My Strange Savior - Chapter 140

Chapter 140

“Gia, Gia!”

Kalion jumped to his feet. 

Concerned about Gia’s unresponsive state, Kalion approached the bed and bent his waist. Gia’s face, illuminated by the dim light, was frozen in a terrifyingly rigid state, tears streaming down her face.

Kalion grabbed Gia’s forearm and shook it.

“Gia!”

With no response, Kalion forcefully pulled Gia towards him.

Gia’s focus returned as her body was forced to stand by Kalion.

“Kal, Kalion. Kalion.”

Sobbing, Gia confirmed and reconfirmed that Kalion was alive and well in front of her.

“Kalion.”

Her calling voice trembled. Gia leaped into Kalion’s arms.

“Kalion.”

“Gia, what’s wrong? Did you have a frightening thought?”

“Uh, yeah.”

The imagery was so unsettling that Gia couldn’t bring herself to speak it aloud. She buried her face in his chest as if she would dig a hole.

Kalion’s face distorted in pity as he tightly embraced Gia, who trembled like a leaf in his arms. Despite his comforting hug, Gia’s body remained icy cold and shivering.

Kalion’s gaze fell on the pillow. When he saw the damp pillowcase in a short amount of time, Kalion’s eyes widened. He was well aware that it was soaked with Gia’s tears.

He felt as if someone had poured high-proof liquor down his throat, the sensation of burning in his esophagus was instantaneous. 

“It’s okay.”

Gia’s tense shoulders slowly lowered in response to the warmth conveyed by Kalion. 

“Kalion.”

Gia raised her head to look at Kalion, her red eyes filled with concern.

“I’m so scared.”

Kalion didn’t want to worry Gia, but if he didn’t express this emotion now, it seemed she would just sink further.

He, too, found himself gradually hardening in the face of his vulnerable lover. He felt powerless to do anything for Gia. His hand, which had been caressing Gia’s forehead, swept across her eyes.

“Can we sleep together tonight?”

Kalion’s reflection shone in Gia’s eyes, like transparent glass marbles. Responding to Gia’s unspoken request, he lay down on the bed.

“Come here.”

Lying down, Kalion extended his arms towards Gia. Her small body snugly fit into his embrace. With a firm grip around her, he carefully covered Gia with the blanket. 

Finally, a sense of calm found its way to Gia. As Kalion’s thick waist embraced her, her body relaxed.

The fear didn’t disappear, but it seemed like it wouldn’t consume her without anything being done.

Kalion’s hand patting her shoulder pressed Gia’s waist tightly against his body. As if vowing to protect Gia from the outside world, he embraced her tightly, leaving no room for even the slightest gap.

‘I’ll protect you. No matter what. No matter what threats may come.’

Gia clenched Kalion’s tunic tightly, making a promise.

‘I won’t let it happen.’

Because she liked him. Because she loved him. Gia wanted to protect Kalion and the people around him no matter what. Kalion’s smooth jaw touched Gia’s head.

“Gia.”

“Yeah?”

His exhale settled heavily. Even though he wasn’t saying anything, Kalion must be anxious too. Gia cautiously raised her eyes to meet his.

“May I ask?”

“What?”

Gia’s pulse quickened at Kalion’s low voice.

“How much time do you have left?”

It had come. Gia hesitated before cautiously parting her lips.

“About a year.”

Ultimately, the words that came out of her mouth were a lie.

“Is that so?”

“Yeah.”

“I will find a way for you to be safe, no matter what.”

The strength in Kalion’s arms around Gia, who he was holding, intensified.

“If it comes to it, even if I can’t find a way… please, don’t leave me without telling me. I’ll be by your side until the end.”

Gia’s arm tightened around Kalion’s, feeling a pang of guilt for having done something so cruel to someone who only looked at her.

“Yeah.”

Gia, who spoke a lie, quietly conveyed her apology within.

‘Sorry, Kalion.’

There was no other choice.

“Of course, such a thing won’t happen. I will find a way.”

Faced with Kalion’s confident vow, Gia held back tears. Her man was so tender. He comforted her by promising to find a cure, even though he didn’t know if she was lying, deceiving him, or accepting her words as the truth.

Although she felt a twinge of conscience, Gia had no other option. If the remedy she brought now worked, it would be fortunate, but there was less than a month left. There was no guarantee that a cure could be found within that time. The probability was slim.

Since Gia had already decided her fate, she vowed not to look back.

More than the cure for the zombie virus, what was more important to Gia was that Kalion wouldn’t die at Morrison’s hands. While concealing her feelings, Gia nestled against Kalion’s chest and whimpered.

“Kalion.”

“Yes. Can’t you sleep?”

The hand that had been patting Gia’s back stopped.

