You, be my colleague (3)
The next morning there was a small commotion.
Because of the heavy snowfall, the snow piled up to waist height and the villa door wouldn't open.
Ian and Kalit had no choice but to go out through the window and shovel the snow in front of the porch.
Rahon got a bowl full of abuse for giving the assassin a hard time, and Baba was nowhere to be seen. They said he disappeared as soon as the sun rose.
Rahon was convinced of Baba's betrayal, but I thought differently.
If that were the case, he would have killed the assassin locked in the warehouse first.
Above all, things would have been easier If Baba had been there, but it wasn't like there was no way without him.
Four more days passed, but the snow showed no sign of stopping.
I'm starting to get a little worried.
What is the atmosphere of the castle like?
They must be even more anxious because they know our location but can't rescue us.
I hope Nadia doesn't cry.
'I'm fine.'
Even though our feet were tied, we were getting along pretty well.
After a while, except that a monster appears in Orquidwood.
I had to get back to the castle before then, but it didn't look like the snow would stop any time soon.
However, we can't just waste time, so we decided to resume our search for herbs to fight against monsters, which we had stopped doing.
After hearing Rahon's explanation, Kalit rubbed his chin with an interested expression.
"Hmm, that would certainly help in fighting the monsters. If only we could find that herb."
Listening to Kalit's calm tone, I felt strange. He didn't seem like the man who would kiss the back of my hand and flirt with me.
"Love me."
I unconsciously wrapped my hand around his. It felt like his lips were still pressing against the back of my hand.
"The problem is that we need a monster to test the effectiveness of the herb, but there is no way to capture one."
At Rahon's words, Ian unfolded the map.
It was a map with the words 'Baba, you have 10 months to live' written on the back.
"I know one thing for sure. The demons are said to be attacking Oakwood at the end of August."
He marked the X he had drawn on the map.
The raid site I told him about was about an hour away from here.
"Then there might have been a crack opened somewhere around here by now."
The monster born from the crack waits for its time without moving for a certain time as if adapting to this world.
In other words, if you know the date of the monster's attack, you can roughly guess when the crack will open.
"What if it doesn't open?"
"I have to keep checking."
"Well, that's the only way."
Rahon grumbled while lying on the sofa.
"But how can we go when there's so much snow?"
"Is there something like a sleeping pill for monsters?"
"I made some paralyzing medicine to use when capturing someone, but why?"
"Give it to me."
"Wait for a second."
Rahon brought a small bottle and handed it to Ian.
"It's in liquid form."
"The powder wasn't very effective, so I made it to be used on swords. They're not like they'll be able to be defeated with just one or two swings of the sword anyway."
Ian nodded and headed to the warehouse. A moment later, he returned to the villa, holding an unfamiliar object.
Rahon tilted his head.
"Why did you bring a racket?"
"It's not a racket, it's a snowshoe. It's something you put on the bottom of your shoes to keep them from sinking into the snow."
"What?! Was there something that good? Let's find out more!"
"There's only one pair. And you can't walk for long wearing these. They'll drain your stamina."
"Hey, that's good."
Ian sat down on the sofa and started putting on his shoes. Rahon asked indifferently.
"Are you really going to go to the rift alone and catch a monster?"
"Then what do you want to do?"
"Are you crazy?"
Ian got up, tightening the strings on his bow. He rolled his feet a few times to check the fit, then picked up his bow.
"Now, just a moment, Your Highness. You're not really planning on going alone, are you?"
"I'm better off alone. Don't worry."
"But..."
"I'll be back soon."
No one stopped Ian from going out. Kalit even ordered him to pick some winter berries when he came back.
My voice became sharp as if I was arguing about an absurd situation.
"What if we send the little Duke alone? What if he gets hurt?"
Kalit smiled lazily.
"Want to make a bet? I'll bet that he comes back safe and sound."
Do you want to bet on Ian's life? I was so flustered that I just blinked, but Rahon intervened.
"Millenia, don't do it. You'll lose no matter what."
"Am I the one who loses?"
"When it snows, the monsters don't move. Their movements become extremely slow. They won't be able to touch even a single hair on Ian's head."
"Rahon, what if I tell you that?"
"The bet should be fair. Don't tease a naive kid for no reason. Play chess with me."
"Is it so."
Rahon and Kalit lined up their items.
Seeing the two of them react so calmly, I felt like an idiot for worrying.
Indeed, Ian's inaction was unparalleled even in the war against demons. In the end, he went missing.
