Chapter 32: A Vacation with a Rival (2)

Avelin and I galloped across the snowy plains for quite some time.

Thanks to our stamina, we managed to cover a significant distance. But no matter how strong we were, reaching Rostia in a single day was impossible.

Well, we could have managed it just fine, but…

“Pffft, snort…”

The real problem was the horses.

After carrying us tirelessly, they deserved a proper rest.

“We should probably stop and take a break,” I said.

“I agree. As much as I want to start our vacation as soon as possible, we can’t just abandon these valuable horses.”

Reluctantly, Avelin and I secured the horses, unloaded our belongings, and fed them hay.

The two exhausted horses gobbled up their feed before curling up together and dozing off, leaning against each other like old friends.

“They get along really well,” I noted.

“Unlike us,” Avelin replied.

“Come on, I think we’ve grown pretty close, haven’t we?”

“…You’re free to believe whatever you want.”

“Hmm…”

Despite her words, Avelin didn’t shoot me her usual sharp glare.

“Well, since the horses are asleep, how about we grab a bite and get some rest, too? We should be well-rested if we want to enjoy our vacation properly.”

“That… makes sense, but…”

She trailed off, giving me a look I couldn’t quite decipher.

“What? Something wrong?”

“Of course, something’s wrong. How am I supposed to sleep peacefully with a man right in front of me?”

“…What? Hah, unbelievable. So, you actually see me as a man?”

“Don’t get any ideas. It’s not because I find you charming or anything. It’s purely because I need to be wary of a brute like you.”

“Brute, I’ll take. I’ve heard that plenty. But why ‘wary’?”

“You seriously don’t know? You’ve shamelessly flaunted your bare upper body in front of me more than once!”

“W-What? That wasn’t my fault! And besides, it was just my upper body!”

“Exposed is exposed!”

“And it only happened twice! One of those times, you barged in while I was changing, and the other, you walked in while I was sleeping!”

“…That’s not the point!”

Clearly irritated, Avelin rummaged through our supplies, pulling out a few pieces of wood. With practiced hands, she quickly struck a spark and started a fire.

“As expected from the Silver Flash. Quick hands. But something tells me you’ve done this plenty of times before.”

“That’s not just your imagination. Before joining the Order, I traveled around with Naias for quite a while.”

“You wandered around?”

My ears perked up.

This was the first time Avelin had ever mentioned anything about her past.

“That’s interesting. Tell me more.”

“…Ah.”

Avelin, who had just thrown more firewood into the flames, froze as she realized her mistake.

She had always refused to talk about her past—yet, without meaning to, she had just let a small piece slip.

“Ugh…!”

Irritated, she threw the next piece of firewood carelessly into the fire rather than placing it in gently.

Then, she sat in silence, simply watching the flames grow larger as the firewood burned.

“…Not going to say anything else?” I prodded.

“…Just warm yourself up and go to sleep,” she replied firmly.

“Hmm.”

She was being stubborn, but I wasn’t about to let the conversation end here.

I had realized it a while ago—Avelin knew everything about my past, yet I knew nothing about hers.

That didn’t sit well with me.

It almost felt like I was losing in some way.

‘I’m not letting this slide…’

Feigning nonchalance, I bided my time. Then, after a moment of silence—just as Avelin’s slightly pouting lips had relaxed—I casually spoke.

“It’s surprising. A warrior as skilled as you, living as a wanderer?”

“…”

Avelin didn’t look at me. Instead, she furrowed her brows slightly.

But at least she didn’t seem angry.

Her expression was more… conflicted.

Like she was remembering something she’d rather forget.

“And on top of that, you had someone as capable as Naias with you. I can’t imagine it was just some ordinary circumstance. If I had to guess…”

I wasn’t entirely sure where I was going with this, but my hunch felt solid.

“Avelin, you’re not secretly a runaway princess from some far-off kingdom, are you?”

“Stop calling me a princess!” she snapped.

Avelin clenched her teeth as she spoke, but there was nothing scary about it.

If anything, I saw her outburst as an opportunity and decided to push even further.

“Does it really matter what I call you? You tease me all the time for being nothing but a brute with raw strength. So, let’s see… which kingdom could you be from, Your Highness?”

As I stared at her, Avelin quickly turned her head away.

But in doing so, the thick clothing meant to protect her from the cold shifted slightly, exposing the pale, flawless skin of her neck.

