My Strange Savior - Chapter 88

Chapter 88

On one side, Gia, with three skewers in one hand and two in the other, strolled down the street, munching away. 

Kalion followed behind her like a shadow, wondering if Gia had a bone to pick with the skewers or if she was relieving stress built up in her chest. Watching Gia eat with gusto, Kalion couldn’t help but wonder if she was hungry as he discreetly glanced at her.

“What might Rey like?”

“How about checking out the antique shop?”

“What’s there?”

“Oh, just a moment.”

Kalion, conveniently armed with a handkerchief, wiped the sauce from Gia’s mouth.

“You had sauce on your lips.”

“Oh, really? Th-thanks.”

As Gia, having finished one skewer, lowered her hand into the harsh reality of the approaching crowd.

“You’re not going to have more?”

“I’ve had one, and that’s enough for me.”

“What?”

Due to Kalion’s unexpectedly affectionate gesture, Gia, who used to relieve stress with skewers, bit her lip.

‘Does he do this to other girls too?’

Suddenly, a thought crossed Gia’s mind as she glared at Kalion.

‘He wouldn’t do this to just anyone, would he? Surely not.’

“Why… do you look at me like that?”

Caught off guard by Gia’s gaze, Kalion, with a skewer in hand, looked at her wide-eyed.

Was there some mistake or error? Even after searching his memory, there didn’t seem to be any notable mistakes. Despite Kalion looking at Gia with an unjust expression, she didn’t forget the piercing gaze.

‘I should ask Spencer about this.’

Because the question seemed a bit perplexing to ask the person involved, he turned to Spencer with determination.

“Where is the antique shop?”

Concerned about Gia’s emotional fluctuations today, Kalion guided her along the way.

‘Is she still not feeling well?’

Could it be that her condition worsened due to side effects? Unaware of Kalion’s worried thoughts, Gia’s excitement bubbled out of her, reaching beyond her lips.

‘I should focus on just one thing. If he’s handsome, he must have a bad personality or be short. He probably collects all of that just to deliberately provoke others. It’s all Kalion’s fault for teasing me.’

Transferring the blame to Kalion, who had already given up on responsibility, Gia received a polite escort and headed to the antique shop.

‘Oh? Look at this. He has mastered manners.’

Gia grumbled, resenting Kalion, who diligently attended etiquette lessons as the heir of the Bowers.

‘How does any girl resist this?’

To forget her pitiful situation, Gia needed someone to blame. She decided to pass that blame onto Kalion.

Jingle.

Kalion opened the door and waited for Gia. Even though his imposing figure slightly shifted to the side, blocking the door, he exuded a strong presence. His red eyes, staring as if urging her to come in, and his black hair tousled by the wind created a captivating atmosphere. 

It made Gia’s face flush again.

‘Look at this. He’s being provocative because he’s cunning.’

Finding no flaw in Kalion, who was flawless in every way, Gia harbored feelings she couldn’t express and fell victim to her first love. It happened in a strange place where dimensional travel had occurred. 

Perhaps the illness of first love brought by that event had spread to her face, making her entire body warm and flushed from her face to the tips of her ears.

“Your face is red. Did you ride the horse for too long? What if you caught a cold?”

Gia’s face, tightly held in Kalion’s large hand, was visible, flushed red. As soon as they entered the door, Kalion, who had come close, embraced Gia’s small face with his large hand.

“It’s really hot.”

“No, it’s not… I didn’t catch a cold.”

Gia’s soft cheek was pressed tightly between Kalion’s hands. The more it happened, the more Gia’s red lips protruded between Kalion’s two palms.

“But still…”

“I-it’s fine.”

“Hmm, hmm.”

The antique shop owner, who had been observing a couple engaged in a lovey-dovey conversation at the entrance, coughed awkwardly in succession.

At the sound, Gia quickly withdrew herself from Kalion’s palm.

“I-it’s fine, really.”

“Alright, then.”

Kalion, rubbing his hand, passed by the middle-aged owner and entered the shop.

“Oh… there are so many interesting things here.”

Gia, following Kalion and exploring the inside of the shop, widened her eyes in fascination. Her eyes sparkled with the desire to buy everything for Rey.

“Do you think Rey would like this?”

Gia, holding up a brown teddy bear she found in her arms, asked Kalion.

“If it’s a gift from you, wouldn’t he like anything?”

“Well, I wonder…”

A noncommittal response came back. After a few moments of contemplation, Gia finally decided to hold onto the teddy bear in her arms.

“I think he’d like this.”

“Yes.”

Kalion smiled and nodded. That smile felt like Gia’s heart was breaking into pieces. Even just seeing him smile now felt like her heart didn’t belong to her.

“Let’s go with this.”

Since Kalion had already handled everything before entering, Gia casually carried only the teddy bear out of the store.

“I hope he likes it.”

“He’ll like it.”

“Yeah…”

After shopping with Kalion, the sun was now setting.

“We should head back now.”

“Yes.”

Since they had left the horses at the guard post, they likely had already arrived at the stables by now. While walking slowly toward the castle, they came across the fountain they had seen earlier.

Although the water wasn’t gushing out as vigorously as before, Gia couldn’t easily lift her foot.

