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Day 6 of Monster Hunting.

We were getting way too accustomed to this lifestyle.

The cart was filling up with the valuable byproducts of monsters, and in proportion, our bodies were accumulating wounds and fatigue.

Whenever we found a moment, we would wash ourselves in the river and try to wipe off the blood, but the stench of it clung to us stubbornly.

During rest times, the exhausted members of the Punishment Unit sprawled out on the ground to catch some sleep, and whenever the scouts received orders to search for monsters, we repeatedly proceeded forward.

Goblins, ogres, griffins… you name it, we tried to take down every monster we could find in the area.

Sometimes we would catch glimpses of other knight squads.

Like us, they were getting pretty messy from the ongoing battles.

Of course, they looked neater than us boy soldiers since they were regular troops… but it seemed they were not leisurely hunting; they rushed around like they were on a mission, and it appeared they were getting tired too.

As our schedule continued to be grueling, curiously, Vivian’s status began to rise.

Maybe it was that being just a bystander on horseback didn’t sit right with her, or perhaps she felt she was responsible for all of this due to the orders she had given.

Vivian now looked more like a maid than a noble lady, lord of Roktana, or head of the Rondore family.

Decked out in gear like a boy, she hurried around tending to the exhausted members of the Punishment Unit who were too worn out to lift a finger.

“Balron, it’s meal time.”

“Uh… no, Lady Vivian… you don’t have to do this—”

“Just lie down. Eat more while you can. Duran, you too.”

Many a grateful grunt escaped the boy soldiers in response to her kindness, like old men acknowledging her efforts.

Vivian was dishing out meals, bringing medicine, and fetching bandages.

She was now fully in charge of the meals, cooking next to me all the time.

In this place with so few adults, perhaps she felt there was no threat of assassination.

Vivian approached them more comfortably, breaking down her guard.

Sharing meals and catching a few nights of sleep together likely contributed to her warmth.

“Willas, I brought the bandages. I… I’m worried I might mess up putting them on…”

“Of course, of course. How could I possibly ask Lady Vivian to wrap my bandages? Just bringing them is already… ah, I’ll be ever loyal in the future.”

Though she couldn’t even bear to look at the brutal wounds, it was clear she was putting in her utmost effort.

With such thoughtfulness, the praise for Vivian increased day by day.

And now, we were already on day 6 of the expedition.

It was ample time for new devotees to be born.

Leaning against my two-handed sword, I watched Vivian darting around busily, and whispers floated around me.

“Lady Vivian… it’s just so unfair. Can such a perfect person exist—so beautiful, so kind, and with such great power?”

“…God is fair. They gave her everything and took away her family. You know there have been attempts on her life…”

“Ah… we must protect her. I swear loyalty for life, really…”

“…I was going to return to my family after serving my time, but I should probably stay as a soldier of Rondore.”

My feelings watching all of this were oddly complicated.

How could she be so kind after how much hatred I had felt towards her all this time?

Seeing her new side made me realize how intense my animosity had been.

I had thought she had a pretty nasty personality, but it turned out she could be this sweet.

As I pondered this, our eyes met.

“…”

“…”

Neither of us spoke even after looking at each other.

Disliking the awkward silence, I flicked the bandages wrapped around my forehead.

“…Aren’t you going to clean mine?”

While the bandages of the other comrades were fresh and white, mine were black, red, and stiff.

I could have changed them myself, but I was just waiting for Vivian to bring new ones.

“…”

Vivian hesitated, frowned, and then ignored me.

Since the hug, she had kept her distance from me.

I sighed.

I had nothing to say.

Maybe I was just deluded; I couldn’t wrap my head around why I acted that way back then.

I used to do this for my shivering little sister—how did I end up doing it for her?

“Bergin.”

Martin chimed in.

My comrades laughed at my expense.

It was like they were savoring some strange sense of victory over me.

“What can I say, Kyle? If I help, you don’t.”

“Well, who asked to be born as the heir of the enemy clan?”

“I swear I wouldn’t help you if I were you.”

Their jokes scraped against my nerves oddly.

Standing up, I approached them, and only then did they scream surrender.

“Alright, alright. I get it, just calm down, please. It was a joke!”

“I’m tired. I don’t have the strength to fight!”

Some yawned as if sleepy, pretending to fall asleep.

“…Ha.”

I sighed in annoyance, glancing back at Vivian.

She was still taking care of the other kids with dedication.

I scratched my head and shook it.

She should pay less attention and focus on her own work instead.

****

Vivian kept glancing over at Kyle.

It had been a few days since she had distanced herself from him.

While being near him still felt the most reassuring among these awkward boys, ever since the hug, it had been way too hard to approach him.

Just getting close made her heart race like it was about to burst, and her head went blank. It was exhausting to even be nearby him.

So she kept refusing to be close.

The fact that she had enjoyed warmth in the arms of the man who killed her father and brother… weighed on her heavily with guilt.

“…”

Yet, despite that, Vivian couldn’t tear her gaze away from Kyle.

Her eyes kept landing on the dirty bandage wrapped around his forehead.

Truthfully, more than anything, she wanted to change that bandage first.

The filthy, grimy, unsanitary bandage that could potentially cause an infection kept catching her eye.

It probably wasn’t concern for Kyle; it was simply human instinct to want to repay what he had done for her.

However, even just getting close or meeting his gaze brought back the hug, making it unbearable.

Complex yet intense emotions were swirling inside her.

Honestly, she didn’t even understand why Kyle didn’t change that bandage himself.

If he took care of it himself, he wouldn’t have to worry about it.

“…”

Vivian shook her head.

