You! Don’t Press that Button! - Chap 68

What’s this?I rolled my eyes. Even though I stopped moving, sensing something odd, Karhan’s gaze didn’t shift elsewhere. He was staring at me persistently.

Why is he looking so awkwardly at a man changing clothes?I cleared my throat softly.

“Karhan?”

I called his name subtly, meaning for him to look away, but Karhan answered nonchalantly.

“Yes.”

He still hadn’t averted his gaze. His confident response made me feel like I was the strange one for being concerned.

I guess this is just how Karhan is. Thinking lightly of it, I finished dressing. Only after I had buttoned up my pants did Karhan’s gaze finally drop.

“You must have been startled today, so take a break from exercise. I’ll explain it well.”

Yes! I get to legally skip exercise today. I inwardly rejoiced. Even when I wanted to skip exercise, I rarely had excuses. Now I hardly ever got sick, and I didn’t have any other busy affairs, so I had to go exercise regularly.

The instructor Karhan personally assigned was so enthusiastic that if I did one thing, he’d make me do two the next time. It felt good to be building strength, but it was still hard work.

As I was thinking about various things, I suddenly realized that quite some time had passed since Atlena’s 3 Days. I looked up at Karhan.

“Karhan. How often does Atlena’s 3 Days come?”

Thinking it must be quite a long cycle since it’s 3 days or a full moon, I asked casually. Karhan answered:

“About once a month. There are about 3 days left now.”

“…What?”

Once a month? Only 3 days left? I tilted my head, wondering if I had misheard. But Karhan’s expression was transparent, without a trace of deception.

That’s impossible. No, why is his attitude so calm? The days when I’ll be in pain are so close. He should have told me in advance. I looked at Karhan with wide eyes and a blank expression.

“Why didn’t you tell me?”

When I asked in an incredulous voice, Karhan’s eyebrow twitched. He subtly shifted his gaze, looking elsewhere for a moment before speaking.

“I thought it wasn’t necessary to mention it.”

“How could it not be necessary to mention? I might die if something goes wrong…”

“You won’t die yet. We can somewhat resolve the pain, and it’s not something to worry about too much right now.”

His response was so indifferent that I wondered if he considered my life as insignificant as a common sparrow’s. I couldn’t see my own expression, but I must have looked either dumbfounded or… slightly angry. I stumbled over my words as I continued:

“No, no… How can this not be something to worry about…?”

I couldn’t understand Karhan’s words at all. But Karhan seemed unable to understand my attitude as well, slightly furrowing his brow. Seeing that expression, I felt a twinge of hurt in my heart. It made me think that my life might not mean much to him, that my life might not be a big deal.

The pleasant atmosphere between us rapidly sank. I bit my lip lightly and turned my head.

“Right, it’s not your life, it’s mine, so I guess you don’t really care.”

I spoke with an intentionally light tone, pouting my lips. I saw from the corner of my eye that Karhan’s body stiffened. He stood still for a moment, as if assessing the situation, then slowly approached me. He gently raised his hand, playing with a strand of hair stuck to my cheek as he spoke:

“That’s not what I meant. I’m sorry.”

After gently caressing my hair and cheek, his hand moved to my chin, lifting it so our eyes could meet. I still looked up at him with a sullen expression. Do you think anyone would forgive you just because you look at them with such a handsome face? I narrowed my eyes as I looked at Karhan.

…I’m still angry, you know.Unlike usual, the slightly downturned ends of his eyebrows caught my eye. Did I go too far? Somehow, Karhan’s expression suddenly started to look pitiful, and I found myself mumbling before I knew it:

“I’m sorry. I was too harsh… You wouldn’t have meant it that way.”

Seeing such a sad expression, I couldn’t treat him badly anymore. I groaned an apology, and Karhan’s eyebrows rose as if they had never been lowered, his eyes curving gently as he smiled. He shook his head slightly and said:

“No, it’s not your fault. I should have told you first, so it’s understandable that you felt upset. I’ll make sure to tell you from now on. No, I should start by teaching you how to read the calendar.”

The thought that I might have been fooled by his quickly changing expression, as if he had switched masks, flashed through my mind. But thinking that Karhan wouldn’t do such a thing, I shook my head gently. I grabbed Karhan’s hand that was fiddling with my cheek. I guess I’m still chubby despite exercising regularly.

“But what do you mean by being able to resolve the pain? Do I have to go to Liras again? I don’t really want to…”

Karhan had confidently said earlier that he could somewhat resolve it. It seemed like a definite method since he didn’t tell me until Atlena’s 3 Days were so close. I looked up at him with wide eyes, and Karhan shook his head and said:

“There’s no need to go to Lord Liras. You just need to consume my blood.”

What?

I froze, still holding Karhan’s hand. Why am I mishearing so many things today? I closed my eyes tightly and opened them again. I looked up at Karhan’s face again, but he was still looking down at me with a faint smile on his lips.

