Kiiieeeek! Kwaaang!
Monsters endlessly poured out from deep within the gorge. Edner continued to push through them. Behind Edner’s footsteps as he cut down the monster horde and advanced forward, monster corpses piled up endlessly.
“Huu.”
He felt himself growing short of breath at the far greater number of monsters than expected. It was something he was experiencing for the first time in a very long while since reaching his level of mastery.
‘Should I have brought Dwyne along after all.’
It would have been fine though. Recalling Van, who had displayed far more tremendous prowess than anticipated, Edner naturally thought of Rowy’s face as well.
‘…Still, just in case.’
If something were to happen to Lord Rowy after needlessly bringing along one more knight… It was a horrifying thought. Edner shook his head and looked forward again. The place he arrived at after going against the countless monsters was the entrance to a cave located on a cliff. The strange energy he had been sensing since earlier was flowing out from right there.
‘I need to check as quickly as possible and return to rejoin them.’
His expression hardening, Edner strode into the cave.
* * *
“Hmm….”
What is this place? Edner examined his surroundings with sharp eyes.
Kiiieee! Kaaaak!
Outside the cave, the sounds of monsters moving could still be heard. However, inside the cave was as quiet as a mouse.
“……”
After stopping briefly like that and preparing for any possible danger, Edner soon lowered his sword in the space where nothing could be felt.
‘It’s quite a large cave… How peculiar that there isn’t a single monster.’
However… from somewhere deep within this cave since earlier, an alien energy was definitely flowing out. It was an energy Edner was feeling for the first time as well.
“Huu.”
After briefly steadying his breathing, Edner gripped his sword properly again and walked deeper into the cave.
.
.
.
“So, this was inside that cave?”
“Yes.”
“Hmm, what could this be? Dwyne, do you know?”
“I don’t know. Is it even a coin? But I don’t feel any of that strange energy you mentioned at all.”
At those words, Edner looked at the coin on his palm again. It was as Kyle said. The sense of alienation he had felt before had disappeared, and now it just looked like an ordinary coin.
‘Certainly when I first saw it in the cave, a very strange energy was flowing from it….’
From the moment he exited the cave, it had become just an ordinary coin like this. It felt like he had been possessed by something.
“How about sending it to Hawk to investigate?”
Kyle suggested to the troubled Edner. Hawk was the knight order in charge of information for the Irad Duchy, and had a long-standing rivalry with Flame. Recalling that order’s vice-captain, Edner shook his head. Dorian, who had joined the order at the same time as himself, was always dying to get one over on Edner. If he needlessly became indebted over something like this, it was certain Dorian would make Edner uncomfortable for a long time to come.
“No, it would just give them something to use against me.”
“That’s true. Then let’s just hand it over to Velstra. If the vice-captain sensed something, it’s definitely a problematic object.”
At those words, Edner nodded.
“…Right. I’ll keep it for now. Now finish your preparations quickly! We’ll ride to near the capital before the sun sets.”
“Yes!”
Receiving Edner’s orders, the knights dispersed to quickly inspect the carriage and mercenary company, then organized their formation in an instant. Watching this, Edner looked at the coin in his hand again.
“……”
As Kyle said, it was just a worn-out coin. But….
‘Wasn’t there… originally a goat drawn on this?’
After rubbing the smooth surface without a single pattern with his finger, Edner soon put the coin back into his breast.
“Now, we depart!”
He didn’t know what was going on, but… getting to the capital was the priority for now.
* * *
So smoothly that it was hard to believe there had been numerous monster attacks, the road from the border to Velstra’s capital Kald was very smooth. The party that quickly arrived in Kald unpacked at a high-class inn. They planned to rest here for two days. It was a decision made because it was clear Rowy’s stamina wouldn’t hold up if they departed immediately without a rest day after covering a week’s distance in just three days.
“Uwah! A bed!”
Finally able to rest, Rowy rushed over and flopped face-down onto the bed as soon as he entered the room. Van, who followed behind, turned Rowy over and laid him down properly.
“You should change clothes before lying down.”
“Don’t want to. I’m not moving from here until tomorrow.”
“Still, you need to wash up and eat meals too.”
“Don’t nag. I’m really exhausted.”
Hiiing, Rowy made a crying sound and buried his face in the pillow again.
“Even so, you must eat. And….”
“Mmm?”
“……”
Van, who had been nagging while undressing Rowy this way and that, suddenly trailed off. At that, Rowy lifted his head, heavy as a thousand pounds, to look at Van.
