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CHAPTER 11……………………………………
“Phew, that felt good. All clean!”
“!”
A flat cloth slapped against my lips.
It was the screen cloth I had used as a partition.
“…?”
Calyon, who had just been right next to me, was gone.
Startled by Senez entering, he had quickly bolted out.
And in his hurry to pull down the screen, it fluttered and hit my face as a bonus.
“……”
It didn’t hurt, but it was enough to completely ruin the heated atmosphere.
That rude bastard really has no sense, does he? Why come in at that exact moment?!
At least read the room and stay away!
As expected, the rude one immediately started asking without tact.
“Calyon. Why is your face like that?”
“I just finished bathing, and it was hot… ah, Brother. Don’t go that way. The Master is still bathing.”
“How slow are they that they’re still not done? Hey, baggage person. If you stay in the water any longer, you’ll turn into a soaked mess.”
I’m done bathing, you damn bastard!
I barely suppressed my boiling anger. My fragile reason only worked at times like this. Clenching my trembling hands into fists, I took a deep breath and pulled down the screen.
“My goodness. What kind of state are you in?”
“What do you mean?”
“You’ve got your chest wide open. Are you trying to catch someone like that? It looks like you washed your body and your sense of shame along with it.”
Is there no “cancel party” function? I really want to kick this guy out.
Grinding my teeth, I chose not to respond. Responding would only be a loss.
Suppressing my ragged breathing, I was fastening my shirt buttons when I met Calyon’s gaze—he was looking at me with worried eyes.
“Ahem. I’ll take the night watch.”
He quickly turned away and went to the cave entrance.
‘It’s inside a stronghold anyway, so there’s no need to worry about monsters.’
Should I explain the skill?
But if I explain it in front of Senez, I’ll probably just get insulted again for no reason.
‘Whatever.’
I gave up and returned to my sleeping spot that Calyon had prepared for me.
As I sank into the soft fur cloak, the frustration that had been building up slowly calmed down.
‘It smells nice.’
A soft, refreshing scent.
He’s a monster hunter, so he probably doesn’t use perfume… is this Calyon’s natural scent?
‘Can a person’s scent be this pleasant?’
I didn’t really understand it, but it felt nice, so whatever. Rubbing my face against the soft fur made me feel better.
I could hear Senez still talking in that rude tone, but I wasn’t in the mood to pay attention.
Wrapped in Calyon’s cloak, I gradually relaxed, and at the same time felt something becoming… softer.
‘Earlier… we almost touched.’
Restless and impatient, I couldn’t hold back and had stuck out my tongue and licked Calyon’s lips.
They were unbelievably soft.
It was the first time a man’s lips had felt that sweet. Like whipped cream.
‘I should’ve just grabbed him and kissed him properly.’
Opportunities should be seized when they come!
While admiring Calyon’s damp, trembling eyes, I had missed my chance to properly taste his lips.
This is the sorrow of a lost country. The despair of a drenched instant noodle left to go soggy. The pain of a writer who lost a manuscript at deadline…
If I had never tried it, I wouldn’t be this frustrated—but I only got a taste on the tip of my tongue and pulled away, which made it even worse.
I might actually end up holding a grudge over this.
‘What if I try again after Senez falls asleep?’
I glanced toward the entrance, where Calyon was standing.
Just then, Calyon looked back at me, and our eyes met.
My chest suddenly felt like it was on fire, and I quickly lowered my head.
Thump, thump, thump.
My heart was so loud it felt like it would echo outside.
I curled up even more, trying to suppress it. My ears tingled.
‘It’s fine. There will be another chance!’
As Koreans say, third time’s the charm.
The first was the healing guide, the second was that failed attempt earlier—meaning I still had one chance left.
‘Calyon didn’t reject me either. Next time… for sure…’
I was certain he wouldn’t refuse next time either.
It wasn’t baseless.
When I kissed his hand before, I thought it was just because he was shy.
But earlier, right after his bath, his reaction was different.
He couldn’t take his eyes off me, and his face gradually turning red was so obvious it couldn’t be mistaken.
‘Honestly… it was really cute.’
He was much bigger than me, strong enough to cut down monsters in a single strike.
To look at someone like that and think “cute”… that’s already a problem, isn’t it?
“You’re not sleeping and just grinning to yourself? Do you have sleepwalking issues or something?”
