Chapter 39

 

Six days into monster hunting:

 

We had grown all too accustomed to this lifestyle.

 

Our wagon was gradually filling with the expensive byproducts of the monsters, and in proportion to that, wounds and fatigue accumulated on our bodies.

 

Whenever we had the chance, we washed ourselves and wiped off the blood by the river, but the stench of it wouldn’t easily leave us.

 

During breaks, the penal unit’s members, exhausted to the bone, would collapse onto the ground and doze off. And as soon as the scouts found new monsters and the order to sortie was given, we would head out once again.

 

Goblins, ogres, griffins… and so on—we tried to capture any monsters we spotted in the region.

 

Occasionally, we glimpsed other knightly orders.

 

Just like us, the ongoing battles had left them grimy and disheveled.

 

Of course, since they were regular soldiers, not boy soldiers like us, they were more orderly in appearance… but since they were clearing out the area as if sprinting at full speed rather than taking it easy, they too seemed to be getting worn down.

 

And as our schedule grew harsher… strangely enough, Vivian’s stature continued to rise.

 

Perhaps it weighed on her conscience just to stay on her horse and watch the battles unfold. Or maybe it was because she felt all this was happening due to her orders.

 

Vivian no longer looked like a noble young lady, nor the lord of Roctana, nor the head of Rondor. Instead, she looked more like a servant.

 

Equipped like a young boy, she dashed around busily to care for the penal unit members who were so drained they couldn’t even lift a finger.

 

“Balon, time to eat.”

 

“Ugh… No, Lady Vivian… You don’t have to—”

 

“-Lie down. Just use that time to eat more. Duran, you have some too.”

 

“Ah… Oof…”

 

The boy soldiers, flustered by her attentiveness, sometimes sounded like old men as they responded.

 

Vivian brought them meals, fetched medicines, and washed bandages.

 

She even kept cooking at my side, completely taking charge of the meals now.

 

Perhaps, in a place with so few adults, she didn’t sense any threat of assassination. For whatever reason, she lowered her guard and approached them more comfortably.

 

Sleeping and eating together for several days also played a part in fostering this attitude.

 

“Willas, I’ve washed the bandages. I… I’m afraid I might mess it up if I try to wrap them around you…”

 

“Of course, of course. How could I ask Lady Vivian to dress my wounds? Just bringing them to me is more than enough… Ah, from now on, I-I pledge my loyalty.”

 

She still couldn’t properly open her eyes in front of gruesome wounds, but it was clear she was putting in her utmost effort.

 

And with such devotion, the praise directed at Vivian only increased day by day.

 

It was already the sixth day of the expedition.

 

Plenty of time for devotees to be born.

 

Leaning on my two-handed sword, I watched Vivian darting around, and whispers drifted in from all sides.

 

“Lady Vivian… seriously… The gods are unfair. Can someone so beautiful, so kind, and so powerful really exist?”

 

“…The gods are just. They gave her all that but took away her entire family. We know there were several assassination attempts, right?”

 

“Ah… We must protect her. I’ll give her my lifelong loyalty, for real…”

 

“…I thought after paying off my sins, I’d go back to my family. But if I can remain as a Rondor soldier, I just might.”

 

“….”

 

As I observed it all, my heart felt strangely tangled.

 

If someone could be that kind, how much must she have hated me all this time to have been so angry before?

 

It felt as though I finally understood the intensity of her past hatred toward me through this new side of her.

 

Until now, I thought her personality was quite nasty… but it turns out she could be this kind as well.

 

While I was thinking about that, Vivian’s eyes met mine.

 

“…”

 

“…”

 

Even though we were looking at each other, we exchanged no words.

 

I disliked the awkwardness and tapped the bandage wrapped around my forehead.

 

“…Won’t you wash mine?”

 

Everyone else’s bandages were fluffy and white, while mine were black, red, and stiff.

 

Of course, I could change them myself if I wanted, but I was pointlessly waiting for Vivian to bring me a fresh one.

 

“…”

 

Vivian hesitated, then frowned and ignored me.

 

Since the hug, she’d been maintaining this distance between us.

 

I sighed.

 

I had nothing to say.

 

I couldn’t understand why I’d done that back then, as if hypnotized.

 

I used to warm my younger siblings when they were cold, but why had I done that for her?

