* * *
A week had passed since the journey began, and a faint wrinkle appeared on the forehead of Raullet Vipel, the captain of the temple knights.
His worries grew as more unexpected tag-alongs joined their party.
Since Erdian and Seo Woohyun were taking care of the hatchling Malrang, Raullet didn’t pay him much attention.
He had considered separating the hatchling from the group if he became too unruly, but he was just too adorable.
Even Finn, the most indifferent of the group, had fallen for the child’s charm.
However, the situation with the human thief, Marvin, who had attempted to steal from their wagon, was different.
Tied up and thrown into the supply wagon, Marvin was constantly being checked to ensure he hadn’t escaped.
He was a nuisance, always muttering nonsense when his gag was removed for meals.
Raullet glanced at the scruffy thief.
Upon meeting his gaze, the man whined pathetically.
“Please, sir, I’ve made a terrible mistake. I beg you for leniency. You can use me as a porter or a slave, just don’t hand me over to the lord!”
“Shut up.”
The thief’s whining grated on Raullet’s ears. He closed the wagon door firmly.
‘If only Lord Erdian and the saint weren’t here, I would’ve dealt with him already.’
With such important people around, he couldn’t risk any unnecessary bloodshed.
If Marvin had stolen and run, maybe he could justify killing him, but since it was only an attempt, it wasn’t enough to go against his duties as a knight.
Once they arrived at the estate, Raullet would deal with the thief first.
As he resolved to do so, Marvin wriggled his tightly bound limbs inside the closed wagon.
His arms and legs were raw from the restraints, with no sign of escape.
‘Am I going to die like this?’
As they got closer to the estate, Marvin grew more anxious.
If he was handed over to the knights there, he’d likely lose his hand or worse, be executed.
The thought of the infamous thief Marvin ending like this filled him with regret.
‘If only I could turn back time… Damn it.’
He ground his cheek against the cold floor of the wagon, full of bitter remorse.
After some time, the wagon doors swung open, and an enormous knight, strong enough to take down a bear bare-handed, effortlessly slung Marvin over his shoulder without warning.
“It’s meal time.”
“Thank you, sir!”
Dangling from the knight’s shoulder, Marvin was carried to the fire.
He glanced around cautiously.
The faces seated around the fire were all beautiful, as though they’d never done a day of hard labor.
‘But where’s that infuriatingly handsome priest?’
The man who had once asked him if he believed in Erdian was nowhere to be seen.
He was usually beside the priest with the aloof demeanor, but today he was missing.
Marvin cautiously asked the young man handing him food.
“Um… Where’s the tall, tan, and handsome priest? I don’t see him today.”
The boy, who looked barely twenty, tied his green hair back into a ponytail and glared at Marvin.
“Why do you want to know?”
“Oh, it’s nothing. I was just thinking I’d like to thank him before I die, for showing kindness to a thief like me. I was just curious, that’s all.”
It hurt Marvin’s pride to speak so respectfully to someone younger, but with his limbs bound and at their mercy, he had no choice.
“I wasn’t trying to pry….”
“Hmph.”
The young man scoffed and walked away.
He seemed to be a commoner doing odd jobs for the temple, yet his arrogant attitude annoyed Marvin.
‘Brat. And why do they keep eating the same grilled skewers? Don’t they get tired of them? Maybe that’s why that priest is wandering off alone.’
Marvin ate the meat and vegetables from his skewer with a gloomy expression.
It was tasty, but he really wanted to eat something else next time.
Seo Woohyun glanced at the empty seat next to him.
Erdian, who usually sat beside him during meals as if it was his designated spot, was absent.
He recalled the brief conversation they had earlier when preparations for dinner began.
‘I’ll be heading up for a bit.’
As soon as the wagon stopped and Malrang darted off to hunt, Erdian had unexpectedly mentioned this.
His tone was casual, like he was merely running an errand.
‘Now?’
‘Yes.’
Seo Woohyun didn’t ask why Erdian needed to leave. He figured he needed time to think for himself.
If they spent every waking moment together, Seo Woohyun would probably just end up staring at Erdian’s lips all day, unable to sort out his thoughts.
Erdian’s decision to step away was actually a relief.
‘I’ll be back soon after taking care of the urgent matter. Don’t miss me too much.’
‘Who said I’d miss you? Do I look like I’d be upset?’
‘It’s written all over your face. No?’
‘Nope.’
“It’s not? Your lips are practically sticking out.”
