yuuto. I…" she drew her face closer to mine. "I'm counting on you."

"Ennis, I…" as if in trance, our faces were too close to each other. I stared into those dazzling blue eyes, as if enchanted by them. "I… I lo-"

"Yuuto," suddenly, much to my chagrin, and perhaps Ennis', Claire came to ruin this enjoyable moment. We immediately pulled back and create a distance between each of us. She came from the workshop where Lynn was working to recondition our swords. Seemingly sensing the odd atmosphere in the air, Claire blinked in confusion. "Umm… did I disturb both of you?"

"N-no, not at all, Claire, hahaha!" the elf beside me nervously exclaimed as she stood up. "Nothing exciting is here, right?" she looked at me, and she made a signal with her eyebrows and gritted teeth. I instinctively understood what she was trying to tell me. "Am I right, Yuuto?"

"Y-yeah, you're right! Nothing interesting or exciting is going on here, hahaha!" I said nervously before I looked at Claire. "So, what's up, Claire? Is she done?" I asked as I glanced at the workshop where Lynn was working.

"Yes, and it was faster than we had expected," Claire said. "And she wanted you to come to see the swords she had reconditioned for us. Let's go," she said before she went to the workshop. Both Ennis and I awkwardly followed her into the workshop, where we found Lynn sitting on her chair, seemingly exhausted. We could see our swords on her table.

"Everyone, reconditioning is done," Lynn announced despite still recovering from exhaustion. "I concentrated so hard on reconditioning, so I ended up finishing it earlier than expected. Please take a look at your swords, everyone," she said.

"Right, excuse me," I said as I went to pick up my sword, Karma. As my hand touched the hilt of the black sword, I winced as some kind of instruction appeared inside my mind. Then, I heard a popping sound inside my head before some skills began to appear in Karma's description. "Oh, oh my…! T-there are so many of them! Ten of them, in fact…!" I exclaimed as I sensed about ten new spells appearing.

"Ten?" both Ennis and Claire looked at me while they're holding their swords.

"Yeah, ten…" I nodded. "How about you?" that question was asked to both girls.

"I got three," Ennis answered. "Hmm… interesting," she mused. "Light Armor, Alpha Slash, Detonator," she said the names of the spells. "Well, I guess they can compensate for losing Lambent Light," she said.

"I got five," Claire said. "Hmm… Wind Strike, Vorpal Blade, Annihilator, Vengeful Blade and Subzero," she smiled as she said the name of the spells she managed to unlock after the reconditioning. "All of them are offensive spells. So, you got ten, right?" she said to me. "What did you get?"

"Let's see…" I looked into Karma's description.

[Shadow Cloak]

An ability that enables the caster to cover his body in a cloak of pure darkness, this spell will make the caster invulnerable and intangible against any kind of danger. But be warned, because a mortal won't be able to withstand the corrosive nature of darkness. If worn more than five minutes, the caster's body will be melted to bones.

[Army of Darkness]

An advanced Dark Knight can call upon a legion of spectral warriors made of pure darkness and fight by his side. These warriors do not fear death and danger, and they will eliminate their enemies until either them or their enemies be decimated into nothingness.

[Teleportation]

By will, an advanced Dark Knight can warp himself into anywhere.

[Hell Jackals]

Hell jackals are the usual familiars for a Dark Knight, and can be summoned to shred the enemies into bits.

[Hell's Conflagration]

A Dark Knight can summon the black hellfire that will not be able to be extinguished until the target is reduced into ashes.

[Clairvoyance]

A Dark Knight is blessed with extended and enhanced sight.

[Zombify]

A Dark Knight can raise the dead as their faithful yet mindless minions.

[Destroyer]

An advanced version of Shadow Arc, it can unleash a force akin to an earthquake.

[Possess]

A Dark Knight can dominate and possess a weak-willed individual and bind his will to be his most loyal lieutenant.

[Mind Delve]

The true art of violating the will of person, a Dark Knight can look into the memories of a person, thus allowing the Dark Knight to see the past recollections and bend them to his will.

"…" and I was speechless after seeing my new spells. All of them were rather sinister and downright evil spells. "I… I guess these are rather dangerous," I said as I nervously looked at both Ennis and Claire. "These spells are suitable for evil overlords and villains, if you ask me."

Ennis sighed. "Well, that's already expected because you're a Dark Knight," she said before she lightly tapped my head, and I winced a little. "But I believe that you're capable to think what is right and what is wrong," her expression turned serious after she said that. "And promise me that you won't use these dangerous spells except when it's absolutely necessary."

"Understood, ma'am," I said. "Unless it's necessary, got it…"

"Good," Ennis smiled. "So, thanks for the reconditioning, Miss Lynn," Ennis said to the Spriggan. "So, will you come with us as well? We can provide you with enough materials for your researches. And a bigger workshop too, you know?" she told the Spriggan girl. "And you can get a lot of money too."

"M-materials…?" Lynn gasped. "W-workshop…? Money…?" her eyes were literally glittering because her eyes were constantly changing their color whenever she's blinking. "Alright, I agree! But I need at least three carts for that! I need to bring along my stuff! And I also have something to show all of you!" she twirled around before she went to take out something. "This is it! Behold, my ingenious invention, the smart bomb!" she said as she showed us a ball that was around the size of a soccer ball.

