"AISH…."

The sky is getting darker. There was only the sound of a disembodied owl mixed with the gasping for breath. No more chasing after the damn troops who don't know where to come from.

This is where Niff and Arres get stuck. Focusing only on running away from the damn troops, the two of them had not realized that they had entered a deeper part of the forest.

They did manage to escape. Too bad they don't know where they are now.

"You asked me to run without thinking we'd get stuck!" Arres rebuked Niff.

Of course Niff didn't accept it.

Niff's body immediately straightened—after bending down holding both knees. Niff looked at Arres with disapproval.

"Hey. I saved you from their pursuit," said Zevanna, who defended herself. "Why are you acting so annoying?"

Who is to be blamed?

This Arres sucks anyway. It was lucky that Niff had grabbed his hand so they could run away together. Niff was also the one who took the initiative to use Agyss's ball which Arres was unemployed for.

Even though Niff didn't think he could cast spells, still. He had saved Arres, right?

Arres should be grateful. Why did he rebuke with a face that made Niff feel like punching as hard as possible?

"Save me?" Arres directly faced Niff, showing his arrogance. "I can save myself. Why do you have to pretend to save me?"

Niff laughed out loud, sarcastically. He advanced toward Arres until their toes touched. He stared at the haughty face in front of him.

"If it wasn't for my reflexes, I also wouldn't save you and let you get caught by the paratroopers–argh!"

Damn it. Because of the anger that was ignited, Niff forgot that the wound on his collarbone had not been treated.

Between grimacing, Niff looked down to see the wound on his collarbone. A line of torn wounds in the circle of bruises suddenly opened and oozed thick brown liquid.

Niff frowned. "Why is it bleeding? Why..."

"You are!" Arres, who had been annoyed with Niff, suddenly panicked. He pushed aside Niff's collar and noticed the wound that suddenly opened. "Why do you have to be so fussy? Look. Have you forgotten we're looking for a cure?"

With a resentful look, Niff looked at Arres. Didn't hear wrong? Wasn't Arres the talkative one just now?

"Where are the potion ingredients?" asked Niff directly.

Arres exhaled harshly. Before answering, his gaze wandered around. His intention was to find which way they should walk. But nothing.

The atmosphere of the inner forest they were in now was almost devoid of light. Arres' pair of eyes could not reach further. So did Niff.

"It's too dark," said Arres, then took a deep breath. "There's nothing to see."

Niff didn't say anything. He could see the look of concern in Arres's eyes. Very weird. Even though a few seconds ago, Arres sounded very annoyed at him. Even the words used were sharp as if they had no conscience.

Now, Arres looked worried. What is the man worried about?

"My Agyss orb's light is not bright enough," Arres said again.

Of course. It was so thick that even tree trunks could not be seen clearly.

Niff's hair was bristling. The voices of the owls—of which there were more than two of them—coated. The atmosphere of darkness that seemed to be able to mislead anyone felt very thick, making Niff gulp.

"Very well. Then, don't pass by—"

"Wait, are you crazy?" Arres grabbed Niff's wrist when he was about to turn around. "Your wound had to be healed. It was… bleeding."

In just a split second later, Niff felt liquid like moving down his chest. It hurts so much. Almost like a fresh, wet stab wound. Even though Niff's wound had not opened like this and was fine.

"Arres, let's go home. Now."

Scratch!

Niff's eyes bulged in surprise when he witnessed Arres tearing his own clothes. Arres' movement was so deft that he stuck the shirt cloth into Zevana's open wound.

"Hold it first, hold the cloth so your blood doesn't flow," said Arres to Niff.

While Niff was holding the cloth on his chest, Arres took something from the leather pouch that was tied to his waist at that time. A vial of green liquid—very little left, and some leaves from the bag.

"What do you want?" asked Niff. "Hey, I'm fine. You don't have to—"

"Can you be quiet? Your voice is very noisy, disturbing my concentration," said Arres. I don't know how many times he interrupted Niff's words.

Niff's click sounded small. However, Niff did not speak anymore.

After Arres took out the necessities from the bag, he faced Niff. Taking over the cloth that Niff had been holding back, then briefly pressing the area around the wound.

Niff winced a little every time Arres' torn cloth touched his wound. After the traces of Niff'a blood flow were cleaned, Arres poured the potion liquid onto the leaves.

"Hey, are you an expert on that treatment?" asked Niff in between Arres activities.

Arres's eyes were sharp on Niff. As if reminding him of what he said earlier.

