“I’m human. You mentioned extinction before, but everyone’s living well on the Floating Island. It’s an island floating high up in the sky—did you really not know about it at all?”
“It’s the first I’ve heard of it.”
“I see. Well, I only learned that wolf beastkin existed after coming down to the surface too. What about other beastkin? Are there gazelle beastkin or giraffe beastkin too?”
“Not here in Oblyad.”
“Oblyad…? Ah, that must be the name of this land. Then are there some in other lands?”
Kaniel’s breath came quickly as he suddenly chattered away as if his mouth had finally opened. Taeyon thought it would be better if he kept his mouth shut and walked, but he didn’t want to throw cold water on Kaniel’s enjoyment now that his expression had brightened, so he just silently nodded.
Then Kaniel got even more excited and began chattering about this and that.
* * *
Taeyon was a good companion. Though he was blunt, he answered anything when asked, and he showed consideration during their travels.
When Taeyon lightly jumped over a stream and Kaniel took a running start to jump over it the same way, Taeyon came back and crossed over with Kaniel’s waist tucked under his arm.
Even after briefly going hunting, he didn’t assign Kaniel any chores like cooking or cleaning up. It was because he’d thrown up after seeing deer innards on the second day.
Needless to say, every time they prepared to sleep, he would carry him on his shoulder and climb trees.
Taeyon was very capable and just blunt, but he was someone who took good care of others. And Kaniel was an incompetent companion who was no help at all. At least that’s how Kaniel felt about himself.
Back on the Floating Island, I was capable enough in my own way to even receive jealousy as a talented person….
Kaniel watched carefully and walked hard, worried that Taeyon might have lost affection for him. No, there hadn’t even been an opportunity to build affection in the first place….
This can’t continue.
Kaniel watched carefully each time Taeyon cooked or set up the tent to see how he did it. Taking over such chores soon was the small ambition he harbored.
Confirming that the sun was starting to set, Kaniel hastened his steps and approached Taeyon’s side.
“I’ll go gather firewood today.”
“There’s no need.”
“I want to be helpful with something too. Just sitting still and being fed isn’t something an adult should do.”
“No.”
Kaniel cut off Taeyon’s refusal and pushed more passionately.
“I’m actually good at cooking too. Throwing up that day was just because it was my first time seeing such bright red innards, and if you teach me, I think I can butcher too. I’d be fine with you having me dig holes to bury the guts, and while we’re at it, I’d like you to teach me how to set up and fold the tent too.”
As he poured out his words in a rush, Taeyon frowned slightly with a somewhat flustered expression. I absolutely can’t back down even if he says no. Just as Kaniel firmly resolved and even clenched his fist—
“You want to gather firewood today.”
“Yes, absolutely. I don’t want to just sit like a sack of barley.”
Kaniel continued while picking up a branch from the ground.
“Even a child can do something like picking these up. I want to do it now too.”
“…If you really want to, you can do that.”
Taeyon, who had been staring at Kaniel for a moment with subtle eyes, walked a bit faster and cleared away the bushes blocking the path ahead. Then an unfamiliar sight unfolded below the steep cliff.
It was a village. The village enclosed by wooden fences had quite a few two and three-story buildings. Perhaps because beastkin didn’t use magic, there weren’t any 15-story towers like those commonly found on the Floating Island, but it was still a magnificent enough scene.
Kaniel was momentarily dazed by the village—the first he’d seen since coming down to the surface—and the sight of numerous beastkin gathered together.
“But I’d rather sleep at an inn.”
“……”
“And have a hot stew for dinner.”
“…Yes….”
Having ended up insisting on sleeping outdoors with a place to rest comfortably right in front of them, Kaniel threw away the branch he was holding and hastily nodded.
Of all times, why did a village have to appear at this timing? His cheeks flushed red with embarrassment.
“But how do we get there? I don’t see a path.”
Between the cliff where they were standing and the village was a dizzying precipice. The sun was already setting, so in just a little while it would be night when you couldn’t see an inch ahead.
There was no way Taeyon, who said they didn’t light campfires at night because it could lure monsters, would suddenly say to carry a torch. So what was he planning to do?
“Huh? Wh-what?”
“Stay still.”
“Ah, it’s scary, I said it’s scary! Ahhh!”