This wasn’t something she needed to care about.

What was so good about paying attention to a guy like him anyway?

She’d feel more comfortable if he just fell ill and moaned in bed.

Time passed, and evening came.

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

Knowing she would soon be cooking closer to Kyle, she felt the need to mentally prepare herself.

She’d been silent for the past few days, but she had no idea how today would unfold.

If Kyle happened to start a conversation… maybe then she could say something about the bandage.

“…Huh?”

But today, Kyle wasn’t in front of the pot.

Instead, it was Willas, who was extremely tall.

“Lady Vivian. You’re resting, right? I’ll handle it today.”

Looking around, Vivian asked, “…What about Kyle?”

“He said he was a bit tired and is resting. He entrusted the cooking to me.”

“…Not even eating?”

“Seems that way. Ah, don’t worry. You don’t die from skipping a meal.”

“…”

Vivian felt her appetite drop at those words.

She could easily use simple spells to tell if the food was poisoned or not.

Moreover, eating with the boy soldiers didn’t give her a hint of a poison vibe at all.

Yet, perhaps due to habit, the fact that Kyle wasn’t eating dampened her desire to eat.

She had been pretty busy looking after the boy soldiers, so she was considering heading to bed early today.

Vivian started to scout the campsite.

Finding Kyle wasn’t hard at all.

His iconic black hair and the big red bear helmet next to him were easy to spot from anywhere.

Vivian got close and examined his face.

He was deep asleep, breathing in rhythms.

“…”

Since he was asleep, she didn’t feel her typical awkwardness.

With the lowered anxiety, she crouched down next to him.

She sat there staring at his face for quite a while, then slowly shifted her hand.

Her hand moved toward the messy bandage on his forehead, stopping and going repeatedly.

“…”

Then suddenly, she snapped back to reality and shook her head.

She settled far away from him and closed her eyes to try and sleep.

But some strange irritation kept disrupting her attempts at sleep.

For some reason, the fact that Kyle had been leaving her alone, skipped meals, and went to sleep before her… felt uncomfortable.

****

It was the last day of the expedition.

The cart was now completely full, and we had only to head back.

Though many injuries occurred along the way, only four soldiers of my division had gone AWOL.

The hunting had come to a fitting end, and since we hadn’t sustained major injuries, we could safely label the expedition as successful.

“Finally going home.”

“Let’s hold on a bit longer… Lady Vivian promised she’d reward us for our hard work when we return.”

In the excited atmosphere, I began to relax as well.

All I wanted was to return, wash up properly, eat well, and sleep like a log.

I yawned and, just like before, called out to Vivian.

-Thud.

At that moment, Vivian’s foot hit the back of my head.

“…?”

I turned back and looked up at her.

However, she wasn’t looking at me; instead, she turned her head away, looking slightly angry.

“What?”

“…”

She didn’t respond to my question either.

It seemed she was miffed about something, but I had no idea what it could be.

Since that day’s hug, we hadn’t spoken a word.

It had been nearly ten days without any conversation.

No matter what I said, she didn’t reply, and she kept avoiding eye contact.

By day six, it had grown quite tiresome, and I stopped worrying about her.

Even with battles going on, I had plenty to keep my mind occupied.

Ogres, goblins… I had to lead my squad; I didn’t have the luxury to engage in a silent rivalry with Vivian.

So after that, I didn’t approach her.

I didn’t even bother talking to her.

I didn’t check if she was doing well or meet her eyes.

I wouldn’t avoid her if I saw her, but I wouldn’t initiate contact either.

With her status elevated among the boy soldiers, she was safe wherever she went.

There was really no need for me to concern myself with her.

So I simply kept a distance from her compared to usual.

She had wanted to distance herself from me, after all.

But as I was standing there quietly, it was ridiculous that Vivian was picking a fight with me.

I shook my head and looked forward.

Only a few steps later, something poked my head again.

-Thud.

It was, of course, Vivian’s foot again.

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

“…Damn it…”

Then with a slight frustration, she shoved my head harder.

This time, I snapped at her in annoyance.

“What?!”

Having shouted, Vivian’s lips parted to respond.

“I’m just annoyed at you…!”

“Ugh.”

I threw the reins in frustration and spoke to Balron behind me.

“Yo, Balron. You pull this.”

Vivian flared up.

“What? Hey, who told you to!”

“Just have someone who isn’t annoyed do it!”

“…”

I said this and moved forward.

After just a few steps, Balron shyly approached and took the reins.

As Vivian glanced back at me, her face was filled with incomprehensible rage.

It had been a very long time since she had given me that kind of look.

But again, I shook my head and ignored her.

I just wanted to go home and relax.

Willas walked up beside me and quietly asked, “…Hey, what’s going on?”

“I dunno. She started it…”

-Hooomph…

At that moment, the world went dark and then brightened again.

Everyone in my division was thrown into confusion.

“…What was that?”

“Something like a shadow…”

Just as I started to realize what was happening, a desperate shout came from Yanes’s troop up ahead.

“A dragon!!”

That one statement made all of our troops come to a halt and look up at the sky.

I did the same.

A huge blue dragon soared through our skies.

Its massive wings overshadowed everything, blocking the sun and showcasing its deadly scales.

“…What the hell is that…”

Martin mumbled from somewhere.

His whispered words were a reflection of everyone’s dread.

Then, the enormous roar of the dragon resounded.

The boy soldiers screamed and covered their ears, wearing faces filled with horror and disbelief.

The roar stirred primal fear deep within our hearts.

And instinctively, I glanced at Vivian.

She was equally frightened, her eyes glued to the gigantic dragon.

 

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