“After this mission, I’m going to confess to him.”

...

“Ailuka, what are you spacing out for?! Hurry up and cast a healing spell—I can’t hold on much longer!”

“O-Oh!”

Snapping out of her daze, Ailuka raised her staff, pouring magic into it.

“[Heal]!”

A brilliant magic circle formed in an instant. Radiant green energy full of life surged into the body of the armored man standing before her.

“Haaah!”

Revived with fresh power, Rode let out a fierce shout. The blood-soaked longsword in his hands burst with sharp sword qi as he slashed it violently toward the turbulent lake below.

The surface of the lake split open with brutal force, revealing the beast lurking beneath the deep waters.

It was a massive black fish, at least twenty meters long. Its entire body was covered in scale-armor like cold iron, with jagged bone spines protruding along its back. Its head was protected by a hardened exoskeleton, and from its forehead, a single sharp horn pierced the sky—eerie and terrifying, yet with a bizarre elegance.

This was the Dominant-class magical beast, the Lake Master of Beipol.

Even though Ailuka had been an adventurer for three years and had seen her fair share of terrifying monsters, her knees still went weak at the sight of this one.

“Maybe I really haven’t gotten used to being an adventurer...”

In the gap after casting her spell, she nervously twirled a lock of her hair between her fingers, eyes flitting toward the man standing at the frontlines, engaged in fierce battle with the Lake Master.

Rode.

Nicknamed the Iron-Blooded Knight.

He had become an adventurer three years ago and soared like a dragon, rising to B-rank in a meteoric climb. In the region of Belrand, his name was already well-known.

And she—Ailuka—was his childhood friend.

And secretly, hopelessly, in love with him.

“I became an adventurer because I liked him... but I’m still afraid...”

“I’ve had a crush on him for eight years now, but I still don’t have the courage to confess. Am I just useless?”

“Would Rode hate someone as useless as me?”

“Would he think I’m not worthy to stand by his side?”

“What should I do...”

Yes, today too, Ailuka was caught in a girl's tiny tangle of worries.

Though truth be told, her worries were anything but tiny.

“Now!”

Rode, having forced the Lake Master to surface, issued the command once more.

“Hit it with magic, now!”

“O-Okay!”

In that °• N 𝑜 v 𝑒 l i g h t •° instant, all distractions vanished from her mind. The instincts she’d honed over three years kicked in as she raised her staff and began to chant.

“O god of frost and snow, by your nam—”

“Explosion Spell!”

Someone beat her to it.

Beside her, a voluptuous, stunningly attractive female mage—particularly notable for her very large chest—had already prepared her magic. The moment Rode gave the signal, she unleashed a powerful spell without even needing to chant.

Blazing flames tore through the darkness of the storm, the scorching heat instantly evaporating vast quantities of lakewater, and pierced through the Lake Master’s iron-scaled body.

“Well done, Tia!”

Seeing the creature’s defenses finally break, Rode lit up with joy. He seized the moment and plunged his sword straight into the carbonized wound scorched open by the fire spell.

“ROAAAR!”

The Lake Master howled, thrashing violently.

Lightning flashed. Rain poured down like a waterfall.

But it was obvious to anyone: this terrifying Dominant-class magical beast had reached its end. It was only making one last, desperate struggle.

Rode’s sword had pierced straight through its heart.

Tomorrow, once word spread that the Iron-Blooded Knight Rode had slain a Dominant-class monster, his name would surely rise to even greater heights across all of Belrand.

But Ailuka didn’t feel much joy.

She glanced shyly at the female mage—Tia—and mumbled:

“He praised her... but didn’t say anything to me?”

So unfair.

Just because I’m not good at offensive magic, does that mean I don’t matter in a fight?

But I’m your childhood friend!

“I’ve liked you for so long...”

Ailuka inhaled deeply, forcing herself to swallow back something bitter rising in her chest.

“Die already!”

On the other side, Rode viciously twisted the sword inside the beast’s heart. The Lake Master finally went limp.

With a grunt, he yanked the blade free. The corpse sank into the lake, blood staining the water deep red. Then, from the murky crimson rose the huge fish belly-up, its pale underbelly surfacing with finality.

“It’s finally over.”

Canceling his levitation spell, Rode landed on the corpse’s belly, letting out a sigh of relief, unable to stop a smile from creeping onto his face.

With this, he’d earned enough merit points to be promoted to A-rank.

Once he reached A-rank, both his wealth and fame would skyrocket.

This mission had been a gamble—but clearly, one that paid off.

“You two did great.”

Rode looked up at the pair and gave a hearty laugh.

“Your spells were on point. Looks like you two saved my ass again today.”

“Th-That’s not true...”

Ailuka stared down at her toes, blushing as she murmured shyly:

“You were amazing, Rode...”

—See? He still cares about me.

A faint sweetness bloomed inside her chest.

“...Ah, you’re bleeding.”

But before she could enjoy the moment, she heard Tia’s concerned voice from beside her.

Tia had floated over to Rode and was now staring worriedly at the cut on his arm—left by one of the Lake Master’s bone spines during the fight.

“Haha, it’s just a scratch. Nothing serious.” 𝚏𝗿𝗲𝐞𝚠𝕖𝐛𝗻𝗼𝐯𝕖𝚕.𝚌𝗼𝗺

“It needs to be cleaned immediately, or it might get infected.”

Tia scolded him gently, pulling out a fragrant handkerchief and beginning to wipe away the blood and wrap the wound with meticulous care.

“Even if you’re always rough and careless, you still have to take care of your body. Otherwise, the people who care about you will be sad, you know?”

Rode looked genuinely touched. “Tia... you’re so kind. Having a teammate like you is a real blessing...”

Tia’s cheeks flushed. “No, not at all... I’m just doing what anyone should. But with you around, Rode, it always feels like everything’s going to be okay.”

“......”

Watching the two flirt so openly, Ailuka nearly snapped her staff in half.

Are you kidding me? In front of me, the healer, you two are playing battlefield romance like I don’t exist?

He’s bleeding—you could’ve just asked me to heal him! You thought of me during the fight just fine!

And you, Tia, you’re clearly pressing your chest against his arm while you’re wrapping it—was that really necessary? Was that on purpose? Huh?!

“If only something could punish this bitch...”

The bitter thought slipped through Ailuka’s mind unbidden.

But it was just a thought.

After all, her image in Rode’s eyes had always been that of a sweet, gentle, soft-spoken girl.

Good girls weren’t allowed to have evil thoughts.

Yup. They weren’t.

...

...Were they? Really?

...

“Hm? Did you hear something just now?”

Rode suddenly furrowed his brow, scanning the surroundings with a serious expression.

But between the downpour and the clouds of steam rising from the aftermath of that explosion spell, visibility was poor—he couldn’t see anything.

“Ahhh, stop squirming, I’m still bandaging you.”

Tia scolded lightly.

“You must be imagining things. The Lake Master’s dead, isn’t it? What weird noises could there possibly be?”

“Dominant-class magical beasts don’t come in pairs anyway. If there were two, they’d probably fight each other over territory before we even had the chance.”