Chapter 47
By the time they reached her cabin, the rain was falling in heavy sheets. Both of their clothes were now completely soaked,
Silvia snapped her fingers, and in an instant, their garments were completely dry.
Caelith looked down at himself, patting his clothes in disbelief.
“Thanks…” he murmured, his words trailing off, stunned at the sudden display of magic.
He glanced around, taking in the modest interior. His eyes traced the bare furnishings—the low wooden table, a few scattered mats, and the small hearth in the corner.
“So… you live here all by yourself?” he asked. “Don’t you have anyone… like family?”
Silvia’s gaze flickered briefly to the hearth, her expression calm but distant. “My family isn’t here at the moment. So, it’s only myself here.”
“I see.”
That was all Caelith said, settling onto the floor and leaning back against the wall. The soft patter of rain against the roof filled the quiet space between them.
A sad smile formed on her face, but she remained silent. Had she been lonely all these years, living here by herself? Absolutely. It was a strange realization—that just when she was about to surrender to the crushing isolations of the woods, a stranger’s presence made the world feel lighter than it had been for years.
She looked at him then.
“How about you?” she asked softly. “What are you doing somewhere like this?”
Caelith shifted slightly on the floor, brushing a wet strand of hair from his forehead. “Me? I’m just here for training, as instructed by… Auntie—I mean, my master.”
Silvia tilted her head, her eyes narrowing in curiosity. “Is she the one who taught you your sword skills?”
“Yeah, you could say that.”
A quiet pause stretched between them. Silvia watched him for a moment before standing and moving closer, eventually settling down beside him. She noticed him flinch slightly at her closeness, but he didn’t say anything.
“You know, I always hated the rain, even when I was younger,” she began.
“Why’s that?”
She let her eyes drift to the flickering firelight, watching the shadows dance across the floor before glancing out the window.
“Maybe because I never had any fond memories of it,” she said. “Whenever it rained, it always seems like something important was stolen from me.”
“That must’ve been hard on you,” Caelith answered after a moment. He scratched the back of his head, looking bashful as he tried to fill in the heavy silence.
“To be honest, I’m not exactly the biggest fan of rain, either.”
He gave a very solemn nod, as if admitting an important secret. “When I was younger, I was a total mess, I’d always clung to my mother or sister whenever it thundered.”
Silvia’s eyes widened slightly at that, as she turned to look at him.
“I didn’t expect that.” she murmured in amusement. “You seemed quite brave earlier.”
He let out an awkward laugh. “I’d rather not think about it now.”
As if the gods themselves were playing a cruel prank, a deafening crack of thunder exploded outside. Caelith jolted in his seat, instinctively flinching.
Silvia noticed immediately, the sadness that was weighting her down was replaced by a teasing glint slowly curling in her eyes. Caelith, realizing what she was thinking, froze in place. He let out a faint cough and shifted slightly, trying to act like nothing had happened.
“Aww, did that little thunder scare you? Don’t worry… big sister’s here to protect you~”
He scrambled, panic flashing across his face as he struggled to find the right words. “W-wait! No! That’s not… I mean, it’s not what it looks like! I was just taken off guard! And—don’t call yourself that!”
“Why not? I’m clearly older than you,” Silvia teased, moving a little closer.
Caelith opened his mouth to argue, but no words came out. With a frustrated groan, he slumped against the wall, covering his face with one hand in defeat.
‘He’s sulking… how cute.’
Although they had only just met, she already found herself strangely drawn to him, the odd sensation inside her from earlier only growing stronger by passing seconds.
Time seemed to lose its meaning as they continued talking. She couldn’t recall the last time she’d shared such a simple, comfortable conversation with anyone—someone who looked at her as if she were just a normal person.
And for the first time in a long while, she found herself hoping it wouldn’t end.
Eventually, the rain outside came to a stop. Caelith stood up and stepped toward the entrance, pushing aside the hanging cloth to look outside, checking the weather.
Night had already fallen. The dark clouds were slowly dispersing, revealing the sky in its full glory—stars scattered like faint embers across the darkness, the moon casting a pale, gentle light over the forest.
Silvia stepped outside after him, quietly looking up at the sky.
“Is something the matter?”
“It’s just… for some reason, the night sky feels clearer than I remember.”
After saying that, Silvia sat on the damp grass. She had never really paid much attention to the sky like this before—usually she was sleeping in her cabin by this time—so she couldn’t help but wonder.
‘Had the night sky always been this beautiful…?
