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Chapter 28
The knights, who had prepared in an instant, lined up in front of the cave in a single file.
“Even so, he’s his brother, so he’ll probably try to save him,” I thought. It was a relief. Even though I had sent Junel ahead, I was still worried.
Nikolai, at the front, raised his scabbard high.
“The inside of Kernhol is a labyrinth of caves. Never let more than two paces separate you from the person in front, and be careful of the cave walls. If the saliva of a Crakbear touches you, your whole body will be paralyzed, and you’ll be trapped in the maze of memory! Keep your sword at the ready and never let your guard down, not for a second!”
Even for an 8-star knight like Nikolai, Kernhol seemed a difficult place. As he said, no one who had entered the labyrinth had ever come out. Entering to save someone was almost absurd. That’s why he continuously studied the map of Kernhol carefully.
What on earth could Dotchev be doing in a place like that?
At that moment, my worried gaze shifted toward the cave.
Bapapapapak!!
With an ear-splitting explosion, light so bright it illuminated the once pitch-black cave burst out.
Chuk, cheobak.
Sloshing footsteps echoed from inside the cave. Everyone’s gaze turned at once toward the cave.
“Energy…” Nikolai murmured, sensing something.
Soon after, a knight behind him pointed toward the cave and shouted, “Someone’s coming!”
At that shout, I ran straight to the cave entrance. Nikolai glared, but I casually ignored him. What mattered was what was coming out.
“Please…”
The sloshing sounds grew closer, and then appeared… long legs. And a head as big as a rock—a bear’s head!
“Master Dotchev!”
Dotchev appeared, covered in the blue blood of a Crakbear.
“D-D-Dotchev, Master??”
Amid the stunned knights, I was the first to run to him.
“Are you okay? How many fingers do you see?” I held up two fingers in front of his eyes.
“I’m fine.”
“So how many do you see?”
“Two.”
Phew.
Only then did I exhale, relieved. It seemed he had not been affected by the Crakbear’s saliva.
“Are you hurt anywhere?”
“No.”
“Not torn anywhere?” Junel had said the Crakbear tears people apart, but the one that was torn apart was the Crakbear itself.
‘Did Junel attack it?’ I wanted to ask, but Junel was nowhere in sight, still inside the cave.
“It seems Master Dotchev eliminated the Crakbear.”
“Does that make sense? Master Dotchev is a 1-star knight. A few days ago, a 3-star knight who entered to steal a famed sword from the Crakbear was dead within ten minutes.”
“So how did Master Dotchev…?”
Nikolai and the knights tried to comprehend the situation with stunned eyes.
“Maybe he wasn’t alone? Perhaps he secretly recruited a knight above 6-star to trick our eyes…”
It was indeed an astonishing situation. Just coming out alive was miraculous, and he had cut off the Crakbear’s head. Even I was amazed.
“…No.”
Then, Nikolai, who had been quietly observing, slowly spoke.
“…He’s not 1-star.”
His brows furrowed.
“Not 1-star?”
“What are you saying?”
Nikolai ignored the knights’ questions and stepped toward Dotchev. He grabbed him by the collar.
“What did you do?”
“All sorts of things.”
“What things!”
“Maybe… the power of love.”
“Stop with the nonsense! Tell me the truth!”
Nikolai growled with his face close to Dotchev’s. I agreed with him.
“A few months ago, I met an old man living in seclusion. The white-haired man said that if I found a woman in the village exuding a certain aura, I could awaken.”
Dotchev’s gaze shifted toward me. At the same time, Nikolai turned his head roughly.
‘Me?’
I remembered this story from the original. The reason Dotchev, who had no interest in women, sought Halara.
“Don’t make assumptions.”
“I thought it was nonsense too, but in the end, it was true.”
I agreed with Dotchev this time. Whatever the reason, awakening was a great thing.
“Now admit it.”
Dotchev said, and Nikolai violently shook his collar. He couldn’t even congratulate his younger brother for finally proving his worth—tsk, tsk.
“Congratulations on your awakening!”
