I Reject the villain’s ending.

Episode 28.

I gently picked up Iros, who was unable to pulse and wake up on top of me and rolled him onto his side.

Now I was on top of him, but it didn’t feel like a straddling position or anything.

“How long has he been feverish, since the beginning? He seemed fine when I picked him up.”

‘I think I’ve been feverish since dinner.’

‘Then you should have told me, you stupid pooch!’

‘I thought you were such a cute little puppy.’

‘You’re very sick from all that bullshit!’

I scowled down at Iros, who replied with a slightly flushed face.

Then Iros lifted his hand and brought it gently to my cheek. His hand was twitching slightly.

‘Wrong, I did.’

“From now on, if you know you’ve done something wrong, if it hurts at all, tell me right away. Do you understand? If you grunt and hold it in again, I’m not going to let you off the hook!”

‘Yes.’

‘You’re a Divine Misfit, so you have to be extra careful.’

Holy power misfit. A rare constitutional condition in which one of the one percent of humanity is born with an abnormal reaction to divine power.

Most of the people with this condition were either unable to hear the Holy Force itself or felt pain when exposed to it.

Iros tended to fall into the latter category. He could heal wounds, but he felt pain depending on the magnitude of the divine power. It was a troublesome constitution that sometimes caused him to be wounded by divine power repeatedly.

He hid this fact when he became a Guardian, a position of great power due to his use of divine power instead of Auror.

Even now, Iros was still using Auror rather than Divine Power.

‘I’ve never been strong enough to use divine power,’ he arrogantly said to the outside world.

‘What an idiot…….’

‘It saved my life, though I didn’t realize the aftermath would be this bad.’

He frowned in frustration and grabbed Iros’s hand, which was barely touching his cheek, and set it down on the bed.

Holding his hand tightly, I sighed and said to Iros, who looked up at me.

‘I knew it would be like this, I climbed into bed and told you to make yourself comfortable and you tried to jump on me.’

‘Was it something like that, I’m back to my usual…….’

“Whoa! That’s not what happened! I had pure intentions.”

I looked up at Iros, who was looking at me with a wide-eyed, ‘You?’ expression on his face, and I pulled the blankets together and wrapped them around his body like a fried egg.

Iros, who had become a futon, looked at the blanket wrapped tightly around me and muttered to himself.

‘This is too much, isn’t it? What do you sleep under, Saint, and I’m going to get more blankets.’

‘Never mind. Just lie down.’

I rolled over and lay down next to him, pressing my arm lightly against his as he sat up to fetch the blankets.

‘You’re so warm, I don’t need a duvet, I can sleep with you.’

“Where the hell do you learn to say that? Or are you oblivious?”

“If you have any complaints, you can tell me tomorrow, but for now, go to sleep. Good night, my pinkie.”

‘Good night, saint, too.’

Iros curled up in his quilt, blinking meekly at me, and when I patted him on the head, he quickly closed his sleepy eyes and drifted off to colorful sleep.

I heard his even breathing and saw his flushed red face, and I brushed a stray strand of hair out of his sweaty face and stared at him.

I closed my eyes, remembering once again the secrets of Iros that only I knew, and I too closed my eyes to sleep after a long day.

* * *

The next morning, as soon as it was light, Diane gathered her people and left for the temple, and we prepared to leave, bidding farewell to Viscount Ellis.

‘You are leaving already?’

“Yes. Diane will be here for a while, but we have a report to make on the slaying of the warlocks.”

‘It’s a shame. I wish I could repay my benefactors for their generosity, but time is short.’

But the gold and silver treasures in Viscount Ellis’s pockets could fill fifteen large wagons.

As befits a lord of Elotta, a land of commerce and trade, he had left nothing behind but money and goods.

‘And please accept this.’

‘What is this?’

I scratched my head as I looked at the small gold plaque that Viscount Ellis handed me. The Viscount explained with great pride.

‘Go to the top of every elotta in the country and show them this plaque, and they will give you all the support you want.’

‘……!’

Giving up on trying to hide the corner of my mouth that was rising, I quickly slipped the gold plaque into my pocket and tied it tightly around my waist.

‘I’ll put it to good use, I’m sure it’ll be well received.’

“Yes, yes. Oh, by the way. By the way, you’re riding a wyvern, not a carriage……?”

Viscount Ellis looked up at the large dragon and slipped behind me.

He rolled his eyes at Viscount Ellis as if he were an insignificant bug, then snorted.

I patted him and smirked.

‘I killed the original owner, the warlock, anyway, and the dragonfly follows me, so I’m taking it back.’

They’re much better than carriages because they’re faster and can carry a lot of people and luggage.

You can feed them with meat or monsters, so you can catch them along the way (?).

He’s self-sufficient, so he’s very comfortable and easy to care for.

‘Besides, the carriage is for Diane to take when we find Eldrakis’ body.

