Chapter 17
“No, Sir Herkel. I don’t really—”
“Then I’ll be on my way.”
As if he had something urgent to do, Herkel ran off in the opposite direction with Lotus.
I turned around, feeling like I wanted to cry. Calyx was already walking away with Vodka, getting farther from me.
Clutching my sword tightly, I ran after Calyx.
No matter what, I still had to pay off my debt.
I quickly caught up to him. Calyx didn’t say anything. Still, what happened earlier—when he collapsed—had been serious, so I asked out of courtesy.
“Are you feeling okay?”
Calyx lowered his gaze and looked at me. His ash-gray eyes stared straight through me, then he answered.
“Yes.”
After that, he looked forward again. He still felt cold, but unlike before, he gave a proper reply. No anger. No irritation.
The wind howled. With nothing more to say, the conversation naturally stopped. A heavy silence settled around us.
Then Vodka nudged my hand with his nose.
Thank goodness for Vodka.
I patted his head. Vodka walked while leaning against me, and because of that, the distance between Calyx and me grew shorter. I startled and quickly stepped away.
Calyx didn’t seem bothered at all.
This is so awkward I could die.
Things that never bothered me before now felt sharp and uncomfortable. I should have just touched Calyx’s arm and left the room earlier. Touching his shoulder was clearly a mistake—he kept reacting.
And why had Calyx gone so quiet?
Sure, there was no need to talk in a place like this, but would it hurt to say something out of courtesy?
He didn’t even mention what happened earlier.
Just then, Calyx stopped. The crushed smell of animal blood filled the air.
“From here on, Berok will appear,” he said. “You handle this area. I’ll go farther south and take care of things there.”
Before I could respond, Calyx disappeared.
Only Vodka stared up at me. I tossed him a protein biscuit. He crushed it eagerly.
The smell of blood grew stronger. Worried Vodka might get hurt, I drew my sword.
“Vodka, stay right next to me! I’ll—”
At that moment, Vodka lifted his head and bared his teeth.
A huge Berok flew toward us. I prepared to strike, afraid Vodka might be injured. But in that instant, Vodka leapt forward and bit down hard on the Berok’s neck.
No matter how violently the Berok shook its head, Vodka didn’t let go. His jaws stayed locked.
Soon, the Berok went limp. Only then did Vodka release it and look back at me.
His eyes were incredibly clear.
It seemed I didn’t need to protect him after all. Feeling reassured, I cut down the Berok that rushed at us next.
I kept killing Berok until sweat formed on my forehead. Before I knew it, their corpses were piled up like a small hill around Vodka and me. The thick stench of blood filled the air.
Eventually, no more Berok appeared. I wiped the sweat from my brow and looked around.
Only cold air drifted by. Calyx was nowhere to be seen.
I walked farther south. I felt like I’d come quite far, but there wasn’t even a shadow of him.
“Where did the Duke go…?”
As I muttered to myself, Vodka lifted his head and sniffed the air. Then he barked loudly and ran forward.
“Vodka!”
I hurried after him. My breathing grew heavy. Vodka slowed to a walk. In the distance, something came into view—black energy twisting strangely. An uneasy feeling crept over me, and I quickened my steps.
Vodka stopped.
I looked ahead.
A sword wrapped in black light was stabbing and slashing through Berok.
So that’s a blade imbued with sword energy…
I had never seen it before. The power was overwhelming. Even when Calyx stood still, the sword moved on its own, cutting Berok’s necks cleanly. Even Berok that attacked from unexpected angles were instantly cut down by the flying blade.
Unlike me—who killed with anger toward the scammer—Calyx’s swordsmanship was calm, refined, and flawless.
I thought I was fairly skilled with a sword.
But Calyx was on another level.
Enough to shock even me.
Soon, no Berok remained around him. Calyx gripped the blade and wiped it clean with smooth motions. His firm arms and composed gaze as he looked down carried a strange charm.
Then Calyx slowly lifted his head.
Our eyes met.
A gust of wind swept through, but he didn’t look away.
Neither did I. I stared at him as if bewitched. His long brown hair clung to his face, yet my body felt strangely frozen in place.
Then Vodka ran up to Calyx.
