* * *
Kaindel dreamed a long dream.
It was a dream of wandering through endless darkness, as if searching for someone.
The impenetrable void held no light, no exit.
So Kaindel chased a voice echoing in his ears, following the only signpost granted to him.
He ran without stopping, but as his body grew heavier, like waterlogged cotton, and began sinking downward, his tightly shut eyelids finally lifted.
And then—
“……”
Kaindel winced at the sudden onslaught of blinding light.
Despite lying on a bed, his stomach churned, and his head spun.
Bile rose to his throat.
The shallow breaths that had barely escaped his lips became ragged the moment he regained consciousness.
What’s going on?
His sluggish brain struggled to process the situation.
He was indoors, presumably in a bedroom, but that was all he could discern.
Just moments ago, he’d been in the barren Behamdon Plateau, and now he was in bed.
Frustrated, Kaindel retraced his fragmented memories, recalling the last thing he remembered—falling after being struck by Morhan’s tail.
Beyond that, his memory was blank.
Realizing he couldn’t figure it out on his own, Kaindel pulled the bell cord near the bed. In seconds, a man who appeared to be a butler knocked and entered the room.
The face was unfamiliar.
Kaindel stared at the butler for a moment, brushing his golden hair back.
His disheveled locks rippled and fell back into place.
He noticed, too, that someone had stripped him down, leaving his upper body bare.
When he moved, he felt not the texture of fabric but the stiff bindings of bandages wrapped around his wounds.
Glancing down at his state of undress, Kaindel asked the waiting butler a question.
“Where am I?”
“You’re in the main residence of the Count of Serge, Hero.”
“The Count of Serge?”
That was unexpected.
While the Serge family wasn’t unfamiliar, Kaindel hadn’t anticipated ending up here.
After all, Luther Village, the last stop before the Gayat Mountain Range, was part of the Serge domain.
So, did they backtrack the way we came?
Clicking his tongue at the thought, Kaindel begrudgingly acknowledged the decision.
With two of their party gravely injured and others lightly wounded, continuing toward the lair of the Great Calamity would have been impossible.
Returning to the Count’s estate was likely an unavoidable choice.
Still, the delay in subjugating the Great Calamity irked him.
Kaindel stifled a sigh threatening to escape his lips.
“What about the others?”
“Your companions are resting in their rooms, Hero.”
“Their rooms… Got it. You may leave.”
“Understood.”
The butler bowed and exited at Kaindel’s gesture of dismissal, his expression unchanging from start to finish.
Kaindel watched the door close before rising from the bed.
First, he needed to find something to wear. Then he planned to check on his companions.
Meeting Sehir, who must be somewhere within the estate, was crucial to understanding what had happened and planning their next steps.
Staying indefinitely at the Count’s residence wasn’t an option.
Organizing his thoughts, he grabbed a shirt laid neatly on a nearby table.
The butler had brought it earlier.
A faint, pleasant scent lingered on the garment as Kaindel slipped his arms through the sleeves and began buttoning it from the bottom.
However, as his weary gaze drifted toward the window, his hands paused.
A figure in the snow-covered garden outside caught his eye.
The silver-haired silhouette held his attention.
After watching for a moment, Kaindel let out a dry chuckle.
His half-buttoned shirt now hung awkwardly.
“…Careless as always.”
His soft muttering filled the room.
In the freezing weather, Isa was wandering the garden in nothing more than a loose shirt.
The resolve to meet Sehir dissolved.
Kaindel quickly grabbed a blanket from the room and hurried toward the garden.
Each step quickened as he recalled Isa’s scanty attire.
When he reached the garden, he approached Isa from behind, careful to muffle the sound of his footsteps crunching in the snow.
“Isa.”
“…Kaindel?”
Isa, who had been admiring the snow-laden trees, turned toward him.
The clear, silver eyes widened, and a faint flush spread across Isa’s face, likely from the cold.
Wisps of breath escaped his slightly parted lips, curling into the air.
For a moment, Isa stared, lost in thought, before snapping back to reality.
His expression shifted to one of urgency as he grabbed Kaindel’s arm.
“When did you wake up? Are you okay? Does your head still hurt? You should be resting! Why are you out here?”
“One question at a time.”
“Sorry.”
“No need to apologize. Let’s see… I woke up just now. I’m fine—feeling refrIsad after sleeping so much. My head doesn’t hurt. And I came outside because I saw you. Does that answer everything?”
“Thank goodness…”
Isa buried himself in the blanket Kaindel had draped over him, his voice tinged with relief.
“You slept for days. I was worried you wouldn’t wake up…”
He trailed off, his embarrassment evident as he lowered his gaze and murmured softly.
Kaindel smiled, his eyes curving gently.
Without warning, he pulled Isa into his arms, enveloping the smaller frame completely.
Isa, startled but not resisting, leaned into him.
“Why are you so defenseless?”
Kaindel murmured, his words barely audible over the sound of the snow.
Isa stiffened slightly before glancing up, his voice trembling.
“K-Kaindel… It’s a relief you’re better, but can we… move apart? Just a little? Someone might see us…”
“Let them.”
“How can you say that?”
“I don’t mind.”
“Kaindel…”
Isa’s voice wavered, tinged with vulnerability.
But Kaindel found his nervous expression endearing, even satisfying.
The sight of Isa clinging to him, despite his unease, filled him with a quiet contentment.
“Should’ve done this sooner,” Kaindel muttered.
“What?”
“Nothing, just talking to myself.”
He pressed a soft kiss to Isa’s head, his unspoken thoughts remaining a secret.
“You’re burning up again.”
“Am I?”
“Let me check.”
Isa, who had been lightly brushing his hand along Kaindel’s arm, suddenly reached out to place a hand on Kaindel’s forehead.
Despite his own embarrassment, Kaindel leaned into the touch with a mischievous grin, earning a concerned frown from Isa.
“See? You’re hot.”
“Your hands are cold.”
“…”
Despite walking in the garden without a coat in this weather, he didn’t seem to think twice about his own cold hands.
How could someone be so careless about themselves?
Kaindel placed his hand over Isa’s cold hand.
“Kaindel, we…”
Isa opened his mouth, glancing at their now intertwined fingers—contrary to his earlier plea to let go.
But before he could finish, a booming voice interrupted them.
“Well, if it isn’t the Hero himself!”
Kaindel glanced at the person approaching with loud enthusiasm.
Perhaps it was the scented oils, but the greasy hair and overly plump figure matched the greedy glint in his eyes perfectly.
The familiar face belonged to none other than Count Serge.
“Count Serge.”
The count grinned widely, exposing yellowed teeth.
He seemed elated that Kaindel recognized him.
Truly, even seeing him again churned Kaindel’s stomach.
“You’ve finally awakened! That’s such good news. How’s your body? I made sure to bring the finest doctor from my territory to tend to you.”
“I’m fine now. Thank you for your concern.”
“Concern? It was only my duty.”
Count Serge waved his hands humbly at Kaindel’s thanks before gesturing toward a woman waiting nearby.
“Vivi, come greet the Hero.”
* * *
🙂
T