“No. It’s not that.”

Gia’s hand squeezed Kalion’s waist.

“Do you remember?”

“What are you talking about?”

Kalion’s low voice made Gia’s heart flutter.

“The first day we met, I slept hugging you like this.”

“Kufgh, kuugfh.”

Kalion, unable to answer, awkwardly looked away with a suddenly reddened face.

“That… at that time…”

“That’s right. You weren’t even wearing an upper garment then. Isn’t it uncomfortable to sleep with clothes on now?”

“Haa… Gia.”

Kalion wiped his face and looked down at the smooth forehead of his lover nestled in his arms.

Kalion playfully tapped the round forehead with his lips.

“Not at all.”

“Yeah.”

“Since you’re barely holding on, go to sleep quickly.”

“Huh?”

Something soft touched Gia’s open lips. Kalion’s tongue, entwined like a serpent, stirred inside her mouth. Gia clutched Kalion’s waist tightly, gasping for breath.

After a long kiss, all that remained were lips covered in each other’s saliva and the pounding sound of their hearts.

“Go to sleep.”

Having created this situation, Gia wondered how she could sleep now. She pouted her lips but soon answered obediently.

“Ah, okay.”

Despite her calm tone, Kalion’s expression was infinitely gentle. The rhythmic heartbeat on Kalion’s chest conveyed a sense of peace to Gia.

[The upcoming battle]

Square.

Gregory, who had been diligently writing something on paper, suddenly grimaced.

“What in the world…”

Gregory, who encountered a problem out of the blue, wrapped his forehead while examining the dragon’s heart placed in front of him.

“It’s completely different…”

Gregory quickly flipped through the journals of Haro, Myers’ mentor and founder of alchemy.

Certainly, the book stated that the White Dragon was the strongest species. Gregory, flipping through the journal recording the amount of mana extracted from the White Dragon’s heart, furrowed his brows.

“What could be wrong.”

There was no way the samples he collected could be wrong. Gregory, staring at the mana measurement device, turned his gaze back to the journal. He was already in his third measurement, but the results were consistent each time.

The amount of mana from the Red Dragon brought in by Gia and Kalion far surpassed that of the White Dragon. In the face of incomprehensible results, Gregory rubbed his temples.

“No way.”

Was the record false? If not that, then…

Gregory, biting his lips, suddenly stood up. He needed a sample for comparison.

Without hesitation, Gregory rushed over and placed the red bead he held panting onto the experiment table.

It was the bead from the Satapi Gia had caught during the hunting contest a few days ago.

Gregory carefully held the radiant bead with two fingers and raised it towards the mana gauge. The mana contained in Satapi’s bead was not only vastly superior in quality to the White Dragon’s mana mentioned in the national founding myth but also exceeded it in quantity.

“It seems the stories in the national founding myth are false.”

Numbers never lied. Lies were the domain of human tongues alone. Frustrated, Gregory ran his fingers across his forehead.

It was his fault for blindly believing in the national founding myth, written by an emperor to embellish his heroic tale. It was clear that the White Dragon he had captured was the weakest of its kind, possessing mana even inferior to Satapi brought in by Gia. The mythical tales in the national founding myth were undoubtedly false.

Finally realizing this, Gregory sighed deeply. He stared intently at the heart of the Red Dragon and the bright red bead placed beside it. Memories of Gia’s shy smile naturally lingered in his mind.

Gregory now knew he had to admit something. Whether he liked Gia or was merely curious about her remained unclear, but one thing was certain: Gia would never part ways with Kalion. 

Spending time on something that would never happen was utterly distasteful. Gregory swallowed the bitterness that washed over him.

Without realizing it, he had been gradually giving a piece of his heart to Gia, the kind and peculiar foreigner. 

Gregory, running his fingers over the bead, bit his lip in frustration. It was disheartening that he couldn’t control his feelings, and the premature folding of his emotions before they even began was regrettable.

‘Nevertheless…’

If Gia was happy, then it was enough. Gregory, abandoning his scruples, carefully inscribed alchemy on the bright red bead.

The quality and quantity of Satapi’s mana were excellent, making the process quick. The bright red bead sparkled.

‘All done.’

Supporting her gift to the person she liked was somewhat bitter, but the mana bead of Satapi was an enticing material for an alchemist.

“Tsk.”

Gregory, licking his lips, flicked his eyebrows upward. He summoned the guards stationed outside.

“What’s the matter?”

“I would like this to be delivered to the Duke.”

The guard’s gaze became sharp as the possibility of unauthorized information leakage increased.

“It’s the Satapi’s bead that the outsider requested. I only performed alchemy on it; nothing else.”

His gaze fixed on the bead wrapped in the handkerchief, the guard nodded.