Chapter 1044: First Taste Of Jealousy
Feris kicked her legs back and forth, her eyes tracing the movements of Noah as he wove through the attacks of the beasts around them. The way he ducked, the way he countered. Even the moments his muscles would peek out from under the armour.
"Sexy~" Rika chuckled, sitting down next to Feris and surprising her.
"Wah! Aren’t you supposed to keep the others safe?" Feris quickly looked back, but her worries were soon dispelled when she noticed the beasts were now dead. Only the one Noah was dealing with remained.
"Now come on, don’t be shy. Tell me what your favourite muscle is." Rika rested her arm over Feris’s shoulder.
"Personally, I like a pair of nice, firm forearms. It gives a sense of safety, right?" she chuckled.
Hearing this, both Yama and Tobi took their bracers off and flexed their forearms.
Naturally, Rika rolled her eyes.
"I don’t drool over the flabby forearms of you two dumbasses. Give me some real manly forearms like the captain’s over there."
"Maybe you should get in line first. Those forearms are for Feris’ eyes only." Yama laughed, sitting down near the two girls.
But Feris only tilted her head.
Looking at Noah’s back, she wondered what her favourite muscle would be.
"I think I like the chest or back."
The three members of the party looked at one another before letting out a collective laugh.
"What? Why is mine so funny?" Feris pursed her lips, feeling as though she was being mocked.
"No no, you got it wrong, bestie. We realised it was the obvious choice since you always sleep on Noah’s chest or back. What else would be your favourite muscle if not your personal pillows?" Rika clarified.
"What kind of trouble are you three making for Feris now?" Noah walked over after finishing his fight.
The beast was decapitated behind him and slowly bleeding from its neck.
It had been a few weeks since they started their travels. Thus far, they had only found two sites based on the map.
"We’re not making trouble, Captain. Just seeing what Feris’ preferences are when it comes to your muscles," Tobi reported.
For a moment, Noah almost choked on his saliva as he hadn’t expected them to be having that kind of conversation.
"Ahem, stop messing around now. We’re deep in dangerous territory. The third site shouldn’t be far from here." Noah quickly changed the subject as they packed their things and got ready for the road.
Even though Ciel gave them the resources they needed, they chose to remain as a small group in the end. Trying to cooperate with more people made things more difficult, as he had to handle the logistics of multiple teams rather than just one.
So instead of manpower, they bought a bunch of useful items and relics to help keep them safe.
After doing a quick inventory check, Noah stored everything away before walking over to Feris, who simply raised her arms with a small smile on her face.
Without question, Noah swung her onto his back with practiced familiarity.
During the previous two sites, he had half expected Feris to feel excited by the Crystals.
Even if they were small in size and number, they should’ve caused a reaction.
Yet strangely...
Feris didn’t feel any attachment to them. The void in her heart was still empty.
It’s not that she had lost interest in the Crystals either. She was still fully attached to the fragment she stole from the pit.
The party had a few theories, such as purity. It might also have been a case where it wasn’t even the same kind of crystal.
But regardless of the truth, the fact that Feris showed no reaction hadn’t changed. In fact, it felt like the Void in her chest might’ve even grown.
"Are you still feeling down?" Noah asked as he noticed Feris’s eyes locked onto the crystal necklace.
"I don’t know." Feris exhaled softly. She rested her head against Noah’s back while holding the crystal between her fingers.
She couldn’t pinpoint the issue either. The samples they collected looked and felt the same as the one in her hand. It was simply... missing something.
It felt more like a shell than anything else. The same went for the sites they visited. There were veins of the same crystal, but they lacked a certain... feeling. She couldn’t see the other realm, even when she stood at the centre.
"Don’t worry. Right now, we’re just investigating the crystals on the outer edges. The closer we get to some of these rumours, as well as our old home, the more clues we’ll get," Noah reassured her. "I’m sure you’ll be able to fill the void in your chest."
Feris’ eyelashes trembled for a moment before she nodded her head.
She then thought back to what Rika had said earlier and pressed her palm against Noah’s back.
Broad.
That was the first thing she noticed about Noah’s back.
