* * *
After sharing bread, we started our official search for the herb.
We combed every corner of Mount Burden, our backs breaking from constantly staring at the ground.
But no matter how hard we looked, the elusive herb was nowhere to be found.
“Ugh, my back…”
Where the hell is this stupid thing?
I straightened up and patted my aching waist.
Just then, Cedric, who had been glancing around, pulled out a drawing of the herb we’d prepared beforehand.
“Eddy.”
“Yeah?”
“This is Blkenon, right?”
“That’s right.”
‘Blkenon’—the herb my father had instructed me to retrieve.
It grows using monster droppings as fertilizer and only thrives in harsh conditions.
Apparently, it’s often found on Mount Burden.
Cedric thought for a moment, then spoke.
“Then we probably need to go higher. I heard all known sightings of Blkenon were at high altitudes.”
“Really? Okay, let’s go up then.”
I followed Cedric as he led the way up the mountain.
The path was rough.
Since it wasn’t a commonly traveled mountain, the ground was uneven and hard to walk on.
“Whoa—!”
Crap. I almost fell.
“You okay?”
“Y-Yeah. Thanks.”
Thankfully, Cedric caught me as I stumbled.
Otherwise, that would’ve been a seriously embarrassing fall.
Climbing uphill like this, I could’ve really gotten hurt.
My heart was still pounding.
Panting, I clung to Cedric’s arm to calm down.
He let me hang on for a bit… then suddenly slid his hand under my arm and wrapped it around my waist.
“W-What are you doing?”
“Helping. Better than having you fall and roll around in the dirt.”
…Well, that’s true. But still.
It was kind of embarrassing.
Of course, one could argue that friends lean on each other during tough climbs like this, so maybe I was overthinking it.
Cedric held me firmly by the waist and gripped my hand, supporting me as we continued up the mountain.
At first, the posture was awkward and uncomfortable, but the longer we went on, the more it felt like I had a solid pillar next to me.
It’s not easy… taking care of someone else like this.
“I told you, he’s a good guy.”
I gave a bitter smile.
Letting go of childish jealousy and envy seemed to make everything clearer.
I was truly relieved I remembered before I crossed an irreversible line—like the “me” in the novel did.
Now, I was finally ready to accept Cedric as a friend.
Seeing him in a new light felt… different.
“Come to think of it, you and I haven’t had many chances to be alone like this. It was always the three of us—me, you, and Let.”
Just as I was reflecting on the past with a renewed heart, a chill in the air made me pause.
Cedric’s reaction… was cold, somehow.
Did I say something wrong again?
Sensing danger on instinct, I darted a glance toward him—only to lock eyes with Cedric as he turned to me.
When I offered him an awkward smile, he looked away with a pouty glare, then finally opened his mouth.
“Yeah, it was always like that. But do you know why?”
“…Ah, well.”
“Because you always cared about Let and never paid attention to me. Even if I wanted to do something with just you, you’d always insist on inviting Let. I never got to be alone with you.”
“……”
“I was like a barnacle, always tagging along behind you two. And it’s frustrating now to realize just how little I mattered to you back then.”
“Cedy…”
“Do you even know anything about me?”
“……”
“I know everything about you—what you like, what you don’t, what you’re good at, and what you struggle with.”
…He must’ve been holding all this in for a long time.
“I’m sorry. Really.”
As Cedric poured out everything that had built up inside him, the guilt pricked at me.
He always looked fine on the outside, but I realized just how much he’d been hurt.
My heart softened.
“From now on, I’ll pay more attention to you too.”
“…Really?”
“Yeah, I told you—I’m trying to make things right.”
I gave his hand a firm squeeze.
Cedric, in turn, tightened his grip around mine.
Still pouting, Cedric pursed his lips.
Then, with a look of faint suspicion, he glanced my way.
“What brought this change of heart?”
“Hmm. Well, we’re twenty now. I figured maybe it’s time we start acting more like adults.”
I couldn’t exactly bring up memories from a past life, so I just laughed vaguely and tried to brush it off.
But just then, as Cedric’s skeptical gaze deepened—
There was a rustling sound nearby.
I froze, and so did Cedric, his hand instinctively going to his sword.
A massive beast with red fur and the build of a bear caught sight of us as it lumbered on four legs—then suddenly reared up on two.
A monster known as a Red Bear.
“Eddy, get back.”
The Red Bear let out a roar and charged.
Its claws slashed down just as Cedric drew his sword and parried with a loud metallic clang.
Startled, I staggered back, then dashed behind a nearby tree to hide.