The wagon is enchanted with a preservation spell, so it can keep food for a long time, but it can also preserve wounds and bodies, so we’re leaving it behind.

And if we take the carriage, Iros will have to drive it, but I glance back and realize that he’s not in a condition to do so.

I can drive the dragon, so I’d better get Iros and Mei on board and get back to the temple quickly so they can rest.

I also have a potion for Divine Power Misfits that I haven’t refined with Divine Power in my room.

‘Well then, we’ll have to be on our way.’

“Thank you again for saving my daughter, and the children of Elotta. This favor will never be forgotten as long as Elotta exists.”

‘Seo, thank you for saving us!’

‘Thank you!’

‘Thank you, Saint!’

Countless children waved their hands in gratitude as Viscountess Ellis walked out from behind us.

I, too, waved back with a small smile at the lives we had saved.

The dragon carried Mei, the smallest of the group, on top, followed by me, and finally Iros, before bidding farewell to the people of Elotta and soaring into the sky.

‘Yay!’

‘Chieh-eh-’

The dragon flapped its wings and in an instant we were high in the sky, and we headed north towards the temple, looking down at Elotta as it receded into the distance like a small toy.

I squeezed Yongyong’s reins as if to embrace Mei, who rode in front and asked.

‘Mei, are you scared?’

‘Wow! It’s a lot of fun, isn’t it, Guardian?’

‘Mmm.’

Unlike Mei, who was excited, Iros tightened his arm around my waist.

I spoke in surprise as he glanced down with a puzzled expression.

‘Are you scared?’

‘Not really, just, um.’

“If you’re not scared, why don’t we go higher? Mei’s having fun.”

‘No! No, no, no!’

A flustered Iros exclaimed, and Mei and I giggled like rascals who found something funny.

‘Why?’

‘Because if he gets too high, he might fall.’

‘Guardian, are you afraid of falling off?’

‘…….’

Iros said nothing. Instead, he clung to my back like a cicada to a rubber tree, his shoulders shaking.

I could feel him squirm against my back, and I chastised myself for not laughing.

Instead of teasing him further, I lowered the dragon’s altitude and flew through the forest.

When he finally decided he could land safely, he relaxed his stiffened body and leaned heavily against my back.

‘It took us a week to get here, it shouldn’t take us more than three days to get there.’

‘Wyverns sure are fast.’

I didn’t hear a word from behind me as Mei and I made small talk and time passed quickly.

I let go of the reins and reached down to find Iros’s cheek, which felt like a warm, cooked bun.

At the tickling touch of my cheek, Iros opened his eyes and mumbled.

‘Saint?’

‘You’re awake? You didn’t speak, so I thought you were asleep.’

‘Are you all right?

Iros asked worriedly, and out of habit, he said yes, then corrected himself as he remembered last night’s conversation.

‘My fever came back and I was dizzy, so I closed my eyes.’

“Really? Then Elotta must be off, too. Let’s get some rest. I need to eat lunch anyway, so don’t think I’m resting for you.”

‘Okay.’

Iros replied meekly, blinking meekly, not expecting me to be so considerate.

He rested his chin on my shoulder and sagged, like a piece of paper that had been dipped in water.

I lifted my hand to stroke Iros’ head, then lowered the dragon to a small clearing in the forest and parked it.

Wyverns were predators at the top of the monster world, so the monsters in the vicinity were all relaxed and alert.

‘I’m going to make a meal, and you can take care of your guardian.’

“Sure. Please, Mei.”

‘Yes!’

I spread a thick blanket on the floor and laid Iros down while Mei unpacked the sacks of luggage on the back of the dragon.

‘You’ll lie there until we’re ready to eat. Do you want me to put a blanket over you too?’

‘Yes.’

‘Anything else you need?’

‘A lap pillow, please.’

‘……?’

I paused and looked down at Iros with a shudder.

His normally impassive face told me I must have overheard. I shook my head and asked again, more firmly.

‘You want a pillow?’

‘No, I want to borrow your knee.’

‘…….’

My pinkie was hurting, and now her head was starting to hurt too.

I stared at Iros for a moment, who faced me brazenly, and then looked down at my leg at his brazen demand and glare.

I wondered if my leg belonged to Iros and I was borrowing it. I wondered if he was the original owner.

I sighed as I looked at Iros, who looked at me like a man looking for something he had left behind.

I sighed, looking at Iros, who said, ‘Give me your leg like you’re looking for something you left behind.

I see. He’s a patient, he wants to be silly, and I’ll give him the benefit of the doubt.

‘You’re hurting, so I’ll cut you some slack. Next time.’

“Thank you. I must be sick a lot.”

‘Oh, no!’

‘I’m kidding.’

Iros was feverish, and the fever must have taken its toll on his head because he was laughing hysterically.

Otherwise, Iros, who usually maintained a stoic expression, with only the faintest twitch of a smile now and then, would not be laughing so hard.