He slipped his arm under her head and rubbed his cheek against the crown of her head. He seemed to think she was cold. Maxi didn’t know what to do and glanced over his shoulder. As he said, no one was even pretending to look, but still, she wasn’t bold enough to brazenly cling to a man like that.
“Th, that’s fine. Um, so… J, just a little apart…”
“You’re embarrassed, aren’t you? Show some consideration.”
At the sudden intervening voice, she jerked her head up. A slender young man who looked to be in his early to mid-twenties was standing a few steps away, holding a small lantern.
“Don’t butt in unnecessarily and get lost, Ruth.”
“How long are you going to growl like a mad dog? I have no intention of harassing, so stop it.”
At the bold insult, she was startled and widened her eyes. The man who had spoken without hesitation to this overwhelmingly intimidating man, as if taming a fierce dog, now turned his gaze to her. Only then did Maxi hurriedly sit up. Riftan also sat up with a reluctant face.
“…What’s your business?”
“I thought the lady might be cold, so I brought this.”
He took something out of his robe pocket and held it out. She blankly looked down at the tiny pebble on the man’s delicate palm that emitted a flickering light.
“It’s a fire magic stone. It’s enchanted with warming magic, so just carrying it will make your body warm. Take it.”
“To, to me… a, are you giving it to me?”
Surprised by the unexpected kindness, when she asked back, the man raised one eyebrow.
“Who else is there? The people gathered here are all the type who would sleep soundly even if stripped naked in the frost.”
The man spat it out sharply, with an attitude that didn’t care who heard.
“But you’re different, aren’t you? You don’t seem to have good stamina… If you catch a cold in this rough bedding, the one who suffers is me. Let’s prevent it in advance.”
Maxi, who had been making a surprised expression at the man’s straightforward speech, soon accepted it. As he said, the moment she held the stone in her hand, warm air gently enveloped her whole body. Maxi, staring at the stone in wonder, soon realized she hadn’t thanked him and hurriedly opened her mouth.
“Th, thank you. Sir… Ru, Ru, Ruth.”
When she mumbled the name she had overheard, the man made a subtle expression.
“I’m not a knight, I’m a mage. You can just call me Ruth.”
As if that concluded his business, the man turned around and went back to his seat on the opposite side. While she was blankly watching him, Riftan lay down again and irritably pulled her.
“You’re tired. Hurry and sleep. We’ll depart as soon as the sun rises tomorrow too.”
Then he extinguished the lamp placed by her head. As if waiting, the other knights one by one turned off their lanterns, and dim darkness settled around. Maxi, who was uncomfortably squirming in the man’s arms, couldn’t endure the intense fatigue and soon closed her eyes gently. The regular throbbing sound from the chest touching her cheek sounded like a lullaby. Contrary to her worry if she could sleep in a place like this, she fell asleep in an instant.
*** *** *** *** ***
As morning dawned, the eerie village landscape from the previous night transformed into a vibrant scene. Behind the row of huts stretched the beautiful vista of the Yudical Forest, and in front, endless golden wheat fields undulated like waves.
She came out of the warehouse, washed her face with the chillingly cold stream water that made the back of her neck tingle, and wet her hands to comb through her long, tangled hair like vines. A cool breeze brushed against her wet face, sending a light shiver down her spine. Maxi wiped the water from her face with her loose sleeve and returned to the warehouse. By then, the knights had already finished preparing for departure and were gathered in front of the carriage.
“Hey, don’t wander off alone.”
“S, sorry.”
At the stern voice, she hurriedly ran to him, and Riftan frowned unpleasantly as he lifted her up and sat her on the carriage seat.
“Monsters frequently appear in the Yudical Forest, so never act alone.”
She recalled the monstrous creature she had seen on the first day and shrugged her shoulders.
“I, I’ll be… c, careful.”
“Good. The luggage in the carriage has increased, so from today, I’ll ride on horseback. Call me if there’s anything uncomfortable.”
He closed the carriage door. Shortly after, the carriage began to rumble along the dirt path. She looked out the window at the passing scenery. The wheat fields gradually receded, and soon her view was filled with dense trees. Sunlight filtering sporadically through the leaves draped over the winding path like a veil woven with golden threads. The knights on horseback moved leisurely in formation through it.
