The slime followed us.
Not aggressively. Not sneakily.
Just… followed.
Every time I slowed my pace, it slowed too.When I stopped to adjust my pack, it stopped, wobbling slightly before settling in place.
"…It's still there," Tess said, glancing back over her shoulder.
"I know," I replied.
The slime pulsed once, as if acknowledging it had been noticed.
I scratched my cheek. "I think it's trying to follow us."
"Because you healed it?" Tess asked.
"Probably," I said. "Or it thinks I'm food."
She gave me a flat look.
"…Let's hope it's the first one."
We didn't stop for it. We didn't shoo it away either. We just… kept walking.
The slime continued behind us all the way to the entrance of Dustford.
The moment the town came into view—stone walls, the open gate, soldiers standing alert with spears in hand—the slime hesitated.
Entering adventurers passed us, their presence heavy, practiced, dangerous.
The slime pulsed.
Once.
Then turned around.
shlrrk.
It bounced away down the path, disappearing back toward the mountains.
"…It left," Tess said softly.
"Yeah," I replied. "Looks like it knows where it doesn't belong."
For some reason, that made my chest feel a little tight.
The guild was quieter than usual by the time we arrived.
Evening light filtered through the tall windows, dust motes floating lazily in the air. We submitted the herb pouch at the counter, parchment attached.
Sophie checked the contents, nodded once, and stamped the paper.
"Quest confirmed," she said. "Payment will be ready tomorrow."
"That's it?" I asked.
She smiled politely. "That's it."
No questions.
No mention of slimes.
No mention of fainting.
I wasn't sure whether to be relieved or disappointed.
Dinner was simple, but warm.
The inn was lively without being loud—low conversations, clinking bowls, the occasional laugh drifting from another table. Lantern light cast a soft glow over the wooden walls, making the place feel safer than it had any right to.
Tess sat across from me, slowly stirring her soup.
"So," she said, pretending to sound casual. "Tomorrow."
I looked up. "Tomorrow."
She tilted her head slightly. "Same board?"
"Yeah," I said without hesitation. "Same difficulty too. No need to rush things."
She studied my face for a moment, then nodded. "I agree. I don't want to push ahead just because we can."
A small pause settled between us.
"…Together?" she asked.
I blinked, then smiled. "Obviously."
Her shoulders relaxed, just a little.
"Good," she said softly.
We ate for a bit in comfortable silence. Not awkward—just easy.
After a while, Tess spoke again, quieter this time.
"You scared me today."
My spoon stopped mid-air.
I looked at her. "When I collapsed?"
She nodded, eyes fixed on the table. "You didn't respond. No matter what I did."
"I'm sorry," I said immediately. "I didn't mean to—"
"I know," she cut in quickly, then sighed. "I know it wasn't on purpose. I just…"
She hesitated.
"…I don't like not knowing what's happening to you."
That hit harder than I expected.
"I should've told you earlier," I admitted. "About things feeling… off."
She glanced up. "You don't have to tell me everything," she said. "Just—don't disappear on me without warning."
I met her gaze. "I promise."
She searched my face for a second, then nodded.
"…Okay."
The tension eased.
We talked about smaller things after that—about which herbs sold better, how Dustford felt quieter than expected, how slimes were apparently more expressive than they had any right to be.
At one point, Tess laughed—genuinely laughed—and for a moment, the weirdness of the day faded into the background.
When we stood to leave, the inn had grown quieter.
"Want to go for a walk?" Tess suggested
"Yeah," I replied immediately, which made Tess smile a bit
POV:- 3rd person
Rio slowed his steps when he noticed Tess walking beside him in silence.Not the comfortable kind. The thinking-too-much kind.
"…Tess?" he asked, tilting his head. "You've been quiet since we left."
She flinched—just a little—then smiled, composed as always."It's nothing," she said gently. "I was only… thinking."
That answer alone told Rio everything.
Yeah. Definitely not nothing.
