Chapter 22: First Night (2)

 

"...I hope that doesn't happen."

 

It wasn't just an empty statement.

 

Did I want Ner's love?

 

...It wasn't that, not yet.

 

However, I didn't want to be devoid of love from my lifelong companion.

 

It wasn't something I could control, though.

 

Nevertheless, I never forgot from the beginning. That this marriage wasn't for my own happiness.

 

It was for the future of the mercenary group.

 

From the start, it didn't make sense for the mercenary group to risk their lives for my personal happiness.

 

To me, it was just a role given to me.

 

To ensure the stability and cohesion of the Red Flames, keeping Ner Blackwood settled was essential.

 

After the war, it became even more crucial for the Blackwood family to support us.

 

Of course, by subduing monsters alone, they would accumulate a significant debt, but... to put it harshly, keeping Ner as a hostage would solidify that fact even more.

 

So even if the marriage with Ner wasn't filled with joy and didn't develop into a supportive relationship, there seemed to be no other option.

 

That was why I didn’t want that future.

 

Regardless of who the other person was, I wanted a happy marriage rather than a sad married life.

 

Besides that, this was just an assumption.

 

Maybe eventually she would like me too.

 

I could find myself falling for her as well.

 

No one could say anything about the future.

 

There were instances when one would passionately love someone only to part ways unreasonably.

 

Sometimes an annoying person became an irreplaceable brother.

 

All I needed to do was put in my own efforts.

 

I looked at Ner, who was still rigid.

 

Fortunately, she must have sensed the sincerity in my words because she no longer held her guard up against me as before.

 

It felt akin to taming a stray cat.

 

Taking my time, I slowly approached her.

 

Even her tail, which had been standing upright, had relaxed slightly.

 

I picked up the cloth I had placed on her rigid knees.

 

Ner observed my actions with a slow gaze.

 

It was quite a peculiar situation.

 

Despite her intense rejection of me, she showed no inclination to harm me.

 

Perhaps she held me in high regard.

 

Despite being hated by her brothers, she sacrificed herself for her family.

 

Despite those sacrifices, she displayed no willingness to surrender herself to a stranger.

 

It felt like I was gradually getting to know the woman named Ner Blackwood.

 

Slowly, I lifted the cloth toward her eyes.

 

For some reason, I felt the urge to wipe away her tears, even if just a little.

 

'Is it because we became a married couple?'

 

‘Couples hug each other’, ‘Couples comfort each other’… I didn't know if it was due to the words that had grazed my ears and left a mark.

 

...But thinking that even this small act might burden her, I ended up handing the cloth directly to her.

 

Ner stared at the cloth I handed her for a long time.

 

I let out a long sigh.

 

The conversation ended here.

 

"...Let's rest now."

 

With that, I slowly laid down on the bed.

 

The bed was larger than the one I usually slept in.

 

"You've had a busy day."

 

Ner was still on her knees, staring at me, without wiping her tears.

 

I closed my eyes because it seemed like she would continue to tense up if I kept looking at her for no reason.

 

Then, I shared the thoughts that had suddenly crossed my mind.

 

“…By the way, I’m just saying this because I’m sure there will be questions.”

 

“…”

 

"Just say that we had a relationship."

 

“…”

 

"...It'll be easier for you too."

 

Ner stopped and nodded her head.

 

Perhaps it would be easier for her to go along with a lie, rather than actually having a relationship.

 

I opened my eyes and confirmed her affirmation.

 

"And if possible, call me Berg from tomorrow onwards."

 

“…”

 

There seemed to be some resistance within Ner, as she remained rigid.

 

I had more words to say, but I let them go.

 

"...Sleep well."

 

I bid my final farewell.

 

There was no need to put on the upper garment again.

 

The uncomfortable ceremonial attire for the lower body had already been removed, leaving only comfortable clothing.

 

It was a good condition for falling asleep.

 

I took a deep breath and gradually released the tension in my body.

 

As I was making efforts to fall asleep, Ner rose from the bed and began to remove the uncomfortable ceremonial attire one by one.

 

Soon, like me, she stood there, dressed in comfortable clothes... and slowly climbed back into bed.

 

She distanced herself from me, placed a pillow between us, and curled up to sleep.

 

The long day came to an end like that.

 

****

 

Ner ended her day by closing her eyes.

 

Contrary to her expectation of it being the worst day of her life, nothing terrible happened.

 

She remained unharmed and preserved her innocence.

 

It was to the extent that one would wonder how she could be so fortunate.

 

Even if she were to share it with others, they wouldn't believe it.'

 

That she had married the vice-captain of the human mercenary corps and retained her purity on their first night.

 

She couldn't even believe it herself.

 

To be honest, even she had no intention of denying that Berg was handsome.