 

My comrades sneered at me as if they were savoring some odd sense of victory.

 

“What now, Kylo? She takes care of me, but not you.”

 

“Yeah, who told you to be born as the eldest son of her family’s enemy?”

 

“If I were her, I wouldn’t do anything for Kylo either.”

 

Their jokes oddly grated on my nerves.

 

Annoyed, I rose to approach them, and only then did they hastily surrender.

 

“Ah, okay, okay. C-calm down, please. We were just kidding.”

 

“W-we’re exhausted. We can’t fight in this condition.”

 

Some feigned yawns and pretended to sleep.

 

“…Ha.”

 

I sighed, irritated for reasons I couldn’t quite name, then glanced back at Vivian.

 

She was still diligently taking care of the others with great sincerity.

 

I scratched my head and shook it.

 

I decided to stop worrying about her and focus on my own business.

 

***

 

Vivian kept finding her gaze drawn to Kylo.

 

It had been days since she’d put distance between them.

 

Still, among these awkward men, Kylo’s side felt the safest. But ever since that hug, it was too difficult to approach him.

 

As soon as she neared him, her heart pounded as if it would explode and her mind went blank. The awkwardness made it unbearably hard just to be around him.

 

That’s why she kept refusing to stay close by.

 

It was unbearably humiliating that even after she’d woken up, she had remained in Kylo’s arms for a moment, and that he knew this.

 

To have felt warmth in the arms of the son of the man who killed her father and brother… brought tremendous guilt.

 

“…”

 

But despite that, Vivian couldn’t tear her eyes away from Kylo.

 

She kept noticing the filthy bandage wrapped around his forehead.

 

In truth, she wanted to change that bandage more than anything else.

 

Dirty, grimy, unhygienic—who knew if it might become infected. It weighed on her mind constantly.

 

Surely, she wasn’t worried about Kylo himself. It was only human decency… and since Kylo had done something for her, she just wanted to repay that kindness.

 

But even getting close, or just meeting his gaze, brought back the memory of that hug, making it hard to bear.

 

Intense and complicated feelings shook her to the core.

 

Moreover, why wouldn’t Kylo just change the bandage himself?

 

If he did it already, she wouldn’t be bothered at all.

 

“…”

 

Vivian shook her head.

 

It wasn’t her concern.

 

What good reason was there to care about that man?

 

If he got sick and groaned in pain, it would be easier on her conscience.

 

Time passed, and evening came.

 

Before preparing dinner, Vivian took a couple of deep breaths.

 

She would soon be cooking close to Kylo, and she needed to brace herself.

 

She’d maintained silence for days now, and who knew what would happen today?

 

If Kylo happened to speak to her first… maybe then she could find a way to mention the bandage.

 

“…Huh?”

 

But today, Kylo wasn’t standing in front of the cooking pot.

 

Instead, Willas stood there.

 

“Lady Vivian. P-please rest. I’ll handle things today.”

 

Vivian looked around and asked,

 

“…Where’s Kylo?”

 

“He said he was tired today and went to rest early. He told me to take care of the cooking.”

 

“…He didn’t even eat?”

 

“Seems like it. But don’t worry. He won’t die from missing one meal.”

 

“…”

 

At those words, Vivian herself lost her appetite.

 

By now, using a simple spell, she could easily check if the food was poisoned or not. And since she was sharing meals with these boy soldiers, there was no longer any repulsion toward the idea of poison.

 

Nevertheless, perhaps out of habit, knowing Kylo wasn’t going to eat made her reluctant to eat as well.

 

She had also spent the day busily caring for the boy soldiers, so she thought maybe she should turn in early.

 

Vivian took a look around the campsite.

 

Finding Kylo was not difficult.

 

His distinctive jet-black hair, and the crimson bear-head helmet lying near him, were easy markers.

 

Vivian approached him and examined his face.

 

He was sound asleep, breathing softly.

 

“…”

 

With him asleep, there was no awkwardness like usual.

 

As her feeling of discomfort lowered, Vivian crouched down near him.

 

She sat there for quite some time, quietly observing his face. Then, ever so slowly, her hand moved toward the dirty bandage on his forehead, reaching out and retreating repeatedly.

 

“…”

 

Eventually, she came to her senses, shook her head, and moved a bit away from him, choosing a spot nearby to lie down and close her eyes.

