Roma turned to him, her eyes widening slightly. She pointed to herself.
"…Me?"
Northern nodded.
"Of course. You."
She scrunched up her face, then threw her hands up.
"Uh? Why would a Sage like you care?"
Northern sighed, a slight frown tugging at his brows.
"You've been making some ruthless assumptions just because I'm a Sage. While it doesn't really bother me, it does tend to get… disgusting."
Roma blinked.
"I only asked because I'm curious," Northern continued, his gaze steady. "How does a non-Drifter like you fight monsters that well?"
She froze for a moment, taken aback.
That…
That was a compliment.
A strange one. An indirect one. But coming from him? It was unexpected.
And she hadn't realized how much she needed to hear it. Especially from a Sage.
Her eyes dropped for a moment, a pleasant smile lingering on her lips.
Then, softly, she spoke.