“Huh. That’s impressive. You roll around in the dirt with the rest of us, yet your skin is spotless, not a single blemish.”

“Ugh. Don’t look…!”

Realizing her mistake, Avelin immediately hunched over, pulling her collar up to bury herself deeper into her clothes, hiding her exposed skin.

“Do you have some kind of secret skincare routine?”

“There’s no such thing! I’m a warrior. If I had time to waste on skincare, I’d rather spend it swinging my sword a few more times.”

“Aha, so you’re just naturally blessed with good skin, then.”

“…Think whatever you want.”

Even though she had hidden herself within her clothes, there was no need for me to stare anymore.

I had been with Avelin as a comrade for quite some time now.

And in the mercenary order, you naturally pick up a lot of knowledge about the world.

With warriors and criminals from all corners of the continent gathering here, you meet people of every background, every skin tone.

Taking into account Avelin’s accent, complexion, and certain habits…

“You’re from the central region, aren’t you?”

“…!”

Avelin, who had been curling in on herself to hide, jolted up in shock.

“Stop that. Don’t go around making assumptions about people.”

“It’s not an assumption, it’s an educated guess. But fine, I get it. Digging too deep into someone’s past isn’t exactly polite. I’ll stop here.”

“Hmph…”

Only after I made that declaration did Avelin finally relax and sit comfortably by the fire again.

I got up, rummaging through our supplies, and pulled out some dried rations.

“Alright then, tell me something else. We should eat before sleeping, and that leaves us with some extra time. Let’s chat while we eat. Here!”

Avelin effortlessly caught the ration I tossed her and held it near the fire to warm it up.

And at last, she spoke.

“I was kicked out of my home.”

“Kicked out? Why?”

“That’s what I’d like to know. Why was I kicked out?”

She threw the question back at me instead.

But since she had finally opened up, I knew better than to waste this opportunity.

“There are plenty of reasons why a child might get kicked out of their home. But if I had to narrow it down, there are really only two major ones. Either the child dislikes their parents and leaves…”

I trailed off, gauging her reaction.

But Avelin showed no signs of agreeing, meaning she wasn’t someone who had run away because she resented her parents.

Which left only one possibility

.

“…Or the parents kicked out the child.”

“Neither.”

“Damn. I was wrong.”

Even though I had guessed incorrectly, I didn’t feel the slightest bit disappointed.

Because I had successfully gotten her to talk more.

“It was because of cuteness.”

…Did I hear that right?

“Cu-Cuteness…?”

“Yes. I wanted to be a daughter my parents could be proud of. So while I was out honing my skills, my younger sister did the exact opposite. She never left home. She stayed by our parents’ side, acting cute, winning their affection. And eventually, she charmed everyone around her, too.”

“A cute daughter and a proud daughter are different. If I were a parent, no matter how adorable the younger one was, I wouldn’t abandon the older child who worked so hard to impress me.”

“Thanks for saying that. But my family was different. My parents’ work could only be passed down to one child. And with everyone around them favoring my younger sister, they were pressured into choosing her instead of me.”

“…I feel like I’ve heard this story before.”

It wasn’t unfamiliar.

“Yeah. That’s exactly how politics works.”

The realization hit immediately.

It wasn’t about personal abilities—it was about building influence, securing allies, and gathering support to back your claim.

I knew that world well.

Before joining the mercenaries, I had spent time mingling with the rich, the nobles, even royalty, and had witnessed firsthand how power struggles played out.

“I get it now. When you said you were kicked out because of ‘cuteness,’ that’s what you meant.”

“I’m glad you understand. Because now isn’t exactly the best time for a long conversation.”

Avelin stood up, dusting herself off.

Because all around us, the atmosphere had shifted.

The killing intent in the air was unmistakable.

We were surrounded.

The wolves of the snowfields had encircled us.

“Perfect timing,” I said, standing up beside her. “I needed something to chew on to relieve my bad mood.”

As we rose, the wolves crouched lower, ready to pounce.

But those foolish beasts had no idea.

Just yesterday, we had fought something far worse than them—hellhounds, creatures infinitely more terrifying than mere wolves.

Sure, dried rations were convenient, but if we were going to eat meat, it might as well be fresh and tender.

“Come on, then, you bastards!”

“Growl—!!”

The wolves lunged at us, drooling.

Completely oblivious to the fact that they were the real prey.

-- The End OF The Chapter --

 

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