* * *
Belsus started exercising.
‘It doesn’t even seem like he’s rested for a few days yet.’
I was on edge, worried that he might be pushing himself too hard before recovering properly just because he said he’d repay the money.
But when Belsus glanced at me and then smoothly removed his top, my worries melted away like snow.
Even though he hadn’t gained much weight, he’d clearly regained his vitality over the past few days. Seeing the vigor flowing through his bare upper body and his skin that no longer looked pale but seemed to gleam like pearls, I thought he’d be fine.
Belsus placed one hand on the ground and did push-ups. Moving his body vigorously up and down like a pump without rest, he immediately switched to the opposite hand and repeated. Beads of sweat formed, but his face looked comfortable.
I set down a tray in front of Belsus.
“Eat this first.”
It was a thick juice made from grinding boiled chicken meat and beans. Of course, since there’s no way a blender exists, a human had to become the blender… but that’s a secret.
It was a terrible combination I’d never want to put in my mouth, but perhaps blessed by the farmer’s buff, when I tasted it slightly, it was more edible than I thought.
…It’d be nice if there was something like protein supplements, but there’s no such thing.
This would be a drink Belsus had never seen in his life. Yet he looked at it with a touched expression, then immediately gulped it down. Without even smelling it.
Then he wrote something on paper. I sneaked a peek.
[A chunky beverage that’s salty yet slightly sweet with a savory taste. Estimated price: 40 gold.]
This bastard is meticulously keeping a ledger of how much he needs to repay. Every single meal. Even when I cleared out all the straw from the barn and put in a creaky bed. Even when I gave him bedding that was still somewhat old.
‘The material cost isn’t even 10 gold, you bastard. It’s not like you don’t know prices—where’s there someone who triples the labor cost?’
Yeah, do whatever you want. Anyway, I’m going to keep my own ledger my way and go with that.
I gave up on scolding him.
[When the chunks are chewed, there’s an umami flavor. Even though it’s a drink, it fills the stomach. Thinking about it, to grind it this finely would have required long boiling and chopping, so even more care and effort must have gone into it. Raising it by 10 gold.]
This bastard would write good restaurant reviews, huh?
Before writing the next sentence, Belsus slightly hunched those expansive shoulders of his. It was as if he was trying to hide the notebook contents from me. Even though it wasn’t really hidden at all.
I stood on tiptoe to look over his shoulder.
[Hian looked at me gently for more than 5 seconds. Price: 80 gold.]
“…What’s this?”
I pointed with my finger, puzzled.
Belsus seemed a bit embarrassed, but he handed over the notebook without really hiding it.
“I’m happy that you don’t think of me as vermin, or no, even if you do think that, at least your eyes are gentle… so I’m thinking I need to repay that.”
For a moment, I was speechless and stared blankly at Belsus for a while.
Just for now, without any calculation or careful consideration, a quiet voice just flowed from my mouth.
“…Do you think I’m only scheming to take money from you?”
Belsus panicked.
Soon his face turned red. Not from an emotion like embarrassment, but with a look of deep regret.
“I’m sorry.”
He opened the ledger and vigorously crossed out that last sentence.
I spent the whole time watering the field and pulling weeds. Having exerted more energy making the protein drink than the farm work, I was exhausted, so I went under a tree to rest briefly.
I plopped down carelessly in the tree’s shade. The dirt crumbled beneath my bottom, but it didn’t matter since I was always covered in dirt anyway.
For the first time…
‘This is livable.’
I thought life was okay.
The blue sky looked down on my small farm. Although the space was still as small as the palm of my hand, only the sky spread out as wide as over the Alps hills, so it wasn’t stuffy at all.
‘The weather’s nice.’
Next, I looked at the field. Not a single sprout fell behind; each one showed off its vitality, sprouting up toward the sky one after another. Dew formed on the refreshing green stems, swaying gently in the breeze.
‘Growing well.’
Lastly, I looked at Belsus. Belsus was training his lower body with his top off and a stone placed on his back.
His skin, hard and white like marble, glistened with sweat. Even though he hadn’t stopped exercising for even a moment since earlier, not only was there no groaning, even his breathing didn’t grow rough.
‘Getting nicely thick.’
