<Chapter 89>
#10. The Beginning of Change (1)
Damn it.
Calix muttered a curse under his breath and groaned. Beyond the door they had barely managed to close, a dull sound resonated as mounds of soil collided. Melty, who had been frozen in his arms without making even the slightest breath, slowly raised his head.
“A-are you okay?”
His heart was still pounding loudly as if it hadn’t yet recovered from the shock. Though they couldn’t see anything in the pitch-black space without a hint of light, Melty could just make out Calix’s face close enough for their breaths to mingle.
A faint smile appeared on Calix’s lips as he stared into Melty’s eyes filled with concern.
“Of course.”
Calix raised his hand and gently brushed Melty’s wet hair. Melty’s ears twitched subtly under Calix’s warm and affectionate gaze.
“Are you hurt anywhere?”
Melty’s eyes wavered at Calix’s voice, which was still rough and strained.
“How could I be hurt when Calix-ssi protected me completely?”
Melty, who had been quietly observing him, carefully shifted his body. Calix firmly held onto Melty’s squirming body and exhaled a rough breath.
“Why do you keep squirming?”
“Let me see where you’re hurt.”
“I told you I’m fine.”
At Calix’s nonchalant response, Melty’s water-filled eyes hardened. Seeing those round eyes flash fiercely, Calix obediently loosened his grip. Cautiously slipping out of Calix’s embrace to avoid aggravating him, Melty first wiped away the moisture gathered in his eyes with his hand.
Though it wasn’t particularly effective since his entire body was already soaked from the relentless rain, it did help calm his startled heart. Calix had been the quickest to grasp the situation amidst the sudden explosion and the growing tremors of the ground.
– Don’t look back, climb up!
It would have been good if he could have easily grabbed the leather strap thrown along with Calix’s urgent voice, but Melty’s short stature didn’t allow it. Nor did he have enough experience to skillfully climb the rocks that had become slippery from the rainwater. Only after throwing his body with all his might was he barely able to grab hold of it.
At the same time, Calix quickly pulled the rope up. The soil and rocks that had been pouring down from above engulfed the place where they had been—after Calix grabbed Melty by the waist and jumped to the opposite side.
Recalling that moment, Melty squeezed his eyes shut then opened them and felt around the floor. They needed tools to light a fire for visibility. Something touched the tip of Melty’s fingers. After feeling it with his hands and recognizing it as wood by its smell, Melty put his opposite hand inside his garment.
What followed was quick and efficient. The Crosel family was accustomed to camping and outdoor living as they were hunters by profession. Unlike his siblings, Melty had never actually done it before, but he had definitely received basic education for such situations.
Sliding the round circle on the back of the family seal he always carried revealed a concave groove. He inserted the wood into the groove and turned it with all his strength. Before long, a fire was kindled. Only then could Melty look around.
“…So you know how to make fire too.”
Melty glanced sideways at Calix, who spoke with a hint of laughter in his voice as if some energy still remained, then quickly moved his body. Though there was space on the wall to hang torches, suggesting the place was built for human habitation, Melty easily realized he wouldn’t be able to reach it with his height. First, he gathered some straw and a few pieces of wood nearby to make a campfire.
“……”
“Why are you glaring at me like that?”
Calix awkwardly smiled as he finally properly met Melty’s glaring eyes thanks to the campfire lit in the center.
“You said you were fine.”
“That’s…”
“Does this look ‘fine’ to you?”
At Melty’s question, Calix pressed his lips together and smiled awkwardly. Though it had been an urgent situation, even for someone like Calix, avoiding a landslide while carrying another person was no easy task. The rock was so large that the opposite side was practically a cliff, but fortunately, there were chains embedded in the rock for herb gatherers to climb down, and there was enough space to stand after falling just the height of the rock.
With no time to think, after urging Melty to hold on tightly to him with one hand, he grabbed the chains with the other and jumped. It was obvious they would have been buried under the dirt pile if they had been even a little later. It had been unreasonable to support the weight of two people with one hand.
“Can you move your hand?”
Melty’s voice was already damp with moisture. The left hand that had been wrapped around the chains was covered in blood, both inside and out. Calix deliberately showed off by moving his fingers. Though they trembled slightly, all his fingers moved safely.
Melty, who had been letting out a sigh of relief, fixed his gaze on Calix’s back. Though he couldn’t see clearly as Calix was leaning against the wall, the strong smell of blood alone was enough to tell that Calix had injured his back.
“What happened to your back? It’s because you protected me when we fell, isn’t it?”
“I don’t know. I don’t even remember.”
It would have been impossible to hang from the rope until the landslide had completely passed. Fortunately, Calix, who knew the mountain terrain well, remembered a resting place right below the rock. The ground was damp from the rain, and there was just enough grass.
Above all, it was obvious they wouldn’t have any other options. So without hesitation, he embraced Melty and fell in the direction of the entrance. He had been prepared for some injury in the process, and this level was considered moderate.
“Anyway, we survived. If you’re going to keep standing there, at least dry yourself first. You’ll catch a cold.”
“Is that what someone who’s bleeding profusely should be saying?”
“…I’m not exactly bleeding profusely.”