Then Kalit opened his mouth, his eyes fixed on the chess board.
"Rahon, did you know that in the past, the Guardian's power was only used on cracks?"
"Who doesn't know that? The original reason God gave us guardians was to protect humans from the cracks."
When the 'first walker' foretells a rift, the 'guardian' fights at the forefront, and the 'savior' heals the wounded.
The role of the Guardian, who did not interfere with other worldly affairs, changed over time.
The Guardian's powers were too useful to be used only on irregularly occurring cracks.
As the role of the guardian expanded into everyday areas, their relationships with people also became closer.
There were benefits to it, but the side effects were also considerable.
Guardians who are unable to keep their balance and are swayed by the wind begin to appear.
This is the background to the Guardians' duty of neutrality.
"But is that what you want Millenia to hear? To act like a guardian?"
"Is that what it sounded like? I thought you meant you were acting like a guardian."
"..."
Rahon looked at Kalit.
But still, Kalit's gaze was fixed on the chessboard.
"Didn't Young Lady tell you in advance about the monster attack that was going to happen in Oakwood?"
"That's right."
"Look at that."
"..."
Kalit has cleansed himself of any animosity towards Baba since he asked for my engagement.
I don't know if he really gave up his revenge or if he had other plans, but at least he didn't show it.
Instead, his behavior has changed strangely. He compliments me like he does now, and takes care of me naturally.
This morning I almost got into a fight with Ian over whether he would pack my breakfast...
Kalit glanced at me and smiled softly.
"I'm looking forward to your return. I want to tell you the good news soon."
"What's the news?"
"We're getting engaged soon..."
"Cough, Your Highness."
I hurriedly stopped Kalit. He snorted and closed his mouth with a forgiving expression.
'If this continues, we won't really get engaged, right?'
If he finally wanted to get engaged, I had no choice but to agree.
Regardless of whether he was my benefactor or not, considering how much I ruined his life in my past life, an engagement is a big deal. I could do even more.
'But...'
Being engaged to the Crown Prince and later becoming Empress is not the life I want.
My dream was to just live with my family and die quietly.
'I'll have to try to convince Kalit again.'
At that moment, I felt a commotion.
I saw Ian running towards the cottage outside the window. Even with his snowshoes on, he was running at incredible speed.
Just then, Rahon and Kalit noticed Ian's presence and looked outside.
"You're here already?"
"That's fast. Didn't you find the monster?"
So what is this sound?
I could hear other footsteps besides Ian's. They didn't seem human, but more like animals running on the fours.
While I was thinking, the distance between me and Ian quickly narrowed, and now they were close enough that I could see their expressions.
Suddenly, Rahon tilted his head.
"Huh? What is that?"
Something was chasing Ian.
It had gray skin, deformed, long limbs compared to its short torso, and a distorted head with no eyes, only nostrils, and a mouth with protruding yellow fangs.
It's a low-level monster that I've only heard of.
'You look so ugly.'
I wonder if this is how the prey feels in front of a predator. I was so gripped by fear that I couldn't move my body.
But Rahon and Kalit were different.
As soon as they saw the lower-level monsters, they grabbed their swords and ran out.
"Ian!"
The next moment, Ian, who had arrived in front of the villa, turned around and fired arrows.
Pubberbuck!
The monster, whose movements had become dull, was unable to dodge the arrows. It gave its body away as the arrows flew, and at some point, it collapsed.
Ian had already applied the paralytic medicine he received from Rahon to the arrowhead.
Rahon and Kalit, who had been frozen for a moment, let out a deep sigh. Rahon threw down his sword and shouted.
"Hey! I thought you were being chased, so I freaked out! What the hell happened!"
"When we arrived at the place Young Lady had told us about, the crack was already open. The monsters were all tangled up and hibernating, so I only woke up a few of the ones in front."
"And?"
"I ran to the villa. I couldn't bring all that back."
"So you're saying you used your body as bait to lure the monsters?"
"Yes."
"That bastard."
The three men talked after completely tying up the four monsters.
"We're ready. Now, let's just spray the herb essence and see how they react."
"The scents can mix, so the three of us should take turns testing them."
"One person has to do it twice. Who wants to go first?"
All three of them shut their mouths.
A dull voice broke the heavy silence from somewhere. It was Baba, whose nose had not been seen for several days.
"Why did you catch that monster? Are you going to eat it?"
Three pairs of gleaming eyes were fixed on Baba.
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