Abel: “…”
She was really still alive? Blood was still gushing from her head!
No matter how you looked at it, she shouldn’t be.
Abel took a deep breath, closed the distance in three quick strides, and firmly gripped her shoulders.
“Don’t move!”
He yanked the first-aid kit from his coat, pulled out a bandage, and pressed it hard against the wound on her head.
Blood soaked through the bandage instantly, but Abel’s hands remained steady.
“Open your mouth,” he ordered.
Salia obediently opened her mouth.
Abel unhooked a small vial from his belt, pulled out the stopper, and poured the entire bottle of healing potion straight down her throat.
“Mm…”
The moment the potion hit her stomach, the wound began closing at a visible speed.
A few breaths later, the bleeding stopped completely.
Salia blinked, touched her forehead, and found the wound already scabbed over.
“Uncle, you’re amazing!” she exclaimed, her water-blue eyes sparkling. “This potion works so well!”
Abel let out a breath of relief, released her shoulders, and said with a straight face, “Do you realize you almost died?”
“I know,” Salia replied with a bright grin. “But I’m really lucky. I ran into a kind person like you, Uncle.”
Abel: “…”
He had a feeling this girl was a little… off.
Salia stared at him for a moment, then suddenly asked, “Uncle, were you in town earlier?”
Abel’s heart skipped a beat, but his expression didn’t change.
“Why?”
“Did you see any suspicious people?” Salia’s gaze turned serious. “Someone wearing a traveler’s cloak like yours.”
Abel stayed silent for a second.
According to the guards, the only adventurers who had entered or left town today were him and Sutis.
And he had been wearing a cloak.
Was she suspicious?
“I didn’t see anyone,” he answered calmly. “I finished selling my magic cores and left right away.”
“I see…” Salia nodded thoughtfully, but her eyes stayed glued to him.
He looked around forty, right?
Scruffy beard, weather-beaten face—classic wandering adventurer.
But those eyes…
They were clear and bright, not the cloudy kind you expected at that age.
And the way he had treated her wound earlier—so skilled, so steady. He clearly handled injuries all the time.
Salia was sure she had found the right person! According to the town guard captain, the only adventurer who had come to town today was the uncle right in front of her!!
Which meant there was a nine-out-of-ten chance that the person who had been secretly protecting her for the past six months was him!
Now that she looked closer, he was actually pretty handsome.
If it was him…
Scenes began flashing through Salia’s mind—
The two of them walking hand-in-hand under the sunset, birds singing in the distance, flowers blooming as if blessing their love!
Then the two of them standing in a church in wedding attire, exchanging eternal vows before a priest.
And then him holding their child, a gentle smile on his face.
In the span of a few seconds, she had already fast-forwarded to their golden years as an old married couple.
Mm-hmm, it had to be him! The silhouette matched perfectly with what she had glimpsed earlier!!
As for why he had been silently protecting her without showing himself?
He must think he was too old for her, so he didn’t dare reveal himself!
How… adorable!
Her cheeks flushed pink, and her eyes grew dreamy and dangerously intense.
Abel watched the ever-changing expressions flicker across the girl’s face and felt a bad premonition rising.
Sutis stood nearby, her brows furrowed so tightly they could have crushed a pair of twin tails.
She knew that look all too well.
It was exactly the same look Aiko gave Abel every time.
This woman was definitely thinking shameless thoughts! Their precious alone time together was about to be ruined again!
“Um…” Abel tried cautiously, “Miss Salia?”
“Ah!” Salia snapped back to reality. “You know me?”
“How could I not?” Abel said. “Miss Salia is the guardian goddess of the border. We’re all very grateful to you.”
His tone was calm and his eyes sincere.
But Salia could hear it clearly—
There wasn’t a shred of actual gratitude in those words.
It was completely different from the usual flattery.
It really was him!
She confirmed it in her heart once more.
Still, it was fine if he didn’t want to admit it yet.
They had plenty of time ahead.
“Uncle,” she suddenly put on a pitiful expression and pointed at the scab on her forehead.
