The Reward for Saving The World is a Husband - Chapter 22
“Please, just…”
Elias muttered through gritted teeth, glaring at some invisible point in the air, and then began walking toward the carriage at twice the speed.
‘What’s wrong with him?’
He seemed anxious and irritated. Or maybe carrying me was tiring him out, judging by his heavy breathing.
Anyway, since there was no sign of anyone approaching, I relaxed and leaned against him again.
Even after boarding the carriage without anyone stopping us, he didn’t put me down, continuing to hold me.
“……”
He stared silently into space, seemingly lost in thought, possibly brooding over what the saintess had done, forgetting I was in his arms.
Wearing wet clothes, I was starting to feel chilly, so I happily snuggled closer to him.
I realized anew how warm another person’s body could be, enough to warm you to your bones.
Still, out of courtesy, I whispered softly.
“Aren’t I heavy?”
“…It’s fine, just stay still.”
Elias knocked on the wall toward the coachman’s seat twice, and the carriage began to move. As we passed through the main gate, a notification appeared.
Balance adjustment complete. Your abilities are partially restricted to match the standards of world E-17ACEM.
Strength: 710 → 300 Stamina: 650 → 300 Agility: 870 → 300 Mental strength: +999 (unrestricted)
Additionally, some traits unsupported in world E-17ACEM have been locked.
As soon as the long-quiet notification arrived, I felt an unpleasant heaviness, as if something was binding my entire body.
Moments later, the translucent text shifted and reformed.
The more friendly forces you gain within world E-17ACEM, the greater your influence will be.
Lucendria Empire (Count Rachdel’s Territory): +10
Amern Church: +1
Both of these were unfamiliar compared to the quests I usually received in my world.
‘Balance adjustment… well, I suppose it’s understandable.’
I realized through my conversation with the saintess that my strength might seem incredibly dangerous by this world’s standards. Even their best efforts seemed trivial to me.
‘The problem is with the traits related to Soul Stone revival…’
If any of those traits were locked, things could get complicated. I hadn’t even identified the necessary materials yet.
Out of frustration, I habitually bit the inside of my cheek.
‘I’ll have to check it out when I’m alone.’
If I took out the Soul Stone and resonated with it, I could figure out where the problem lay.
‘But… what does it mean by friendly forces?’
Count Rachdel’s territory likely referred to Elias’s faction. And the Amern Church probably related to the saintess, with whom I had just managed to clear up some misunderstandings.
I understood that ‘+1’ meant we had barely moved out of a hostile relationship, but I couldn’t determine if ‘+10’ was a high value or not.
‘Maybe increasing this will reduce the restrictions in this world?’
I glanced up at Elias, who was staring out the window with a fierce expression.
‘Hmm… he’s been in a bad mood for a while now.’
Anyway, having another reason to get closer to Elias meant I had to do my best to make him accept me.
“Um… Elias?”
He didn’t move his gaze or change his stern expression even at my call.
“Speak.”
“When will you accept my proposal?”
“You…!”
His eyes, locked on mine, suddenly flashed with intensity. He gritted his teeth as he pulled the cloak up to cover my shoulders and neck.
“It’s not something you can talk about lightly as a joke. Don’t speak so easily about things you don’t understand.”
I felt sorry for him as he spoke. Although there were limitations to what he could do, I didn’t think there was little I could do for him.
“If I don’t know something, Elias can teach me everything. What’s the problem? If there’s something that needs solving, tell me.”
“What do you need to solve?”
His mouth twisted into a hard line.