My Strange Savior - Chapter 83

Chapter 83

“The knight is a sleepyhead.”

At the softly spoken words, Kalion’s eyebrows twitched.

“Let him be. A beauty is supposed to be a sleepyhead.”

“Then shouldn’t my sister sleep more too?”

“Well… where did you learn such a cheesy line?”

“What?”

Rey responded with a puzzled expression, tilting his head and smiling at Gia as if he didn’t understand.

“There’s something like that. You have to grow up just like this, Rey.”

“Yes!”

Although Rey didn’t know what Gia was talking about, he answered brightly and energetically.

“Oh, come on, be good. Rey will grow up to be very cool.”

Even without looking, Gia knew it well and said so. When Gia spoke, Rey laughed shyly and blushed.

“I’ll grow up cool and propose to my sister!”

“What?”

In response to Rey’s bold aspiration, Gia laughed cheerfully.

“Really? You’re going to marry your sister?”

“Yes!”

“Oh, no… No, you can’t!”

Kalion, who had just woken up, opposed the marriage of the two, shouting. Hearing his voice, Rey and Gia, who were chatting, looked surprised and turned to look at the awakened Kalion.

“Why not?”

Looking at the handsome Kalion, who even looked good with messy hair, Gia asked.

“Huh?”

“You said it’s not allowed?”

“Huh?”

Kalion, who was stupidly asking again, covered his face with both hands as if the sound of it might be loud enough to wake him up. It seemed like he had fallen asleep for a moment.

When he heard Gia’s voice saying ‘marriage,’ his hazy mind suddenly cleared up. Realizing his mistake, Kalion covered his face as if he was about to bury himself. 

“Huh? Why? What’s not allowed?”

As Kalion got up, Gia, who had been waiting to go eat together, smiled slyly.

“Huh?”

Gia, who had been drawing with Rey, quietly stood up from her seat. 

Approaching Kalion, who had his head deeply bowed and turned red up to his ears, Gia, with a mischievous smile as if hiding a wicked intention, asked.

“Huh? Why can’t he marry his sister?”

“Hah….”

“Why? Why? Why not?”

Gia, who caught the teasing opportunity, laughed and approached Kalion. 

As she got closer, Kalion rolled to the side and landed under the bed. Gia, watching Kalion swiftly leave the room with movements that didn’t seem like those of someone who had just slept, grabbed her stomach and laughed.

“Oh, my, my stomach.”

At times like this, it seemed like Gia was younger than she was. Gia, who had collapsed onto the bed where Kalion had been lying, laughed while patting the bedding.

Rey, who didn’t understand, laughed along with Gia.

Now, even tears welled up in Gia’s eyes as she looked at Rey.

“Shall we go eat?”

“Sure!”

Rey naturally reached out his hand, as if it was obvious. As he did, he felt the warmth of Gia’s hand. A smile spread across Rey’s face.

“Let’s go.”

“Sister, what do you think we’ll have today?”

“Meat?”

“Sister, do you like meat?”

Gia opened her eyes wide as if asking if that was even a question.

“Of course!”

“I see. Sister! I’ll make a lot of money later.”

“Why?”

“To marry my sister, I have to buy meat every day, so I need to earn a lot of money.”

“Oh my….”

Impressed by Rey’s words, Gia burst into laughter.

“Just hearing that is enough.”

“I’m serious. I’ll buy meat for all three meals.”

Rey raised three fingers solemnly. Finding it adorable, Gia gently stroked his brown hair.

“Okay. Do you have to buy it?”

“Yes!”

Rey’s response was impressive. The shadow of losing his parents seemed to have somewhat lifted, making Gia’s heart content.

As she talked with Rey, they quickly arrived at the dining hall. 

Gia hadn’t seen the members eat separately before. 

Watching Rey enjoy the food with a fork in his mouth, Gia got lost in thought.

“Sister, why aren’t you eating?”

Gia looked at Rey, who was savoring the delicious food and affectionately patted his head.

“No, let’s eat quickly.”

As Gia diligently filled Rey’s plate with his favorite food, she glanced at the opening door.

For some reason, Kalion, who appeared after a while, stood there awkwardly, coughing.

“Hurry up and come in.”

At Gia’s call, Kalion reluctantly took a seat.

“Last night…”

While observing Kalion’s moist face as if he had just washed, Gia laughed.

“It’s okay. If you’re tired, you can sleep.”

“But when did you come to the room?”

Rey, curious, asked with his large eyes wide open about Kalion’s visit. 

Kalion, scratching his cheek, couldn’t find the words. Although Rey’s question seemed innocent, it felt like he was reproaching his morally questionable act of visiting a woman’s room late at night.

“That happened.”

Gia laughed and fed Rey a piece of meat.

Ahn.

Rey’s open mouth skillfully accepted the meat.

“Is it delicious?”

“Yes! It’s even more delicious because Sister gave it to me.”

Looking at Rey’s bright smile, Gia smiled too.

“How does our Rey manage to speak so beautifully?”

“Hehe.”

Wiping the sauce off Rey’s happy face, Gia also smiled and served meat onto Kalion’s plate, urging him to eat.

“What are you doing? Eat.”

“Oh, um, I’ll eat.”

Kalion, eating with his head bowed as if he would stab his nose into the plate, subtly observed the two’s reactions.

As Kalion’s embarrassment eased, a gentle atmosphere filled the dining hall.

“Wow. Pudding!”

Rey, excited about the dessert, kicked his legs. In the innocence of a child, Gia couldn’t help but smile.