For me, it was truly something to celebrate. I wanted to pat his back just for returning alive. And now Dotchev had awakened without our family being destroyed.
Clap clap clap.
He came over and leaned on me.
“Help me walk a bit.”
Even though he said he was fine, his body swayed. I instinctively held his waist.
“Ticklish.”
He bowed his head, swallowing a laugh.
“There’s nowhere else to hold.”
There wasn’t a suitable place to hold someone much taller than me.
“You touched all sorts of places when we first met.”
This guy… clearly teasing someone he didn’t remember.
“I don’t remember.”
I firmly played dumb.
“I remember.”
I didn’t even finish speaking. What could he do when I said I didn’t remember?
“This time I fully remember. You said to me, ‘Be good to your sister, okay?’”
“Ahh!”
“Since you’re good, stay still?”
“Ahh!!”
Attacking like this? I jabbed his side.
“Ugh.”
“Stop it, really.”
“Why? Remember?”
“I’ll leave you behind.”
“I think I broke a bone.”
“What? Where? Where are you going?”
“I’m hungry. Let’s go down quickly.”
I’d been tricked again. It seemed he was playing me just as well this time. That kind, gentle, quiet mercenary—where had he gone?
“I’m letting it slide just for today.”
But today was a monumental day. Dotchev had awakened—before the start of the original story—so I decided to indulge him.
“Make something delicious.”
“You’re ordering me around?”
“My stomach hurts?”
“Why does your stomach hurt?”
“Then make it.”
I had no idea what he was saying, but I helped him anyway. Using the murmurs of the knights behind us as rhythm, Dotchev and I descended the mountain at a slightly lighter pace.
Behind Story – One Night
On the stove, the kettle hissed lightly, releasing steam. The window frame shook slightly with the wind, and the small creaking sounds filled the room. The old house carried a faint scent of wood.
In front of it, a woman poured alcohol into a wooden cup.
“It’s been a long time since a young, handsome man came by.”
The woman with red lipstick, known in the village as the femme fatale Halara Seheb.
“Here you go.”
Halara handed over a cup filled with cheap whiskey, grinning. The contrast of her white teeth and red lips shimmered in front of Dotchev.
Hesitantly, he accepted the cup with both hands. The chair creaked as he sat.
“You’re free to leave anytime, so make yourself comfortable.”
As if reading his mind, Halara said, and Dotchev looked down.
Seeing a large man hunched over like that, Halara first drank from her own cup. Dotchev, seeing her fearless move, brought the cup to his lips. The whiskey was bitter, with a faint sweet aftertaste.
“Does this not suit the taste of a noble master from a distinguished family?”
“…You know me?” Dotchev looked at her with surprise.
“There are only two famous people in this territory. One is me, and the other is the wild master of this estate—you. How could I not recognize you?”
Halara wiped the liquor from her lips and removed the shawl from her shoulders. Dotchev inhaled sharply at her pale skin now fully visible.
“What are you trying to do?”
“What do you mean? The reason you came at this late hour is obvious.”
“No… ugh.”
As Dotchev tried to sit up, his vision swayed.
“It’s fine. I’ll take care of everything.”
“Take care of… what?!”
“You’re sexy, aren’t you?”
She lowered the strap of her thin shawl. Dotchev squeezed his eyes shut as Halara pressed closer. He tried to push her away in panic.
“What did you put in my drink…?”
She crushed his lips with her fingers.
“Even if you found out, it would only be dangerous.”
Her words were slow, deliberate. Danger. A strange unease passed through him. Heat that felt like melting bone brushed his skin.
“Lie down comfortably.”
“…Ugh.”
With that short groan, Dotchev’s consciousness blurred. Halara, who had been watching his lowered eyelids, climbed off. She lit a cigar. The firelight danced across her fingers, smoke dispersing.
She spoke in a very small voice:
“…It’s all for him.”
With a sigh of apology, the room grew darker.
“If it’s for him, I’ll do anything with you.”
With those words, she roughly removed his clothes.
The stove flickered and dimmed, and the steam from the kettle was sucked back in and vanished.
