KYDC chapter 34

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How many jugs of alcohol have we gone through since we started drinking from the first one?

As the pile of empty jugs grew next to the table, the hostess, who was called Callie, gave Fields a hard slap on the back.

“Stop drinking already! How much are you planning to drink when we’re supposed to sell this stuff for money?”

That’s right.

The man who had been drinking endlessly with Hernan and had finally passed out was none other than the owner of this tavern.

While it may be a bit underhanded, this guy loves a good arm-wrestling match, especially when a tough-looking outsider like Hernan shows up.

He never misses the chance to challenge them to a match, often using some excuse to set it up.

Even though he can be a bit aggressive and annoying at times, everyone defends him, saying he’s not a bad person.

But from the perspective of someone who almost became his victim, saying he’s not a bad person is nonsense.

If I had lost, he would’ve definitely tried to make me pay for all the drinks, which would’ve been absurd.

Anyway, because I won the bet, a spontaneous festive atmosphere broke out, so I guess it worked out in the end.

I was so sleepy that I kept bombarding everyone with questions until I couldn’t keep my eyes open anymore.

“So… hic… you’re saying there aren’t many able-bodied men left in this town?”

When I asked for confirmation, the thugs… no, the now slightly more respectable townsmen, all raised their prosthetic arms to show me.

“That’s right. Only those of us with nothing left intact are still here. The ones who could still find work outside have all left to make a living elsewhere. They only stop by sometimes to bring us things from outside.”

As I gently prodded for more details, it became clear that there was a specific reason why the entire village had been trapped in poverty and disaster.

“At least the old man was a bit better. Back when he was in charge, he had some sense of discretion. But his son, that guy is the real trash.”

“You’re too drunk.”

“What? Did I say anything wrong?”

“It’s not that you’re wrong, but there are some things you shouldn’t say.”

It was the usual story you might expect from any fantasy or romance story about a tyrannical lord.

Haptis used to be a place where herbalists would gather to pick herbs and rare orchids from spring to summer to sell to outsiders.

The wounds they sustained from climbing the rough mountains would heal after spending a few days in the hot springs that flowed year-round.

The village had actually thrived for a while shortly after it was established.

But then, when it was incorporated into a neighboring territory and fell into the hands of the local lord, everything changed.

The herbalists, who needed to make a living during the peak season, were constantly being conscripted, and that’s when the problems began.

The jobs they were called upon to do included things like tending the lord’s gardens, creating greenhouses for cultivation, or helping with hunting games.

The last of these was the biggest issue.

In a village surrounded by nothing but snowy mountains, you’d think they’d develop skiing or something if they were bored.

But the previous lord, and now his son, would often release stags and make people hunt them down in place of hunting dogs.

It was common for people to break a limb or two during these hunts.

“Ugh, I really thought I was going to freeze to death out there.”

Even a cornered rat will bite the cat.

When a stag weighing hundreds of kilograms charged with its massive antlers, I stumbled to avoid it and ended up unable to use my leg anymore.

Many others had suffered similar injuries that left them permanently disabled.

While most of the village’s youth had left, saying they couldn’t live under such a lord, the middle-aged men who were already injured had no choice but to stay.

If they left, they wouldn’t be able to continue their lifelong work as herbalists.

They would have to take up farming, trading, or mining.

But it would be tough to do manual labor with a crippled body.

So, they remained here, enduring the lord’s tyranny and looking up at the cliffs they used to climb so nimbly.

Only then did I understand the hostility I felt when I entered the inn and this tavern earlier.

The only people left in this place were those who had no value as workers elsewhere, so it was understandable that two healthy young men strolling around the village would stand out.

They must have wondered, “Who are these guys, and what are they doing in our village?”

Having been exploited by the lord all this time, it was no surprise that they felt threatened by two clean-cut strangers.

After all, they might have been servants sent by the lord to cause more trouble.

Even after realizing that we weren’t here for such reasons, the tavern owner, who was excited after arm-wrestling with Hernan, didn’t seem to know when to stop.

He kept feeding us drinks, supposedly to see Hernan drunk, and while he was sharing stories about the village and cursing the lord, he insisted on exchanging unnecessary questions for every piece of information I tried to gather.