But because he felt he didn't have the energy to argue, Arres chose to focus on sticking the leaves to Niff's wound area.

"So what?"

"No. I'm just worried that you're secretly pouring poison for me," Niff said casually.

Arres stopped gluing the leaves for a while. For some reason Niff's words made him feel tickled.

Why does it feel like Arres's heart throbs with pain when he hears Niff's words?

Wasn't Niff's sentence just a satire that deliberately provoked his irritation?

"I wouldn't do that to anyone," Arres' voice was firm.

"Are you sure? Someone with an evil face like you..."

Niff's sentence hung right when Arres looked up. His pair of cold eyes met Niff's.

Really. Niff could tell that the atmosphere in this forest was less scary than Arres.

Or, to be more precise, the atmosphere had become even scarier because of Arres.

"You want me to kill you now?" Arres asked casually. "I can do that—"

"No, don't. I'm just joking," Niff said immediately.

"Therefore, keep quiet."

It seems like Niff's intention to break the ice was cancelled.

Arres' reaction showed no interest in casual talk. Niff chose to silence his own lips, watching the movement of Arres' hand.

From this close distance of their faces, only an inch apart, Niff could see the serious expression on Arres' face. Arres' eyes were so focused on the wound on Zevana's collarbone.

After attaching the leaves that had been mixed with the liquid potion, Arres attached Agyss' ball. The yellow glow of Agyss' ball made Niff's eyes squint.

"Belfacto Lavuesa," whispered Arres chanting a healing spell.

In the next second, Niff groaned because of the excruciating pain. Arres' Agyss orb's yellow glow slowly grew more and more dazzling.

Niff suddenly looked away and closed her lips tightly. Niff with all his might held back the groans of pain even though the pain in his collarbone wound now seemed to be stabbing strongly.

While sticking Agyss' ball on Niff's collarbone wound, Arres's pair of eyes were silently watching. There was a sense of compassion watching Niff endure the pain.

He knew, without being told, it must be very painful when the power of Agyss's balls worked.

So, without Niff's knowledge, Arres immediately cast the incantation, "Lavuessà Dela Picco."

Spell to reduce pain for the injured person.

Slowly but surely the grin on Niff's face lessened. Niff felt calm as the seconds passed. The pain that had seemed to stab him very strongly, now only felt like the bites of many small ants.

It still hurt, but it felt better than the near-death pain he had been feeling earlier.

"Feel not sick anymore?" Arres asked quietly.

Niff opened his eyes. Be a little careful with the glare of the light. But it turned out that Arres's Agyss ball's yellow glow had also decreased.

"No," answered Niff. "Why is the pain less?"

"You want the pain to increase?" Arres sneered.

Niff chuckled a little. "It's not like that—ssh, argh, shit. I was just asking! Why are you being so cynical?"

The treatment through Agyss' orb was finished. Arres straightened up again while lightly pressing a leaf on Niff's collarbone wound. Make sure nothing is loose.

"Your question is ridiculous and unimportant," Arres said.

Without answering Niff's question earlier, Arres just turned around. He tightened the bind of the medicine bag on his waist as he walked away from Niff.

"You won't answer my question?" Niff followed Arres' steps.

Arres did not want to answer. After all, if later Niff found out that he was the one who cast the spell to make the pain subside, he might have a big head.

Niff must still feel that Arres is a man who is not indifferent to him.

What Arres did earlier was also just a small thing. Is not it? Needless to say.

"Hey, Arres, thanks!" Once again Niff shouted. You could hear from her tone that she was happy. "I feel a bit fitter than before!"

While stepping with Agyss's orb's light, Arres slashed through the long grass around. Apart from being able to cross the road for himself, also so that the grass doesn't block Zevana's path.

"Arres, you know? Even though you're annoying and act cold, I know you care about me!"

What are Niff spouting about now?

Arres exhaled harshly. His steps suddenly stopped, his body turned to face Zevana.

"There's no way you wouldn't care if—aww!" Niff's body suddenly collided with Arres's body, which had stopped moving.

Niff didn't even realize that Arres had stopped walking in front of him. So far, Niff's gaze has only been downcast, watching the path so her body doesn't fall.

Arres immediately smiled crookedly.

"At first I thought you were a fugitive witch wanted by the troops who were chasing us earlier," said Arres, making Niff raise his face.

While Niff had an astonished expression on his face, Arres continued, "It can't be a fugitive magician like you, right? Reckless, stupid, can't do anything."