“What is it.”
Van, whose eyes met Rowy’s, somehow blushed with a shy look and said suggestively.
“…The bathroom here is very large.”
“……”
…If only he hadn’t blushed, I would have just bathed with him without thinking. Rowy’s gaze turned cold. And… Van, who noticed Rowy’s reaction faster than anyone, dejectedly lowered his eyes.
‘What. Is that something to be so disappointed about?’
Rowy looked at Van pathetically.
“Aigh, why are you becoming stranger as time goes on? When I first saw you, you were the perfect example of a knight.”
I picked wrong at the slave market. Tsk. Rowy even clicked his tongue and shook his head. At that, Van bristled.
“What’s strange about me?”
“You keep acting like a pervert.”
A pervert! This time Van made a clearly hurt face and turned his head away with a huff. What kind of cute act with that huge body…. Rowy looked at Van with an incredulous expression.
“Hey.”
“……”
Rowy poked Van’s chest with his finger repeatedly. The firm chest bounced Rowy’s finger back.
“Van.”
“……”
Oh really? Not a single answer, just turning his head away – it really wasn’t even funny.
“Aigh, really. Fine. We’ll bathe. Bathe.”
“……!”
At those words, as if he had never sulked, Van rushed to the bathroom with a face in full bloom, and Rowy let out an absurd laugh at that retreating figure.
* * *
“How is the water temperature?”
“Mmm, good.”
“See, it’s nice bathing, right? You did well to listen to me, right?”
Van grinned broadly while gently combing through Rowy’s hair as he melted completely in the bathtub.
“Yawn, I’m getting sleepy because it’s warm.”
“Please sleep. I’ll wash you well and place you gently on the bed.”
“As if I’d sleep knowing what you might do.”
“……”
Van became quiet again. He was surely showing he was sulking. But this time, Rowy had no intention of indulging him. He was even getting to bathe the way he wanted. Whatever.
“Yawn….”
Rowy yawned widely again and rubbed his tired eyes. Van began combing through Rowy’s hair again.
“If you really want to sleep, please sleep. You’ve suffered so much. You’ve never encountered that many monsters before.”
“Mmm, that’s true but….”
Slowly closing and opening his drowsy eyes, Rowy recalled the battle with the monsters. Or rather, more precisely… the moment he was held in Van’s arms and protected. This was the first time Rowy had seen that many monsters too.
‘Those mere monsters are nothing though.’
To Rowy, a powerful mage, monsters posed no great threat no matter how many there were. It was just that he currently had to be mindful of using magic, so he had no choice but to receive Van’s protection.
‘And that protection thing… felt better than I thought.’
Though monsters filled all sides, Rowy rather felt a deep sense of security in Van’s embrace. It was because he had a strong conviction that Van would definitely protect him no matter what happened.
“……”
Rowy, who had been recalling the battle scene, impulsively turned his body toward Van, who was combing his hair. Thanks to that, Rowy’s hair that had been caught on Van’s fingertips slipped out smoothly.
“Was something uncomfortable? If not, please turn your head this way again. I need to apply more oil.”
Van showed him the oil bottle in his hand. When they first bathed together, Van hadn’t even known that something needed to be applied to hair. That Van had now become someone who prepared different types of oil for wet and dry hair. …Anyone watching would think he was a very skilled attendant.
“Master?”
When Rowy just stared silently without any particular reaction, Van called out to Rowy with a puzzled expression. However, Rowy still just stared intently at Van’s face.
‘Hmm, when fighting monsters his eyes definitely went up like this, scary.’
But the eyes looking at Rowy now were endlessly round and gentle. Yes, just like a well-behaved dog….
“Master?”
Van called Rowy once more. But Rowy was still lost in thought.
‘Master…’
Come to think of it, I went to buy a dog and bought Van instead. Rowy looked Van over with fresh eyes. Van, who was serving Rowy’s bath with his upper body bare, was kneeling on the bathroom floor wearing only thin pants. Rowy overtly scanned that wet body.
‘Hmm, quite a rough body.’
The muscular body with many small scars here and there could be felt as threatening in a way. However, perhaps because he had grown up seeing knights his whole life… Rowy actually liked such firm and rough bodies.
‘Actually… the face is kind of my type too.’
A kind, obedient slave with looks that perfectly match my taste is mine. Rowy looked at the slave restraint device hanging on Van’s neck with a satisfied gaze.