‘Wait a minute, Red Bears usually travel in packs…’
Sure enough, other Red Bears, drawn by the roar, began appearing one by one.
They roared in fury and rushed at Cedric.
I worried he might get hurt, but…
‘I’ll only get in the way. Better stay put.’
Backing off would help more than getting involved.
Fortunately, Cedric stayed calm, cutting them down one by one with precision.
I carefully edged backward to avoid being caught in the fight when—
‘Huh?’
Something caught my eye, drawing my attention to a cliff a bit further up.
Growing there, standing alone, was a large, familiar-looking plant.
After checking that no other monsters were nearby, and seeing that Cedric had the Red Bears thoroughly distracted, I silently crept toward it.
Up close, I confirmed it was indeed the Blkenon Herb.
‘Finally found it!’
Since Cedric was fighting hard, I needed to gather the herb quickly.
I pulled out the tools from my pack.
‘Carefully… carefully…’
The elixir herb is delicate—if mishandled, it wilts on the spot.
Harvesting it requires precision.
I gently loosened the soil to avoid damaging the roots, then applied a magical solution that preserves the herb, and finally sealed it in a jar filled with the same preserving liquid.
“Done.”
Stored this way, it would retain its medicinal potency for up to a week.
I carefully sealed the jar containing the precious herb.
With that, my mission was complete.
Now, how was the situation below?
“Eddy! Where are you?”
Just as I stood up, Cedric’s voice rang out.
I quickly made my way back down with the jar in hand.
“Over here!” I called out, and Cedric whipped his head around.
The Red Bears around him lay gruesomely slain.
Ugh—not a pleasant sight.
“You’re not hurt, are you?”
He hurried over to me.
I was about to show him the jar.
“I found the herb, so let’s hurry and get dow—”
But before I could finish, Cedric pulled me into his arms.
Startled, I flailed slightly.
But Cedric only held me tighter, then suddenly slumped down as if his strength had left him.
Sitting down, he clutched both my wrists and let out a long sigh.
“Don’t disappear on me like that again…”
His voice trembled faintly.
Now that I looked at him, his face had gone pale, and his hands were shaking ever so slightly.
Like someone who just found a person they thought was lost forever.
And I…
“You were worried, huh? Sorry.”
His reaction honestly left me speechless.
It felt a bit… excessive.
Sure, it was a tense moment, but wouldn’t a quick scolding have sufficed?
I wasn’t even gone that long.
If there’d truly been danger, I would’ve shouted right away.
Not that I disliked being worried over.
In fact, I appreciated it.
It’s just… Cedric was treating me like a dandelion puff about to blow away in the wind.
That fragile, desperate reaction of his felt unsettling.
To meet him at eye level, I quietly crouched down in front of him.
Cedric kept his head bowed, so I couldn’t see his face.
“I made sure it was safe before I moved.”
“……”
“I’m not that reckless…”
“Still.”
“……”
“Still, I was worried.”
“……”
“I was… scared I might never see you again.”
That last part was practically a whisper.
A voice barely held together, the words wrung from his throat.
I didn’t know how to respond—just rolled my eyes in confusion.
‘Scared you’d never see me again?’
Why was he saying something like that?
That kind of fear assumes there could be a time we never see each other again, doesn’t it?
I had no idea what was making him so afraid.
After some hesitation, I gently placed a hand on his shoulder, patting it softly.
Cedric let out a shaky breath and gave me a side-eye glare.
“Well? Your answer.”
“…Huh?”
“That was my answer to not disappearing without a word.”
“Ah, yeah. Got it. I won’t make you worry anymore.”
“……”
“If I don’t want to get scolded by the young master, I’d better behave, right?”
“I’m not joking, Eddy.”
“I said I understand. Let’s head down before another monster shows up.”
I supported Cedric, who had collapsed with weak legs.
He had been pouting, clearly upset, but eventually leaned on me and stood up without a word.
Then, as if determined to show just how hurt he still was, he began to grumble nonstop by my side…
The entire way down the mountain, I had to use every bit of energy I had to console the sulking young master.
“Cedy… no, Lord Cedric.”
That cold, indifferent gaze locked on me.
“Let’s end this now.”
A dry voice escaped his lips.
“This tiresome tie we’ve dragged on under the name of childhood friends—let’s finish it here.”
That…
“I’d appreciate it if you stopped pretending we’re close. And don’t call me Eddy like we’re friends.”
That was before Cedric’s “regression.”
* * *
Ay Dios
Um..what???(ʘᗩʘ’)