43 – Unexpected variables (1)
Halfway up a snowy mountain. It was a long way to the top, but looking down was far away.
The sun was going down over the mountains.
The wind got stronger and the temperature started to drop.
My body shuddered even as I was out of breath.
I had never gotten used to the chill that penetrated me to the bone.
After conquering the snowy mountain, I vowed never to return.
“Let’s camp here tonight.”
It was impossible to march any further.
There was no reason to go hiking at night.
Before I could say anything, Kayla came over to me and leaned against me.
“Are you okay?”
“Yes. It’s okay…”
My voice was trembling. He must have been exhausted after a fairly arduous march.
The person who suffered the most on the way to this point was, by far, Kayla.
Meanwhile, Erina casually wandered around her and prepared for her camp.
I went into a nearby cave to escape the wind.
By the way, the yetis who previously inhabited it have long since died.
“Me and Kayla will clean up her body. Erina will do the rest.”
“Okay. Leave it to me.”
The roles naturally diverged.
I dragged the monster’s corpse to a nearby ramp.
Belatedly, Kayla caught up with me.
“Seohyun. I am enough by myself.”
“No, it’s fine.”
As she said, even if I don’t do anything, the two of them will take care of everything.
Still, I couldn’t keep quiet because of my conscience.
If you were claiming to be the leader of the party, it was the right thing to do.
The body was thrown down the cliff. The horribly torn remains of the yeti tumbled down.
“Okay. That’s it.”
I tried to shake off her hand and return to camp, but Kyla blocked my way.
Her face was visible under the robe.
Unlike before, he was smiling with warm eyes.
Since the last time we took a bath together, we have been laughing a lot.
The sense of distance has also strangely become closer.
The businesslike and blunt appearance disappeared and I felt like I became an open-minded colleague.
“There’s something I want to say to you for a moment. Is that okay…?”
From the time she stopped me, she had already expected it to some extent.
She said that she had something to say even when she entered the bathhouse before.
At that time, it was canceled because Erina appeared, but now the two of them are left alone.
“Yeah. Erina isn’t there either.”
As soon as her permission was given, she opened her mouth.
“There’s something I want to ask you.”
He seemed to hesitate for a moment, but finally opened his mouth.
“I want to know how Erina-nim and Seohyun-nim met.”
It was a simpler question than I thought.
Coming to think of it, it was rare for me to have simple small talk with Kayla.
She never talked about anything that happened before she met her.
Of course, I hid the words that I fell into the game or that I was tricked by Erina.
He made it up in moderation and told me what had happened in the past.
“I was almost killed by a group of goblins. Erina showed up and saved me.”
“…Is that so?”
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Kayla listened intently to what I had to say.
I couldn’t understand the relationship between Kayla and Erina.
To be honest, the time I spent with Erina was short.
Compared to Kyla, there was not a week difference.
But Erina was a character I created. She was practically my child.
Even if it is true that she destroyed the world and brought me into this world.
I couldn’t throw Erina away.
That’s why she decided to become stronger to stop her.
“Are you afraid of Erina?”
“Oh, no. I just…”
“Don’t worry too much.”
Erina will not hurt Kayla right now.
Since we already had a big fight the other day, Erina has been watching me.
Unless there were special circumstances, the odds of Erina confronting Kayla for the time being were low.
“For now, please bear with Erina even if she behaves as she pleases. Please.”
I already knew that Erina was territorial.
But Kayla didn’t say anything and just endured it.
Occasionally, she would complain, but she just quietly moved on.
Unbeknownst to her, dissatisfaction must have accumulated.
Kayla was momentarily speechless.
Amid the cold wind blowing, the mokuldae fell.
“Then, compared to Erina-sama… What do you think of me…?”
Have you been hesitant to ask this question?
Erina was my most precious companion and was like her child.
Kayla was her most trusted ally and friend to me.
Both of them are precious to me. I didn’t want to make any comparisons.
If you ask me which of the two I have affection for, I couldn’t answer easily.
After choosing her words carefully, she opened her mouth.
“I’m sorry.”
I also vaguely knew Kayla’s heart.
That’s why I couldn’t answer carelessly.
Of the two, I couldn’t choose just one.
Erina and Kayla. I wanted to have both of them by my side.
“…Sorry. I think I asked a good question.”
Kayla smiled as if it were okay.
But for an instant, regret and obsession came out in his eyes.
The atmosphere that only Erina felt was felt by Kayla.
“If my lord believes in me, that is enough.”
Another unapproved title came out.
It’s probably not what I meant.
But I could understand the heart that always recognized me as a high-ranking person.
“In that case, Kayla.”
“Yes.”
“What do you think of me?”
The answer came right away, without the slightest hesitation.
“I am a benefactor that I must protect even at the cost of my all.”
“…”
“It is also the lord that I will be with for the rest of my life.”
When signing a contract with Kayla the other day, she remembered the oath she had recited.
I couldn’t even remember the contents of the contract, which was like a terrible curse.
But Kayla was different from me.
I was sincerely trying to fulfill the contents of the contract.
“My lord.”