She vigilantly watched for any ferocious monsters that might leap out from the thick bushes or behind the trees. Contrary to her worries, the time passed smoothly and quietly. Constantly on edge in the shaking carriage was taxing on her stamina, so she soon slumped exhausted on the seat. After all, her worrying wouldn’t change the situation.
How much time had passed like that? After running for a long while, the carriage stopped, and Riftan opened the door and appeared.
“Let’s rest for a bit.”
Pleased, she quickly got down from the carriage. Blood suddenly rushed to her stiff legs, bringing a stinging sensation. Swallowing a groan, she stood unsteadily and rubbed her legs. Then Riftan spread his cloak thickly over a flat rock and sat her on it, massaging her cramped leg.
She looked around in embarrassment. A few knights watering their horses glanced over and made incredulous expressions. Her cheeks flushed red as she pushed at his shoulder.
“Ri, Riftan… Y, you don’t have to… d, do this, it’s f, fine…”
“Is it a habit?”
“…Pardon?”
As he gripped her calf over her skirt hem and rubbed it lightly, he said.
“You always say it’s fine the moment you open your mouth.”
Unable to find a retort, she just stared down at his strong hand with bulging veins carefully kneading her leg. The question of why he was being so kind welled up to her throat. Her solar plexus tickled uncomfortably, like wearing ill-fitting clothes.
“N, now it’s really… f, fine.”
Forcing her leg from his hand, Riftan finally stood up. She pretended to smooth her skirt wrinkles unnecessarily.
“…I’ll bring some food, so rest.”
The man stood and brought bread and dried meat. She soaked the tough, chewy bread in water and forced it down. After finishing the meal, she cautiously hinted to Riftan and took care of her needs behind some bushes a short distance away.
The boring time continued again. In the shaking carriage, she idly counted the trees. The leaves were so densely packed that no light seeped through anymore. When it became too dark to proceed, the knights finally stopped the carriage. She could only get down after they had thoroughly checked for any monsters or beasts around.
Clutching a lantern tightly, she approached Riftan, who was setting up a small tent near the carriage. All the knights were pitching small tents in a circular formation around the campfire.
“Fog settles in the forest at dawn, so to avoid the frost, we need to make even this flimsy roof.”
Riftan, who was driving stakes into the ground to tautly secure the cloth, turned to explain. She blankly looked down at the triangular tent that reached her waist height and bent down to peer inside. It seemed tight even for one person to lie down.
“F, for two people… i, isn’t it t, too narrow?”
When she tilted her head and asked, the man’s hand paused as he drove a stake into the opposite side of the ground. He looked at her with eyes tinged with embarrassment.
“…I’ll sleep alone here. You sleep in the carriage.”
Maxi’s face turned beet red. Ashamed that she had assumed they’d sleep together as a matter of course, she hurriedly added.
“I, I… th, thought we’d keep sleeping t, together… s, so I assumed…”
“…Give me some credit. I barely held back last night too.”
At his words accompanied by a deep sigh, she bowed her head with a hurt expression. Then he muttered a curse and grabbed her hand, dragging her somewhere. Maxi stumbled after him.
Just a short distance from the camp, the surroundings became terrifyingly dark. The rustling of leaves in the wind or the gurgling calls of birds sounded eerie. Terrified, Maxi clung tightly to his hand. Then the man pushed her against a thick tree trunk and urgently pressed his lips to hers.
She gasped in surprise at the incomprehensible action. A soft tongue pushed into her mouth and sucked hers fiercely. As she shrank her neck at the lewd sensation, he cupped her face and kissed her deeper. Soft hair tickled her forehead, and a large hand gently stroked her cheek and the nape of her neck.
He twisted his head to run his tongue along the roof of her mouth, then softly rubbed the inside of her cheek. Sticky saliva dripped from their joined lips, wetting her chin. As he licked it away, he murmured.
“I have to stay like this all night.”
Riftan took her hand and brought it to somewhere on his body. Maxi jolted at the feel of the man’s body swelling hard and twitching beneath her palm. She tried to pull away hastily, but her firmly held arm didn’t budge.
“Do you know how hard it is to lie still and do nothing in this state?”
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