My Strange Savior - Chapter 45

Chapter 45

“Why… Why are you doing this?”

“The quality isn’t good.”

“What?”

What is he talking about? They all received the same supplies when they departed. Spencer raised an eyebrow at Kalion’s comment as he seriously bent over to inspect the sleeping bag.

“It seems it won’t do.”

“What?”

Spencer, who only kept asking questions, looked at Kalion with a foolish expression.

“Just be grateful.”

Why is he saying he should be grateful? Kalion watched Spencer, and only then did a faint smile appear on Spencer’s lips.

Well, it seems his judgment was correct. Spencer gestured to Kalion to suppress his urge to fidget and speak out.

“Yes, understood.”

After nodding in agreement, Spencer distanced himself from the situation and looked at Gia. 

Kalion, who had settled his emotions, looked down at her. He’s not sure why he’s doing this, but he has to do it this way. 

In the end, the sleeping bag Spencer had been using became Kalion’s possession, and Kalion’s sleeping bag became Gia’s.

“What’s this…?”

Although they looked the same in the eye, Kalion smiled contentedly and gestured for her to enter.

‘What’s the difference?’

If Kalion is different, then it’s a different one. Even so, the sleeping bag was a bit softer than Spencer has. Gia happily entered the sleeping bag, without realizing the difference.

Compared to the sleeping bag she used to have, it was of inferior quality. However, her nose was filled with Kalion’s scent, which was scattered throughout the bag. His scent was so warm.

 Before she knew it, her frozen heart was melting, and Gia’s eyes slowly closed.

* * *

“Hah.”

Startled.

The sound that echoed woke up Gia, who had been sleeping. It was the same for Kalion and the others around him.

“This… “

Gia looked at Kalion with anxious eyes. Kalion’s expression spoke for itself, without the need for words.

“A dragon… sound?”

“Yes.”

The roar of a dragon echoed through the mountains. The sound made the massive mountain range tremble, and a sense of dread seemed to suffocate their entire bodies.

The sound was heard again, freezing their bodies in place.

Even though the sun had not yet risen, the weariness on their faces disappeared, replaced by fear.

“Ha…”

Whether it was a sense of relief that they had accurately predicted the presence of the dragon at the location Kalion mentioned, Gia pressed her forehead with a puzzled expression.

“Indeed… It seems the dragon is where you said, Kalion.”

“Yes…”

Kalion, who had just woken up, spoke with a deep, resonant voice. His heavy voice dispersed like a lament, indicating that Kalion, too, had many thoughts running through his mind.

They had come up here willing to risk their lives to kill the dragon and Morrison, but when they heard the fierce roar of the dragon, their bodies froze with fear.

If Gia and Kalion were this frightened, they wondered how the other members were feeling. To maintain discipline among the wavering members, Kalion stood up from his position.

“Everyone.”

As if in response to the dragon’s roar, the monsters pounded the ground as if they were about to crush it.

Thud, thud.

The trembling ground, keeping to a steady rhythm, was transmitted to the precarious Kalion.

“It will be terrifying.”

Kweok.

Keaek.

The sounds of various monsters mixed, and it even felt like the mountains were screaming. Kalion, standing firm, spoke to the members.

“We know better than anyone.”

As the howling predators’ sounds instinctively froze their bodies, everyone still kept their gaze on Kalion’s face.

“But if we don’t stop this, even if we don’t bring back proof… If we let them go on, our families will be trampled by those hands.”

Kalion, with a face tougher than anyone else’s, clenched the muscles in his jaw when he put strength into it.

“So…”

Kalion’s words, filled with sincerity, kindled a fire in everyone’s hearts.

“Even if no one knows our sacrifice, even if there’s no one to acknowledge it, we can’t retreat, and we can’t back down.”

[Decisive Battle]

As Kalion’s resolute voice came to an end, the long-standing howls of the monsters also stopped. After hearing the dragon’s roar directly, what had been mere imagination had now become a reality. 

To hunt a dragon? The members murmured in disbelief.

Had they decided too easily out of loyalty to their order, trust in their Commander, and gratitude? 

At the moment when the fear that easily infiltrated the anxious hearts of the members was about to spread, the colossal shield named Kalion blocked their path.

Some of them felt like running away, thinking that their previous oath to walk the path of blood with the remaining members was pointless. But Kalion firmly held on to those who had momentarily been overwhelmed by fear, and it was embarrassing for the members to lower their faces.

To reassure those around them, Gia glanced at Kalion, who stood stronger than anyone else. He seemed truly mature. 

Despite being younger than her, Kalion’s sense of responsibility was impressive.

If someone like him had been in the shelter where she was, would things have been different? Despite knowing that her imagination had been running wild since last time, Gia couldn’t stop herself.