Yeah. I’m going to sleep, you rude bastard.
I wrapped myself in Calyon’s cloak and lay down on the rock.
It wasn’t as comfortable as a bed, but with the warm scent of Calyon and the soft cloak, I fell asleep quickly.
We reached the village a little after noon the next day.
Since it was near the mountains, I had expected a small rural settlement, but it was surprisingly close to a proper town.
A wide wooden palisade and lookout towers suggested they were prepared for monster attacks, and guards seemed to rotate shifts.
The roads were wide and neatly organized.
At the edges were clustered homes, while the center had two- and three-story shops lined up—not just food and basic goods, but also weapon shops and magical tool stores.
I wandered over to inspect strange-colored glass bottles on a stall, only to step back three paces after reading the warning:
“DANGER! CONTACT MAY CAUSE POISONING.”
“Master, this way.”
Calyon led me to a large inn on the southwest main road.
It was a clean three-story building, with a restaurant and tavern on the first floor like a typical traveler’s lodging.
The receptionist greeted us warmly.
Not exactly professional business etiquette… more like she was blushing at the sight of Calyon and Senez.
I understand.
After looking at all these unfortunate-looking faces, seeing two men like them would make anyone smile involuntarily.
Even a scammer selling useless junk would probably get ten purchases out of this kind of charm.
Of course, I would never kneel before that rude bastard Senez.
“Two rooms. One should be a twin. Preferably quiet.”
“Yes, yes! A single room is 2 silver per night, and a double room is 3 silver.”
The receptionist handed over the key, still smiling brightly.
“Third floor, end of the right hallway.”
“Thank you.”
“Hehe, you’re welcome~”
Smiling makes people happy, and handsome people make people smile.
The inn worker looked genuinely happy.
I still didn’t understand why Calyon, with that face, was working as a monster hunter.
He’d probably make more money doing something like modeling or sales.
“Are your feet glued to the floor? Want me to carry you upstairs?”
Senez’s voice cut in again.
Maybe he doesn’t kill monsters with a sword—maybe he kills them with words. I’ve never actually seen him fight; every monster on the way here was killed by Calyon.
The first floor was noisy and crowded, but the third floor was quiet.
At the end of the right hallway, there were two rooms side by side, lit by afternoon sunlight from the long window.
I had room 310. Calyon and Senez had 309.
We had slept together in the cave, but apparently sharing a room in an inn was too much, so they separated us. A sensible decision, but I felt a little disappointed.
We entered together, but we wouldn’t leave together.
Calyon’s goal was simply to escort me to the village. After resupplying, he would leave.
“Calyon. How long will you stay here?”
“About two days… ah, don’t worry about your lodging expenses. I’ll arrange for you to stay until you find work.”
He said he would help me settle in, find a job, and cover living costs since I had lost my memory.
It was generous to the point of being overwhelming—but I wasn’t happy.
Because I was going to die in three weeks anyway.
I didn’t have enough time left to settle down here.
‘Should I ask him to take me with him?’
Not that I had any combat ability to defend myself.
My “screaming skill” only applied as an ally buff, not to me. Same with healing skills.
Even the shelter skill required at least one ally with me. If I were alone, the system would probably just shut it down again.
In other words, all my abilities were party-based—but useless if that party member didn’t protect me.
And Calyon wasn’t someone who protected me. He was someone who hunted monsters.
“Please go in, Master.”
Calyon inserted the key into my door and turned it lightly. Click—the lock released, and the door creaked open.
Through the slightly open gap, I saw a small bed.
I turned to glance at the next room. The door was wide open, revealing Senez casually dumping colorful mana stones from his inventory.
“Calyon. I sorted yours too. Take it.”
“Got it, Brother.”
Calyon politely bowed to me.
It meant he was leaving to resupply.
He would sell the mana stones he collected from hunting, use the money to buy supplies for more hunting, and then leave again.
That was the life of a monster hunter.
Not a traveler, but not someone who stayed in one place either.
His home was the hunting grounds, not the village.
And I… was useless there.
‘I don’t want to part like this.’
Without thinking, I grabbed Calyon’s hand.
“Master?”
Even though he was startled and slightly flushed, he asked calmly,
“What is it?”
“Uh… the bedsheets.”
“Bedsheets?”
“I forgot how to change them. Could you help me…? Come to my room?”
