SWY 16

“Doctor… doooctor…”

Hans’s voice trailed off into the darkness, mumbling the same word over and over. Without a torch, he staggered off into the pitch-black forest, slowly vanishing from sight. His dragging steps looked far from normal. He couldn’t even hold his head up properly, and it was like his whole body was beginning to stiffen. It didn’t seem like he was just weak from illness…

‘If a corpse were to rise and start walking, it would probably look just like that…’

Sharhan quickly shook his head, trying to dispel the absurd thought. But the chill that had wormed its way into his chest didn’t go away. He stood still, eyes fixed on the direction Hans had gone. Then, a light tap on his shoulder brought him back.

“You think he’ll be alright?”

“He should be. He’s lived in a village near Luhas, so it’s not like he’s completely unfamiliar with the terrain.”

They had no choice but to believe that. Hans had already disappeared far enough that they couldn’t even hear him anymore. Chasing him down and dragging him back wasn’t an option. Judging by what he said, his wife’s leg was in bad shape, and despite his own condition, he’d set out to fetch a doctor himself. Accompanying him to a neighboring village was impossible.

The closer they got to Luhas, the farther apart the villages became. The last one they’d passed was a half-day’s ride away. If they played the good guys and took Hans all the way there and back, they’d lose a full night of rest.

Sharhan might be a mercenary who lived by his body, but he was already worn down from ten days of riding. And if he was like this after three years of rough living, how much worse must it be for Lestel, who was used to a softer life?

If they pushed through after another sleepless night and one of them collapsed, it would be Sharhan who’d pay for it. There was no guarantee the contract wouldn’t interpret illness as “injury.”

The magical contract was an ancient imperial relic, no one really knew how it worked. So it was better to play it safe. Not because he cared about Lestel’s health, obviously, but because his own life was on the line.

‘Besides, I’m no knight. Or noble.’

Mercenaries had to be selfish to survive. That was the nature of the job. So wasting time and energy on someone like Hans, who couldn’t offer them anything in return, made no sense. Sharhan forced himself to rationalize the discomfort he felt.

‘More than anything… I feel like we shouldn’t follow him.’

His instincts, sharpened by years of surviving bloody battlefields, was warning him. He needed to get as far away from Hans as possible.

“Let’s just sleep.”

As Sharhan laid down, trying to shake off the uneasy feeling, Lestel followed suit without a word. He didn’t cling or act clingy like earlier.

“Do you think we can push the pace tomorrow? I’d really like to reach Luhas by the end of the day. But if it’s too much, we can rest along the way.”

After a long silence, Lestel finally spoke.

“Who exactly are you worried about? Me? Or Thunder and Lightning? I’m still going strong, so worry about yourself.”

Sharhan snorted. Lestel gave a short laugh at his cocky reply and finally moved closer. But unlike before, he didn’t pester Sharhan with jokes or annoying questions. Relieved, Sharhan closed his eyes. His body was exhausted, but sleep didn’t come easily.

“You’re worried about Hans, aren’t you?”

Lestel’s breathing had evened out, but Sharhan asked anyway. As expected, Lestel wasn’t asleep. He exhaled lightly. Just like Sharhan, Lestel had felt an inexplicable sense of dread. Concerned about Alum, he couldn’t sleep either. That’s why they’d been pushing so hard, and why he was determined to ride even faster tomorrow.

“It’s the black veins. And those weird sounds. You heard it too, right? That horrible noise in his throat.”

That awful, guttural growl, impossible to describe.

“Yeah. It didn’t sound human.”

“Maybe that’s the kind of sound those sealed monsters in Luhas make…”

“Like the cry of some unknown beast…”

They spoke almost in unison, and then, both at the same time.

“Ha!”

They let out a scoffing noise of displeasure. It annoyed them to realize they’d thought the same thing.

“What was that ‘ha’ supposed to mean?”

“That I’m pissed we had the same thought. Don’t you get it?”

“Why would that piss you off? You should be honored. It means your devolved brain had a rare spark of brilliance.”

“Bullshit.”

“Honey, your language’s gotten really vulgar lately. Could you slow down a bit? No matter how hard I try, I don’t think I can keep up with such low-class filth.”

“You’re a pampered noble, you can stick to your refined speech. I’m a mercenary, so I get to have a filthy mouth.”