He scratched the back of his head, eyes drifting forward as they walked."You know," he said casually, "every time you say that, it's usually something important."
Tess glanced at him, surprised. Then she sighed.
"Rio… do you ever feel afraid?" she asked. "Not of monsters. Not of battle. But of… what lies ahead?"
Rio blinked.
That's a heavier question than I expected.
He didn't answer immediately. Instead, he watched the sunlight filter through the trees, dust motes floating lazily in the air.
"…Yeah," he said honestly. "All the time."
Tess looked at him now—really looked at him."You do?"
He nodded."I'm excited about this world. About adventuring. About getting stronger."Then he smiled, smaller this time."But that doesn't mean I'm fearless."
If anything, being excited makes the fear sharper.
"I'm scared of messing up," Rio continued. "Of making the wrong choice. Of not being strong enough when it actually matters."
Tess's fingers tightened around her staff.
"…I thought you were always so confident," she admitted.
Rio let out a short laugh."That's because I panic internally."
She blinked.
Then—softly—she laughed too.
That sound made something warm settle in Rio's chest.
Okay. Worth it.
"Tess," he said, turning slightly toward her, "you don't have to carry everything alone. You know that, right?"
She hesitated.
"I am a princess," she said quietly. "I was raised to endure. To protect others before myself."
Rio stopped walking.
That made Tess stop too.
He faced her, expression serious—not dramatic, not heroic. Just Rio.
"And I'm an adventurer," he said. "Which means I walk forward knowing things can go wrong… and choosing to move anyway."
He met her eyes.
"So let me walk with you. Not as a guard. Not as an obligation."A small grin tugged at his lips."But as someone who wants to."
Tess's breath caught.
For a moment, she said nothing.
Then she nodded.
"…Thank you, Rio."
Man, Rio thought as they started walking again, why does she always look like she's about to cry when she smiles like that?
He looked away quickly, heart beating faster than usual.
Stay cool. Calm brain. Excited heart.
Still…
He didn't mind walking a little closer to her after that.
We reached at the inn.
At the staircase, we paused.
"Good night, Rio," she said.
"Night, Tess."
She turned to go—then stopped.
"…Hey."
I looked back.
She reached out and lightly tugged the sleeve of my coat, not quite meeting my eyes.
"I'm glad," she said, voice soft, "that you're okay."
My chest felt warm.
"…Me too," I replied.
She smiled—small, a little shy—then headed up the stairs to her room.
I watched her go longer than I probably should have.
My room was quiet.
Too quiet.
I lay down, staring at the ceiling, letting my breathing slow.
Just sleep, I told myself.You've had enough weird for one day.
Then—
thup.
I froze.
thup.
My heartbeat.
Loud.
Clear.
Too clear.
I swallowed.
With my eyes still closed, I became aware of something else.
The edge of the bed.The air above my chest.The wooden floor beneath me.
Not imagined.
Felt.
"…No way," I whispered.
I focused.
Carefully.
The sensation didn't extend far—maybe five centimeters from my skin—but it was precise. Like invisible fingertips brushing the world.
Shock ran through me.
I sat up, heart racing.
"That's not normal," I muttered.
I waved my hand slowly.
I felt the air move before it touched me.
A chill ran down my spine.
Still… nothing hurt. Nothing felt unstable.
After several long minutes, I lay back down.
"…I'll deal with this tomorrow," I decided weakly.
Sleep took me faster than expected.
I don't know how much time passed.
But something woke me.
Not a sound.
A presence.
Then—
thup.thup.
My heartbeat echoed again.
And over it—
A voice.
Flat. Mechanical.
Unemotional.
[Program initialized.][Structural resonance confirmed.][User detected.]
My eyes snapped open.
"What—?!"
The room was empty.
But the voice continued, echoing directly inside my head.
[System activation complete.]
Silence followed.
Thick.
Heavy.
I lay there, staring into the dark, heart pounding—not in fear, but in realization.
"…So that's what you left me," I whispered.
Somewhere deep inside—
Something answered.