SWY 24

There was a strange heat in Lestel’s voice as he repeated the question. Sharhan, who had been expecting him to criticize him for trying to seem fair, was caught off guard.

“Huh? Uh, well… If he’d helped make the Paphun tea even a little, it might be different. But it didn’t seem like he knew anything at all…”

Regardless of anything else, it didn’t sit right to leave behind someone who looked at him like a trapped animal.

“Fine, he can come. But if he slows us down, we’re leaving him behind. I don’t owe him anything if he becomes a burden.”

“Of course.”

Sharhan didn’t intend to babysit someone he had no ties to. His top priority was getting to Serman as quickly as possible to confirm his sister’s safety with his own eyes.

Having made up his mind, he turned to let Derry know, but Lestel grabbed his shoulder and said,

“I hope you don’t change your mind.”

“What mind?”

Sharhan didn’t understand what Lestel meant, but Lestel gave no answer. He simply patted Sharhan’s shoulder a couple times and sat back down on the creaky wooden bed.

Sharhan tilted his head and thought, ‘Not the first time that bastard’s said something incomprehensible,’ then gave up trying to understand and approached Derry. Derry looked up at him and swallowed nervously.

“You can come, but if you fall behind, cause problems, or try to rely on us for everything, you’re out.”

“D-don’t worry. I-I’ll pull my own weight.”

Relief bloomed across Derry’s face at the thought that he wouldn’t be left behind.

“Let’s get some sleep.”

“I’ll sleep on the floor.”

“It’ll be cold.”

“It’s okay. This thing’s warmer than it looks. I’ve used it when foraging for herbs in the mountains.”

Derry spread his robe on the floor, lay on top of it, and pulled the rest over himself like a cocoon. Seeing how useful the oversized robe was, Sharhan let out a small laugh.

“Shan, come here.”

Lestel patted the spot beside him. The house had no heating, so it probably didn’t matter whether they slept on the floor or the bed. Wanting to borrow a little body heat, Sharhan obediently lay down next to him. Derry fumbled over to the lamp and blew it out. The room fell into complete darkness.

All that remained were the sounds from outside. Guttural growls and the occasional human scream echoed faintly, a chilling reminder of someone out there dying in agony.

Eventually, the faint sobs they’d heard – trying not to disturb them – faded and stopped. Derry must’ve fallen asleep. But Sharhan couldn’t fall asleep so easily. Neither could Lestel, who kept shifting beside him.

“…He’s not just caravan member, is he? The one who got addicted to Paphun.”

After some hesitation, Sharhan finally asked. Lestel, surprisingly, answered without resistance.

“He’s a thirteen-year-old boy.”

Sharhan had thought it might be a lover, given how important the person seemed to Lestel, but that wasn’t it. Thirteen, only a year older than Iris. Far too young to end up transformed into something like those things outside.

“……”

Sharhan’s expression dimmed.

“I said he was an employee, but… he’s actually Simon’s little brother. Simon’s the one who saved me when I was in danger.”

“…Then maybe we should stay in Verden for a day or two.”

It made sense that Lestel had come all this way looking for a cure if it was the brother of the man who had saved his life. Sharhan often gave Lestel a hard time because of their long history, but that didn’t mean Lestel didn’t have admirable traits.

One of those traits was his obsessive need to repay kindness. Of course, he also repaid grudges, which meant he and Sharhan often ended up brawling, but still. He wasn’t quick to let people in, but once he did, he gave himself completely. That’s why he must be feeling uneasy right now.

It was odd, though. Someone with a personality like Lestel’s, who would carry guilt to the grave, had decided so easily to go to Serman without confirming Simon and his brother’s fate. If he had insisted on using their contract as justification to go find them, Sharhan would’ve had no choice but to agree. But if that had happened, things between them might have truly fallen apart.

“Honey, you know what?”

“What.”

“You act like a jerk, but deep down, you’re actually a total softie. Like with Derry. And now saying we could stay a day or two in Verden because you found out Simon saved my life. You’re giving me time to look for Simon and Alum, aren’t you? Because you’re worried about how I feel.”

There was a faint smile in Lestel’s voice. Sharhan, embarrassed at being read so clearly, tried to brush it off.

