Chapter 17

Blaine spent the night at the guild lodging. Now he sat on the bed, lost in deep thought. He needed a new house. But if he followed Theo to get one in Ratteon… would Theo hate it?

Others would probably laugh and call it trivial, but to Blaine, nothing was more important. He wanted to be with Theo even a little longer, even a little closer.

After wrestling with hesitation, Blaine finally stood up, as if making up his mind. Either way, he’d need to look around a lot to find a house. Ratteon wasn’t far from Lucilvania, so just checking it out should be fine.

Having an excuse lightened his heart. Without delay, Blaine left the guild house.

Ratteon was a small seaside town with a dock. Beyond its outskirts stretched vast farmland, and most of the houses were single or two-story homes, giving the place a calm, rustic charm.

As soon as he stepped into town, a salty breeze rushed past him. The tangy freshness filled the streets. It was quiet overall, almost like Theo himself.

Unlike Lucilvania, the roads weren’t paved. Blaine was walking and glancing around when someone suddenly tapped his shoulder.

“?!”

His shoulders stiffened instantly. Could it be Theo? His chest tightened with nerves and hope as he turned, creakingly, only to see someone completely unexpected.

“Hey.”

It was Noquia. She rubbed her eyes like she hadn’t fully woken up and even let out a yawn.

“Uh… ah, hello.”

Why is she here? Blaine blinked in confusion as he greeted her, but then another familiar voice came from behind.

“Sweetie, good morning.”¹

This time it was Holanghee. Blaine froze, his mouth opening and closing silently as he stared at the two of them.

“Come to think of it, why are you here, Sweetie? Didn’t you say you stayed at the guild lodging last night?”

“Ah… yes, I was just looking around for a new place to live…”

“Up early and diligent, huh.”

Noquia yawned again, while Holanghee clapped her hands as if everything made sense.

“Ah~ so Sweetie’s looking for a cheap house too?”

“Huh?”

“Houses in Ratteon are cheaper. Plus it’s convenient, with farmland and the dock nearby.”

Holanghee spoke excitedly, and Noquia nodded.

“Yeah, Lucilvania’s housing prices are steep.”

“Quite a few of our guild members live in Ratteon. Oh, right, Theo lives here too.”

At the mention of Theo’s name, Blaine’s face flushed red before he realized it. Shocked by the heat in his cheeks, he quickly pressed both palms over them. Holanghee and Noquia stared at him for a moment, then slyly asked,

“Want to go see Theo’s place?”

“What? N-no!”

Blaine frantically waved his hands, but his opinion didn’t matter. The two ignored his protests, hooked their arms through his, and dragged him toward Theo’s house. Wicked grins spread across their faces, echoing mischievously in his ears.

Theo had slept longer than usual, maybe because of yesterday’s fatigue. With a dazed face, he wandered out of the bedroom and made himself a cup of coffee. Just as he was about to sit at the table by the fireplace, someone started pounding on the door.

The peace of the morning shattered instantly. Theo dropped the cup onto the table with a thud, his expression sour. Probably Aslan. That damn brat.

He dragged himself up with an annoyed face and pulled open the door—only to freeze in shock. Standing there was someone he hadn’t expected at all: Blaine, pale as a sheet, dripping with cold sweat from nerves.

“…?”

Theo blinked, words stuck in his throat. He should have asked why Blaine was here, how he even knew his house, but the questions wouldn’t come out. That was how startled he was. His brows were just starting to furrow in confusion when, like a surprise present, Holanghee and Noquia popped out from behind Blaine.

“Tada! Surprised, Sweetie?”

Holanghee grinned, and right after, Noquia sniffed the air like a dog catching a scent. Her eyes widened.

“Coffee!”

Pushing past the three of them like a runaway train, Noquia barged inside, eyes darting like a predator hunting prey. Spotting the cup on the table, she snatched it up and inhaled deeply.

She examined the aroma as if inspecting contraband, then flashed Theo a satisfied thumbs-up before plopping onto the sofa and sipping blissfully.

Holanghee stared at her in disbelief, then rushed over and smacked her on the back.

“Pfft!”

“Hey, what’s this—drinking alone?”

Caught off guard, Noquia sprayed coffee all over, and Holanghee shamelessly grabbed the cup from her hands. Sitting opposite her, she downed the rest in one gulp. Noquia howled in outrage and lunged back at her. In the scuffle, the table cracked, the cup shattered.

Theo pinched the bridge of his nose and sighed. Blaine, meanwhile, had gone deathly pale, flustered beyond words. At last, his trembling voice broke out.

“S-sorry… I-I’m so sorry.”

Theo turned to him. Why was he apologizing? Blaine’s eyes brimmed with tears, as if he’d collapse to his knees in repentance at any moment.

Resting his hands on his hips, Theo let out another sigh before tilting his body sideways.

“Why are you apologizing? Come in.”

Blaine had basically dragged the two along with him, but Theo didn’t blame him. Instead, he even invited him inside. The gesture overwhelmed Blaine with emotion. He tried to swallow it down, but his nose reddened and he sniffled a few times before stammering out, “E-excuse me,” and stepping inside.

