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“Zion, how about going a bit far this weekend?”

In Room 104 after the workday, I had slipped into the ward briefly to discuss something with Zion before clocking out.

Since we had officially started dating, Zion had shown signs of psychological stability, and it seemed to positively affect the ongoing rehabilitation treatment.

With Zion’s condition improving, wouldn’t it be good to try out various activities?

“Far? How far are we going?”

“To the southern valley. We’ll play in the water and perhaps spend the night there for a change of pace.”

“Spending a night in the valley…”

After hearing the rough plan, Zion took a moment to ponder, and then his expression brightened like a flower blooming, eventually breaking into a bright smile in response.

“Sounds great! That’ll be fun!”

“Then I’ll prepare for it. Though, to be honest, most of the prep will fall to Serin.”

“Leave it to me. I’ll prepare everything perfectly.”

Despite the sudden plan, being able to arrange this schedule was all thanks to Serin.

Zion couldn’t move, and I had no time to rest or prepare anything, so the preparations for such an outing ultimately had to fall to Serin.

Although Zion’s rehabilitation was progressing smoothly, the fact that he couldn’t walk, despite his body sufficiently recovering, was still a source of concern.

Psychological factors are complex, and diagnosing and treating them is nearly impossible for someone like me, who isn’t a psychological expert.

However, sometimes, a simple change of mood can resolve things, so I decided to make an attempt at that direction for treatment.

And honestly, I genuinely wanted to go have some fun as well.

As I always emphasize, rehabilitation takes time.

In fact, since Zion was improving so much, I thought it wouldn’t be a bad idea for him to spend more time engaging in enjoyable activities with me, believing it could further improve his condition.

***

“Finally, today is the day we go out for fun.”

“How’s your condition?”

“Of course, I’m great! You have no idea how long I’ve waited for today!”

It was the morning of the weekend when I would go out with Zion to the southern valley of the capital.

After packing a light personal bag, I went to Room 104 to pick up Zion.

“Serin, is everything packed?”

“I’ve already moved it to the destination.”

“Going that far for us, that’s quite like you, Serin.”

“It’s probably just enough for Zion alone.”

“Ah! Is Serin really doing this?”

Serin jokingly teased Zion?

I had heard that Serin had grown tired of caring for Zion over the past three years and had decided to have no feelings for him. Has her mindset changed during our time in the kingdom?

Regardless, since Serin had transported everything necessary for an overnight stay, it was a good thing we could set off light.

“Here, take this wagon ticket to the platform, and it will take you straight to your destination. Have a wonderful trip.”

“Thank you, Serin. Leaving it to you has been flawless, as always.”

With a light smile and a nod at my praise, Serin saw us off.

After thanking her again despite it being a weekend and she had come to see us off, we hopped on the wagon she prepared and headed for our destination.

Now that I think about it, I had only informed Serin vaguely about the ‘southern valley of the capital,’ yet she provided a specific destination and moved our bags.

Where exactly did she move our things, and how?

“Almost there.”

The wagon stopped, and the driver announced our arrival, so I got down before Zion to check out the surroundings.

“Wow…”

The scenery I found upon disembarking was truly the picturesque wilderness I had imagined.

In the back, a cliff soared high, and in the front was a clear and shallow valley where one could see the bottom, with a lush forest across the river. The valley widened and deepened as it followed the water, eventually transforming into a river.

And in the distance, at the end of the river, there seemed to be a waterfall cascading down.

With the clear sky and the fresh air, the wind flowing over the waterfall suggested it would be cool 24/7 in this spot.

As expected from the place Serin had found, it matched perfectly with what I had envisioned when I first suggested it as our destination.

“What do you think, Hop Harvey?”

“I’ll have to come down and see for myself. It’s too beautiful to describe with words…”

“Is it really that great?”

I took out the wheelchair stowed away in the wagon so Zion could disembark, grasping the wagon handle to assist him as he settled into the wheelchair.

Zion, having stepped out of the wagon and looking around, was equally amazed, wide-eyed and busy taking in the sights.

“Wow…”

“Is it impressive to you, Zion?”

“It’s impressive to anyone.”

