MHHC Chapter 83

I'm Curious About You

Adelheide could not believe she had let such foolish words escape her own lips.

At the same time, the existence of the man before her felt impossibly alien, as if he had materialized from some other realm entirely.

This place was a sanctuary. The outer edges of the forest were heavily guarded by the kingdom's knights, and those gates opened only once—on the days when provisions were delivered.

So there should be no person here, certainly not a strange man who was not a priest. It made no sense from the beginning.

"..."

Then was he some dangerous entity, something other than human? She examined the stranger cautiously, her wariness drawn tight around her like armor.

The man looked like a god from ancient times. Not only his appearance, but his attire as well.

His himation draped down to cover the tops of his feet, and his long black hair was bound once at his waist.

Sunlight slid across his skin, creating a glittering sheen that seemed to move of its own accord.

She didn't want to acknowledge it, but the man was blindingly beautiful—save for the fact that he was deeply suspicious.

"..."

While Adelheide stared at him in a daze, the man didn't even turn his gaze toward the vegetable garden where she stood.

He seemed not to have noticed her presence at all.

Was it because to him, she felt as insignificant as the common vegetation scattered nearby? Somehow that thought struck her suddenly.

'...For now, I should hide here.'

Just as she carefully tried to conceal herself beneath the shadowed trees, the man turned his head precisely in her direction.

His vivid golden eyes narrowed as they fell upon the frozen Adelheide.

[Hm?]

In that same moment, Adelheide doubled over as if she'd been struck.

An intense will injected itself directly into her mind, buckling her knees.

Her breath caught in her throat, and her spine trembled as if lightning had struck it. Her entire body crumpled inward.

As Adelheide collapsed to the ground, tears streaming down her face, a hint of discomfort colored the man's will.

[Ah, I see...]

Through her tear-blurred vision, she saw his feet. He had somehow approached right in front of her.

And she noticed he cast no shadow. As expected, he was not human.

[It's been too long—I forgot.]

Forgot what exactly...? Adelheide blinked rapidly, trying to clear the pooled tears. It was strange.

Despite being this frightened, she felt no impulse to flee. Adelheide clenched her trembling fists tight.

Her heart pounded so hard it was difficult to endure, yet she couldn't even guess the reason. Was it because the presence before her was terrifying? Or perhaps...

[Calm yourself. I won't harm you.]

The voice was unexpectedly gentle. Adelheide pressed her hand firmly against the ground. She barely managed to speak.

"H-how... can I believe that...?"

[If merely hearing my will causes you such difficulty, I would have harmed you already if that were my intent.]

Will. There were few entities she knew of that could communicate through such means.

He waited for her to calm down. The moment her breathing finally returned, he asked.

[By the way, yours is a face I haven't seen before.]

"I am... this sanctuary's..."

[Ah.]

Only then did the man take notice of what she was wearing.

Just as she had been bewildered by his himation, he too seemed bewildered by the priestly robes she wore.

From his reaction alone, he seemed like someone who had been asleep for hundreds of years and only just awakened.

'Whatever he is, there's no way this being is human.'

Adelheide rose to her feet and politely clasped her hands together.

"Are you... a dragon?"

The man, who had been observing her clothes with curiosity, raised his gaze.

[What made you think so?]

The trembling gradually subsided. She answered calmly.

"Because divinity sleeps... in this forest. It's a sanctuary."

[So they still call divinity 'dragon,' it seems.]

"Dragons are beings who shared their magic with us. How could you doubt them in the very forest where they slumber?"

Boldness slipped out before she could stop it, now that she'd grown somewhat accustomed to the shock of his will hammering into her mind.

The man seemed amused by her words. His eyes curved like a cat's.

[Yet I see not even a trace of that precious magic in you.]

When he suddenly struck at her most painful point, Adelheide pressed her lips together and fell silent.

[Now then, may I come over there?]

He asked abruptly from beyond the fence. Adelheide raised her eyes to meet his face quietly.

Though they had faced each other for only a few minutes, she could already tell he was not particularly polite by nature.

Was there another reason for this request? Or was it simply because this was their first meeting, and he was trying not to be outwardly rude? Adelheide asked cautiously.

