"Should I ask Master about it? Could there be some flaw with that bridge…?"
Back in his room, Arthur was still troubled by the question.
"There must be a reason… otherwise, why would the bridge still be standing after two days?"
"What bridge?"
"It's the place I went to the day before yesterday—" Arthur suddenly stopped, looked up, and stared at the purple-haired girl in front of him.
"Nessa?!"
Wearing a light lilac dress, Nessa sat on the edge of the bed. Her bright eyes were fixed on Arthur, a smile on her face. "Where did you go this afternoon?"
"Training." Arthur subtly averted his gaze.
He considered himself a kind-hearted person, but for some reason, whenever he faced Nessa, he always felt as though she could see right through him. Even though he hadn't done anything wrong, for some inexplicable reason, he simply didn't want Nessa to know.
"Arthur, you know I hate liars and bad people, don't you?" Nessa narrowed her eyes, a dangerous glint seeming to emanate from them as she took two steps forward and sniffed him.
"There's a very strange smell on you…"
"Is your nose really that sensitive…?" Arthur retreated, trying to avoid her, but Nessa followed closely and climbed onto the bed, her face drawing close to his as she stared at him. "You went out this afternoon, didn't you?"
Arthur lowered his eyes slightly, glanced around, and said, "Actually, I went to grill some fish this afternoon."
"Alone?" Nessa pressed.
"Well, alone…" Arthur looked a little guilty at the end, his gaze fixed on the bed frame the entire time.
Nessa stared at Arthur intently for a long while, then took two steps back. "Very well. If that's the case, then forget it."
She knew that being too aggressive would only create distance between her and Arthur, which was definitely not what she wanted. What she needed to do was build the image of a caring older sister in Arthur's mind, and then further strengthen that relationship.
"Do you want to rest now?" Nessa asked.
Seeing that Nessa had finally dropped the topic, Arthur let out a sigh of relief and nodded lightly. "I'm a bit tired after training and want to lie down for a while."
Arthur had originally wanted to ask Scáthach why the bridge still existed, but that would reveal that he had been secretly crossing it to train with someone over the past two days.
Though Scáthach probably already knew.
After all, through the Observation Stone in the castle, Scáthach could see a person's entire life—let alone something so trivial.
"Then I'll rest with you," Nessa said, lying down on the bed, though her eyes remained fixed on Arthur.
"You'd better go back soon, or I'll be punished again if Master finds out," Arthur said helplessly, shooting Nessa a look before quickly averting his gaze.
The girl lay on her side on the bed, and her thin dress accentuated her graceful figure, her delicate collarbone especially eye-catching.
If she kept staring at him like that, it would be easy to notice—and inevitably, he would become the target of teasing.
"It's fine. I'll take care of everything for you," Nessa said, patting Arthur on the back to comfort him.
Arthur immediately shot her a disdainful look. "You always say that, but when Master gets angry, you turn into a coward and don't say a word."
"That was just a temporary sacrifice to get food," Nessa defended herself. "Didn't I bring you food? Otherwise, you'd have starved long ago."
That was true. Although Nessa always reported him whenever he was punished, she would also secretly bring him food afterward.
Nessa patted the headboard beside her. "Alright, lie down and rest. I'll leave as soon as you fall asleep."
"No one would believe that." Arthur scoffed. "You used to say the same thing, but sometimes you fell asleep even faster than I did."
"That only happens once in a while—just once in a while." A rare hint of embarrassment appeared on Nessa's face, but she quickly regained her composure and poked Arthur's waist with her index finger.
"Oh? You dare talk to me like that? Looks like you've gotten quite bold since it's been a while since I last taught you a lesson."
As she spoke, she began poking Arthur's waist. She knew he was extremely ticklish there.
"Apologize quickly, or I won't let you off so easily." Taking the initiative, Nessa pinned Arthur down on the bed and tickled his waist with both hands. Arthur tried to dodge, but he was firmly restrained and couldn't move at all.
Clearly, the girl had used runes to enhance herself and employed some kind of secret technique to control Arthur's movements.
"I'm sorry, I'm sorry! Please forgive me!" Arthur struggled desperately, but it was futile. He was like a fish flopping on the shore, fighting in vain.
"See? Without strength, you'll just be trampled like this," Nessa said, still vigorously tickling Arthur. "So I've decided to take you somewhere tomorrow to strengthen your physique."
Knock knock.
Just as Arthur was about to ask where they were going, someone knocked on the door.
"Arthur, are you asleep?" Scáthach's voice echoed.
Arthur's eyelids twitched uncontrollably. He looked at Nessa, and the girl stopped tickling him, silently mouthing: Don't worry, it's fine.
Then she cast a furtive glance at the door and, without saying a word, slipped under the covers.
Arthur usually rested on a large bed with an equally large blanket. Now that Nessa had crawled underneath it, it was almost impossible to tell that someone was hiding there.
Knock knock.
There was another knock at the door.
Knowing it was too late for Nessa to hide elsewhere, Arthur could only call out, "I'm not asleep yet, Master."
Scáthach entered the room immediately afterward.
"Shall I continue the story again today, Master?" Arthur asked as Scáthach came in.
"Hm. I always feel invigorated after hearing those stories, knowing what kind of powerful opponents exist in a given world," Scáthach nodded noncommittally.
She really is a battle maniac…
Arthur couldn't help thinking to himself, but he smiled and said, "I understand. Let's continue the story I didn't finish last night."
"Ow!"
Just as Arthur finished responding to Scáthach, Nessa, who was under the covers, suddenly pinched his thigh. A sharp pain made him cry out.
"What's wrong?" Scáthach asked, confused.
"It's nothing. I just remembered something sad, and my heart felt a bit tight," Arthur said, waving his hand with a bright smile.
"Then I'll continue, Master."
…
About half an hour later, Arthur finished telling the story.
Scáthach stood up, looking rather satisfied, and said, "That's enough for today. Get some rest."
"Alright, I understand." Arthur nodded.
Watching Scáthach turn around, Arthur finally breathed a sigh of relief.
It seems she didn't notice that Nessa was hiding here?
But after a moment, he realized that Scáthach was still standing there and hadn't left, so he couldn't help asking, "Master, is there anything else?"
"It's nothing, but…" Scáthach turned her head, her eyes fixed on a certain spot beneath the covers.
"Nessa, you're not planning to go back to your room tonight, are you?"
(End of Chapter)