As the three got accustomed to sharing stories while eating, the dining hall’s door opened, and Oscar’s butler entered.

“Lord Oscar has arrived.”

“Already?”

Gia blinked at the words. It wouldn’t have been easy to bring down the dragon’s corpse. She expressed her curiosity, and Kalion, with a hint of doubt, stood up.

“Excuse me.”

With Kalion heading to Oscar’s study, Gia stood up to follow. However, Rey, who seemed unwilling to let go, held onto Gia’s sleeve, causing her to sway under Rey’s weight.

Gia shook her head, indicating that she couldn’t go, and gestured to Kalion to inform her later.

“Let me know when you come back.”

“Understood.”

As Kalion stepped out, the warm morning sunlight settled into the dining hall.

[A Woman’s First Love]

As Kalion opened the study with a stern expression, Oscar, looking tired, was sitting in his chair.

“Master.”

Oscar gestured for Kalion to take a seat and he naturally took his own.

“How did this happen…?”

“Apheus…”

“Yes?”

“We met the Apheus.”

At the mention of Morreta’s symbol and the story of the divine being Apheus, Kalion blinked.

“Apheus really… existed?”

“That’s right. With its help, we were able to come down from the mountain quickly.”

“I see…”

Kalion looked at Oscar with an expression of disbelief.

“Even though I saw it with my own eyes, I still can’t believe it.”

Oscar, with a tired smile, had exhaustion clinging to his face. 

Despite Apheus’s unyielding stamina, Oscar, who hadn’t rested properly coming down from the mountain, massaged his temples with his thumb and forefinger.

“For now, rest a little. I’ll come back later.”

“Sure. I need some time to organize my thoughts as well.”

Oscar agreed, indicating that his complicated thoughts were not yet sorted out.

“What about the bodies of the comrades… what should we do?”

“We should send them back to their families. We need to let their families know how honorable a fight they had.”

“I see.”

Oscar nodded in response to Kalion’s words.

“Inform Gregory to take measures so that the bodies do not deteriorate any further.”

“Thank you.”

“No need to thank me. It’s the least we can do.”

At Oscar’s words, Kalion bowed deeply. 

If he hadn’t been his mentor, Kalion might not have been able to capture the dragon or take care of the fallen comrades. Perhaps it was something that shouldn’t be taken for granted.

Closing the study door, Kalion turned with heavy steps toward the outside. 

Members who had heard the news were waiting for Kalion with solemn expressions as he headed toward the training grounds. Behind them, the bodies of the fallen comrades were visible.

Although covered in luxurious fabric, Kalion could recognize them at a glance. 

A long silence choked Kalion’s breath.

Seeing the fallen comrades who had been laid out in the dark and cold cave now under the warm sunlight, Kalion’s nose turned red.

It seemed like everyone shared the same sentiment; the faces of the members seemed ready to burst at any moment.

The emotions contained within were apologies for being the only ones to survive.

“Ha…”

A deep sigh, torn from the depths of his lungs, burst from Kalion’s lips. The weight of it caused the members’ shoulders to slump.

“We survived.”

Kalion chose his words, looking at them as they hung like sinners.

“It’s not a sin.”

Even with Kalion’s words, there was no sign of the members’ shoulders relaxing.

“But the fact that we survived is undoubtedly due to the sacrifices of those who fought for us. So… let’s live each remaining moment with gratitude for them.”

Kalion’s words weighed heavily on everyone’s shoulders. 

Fallen comrades who sacrificed themselves for them. 

The sound of sobbing filled the training grounds, expressing apologies for surviving in their stead.

As the members took their time to mourn, they searched through the belongings piled up on one side.

Among them was the sword they had fought with until the end. Even without engraved markings, the members knew to whom it belonged and bit down on it.

It was the sword of a comrade who had been with them for a long time. Even if they tried not to know, they couldn’t ignore it.

The members who raised the blood-stained swords polished them as if they were their own comrades’ swords. Only the sound of returning the swords to their original form with the best sharpening stones echoed in the training grounds.

Watching their actions silently, Kalion’s eyes turned red.

‘Rockt…’

A beloved name that he couldn’t bring himself to utter. As if understanding what Kalion was looking for, Jacob pulled out a sword.

“It’s Vice Commander’s sword.”

Seeing the dried blood on it made his heart ache. It was the sword that Kalion had handed over three years ago. 

The image of Rockt, who loved tearing things apart, still lingered in his mind.

Even though Kalion had mocked extravagance as a luxury for a knight, he could almost hear Rockt’s laughter, who found it amusing.

If only he had bought a better sword at that time, Rockt might not have died so miserably. Regretful thoughts flowed through Kalion’s mind in a moment of weakness.

Taking Rockt’s sword, Kalion wiped it with a soft cloth, making it sparkle as if it were new. As Kalion diligently polished the blade, everyone followed suit, moving their hands with diligence.

The overwhelming sense of guilt that they could only offer this much weighed on everyone’s hearts. 

For a while, as they apologized in their own way to those who had gone first, an urgent sound reached their ears, searching for Kalion.

“Knight! Knight!“

Kalion lifted his head at Rey’s voice. 

Something must have happened to Gia. Even without Rey explaining, an uneasy intuition brushed Kalion’s mind.

Setting down the sword, Kalion quickly stood up and rushed towards Rey.

“S-sister!”

Passing Rey, who stammered in his speech, Kalion leaped inside.

“G-Gia.”

Lips free from guilt quivered with anxiety. 

Climbing the stairs three at a time, Kalion anxiously called Gia’s name.