"What do you wish for?"

[I'm thirsty.]

"There's water in the forest as well."

[Surely you're not suggesting I dishonor your divinity by sticking my head into the lakeside like a beast.]

When he put it that way, she had little choice.

Besides, the 'guidebook' strangely seemed to contain provisions for occasional visitors.

Always keep the finest-tasting wine of the era in storage...

'Was that meant for this very moment?'

She didn't know. She decided not to think too deeply about it.

If the being before her was not human, there was nothing she—unable to use magic—could do to stop him anyway.

It was the same as facing a calamity.

"...Please, come in."

When she stepped aside from the gate in the fence, the man naturally entered.

Adelheide watched in bewilderment as he headed toward the priests' quarters as if familiar with the place, then quickly followed after him.

"Have you visited this place before?"

[Who knows.]

"You seem familiar with it. Perhaps you met the previous priests?"

[Perhaps.]

Adelheide bit the soft flesh inside her mouth.

'Why bother answering at all if you won't tell me anything?'

Just as she grumbled inwardly, the man who had been walking ahead stopped and turned halfway to look at her.

Startled, Adelheide's eyes widened, and his lips curved smoothly upward.

[Your voice is pleasant to my ears, while my answers would only arouse your suspicion.]

"Y-you just... my thoughts..."

[Just because you don't speak doesn't mean your consciousness disappears. You're surprised by something so natural.]

Adelheide's face flushed bright red in an instant. She strode past the man and opened the kitchen door.

It felt awkward to act as if this were her own home when she'd only been at the temple for two days, but since he wanted water, she intended to give it to him quickly and send him on his way.

"Please wait a moment."

Adelheide took a clean cup from the cupboard and tried to draw water from the basin.

But the basin, which had been producing fresh, clear water by itself just that morning, was completely dry without a single drop.

"The water is..."

Gone. Just as she was about to turn around and say that, Adelheide witnessed him picking up the 'guidebook' and reading it.

Technically, he had touched her belongings without permission, but somehow she didn't feel inclined to protest in that manner.

Perhaps because he made no effort to hide that he wasn't human, or perhaps because of his bold attitude as he examined what was hers.

Maybe it was both.

"Excuse me, there's no water..."

She raised her voice, but the man barely lifted his head from the worn notebook.

He seemed to be trying to confirm something. What on earth was he looking for?

"Excuse me."

Only after being driven to the point of begging for his attention did Adelheide realize she didn't even know his name.

As she looked at him with troubled, desperate eyes, he finally answered without even raising his head.

[Speak.]

"How should I address you?"

Only then did he lift his gaze from the notebook. The look in his eyes as they met hers held curiosity and goodwill that hadn't been there before.

At that distinct change, Adelheide's shoulders flinched.

[As for how to address me, call me whatever you wish.]

"If you say that, it becomes difficult for me to know what to say..."

[Do as you please. It doesn't matter what you call me.]

Did that mean he didn't want to reveal his name, or that it held no meaning regardless of what she called him? Based on his attitude alone, it felt more like the latter.

Adelheide asked cautiously.

"Is there no name you've been called before?"

[Well. The titles humans used among themselves when referring to me changed with each generation, but there was never a name meant for 'calling' me directly.]

He set the notebook he'd finished checking back in its place as he spoke.

Looking directly at her, his lips curved smoothly upward.

[So call me whatever strikes your fancy.]

"..."

[You're the first human who's wanted to call me by name.]

When he smiled like that, the man looked as fresh as a youth her own age. Despite the eeriness of the presence radiating from him.

'If he's not a dragon, then is he a forest spirit? The kind that lures children away to devour them?'

Adelheide stubbornly entertained such horrible imaginings, even knowing he could read all her thoughts.

This was better, after all. Better than having her entire mind captivated by his appearance, thinking she wanted to embrace him.

[Hm?]

From the common human perspective, he was excessively alluring.

And he seemed to know very well what effect that allure had on humans. She retorted with deliberate sharpness.

"Even if I give you a name, you won't feel any meaning in it."

[I wonder. It already seems to have gained meaning.]

"..."

[I've become curious about you, you see.]