“Hey, what do you like so much about him? Is it because he’s an Alpha that he’s so good in bed?”

Hernan didn’t bother hiding his pheromones completely, as if he didn’t see the need.

While his scent wasn’t strong enough to arouse other Alphas or Omegas, anyone who could detect pheromones would know that Hernan was an Alpha.

Somehow, people had naturally assumed I was an Omega, and by then, it was too late to deny it since everyone had already pegged us as a couple.

“Could you please stop asking such things?”

When I tugged at Hernan’s sleeve, hoping he’d help me out, he just laughed and played along.

“Why? I was curious too, but you never answered when I asked.”

What on earth is he talking about? I stomped on his foot under the table and looked away.

“What’s so interesting about my story? Why don’t you continue with what you were saying? You mentioned that since the son took over as the lord, the number of conscriptions for hunting has increased?”

But my question fell on deaf ears.

“Wow, you must have it tough. How do you manage with such an unsociable guy?”

Who’s unsociable? I know how to be friendly and accommodating when necessary. The questions I was just asked simply weren’t worth answering.

“Please, let’s not talk about such things….”

I couldn’t hide my irritation and pouted openly, causing the man to raise his glass toward the ceiling and shout.

“Tell you what, if you share some stories about your love life, I’ll tell you everything that’s happened since I settled here. It seems like you’re curious about the village. Are you some kind of scholar writing a geography book? Those hands of yours look like they belong to someone who writes books.”

Though I was caught off guard by the strange misunderstanding, I realized that this could be extremely helpful information.

In that case…

I might have to make something up.

My eyes, which had been dead tired, lit up as I began to speak.

*

After being grilled for over five hours, it was already dawn.

“Ugh….”

I staggered out of the tavern with Hernan’s support, feeling like I’d fall asleep the moment my head hit a pillow.

“You should have paced yourself. You’re not much of a drinker.”

Hernan practically carried me as he chuckled.

He’s laughing?

How did I end up this drunk?

I tried to glare at Hernan out of sheer frustration, but I was so exhausted that I couldn’t muster a threatening expression.

“Ugh… because of who, do you think?”

I grumbled irritably, and Hernan gently stroked my back as he replied.

“I never told you to go this far.”

He was right. But still… how could I have passed up such a golden opportunity?

Feeling unjustly wronged, I muttered to myself, and Hernan, shaking his shoulders with laughter, added.

“And it was you, Mister Everdeen, who even used me to get what you wanted.”

That was true too.

I had spun an elaborate lie, with just a touch of truth, to shut up those middle-aged men who kept pestering us for love stories, like eager grandparents desperate to hear about their grandchildren.

“Besides, I didn’t realize you liked my face more than my body… I didn’t know you were someone who could casually talk about such personal matters at a drinking party.”

The reason I didn’t want to discuss it further was that if he said he liked my body more than my face, the conversation would inevitably turn into crude and inappropriate remarks.

I covered Hernan’s mouth with my hand to indicate that I didn’t want to continue the discussion.

“Stop talking, just stop.”

However, it was clear that merely covering Hernan’s mouth wasn’t enough to silence him.

“Anyway, I’m glad you seem to like my face.”

His smug smile, pulling his lips into a grin, was infuriating.

In my drunken state, I tried to punch him, but instead, my legs got tangled, making me cling to him even more.

How embarrassing.

With my face buried in Hernan’s shoulder, I couldn’t lift my head due to the burning shame in my neck.

The sound of his laughter, settling on the back of my neck, gave me a headache.

“At this point, it seems like you must like me too, Everdeen.”

I barely managed to open my eyes wide and pushed Hernan away.

“Stop talking nonsense.”

Then, I wobbled towards the inn. Hernan quickly came over to support me, clearly concerned about my unstable state.

It was so annoying.

As our bodies were close again, the soothing scent of Hernan, not the smell of alcohol, reassured me.

As drowsiness overcame me and my eyes drooped again, I heard my heart pounding.

When I realized the racing heartbeat wasn’t my own, my eyelids finally closed completely.

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