He tilted his head to one side. The broken senses sometimes caused malfunctions.
He waited for it to go away, then overtook the woman and stepped into the barracks.
The herbs had been burned again all night, and the dark space was filled with the smell of bitter smoke. However, there was also a strange smell mixed with it, which could only come from fruit on the verge of being crushed.
It was a strange smell that had started coming from her skin somehow.
He held his breath for a moment and then slowly inhaled the air. Then he quietly called out to her.
"Thalia."
There was no reply. But he could feel her presence.
Barcas stepped into the cluttered space strewn with bowls, bottles, and water glasses, and moved my eyes busily. Then he saw a pile of clothes piled up next to the disheveled bed and stopped.
He bowed down in front of a large chest placed on the side of the barracks.
When he carefully opened the lid, he saw a small figure sitting curled up in a circle.
Once again, his body reacted strangely. It was as if he had kicked a horse's hoof.
He calmed down and placed a hand on her shoulder.
The woman who had been burying her head in her lap lifted her head.
Beneath her wet eyelashes, her pure blue eyes were revealed. Clear tears spread over her transparent skin like a creature living in the deep sea.
He squeezed her moist cheeks, caressed the tip of her slightly red chin, and tilted his head back slightly.
It must have been scratched somewhere, and there were a few scratches on the slender nape of her neck. As Barcas looked at it carefully, a voice cracked between her blood-soaked red lips.
"Monsters... Did you defeat them all?"
He looked into the woman's eyes again.
The deep blue iris that was submerged in water shimmered precariously.
Barcas remembered the first time hr met these eyes.
It was the first color he had seen on the day he regained his color.
He took a long breath and lifted her stiff body.
Her supple and soft arms wrapped around his neck as if it were a matter of course. A thin cry dampened her taut skin.
"I thought I was going to be arrested again."
Barcas tightened his arms around her.
I won't do that again.
The words that had been circulating on the tip of her tongue flowed back into her throat. After the accident, he began to swallow his words in front of her frequently.
The words he swallowed and swallowed piled up in my stomach like sediment.
His brows furrowed at the uncomfortable sensation of a stone crushing his internal organs, and he gently brushed down her narrow back, which trembled intermittently.
Her stiff body gradually relaxed and wrapped around him. Barcas gently removed the hair from her shoulders and looked into her face, and hr saw eyes that were closed as if they were exhausted.
He stroked her drooping golden eyelashes with her thumb, then quickly scanned the room with her slippery body in his arms.
Barcas could see his coat hanging from the tent pilasters. He snatched it and put it over her body, then went outside.
As they quickly crossed the camp, a few mounted warriors who were busily dismantling the barracks gave them curious glances. He pulled the gown to the tip of her head.
Men had been staring at her like hungry wild dogs since she was less than 5 kvets. (about 150 centimeters) tall. And this woman, fearful of it, would sometimes reveal herself defenseless before their eyes. As if they could be bitten to death.
He hugged her even tighter to his chest and quickened his pace as if to shake off the annoying stares.
When he entered his barracks and lay her down on the bed, within a few months, a visibly thin body came into view.
A sigh rose in his throat.
The annoying thing was that her emaciation was leading her beauty in a dangerous direction. Barcas, who slid his gaze along the woman's gnarled neck, weak shoulders, and protruding collarbone, turned his gaze to the entrance to the barracks.
The young servant who had been chasing after him to serve him was glancing at her. His half-dead nerves pricked sharply.
He bit all the attendants and closed the entrance tightly. It wasn't a very good idea. The barracks were filled with the sweet smell she emanated.
He swallowed his dry saliva with a strange thirst that seemed to burn his throat.
As he roughly scraped up her undried bangs and cast a dry look, her pale cheeks with tear stains pressed into his retina.
Years ago, the words she spat out in horror echoed in his mind.
"Well, he did. Continue as if you were addicted... I have no choice but to keep Iooking..."
He chewed on the soft flesh on the inside of his cheek with his molars. He could taste the faint taste of blood.
He tapped her temple with his fingertips and picked up the coat hr had left on the side of the room.
When Barcas stepped outside, the smell of fishy blood filled his lungs.
As he inhaled it as if to wipe away the soggy smell in his throat, Barakan, who was already armed, came to his side.
"Everything is ready. Now you can leave right away by clearing up the lord's barracks. Should we demolish it now?"
"An hour later."
Barcas, who had been pausing for a moment, said in a subdued voice.
"Let's take a breather and then go."
A smile of amusement crossed the man's lips.
He shrugged his shoulders and replied in a light tone.
"I will do it as a division."
The man turned straight to deliver instructions to his men.
Barcas sat in a canteen and looked out at the Norden plains looming through the dense rows of trees.
A dry wind scratched her cheeks roughly.
A familiar smell spread in the air.
It was the smell he had smelled before.
As Barcas was groping in his hazy memory, he heard a wolf's cry in the distance.
He turned his head.
A mournful echo stretched out from the mouth of the forest.
***
My weakened body could not withstand the long journey, and I fell ill with a fever.
Looking up at the swaying ceiling, I tossed and turned and gasped heavily. The carriage moved at a speed that was no different from walking, but even the slightest vibration was torture for me.
I clutched my head in a headache that seemed to split my goal.
Then, I heard a shrill horn outside. Did we finally reach our destination? I stood up and looked out the window. The view of the vast plains filled the feverish vision.
My eyes widened at the unfamiliar sight. The deep green meadow stretched endlessly, as if it could touch the sky. A gust of wind whipped over the fresh grass.
I opened the window and let the cool breeze cool my face.
"That's Kalmor."
When I turned my head to hear a voice that suddenly sounded, I saw a man driving a horse nearby. He came closer and gave me a friendly smile.
"It's called Tyrone. I greeted you the other day, do you remember?"
I kept my mouth shut and gave him a wary look. The man's smile faded slightly. The man looked at me as if he was exploring for a moment, and then spoke softly, not yielding to coldness.
"You must be very unwell."
"..."
"We will soon arrive at the castle of Raedgo. Do you see the city wall over there?"
The man pointed ahead.
I followed his fingertips.
At the end of the horizon, I could see a grayish-brown wall that looked like it had been made of ash and sand. I pulled my head out of the window to see it more closely.
The castle of Raedgo looked like it was built by piling up huge rocks.
A thick outer wall built up without decoration surrounded the foot of the hill seamlessly, and above it rose towers and citadels, large and small, made only of straight lines.
I casually wrapped my arms around the nape of my neck.
Maybe it's because the place I'm going to live in the future seems too bleak.
A chill rose up my spine.
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