“Your body’s gotten messy, and now your mouth has too. That’s my honey for you.”

“Yeah, yeah, I’m just a cheap piece of trash now.”

“Hey, I never said cheap. You didn’t come cheap. Or… wait, were you always cheap and I just overpaid? Damn, I got scammed. Still a novice merchant, I guess.”

“Wow, thanks a lot. Maybe I’ll finally make some money now. But dear rich employer, I’m really going to sleep now, so stop talking to me.”

Somewhere in the middle of bickering with Lestel, sleep hit Sharhan like a wave. He closed his eyes and was out in seconds. Lestel, who’d been mocking him just moments ago, stared at him in disbelief, then gently tapped his round head with a finger before shutting his own eyes.

The wolf pup they’d once fought over until they were yanking each other’s hair had ended up with neither of them. When they rushed back to the spot they’d found it the next morning, it was gone.

Turned out it hadn’t been abandoned. Its mother had just hidden it while she hunted, and the pup had crawled out on its own. The mother came back and carried it off.

A knight from Lestel’s house had explained that later. Back then, not knowing anything, Sharhan had cried, thinking the pup had died. When Lestel showed up a bit later, he’d burst into tears too.

With his long, silver hair shining like jewels and his green eyes brimming with tears, Lestel had looked beautiful. Sharhan had completely forgotten that they’d sworn never to speak to each other again the night before after a huge fight. He’d just stared at Lestel, entranced. The tears dried right up. Looking back, Sharhan wanted to slap his younger self, but he’d even taken Lestel to the stream and washed him off.

‘We were just kids back then. But now, even though we’re grown… why does it still feel like I’m getting pulled in?’

Sharhan stared blankly at Lestel’s silver hair swaying in front of him. Bathed in the rising sunlight, it sparkled more than usual. His face, looking down at Sharhan, was just as fair and clear as when Sharhan had washed it as a boy.

They’d both run through dust and neither had washed up, yet Lestel somehow still looked radiant.

‘Did he sneak off and wash while I was sleeping? Or is it the hair? My hair’s so dark it looks gloomy, but that guy’s got silver hair that practically glows.’

Sharhan wasn’t unattractive by any means, but he couldn’t compare to Lestel’s noble and elegant looks. He reached up and touched his own delicate, sharp features. He’d been underestimated more than once because of his face, so he wasn’t exactly fond of it. The only point of pride had been that he was taller than Lestel—but even that had been overturned. He couldn’t help feeling annoyed.

“What’s with that face?”

Lestel, already awake and looking down at the still-sleeping Sharhan, asked.

“What about it?”

“Reminds me of when you stepped in horse shit and slipped as a kid.”

“Hey, tell it right. I didn’t slip, you pushed me. But yeah, you nailed the expression. That’s exactly how I feel right now.”

“Oh, really? I won’t apologize though. I’m sure you started it. But what’s got you feeling like that first thing in the morning?”

“Because the first thing I saw was your face.”

“You should be thankful. My perfect face is worth paying to see, and I’m letting you admire it for free.”

“You were always annoying, but now you’re full of yourself too? Great. Move. I’m getting up.”

“If I move, you’re going to be embarrassed.”

At the moment, Lestel was straddling Sharhan’s torso with his knees on either side, leaning over him.

“What the hell are you talking about? Didn’t you say we need to get to Luhas today? No time for this crap.”

Lestel shrugged and moved aside. Sharhan finally sat up, and immediately turned red when he looked down. Morning wood had tented his pants. It was a common enough thing, especially among the Red Wolves, where everyone was used to seeing it, but for some reason, he felt weirdly self-conscious now.

“Honey, what kind of dream did you have to be pitching a tent like that at dawn?”

Lestel lightly tapped Sharhan’s groin with the toe of his boot. Sharhan flinched and slapped his foot away before scrambling to his feet.

“First off, it wasn’t that kind of dream. And this just proves I’m healthy and functioning perfectly as a man, alright?”

“Mmm… doesn’t exactly look impressive enough to brag about.”

Lestel’s eyes lingered on the bulge. Even fully dressed, Sharhan felt like he was completely exposed. He turned away, pretending to reach for his waterskin. But then he remembered what Lestel had just said and frowned.

“Hold on, what do you mean, not impressive?”

“Just saying… isn’t it kind of… small?”