If it were Kalion, wouldn’t he have stopped Morrison’s tyranny and the blame placed on enhanced humans? Suddenly, that thought crossed her mind.

Taking responsibility for the words you’ve uttered is not as easy as it seems, especially when your life is at stake. You may know the depth of a ten-mile river, but who knows the heart of a person? Especially when your life is at stake, it becomes even more challenging. 

Nevertheless, as Gia looked at the unwavering Kalion, she felt her heart beating strangely and her face growing hot.

At that moment, looking at the dawn rising behind Kalion and the warmth contained in his aura, she had an inexplicable mix of emotions. The illusion that the same radiance was shining behind and in front of Kalion struck her.

Is the sky also recognizing such a person?

As Gia stared fixedly at Kalion, her gaze dropped in embarrassment. She was still enveloped in Kalion’s sleeping bag, carefully shrugging her shoulders.

Then, Kalion’s scent naturally covered Gia.

‘What is it… Why is my heart…?’

Thump, thump.

Gia’s face flushed as her heart seemed to leap out, beating wildly. 

‘What’s going on?’

She felt like her body was completely out of control.

Despite having experienced so much in her relatively short life and having become indifferent to most things, her heart, which had always maintained a steady rhythm without surprise or excitement, was now pounding uncontrollably.

The sound of her heart racing echoed in her ears as if she had just sprinted at full speed.

‘I must be going crazy.’

Trying to regain her composure, Gia pinched her cheeks with her palm, giving them a hard tap as if to make a sound.

But it didn’t make a difference.

‘I’ve gone mad. Or maybe really lost it.’

Losing her wits on the brink of battle. 

Was she so eager for death that she had gone insane? This time, she slapped her plump cheeks fiercely with both palms.

“Gia?”

Without realizing when Kalion had approached, Gia slapped her cheek. Watching Gia’s actions, Kalion knelt down and gently took her wrists in his slender hands.

“Why… Why again?”

Kalion’s eyes showed concern as he observed Gia’s self-inflicted behavior.

As Kalion’s hand held her wrist, Gia slowly raised her head, and her cheeks were now flushed.

“Why are you doing this?”

“No…”

“What are you thinking again?”

Whether her cheeks were red from the slaps or had been blushing since earlier, Gia’s cheeks grew even warmer, reaching her ears when she caught Kalion’s gaze.

“Were you scared, perhaps?”

Kalion asked if she was frightened by the roar of the dragon and the frenzied sounds of the monsters. Gia felt as though she heard his words, even though she didn’t listen, and she pulled her wrist away.

“What, what are you talking about?”

“But why are you hitting your face?”

Kalion’s gentle touch cautiously stroked her flushed cheek. Gia lowered her face in response.

‘Scared… Do I look like someone who would be scared of that?’

He knows better than anyone that she’s not the kind of person to be afraid of that. 

The question about whether she was scared had a tenderness to it, and Gia was having a strange experience as her face flushed even more.

“It’s not like that. Come on!”

Her face was going to ignite at this rate. The heat surged through her entire body. As Gia tried to hide her face, Kalion’s massive frame lowered along with her.

“Hah…”

Sighs erupted from all around.

“Right…”

As the stirring speech concluded, the eyes of the members, who had been deeply moved moments ago, began to cool.

“Ha…”

Jacob, the most rugged-looking among the knights, let out a deep sigh.

Jacob, who had never properly held a woman’s hand, and another solo member, Bill, standing nearby, clenched their fists.

“Ah… I don’t know about anything else, but isn’t this a bit too much?”

Bill’s words ignited the fiery gazes of all the members of the order, bound by their loyalty to their Commander.

“For real. I respect the Commander, but… I can’t take this.”

Jacob ground his teeth. 

Just how much did he respect him? To the extent that Jacob gave up on dating as well, following the Commander who didn’t engage in relationships. 

Jacob, who had nurtured dreams while observing the Commander, who was so strong and held such a high position yet didn’t neglect training and kept women at a distance, shuddered with betrayal.

“Isn’t this going too far?”

Jacob, the member who had lived the longest as a solo, shook his head while looking at the affectionate couple.

“Gosh.”

“Yeah, what’s up?”

Bill’s hand reached over Jacob’s hunched shoulders.

“Get lost! Don’t console me.”

“You’re insane. Even if I console you, you’ll lose it.”

“You’re single too!”

“At least I’ve dated.”

“You son of a..!”

As Jacob threw punches filled with curses and envy, Bill casually dodged them. In the end, Jacob, who had concluded that he hadn’t dated because he couldn’t, sniffled.

The atmosphere among the Order of Knights remained the same as before, to the point that no one could tell when they had become so rigid upon hearing the dragon’s roar.

It was as if they had never heard the sound at all.