My Strange Savior - Chapter 27

Chapter 27

The first meeting, filled with tension and caution, had now turned into a feeling of true camaraderie, unlike before. 

He held the reins gently as if handling a lady, but the strength transmitted through the grip was as firm as a man’s, surprising Kalion.

As his hand held firmly, feeling solid and strong, Kalion couldn’t conceal his astonishment. In response to Kalion’s involuntary grip from the sensation of the firmly held hand, Gia effortlessly vaulted onto the saddle like a butterfly, kicking the ground for a moment.

Gia, mounting fearlessly for a first-timer, took her position behind Kalion on his broad back. Kalion led, glancing back at his comrades.

“We’re departing.”

True to Kalion’s words, there was no elaborate departure ceremony. He announced the departure in a low and steady voice. However, the weight behind those words made the knights move swiftly and agilely.

“Let’s go.”

Each of them spoke their words quietly as they followed Kalion. Where their horses’ hooves met the ground, dust rose and the cold wind brushed against their faces.

Did they run tirelessly, facing the wind without respite? 

As Kalion had said, they arrived in the plains just below the mountains in half a day.

Gia, who had been clinging to Kalion’s back like a shadow, lifted her head and gazed at the mountain covered in a lush forest.

“We’ve arrived.”

Gia dismounted from the saddle and turned her stiff neck. Now, this is the real beginning. Her body, accustomed to a cozy environment, was now stained with tension.

Seeing the densely forested mountain without any clearings brought back memories of when she first fell. Trusting only one inactive watch, she had ignorantly explored the mountain. Having experienced firsthand how treacherous the mountain could be, Gia shivered at the memory of that fear.

Once she captured Morrison, she would never look at a mountain again. She felt she could spend her life content just watching from below.

Without any specific instructions, everyone swiftly began preparing lunch. Watching the members, each efficiently taking on their roles, Gia wondered if there was anything she could do and slightly craned her neck.

“Please sit.”

She should just sit quietly when told to. Even if she intervened under the guise of helping among these not-so-friendly people, they wouldn’t appreciate it much.

Rumble, rumble.

Gia, glancing around like a vagabond, wrinkled her nose at the tantalizing aroma of food wafting in the air. She had surely eaten a hearty breakfast. She had jokingly told Rey, but maybe there was a beggar living in her stomach.

Gia, rubbing her grumbling stomach, approached Kalion. Kalion casually handed her bread and soup from the rations.

“There won’t be warm food after today. Eat while you can.”

Gulp.

Before Kalion could finish speaking, he watched Gia pick up her bowl and drink the soup, her mouth full and animated, showing a remarkable ability to manage even without being told. 

In a place where no one took care of her, Gia remained unfazed, a quality distinctly hers.

“Can I have another bowl?”

Kalion shuddered at Gia’s choice of words, which were better than those of the mercenaries who flew and crawled on the battlefield and held out the bowl in his hand.

“Have another.”

“What about you?”

“I don’t think I need more.”

“Do you eat with thoughts?… You just eat because you’re hungry.”

Though Gia grumbled, she accepted the offered bowl from Kalion without refusing.

It would be a waste if she didn’t finish. Leaving food behind would lead to punishment.

Gulp.

As the warm soup went down, it felt like even her insides were melting.

Well, not eating would be her loss. Gia tore the soft bread and dunked it into the soup, taking a big bite and gulping it down.

With her cheeks bulging from the food, Gia, who had been restlessly looking around, chewed and swallowed the food in her mouth with a satisfied expression.

The way she was doing it… It was like a diligent squirrel preparing food for winter. If you poked her cheek, would an acorn inside her mouth not fall out? 

Kalion’s finger twitched involuntarily.

“When are we leaving?”

“After eating, we’ll depart immediately.”

“Is that so?”

Kalion, observing Oscar’s people tidying up after the meal once they had finished eating, got up from his seat.

He gently stroked Gia’s head, sensing that the clever horse understood the impending parting.

“Wait here quietly.”

Hing.

The reins were handed over to Oscar’s people. The mountain was so densely overgrown that even walking was difficult, let alone riding; it was a high mountain covered with bushes.

Since they couldn’t ride through, the horses had to return to Oscar’s territory. A rather pitiful sound, unlike a horse, was heard as they retreated. It seemed like a farewell as if urging them to come back.

“Let’s go, Lux.”

At Kalion’s words, Lux’s tail wagged. Perhaps recalling the last expedition, the smart horse gazed at Kalion with its big black eyes.

Perhaps he remembered that the others had returned and he hadn’t. The squire tugged on the reins and shook him, but Kalion’s horse, Lux, didn’t budge and stood as if nails had been driven into his feet.

“I’ll come back this time. Together. So let’s go.”

Upon hearing the firm response, Lux, who had been snorting, finally lifted its hoof and began to move.

“Truly intelligent.”

