Chapter 32: Human Village (5)
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Ner gently rubbed her face against the comfortable and warm pillow.
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How long had she been asleep? With a Half-awake mind, Ner felt refreshed.
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The breeze blowing was also fragrant, and the sunlight on her face felt warm.
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She wanted to continue to fall asleep like this.
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Adjusting her position for more comfort, she turned her head to rest her face on the pillow.
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“Ner, wake up.”
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At that moment, the pillow spoke to her.
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The absurdity of the situation made her mind clear up instantly.
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As Ner opened her eyes in surprise, she saw Berg’s neck right in front of her.
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Without realizing it, she had nestled close to his body, and she had entrusted her whole body to him.
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The moment Ner was startled and tried to pull her body away, Berg firmly held onto her waist.
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“Ah...! I-I’m going to fall-”
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Simultaneously, her face grew warm, and her heart pounded.
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However, Berg calmly explained, “-You won’t fall. Relax.”
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Only then did Ner turn her eyes around to confirm her surroundings.
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Her perception was still hazy and slow.
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She realized they were now riding on a horse, with her legs on the right side and leaning against Berg.
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Though it was stable now, she knew she might have fallen if Berg hadn’t supported her.
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“…”
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- Swish.
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Soon, Berg gently released his grip on Ner’s waist.
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Ner blinked, trying to process the awkward sensation of someone touching her waist.
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“Thank you.”
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She felt embarrassed but expressed her gratitude to him.
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Unsure how long she had slept leaning on him, she had suppressed her urge to breathe, feeling like she wanted to disappear into a rat hole.
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She wondered if she had drooled and stole a quick glance at her mouth
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However, Berg seemed unfazed and simply kept on talking, paying no attention to anything else. As if it were the most natural thing.
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Seeing him so composed, Ner felt foolish for being so embarrassed. She followed his lead, trying to calm her emotions while taking in her surroundings.
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The scenery was vastly different from what she remembered, it was no longer the familiar forest of her hometown.
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Instead of that, it was a vast plain that stretches endlessly.
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The setting sun was sinking.
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“...Wow...”
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Unbeknownst to herself, she let out an exclamation of admiration.
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As the sunset descended, dyeing the plain in golden hues, it was impossible not to feel its beauty.
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Every time the wind blew, the grasses swayed as if greeting them, creating ripples in the landscape.
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Ner had never seen such a landscape before.
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In the first place, she had never left her hometown this far.
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Only now did she begin to feel the realization that she had left her hometown.
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Amidst the awe-inspiring scenery, her heart was strangely becoming melancholic.
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And in the meantime, Berg spoke.
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“We’re almost there. Just hold on a little longer.”
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“...Yes.”
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“How is your muscle pain?”
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“As long as I’m like this, I can endure.”
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Berg continuously showed concern for her body.
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Every time he asked about her well-being, her heart warmed.
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Knowing that someone cared for her well-being gave her a sense of security.
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Soon, smoke rising from afar came into her view.
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Berg pointed at the smoke and said.
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“We’re here. See that?”
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Ner followed his gesture and looked below to see a small village. Compared to Blackwood Territory, it seemed quite humble.
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Looking at the village, Ner nodded.
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“Yes, I can see it.”
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Seeing that modest village, an inexplicable sense of worry arose within her.
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****
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“We’re back!”
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I entered the village after a long time.
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Stockpin; It was the hometown of the Red Flames.
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The whole village came out to welcome us.
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As the subjugation had been massive, the entire village was filled with joy.
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Adam Hyung and I were at the forefront, leading the way.
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Many of Stockpin’s residents looked at Ner, who was sitting beside me, with interest.
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“So, the vice-captain got married, huh?”
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“She’s pretty.”
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“You’re saying everyone fought to bring her here?”
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“You fool! It was for the future...!”
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Ner shrank her body amid the cheers echoing around us.
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Lowering her gaze, she looked at her chest.
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“…Now, straighten your back.”
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At the same time, I lightly pressed her waist.
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Ner flinched and looked at me in surprise.
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I also looked at her and asked her to act as we planned.
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We had to show a good relationship with each other. If that wasn’t possible, she should at least avoid showing a sad expression.
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“…”
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Eventually, Ner, as if making a pledge, tightly closed her lips and straightened her back.
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Raising her head, she met the gaze of the villagers facing her.
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She introduces herself with more dignity, more like an aristocrat.
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By doing so, the glances of the people also changed.
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Their eyes were filled with admiration as they looked at her like a noble lady.
