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Chapter ~ 05
“Candles aren’t in short supply — every noble household used to stockpile them — but we still try to use them sparingly. Sometimes we take a few from empty houses that don’t have owners anymore.”
“Empty houses without owners?”
“Yeah. Some people just ran off the moment creatures appeared. Or they were caught and killed by them.”
“There are… a lot of empty houses?”
“Yeah, quite a few.”
I frowned.
A lot of empty houses meant a lot of people had died because of the creatures.
“Have you asked everything you wanted to?”
“I still have some questions, but…”
Should I ask? It wasn’t about the hideout itself, but I was curious.
“This might be a bit off-topic, but is it okay to ask?”
“Sure, go ahead.”
“…About Isis.”
“Isis?”
Mary blinked a few times.
Then she looked at me, and for some reason, I felt awkward and averted my gaze.
“What kind of person is he?”
“Hm… what kind of person do you think Isis is?”
“…Kind?”
Mary nodded in agreement.
“Right, Isis is kind.”
She fiddled with her fingers and gave a small laugh.
“Kind, polite, and really capable — a great person.”
“…And?”
“…At the same time, the hardest person to figure out.”
“Huh?”
The unexpected comment made me stare at her for a moment.
She scratched her neck awkwardly and continued.
“This might sound a bit self-important, but I’m pretty good at getting along with people.”
“Yeah.”
“But Isis… still feels a little, just a little, awkward to be around.”
…Why?
A warm-hearted Isis and a sociable Mary — it seemed strange that they wouldn’t be close.
“Isis treats everyone with courtesy, but… how should I put it — it always feels like there’s a line he won’t let anyone cross.”
“…Really?”
“Yeah. Maybe that politeness of his actually creates that distance.”
Could that be it?
I thought back to all my encounters with Isis so far.
‘Now that she says it… maybe he does keep his distance a bit?’
Honestly, I wasn’t sure. Maybe it was just because I hadn’t known him long.
Mary watched my face and then laughed lightly.
“Don’t think too hard about it. Like you said, Isis is a really good person. Maybe it’s just me.”
“…”
After that, the mood got a little awkward, and we walked in silence for a while.
Before long, we reached a room with steam rising from it — clearly a bathhouse.
Mary finally spoke again, her tone returning to the casual friendliness from before.
“Here we are. You remember the way back, right?”
“Yeah.”
Mary showed me where the towels and bath supplies were, then suddenly her expression hardened and she lowered her voice.
“This is really important — when you bathe, make sure you lock the door.”
“…Lock it?”
“Yeah. This place is co-ed. One day for the girls, one day for the guys — but sometimes, very rarely, people get the days mixed up, and things… happen.”
“Oh dear…”
I squinted at her, and Mary relaxed, lightly patting my shoulder.
“Don’t worry, everyone here’s a good person. Nobody would do it on purpose. It’s just that when those little mix-ups happen, everyone ends up feeling awkward, so let’s just avoid that, okay?”
“Got it…”
“Alright! Let’s wash up!”
I didn’t refuse and went straight into the bath.
The moment I dipped into the warm water, all the fatigue built up over the day melted away.
‘Ahh, heaven…’
Once again, I thought — this was luxury.
In a post-apocalyptic romance survival world, being able to take a hot bath like this was pure bliss!
I savored that drowsy comfort and enjoyed a thoroughly satisfying bath time.
The next morning, breakfast was scrambled eggs and a thin soup.
I silently applauded Marsha for creating such good flavor out of so few ingredients.
After breakfast, Mary and I continued our tour of the hideout from yesterday.
I hadn’t noticed much at first glance, but now I could see how much thought had gone into every corner.
‘Safety — the most important purpose of this hideout — was thoroughly considered. And as a result… this place really is top-tier!’
Even if we were completely cut off from the outside, we could survive self-sufficiently for at least a year.
Behind the mansion were vegetable gardens growing potatoes and corn. There was a chicken coop providing fresh eggs daily, and pigs for meat.
We didn’t even need to risk going outside to find food — a solid 200 out of 100 points.
It wasn’t just about surviving, but about living like humans — a lot of large-scale efforts were in motion.
And they could take on such challenges so confidently because of Mary’s defensive barriers.
Those wards protected this place — everyone trusted in them.
Feeling reassured, I finished the tour.
“Thanks for taking the time to explain everything.”
“No problem, I had fun too.”
Mary laughed. Then she added,
“We divide our people into two groups: those who stay inside to maintain and protect the base, and those who go out to gather supplies and information. I’m one of the former.”
I paused. Then what about me?
“I guess I’d be one of the latter?”
“Mm, probably?”
“Yeah… that figures.”
After all, Isis had brought me here after seeing how I fought out there.
Sigh. I let out a silent breath.
I really didn’t want to leave this safe, cozy hideout.
“The final decision will be made during the meeting this afternoon.”
“Meeting?”
“Yeah. Since you just arrived yesterday, it’ll be about deciding what kind of role you’ll have here.”
I nodded.
Whatever the outcome, if I wanted to stay here, I’d have to accept it.
I had a light lunch — just a piece of bread — and then headed to the lounge.
The meeting would start in twenty minutes.
When I entered the room, everyone was already there, waiting for me with serious faces.
Same room, but gone was the relaxed, friendly atmosphere from yesterday.
I quickly took one of the few remaining seats. Then Isis smiled gently and announced the start of the meeting.
The first topic was whether or not I’d be joining the “expeditions.”
By “expeditions,” they meant going outside to explore the surrounding area.
As soon as the meeting began, Luka immediately raised his hand.
“I think Larianna should stay in the hideout.”
“Why? Give us your reason.”
“She’s a healer — our only healer! When everyone comes back injured from battle, we finally have someone who can treat them now.”
“And?”
“And you want to send our precious healer out into that dangerous world?”
As he protested, the red-haired man sitting across from him — Jade Nobille — frowned and shot back.
“On the other hand, if the healer comes with us, we can get treated right on the spot.”
“Yeah? And what if we lose the precious healer out there? Then we’re all screwed.”
“Then you can just keep patching us up like you always have.”
“This guy’s trying to work me to death!”
Luka glared at Jade with an exasperated scowl.
Clap clap.
The sound of slow clapping drew everyone’s attention to a green-haired man — the same one who had been waiting with Isis in front of the mansion yesterday.
Theon Marco.
According to Mary, all the weapons used in combat were crafted by him.
‘Even the ones hanging on the walls were his work.’
He didn’t have any skills, but he could both make and expertly use a wide variety of weapons — one of the strongest fighters here.
“Luka, you understand Jade’s point, don’t you?”
“…”
“Having a healer accompany us would lessen the risk for everyone.”
Luka pouted, then turned to Isis.
“Brother, what do you think?”
“Hm… first, I should probably clear something up.”
At that, everyone turned to Isis.
“I didn’t bring Larianna here because she’s a healer.”
“…What?”
Everyone exchanged confused looks.
Ha. Of course. I was the only one who understood immediately.
“Her healing skill is indeed impressive, but I only learned about it after bringing her here. The real reason I brought her was…”
“Because of my strength,” I finished for him.
Our eyes met, and I smiled brightly.
See? I figured it out.
“Yesterday in the field, Isis saw me knock a creature out cold with my brute strength.”
“…!”