“Yes. He’s quite clever.”

Watching the almost conversational exchange between Lux and Kalion, Gia’s eyes lit up with wonder.

At Gia’s praise for Lux, Kalion’s expression relaxed somewhat, albeit briefly. But soon, as everyone stood up after distributing the allocated baggage, tension settled on his face.

“We’re departing.”

Kalion led the group from the front, opting for actions over cliché phrases like ‘be careful,’ ‘stay alert,’ or ‘your every breath is for the future of the empire.’

To the already-determined group, such words were meaningless. All Kalion could do was show trust to those following him.

Everyone silently followed Kalion.

Gia, carrying only her torso-sized baggage and a case with a sniper rifle, briskly followed Kalion.

They walked tirelessly for a long time. Gia, looking back, stuck out her tongue. Despite walking this far, they were still at the beginning of the mountain.

Perhaps it was the thick trees that made their vision narrow. She felt like she was losing her sense of direction. No matter which way she turned her head, all she could see were the same trees. If it weren’t for the watch, they would have lost their way long ago.

Just looking at the towering trees in the sky made her head spin.

In her original world, such means of transportation were so common that she began to long for them. She wished she could use magazines freely.

Half of the magazines she had brought were already used up, dealing with Morrison before coming to this world. On top of that, she had used a considerable amount of bullets to try to create holes in the monsters she unexpectedly encountered, and saving Kalion.

Carrying the sword she reluctantly brought from Morreta at her waist, Gia looked at the tempting handgun like a feast.

‘Can’t a couple thousand bullets just fall from the sky? Or maybe an anti-aircraft gun? A nuke?’

With that much firepower, she thought, they could turn this whole area into a wasteland, whether it was a dragon or anything else. Gia entertained unnecessary thoughts while recalling Morrison, who was probably hiding somewhere.

‘Even if you hide…’

Was he hiding in these mountains? 

Another reason to kill Morrison emerged. Now that they were in the mountains, Gia gritted her teeth and marched on, suppressing a sigh of irritation.

“Let’s take a short break.”

Gia welcomed Kalion’s suggestion, having lost track of how long they had been walking. She plopped down on the ground when Kalion mentioned resting.

It wasn’t so much that her legs hurt, but she despised the forest. While others found healing in the grand natural landscapes when climbing mountains, it felt like a burden to Gia.

Maybe it was because they were climbing the mountain for different reasons. Regardless, she vowed to never linger near mountains again once they caught Morrison this time.

As Kalion gave instructions to the members while seated under a tree, Gia absentmindedly gazed at him. He seemed more like an adult despite being younger than her in age.

The members moved swiftly and confidently in response to Kalion’s command to scout the surroundings, appearing more at ease with giving orders than even breathing. 

In a way, Kalion seemed more mature socially than Gia.

In the world Gia had experienced, everything revolved around power.

It was hard to believe that Kalion, who was leading and directing people, was four years younger than her.

Kalion, seemingly taking a short break, approached Gia who was lost in thought.

“Are you finding it difficult?”

Gia shook her head at Kalion’s question.

“What could be difficult for me?”

“Ordinary women wouldn’t even make it this far. I’m not comparing, just saying it’s natural to find it challenging.”

Sitting beside Gia and leaning on the tree, Kalion loosened his bag and sat down. The coldness of the moist earth seeped through.

“Rather than finding it difficult…”

“Yes.”

Gia’s gaze, which avoided giving a direct answer, shifted upwards.

Squirm, squirm.

A bug about the thickness of an adult man’s fingers, with two fingers’ width, wriggled its long body and slid down from the tree as if silently eyeing Kalion from above, moving its front and rear antennae restlessly.

Could it be venomous?

The creature’s body was the same color as the tree, but its head was strangely painted a vivid crimson, unnaturally fiery red.

Thud.

Quickly withdrawing the military knife she had fixed to her ankle, Gia precisely struck the creature’s head.

“What…”

Kalion, surprised by the speed, didn’t finish speaking before he looked at the knife deeply embedded in the tree.

“Ew. Disgusting.”

Not that he hesitated for a moment to decapitate it.

Alternating between the exploded creature’s head and Gia, Kalion bit down hard on his lip.

The yellow blood of the creature repulsively dripped from the knife. If not for Kalion being startled and pulling away, something unpleasant might have fallen onto his head.

“Thank… you.”

It was a creature with a deadly venom that could kill not only humans but also large mountain creatures. Moreover, it was an unusually large specimen.

“This is why I hate mountains. It’s not just because it’s tough, I hate mountains… It’s humid, cold, wild animals, and even insects. Seriously, it’s revolting.”

The more she spoke, the more the reasons she disliked it sprang to the surface. 

Gia, who genuinely detested it, pulled out the military knife that was almost halfway lodged without any hesitation. 

Swiftly bringing the knife down to the ground, the yellow blood splattered as it hit the floor.