 

So she thought he would be someone to enjoy sexual acts with many women and would expect the same from her, but she didn't expect him to be considerate of her feelings like this.

 

Of course, she didn't know yet.

 

Since there were already partners available to satisfy his sexual desires, she might not have to do them herself.

 

She had heard that he disliked women, but that was separate from enjoying the company of women.

 

Perhaps her father's words were true.

 

He might also be cautious of the Blackwood family and not treat her lightly.

 

...But even so, she was grateful for his consideration.

 

Of course, this consideration alone didn't magically make Berg likable.

 

Ner's heart was still filled with her grandmother's words.

 

The words about how challenging it may be, but she mustn't miss her destined partner.

 

Words she had tried to suppress but ultimately expressed.

 

Perhaps even this could be an ordeal to approach her destined partner.

 

Being able to maintain my purity even now may be a revelation that one day she would meet the person of her destiny and fall in love.

 

The heavy burden on her heart had become much lighter.

 

The pressure that had been weighing her down, making her suffer, disappeared in an instant with Berg's proposal.

 

Ner slowly opened her eyes in the darkness and looked at Berg, who was sleeping next to her.

 

Until now, it was his face that she couldn't properly look at due to fear.

 

Even if she did manage to glance at it, she quickly averted her gaze after just a few seconds.

 

But now she could see it properly.

 

There was no need to be afraid. Berg was sound asleep with his eyes closed.

 

While looking at his face like that, Ner discovered a few things.

 

It didn't appear as terrifying as she had imagined.

 

It seemed like she was mistaken because of his sharp eyes.

 

The scars might have contributed to that intimidating aura.

 

The uneasiness in Ner's heart might have amplified his intimidating presence.

 

However, if she judged him solely based on his sleeping face, he appeared gentle to the point of being docile.

 

He was undeniably handsome, though it didn't stir her heart.

 

Ner immediately felt a wave of fatigue.

 

Perhaps it was because the tension had been released.

 

It had truly been a long day.

 

She had worried too much.

 

She closed her eyes and drifted off to sleep within seconds.

 

She wanted to fall asleep warmly under the blanket... but she was afraid of pulling the blanket and waking up Berg, so Ner ended up lightly covering herself with the tail and closed her eyes.

 

.

.

.

 

- Chirp chirp.

 

Ner opened her eyes.

 

The world had already brightened.

 

How long had she been sleeping? The sun was high up in the sky.

 

It felt like the accumulated side effects of not being able to sleep due to anxiety all this time hit her all at once.

 

She woke up with a refreshing feeling, as if she had finally had a good rest.

 

However, at the same time, her heart sank slightly.

 

The idea that Berg would treat her kindly didn't become so familiar right away.

 

So she slowly raised her upper body.

 

-Swish.

 

The blanket that had been covering her, she didn't know since when, slipped down.

 

“…”

 

...Did Berg cover her?

 

It was a question she didn’t know the answer to.

 

Ner looked around restlessly.

 

There was no one in the room.

 

Berg had already disappeared.

 

****

 

"Faster!"

 

The Red Flames was finishing their final training, raising a dusty wind.

 

Since tactics, individual swordsmanship, and equestrian training no longer held any meaning, they were pushing their physical training to the extreme.

 

In many cases, the difference between being able to run one more step or not was the difference between life and death.

 

At the training ground, the members were constantly running in the same place.

 

I was watching it from the sidelines.

 

This was truly the end.

 

After this, the Red Flames had to focus solely on recovery.

 

I had to recover and start hunting the boss monster.

 

While cracking the whip to motivate the members, Adam Hyung approached me.

 

So far, he had only shown a sinister smile, but hadn’t asked any embarrassing questions.

 

So now something was coming.

 

“Ber-“

 

"-Later. We're in the middle of training."

 

Adam Hyung smirked.

 

“You know what I’m going to ask you for later. I wanted to talk about the training."

 

"...Shawn! Don't fall behind!"

 

“Vice… Vice-captain! Sa... Save... Ugh...!"

 

"Instead of saying that, keep running!"

 

Adam Hyung didn't say anything in response to my nonsense.

 

He just came over to me silently and stood still.

 

He stared in the direction I was looking.

 

“…”

 

And he just stood there silently.

 

"Well... The weather's nice."

 

Just staring blankly like this, he was making fun of me.

 

I was trying my best to hold back my smile at how foolish and ridiculous he was.

 

Laughing would mean losing.

 

-Thud.

 

When I didn't react at all, Hyung pushed me with his shoulder.

 

“…”

 

I still didn’t react.

 

“Hey.”

 

“…”

 

"Hey, you. Hyung is calling you."

 

“Why?”

 

"...Why, you ask."

 

“…”

 

“…So?”

 

In the end, he asked.

 

I let out a wry smile. Hyung laughed out loud too, finally making a big noise.