<Chapter 73>
#8. A Frightening Encounter (5)
Perhaps because of the green leaves covering the sky, the ground was particularly muddy. Even though Melty had come in comfortable attire, he had to stretch his legs as wide as possible to keep up with Braiante who was striding forward. Whether he stepped on tree roots hidden among the grass or not, his legs slid forward.
“Be careful.”
Calix firmly caught Melty, who was about to fall while flailing his arms. Holding onto his arm, Melty barely regained his balance and took deep breaths to calm his pounding heart. Glancing downward, he could see the steep mountain path they had climbed so far. It was called a “mountain path” only in name; large rocks embedded throughout made movement difficult.
“Did you hurt your foot or ankle?”
“I-I think I’m fine.”
“Try moving it.”
At Calix’s words, Melty rotated his ankle and tapped the ground here and there. After confirming that his ankle wasn’t injured, Calix let out a sigh of relief.
“Want me to carry you?”
“It’s just that this is my first time on such a steep mountain! I can follow along well.”
“Don’t expect too much. The herb garden isn’t a place with a lot to see.”
“I know that much, you know?”
Melty stuck out the tip of his tongue at Calix’s concerned scolding. Calix extended his hand as he watched Melty firmly strengthen his legs. After staring blankly at his hand, Melty grabbed it without hesitation and moved forward.
“Huff, but… Calix-ssi, hoo. I think I know, huff, who the person is, haak, that you’re supposed, to, m-meet.”
“What?”
“Calix-ssi, huff, is supposed to, haak, meet, s-someone, right?”
Having shorter legs was his crime; he was already panting after going just a short distance. Melty, taking in the sight of the father and son who were relatively more composed than himself, put more strength into his body. Calix looked at Melty with an appreciative gaze as he insisted on walking on his own legs despite his heavy breathing, then looked back at Braiante who was already far ahead.
“I don’t really have anyone specific in mind yet. We both heard it, right? My father only said ‘you’ll know when you see them.'”
“But still! Since we’ve come this far… phew. Shouldn’t you be able to guess something?”
“Hmm…”
Calix chose his words carefully in response to Melty’s question, asked between heavy breaths. He understood why Melty might misunderstand, given what Braiante had said. However, as someone who knew this place well, Calix was certain that person would absolutely not be here.
Seeing Calix looking up at the innocent trees without rashly bringing up the topic, Melty had an ominous feeling. When he applied pressure to Calix’s hand that he was holding, Calix flinched and looked down.
“Tell me honestly. What are you hiding?”
“What am I hiding?”
“This is strange~! Then why are you avoiding eye contact?”
Melty approached Calix closely with a suspicious gaze. Raising himself on his tiptoes, Melty glared at him with a stern expression as Calix kept avoiding his gaze.
“What is it!”
“If you want to have a date, go elsewhere! Aren’t you coming up?”
As if coordinating with Melty, Braiante’s voice came from a distance. Calix let out a small sigh and looked down at Melty, who was practically leaning his body against him. As he supported himself by leaning on Calix while raising his head, he looked quite cunning.
Quickly lowering his head, Calix briefly kissed those lips that kept capturing his attention and said with a playful face:
“We’re late, so let’s hurry.”
“Ek? Wak!”
Calix’s arms came swiftly under Melty’s back and behind his knees, lifting him lightly. Though making a displeased expression at his body suddenly being lifted, Melty obediently grabbed onto his clothes. At another time, he might have insisted on walking by himself, but Melty held back. He clearly knew that they were falling behind because of him, compared to Calix who climbed easily, so he couldn’t afford to be stubborn unnecessarily.
“…I’m sorry. Am I not heavy?”
“If you want to get heavier, take better care of your meals. You barely ate lunch in the end.”
“When I think about it, it seems like Calix-ssi wants to fatten me up. Always telling me to eat.”
A slight smile formed on Calix’s lips at the reasonable suspicion. Perhaps because he was short and petite, Melty appeared even more diminutive to him. He kept making sure Melty ate because he thought he would feel less anxious if Melty was at least a bit plumper. Apparently, this hamster had noticed. Of course, seeing Melty eat adorably, chewing with bright eyes each time he had food, was also a major reason why he kept offering him things to eat.
“What’s wrong with eating well? Besides, there won’t be anyone to meet here.”
“Eh? What do you mean? Braiante-ssi clearly said there was someone Calix-ssi needed to meet.”
“He did. But they’re not here.”
“So, why?”
Calix raised the corner of his lips at Melty’s question that had returned once again. He wasn’t the type to readily reveal information here. Just as Melty detected something suspicious in his playful face:
“That much was the price of the earlier kiss. If you want to hear more, you’ll have to pay up.”
Melty glared at the cheek that was extended toward him, asking for a quick kiss. Instead of using his lips, Melty moved his hand. He grabbed Calix’s extended cheek and pulled it hard.
“Ow! That hurts.”
“Calix-ssi. Do you think I’m stupid enough to readily give you a kiss just because you ask? Stop turning your mind in strange directions, and tell me what this is about?”
Calix sighed at the sight of Melty demanding an answer with force in his eyes. Wisely, Calix did not voice his thought: ‘You really are a violent hamster.’ Looking incredulously at Melty, who was happily raising his nose after magnanimously letting go of his cheek, Calix decided to yield to him just this once.
“This is an herb garden managed by our family. Naturally, only those from families with permits can enter here. And there’s no one who can live here.”
“Huh? But I…”
“You came in with me. You’re different from guests who sneak in.”