Even through the layers of clothing and armour, she could feel the shifting of muscle with each step.
Resting against his back, Feris felt a strange sense of stability. One that anchored her to the world and kept her mind at peace.
Next was the warmth. The presence of another person.
Usually, she would’ve been against this kind of feeling, often choosing solitude in her youth. She would spend time alone, staring up at the sky.
But now?
She wanted to feel his presence beside her at all times. It was a strange feeling she couldn’t understand.
Her fingers curled against Noah’s back.
Aside from the warmth, there was also the sense of reliability.
Noah wasn’t considered huge compared to some of the warriors they had seen on their journey. In fact, there wasn’t even a comparison to be made.
They dwarfed him in size.
Yet none of them could make her feel this way.
Safe.
Her eyes drifted down to the crystal in her hand. Even though the void was still present in her chest, it was only bearable because Noah was beside her.
If he wasn’t here...
Feris sighed.
"If you keep sighing, that Void will grow bigger, you know? They say a bit of your happiness escapes with each sigh."
Feris pursed her lips.
"If I lose my happiness, I’m blaming you." She punched his back with her fist.
Though it was a ’punch’ in her eyes, to Noah, it was no different from a tap.
"Haha, if you do lose your happiness with your sighs, I’ll just give you some of my own. I promised to take responsibility after all."
"But what if I take all of your happiness? What will you have left?" Feris asked, lifting her head and resting it on his shoulder.
"Happiness is not a finite source. I’ll give you as much as you need and more. That’s a promise."
She stared at Noah’s face. Even from this angle, she could see the resolve in his eyes. That confident smile, as though nothing in this world could stop him.
For a moment, Feris found herself lost in the sight.
Her gaze softened, and a strange feeling washed over her as, for a brief moment, she forgot all about the void in her chest.
She felt... satisfied.
Fulfilment from simply being carried on his back. Hearing his voice. Knowing that he was here at this moment.
Feris closed her eyes and smiled, immersing herself in this strange yet pleasant feeling.
Then she recalled what Rika had said about Noah’s forearms, and her brows creased ever so slightly. A faint sourness formed in her chest.
Unable to hold herself back, she leaned forward and nibbled on his ear.
"ARGH!!!" Noah let out a cry of shock as the party members glanced back at the two in surprise.
Yet when they saw the blush on Noah’s face while Feris nibbled on his ear, their smiles twitched.
As for Rika, she noticed Feris’ fierce gaze directed towards her.
’Ohya?’ Her thoughts stirred as she immediately realised this was probably because of what she had said earlier.
Right now, Feris was acting like a small animal marking her territory. Even though she wasn’t saying it aloud, her eyes conveyed everything that needed to be said.
Noah was off limits.
Just like the crystal she loved oh so much.
Rika simply raised her hand in surrender. She was never going to go after Noah anyway. She knew his heart had only ever been focused on Feris. That had been the case since they were children, and it was still true even now.
Still, she never expected Feris of all people to have that kind of competitive expression on her face.
It made the girl feel more ’human’.
"Why did you do that?" Noah quickly composed himself, not expecting Feris to bite him.
The warm breath against his neck and ear had been... unexpected.
"I just felt like it." Feris mumbled, unable to quite understand it herself. But seeing the expression on Rika’s face made her feel satisfied and calm.
Hearing her voice so close to his ear in a whisper, Noah quickly composed himself.
"I... see."
"Did it hurt?" she asked softly.
But Noah shook his head.
"No, it didn’t hurt. I was just surprised."
"Mnm... Rika asked what my favourite muscle was earlier. I like your back and chest. What about you?" Feris moved on from the subject.
"What part of me do you like?"
An innocent question. One that Feris didn’t quite understand herself.
But from Noah’s perspective, it was different.
What part of her did he like?
All of it.
The good, the bad. The selfishness, the stubbornness. He had to hold himself back from saying the thought that had been present in his mind since they were both children.
’I like all of you, Feris.’ Noah thought to himself, but didn’t dare say it out loud.
It was a feeling he wanted to keep buried in his chest until Feris fully understood what she wanted for herself.
