The lake looked even more beautiful up close than it did from afar.

Irene approached the lakeside and lightly dipped her hand in the water.

“It’s cold.”

It was a pleasant coolness, not enough to make her teeth chatter.

Irene first filled her water bottle, then indulged in the lake view she had been longing for.

As she gazed at the beautiful and open scenery, it felt as if the worries, anxieties, and negative thoughts that had accumulated in her heart were melting away.

“…”

However, the moment she saw the wound medicine in her pocket, it all came back to her.

Irene fiddled with the wound medicine, recalling what had happened at the inn this morning.

It was all bewildering and puzzling, but what she found most incomprehensible was that Kalos had given her the wound medicine.

It was also strange that he told her to cover herself with a coat because the north was cold.

This made it seem as if he was worried about her.

“Worried…”

It was a word that didn’t suit Kalos at all.

The fact that she was part of that connection made it feel even more so.

When she organized everything she had seen, heard, and felt so far, there was one thing she realized for certain.

It was that Kalos had no intention of killing her.

She wasn’t sure about later, but at least for now, it was certain.

And… what else was there?

As she was organizing her complicated thoughts while looking at the clear lakeside, the bushes behind her rustled.

Irene turned around, startled.

Soon, a snow-white rabbit, slightly larger than a palm, jumped out of the bushes.

The tension immediately dissipated upon seeing the rabbit. A bright smile spread across Irene’s lips.

“Come here.”

As Irene held out her hand, the rabbit hopped over and sniffed her hand, its nose twitching.

“How cute.”

She wanted to pat its head, but would it run away if she did?

Irene lightly touched the rabbit’s nose. Fortunately, the rabbit only twitched its ears and didn’t run away.

Then perhaps it would be okay to pat its head.

Just as Irene was about to pat the rabbit’s head…

Kyuung-

With a strange sound, the rabbit’s red eyes flashed for a moment, and its body began to grow larger.

“…!”

Irene stepped back in shock.

However, unfortunately, with the lake right behind her, there wasn’t much room to retreat.

While Irene was flustered and in a panic, the rabbit, which had grown to the size of a house, raised its huge front paw.

Irene hurriedly threw herself sideways to dodge.

Kiing, kiing-

The rabbit made an eerie sound as it approached Irene.

Every time the rabbit took a step, the ground shook so violently as if there was an earthquake, making it impossible to stand straight.

To make matters worse, when she had thrown herself to dodge the rabbit’s first attack, she seemed to have twisted her ankle, feeling a sharp pain.

But if she stayed like this, she would surely die either crushed under the rabbit’s feet or pierced by its large, sharp front teeth.

After everything I’ve survived, I don’t want to die by some strange rabbit!

Irene gritted her teeth and stood up, but she fell again after just a few steps.

In the meantime, as the rabbit that had approached within arm’s reach was about to swing its front paw…

Shwaeaeaek-

There was a sound like something cutting through the wind, and a large shadow embraced her.

The owner of the shadow was Kalos.

Irene’s eyes widened in surprise at his sudden appearance. Her lips parted in astonishment.

“Now…”

Kieaek-

Before she could say anything, an agonized, bizarre sound filled the forest.

Soon after, with a thunderous boom much louder than when the rabbit had stomped the ground, the earth shook violently.

A pungent smell of blood also wafted on the wind.

“Did you… defeat the rabbit?”

“Yes.”

I see. So it’s been defeated.

Irene finally breathed a sigh of relief.

At the same time, she wondered.

How did Kalos defeat the rabbit when he wasn’t holding a sword or any sharp weapon?

And when did he defeat it?

He had immediately rushed over and embraced me.

“…!”

Belatedly realizing that she was in his arms, Irene became flustered and tried to move away.

“Stay still.”

However, Kalos didn’t allow it.

Instead, he pulled her closer into his embrace, causing Irene’s cheeks to flush red as her face was unintentionally buried against his firm chest.

She tried to pull her face away as much as possible and pleaded,

“P-please let me go.”

“The aftermath isn’t over yet, so stay still.”

“Aftermath…?”

What is he dealing with?

Irene asked curiously, but there was no answer.

It was only when the smell of blood had almost disappeared that the hand wrapped around Irene’s waist fell away.

Finally able to see clearly, Irene was surprised not to see the rabbit’s carcass and looked around in confusion.

However, the rabbit’s carcass was nowhere to be seen.

‘What’s going on?’

Was everything that just happened a dream?

No, that couldn’t be. The huge rabbit footprints on the ground were proof.

Moreover, didn’t Kalos say he had dealt with the rabbit?

But with not even a trace of blood left, let alone the rabbit’s carcass, it was perplexing.

This was truly a ghostly situation.

As she continued to look around for the rabbit’s carcass, she saw Dewey rushing over from beyond the bushes.

Soon, Dewey approached and asked worriedly,

“Are you alright, miss?”

“I’m fine…”

“She seems to have twisted her ankle.”

Before Irene could answer, Kalos spoke.

“Her knees and elbows are also injured.”

At those words, Irene checked her arms and knees.

‘It’s true.’

There really were injuries. Injuries she didn’t even know when she had gotten.

But she was curious how Kalos knew about them.

Dewey also noticed her injuries and clicked his tongue.

