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Iris shouted, making one wonder if she was the same woman who had been holding her breath in surprise just a moment ago.
Robbie flinched. He had never seen Iris angry before.
But Iris didn't stop there.
“The smell of alcohol!”
She made a gesture of pinching her nose and got angry again.
“If you drank in the middle of the night, you should have gone home and slept peacefully; what on earth are you doing in someone else's backyard?”
However, sleazy people generally do not respond properly to words pointing out their own faults. Robbie, who had flinched for a moment, also raised his voice in return.
“I-Iris! You're being fooled by this guy! He's definitely a minion of a demon! That bastard's lizard spoke!”
Rahan flinched. It was because there was someone other than himself who could understand the axolotl's words.
However, Iris, who had no idea what was going on, found the whole thing absurd.
“What on earth have you been talking about? Do you realize how incredibly rude you're being right now?”
She had come out after being startled by screams while eating, only to find two guys reeking of alcohol flailing around beneath her window.
Then, they had the nerve to point fingers at the homeowner and call her a child of a demon. No matter if he was the village chief's son or a good friend in the past, Iris could not tolerate this.
“Apologize to my husband!”
“Iris, wait a moment.”
It was Rahan who gently wrapped his arm around Iris's shoulder.
He knew very well that the negative emotions arising in this situation would become daily sustenance for that damn lizard. Therefore, settling this situation quickly was Rahan's top priority.
“Look, you seem to have lost your senses from the alcohol. Why don't you just go home?”
“Rahan! Don't stop me!”
“Iris. I'm fine, so...”
However, in situations like this, people rarely calm down easily.
Especially if one of them had fallen into a panic after hearing the voice of a demon. Robbie pointed his finger at Iris, who was being held by Rahan.
“Seeing as you're taking his side, you've sold your body to a demon! Are you carrying a demon's brat?!”
At that moment, surprisingly, Robbie's wish was granted—the wish to make Iris's cheeks turn red. Of course, it was in a different sense than what Robbie had hoped for.
Now, Iris was furious to the core.
“Wake up, you drunkard!”
A slapping sound rang out. It wasn't Iris who did it. She had wanted to with all her heart, but Rahan had beaten her to it.
Rahan was used to hearing verbal abuse himself. But it displeased him that even a fingertip of Iris's should touch such a man.
“Ugh!”
If it had been Iris's slender palm, it wouldn't have been a big deal. But Robbie's neck whipped around after being hit by Rahan's hand, which was as large as a pot lid.
“Hey! Are you okay?”
Only then did his friend, who had been standing a step back, panic and grab hold of Robbie.
“You crazy bastard, I told you to stop drinking. Please, just stop...”
But Robbie, whose eyes had gone wild, could see nothing now. He fumbled around and picked up any random stone nearby.
“You demon spawn! Give me Iris!”
In his mind, Rahan was already the demon itself. Had he not heard the magical beast whispering to him?
He didn't care that the people around him were looking at him as if he were insane. A courageous man is one who rises above trials!
“Die!”
Splat. Blood sprayed. Red. It was blood spraying from Rahan's arm, which had blocked the stone Robbie swung.
“Oh dear.”
Unluckily, the edge of the stone must have been sharp. Rahan's arm was torn quite deeply, and Iris let out a shrill scream.
However, without batting an eye, Rahan lifted his arm and thrust it in front of Robbie.
“See. My blood is red.”
“Uh...”
Robbie took a step back, still holding the stone. Only then did he become frightened by Rahan, who spoke without a single tremor even after being struck by a stone.
But Rahan scoffed at him.
“If I were a demon as you claim, black blood would have flowed.”
“B-but, the lizard definitely said...”
Belatedly, Robbie's friend grabbed him and scolded him.
“Robbie! Have you lost your mind?!”
“No, I haven't! You filthy things, I, I...”
But Rahan had no intention of being lenient with Robbie any longer. Patting the verge-of-tears Iris, he glared at Robbie.
“Get lost. Now.”
Robbie could not overcome the fighting spirit of a knight who had fought countless unbelievers.
Robbie backed away, nearly collapsing with a whimper, and then, seemingly snapping back to his senses at the sound of a goat's "Maaaaa..." woken by the commotion, he let out a "Yikes!" and turned around to flee.
“Wait for me!”
His friend followed suit. Iris raised her fist toward their retreating backs.
“You two! Just wait until morning; I'm going straight to the village chief to complain!”
But there was no answer. In the place where Robbie and his friend had vanished, only a trampled vegetable garden remained.
Well, more than half of the potatoes were already afflicted with Potato Blight, their leaves dried up, so it didn't matter if they were trampled.
Should he call this a blessing? Rahan smiled bitterly and pulled Iris closer.
“It's okay.”
Though today's incident was slightly different in nature, Rahan had experienced similar things countless times.
He glanced stealthily at the bushes. It was clear that the lizard had done something, but it seemed to be hiding to avoid Rahan's gaze.
Of course, he couldn't discipline the axolotl in front of Iris, so he had to end it here for now.
On the other hand, he was inwardly annoyed.
'Everything's ruined.'
It had been a while since Iris seemed to be in a good mood, and the atmosphere had been harmonious. In the dim light leaking from inside the house, Iris's face was a picture of misery.
“Hmph. What is this? That must hurt... Let's go to the monastery for treatment.”
“It's late at night, how can we do that? Besides, it's nothing. I can't keep imposing on them.”
He rubbed his arm roughly and smiled.
“Since I'm a demon's brat, it'll heal if I just put some spit on it.”
He said it as a joke, but Iris snapped back in anger.
“Don't say things like that!”
Then, she closed her eyes tightly and murmured something.
Rahan blinked.
“Descend, O Holy Spirit. The lowliest of all dares to prostrate before Your footsteps and earnestly pray...”
What Iris was suddenly reciting was a prayer.
No way.
But seeing a faint light gradually filling the dirt ground they stood upon, Rahan became certain of what Iris was doing.
She was declaring a Sanctuary.
Fwaaaa...
White light spread out from beneath Iris's feet. The light filled the surroundings like undulating waves, and Rahan suddenly felt an immense sense of peace. Neither cold nor hot, neither thirsty nor hungry.
It was the Sanctuary he had only heard about. The embrace of God was so warm that he unconsciously closed his eyes.
How should he put it? It felt like lying under the very warm spring sunshine...
“Look at this!”
If it hadn't been for Iris's shout, Rahan might have fallen fast asleep. Amidst the waves of white light enveloping them, Iris wrinkled her nose and tapped Rahan's arm. The bleeding had stopped.
“If Rahan were really a demon, how could he be standing here holding my hand inside this Sanctuary? He should have melted away instantly!”
The tone Iris used while saying this was incredibly indignant, yet utterly affectionate.
While Rahan looked at her, speechless, Iris stroked Rahan's arm as if she were truly upset, and then she pulled him into a tight hug.
“You got hurt again...”
Why was it? At that one sentence from Iris, he felt something in a corner of his heart strangely melt away.
Something like a sharp mountain of ice that had been frozen inside Rahan for a very long time. Of course, since Rahan had lived for many years, it would be difficult to say that the iceberg had melted all at once.
However, ice's ridges curve more beautifully when it melts slowly. With every whimper of the small woman burrowing into his chest, the sharp edges of the ice melted under the sunlight.
The light had vanished by then. Yet, Rahan still felt as if he were in a warm and cozy cradle.
The feeling of a heart that had been sharpened into a blade becoming rounded.
Rahan found himself smiling unconsciously.
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