On the way past a clothing shop in the village, Nolan pulled Nilou inside and picked out a pair of short boots suitable for desert travel to give her.
Although the Hydro-forged shoes she was wearing felt cool and comfortable, it wasn't practical for him to keep consuming elemental energy to maintain them.
In fact, one of the reasons Nilou had been dragging him through Aaru Village's streets was to see if they could find a shoe shop and buy a proper pair.
Luckily, with so many people coming and going here, a clothing store was easy to find.
But Nilou, as the one who had hired Nolan, felt it wasn't right to let him spend Mora on her, so she was embarrassed to accept the gift.
Still, giving gifts was one of the best ways to raise affection. Nilou's shyness didn't mean she didn't want the gift. In this moment, insisting was the right move.
So Nolan smiled and said:
"It's fine, just think of it as a gift between friends. Honestly, I just want to see your new dance the moment you create it, once you've found inspiration out here. Surely you won't reject such a small request in return, right?"
Nilou knew he was only making up an excuse to give her something, but she couldn't refute his reasoning.
After all, Nolan being interested in her dance, and wanting to see it right away, was something that made her happy. It showed he truly recognized her art!
"…Alright then. Thank you, Adventurer."
Nilou accepted softly, a little embarrassed.
[Nilou Has Developed Good Feelings Towards You, Obtained 340 Affection Points. Current Affection Level: Lv.8 (600/800)]
Then, as if realizing something, a faint blush crept onto her pale cheeks. Come to think of it—this was the first time she had ever directly received a gift from a man.
As a skilled performer and a beautiful girl, she naturally had many admirers in Sumeru City.
But whenever people delivered gifts to the theater, they were usually collected by the staff first.
After the performance, at the celebratory banquet, they would hand them over.
That was when everyone would tease her with lines like:
"Oh my, Nilou is so popular. She must've received hundreds of love letters already—even from girls, right?"
Those words always left her cheeks burning red.
Nilou was, of course, happy to be loved and supported through her dancing—it proved her performances were truly captivating.
Receiving gifts or letters of affection only motivated her to refine her art further, to become worthy of that admiration.
But Nolan's gift—though supposedly just "between friends"—felt different.
Why did it linger in her thoughts more than any of those others?
Was it simply because he was such a remarkable adventurer? …It couldn't be that she actually liked him, could it?
At that moment, memories surfaced in her mind—Nolan holding her ankle to form Hydro shoes for her, the two of them sitting together gazing at the stars.
Weren't those things a little too intimate? The kind of things couples would do?
Before, when she didn't think that way, it hadn't mattered. But now that the thought had taken root, she couldn't stop analyzing everything in detail.
Her cheeks grew redder and warmer, and she felt her face growing hot. To keep Nolan from noticing, she forced herself to stay calm and said:
"Um… it's getting late, let's head back!"
She turned away from him, ready to walk out.
"Eh? Aren't you going to try on the boots, see if they fit?"
Nolan asked, a little puzzled.
"I'll… try them later, back at the inn," Nilou stammered, blurting out an unconvincing excuse.
"That works too."
After all, she was still wearing the Hydro boots he had crafted, and no one knew Nilou's measurements better than him.
When he chose the pair, he had already picked based on perfect fit. So whether she tried them now or later didn't really matter—they would fit her just fine.
The sun rose over the desert.
The people of Aaru Village were already up early at work. When Nolan stepped out of the inn, he saw Nilou coming out of the room next door—unable to hold back a yawn.
"What's wrong? Couldn't sleep well in a new place? Want to go back and nap a bit? There's no rush to head to the oasis, we can just fly there later."
He spoke to the red-haired girl.
"N-no, that's not it. I just went to bed a little late. Washing my face will be enough." Nilou's emerald eyes glanced at him, then darted away as if avoiding his gaze.
Last night, she couldn't control her thoughts. Her mind had wandered endlessly, tossing and turning until she hardly slept at all.
So, inevitably, she looked a little worn this morning.
"Oh." Nolan nodded.
As someone experienced and fairly perceptive about girls, he knew that look of hers all too well.
Wasn't that the look of shyness?
Clearly, because her favorability toward him was already high, Nilou had begun to harbor… less-than-innocent feelings.
Ah, but what could he do? His strength was overwhelming, his level advancing alongside the evolution of his very being.
At this point, his presence was nearly divine—his appearance and bearing naturally a cut above ordinary men. Add to that his reputation as a legendary adventurer, his attentive manner, and the way he always considered the feelings of others…
It was hardly surprising that, after spending some time together, girls would come to like him.
With all these qualities, it would be stranger if they didn't. On this, Nolan had confidence in himself.
So, for the sake of sparing Nilou's embarrassment, he decided to pretend not to notice anything for now.
After a simple wash-up, he casually invited her to breakfast. Once they finished eating, the two set out according to plan toward the oasis.
The map had a brief description of it.
It was called the Abundant Oasis—one of the larger oases in the desert. Of course, that also meant more monsters lingered there.
But with Nolan's strength, that wasn't really an issue.
The oasis lay southwest of Aaru Village, not far—just beyond a mountain range.
For the two of them, able to fly, the trip was an easy one.
In less than an hour of flight, Nolan and Nilou already saw its outline.
In the vast, endless desert stood a lush, thriving forest, yet it did not seem the least bit out of place.
Desolation and vitality—two opposing forces—yet together, they appeared in perfect harmony.
(End of Chapter)
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