My Strange Savior - Chapter 9

Chapter 9

The weight of that question was heavy, and even though it grew heavier, she couldn’t answer impulsively. 

What can she do to prevent this world from collapsing like hers? As a mere human, what can she do?

Gia pursed her lips at the questions that came her way.

“Well… I’ll do my best to stop it.”

She doesn’t know if it will work, but she can’t just stand by and do nothing.

Kalion felt a sense of gloom wash over him at Gia’s straightforward response. She also seemed to believe there might be a way to salvage the situation, even though she knew there was little she could do.

“Is your body okay?”

“Yes.”

“Answer well.”

Gia suddenly lifted Kalion’s shirt without warning, and Kalion’s body tensed at her action, which boldly touched his well-defined abdomen, wrapped in bandages like a washboard.

Her bold touch, almost unbelievable for a different gender, made Kalion’s face turn as red as a campfire.

“You’ve reopened the wound.”

He had been worried since she had rushed forward without looking back. Gia carefully unwound the bandages and examined the reopened wound.

“Does it hurt?”

“No.”

Gia retrieved a pill bottle from her all-purpose bag and took out a white powder without hesitation.

“Endure the pain even if it hurts.”

“Ugh.”

As the tingling sensation spread, Kalion clenched his teeth. 

He didn’t want to give Gia, who already looked at him with concern, any more reason to worry. He tried to stifle the groans that came out as Gia treated the wound, and he looked away from her to the empty air.

“That’s enough.”

Gia neatly rewrapped the bandage and moved away from Kalion. 

Kalion, who had held his breath, watched Gia as she retreated with a mix of various emotions.

“Why? Did it hurt? Speak up.”

When she had told him to endure, why did he look at her with such an insincere expression? A resentful Gia, yawning, crawled into her sleeping bag.

Gia gently brushed the forehead of the child in her arms and closed her eyes for a moment.

“Stay awake for your turn.”

With those words, Gia’s regular breathing became audible. Was she trusting him? Why?

He had been the one trying to corner her and force her into the palace. How could she trust someone like that and sleep?

Kalion’s pupils shook like a burning fire.

This strange woman. Was it really lucky to have met her, someone he couldn’t understand from the perspective of a criminal?

Gia, who was still sleeping with a relaxed face, remained incomprehensible.

Kalion, who had thrown the turmoil in his head into the burning flames, got up and skewered some meat on a stick for easy consumption.

The child must be hungry, having eaten nothing. When he woke up, he would have to give him something. 

Kalion skillfully threaded the skewer and placed it around the campfire.

* * *

“Are you hungry?”

When Gia, who had just woken up, kindly asked, the child’s eyes turned towards the meat roasting over the fire.

Gulp.

At the sound of the swallowing saliva, Gia urged.

“Hurry up and give it to him. He’s starving and might pass out.”

For some reason, Kalion naturally complied with Gia’s order, as if it were only natural to be scolded.

“What’s your name?”

“It’s R-Rey.”

“Rey. That’s a pretty name.”

Unlike how Gia treated Kalion, her tone was very gentle and affectionate when dealing with the child. 

Kalion was surprised by Gia’s tender actions towards the young and fragile. He shrugged his shoulders and handed the well-cooked skewer to the child, contrary to his expectations.

“Mr. Knight…”

“Am… I a knight?”

“Does he look like he’s talking to me? What’s this?”

Imitating Kalion’s low voice, Gia shook her head exaggeratedly.

Kalion cleared his throat in response to Gia’s question about whether he could be a bit more affectionate. He had never really had a conversation with a child before, so this situation was awkward for him.

“Can you find my mommy and daddy?”

“I can’t say for sure…”

“Of course, he can. Mr. Knight will do his best to find them.”

Gia immediately cut off Kalion’s attempt to honestly inform him of the situation and started gently patting Rey’s head.

Tsk, tsk.

Gia, making a clicking sound with her tongue, looked at the stubborn Kalion with a shake of her head. No matter how slim the chances were, at least they should try to find them. 

Gia turned her gaze to Kalion.

“It might be better, to tell the truth…”

“Shut up for a moment… and hurry up and eat too.”

With her teeth clenched, Gia offered the piece of meat in her hand. She tightly gripped Kalion’s shoulder with the sharp tip of her elbow and whispered into his ear.

“Is that all you can say?”

“But when there’s even a glimmer of hope in a hopeless situation, who bears the responsibility if a child clings to it? Don’t you know whether the child’s parents have been taken or swallowed by the flames?”

He had searched the village to find the survivors, but all he had found were charred bones buried in ashes. He couldn’t be certain that Rey’s parents were not among them. 

When Kalion asked seriously, Gia’s grip grew stronger.

“He’s just a child. Is there any reason to despair?”

“It’s something he needs to know.”

“You’re so inflexible. Whatever.”

With Kalion blocked from front and back, Gia looked at the handsome face with an upright expression and sighed as she placed another piece of meat in front of the child.

“It might take some time to find your parents. I don’t know if we can give you the news you want or not.”

Gia looked at Rey, who was blinking his large eyes and biting into the skewer, and his lips quivered.

“But still, big sister won’t give up and will keep looking until the end, so you shouldn’t give up either, okay?”

As she wiped the charcoal off Rey’s chubby cheeks, Gia spoke, and Rey’s expression became noticeably lighter than before. The idea that the trustworthy person who had saved him would find his parents seemed to sway his heart.

“Yes, big sister.”

“That’s right! All you little ones have to do is eat well and sleep well, okay?”