Erdian lightly flicked Seo Woohyun’s lips with his fingertips.
Already consumed with thoughts of the kiss he had shared with Erdian, the touch on his lips made Seo Woohyun flinch and widen his eyes.
“I’ll be back. Eat well and wait for me.”
Before Seo Woohyun could even respond, Erdian vanished without a trace.
Only the scattered, shimmering fragments of light remained, as if they were the sole proof he had ever been there.
After a brief moment of recollection, Seo Woohyun bit into a piece of grilled chicken, lightly infused with the scent of charcoal.
The meat was perfectly cooked, tender juices flowing out with each bite.
The deep flavor filled his mouth, slightly easing his hunger, but that was all.
It’s said you don’t notice when something arrives, but you feel it when it’s gone.
Without Erdian by his side, Seo Woohyun felt a lingering emptiness.
“Hyung, after we finish this, let’s roast some sweet potatoes.”
“Do we even have room for sweet potatoes?”
“Of course! I always make room for dessert. I’m a smart… kid, after all.”
Malang glanced over at the thief, still tied up tightly on the other side of the campfire, chewing on a skewer.
Seo Woohyun, finding him endearing, gave Malang’s head a few affectionate pats.
“I don’t have to worry anymore about Malang slipping up in front of others. He’s doing so well—I was worried for nothing.”
While camping in the woods, it wasn’t uncommon to run into others.
Dressed in his priest’s robe, passersby often approached Seo Woohyun first, asking if they could borrow the fire, or striking up brief conversations.
There was rarely a reason to say no, so Seo Woohyun would usually respond with a short chat.
Every time, Seo Woohyun was on edge, fearing Malang might blurt something out by mistake.
After all, inside the wagon, Malang referred to him openly as a dragon.
But not once had Malang ever made that mistake in front of strangers.
Even though the meal was in full swing, Seo Woohyun couldn’t focus.
Oddly enough, his appetite was missing today.
Normally, he would have devoured at least five skewers, but he had barely finished one. When Caro offered more, Seo Woohyun waved him off.
Finishing his meal earlier than usual, Seo Woohyun placed raw sweet potatoes around the edges of the fire.
Wrapping them in cooking foil would’ve been ideal, but he didn’t expect anyone here to even know what that was.
“As long as they don’t burn, it’s fine.”
He figured it would be enough to flip them before they charred.
After poking the logs a few times with the fire starter, the flames roared up.
The occasional chirping of insects, the gentle breeze, and the gradually sweetening aroma of the roasting sweet potatoes made everything feel peaceful.
It was his first time roasting sweet potatoes over a campfire, so Seo Woohyun kept pulling them out, only for Malang to tell him they weren’t ready yet.
“Hyung, you’re way too impatient.”
“Oh, really? Keep that up, and I won’t give you any sweet potatoes.”
“Wha—! That’s so unfair!”
“Haha!”
They bickered playfully, but Seo Woohyun’s mind was elsewhere, entirely occupied with thoughts of Erdian.
If Erdian had been here, he would’ve teased Seo Woohyun for not being able to roast a simple sweet potato, or joked that Malang could tell if they were ready just by the smell, calling him a little pig.
The others simply watched Malang with fond expressions, but no one interrupted.
Though he was disguised as a priest now, the way people treated him didn’t feel all that different from when he was addressed as a saint inside the grand temple.
“When will Erdian come back…”
Seo Woohyun’s movements with the fire starter slowed as he turned the sweet potatoes.
He wanted to clear his thoughts, but Erdian’s absence only made them more chaotic.
Even the conversations around him faded into the background.
The flickering campfire beyond seemed to reveal glimpses of Erdian’s mischievous grin.
Seo Woohyun glanced up at the sky for no reason.
Under a night sky so different from the one in Korea, he couldn’t help but feel strangely alone.
“Hyung, the sweet potatoes are burning! Hurry!”
“Ah!”
Seo Woohyun quickly poked the now charred, crimson sweet potato with the fire starter.
“Damn it, alone? What am I even thinking? It’s not even dawn, and here I am, getting all sentimental for nothing.”
With a sigh of relief, Seo Woohyun rummaged through the logs, trying to find a sweet potato that hadn’t been burnt.
“This one’s burnt, that one’s burnt too… What? They’re all burnt?”
Not a single sweet potato had survived.
Beyond the crackling of the fire, Seo Woohyun could almost hear the sound of Erdian’s laughter, echoing in his mind, as if he were holding his stomach in amusement.
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Burnt 😆