“Look, you hit me and made me bleed. You can’t just leave me here like this, right?”
Abel: “…”
“Could you give me a ride?”
Her eyes sparkled. “I’m heading to the Northern Border Fortress. We’re going the same way, aren’t we?”
Abel stayed silent for two seconds.
She was technically an injured person, and the injury was his fault.
“Get on,” he sighed.
Salia cheered, didn’t wait for him to move aside, and hopped straight into the carriage like she wasn’t injured at all.
Before climbing inside, she glanced back at Abel and smiled like a little cat that had just stolen a fish.
“Uncle, you’re such a good person. What’s your name?”
“…Call me Victor.”
“Uncle Victor!” Salia repeated the name three times in her heart, then happily crawled into the carriage.
Inside, Sutis sat with her arms crossed, staring at the uninvited guest with open hostility.
Salia didn’t mind at all. She found a comfortable spot, sat down, and began looking around curiously.
“Little sister, are you Uncle’s daughter?”
He already had a daughter? Well… no problem. She had a very big heart!
“No!” Sutis shot back. “I’m the one who made a future promise with him!”
“A future promise?” Salia blinked. She didn’t quite understand what that meant.
Abel cut in at the perfect moment. “She’s my little sister. She’s just a kid with a big mouth—don’t listen to her nonsense.”
If Sutis slipped up, it would be trouble.
“Oh~”
Salia nodded, looking thoughtful.
Not his daughter, but his little sister.
That was even better.
She gazed at the figure driving the carriage outside the curtain, the corners of her mouth curving into a sweet arc.
Just wait, Uncle Victor.
I will make you admit it yourself—that you’re the one who’s been protecting me all this time! And then…
The carriage continued onward, heading deeper into the twilight.
Inside the carriage, Sutis glared at Salia with clear displeasure toward the intruder.
Meanwhile, Salia stared dreamily at Abel’s back, lost in who-knew-what fantasies.
Abel gripped the reins, feeling two pairs of eyes on his back and growing increasingly uncomfortable.
He was already starting to regret letting her on board.
But if he could choose again, he still wouldn’t have had a choice. After all, he was the one who had sent her flying.
When evening arrived, Abel set up camp in the wilderness, parking the carriage beside a small forest.
His cooking skills earned enthusiastic praise from Salia. “Uncle Victor, your cooking is incredible!”
“Been traveling for a long time. You pick it up naturally. It’s nothing special.”
The mealtime atmosphere, however, was far from harmonious. Abel noticed Sutis shooting angry glares at Salia the entire time—especially whenever Salia reached for the same ingredients she liked.
This was supposed to be our nice time together! You extra person!
Right in the middle of dinner, Abel’s expression suddenly changed. He stood up.
“What’s wrong?” Salia asked.
Abel looked toward the forest. “Someone’s approaching. Not animal footsteps.”
“Oh? Bandits?”
The chance of running into bandits in the wild was high, especially lately with all the chaos. Many places had been destroyed by divine disasters, which naturally supplied plenty of “talent” to the ancient profession.
Salia set down her bowl, wiped her mouth, and stood up. “Leave it to me, Uncle. A few measly bandits are no problem for me!”
Before long, the footsteps drew closer. Salia drew her sword and stepped forward. Sure enough, dozens of figures were slowly emerging from the trees.
There seemed to be quite a lot of them…
Salia’s courage wavered again, but the moment she sensed Abel watching her, it came rushing back.
She shouted into the forest, “I am Salia, steel-rank adventurer of the kingdom! If you’ve got guts, come at me!”
She had meant the words as a deterrent. Her name carried weight, after all. A steel-rank adventurer should be enough to scare off small-time thugs, right?
But after a brief hesitation, the figures charged forward anyway!
“R-Robbery! Hand over all your money!”
Salia narrowed her eyes. Oh, these guys have some nerve. But it was fine—she still had Mr. Victor beside her!
Yet when the campfire light finally revealed the bandits’ appearances, Salia froze in confusion.
These… these counted as bandits?!