"It's a ball…" Claire commented.

"And it's wrapped in papers," Ennis observed.

"Yes, because this is just a prototype!" enthusiastically, Lynn explained about this invention to all of us. "But, don't be fooled by its appearance, ladies and gentleman! Even with this size, it can destroy a hill! I bet this is going to be useful in war!"

"Umm… t-that's a great idea, but maybe you can try to change its shape or something?" Claire suggested. "With all those papers, I don't think it's safe to be handled by hands. As a matter of fact, is it safe to hold it like this?" she asked.

"Well, I'm an expert, so don't worry," Lynn winked. "With enough materials, I can fix and upgrade this bomb in no time! With this bomb, Davren's victory is guaranteed!" she said, giving us a thumb-up with her left hand while she was holding the so-called smart bomb with her right.

"Umm… Lynn, can you create something that can destroy or stop Fiore's movable fortresses? Something like cannons?" I asked. From what I had seen before I went to stop Fiore's army alone, Davren's army seemed to lack artillery power, which was kind of worrying.

"Cannons, huh…?" Lynn put her hand on her chin as she placed the smart bomb on the table. Both Ennis and Claire instinctively backed off when the Spriggan put down the bomb. "Well, I guess I have some blueprints for war machines that my father made before. My father used to be an inventor during the civil war, but somehow, he decided to not get himself involved into the war and refused to give the blueprints to anyone."

"Well, considering the nature of the war, it's understandable," Ennis mused.

"Yes. My father was an inventor, not a soldier. The civil war took many lives, and my father didn't want to stain his hands and his creations with the blood of those who were involved. That's why he went into hiding in this forest," Lynn said. "But this war is different. A nation is threatening Davren, and even though I don't live in the capital, I don't want Fiore to raze my nation to ground. That's why I wish that my father's inventions can be used for its true purpose," her eyes sparked with determination, or was it my imagination? Perhaps it's due to her glittering eyes. "These machines will be used to protect the innocents."

"Yes," Claire nodded. "They are meant to protect the innocents," she said. "And you father did a right choice, Miss Lynn. If he made the war machines for those who were responsible for the civil war years ago, t-then…" she stopped. I knew that she was overwhelmed with guilt because her family, the Iscariots was responsible for the civil war. "…there would be chaos."

"Lynn, for the sake of everyone, let's do our best," I said as I offered a handshake. Without hesitation, Lynn held out her hand and grabbed mine. "Let's protect Davren. This is my home, and yours. It's normal for someone to protect their home, right?" I grinned as I said that.

"You're right," Lynn agreed. "I'll do my best as well. The machines that my late father created will be used for other people's sake…"

"I'll do my best as well," Claire said as she placed her hand on ours. "Perhaps this is my chance to atone for the sins of my family. I will protect my home at all costs."

"The same goes for me too," Ennis said, also putting her hand on ours. "I already promised that I will protect everyone. Maybe I'm not as strong as I used to be, but I still have many ways to do that," she glanced at me. I could tell that her glance was meaningful. "Everyone, let's do our best and protect our home!"

And we cheered. Despite our different reasons, we had the same objective; protect our home at all costs.

So, after we're done preparing ourselves, we prepared some carts for Lynn so she could bring along her equipments and stuff. There were about four carts that were used. It supposed to be three, but one was reserved for those who were unable to walk in a long period of time. Apparently, Ennis wasn't in a very good shape to have a long walk, so she decided to rest in the cart while the others walked.

"Tired already…?" Ennis asked as I climbed into the cart she was sitting in.

"Well, my feet are made of meat and bones," I reasoned. "And I'm also recently recovered from my injuries, you know? I need to take a rest as well."

"It's because you're stupid," Ennis deadpanned.

"Ennis, that's harsh…" I said.

"Well, it's true," she said before she sighed. "Well, I guess I need to rest my head for a bit," she looked at me. "Yuuto, would you mind if you sit beside me?"

"Oh, sure," I said before I sat beside her. After I sat down, she immediately rested her head on my shoulder. "Umm… Ennis, are you alright?"

"I wanna rest on someone's shoulder for a bit," Ennis said before she reached my hand. "And since you're warm, I think I'm gonna sleep for a while," she said before she closed her eyes. Less than one minute later, she's already asleep. I was surprised to see her falling asleep like that. It was just too quick.

"Ennis, sometimes you're just too cute," I sighed. "Well… I guess I can't help it, after all. My shoulder is yours to rest your head on," I said before I glanced at her sleeping face. Even while sleeping, she was so beautiful and I couldn't help but to feel embarrassed as I felt her warm breath. "Ennis…"

She was still holding my hand. Her hand felt a lot weaker and smaller than before. Perhaps it was due to the darkness that affected her body.

"Ennis…" I said. "I swear… I will protect you…" my grip on Ennis' hand tightened. "Even if I have to sell my soul to Devil, I will protect you, no matter what…"

TO BE CONTINUED