“Don’t flatter yourself. Don’t twist it into something nice. I’m just worried about my guildmates.”

“Sure, let’s go with that.”

“I’m serious. This is about the others. And besides, Verden might still be okay. Assuming the worst, that it’s a hell like this place, is just speculation.”

“Yeah. Hope’s a good thing. Even if it’s empty, it’s worth holding onto. It’s cold tonight too. I need a blanket.”

Lestel muttered softly and then wrapped his arms around Sharhan from behind. Their bodies pressed together, and Sharhan felt Lestel’s breath against the back of his neck. It was weird and uncomfortable to be held so tightly, but Lestel didn’t let go.

“Hold still. Why’s my blanket moving?”

“Damn it, this is uncomfortable.”

“Deal with it. If you curl up from the cold, your muscles will stiffen by morning. You need to be in top shape to deal with those things. Right, honey?”

He wasn’t wrong, but it was infuriating to admit. Sharhan searched for a retort but eventually gave up and tried to find a more comfortable position. But no matter what, he was still trapped in Lestel’s arms, and it was uncomfortable.

Worse yet, he felt something heavy press against his backside.

“W-wait… is your dick getting hard?”

“It’s always big.”

“You seriously mean that’s your normal size?”

“What, would you prefer to think it got hard from rubbing against you?”

Lestel whispered into Sharhan’s ear, then subtly pressed his hips forward. Sharhan felt the heat and weight at his backside and practically bristled. He even found himself short of breath and quickly closed his eyes, trying to regulate his breathing.

“You wanna die? If you get hard touching me again, I swear… I’m going to sleep.”

Even as all his nerves focused on what was pressing against his ass, Sharhan forced himself to try and sleep.

‘Why the hell am I so bothered by Lestel’s dick?’

He vowed to refuse any future requests to play blanket. He had to count dozens of numbers in his head before he finally managed to fall asleep.

***

A faint rustling sound woke him. A shadow was moving stealthily across the room. It was Derry. He moved with catlike care through the still-dark room, dawn hadn’t broken yet.

“What… are you doing?”

“Oh, you’re awake? I was just checking if there was anything else worth taking with us.”

Derry’s expression looked more at ease than it had the night before. He must’ve calmed down overnight.

“Did you find anything?”

“I found some hidden cornmeal and dried herbs. It’s a herb that only grows in Luhas called geullin grass. It’s good for stomachaches and recovering energy. Regular folks here dry it and use it in soup. It’s actually pretty filling.”

He wasn’t stammering anymore. Yesterday’s hesitation must’ve just been due to shock. Now, though still timid, he spoke more smoothly.

“Let’s pack everything we can.”

Just as Sharhan tried to get up, he realized he was still being held in Lestel’s arms. His brow furrowed and he swatted at the other’s forearm.

“Ow.”

Lestel grumbled in a hoarse, half-asleep voice.

“Quit whining and get up. We’re heading out soon.”

Lestel let out a short sigh, then gave Sharhan one last tight squeeze – so tight he almost choked – before letting go and hopping out of bed. His face was annoyingly fresh, like he hadn’t just woken up. Sharhan also sat up, grumbling, “You crazy bastard. I almost suffocated.”

He pulled back the cloth covering the window. Outside, under the faint pre-dawn light, the moving corpses shuffled slowly across the landscape.

“Well?”

“Can’t be sure without stepping out, but looks like some of them are still nearby.”

Lestel joined him at the window, frowning as if trying to gauge how many were out of sight.

“The sun’s about to rise. Let’s go. We don’t have anything else to pack, right?”

They’d come in empty-handed, and all their supplies were with Lightning and Thunder. Derry packed the flour, cornmeal, and dried glyn into a cloth bag and slung it over his back. The pouch from his teacher hung from his waist, and his fingers trembled slightly.

“I’ll go first. Just stay close.”

Sharhan took a deep breath, calmed his nerves, and drew his sword as he approached the door. Lestel was right behind him, already holding his blade. Derry brought up the rear. Sharhan glanced back, caught both of their eyes, and gave a nod.

That meant, I’m opening the door now.

His lips were dry as bone. Sharhan licked them once, then slowly pulled the door open.