My Strange Savior - Chapter 36

Chapter 36

Seeing Kalion like that, even though Gia had seen him in this state many times before, she suddenly felt embarrassed.

“No… I’m wearing clothes underneath…”

As if Gia were protesting, feeling like she had become a pervert who would strip at any time, she mumbled in a whisper.

In response, Kalion’s broad shoulders rose a bit and then slowly lowered, as if he didn’t know where to start explaining.

“No lady goes around dressed like that here.”

“Oh…”

“So, Gia…”

Kalion looked uncomfortable, running his hand through his hair and raising his arm. The muscles between his shoulder blades twisted and swelled as he did so.

“Don’t ever do this anywhere else.”

Kalion lowered his arm roughly, and the pain in his chest, which expanded and contracted with each breath, was unbearable.

‘I already knew you had a good body…’

Gia rolled her eyes and roughly estimated both her waist and Kalion’s waist with her eyes. If we were to exaggerate a bit, it seemed to be easily twice the size.

“Oh, I see…”

Acknowledging this, Gia carefully placed Kalion’s discarded clothes on the floor and started dressing herself.

“Here…”

She approached tentatively and handed the clothes over Kalion’s shoulder.

“Are you okay now?”

In response to his question, filled with concern, Gia offered a faint smile.

“Yeah… I’m fine now. It’s just because of the side effects.”

Unable to reveal the truth, Gia craftily made up a plausible excuse. Well, in a way, it wasn’t entirely untrue since there were indeed some side effects.

“Side effects?”

Kalion seemed surprised to hear this fact for the first time from Gia’s lips.

“Oh… that’s…”

Caught off guard, Gia closed her lips tightly, providing Kalion with a lead to the enigma of the enhanced human.

“Please tell me.”

Kalion, who had hastily dressed and turned around, gently grasped Gia’s hesitant shoulders.

“In reality…”

Gia cautiously let slip that she had become stronger than an ordinary human after receiving the enhanced human serum.

She swallowed the part about needing monthly treatments and quick regeneration, as saying that would probably make Kalion consider her not just a drug addict but something other than human, just like other people did.

“I see…”

“I didn’t intentionally hide it. I’m sorry.”

“I naturally assumed that people in your world are all as strong as you.”

Kalion believed the reason for her strength was simply because that’s how people in Gia’s world were. It was as natural as a newborn baby breathing without being taught.

Not having even thought about asking, Kalion, who couldn’t bear to see Gia so troubled in front of him, lowered his hand from her shoulder.

“That’s not necessarily a good thing, is it?”

“People are good. Not a monster like this.”

Despite the invincibility of overflowing strength and a body that healed quickly, she couldn’t shake the feeling of being a ticking time bomb, never knowing when she might turn into a zombie.

If possible, she wanted to return to being just an ordinary human in a world where such abilities were unnecessary.

Whether that was truly possible remained uncertain.

The story she shared was not meant to seek comfort, but Kalion’s red eyes began to well up from deep within as if he was seeing something pitiful and heartbreaking.

“You are not a monster.”

“No… it’s not like that…”

“So, please don’t say things like that.”

Kalion firmly told Gia, who kept making self-deprecating remarks and actions, fearing she might blame herself or harm herself again.

“Do you understand?”

Though Kalion was young, he scolded Gia like an adult.

“Ye… yes.”

Gia hesitated for a moment and then replied. She lightly scratched her cheek.

She had revealed that she was an enhanced human, but Kalion seemed unfazed. 

Most people would probably see her as a monster or at least find it extraordinary. But despite being surrounded, Gia, who was the same in front and behind, was grateful to Kalion for some reason, and she lightly touched his hand.

Following the moonlit path, she walked toward where Kalion was leading.

They walked in silence, but it didn’t feel so bad.

As they approached the camp, Gia noticed the unit members having dinner. It was only then that she felt the pangs of hunger, as her stomach growled with a loud rumble. She wasn’t one to enjoy an empty stomach, but somehow, she hadn’t realized she was hungry.

As Gia walked slowly toward her backpack, an acquaintance approached her.

“Gia, lady!”

“Huh?”

Spencer came smiling as if he had been searching for her all this time.

“Where have you been? We were just about to go look for you since you hadn’t come back for so long.”

“Me? Why?”

“Well, it’s dark out here. What if you got lost?”

Spencer was genuinely concerned. Not understanding Spencer’s intentions, Gia stood there blankly, as if he had prepared something, and he led her away.

“Come this way.”

Following Spencer, Gia’s backpack was leaning against a tree. Spencer gestured to a well-arranged rock, perfect for sitting.

“Have a seat.”

