Chapter 07
A sensation of weightlessness swept over me as the surrounding scenery flickered and shifted.
He was absurdly strong—carrying me with one arm as if I weighed nothing, showing no sign of strain at all.
Incredible. As expected, men are all about strength.
“This far should be fine. I will resume scouting, so please follow at a distance.”
“Y-yes.”
Kalyon set me down on the ground and pushed forward again, parting the bushes as he went.
But the terrain was full of obstacles. What if he missed a monster lurking nearby?
Rustle.
As soon as that thought crossed my mind, a suspicious sound came from the bushes.
So much for “speak of the devil.” Please don’t tell me another sudden quest is about to pop up.
However, unlike my tense reaction, Kalyon showed no sign of entering combat stance at all.
“Kalyon, um… the bushes over there are moving…”
“They are not monsters.”
It was a brief answer, but not nearly enough to explain the situation.
If it’s not a monster, then what? A person?
Just as I thought that, a heavy thud echoed—and the massive tree across from us split cleanly in two with a sharp cracking sound.
“Eek!”
A monster stood behind the tree.
No—human-shaped, but the entrance effect was so terrifying that I instinctively hid behind Kalyon.
Did it just split a tree with brute force? Is that even human?
“What’s this, Kalyon? You’re fine?”
A voice came from it. A deep male voice.
“I heard you were on the brink of death and sent a signal, so I thought you were seriously injured. Guess it was just exaggeration?”
“…There were circumstances.”
Both of them were speaking curtly now. They clearly knew each other.
So he’s an ally?
The man stepped closer.
When he had been in the shadow of the trees, he looked almost pitch black, but now that he stood in the light, I could see his striking crimson hair.
Wow. He’s huge…
He was about the same height as Kalyon, but broader.
Unlike Kalyon, who was clad in silver armor, this man’s outfit was loose—his hair and clothing both unrestrained, far too careless for a monster-infested mountain.
Is muscle his armor?
Kalyon felt like a winter mountain, but this one was like a blazing inferno.
Maybe it was his red hair and golden eyes, but with his pronounced brow and sharp gaze, he looked like a fire spirit brought to life.
“Kalyon. Who’s that behind you?”
Calling a person “that” is a bit much.
Well, if he’s Kalyon’s acquaintance, then there’s no immediate danger.
I peeked out from behind Kalyon.
“…Huh.”
The man’s expression hardened when he saw me.
It was the kind of face someone makes when they’ve seen something they absolutely shouldn’t have.
Is my appearance that strange? Or is it because I’m a woman traveling with Kalyon?
Whatever the reason, it definitely wasn’t a friendly reaction. I lost my chance to introduce myself.
Just as things were about to turn into an awkward staring contest, Kalyon moved slightly aside to mediate.
“I met her during the mountain journey. She had an accident and lost her memory, so I was planning to escort her to the nearest village.”
“…Lost her memory?”
The man’s tone sharpened with skepticism.
It probably sounded like an obvious lie from a suspicious stranger. Honestly, I would’ve thought the same in his place.
I considered hiding behind Kalyon if he interrogated or attacked me, but the man awkwardly rubbed the back of his neck and looked away instead.
At least he’s not hostile.
Kalyon then introduced him.
“I’m late with introductions, Master. This is Senez. My elder brother.”
That last part surprised me.
Brother? They don’t look alike at all.
Aside from both being handsome, everything else—hair color, build—was completely different. I wondered how their parents’ genes had been distributed.
Senez, Kalyon’s older brother, also seemed to be a monster hunter. However, as siblings, they didn’t hunt together; they operated separately and only exchanged signals in emergencies.
Judging by the situation, it seemed that when Kalyon was badly injured in a monster attack yesterday, he had sent a distress signal to Senez.
Not that it made much sense for him to arrive only the next day.
Anyway, since introductions were done, I should greet him. I put on my long-forgotten “social face” and politely spoke.
Well, I tried to.
“I see. Senez, nice to mee—”
“Who gave you permission to act like his master?”
That guy suddenly picked a fight.
“Huh?”
“Master of Kalyon? You? On what authority?”
Ah. That’s what this is about.
“Um, I think there’s a misunderstanding. I’m not pretending to be his master—my name is literally ‘Master,’ so Kalyon calls me that.”
“Your name is Master? Your name is Master?”
“Yes.”
“…Why is your name like that?”