They hadn’t even started yet, so there was no need to lose dreams and hope.

“Do you have any relatives or other people who can take care of you?”

“No…….”

The two chubby cheeks, filled with meat, quickly sank with sadness.

“In that case, big sister and this gentleman will take you to a place where you can stay for a while. That way, we can go find your parents.”

At Gia’s words, the child’s head slowly nodded up and down.

“You’re kind.”

Gia once again patted Rey’s head. Smiling at the child’s unique childish scent, she shifted her gaze towards the distant mountains.

Why on earth did they take people away? 

She couldn’t guarantee that Rey’s parents were among them, but she had to act, even if it was to find Morrison and the people he had taken.

She hoped that among them, Rey’s parents were safe and sound.

* * *

“Aren’t you tired?”

At Gia’s words, Rey, who was walking while holding her hand tightly, raised his face.

“N-No, it’s not hard at all…”

He worried about what might happen if he were left in these woods suddenly. Rey spoke with determination, his head held high, as an unexpected anxiety overtook him.

Rey, who said he was seven years old, was still feeling awkward with strangers.

“If it’s hard, you can say it’s hard. It’s okay for kids to do that.”

Gia suddenly lifted Rey into her arms. With a firm grip supporting her backside, Rey’s body naturally nestled against Gia’s.

“You must be tired too, big sister…”

Rey glanced at Kalion, glancing at Gia.

‘Big sister Gia is so thin and fragile, but she’s still carrying me.’

Gia even had an enormous bag on her back, containing many things. Under the weight of Rey’s inquisitive gaze, Kalion, who had never held a child before, awkwardly extended his hand towards Rey.

“If it’s hard, then I can—”

“Forget it. Let’s not talk about painful topics. Focus on walking.”

Gia’s sharp rejection made Kalion withdraw his outstretched hand awkwardly.

‘Painful… topics…’

Kalion’s lips quivered at the words that seemed to strike a chord. It appeared that in Gia’s mind, there was a certain image of him.

Kalion was about to explain, but he swallowed his words along with a deep sigh.

“Let’s move as quickly as possible. Why in the world did Morrison…?”

Gia, who paused mid-sentence, looked down at Rey in her arms.

“Anyway… as quickly as possible…”

Without needing to hear the rest, Kalion nodded his head, leading the way ahead.

* * *

They had thought there would be at least small villages along the way, but the path stretched endlessly with no signs of civilization.

“Aren’t there too few people here?”

After walking for a while through the forest with no sign of a single person, Gia woke up Rey, who was asleep.

“Please…”

“Alright…”

Before Gia could finish saying “alright,” Kalion was already reaching out to take Rey from her.

Gia stretched her stiff arms into the air and watched Kalion’s back. He probably wasn’t fully healed yet. 

Nevertheless, Rey found Kalion’s embrace comfortable, and he settled into his arms without any fuss.

“It’s probably because we’re close to the Hagria Mountain Range, the most rugged and highest mountains around.”

Indeed, even Gia, who had been searching the area all this time, had given up on the rugged and steep mountain range.

“Moreover, this range is a place where monsters like to hide because human hands rarely reach there.”

“Oh… monsters.”

Gia nodded her head, recalling the creatures she had encountered while searching for Morrison in the mountains.

They all had grotesque appearances, and collectively they seemed to be referred to as monsters. Kalion explained the identity of the creature he had first encountered.

“When you rescued me, the creature we fought was called a goblin.”

“Goblin… There were others with different appearances too.”

“Yes, there are various types of monsters, not just goblins.”

Standing beside Kalion, Gia raised an inquisitive look.

“They can understand some language and communicate among themselves, right?”

“Yes, that’s correct. However, goblins with such developed intelligence are quite rare. It’s mostly possible for leaders of a tribe.”

“I see…”

Gia recalled that they had been shouting in an unknown language among themselves, despite being able to communicate intelligibly. 

The information contradicted what she had seen. Gia touched her chin with her fingers, contemplating the difference between what she had witnessed and this new information. It seemed like even the lower-ranking creatures in their hierarchy could communicate.

“But what I saw was different.”

“Yes. Suddenly, about a month ago, monsters started appearing in groups, threatening people, and even ghouls, known for their low intelligence, began moving in groups. Incidents occurred simultaneously all over the Empire.”

About a month ago… Gia lowered her gaze and kicked a random stone scattered on the ground. It couldn’t be.

No, it couldn’t. Ugh.

Anxiety surged, and she crossed her arms, tightly wrapping herself. 

A month ago… the time when she fell. Her fall was a week before that. Morrison fell before her, and if there was a time gap between their falls…

Her hypothesis lined up perfectly, and Gia’s head was spinning with dizziness.

“So, this sudden change…”

“Yes. That’s why my 1st Knight Order came to the Hagria Mountains for investigation and extermination.”

Holding Rey and walking effortlessly without showing any signs of fatigue, Kalion continued forward, and Gia unconsciously followed, matching her steps with his.

If that hypothesis is correct… Damn it… It’s damn it. 

The fact that Morrison tamed a dragon, and the rough outline of why people were being abducted, seemed to be coming together.

The possibility of turning monsters into zombies… just the possibility of it felt like being thrown into the cold of a harsh winter’s blizzard.

Can she stop this? She might be able to handle a few monsters somehow, but when she think about Morrison, who tamed a dragon, she shivered.

At that moment, as Gia walked while contemplating various aspects of this world, an unexpected group appeared before her.