My Strange Savior - Chapter 124

Chapter 124

“Please don’t push yourself too hard.”

“Well, what’s pushing? I can’t even fit into the category of pushing.”

“Still, please don’t get hurt. It’s because I can’t be by your side.”

Due to Kalion’s honesty and conscientious state, he couldn’t participate in the hunting competition he attended every year.

“Okay. I’m not a child, after all…”

“Must it be a child for me to worry?”

“It’s not that.”

“I worry because I care. That’s natural.”

Calmly, Kalion responded to Gia’s words.

“Enough with the lectures…”

Gia blushed while lightly fidgeting with the end of the bow.

“This… Will you accept it?”

“What is this?”

Gia looked at what Kalion offered with curiosity. The ornament made of twisted red thread was rough and sloppy.

“I-I made it. It’s an accessory to attach to the tip of a sword…”

“You made it?”

“Yes.”

Taking a deep breath, Kalion skillfully attached the accessory to the end of Gia’s dagger.

“It’s a kind of superstition to give a gift to a lover to wish for luck in the hunting competition… Um…”

Even as he spoke, Kalion’s handsome face was turning as red as the sunset, seemingly embarrassed.

“So, you made it for me?”

“Yes…”

Kalion, answering almost as if resigning, silently tied the accessory firmly to prevent it from falling.

“Normally… ladies make and give it to their participating lovers, but since I can’t participate, all I could do was…”

So, Kalion made it for her. Gia’s face brightened like a blooming flower upon hearing that. With a grateful feeling, Gia gently pulled Kalion, suppressing overwhelming emotions.

“Thank you.”

Suppressing deep emotions, Gia pulled Kalion slightly closer. Then, as if it were a signal, Kalion’s large frame enveloped Gia.

Although the accessory was rough, from today onwards, it became the most valuable item to Gia. In a society where men and women were treated differently, making such a thing wouldn’t have been easy.

With her cheek against Kalion’s chest, Gia closed her eyes, using the sound of his heartbeat as a background. 

“I’ll be sure to work and stuff.”

“I didn’t give it for that meaning. Just… if you come back unharmed, that’s enough for me.”

“Got it. I’ll make sure to do that.”

A mingling, colorful emotion blossomed between the deepened bond of Gia and Kalion.

“I don’t want to part.”

“Me neither.”

Gia’s pronunciation, buried in Kalion’s embrace, became muffled, but no one cared. They continued to spend time holding each other as if in their own world.

As the horn trumpets announcing the Emperor’s procession sounded a few times, the two finally distanced themselves reluctantly.

“It seems Your Majesty has arrived.”

“Yeah. I have to get up.”

Gia, reluctantly rising with a displeased expression, followed Kalion towards the outside.

Gia, with her rugged face, looked questioningly at Kalion, who didn’t go out of the tent.

“Why aren’t you…”

Smack.

Following the unexpected and bold kiss, Gia stared at Kalion’s lips, which fell motionless, losing her words.

“W-what is…”

Blushing, Gia tapped Kalion’s chest and turned her cheeks red.

“Don’t do dangerous things.”

Now more daring, Kalion’s proactive actions made Gia smile, and she extended her lips again without a reluctant expression.

“If you do it one more time, I’ll do that.”

“Whether a hundred or a thousand times, I can do it more.”

Smack, smack, smack.

Gia’s lips parted in response to the warm temperature of Kalion’s lips. The sweet warmth that penetrated inside her made Gia feel calmer than ever before and also excited.

Kalion’s blunt tongue relentlessly explored Gia’s mouth. The passionately connected kiss that seemed to capture every single breath came to an end.

Both of them, with flushed faces and hazy eyes, looked at each other.

“I don’t want to part. What should we do?”

In response to Kalion’s honest confession, Gia, grabbing his clothes, replied sincerely.

“I feel the same way.”

With lowered eyes, Gia continued her answer, and Kalion couldn’t keep his eyes still for even a moment.

“This is a problem.”

“I’ll… take care of it quickly and come back. Trust me, okay?”

Gia playfully gazed at Kalion’s red eyes. The affectionate look towards her beloved was sweet.

“Yes, I trust you.”

Kalion, who gave a simple answer, released his hold on her clothes and smoothed out the wrinkled areas with a hesitant touch.

Following Kalion, who was drawing patterns, Gia raised her lips and cheerfully headed outside the tent. Although Kalion had advised her not to, the desire to participate in the event and prove herself burned within Gia.

When talking about various things with Audrey in the carriage, Gia heard that all the spoils from the hunt belonged to the one who hunted them. Spoils. The greed that had been wriggling in Gia’s heart took root.

The forest where the hunting competition took place belonged to the Emperor, and entry was allowed only once a year. That was the day of the hunting competition. There were intentionally released wild animals by the Emperor, and there were quite a few rare species as well.

For example, the feathers of a peacock with ten thousand eyes were said to be valuable just to call it. And that wasn’t all. It was said that there were plenty of rare species released by the previous emperors that hadn’t been found yet.

