Save the World, Reward: A Husband

Chapter 3

Even if Elias was more capable than the entire group of misfits combined, he was still no match for a dragon on his own. The shock on the toad man’s face when he saw that Elias had survived suggested he was well aware of this, meaning he had sent Elias to his death. I despised people like him who treated others’ sacrifices as mere trifles and reveled in their suffering as if it were their own achievement. They were just like the scum at the lab who pushed me to the brink of death and laughed at the young test subjects writhing in pain.

It wasn’t until the toad man and his group disappeared from view that the armed men stationed at the rear rushed over.

“Your Lordship, are you injured?”

“No, don’t worry. I didn’t even catch a glimpse of the dragon,” Elias replied.

“We deeply apologize. We were powerless to—”

“Enough. Just arrange a carriage. We’ve got extra baggage now.”

Baggage? He doesn’t mean me, does he?

I considered tapping my earring again but decided against it. Perhaps the translation device wasn’t malfunctioning—maybe the man simply had a poor choice of words.

* * *

After drifting in and out of sleep during the carriage ride due to my weak condition, I awoke to find myself on a soft mattress. I couldn’t remember the last time I had lain in a bed, staring up at a proper ceiling without feeling anxious. In fact, this might have been the first time. Even though the lab was a solidly constructed facility, I had always been confined to a special containment unit, not a bed.

“You’ve slept quite a while.”

A gentle voice interrupted my thoughts, and I turned my head to see Elias standing by the door. He looked perfect in his imposing, impeccably neat attire. However, this time, my attention was drawn to something other than his good looks. He was holding something that emitted a mouthwatering aroma.

Is that… food?

It had to be, given the way my mouth was watering at the mere sight of it. As I stared at it, Elias pulled up a chair and sat beside the bed.

“I brought something in case you’re hungry. You should eat,” he said.

“You’re really giving me food?” I asked, my eyes widening.

A faint frown crossed his smooth face before quickly disappearing. Without replying, he helped me sit up.

“Thank you.”

He began to stir the food with a spoon, preparing to feed me.

I cautiously asked, “Do you have enough for yourself? If not, you can eat first and leave me a little.”

Elias let out a small laugh and motioned with his chin.

“I’ll feed you. Just open your mouth,” he said.

Without further argument, I opened my mouth wide. I had no idea what kind of food it was, but its aroma alone was enough to make my hunger almost unbearable.

I should eat first and then figure out what’s going on.

The moment I tasted the food, I froze.

“Wh-what is this?” I asked.

It tastes… incredible! It was so delightful it made my skin tingle and goosebumps form beneath my bandages.

“Is this your first time having potage?” Elias asked.

“Potage? Is that what it’s called?”

Without waiting for a response, I grabbed the bowl from his hands and began shoveling its contents into my mouth.

“Wait, it’s still hot! You’ll burn yourself.”

Whether it was the heat or the sheer deliciousness, tears filled my eyes as I ate. Elias eventually gave up trying to hold me back and watched silently until I finished the entire bowl.

“I’ll get you more, so don’t lick the bowl,” he said.

I was genuinely shocked.

“There’s more? Are you lying? I could die happy right now.”

I meant it too. Merely tasting something this exquisite made me feel like my entire life had been worth living. It was as if all the pain and suffering I had endured had finally been rewarded.

True to his word, Elias had someone bring three more bowls of potage. Although I could have easily eaten five, I felt too guilty to ask for more, so I pretended to be full after the third.

“Were they not even feeding you?” he asked.

His expression darkened as he wiped my mouth with a handkerchief. I knew why he might have misunderstood, but I didn’t bother to correct him. Instead, I licked the spoon clean before setting it down.

“I’d like to ask you a few questions. I know it might be hard to talk about, but can you answer honestly?” he asked.

I nodded eagerly. “Of course, I’ll tell you everything I know.”

I felt I owed him that much after all the food I had just enjoyed. I was even prepared to detail how I had defeated the evil dragon, Ermitar.

“What’s your name?” he asked.

“I’m CODE NO.124. You can call me One Hundred Twenty-Four or just Eel-EE-Sa, if that’s easier.”

“Ilresha?”

“No, Eel-EE-Sa.”

He watched my lips as I corrected him, then tilted his head slightly and slowly pronounced each syllable.

“Illecia?”

“Yeah… I guess that’s close enough.”

I figured it didn’t really matter what he called me. After all, it wasn’t a name given to me by my parents—it was just a number assigned by the lab. Besides, the way his mouth curved as he pronounced “cia” was rather cute.

“All right then, Illecia.”

After repeating the name to himself a few times, Elias continued his questions.

“So, how did you end up in the dragon’s lair?”

“I went there to kill it.”

He looked at me, puzzled, and I stared back, equally confused. After a moment, I decided to ask him a question in return.

“What about you? Why were you there? Were you on a quest?”

“A quest? If by that you mean someone assigned me to go there, then yes, in a way. I received a divine prophecy.”

It seemed that belief in gods still existed in this world.

“Can you tell me what the prophecy said?”

He remained silent for a moment, his expression thoughtful, before shaking his head.

“No. I can’t fully trust you yet.”

“That’s fair.”

It made sense for him to be cautious, especially considering I had defeated the dragon, Ermitar. And based on the earlier quest message, there seemed to be no one in this world with a higher level than me. Of course, level wasn’t the absolute measure of strength, but if trust was a prerequisite for forming a pair, I needed to be completely honest with him.

“By the way, do you know the dragon’s name?” I asked.

As I thought about how I ended up in this world, it occurred to me that the dragon might not have originally belonged to my world. Maybe, as it crossed dimensions back to its home world, I’d gotten caught up in its wake. And if my theory was correct, the dragon’s name would be the same in both my world and this one.

“Ermitar,” Elias replied.

“Just as I thought,” I said, nodding.

I then pulled his arm closer.

“I’m the one who slew it.”

His eyes widened in shock. As we locked eyes, I gathered the small amount of mana I had left and transferred a memory to him. Though I could only transmit a crucial minute of the battle, I hoped it would be enough to prove my claim. After the memory transfer, he remained frozen, then quickly pulled away from me.

“Wh-what did you just do to me? Are you a witch? You pull things out of thin air, and now this… What was that illusion?”

The word “witch” had negative connotations in my world, so my response was sharper than I’d intended.

“It wasn’t an illusion, and I’m no witch. If you don’t believe me, I can show you—that is, if there are more dragons in this world.”