Caelith lowered himself onto the damp grass, lying back as he, too, admiring the sky. They said nothing, simply watching as stars streaked across the sky, the quiet of the night wrapping around them like a blanket.
…
I woke up the next morning feeling rejuvenated, but when I tried to move, something held me in place. As my vision cleared, I realized my face was buried against Silvia’s ample chest, her arms draped loosely over my head, keeping me pinned like a warm, living pillow.
Heat began creeping up my face as I processed the situation.
‘Seriously… isn’t she a bit too defenseless around a guy she just met?’
I tried to gently pry myself away, careful not to wake her—but for some reason, her grip only tightened. Her arms shifted slightly, pulling me closer, holding me in place.
‘.....’
A soft, sleepy groan escaped her lips as her eyes fluttered open, still half-lidded. She blinked a few times, taking in the morning light, before her gaze slowly settled on me.
“Mm… morning,” she murmured, Her grip loosened just slightly, though she didn’t let go completely.
“Yeah… good morning…” I replied, trying to calm myself
For some reason, she didn’t seem to care all that much, stretching lazily as she let out a long yawn. Her hair fell over her shoulders, brushing lightly against my cheek. I took the opportunity to quietly slip away before anything else could happen.
“Hey… don’t go just yet,” she mumbled, rubbing her eyes. “I was kind of hoping we could stay like this for a little while longer.”
Seriously… What's the deal with this girl? I mean, she’s way too forward for someone who claims to live alone all this time.
It felt like I’d been dancing in her palm since last night. Her eyes met mine, flashing that sly, captivating smile—and I immediately turned away, crouching down and covering my mouth with one hand.
‘… She’s a walking natural disaster for my sanity…’
The sun had already risen high in the sky. As I tried to calm my pounding heart, a sudden thought struck me, and I snapped upright.
‘Shit… I completely forgot! I need to get back—Auntie Shira’s waiting for me.’
I started to leave, glancing back at Silvia. “Sorry, I really have to go… It was nice meeting you—”
She panicked the moment she heard that. Grabbing my arm, she yanked me back down, pinning me in place.
“N-no! Don’t go!”
‘What is with her strength…?!’
But that was beside the point. I could feel her hand trembling against me. When I looked up at her face, her entire demeanor had changed—her eyes quivering, like a child afraid they’d just lost something important.
“Look. I’m flattered and all but—-”
“Please don’t go…” she cut in, her voice barely above a whisper. “Don’t leave me alone here again…”
Those words sounded less like a request—and more like a quiet, desperate plea. I didn’t know what she’d been through, and I had no intention of forcing her to say it—but seeing her like this, I couldn’t bring myself to turn away.
With my free hand, I reached up and gently rested it atop her head. Her eyes widened at the contact, but instead of pulling away, she leaned into it, her trembling gradually easing as she slowly calmed down.
“So… a-are you going to stay…?” she whispered.
“I’m really sorry—” I began, hesitating.
“Then let me come with you!” she interrupted, a desperate resolve in her eyes, leaving me completely caught off guard.
I’m not sure about bringing a random girl I found in the forest back with me. I’d have to explain it to Auntie Shira and my sister, and besides… It feels like I’m treating Kaelon’s home like free real estate.
‘He probably won’t mind, right…?’ I thought, stealing another glance at Silvia, taking in her delicate features.
‘Oh, who am I kidding… he’s definitely going to bitch at me for this.’
In the end, I decided to just roll with it—there’s no way I can reason with her the way she’s acting right now.
“Alright, you can come with me.” I sighed
Her eyes immediately lit up, a mix of relief and delight sparkling in them. “Really? You mean it?” she whispered, her voice trembling slightly with excitement.
“Yes. Now, can you please let go of my wrist now?”
“Hehe.”
The trembling stopped instantly. She immediately sprang to her feet, dusting herself off as if nothing had happened, her demeanor doing a complete one-eighty. I stayed where I was, rubbing my wrist and staring at the red handprint she’d left behind.
‘Hah… what am I even doing with my life right now?’
…
As we approached the forest’s edge, I spotted Auntie Shira standing in the same spot as yesterday, leisurely sipping her wine. Her eyes lifted lazily as we drew closer.
“Ah, you’re back. I was just wondering if I should start looking for you…”
Her voice trailed off as she noticed Silvia standing behind me. Silvia waved cheerfully, completely oblivious to the storm of thoughts racing through my head.
Auntie Shira then turned her gaze back to me, crimson eyes narrowing skeptically.
“I’m pretty sure I told you to go train there, not to be wandering with some random girl.”
I felt my grievances stacking up.
“Can you at least hear me out?”