“Do you want to throw a coin?”

Toss a coin into the frozen fountain? Gia shook her head, saying it wasn’t necessary. She had only stopped her steps due to the memories that continued to accumulate as she spent time with Kalion.

“Should I throw one then?”

“You?”

“Yes.”

Kalion pulled a golden coin from his pocket. Although he considered such things superstitious, Kalion willingly stepped forward to throw the coin into the fountain. Just like Gia did before, he clasped his hands together in prayer. Seeing Kalion’s devout demeanor, Gia bit her tongue in amusement.

What’s there to say about that sight? Even silently watching behind Kalion, his hand reached out vigorously, and the coin traced a graceful arc. Kalion sported a satisfied smile as the coin landed precisely in the center of the fountain.

“What did you wish for?”

Curious, Gia asked, but Kalion just smiled and remained silent.

“It’s a secret.”

“What is it?”

Without much thought, Gia, with the bear in her arms, headed toward the castle.

Watching Gia’s back as she moved forward, Kalion silently repeated the wish he made inside.

‘May my feelings for you not become a burden…’

* * *

Taking advantage of the night, Morrison leaped over the castle wall. 

The guards, unaware of his presence, were too busy tending to themselves in the chilly weather to pay attention to the approaching figure.

‘People live here too.’

Morrison wandered through the dark alleyways, savoring the appetite that surged within him.

‘No… please… spare me…’

Even after devouring a man he encountered upon entering the forest, his hungry stomach continued to gnaw at his insides.

‘I can’t continue to feed on people.’

Doing so would only strip him of his sanity again, turning him into a ferocious zombie.

Morrison stared at the mark on his arm, a tattoo-like brand that seemed to pierce through his very being.

[Zombification Connection X]

It was a simple sequence of words, but to Morrison, it held crucial information.

“No… not zombie transformation.”

His parched lips twisted as he muttered the words inscribed on his arm.

He couldn’t afford to engage in anything that involved movement or devouring people anymore. If he did, he might turn into a zombie again, losing control. Once he lost his sanity and became uncontrollable, he was no different from a zombie.

Spitting out the saliva that had pooled in his mouth, Morrison, dressed in clothes he had taken from a man he had devoured, tightened his hood even further.

He chose to move only at night, even if it meant hiding the crimson veins that had risen on his skin.

‘I need information about this world.’

When he first tamed the dragon, Morrison had been fearless, believing there was nothing to fear. He thought he had finally found his world, oblivious to the fact that persistent Gia had followed him this far. Until she, along with others, invaded.

If he had known that the tenacious Gia had come, he wouldn’t have confined himself to the cave for experimentation. Seeing Gia, who had unnaturally blended in with the people and nature of this world, filled him with unease.

It felt like the nightmares from the shelter were being replayed. Gia, who he thought had disappeared, somehow managed to find and bring back information. She expressed her anger towards him, and it seemed like the nightmares from the shelter were haunting him again.

“Uncle!”

Gia, a small girl who seemed to have nowhere else to lean on but the shelter, revealed this information. When questioned by the people she led, Gia explained that Morrison had helped her by providing a potion to become an enhanced human, for which they were grateful. However, the faces of those who had previously bowed down to him with gratitude now twisted with disgust when they looked at Morrison.

Someone immediately attacked Morrison, declaring that he needed to be killed. Morrison, once a powerful figure in the shelter, found himself plummeting into the endless abyss in an instant. The sense of helplessness from that moment haunted Morrison.

Though it was too late, he needed information. If he had known, he wouldn’t have experimented on the people he captured. Regretting his past actions, Morrison moved through the alleyways with his emaciated body.

“Ugh.”

The pervasive scent of people twisted Morrison’s face. His sensitive nose, struggling to endure, burrowed into the gap of the window.

“It’s time to sleep now.”

“I don’t wanna.”

“Well, if you keep acting like that, trolls might come to catch you.”

“Really?”

The gentle voice of a woman and the giggles of a child echoed together.

“Ek. It’s a troll.”

“Eek.”

Hearing the chatter of people only intensified Morrison’s hunger.

“Huh, ugh. I’m hungry.”

The drool that fell from Morrison’s mouth landed at the tip of his shoe. Morrison looked like a dog waiting for a snack. The saliva that had been flowing steadily had now formed a puddle on the ground.

“I can’t, can’t stand it… Huk.”

His hand gripping the wall shook violently as if it would collapse the window at any moment. If he just opened this window, like opening a can, he could immediately satisfy his hunger. Only a thin thread of remaining sanity restrained Morrison’s gluttony.

“No, no. Ugh.”

To calm himself, he took a deep breath, but instead, a fragrant smell spread, teasing his stomach.

“Wh-who’s there?”

In the late night, the sound echoing through the dark alley made Morrison’s neck turn sharply.

The vacant pupils of Morrison targeted the adult man holding a small lantern.

“Who, who… Uck.”

Faster than light, Morrison’s mouth, wide open, approached the man’s head without delay.

Morrison’s mouth was wide enough to swallow the man’s head in one go, and sharp teeth protruded within. 

Morrison’s jaw, wide open like a snake’s, instantly aimed at the man’s neck.