* * *
Like a whirlwind had blown through, the area became a mess.
Grass and Lichel trees were torn apart, dirt flew in all directions, and pits formed in the ground.
Only after that frenzy did the orc stop and realize I wasn’t where it thought.
It looked around—and spotted me instantly, of course. I wasn’t hiding.
Its eyes sharpened, and it charged straight at me.
I quickly grabbed the branch and lifted it.
Voom—
As I ducked, a sharp gust of air cut over my head.
The chill that ran down my spine made my hair stand on end—seems the axe had more power than I thought.
This branch might not last long.
Still, I braced myself to fight—
“Huh?”
Tap tap tap—
Footsteps pounded toward us at high speed.
Even while facing off with an axe-wielding orc, my head turned instinctively in that direction.
“Adrian!”
A familiar voice called out from behind the orc.
My ears perked up, fully focused on that voice, unable to look away—
Thunk—
—Krrgh… ugh… ah…!
“…!”
A sharp blade pierced through the orc’s heart from behind.
The strike was fast and precise, directly aimed at its core.
Even if it was a sneak attack, to pierce such thick muscles in one blow required serious skill.
No ordinary person could pull that off.
Thud.
The orc’s massive body fell to the side.
The impact startled the goblin, who immediately turned and fled in a panic.
—Screee!
But even the fleeing goblin was struck down by a flying sword, dying with a shriek.
What could’ve been a long, drawn-out fight ended almost too easily.
The man brushed his red hair back with a bored expression, walked over to the goblin, and yanked his sword free.
With a few practiced flicks, he scattered the blood.
“Are you alright?”
“…Yes. I’m alright.”
Until now, I hadn’t really felt it—but suddenly, his cold, ruthless side hit me with stark clarity.
Klen didn’t hesitate in the slightest to kill the monster.
On the contrary, he was swift and precise.
Not that it’s a bad thing.
Back when I was still at my family estate, I used to go out monster hunting myself.
It’s just that catching a glimpse of the true nature he’d kept hidden behind that easygoing facade—it was like getting doused with cold water.
My eyes flew open.
This is who he truly was.
His face was tense as he looked back at me—then he suddenly let out a soft chuckle.
His gaze fell to my hand.
“You weren’t seriously planning to fight an orc with that, were you?”
“Well, I didn’t have a weapon…”
I averted my gaze and mumbled.
What.
So what. Why not.
I’ve taken down goblins with this just fine.
Sure, I’ve never tried it with an orc, but maybe it could’ve worked.
I shoved down my urge to grumble, picked up a branch from nearby, and tossed it aside.
Then I retrieved the basket I’d stashed away earlier.
Facing Klen, who had followed me over, a question slowly bubbled to the surface.
It wasn’t something worth hiding, so I asked it outright.
“By the way, why are you here?”
Usually, Klen only ever moved around within the castle walls.
And even then, only in certain areas.
This place definitely wasn’t one of them.
“…”
“…”
He didn’t answer. Instead, he reached out and took the basket from my hands.
“More importantly—why are you here?”
“…!”
So he wasn’t going to answer my question, but he had no problem throwing the same one back at me.
I pressed my lips together just like he had and stared straight into his eyes, as if to say I had no intention of answering either.
If I didn’t get an answer, why should I give one?
“…”
Then he took a step forward—right into my personal space.
We were close.
Uncomfortably so.
I could almost feel his body heat.
His breath might brush against mine any moment.
We stood there silently, eyes locked, not saying a word.
At this distance, it didn’t feel like we were being stubborn anymore.
It just felt… awkward. Intimate, even.
Reading the mood, Klen gave a gentle smile.
“Is this… really happening?”
For no reason at all, my heart gave a loud thump.
Sure, I’d always thought he was good-looking, but I didn’t expect it to work on me.
I’d rather be swinging a sword in battle—at least then I’d have something to say.
To calm my flustered heart, I slowly closed my eyes and opened them again.
“…!”
Was it just my imagination?
It felt like Klen’s face had moved even closer.
My gaze kept drifting down to his lips, which were now alarmingly near.
I forced my eyes back to his and hurriedly opened my mouth.
“I came to gather ingredients for medicine.”
“That’s not what I meant, Adrian.”
“…?”
I’d answered honestly, yet he didn’t look satisfied.
Instead, his expression shifted.
His lips curled into a crescent smile, deeper and darker than before.
But the air around him grew heavier—cooler.
At times like this, I almost want to beg him to go back to that clueless grin.
Where did that harmless Klen go?
“I’m asking why you’re here.”
“…!”
This time, the tone was different.
He stressed the here—and the coldness in his voice was undeniable.
I realized he was never curious about why I came.
It was never why are you here, but how did you get here?
My eyes darted around, trying to find an answer.
“I… just wanted to check how the medicine was coming along…”
“You were under house arrest, weren’t you?”
“…”
Yes, I’d snuck out.
I knew it could be a problem if I got caught.
But that dramatic run-in with the monster had knocked the thought right out of my head.
If not for that, I probably would’ve had a better excuse ready before Klen even had the chance to ask.
Now what? I didn’t have many options left.
‘Hmm.’
Sensing the danger, my brain rapidly offered up a few ideas.
The simplest one: just tell the truth.
Acknowledge I snuck out, and start with an apology.
Or maybe…
“They said the medicine still wasn’t ready after days… Can you really blame me for being curious? Besides, I haven’t been able to go outside properly because of it and, ah…”
I chose to grab my head and let my body sway.
Maybe I could blame it on the shock of running into a monster.
If I moved like I was trying to protect myself poorly, Klen would definitely catch on.
With all this overgrowth, I probably wouldn’t get hurt too badly.
I went limp and let myself fall.
I was already faking weakness—might as well go all in.
If this house arrest continues, who knows where or when I might collapse next?
Consider it my subtle warning.
“Adrian?! Are you all right?!”
Before I even hit the ground, Klen caught me.
Considering the distance between us, maybe it was inevitable.
Still, he moved faster than I expected.
Just like the novels said—he really was that capable.
He’s just been hiding it.
But for some reason, around me, he doesn’t seem all that interested in hiding it.
He gently helped me to sit on the ground and pulled me close, letting me lean against him.
Then he let out a long breath.
“So you really did come all this way yourself.”
“…It just sort of happened.”
* * *