“…Don’t call me that way.”
You are my lord. It was too much of a title for me.
I didn’t know that if other people listened to it, it could lead to strange misunderstandings.
“Couldn’t you just allow it when we’re alone…?”
If you wanted that much, it was hard to refuse. Reluctantly, she nodded her head.
However, I was asked to keep it from being noticed by others, especially Erina.
“I understand, lord.”
A satisfied smile finally broke out.
Is the title of master so important?
If too much time had passed, Erina might have doubts.
Just as we were about to head back to camp, Kayla opened her mouth.
“There is one thing I want to tell you.”
He held my hand with an infinitely serious look on his face.
“I know that Master Erina is in your heart.”
“That is…”
“I’m not as good as Erina-sama, but I ask you to remember one thing.”
Kayla bowed her head, holding my hand.
She spoke in an extremely spleen yet earnest voice.
“I adore my lord.”
“…”
“This feeling will never change.”
After her words, Kayla lifted her head and looked me in the eyes.
I couldn’t accept Kayla’s heart. She knew her too.
But she seemed unwilling to give up on me.
“Kayla.”
“Yes. Lord.”
I looked at her with an infinitely sorry heart.
He was relieved but at the same time had a lonely smile.
“…Let’s go back.”
“Okay.”
I’d rather have told you straight away that I couldn’t accept your feelings.
If that’s the case, would Kyla be able to reduce her affection for me?
But I didn’t answer. I felt ashamed of myself.
Now I was playing with Kayla’s mind.
For selfish reasons, I want to keep both Erina and Kayla by my side.
“Ah. Have you been?”
Erina saw me and she waved her hand in welcome.
As if nothing had happened, I approached her with a smile on her face.
In the meantime, all preparations for camping were finished.
In the cave, there was a bed with a bonfire.
It was always a neat workmanship.
“It’s done. Eat it quickly!”
Erina stirred the pot of meat soup with a lively voice.
He gave me a pat on the back to show that he did a good job.
Then she took a confident pose with her chest straight.
It was like a child hoping for praise.
“Thank you. Thanks to you, I can sleep comfortably.”
“This is nothing.”
As I stroked her hair, a blush fell on her face.
Then he turned to Kayla, who was next to her.
“Kayla. Let’s eat.”
“…I understand.”
We ended the day in a subtle atmosphere.
***
“My lord…”
I watched the bonfire quietly and lost myself in thought.
When I turned my head, I saw my colleagues who had fallen asleep.
Among them, the master had his eyes closed with a peaceful expression.
I recalled the conversation I had with my lord a little while ago.
‘My lord doesn’t like me…’
It didn’t mean that he hated himself.
A reliable colleague. To him I was nothing more and nothing less.
When her confession was rejected, her heart sank.
Actually, I already knew the result.
The lord had his heart on Erina. There was no room for me to intervene.
Unbeknownst to himself, however, he had a glimmer of hope.
After being kicked nicely, instead of feeling relieved, only impatience remained.
‘Erina…’
He was no better than her.
She wasn’t stronger than her. She wasn’t even pretty.
At least, her memories with her lord were not as deep as hers.
Kayla blamed herself as she guarded the burning campfire.
‘Why am I so weak… ‘
Originally, it was unavoidable that Yongin was weak against the cold.
However, Kyla was especially weak against the cold.
Thanks to that, even climbing the mountain was not easy.
Kayla blamed herself.
Why am I so weak?
Can’t you just endure the cold?
‘I have to become stronger.’
I had to surpass Erina and be recognized by my lord.
I had to become infinitely stronger to keep Erina out of my master’s eyes.
That was the only way to steal the master’s heart.
While I was asleep with various thoughts, a strange sensation hovered around me.
“…?”
A rustling sound was heard somewhere.
At first, it sounded like it was echoing inside the cave, but the tinnitus quickly disappeared.
I moved my gaze to the top of the cave just in case.
It was as quiet as before. However, her instinctive intuition did not miss the sense of incongruity.
Someone was nearby a while ago.
I immediately jumped off and climbed a nearby tree.
Looking down at the surroundings, I searched for anyone.
But I couldn’t find anything.
It wasn’t the energy of a monster. Rather, I felt a strange feeling that was familiar and nostalgic.
‘No, I don’t miss it.’
Her memories did not exist for her. It was just a memory she wanted to forget.
‘Any other Yongin besides me… ?’
There was no way that would happen. Most dragons were weak against the cold.
Unless there was a special reason like hers, it was extremely rare for Yongin to come to the snowy mountain.
However, the intuition a moment ago was very clear.
I came down from the tree and looked around the cave.
I checked to see if there were any traces of anything strange.
But no clues appeared.
‘Have I become too sensitive?’
Reluctantly, Kayla stopped her search and returned to the cave.
In the meantime, the bonfire was shaking dangerously.
She hurriedly added firewood and extinguished the flames.
Fortunately, the fire started burning again before it went out.
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After that, she sat down and quietly watched the fire.
No matter how much time passed, I didn’t feel anything strange.
But still, her doubts didn’t go away.