Theo cleaned up the wreck of the living room and replaced the furniture. This time it wasn’t a fine set, but a rough wooden table with a simple bench.

Blaine looked at it and thought it seemed like a spare. Almost as if reading his mind, Theo said.

“There are a lot of brats who break things, so I always keep backups ready.”

Holanghee and Noquia flinched noticeably. They sat side by side on the bench, sweating awkwardly.

“Sorry, Sweetie, we’ll buy you a new one.”

“Y-yeah, we’ll get a good one.”

The two scrambled to apologize, and Theo smiled serenely. The kind of smile that said,

‘You broke it, so of course you’ll replace it.’

Once the chaos settled down, Theo poured a fresh cup of coffee for Blaine and asked,

“So, what brings you to Ratteon this early in the morning?”

“I-I came to… look for a house.”

“Oh? In Ratteon?”

“I just… want to check around before deciding.”

“This place is good. Plenty of guild members live here, it’s convenient, and Lucilvania’s close by.”

Theo probably hadn’t meant much by it, but to Blaine, it was as good as permission. Permission to follow him and get a house in Ratteon.

“Then… does that mean I can… get a house in Ratteon?”

“? Why not? But the houses here are all small, are you fine with that? You used to live in Polia, right? Over there, the houses are big, even if they’re expensive.”

“I don’t mind!”

Blaine clenched his fist as if to prove his resolve. He couldn’t even hide his excitement, shifting in his seat restlessly.

Noquia, who had been quietly watching their exchange, took a sip of coffee and asked,

“You used to live in Polia? Then you don’t need to look for a cheap place, do you? If you sell that house, you could get one in Lucilvania. Or are you planning to keep the Polia house?”

Both Theo and Blaine turned their eyes to her. Theo frowned slightly, looking puzzled.

“No, I’m going to sell it.”

“Then why insist on Ratteon? It’s not like you’re short on money.”

She sipped her coffee again as she spoke, and Theo’s frown deepened.

“I just… I just like it here. I feel comfortable here.”

Blaine smiled sheepishly, overjoyed. His lowered gaze, paired with the soft blush blooming across his cheeks, gave him an angelic look. The radiance was so dazzling it felt like a divine strike. Noquia was stunned, eyes wide, and Holanghee slipped on sunglasses like she’d done this routine before. Theo instinctively raised his hand to shield his eyes before realizing—wait, the coffee Noquia was drinking was actually Blaine’s.

Noquia, knocked out by the blinding aura, ended up piggybacked by Holanghee. She kept muttering nonsense about not being able to see, but when Holanghee drew her urumi and smacked it against the ground with a smile, she shut up instantly.

With a thud, the door closed behind them, leaving Theo and Blaine alone together. Blaine froze. This was the first time they had been in a closed space alone. His body stiffened from nerves.

But Theo stood up calmly, then jerked his chin toward the outside, making Blaine blink in confusion.

“Let’s go out too.”

“Huh?”

“You said you’re looking for a house.”

“Uh… you’re going to help me look?”

Blaine got up awkwardly, eyes sparkling with hope. His face brimmed with anticipation.

“No. I’m heading to Lucilvania. I still need to check more Actions and buy more power.”

“Oh…”

Blaine sank back down, disappointed. His whole body sagged like the life had drained out of him.

“What? Is there something hard about house-hunting?”

“N-no… not really, but…”

“?”

After hesitating, Blaine looked up at him cautiously.

“Then, um… after I finish looking, can I come see you, Hyung?”

“? Don’t you have anything better to do?”

The blunt retort made Blaine flail his arms nervously and start rambling.

“What? No, I mean… not really, no, nothing in particular…”

His eyes darted away from Theo’s, sliding down to his nose, then his lips, then lower.

“…Aren’t you going to raise your tier?”

“O-of course… I should.”

His voice shrank to a whisper, and he bowed his head like a guilty criminal.

‘Then why aren’t you hunting, and why are you just following me around?’

If this had been Aslan in front of him, Theo would’ve snapped it out without hesitation. But he held his tongue.

The man in front of him looked too pitiful, like a big dog with drooping ears. And from the looks of it, he didn’t seem to have any friends either.

Theo hesitated for a moment, then reached out to pat Blaine’s head. Blaine flinched and snapped his head up, eyes wide, only for Theo’s hand to gently ruffle his hair. The softness and fluff of his hair, paired with the ears, really made it feel like petting a dog.

Blaine’s eyes grew even wider as heat bloomed across his face like a flower opening, quickly spreading to his ears and down his neck. He must have felt the change himself, because he panicked and covered his face with his hands, lowering his head in a hurry. But his ears were left uncovered, glowing bright red.

Theo was just as thrown off. His first thought was,

‘What the hell is with this guy?’

It was oddly awkward. He needed to change the mood. Stopping the head pat, he lightly tapped Blaine’s stiff shoulders.

“When you’re done, come to Lucilvania. I’ll buy you something good to eat.”