The value of accessories and fur made from the by-products of these rare species exceeded imagination. Many people wanted them, but the types were limited, so how expensive could they be?

There was even a bear that was white from head to toe. Thinking about Kalion wearing a fur coat made from that bear’s fur, which hadn’t been caught yet, Gia’s hand tingled.

‘I must catch it.’

Even though she only imagined it, it seemed like it would suit Kalion even better than most male models in magazines. Who else could dare to pull it off? Except for his Kalion. 

Gia, who had become a fervent fan of Kalion, touched the tool hanging from the dagger with her fingers.

‘Kalion, I’ll definitely… catch it for you.’

There were only two things Gia aimed for. The white bear and the thousand-year-old feather of a satapi. Although it was a species she had just heard of, except for the lifespan, its appearance wasn’t much different from the avians Gia knew.

What Gia aimed for was the satapi’s magical stone. Satapi had a peculiar feature of growing a magical stone on its neck from birth.

Initially brown, the magical stone was said to turn a vivid red after five hundred years of the satapi aging. More transparent and vivid red than a ruby. Just hearing about it made Gia think it belonged to Kalion.

Since the magical stone, only the size of a human’s pupil gathered pure magical power, not only was it more valuable than a gemstone, but it was also more expensive. The accessories made from the red magical stone of the satapi, a species with only two in the world, were said to be owned by the Emperor.

Gia’s eyes gleamed fiercely at the story of the Imperial family not selling their ancestral possessions even for a fortune. 

That’s it. She had to make a bracelet for Kalion using that. Gia’s eyes sparkled intensely.

‘I will catch the satapi.’

Wiping away the drool, Gia headed outside the tent with Kalion. All the nobles seemed to have gathered as the Emperor stood on a decorated platform, smiling benevolently.

After confirming that everyone was present, the Emperor continued his speech. On this day, the biggest event of the year, the Emperor’s speech, hoping everyone would showcase their skills, was as boring and monotonous as the lectures from the old headmaster.

Just as Gia, lost in her thoughts, was about to blink her hazy eyes, the Emperor’s gaze fell on her.

“This year, we have a special guest, so I hope everyone enjoys the hunting competition like a festival.”

Since it was impossible to ignore that Gia was that special guest, she awkwardly smiled, attracting the attention of the people around her.

“It seems His Majesty will also participate this year.”

Kalion, who smoothly concealed Gia behind him, casually mentioned it.

“Oh, he wasn’t originally going to participate?”

“Yes… He’s not interested in such events… It’s strange. It shouldn’t be the right condition for that.”

Seemingly unsure of the Emperor’s intentions, Kalion frowned. The Duke and Derek, who were standing nearby, nodded in agreement with Kalion’s words.

“Be careful, Lady Gia.”

Acknowledging the Duke’s concern, Gia nodded with a determined face.

Except for the Emperor, each family could only send one participant for fairness in the hunting competition.

Therefore, in the case of catching a large prey, participants would shoot an arrow with magical power into the sky and leave the family’s mark as proof.

The officials in charge of the hunting competition would then collect the prey and score them on the spot.

The distributed map had marks drawn at intervals. Those spots were used by officials to set up tents for collecting prey, as well as for treating injuries and procuring supplies for participants.

It was a hunting competition carried out solely through individual strength. Gia found it more comfortable to be alone, even with Kalion, who was called a master of the sword and had the stamina to make his tongue hang out, as he would only be a burden and bother her.

For the safety of the nobles, the hunting competition lasted only two days. It was a matter of enduring just one day in the forest.

One might say, what’s difficult about enduring just a day in the forest, but for ordinary people who had never experienced camping, it was not an easy task. Moreover, the mountains were filled with dangerous wild animals. Some gave up halfway.

For the nobles who participated only in the hunting competition, staying on the outskirts and hunting was an option.

However, Gia planned to do her best in the hunt. For her, who had come here with nothing, this was the only opportunity to make a big fortune.

While catching the satapi for Kalion, might as well catch something for Audrey and Ariana too. 

Gia bundled up her belongings tightly against the chilly wind.

Some people had brought sleeping bags for the one-night camping, but Gia didn’t bother with such unnecessary preparations. Her stamina was not weak enough to be affected by staying up for two nights, and maintaining her best condition lately made her body feel lighter than ever.

Gia lightly loosened her ankles and wrists, waiting for the sound signaling the start. Looking into the distance at the people, Gia waved her hand lightly, a gesture meant to convey not to worry. However, the expression on her lover Kalion’s face was very heavy. 

He looked as forlorn as a wife sending off her husband to the battlefield. The sight was both amusing and heart-wrenching, and Gia made a face that could be interpreted as either a smile or tears.

What a face suits him well. While looking at Kalion, who seemed like he might cry any moment, Gia gave a fresh wink.

In response to Gia’s relaxed demeanor, Kalion’s lips twitched, and he sighed before raising his hand slightly to shield his lover from others’ view.