Kaniel whimpered while perched on Taeyon’s shoulder at the edge of the cliff. He could handle it up to trees, but jumping down from such a high cliff that seemed at least 500 meters was hard to endure.
As Kaniel trembled and grabbed onto the backpack in front of him, Taeyon paused for a moment then fell silent.
“Hic…! Wait, don’t! You’re not going to throw me, right?”
Without a word, Taeyon pulled him down and lifted him up again. This time it was a position where one arm supported below his back and the other arm supported below his knees. Kaniel reflexively wrapped his arms around Taeyon’s neck.
“We’re going.”
“Hngh….”
The memory of being thrown into thin air by the Winged Tribe man made his head spin. Even knowing that Taeyon wasn’t that kind of person, it felt like he would fall at any moment.
Feeling like he’d faint if he looked at the dizzying drop below, Kaniel buried his face in Taeyon’s shoulder and squeezed his eyes shut.
Perhaps reading that as a signal that he was ready, Taeyon leaned his body toward the steep cliff. Taeyon was descending the cliff in a posture as if surfing. The solid boot soles slid along the cliff face.
If he’d been watching from below, it would have been a sight to clap for as magnificent, but being held on the descending side, not even a scream came out.
I’m not falling right now.
Taeyon is holding me tight.
I won’t fall.
But what if he accidentally lets go?
As the chilling sensation of his body falling downward under gravity’s pull continued, the fear gradually intensified. Only reason’s cry that struggling would actually be more dangerous barely kept him in control.
Kaniel clung even tighter to Taeyon. Now they were in a position where the expression “Kaniel was clinging on” suited better than “Taeyon was holding him up.”
“Wait, you….”
Taeyon looked down at Kaniel with embarrassment at that deep contact. However, seeing him tremble like a rabbit, he couldn’t bring himself to pry him off.
This was the first time since embracing his parents as a child that he’d had such deep contact with someone. It was because he’d been raised in a household with somewhat old-fashioned ways. Taeyon’s parents upheld the creed that valuing etiquette, not carelessly touching others, and treating everything with dignity and composure was right.
Taeyon, born under them, had been raised similarly.
Actually, Taeyon hadn’t even intended to hold Kaniel up like this. He’d thought it would be enough to carry him on his shoulder and descend, but since he was so frightened, he’d had no choice but to change to a slightly more comfortable position.
But to cling this tightly. The fortunate thing was that while he’d thought contact with others would only be unpleasant, it wasn’t as unpleasant as he’d expected.
Wait, I think I had this thought a few days ago too.
Right. It was the day he’d dreamed of hyung. When he was suffering from rampaging ability wavelengths after using his ability, he’d touched this man, and it hadn’t been unpleasant then either.
Taeyon knew of an existence that gave such sensations to ability users like himself. An existence called a Tuner.
Tuners gently pressed down and stabilized ability users’ rampaging ability wavelengths, helping them not to go berserk. Taeyon was also an ability user, and right now his ability wavelengths were rampaging from excessive ability use. But it didn’t seem like his ability wavelengths were being stabilized through contact with Kaniel.
That meant Kaniel wasn’t a Tuner.
Taeyon looked at the man in his arms with puzzlement, then decided to suspend final judgment for now.
That’s when it happened. While briefly thinking of other things, his body jolted as he caught on a stone he hadn’t noticed.
“Ahhh!”
As his hands slipped and his bottom floated up, Kaniel screamed and hurriedly wrapped his arms around Taeyon’s neck again. But perhaps because he was too startled, almost no strength went into his hands and he slipped again.
Taeyon urgently grabbed Kaniel’s body as it tilted backward and pulled him toward himself.
“Huff…. Huff….”
“…Hold on tight, Kaniel.”
Kaniel, who’d been in a state close to panic, suddenly came to his senses at that composed voice.
This was the first time this man had called his name.
The moment he was about to say something, his body floated up. Taeyon had kicked off the cliff and leapt up. His face pale, Kaniel wrapped his arms tightly around Taeyon’s neck again.
Tap—with a light footfall, the two of them touched down at the bottom of the cliff.
However, Kaniel only gasped for breath and couldn’t let go of the arms wrapped around Taeyon. It seemed his arm muscles had stiffened from being too tense.