Calix had quietly countered Melty’s complaint; there was no way they could have overcome the sudden landslide without any injuries. With improved visibility, Calix thoroughly scanned Melty’s body with his eyes. Fortunately, though there were scratches here and there, there didn’t seem to be any major injuries.
Seeing his gaze examining her condition even in this situation, Melty bit his lower lip hard again. Unlike his usual teasing and mischievous demeanor, Calix’s gaze on him was affectionate and warm even in this situation, causing something hot to stir inside him.
“Achoo!”
The unexpected sound of a sneeze that escaped cleared the air between them. With a hardened expression, Calix let out a sigh and pushed Melty’s body.
“That’s why I told you to take off your clothes first. You’ll catch a cold if you keep wearing wet clothes.”
“…You haven’t taken yours off either, Calix-ssi.”
“This is a lodge used by herb gatherers when they stay briefly in the mountains while collecting herbs, so there might be blankets or something somewhere.”
Ignoring Melty’s muttering, Calix stood up, leaning against the wall. As Melty watched him walk inside, he sneezed quietly again. Thanks to Calix turning around, a deep diagonal wound on his back was revealed. Melty lowered his head with a dejected expression at the severe wound that looked painful to anyone.
“What are you doing? Not taking them off?”
Calix, who had found blankets inside, threw one toward Melty. Melty looked up at Calix as the blanket fell to the ground after making a slight parabolic arc.
“What about you, Calix-ssi? Achoo!”
“Stop sneezing and then talk.”
“……”
After thinking for a moment, Melty finally took off his clothes, which were soaked with water. As soon as he wrung out his clothes, water dripped heavily onto the floor. Melty vigorously shook off the clothes, still heavy with water, and connected the leather strap that had fallen to the floor to the torch holder to make a temporary clothesline. After neatly hanging his clothes, Melty glared at Calix.
“You take yours off too, Calix-ssi.”
“Ugh….”
Standing by the fire, Melty’s body was completely exposed. Calix quickly covered his face with his uninjured hand, turned his head sideways, and let out a loud fake cough. Melty widened his eyes at Calix’s low groan and said with his hands on his hips:
“You’ll catch a cold like that. Didn’t you see the water dripping from my clothes just now?”
“No, I didn’t.”
“Liar!”
Calix let out a low groan at Melty’s voice, which shot back without backing down. Taking off his clothes wasn’t the problem, but both of them being naked here was dangerous in a different way than the landslide. To be precise, it wasn’t himself who was in danger, but Melty.
‘At this rate, I might really have to offer my neck when the Crosel family arrives.’
Only after imagining his neck being cut off by someone from the Crosel family who had walked in as a dark shadow with murderous intent was Calix able to calm the lower half of his body. Even while his whole body was aching as if it had been beaten, he couldn’t help but laugh at the sight of his center prominently showing its presence.
“You take yours off too, Calix-ssi.”
“Gah! When did you get here?”
“Just now. If you don’t want to freeze to death, do as I say quickly.”
Calix sighed at the sight of Melty, who had come over naked, rendering the blanket he had thrown meaningless, his eyes flashing. Calix grabbed Melty’s shoulders, turned him around, and rubbed his face against Melty’s wet hair.
“Alright, alright, go cover yourself with a blanket.”
“But Calix-ssi…”
“If you’re so eager to see me naked, I’ll show you all you want in bed.”
“W-who said they want to see you naked?!”
“Yes, yes.”
Calix pushed Melty’s shoulders, sending him toward where the blanket was, and frowned at the bruises and scratches on Melty’s body. The round curve of his shoulders, smooth waist, pleasantly protruding buttocks, and his plump, cute tail full of moisture—there was nowhere Calix could avert his gaze.
Only after Melty, unable to resist Calix’s urging, wrapped the blanket around his body, could Calix slowly take off his clothes with his back turned. Since his clothes were wet and clinging tightly to his body, Calix had to swallow his groans whenever the fabric brushed against his wounds.
“Take this.”
As if he had been waiting for Calix to take off his clothes and throw them aside, Melty handed over the blanket he had been wrapping around himself. Suddenly finding himself holding a blanket, Calix looked down with a confused expression.
“No, that’s for you to cover yourself with.”
“Shh! The patient should keep quiet! Come to the fire. Hurry!”
Calix looked at his small feet that were giving orders while naked and moved his steps slowly with a groan. The sound of bare feet pattering against the stone floor spread from behind.
“Sit closer to the fire. Cover yourself with the blanket in front.”
“What are you trying to do?”
“I’m trying to look at your wounds, so just listen.”
At the firm words, Calix obediently followed his instructions. He couldn’t overcome Melty’s strong stubbornness despite his small size. With limping steps, Calix approached the fire and sat down with the fire to his left.
Melty, who had piled straw and pieces of wood around the campfire, sat down following Calix. Melty’s expression hardened as he set aside one side of the blanket covering Calix’s back and looked at the wound there. Though he probably just came closer to examine the wound in detail, Calix’s body kept flinching at the breath touching his back.
“…I’m sorry…”
Calix smiled bitterly at his voice, which was once again becoming moist with emotion. He had deliberately tried to lighten the mood because he disliked seeing it sink, but the effect was too short-lived. Calix slowly turned his body and reached out toward Melty, who was earnestly wiping his eyes with his head bowed.
“Come here.”