“Wait, leave my cheek alone for a bit.”

It was annoying how he had been kneading my cheek like playing with clay. I took Karhan’s hand and pulled it down. Calming my confused mind, I carefully chose my words.

“Um… So what did you say I have to drink? Something like blood?”

“Yes. Specifically, my blood.”

“…Come on, that’s not funny.”

I found something that Karhan, who’s good at everything, isn’t talented at. It’s jokes. What kind of cold joke is this? I raised my hand and patted Karhan’s shoulder. And then, a surprisingly cold silence followed.

“Are you serious?”

“Yes. Lord Liras said feeding you my blood would suffice.”

“No, that can’t be right. He must be trying to fool us!”

“What’s ‘fool’?”

“Ah, ‘fool’ is like a snack, it’s very sweet and hard… No, that’s not the point. You’re saying I have to drink your blood? Really?”

I asked several times in disbelief, but frustratingly, only affirmative answers came back. Apparently, while I was asleep on Atlena’s 3 Days, Liras had informed Karhan that his blood would at least reduce my pain. I swallowed hard and asked:

“By any chance, am I not some kind of blood-sucking species…?”

First Asmil’s blood, now Karhan’s blood? I would have to believe it even if I was told I was a vampire instead of a beastkin. I looked at Karhan with a serious expression. Then Karhan let out a barely audible laugh and said:

“It’s not like that. Just don’t worry, my blood is special and that’s why you need it.”

“Karhan’s blood is special too?”

“Well, I am a half-blood after all.”

It seems half-bloods in this world have something special about them. I nodded lightly. If I had known I would enter this world like this, I should have read that book thoroughly. Not having read it to the end, I felt a bit anxious not knowing how the story would progress. There probably wouldn’t be any major changes just because I entered the story.

Consuming someone else’s blood is a bit unsettling, but it’s to save my life. I extended my hand to Karhan.

“Give it to me.”

It was better to get it over with quickly since I had to do it anyway. Karhan looked alternately at my outstretched hand and face, then shook his head.

“It needs to be extracted and fed to you right on Atlena’s 3 Days. I’ll come to your bedroom then, so just wait quietly.”

“Huh… Alright.”

Such inconvenience… It was a fussy method, but I had no choice but to nod. Perhaps because I calmly accepted the situation, Karhan reached out and stroked my head. He patted it, saying he would leave now and that I should rest, then left the room.

Not long after Karhan left, someone knocked on the door. With limited visitors to my room, I tilted my head and asked:

“Who is it?”

I walked quickly and opened the door slightly. It was my dedicated servant, and behind him, I could see Arthur. After glancing at Arthur, I looked at the servant, who spoke in a businesslike tone:

“Young Master Arthur has come to see you, saying he has something to tell you.”

Unlike usual, when he would have barged right in, Arthur was standing somewhat quietly, probably due to the earlier incident. I looked at the servant and Arthur, who was barely visible through the crack in the door, then nodded.

Arthur, who entered the room, sat quietly in a chair in front of the table. With his hands placed on his knees, he looked like someone who had committed a crime. Well, he had committed a crime. He had entered my room without permission and kidnapped me in my bird form.

Seeing his dejected appearance made it difficult to bring up that topic. Unable to do so, I kept my mouth shut, and Arthur spoke first.

“About that white bird. Have you seen it? I heard it lives here too…”

I couldn’t say “It’s right in front of you,” so I carefully chose my words before speaking.

“Of course I’ve seen it. It’s… my friend.”

“Then… can you show it to me? I have something to say.”

Wondering what he was up to, I narrowed my eyes. Not dropping my suspicious gaze, I said:

“I’ll relay the message. Tell me.”

“Ugh. Can’t you just show it to me?”

“Why, so you can kidnap it again? Karhan told me not to show it to you.”

When I abruptly mentioned Karhan’s name, Arthur’s spirit deflated even more. After a long silence, I heard a deep sigh. He sighed repeatedly, to the point where I wondered if he might exhale all the air in his body, then he whispered softly:

“…I don’t know if it will understand, but tell it I said thank you.”

Saying that, he suddenly stood up. The stiff wooden chair was pushed back and fell over from the sudden force, but Arthur didn’t bother to right it and ran straight for the door.

“What was that about.”

I blinked with a dazed expression at the situation that had passed so quickly. Then, belatedly processing Arthur’s words of gratitude, I opened my mouth and smiled with curved eyes. Though he goes back and forth, one thing’s for sure – he’s quite shy.

Although there had been quite a big incident, Karhan seemed to have paid attention to it, as he only imposed a ban on going out for Arthur without any severe punishment. Karhan’s tone was indifferent as usual, but at least he didn’t scold Arthur about the fight with the yellow-haired boy.

Arthur, who had looked deathly pale until he visited the office, nodded in confusion at the unexpectedly light punishment.