 

…But an odd irritation kept her from falling asleep.

 

She couldn’t explain why, but the fact that Kylo had just left her be—skipping dinner, going to sleep first—felt… somehow unsettling.

 

***

 

It was the last day of the expedition.

 

The wagons were all packed; all that remained was to return home.

 

There had been many injuries along the way, and some had dropped out, but fortunately, only four from my unit had been lost.

 

We had finished hunting appropriately and avoided major injuries, so we could call the expedition a success.

 

“We’re finally heading back.”

 

“Just a bit more effort… Lady Vivian said she’d reward us for our hard work when we return.”

 

The atmosphere grew excited, and I too began to relax my guard.

 

All I wanted now was to go back, wash properly, have a comfortable meal, and sleep as much as I wanted.

 

Yawning, I pulled along Vivian’s horse as usual.

 

-Tap.

 

Just then, Vivian’s foot tapped the back of my head.

 

“…?”

 

I looked back at her.

 

But she, with a slightly angry expression, turned her head away and didn’t even look at me.

 

“What?”

 

“…”

 

She did not respond.

 

She seemed upset about something, but I had no idea what.

 

Since that day of the hug, we hadn’t spoken. It had been nearly ten days without any conversation.

 

No matter what I said, she wouldn’t reply. Whenever our eyes met, she’d immediately look away.

 

From around the sixth day, I’d grown annoyed by it and stopped paying her any mind.

 

There were plenty of things to think about just in battle: ogres, goblins… I had to lead my unit, and I didn’t have the luxury to engage in some inexplicable stare-down with Vivian.

 

So after that, I stopped approaching her.

 

I didn’t bother talking to her.

 

I didn’t check how she was doing, didn’t meet her gaze.

 

If I saw her, I didn’t avoid her, but I never went out of my way for her either.

 

Among the boy soldiers, her standing had grown so high that she was safe wherever she went. I didn’t need to worry about her.

 

So I kept my distance, more so than before, simply because she seemed to want that.

 

But now, here she was, giving me trouble for no reason.

 

I shook my head and looked forward again.

 

I hadn’t taken more than a few steps when something tapped the back of my head again.

 

Sure enough, it was Vivian’s foot again.

 

I brushed off the dirt from my hair and ignored her.

 

“…This dumbass…”

 

At my muttered irritation, she shoved the back of my head even harder with her foot.

 

Finally annoyed, I snapped at her.

 

“What?!”

 

Hearing that, Vivian parted her lips and responded,

 

“Just… because I piss you off…!”

 

“Damnit.”

 

I tossed the reins and called out to Balon behind me.

 

“Hey, Balon. You take the lead.”

 

Vivian flared up.

 

“What? Hey, who said you could—!”

 

“Whoever’s not annoyed by you can pull it!”

 

“…”

 

I said that and walked on ahead.

 

After a moment, Balon timidly stepped forward and took hold of the reins.

 

Glancing back briefly, I saw Vivian’s face filled with baffling anger.

 

It had been a long time since she’d looked at me like that.

 

But again, I just shook my head and ignored her.

 

Right now, I just wanted to go back and rest.

 

Willas approached me and asked quietly,

 

“…Hey, what’s going on?”

 

“How should I know? She started it—”

 

–Whoosh…

 

Suddenly, the world darkened, then brightened again.

 

My unit members looked around in confusion.

 

“…What was that just now?”

 

“Like a shadow…”

 

In the instant I realized what it was, a desperate shout came from Yanes’s unit up ahead:

 

“A dragon!!”

 

At that one word, every member halted and looked up at the sky.

 

I did the same.

 

A gigantic blue dragon was soaring across our skies.

 

Its enormous wings cast a shadow beneath the sun, its razor-sharp scales radiating menace.

 

“…Shit, what the hell…”

 

Martin muttered from somewhere.

 

His whisper, dripping with fear, echoed everyone’s feelings.

 

Then came the thunderous roar of the dragon.

 

The boy soldiers screamed, covering their ears, faces twisted in horror and shock.

 

The dragon’s roar stirred a primal terror in our chests.

 

And instinctively, I looked at Vivian.

 

She, too, was terrified, unable to tear her eyes away from the colossal beast.

– – – The End of The Chapter – – –

 

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