"Hm?"
By the campfire, Shien, who had been stuck in an awkward atmosphere, suddenly raised his head, one brow lifting slightly.
At that very moment, Shien's Enemy Perception skill reacted, telling him that someone nearby harbored hostility toward him—perhaps even killing intent.
Shien glanced in that direction, then seemed to understand something. A mocking expression appeared on his face.
Merika, who had been secretly watching Shien all along, was taken aback. After hesitating for a moment, she timidly spoke up.
"W-What's wrong?"
After a full half hour, someone had finally broken the awkward silence.
"Nothing." Shien shook his head and smiled meaningfully. "I was just thinking that some young masters are far less patient than I imagined. And their possessiveness is really something else. Just what you'd expect from a spoiled noble brat with a medieval-style mindset."
"Young master? Spoiled noble brat with a medieval-style mindset?" Merika apparently did not understand.
However, the words "young master" and "noble brat" still made Merika tense up as though she had realized something.
"Could it be him again?"
Merika had already guessed what was going on, and her expression turned helpless.
Seeing that, Shien could not help rolling his eyes.
"Are you really that afraid of him?" Shien asked, thoroughly baffled. "Sure, he's a noble, but you're an Elf—one of the races blessed by the gods. Your level is much higher than that spoiled young master's too. He keeps bullying you like this, and you won't just blast him with a spell?"
In truth, Shien had wanted to say this for a long time.
After all, Merika was a level forty-two Elven mage. If they really fought, then even with all his high-quality equipment, that nouveau riche young master, who was only level thirty-eight, could not possibly bully Merika one-sidedly.
Yet Merika had