“Uh…”

Once she sat down, Spencer sat close to her and discreetly handed her some jerky, cookies, and chocolate he had brought.

The palm of his hand was suddenly filled with an assortment of snacks.

“Privately brought for you. Seriously, if they find out, I’ll get into a lot of trouble. So, make sure to eat it secretly.”

Why is he giving this to her? Gia couldn’t say anything but carefully picked up a cookie from his palm and took a bite.

“Is it good? Huh? Huh?”

It felt like a large dog, eager to get her approval, was interrogating her. The tail wagging behind him seemed to be dancing with excitement.

“Uh, um… it’s delicious. But can I have it all?”

“Yes!”

Taken aback by Spencer’s resolute response, Gia looked around. Everyone seemed busy with cleaning their weapons and armor after the day’s battle.

“T-Thank you?”

“Don’t mention it. It’s only natural.”

What’s so natural about it? Before Gia could ask, Spencer raised his eyebrows with determination.

“Until we leave the forest, I’ll carry your equipment and make sure you’re comfortable by your side!”

“Huh?”

His resolute green eyes sparkled in the moonlight.

“Me? Why?”

“Well, you saved me.”

“No, that’s just…”

“I owe you my life, so I must repay you. My family, the Viscount Langart, taught me that you should repay a favor when you receive one.”

Gia didn’t have a chance to say it was okay. She couldn’t refuse the eager look in Spencer’s eyes; he seemed on the verge of tears.

“So, please let me be your attendant by your side, and make sure you’re comfortable, okay?”

“No, I don’t need…”

“Fetching water, setting up your bed, doing the laundry, applying weapon polish, and other tedious tasks—leave them all to me. Please.”

Gia, who was about to reject him outright, hesitated at his appealing offer. After all, didn’t younger members traditionally handle these tasks? 

Despite the broken state of the world, the old-fashioned military culture she had learned from her family still exerted its influence.

‘Hmm. He seems like a squire from the knight’s order here.’

As Gia scrutinized Spencer’s appearance, she observed his youthful face and reluctantly nodded. She figured that it wouldn’t hurt to let the youngest member handle these tasks.

“Well, if you want to, I won’t stop you.”

“Thank you!”

Spencer smiled sincerely. It didn’t seem like something to be excessively grateful for, but his earnestness tugged at her heartstrings.

She felt a slight sensation of taking advantage of his kindness, but since it was his voluntary choice, it should be okay, right? 

The gaze from the side that seemed to pierce her as she ate was a bit uncomfortable, but for the first time in a while, she didn’t feel bad about receiving such blind goodwill.

With her eyes shining, Gia met the gaze of Spencer, who was gazing at her, albeit somewhat uncomfortably. She chewed and swallowed the cookie.

By the way, were these people just naturally good-looking? It didn’t seem like that was the case. Even a glance at the members surrounding her confirmed that.

Spencer’s appearance gave off a feeling of a kid from a rural village. He looked harmless. His purity was evident.

His fair, clean face, along with his prominent facial features, created an image of a spirited young man. The soft, light brown hair and green eyes gave him an overall warm and inviting look.

As Gia observed Spencer’s appearance closely, Kalion’s face suddenly popped into her mind.

‘Why is Kalion’s face suddenly popping up here?’

When another face, Kalion’s, started floating in Gia’s mind next to Spencer, the cheerful and innocent appearance of a person of the same age suddenly seemed less dazzling. 

Kalion’s face still seemed to be the best. While they both had their unique charms, Kalion’s face was unmatched. He was genuinely handsome.

If Spencer appeared more like a simple rural youth carrying his bedroll and collecting insects in the fields, Kalion had the sophistication and aloofness of a third-generation heir, making the coolness of the gray city fit him perfectly.

As Gia pondered the unnecessary seriousness of comparing the two faces, she found herself munching on the snacks she had accumulated.

‘Oops, I wanted to save some. I should have offered some to Kalion.’

Regretfully, Gia pursed her lips and stretched them out like a duck. It seemed harder than she thought to give up her food to others.

‘Quite challenging… The highest level of difficulty.’

As someone who had previously treated food like currency during her shelter days, Gia wiped the remnants of the cookie from her palm.

Despite that, she had grown to adapt well to the post-apocalyptic world, as if she had been born accustomed to poverty and hunger. This transformation made her heart heavy. Yet, when she couldn’t bring herself to brush off the cookie crumbs from her palm, she felt pathetic.

‘Really… I’ve hit rock bottom.’

After all, she ate what fell on the ground, so there was nothing more to say. At least she considered herself lucky that she didn’t have to sell her body.

As Gia stared at the cookie crumbs in her palm, Spencer’s eyes darted busily from left to right.