Senez’s expression soured as one eyebrow twitched.
What business is it of yours how my name was given?
If you’d been dropped into Korea, you’d also think names were weird.
“Anyway, so you’re not actually Kalyon’s master.”
Senez sighed in dissatisfaction and turned to Kalyon.
“So, Kalyon, you’re not injured?”
That guy didn’t even apologize to me and immediately changed the subject. Typical.
Kalyon thought for a moment and nodded.
He probably avoided mentioning that I healed him to prevent exposing my healing ability.
“Yes. I just made a mistake because I was unaccustomed to traveling while protecting someone else, brother. There are no other issues.”
“Of course there aren’t—for you.”
That sounded like there were issues for me.
And hey, aren’t you going to apologize for misunderstanding me and picking a fight?
His first impression was already terrible, so I glared at Senez. Our eyes met.
His face looked rough enough that I instinctively flinched, but I held my ground.
A glowing system window appeared between us.
Current queue: (1/1)
A party invitation has been received. Do you accept?
What is this? A party invite instead of an apology?
Annoyed, I looked at Senez, but he immediately avoided eye contact.
There’s no decline button.
When I used healing skills, there were “Yes/No” options, but this party invite only had “Accept.”
Is this one of those “accept or else” situations?
I refuse.
I swiped the system window away. If there’s no decline button, I’ll just ignore it.
I’m not accepting until he apologizes.
“Kalyon. So the three of us are going down the mountain together now?”
“Yes. Now that my brother is here, I can support you while we travel, Master. That’s fortunate.”
Fortunate, my foot. I don’t want to party with this rude guy!
I tried to signal Kalyon with my eyes, wishing he would be the one to support me instead, but Senez cut that off immediately.
“Support her? Are you injured anywhere? You look fine.”
“She seems to tire easily due to weak constitution.”
“You weren’t asked, Kalyon. I’m asking her.”
Then he looked at me again.
Why is he picking a fight again? Because I rejected the party invite?
“I don’t need support. Let’s just go.”
“Go? You look like you’ll collapse after one step.”
“Just now you said I looked fine!”
“Sleep deprivation. Lack of exercise. Poor nutrition. And your feet are swollen.”
Senez sighed and pulled out a small bag from his clothes.
Before I could even suspect an inventory, it went poof—a pot and cooking tools appeared.
…Wait. Cooking tools?
“First, we need to restore your stamina with food. Kalyon, bring out all the ingredients you have.”
He’s cooking here? Is he insane?
“I only have emergency rations. It might be better to use my brother’s supplies.”
“Fine. Then go fetch water. There’s a spring below the cliff.”
“Brother, aren’t there monsters nearby…?”
“I’ve already dealt with everything in the vicinity. It’s safe for now.”
“I understand.”
Even in this absurd situation, Kalyon didn’t hesitate and immediately went off to fetch water.
…So this is normal here, apparently.
Whether I liked it or not, Senez began pulling out endless bags of ingredients from his inventory.
So a monster hunter also carries this much food?
Is he actually a chef?
Even in a zombie apocalypse, there’s always room for cheese ramen mukbangs—so maybe even in this world, cooks are essential.
I don’t even know what genre this world is anymore.
Some kind of survival and adventure mixed with a bit of romance? If this is a game, I’d like to know what audience they’re targeting.
Still… he looks skilled.
Senez worked quickly and precisely. His hands looked rough, like they were only used for fighting, yet his movements were delicate and meticulous.
He chopped ingredients with the precision of a top-class chef, then pulled out something red from a pouch.
A gem?
No—it was too rough for a gem, too translucent and radiant for a stone.
Senez crushed the fist-sized object with both hands.
…He just broke a rock? With his bare hands?
Suddenly, fire burst out beneath the pot.
“F-fire!”
He’s starting a fire in a mountain? Is he crazy? What if it causes a wildfire?!
Panicking, I tried to clear away nearby branches and leaves, but Senez shouted at me like I was being ridiculous.
“Stay still. I’m the one cooking, so why are you panicking?”
“What do you mean?! What if it spreads?!”
“It won’t spread. I used mana stone.”
“Mana stone?”
“The core stone of monsters. You don’t know it?”
As if I would.
“…So the memory loss is real, then.”
Senez narrowed his eyes and scanned me from head to toe.
Why does it feel so unpleasant even though he’s starting to believe me?