At Calix’s explanation, Melty vaguely thought, ‘I see.’ Calix smiled slightly, seeing Melty looking around with newfound curiosity. The surroundings of the herb garden were, of course, full of Ollua stationed to guard the place. If someone unauthorized entered, the Ollua wouldn’t leave them be. However, he had no intention of telling Melty about these details.
“Calix-ssi.”
“Hmm?”
“…Thank you. I’m sorry for being such a burden… Well, I already apologized for being sorry earlier.”
Melty’s guilt grew rapidly as the mountain path became increasingly steep. Calix smiled freshly at his words. The tree-lined path was shaded, so traces of rain remained for a long time. With the ground this muddy, there was no way Melty, experiencing this mountain for the first time, could navigate it well. Moreover, unlike others, Melty had never felt like a burden to him; if anything, he was an energy booster.
“If you’re grateful, just pay me back well later.”
“Pay you back? How much?”
“I’ll only accept kisses.”
Melty tightly closed his mouth at Calix’s words. Even though they had just kissed moments ago, he behaved as if possessed by a kissing ghost. Melty shot a glare at his lips, which kept uttering annoying words, then looked back.
Braiante was standing in one spot, watching the two approach, perhaps because they had arrived. To prevent Braiante from possibly overhearing, Melty whispered in Calix’s ear:
“You already did it earlier.”
“What can I do if I can’t help it?”
“You shouldn’t misuse kisses like that.”
Calix had to bite the tender flesh inside his cheek hard to swallow the laughter that almost burst out at Melty’s serious advice.
“Kup, so… ahem, you won’t do it?”
Melty hesitated at Calix’s question. The soft curve of his lips strangely appeared magnified compared to other objects around. Faltering, Melty rolled his eyes dramatically. Melty buried his face slightly in Calix’s chest and murmured quietly.
“…We’ll see.”
Calix chuckled at the small, mumbling whisper. He thought he had done well waiting for Melty to gradually adapt to small skinship. Thanks to that, Melty no longer ran far away or became shy just because they kissed a little.
“Was kissing me that good?”
At Calix’s question, Melty pouted his lips. The “giant octopus suction cups” remark that Calix had made teasingly was still vivid in Melty’s mind. Melty stared at the faint but round reddish mark left on the back of his hand. Though brief, he had conducted intensive training and now planned to correct Calix’s misconception.
Calix laughed silently, finding it cute how Melty remained half-leaning against him without any particular reaction. He could feel Melty’s gaze lingering blankly on his lips. Melty scolded him in a small voice to stop laughing as Calix couldn’t hide his amusement. Happily brushing off Melty’s embarrassment-based scolding, they arrived before Braiante.
“…Are you hurt somewhere?”
“No! I’m not hurt! It’s just… I was too slow…”
Calix lowered Melty to the ground with brief regret as Melty urgently asked to be put down, stomping his feet. Braiante scanned Melty with his eyes to check if he was injured anywhere. He smirked slightly as he saw Melty energetically hiding behind Calix, then gestured forward with his head.
“I’ve already sorted out what was needed. The path we’re taking isn’t as difficult to walk as the lower section, so you should be fine.”
At Braiante’s words, Melty slowly looked around. He hadn’t properly observed due to his bickering with Calix. In a space where sunlight poured abundantly, various types of flowers were blooming mixed together. They weren’t as flashy as ornamental flowers, but gathered in such numbers, it was truly a spectacle. Melty let out a short exclamation at the sight revealed after leaving the dense trees.
“Why did you come all the way here? Is it related to the person you said I needed to meet?”
Braiante nodded at Calix’s question, holding a large, plump cloth pouch in his arms. Noticing Calix’s gaze on the pouch, Braiante passed it to him. Receiving the cloth pouch reflexively, Calix briefly scanned the surroundings.
“You mentioned there was a drought, but it seems the herb garden hasn’t been much affected.”
“That’s right. It would be a serious problem if something happened this far. However, it seems there’s been a major issue in a nearby domain.”
“…There’s no need to worry about nearby domains…”
Calix, who was about to raise a question with a frown, quietly stopped. He recalled the people who had flocked to the area he managed. The number of people gathered at the temple was larger than expected. Fortunately, there was enough surplus to provide settlement support, but resources weren’t unlimited.
“Are you also having headaches because of refugees here?”
“Yes. That, and there’s an even more troublesome issue.”
“Is the person you said I must meet also related to this?”
Braiante smiled slightly and nodded at Calix’s question. Calix narrowed his brow, glaring at him for not straightforwardly mentioning that person’s name.
“Can’t you just speak plainly?”
“People have been flocking here recently, but originally this place couldn’t accommodate many people, if only because of the herb garden. And now an even more troublesome situation has occurred.”
Calix severely crinkled his brow as he watched him deflect the question. From his behavior, Calix could easily infer a few things. The fact that he wouldn’t mention it to this extent meant it was likely someone Calix would dislike meeting.
‘Then it’s someone I know, and if it’s someone I don’t want to meet but have to, it’s obviously a special situation…’
While diligently moving along with him, Calix carefully examined the herbs in the cloth pouch. The list of people he didn’t want to meet was countless, but in relation to the current situation, one person came to mind. After circling around the mountain, they arrived at a treatment room.
“Could it be…”
“Oh? It’s Johaim-ssi.”
As the face of the person who came to mind appeared, Calix twisted his expression severely as he began to speak. And as if confirming his prediction, they saw someone who had spotted them from a distance approaching. Upon confirming him, Calix distorted his face more irritably than ever before.
“Why on earth are you here?”