“Oh my. You’re quite hurt. Are you sure you’re alright?”

“I’m fine.”

It stung a little, but not enough to make a fuss about it.

‘The problem is my ankle…’

Her ankle was more severely twisted than she had thought, swollen and puffy. It was clearly impossible for her to walk on her own.

“I’m sorry, but could you help support me?”

“Of course.”

As Dewey was about to extend his hand, Kalos, who had approached without notice, suddenly lifted her up.

“Ah…!”

Irene let out a scream, startled by his unexpected action.

On the other hand, Dewey smiled contentedly.

“Indeed, this is better than just supporting you.”

What’s so good about this!

While Irene was inwardly screaming a silent protest, she politely asked Kalos,

“Please put me down.”

“…”

Kalos lightly dismissed her request as if it wasn’t even worth answering, and walked straight towards the carriage.

Dewey watched them go with a broad smile, but soon his expression hardened as he walked in the opposite direction.

*

Thanks to Kalos, Irene’s body was comfortable on the way to the carriage, but her mind was extremely uncomfortable.

‘Just a little more patience.’

Thinking that this embarrassing situation would soon end now that they had reached the carriage, Irene tried to soothe her uneasy heart.

Kalos gently placed Irene on the seat and asked,

“Where’s the wound medicine?”

“If you mean that, it’s in my pocket…”

Irene took out the wound medicine from her pocket and held it out.

When Kalos took the medicine and grabbed her knee, Irene, finally realizing what he was about to do, gasped and refused.

“I-it’s fine. I’ll apply it myself.”

“I’ll do it.”

“No, I can do it. Please, let me do it myself.”

Irene pleaded, but once again her opinion was lightly dismissed.

Kalos moistened a handkerchief with a water bottle he had somehow acquired.

Then he gently wiped Irene’s wounds and applied the medicine.

It was an unexpectedly meticulous and careful touch. It was also agonizing.

It felt more peculiar than when he had touched her back at the inn.

Fearing she might inadvertently make a strange sound if this continued, Irene covered her mouth while Kalos treated her wounds.

“It’s done.”

Finally, his hands moved away, but the sensation lingered. Her heart fluttered.

Irene took deep breaths, trying to calm her racing heart.

“I’ve done emergency treatment, but we’ll get more thorough treatment when we reach the nearby village.”

“I-it’s fine. This much treatment is enough…”

“I’m not fine with it.”

But it really is fine…

Irene glanced at her wounds, now thickly covered with medicine.

Wounds like these were nothing compared to what she had endured from that man.

“You must be tired, so get some rest.”

Irene shook her head. Previously, she had fallen asleep unknowingly due to extreme fatigue, but not now.

She wasn’t that tired, and above all, she didn’t want to sleep defenseless in front of a predator.

“Sleep.”

But as Kalos once again imposed his opinion, Irene had no choice but to lie down on the carriage seat.

When he covered her with his coat like a blanket, his unique scent wafted strongly. It was indescribable, but somehow it cleared her stuffy chest.

It was ironic that while she feared Kalos, she liked his scent.

Well, it’s not like I’m completely terrified of him anymore, like when we first met.

As Irene stared at him, Kalos frowned.

“I told you to sleep, why aren’t you sleeping?”

At those words, Irene hurriedly closed her eyes.

She had thought she wouldn’t be able to fall asleep, but that thought became laughable as drowsiness overtook her. Her consciousness gradually drifted away.

“I’ll wake you when we arrive.”

A low voice penetrated her hazy consciousness.

Half-asleep, Irene unconsciously voiced the question she had been holding onto.

“Are you… going to kill me?”

There was no answer, but Irene didn’t mind.

It would be more accurate to say she couldn’t mind.

It was an unconscious question, after all.

So she didn’t even realize she had asked such a question as she drifted into a deep sleep.

“…Maybe.”

Whether fortunate or unfortunate, she didn’t hear Kalos’s belated answer.

*

Dewey, who had gone in a different direction from Kalos, returned about two hours later.

Knowing Dewey had arrived, Kalos glanced at Irene’s peacefully sleeping face before getting out of the carriage.

Dewey approached and prostrated himself before Kalos.

“I’m sorry.”

It was an apology laden with many meanings.

Kalos nodded as if he had already anticipated this.

“He’s a quick one, so he might have already returned to the underworld, leaving only his minions behind.”

The world was largely divided into the Heavenly Realm, the Human Realm, and the Underworld, with the Underworld being a place teeming with monsters that humans typically feared.

Kalos was the monarch ruling the northern territory of the four-part Underworld, and Dewey was his loyal servant and a resident of the Underworld.

“Shall we send a tracking team?”

Just as Kalos was about to nod, he sensed a murderous intent coming from the forest and turned in that direction. A deep darkness swirled in his violet eyes.

Dewey also sensed the murderous intent and looked in the same direction as Kalos.

“It seems some stragglers remain. I’ll go take care of them.”

“No. I’ll go personally.”

“There’s no need for you to…”

Whisk-

“…do that.”

Before Dewey could finish speaking, Kalos had disappeared into the forest.

“My, he’s so impatient.”

Dewey scratched his head and looked down at the shadow Kalos had left behind.

The ownerless shadow elongated itself and then covered the carriage Irene was in, as if to protect it.