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Chapter 45

Andrea set me down in a small clearing that seemed to be midway up the mountain. There was a small cabin there. He skillfully opened the cabin door and entered. Although no one was inside the cabin, traces of human presence were scattered around.

"It's a place hunters often use. It's like a public property in the Studdle Mountains."

He added that it wasn't trespassing.

I sat on a wooden chair in the corner. My ankle was swollen and the skin was stinging more and more. As I examined my ankle, Andrea, sticking his tongue out, began rummaging through the cupboard.

"There should be bandages here somewhere... It would be good to put on a splint."

After opening and closing the cupboard a few times, he indeed found a clean bandage. He took one of the logs stacked in front of the cabin, sharpened it with a dagger, and crafted a flat splint of appropriate thickness.

"Fortunately, you're from the Magic Tower. When you go back, be sure to get healing magic."

He said as he fixed my ankle with the splint and wrapped it with bandages. His touch in handling wounds was very skillful, probably a natural skill for an assassin.

Andrea tied the bandage into a perfect ribbon. When I tilted my head in amazement, he chuckled.

"May your wound heal beautifully."

I must have made a somewhat sentimental expression because Andrea scratched the back of his head awkwardly. As if changing the subject, he brought up a new topic.

"Aren't you hungry? It would be good to eat something, but there's nothing here."

As he said that, he searched the ceiling again.

"Um... Can we just quickly send up a smoke signal? The group might be worried..."

I timidly called out to him. Andrea's hands, diligently rummaging through the cupboard, stopped. He turned to me with a gentle smile, his pink eyes narrowing.

"You seem quite close with your party."

That was undoubtedly jealousy with the favorability of 75. Although he had a faint smile on his face, deep down, he might be planning an assassination on Cain.

"Not close at all."

I answered immediately. Andrea nodded satisfactorily.

"Right? As expected..."

He chuckled with a dazzlingly bright smile, then closed the cupboard with a slightly excited look.

"I'm going to start a fire in the oven. If we produce smoke from the chimney, your party will probably catch on."

True to his words, he lit the oven. His skill in igniting fire with stones without using magic was excellent. Watching him bring firewood from outside and kindle the flames, my mind calmed down a bit. The sound of crackling flames echoed warmly.

Now, all problems would disappear once Cain arrived. Cain would fix my ankle, suggest returning to the Magic Tower, and I would ask for magic lessons in a different field instead of offensive spells. Cain would grumble, but he would likely comply with my requests. I pondered deeply. Was this a form of escape too? It didn't seem much like fleeing.

Clap.

Andrea clapped his hands in front of me. Startled by the loud sound, I widened my eyes and moved backward. He gathered his hands and laughed, looking a bit mischievous.

"Haha, sorry. Your face seemed so serious that I unconsciously wanted to interrupt."

I looked up at the man standing in front of me, slightly tilting his back. There was no shadow on his face as he revealed his teeth and laughed. He didn't seem like someone hiding a massive secret or someone ready to kill in the darkness. He was just a young man in his early twenties, adding good looks and masculinity, wearing the armor of a knight. He appeared like the embodiment of a righteous and cheerful lad. Despite having 75 favorability points, he didn't seem to have the demeanor of someone who would harm me. His clear and refreshing atmosphere left a strong impression.