No matter how fierce each day becomes with ranking competition, cooking, and money, I had no intention of giving up healing.
When I’m busy without a moment to breathe is precisely when I need to pause and enjoy the present. That’s the realization I gained after possessing this body.
“…Didn’t you forget something!”
After fully enjoying my healing time, when I went outside around noon, Archer was going crazy.
“What did I forget?”
“You forgot about me! Why are you only coming now? Huh?”
No matter how much I thought about it, there was nothing I’d forgotten. While I was pondering deeply, Archer immediately softened and held out both hands to me.
“I’m hungry. What did you bring?”
His appearance, which had become even more ragged in just one day, wasn’t pitiful but rather dirty. Don’t touch me.
I held out a lunch box wrapped in multiple layers of paper.
Archer panted and hastily unwrapped the packaging. His eyes seemed to have rolled back slightly as he gulped down his saliva.
“Why does this look like this?”
“Clumsy hands.”
He must still have the energy to nitpick about the food’s appearance, so he hasn’t starved enough yet.
Today’s meal was mashed boiled potatoes mixed with a bit of flour, salt, and sugar to make dough, with finely chopped cheese and ham pieces stuffed inside, then fried in oil to make bread.
My touch makes food taste better, but it doesn’t bring aesthetic sense to life. I’d given the pretty-shaped ones to Belsus for breakfast and brought the failed ones.
“Is this all?”
It’s not all. I’d given Belsus lettuce-egg salad to eat with the bread, but I only gave Archer bread.
“If you don’t want to eat it, don’t.”
I tried to take the food back, and Archer fiercely snatched it away.
‘Shouldn’t he be grateful just for getting bread? Does this bastard think he’s the same as Belsus?’
I was kind enough to even give him a bottle of plain water to drink with it, but will this bastard Archer really repay this favor…
The reason I came to take care of Archer’s meals goes back to yesterday.
—Help me. I’ll definitely repay you someday.
When I’d hesitantly calculated even the ingredients for Archer’s meal and was leaving, Archer, who desperately shook off Kaline and appeared again, completely lowered his tail to me.
—What are you going to give me?
—…Someday, I’ll save your life once.
It was a voice completely lacking confidence. I chuckled.
—If my life’s in danger, you have the ability to save me?
—I’m the ranged dealer with the fastest reaction speed across all servers. …Even after possessing, it seems to be reflected to some degree.
Lucky you, yeah. Being born with that kind of ability, huh?
I can only do things like making potato flowers bloom in a week.
When I accepted, the deal was made. I agreed to help Archer escape the slums while avoiding Kaline, and in exchange, Archer would come running to save me once when I was in danger.
‘After that, this guy became quite shameless.’
He’s not a bad guy, but he is quite brazen. Since I treated him a bit well, he immediately saw me as easy and started throwing tantrums.
As a result, for several days, Archer has been running away from Kaline who’s chasing him to death, and I’ve been meeting him in the same place to give him food.
“I’ll definitely come back.”
I firmly grasped Archer’s hand and sent him a trustworthy gaze.
Archer convulsed at my detestability.
“Stop fucking around. Don’t go! Stay here!”
Archer shouted frantically while gripping my hand tightly. As if he’d rip my arm off…
I sent him a consistently calm gaze with no change in expression.
“I’ll definitely come back.”
“Stop fucking around! My mom left me like this too!”
“…Really?”
Suddenly that hits deep.
Archer closed his mouth. An expression I’d never seen before. It was a childlike expression.
Well, it’s a sad story, but that doesn’t seem like a situation I need to consider…
“Anyway, I’m telling you I’ll really come back.”
Whether Archer’s story is real or not, telling it to me now is an obvious ploy. Just because I took in Belsus, do you think I’ll become a pushover too?
If I paid attention to Archer here, wouldn’t that reduce one strand of attention I could give to Belsus?
“Take me with you too!”
“I told you only I can move.”
It’s a lie, but it’s not my problem.
What if Archer went to my farm, saw Belsus, and salivated over a Hunter who’s grown just right to absorb experience points?
‘But I did make a promise, so I should help Archer get out of this situation.’
In the evening, while giving Archer his lunch box, I said this:
“Let’s catch Kaline.”
Archer spat out the stew broth he’d been slurping.