“Still, you’ve traveled on many adventures, so you’ve seen more incredible places than this.”

“Well, thinking back, that might be true…”

Zion seemed lost in thought for a moment, as if recalling places he had visited before a small smile broke across his face, turning to me again.

“I haven’t seen scenery like this for too long. Thank you for bringing me here, Hop Harvey.”

“No need to mention it. Now that we’re lovers, it’s natural for us to enjoy outings together.”

“Lovers…”

At the mention of that word, Zion’s face flushed, and he lowered his head.

It’s been a while since we confirmed our feelings for each other, so one would think she’d be used to it by now, but is she still that happy and shy about us being lovers?

“Then from now on… I’ll be able to travel to wonderful places with you continuously.”

“Of course. The healthier you get, the more places we’ll be able to visit.”

“Hehe, I’ll wholeheartedly work on getting better, so you’d better be ready for that!”

“I’m looking forward to it.”

I exchanged smiles with Zion before glancing around again.

So where exactly did Serin prepare our things for us?

“Ah, I moved the bags inside, so feel free to check it out.”

Just then, the wagon driver provided the information I had been curious about. What was this? Can he read my mind?

Wait a minute, what’s even more shocking is…

“There’s a house here?”

It was a small cabin made out of wood.

Upon entering, I found a single room with enough space for two beds, a table, and a fireplace.

On one side were various camping tools and a pile of firewood set up.

As I began to survey the interior, I noticed Zion had followed me inside, looking around curiously at the place.

“Wow~ Do you think Serin built this house?”

“I highly doubt she did, Zion.”

Someone must have lived here or rented a small vacation home for the days off.

It was quite remarkable that she had everything prepared in such a short time. I would need to thank Serin more than a few times.

“Wh-what’s this?!”

While exploring the room, Zion suddenly gasped at something. What was it?

“What’s wrong?”

“This! This!”

“That’s just a bed.”

“There’s only one bed!!!”

As I wondered what had shocked her, she pointed to the bed.

Of course, with a small cabin, it made sense there’d only be space for one bed, yet Zion was frantic over the fact that there was but a single bed.

“Why are you so shocked?”

“B-but…! Having only one bed means we have to share it!”

“Seems like it, doesn’t it? Is there a problem?”

“A problem? If you’re asking me if there’s a problem…”

Zion’s face was bright red, hiding her mouth with her hands as she turned away.

Shifting her gaze around while deep in thought, she finally lifted her head and looked at me slyly.

“Uh, there isn’t?”

Of course, there wouldn’t be! Lying side by side in bed is no issue at all…

‘Uh… but wait, there might be a problem?’

When I suddenly imagined lying side by side with Zion on that bed, I started feeling that a potential issue could arise.

Right now, Zion’s body is not in a state to have children. Having a child puts a considerable burden on the body.

If I impulsively took her into my arms while Zion is still healing, there’s no telling what might happen if she were to get pregnant.

Even if Zion’s body might recover successfully through the pregnancy and rehabilitation, she still would have to combat the Demon King right after her ten-month pregnancy.

Thus, just as she had clung to me last time, I barely managed to hold onto my senses and refuse her, but if it comes to lying together on that bed all night… how could I possibly endure that?

Especially since lately, Zion’s been getting cozy without hesitation, and if she were to lie side by side and pull me towards her with that big soft spot of hers…

“Hop Harvey?”

“Yikes!”

As if Zion had sensed my deep thoughts, she tilted her head slightly, staring at me with big eyes.

“What were you thinking so hard about?”

“Oh, it’s nothing.”

I took a deep breath, trying to calm my rising excitement.

I needed to redirect my thoughts…

Wondering if there was something useful I could focus on, I glanced toward the neatly arranged supplies, and noticed a fishing rod stretching out, which I decided to grab.

“Let’s go fishing instead.”

“Oh, Hop Harvey, are you good at fishing?”

“Fishing doesn’t require skill, right? If I get lucky, I’ll catch something.”

Fishing is great. Just hanging out with the rod without a thought, letting the time slip away.

Given that I need to brace myself for the night ahead, it’s the perfect pastime for me right now.

I decided to calm my mind through fishing and would think about the nighttime concerns when it comes.

 

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