Calyx knelt down to match Vodka’s eye level. As Vodka rubbed against him, ears folded back, Calyx gently stroked his head and back.
“You finished early,” Calyx said.
The sudden voice snapped me back to my senses.
“Huh?”
Calyx looked at me.
“Even with Vodka, it should’ve taken longer.”
“Vodka fights really well. I didn’t really need to protect him.”
“That’s because Berok killed his mother. He has strong hatred toward them.”
No wonder Vodka’s gaze toward Berok had been so fierce.
Vodka whimpered softly. Calyx stood and scanned the area.
“A snowstorm will come soon.”
It was already freezing—now a snowstorm? I looked around in disbelief, but only thick clouds filled the sky.
Calyx sheathed his sword and turned to me.
“There’s a cave nearby. Let’s rest there for a bit.”
He seemed very familiar with the terrain. Without checking a map or compass, he led the way confidently. As I hurried after him, a cave soon came into view.
The inside was dark, but there was space to sit. Not wide—just enough for three people.
So this is a cave…
It looked like something dug out for resting.
Calyx gathered dry branches and grass, then stabbed his sword into them. Sparks flew, and soon flames burst up.
The red fire quickly wrapped the area in warmth.
Calyx sat in front of the fire. Vodka sat beside him, staring at the fire.
More precisely, he was staring at the unknown meat Calyx had tossed near the flames.
Calyx looked up.
“Are you going to keep standing?”
At that, I quickly sat down next to Vodka. Without him, it would’ve been unbearably awkward—just the two of us in such a narrow space. Thanks to Vodka, there was at least some distance between Calyx and me.
I stared at the crackling fire.
This is so awkward…
Can’t we just go kill Berok?
I looked toward the cave entrance. A violent wind raged outside, so strong I couldn’t see ahead at all.
I quickly turned my gaze back to the fire. Calyx really did seem to know the weather here like a ghost.
The meat sizzled, releasing a savory smell. I wondered if it was a snow rat, but there were no claws or small feet.
What kind of meat is that…
My appetite stirred, but I felt uneasy.
Calyx pulled the meat off with his sword. It was golden brown, perfectly cooked.
The sword tip pointed toward me.
“Eat.”
Startled, I looked at him.
“What kind of meat is that?”
“Berok. I treated it properly, so all the poison is gone.”
My lips stiffened. It seemed people here used every part of Berok. Still—eating Berok? That vicious creature?
I waved my hand.
“I’m fine.”
“You won’t last long on protein biscuits alone.”
“I’ll be fi—”
“We’ll be hunting all night.”
I asked without thinking.
“All night?”
“This area is different. Berok keep coming out, so it needs to be cleared at least once.”
Where were they even coming from?
“If they keep coming, wouldn’t it be better to destroy their main habitat?”
“This is their habitat.”
“……”
“Berok appear around this area.”
“Then shouldn’t this place have been dealt with long ago—”
Calyx let out a short laugh.
I stopped speaking and looked at him. After chewing the meat roughly, he said,
“Even if we destroy it, they’ll keep coming.”
“Why?”
“Because the Kingdom of Lukru keeps releasing Berok into this area.”
“Then shouldn’t you confront Lukru?”
“I won’t.”
I didn’t understand.
Why?
When I looked at him in confusion, Calyx continued.
“Without Berok, there’s no justification to strengthen the army.”
“Then what about the people living here? They—”
“So far, Berok have never invaded civilian areas. Their appearance times are fixed, and we kill them all here.”
“How very noble of you.”
The words slipped out before I could stop them.
Calyx looked at me sharply.
“You sound just like the nobles I’ve met,” I continued. “Only caring about family interests and ignoring commoners’ safety.”
Calyx smiled strangely.
“So you think I simply abandon the commoners?”
“Isn’t that what it is? Even if Berok don’t reach the villages, people must still tremble in fear every night because of them.”
“If I confront Lukru, that’s declaring war.”
“……”
“Then this entire region will be devastated. People’s lives will become far worse than they are now.”
“But isn’t there another way?”
“No. Lukru wants war. If I confront them, they’ll happily invade.”
“…….”
Calyx looked straight at me.
“War—or killing Berok like this.
Which would you choose?”