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The cheers grew louder, and there were more voices blessing us.
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“Vice-captain! Congratulations!”
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“You must be happy!”
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“At least have three children!”
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Amidst the jubilant atmosphere, Ner swallowed a gulp of saliva and looked at me.
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Her face seemed to be getting redder.
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She blinked as if breaking away from a serious expression, then took a deep breath and resumed her performance.
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****
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As soon as we arrived, Hyung announced the casualties and offered sincere condolences to their families.
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After discussing the schedule for the funeral, we dispersed.
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The untold stories for the villagers would be conveyed by our members to their respective families.
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More importantly, we prepared a feast so that sorrow would not descend upon the village.
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We were tired of eating dried meat and hard bread to fill our stomachs after the arduous subjugation.
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Like other mercenary groups, our members needed a window to relieve the mental burden accumulated during this time.
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As I heard, prostitutes from the neighboring village were also coming over.
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Members would probably relieve their s*xual desires with the money they earned.
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While preparing for the feast, Ner and I headed to my house.
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“…”
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Ner continued to look up at me, as if she was uneasy about entering a house without any servants, just the two of us.
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“...How far are we going?”
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She asked.
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It was a natural question considering my house was located in a remote corner of the village.
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In this small village, I was living in a house with no neighbors around.
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“Over there.”
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I pointed to the emerging house and tried to ease Ner’s uneasiness.
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Like Adam Hyung’s house, my house was spacious enough for commoners to live in, but... for a mercenary group’s vice-captain, it was a small house.
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It was a two-story house with six rooms.
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Ner looked at the house she would be living in from now on and let out a shallow, long breath.
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It seemed like she was making a firm determination in her heart.
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Indeed, living in such a magnificent place, she needed to be mentally prepared to enter a place like this.
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.
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.
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- Creak...
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Like the scream of a ghost, the creaking wooden door opened with a screech.
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The vacant house greeted me after a long time.
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The lightly scattered dust rose.
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“...Come in.”
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I brought Ner into the house.
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“…”
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Ner slowly set down her belongings while looking around the house.
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Then, she stood there for a while, gazing at the interior, frozen and silent.
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I could understand her reaction.
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Just from looking at it, Ner didn’t seem to fit in with the atmosphere of this house.
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She had an undeniable noble aura about her, and while my house might be slightly bigger than others... it was still an ordinary commoner’s house.
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Did she ever imagine as noble being brought into a place like this?
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“...What’s with all these bottles?”
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However, Ner pointed out something different from what I expected.
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“…”
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I looked around the inside of the house.
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I hadn’t cared much when I lived alone.
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But now that she mentioned it, there were indeed many rolling bottles of liquor.
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“...Do you drink this much?”
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“It’s not like that... it piled up like this over the time.”
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She didn’t just stop there.
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“Why is it so dusty here?”
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“Why bother cleaning it.”
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“Why are there so many spider webs on the ceiling?”
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“…That’s right.”
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“The floor is broken. Why didn’t you fix it?”
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“Well... you can just avoid stepping on it, can’t you?”
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I found myself making excuses while catching her eye.
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If I knew it would be like this, I should have cleaned up and gone on an subjugation.
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But I couldn’t find the right words to say.
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“…”
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In the end, all I could do was scratch my nose and look at Ner.
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If I introduce the house she would live with in this way, I think it would only create a sense of rejection.
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However, Ner stared back at me and burst out laughing.
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I didn’t understand why she was laughing, so I just stood still.
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She spoke.
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“...I feel like I’m seeing a totally different side of you for the first time. You seemed like you knew how to handle everything.”
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Unexpectedly, she didn’t show any displeasure.
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Seizing the opportunity, I said.
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“I’ll fix and clean everything tomorrow.”
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Ner replied.
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“…Let me help you.”
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I was surprised by her unexpected answer.
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As an aristocratic young lady, I thought she wouldn’t want to do things like this.
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Ner turned her head and said softly, as if murmuring.
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“We’re friends, after all.”
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“…”
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Upon hearing that, a slow smile formed on my face.
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I felt closer to her during our journey back home.
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Saving Shawn, the embrace we shared back then, sleeping together in a narrow bed, and riding together on the same horse, to the point where she leaned on me and fell asleep.
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I truly felt that we were getting closer step by step.
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That alone was enough for me.
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Just a few days ago, she rejected me and was afraid of me.
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Perhaps she had already thought it would turn out like this.
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I said to her, “Let’s wash up and go to the square. The feast will be enjoyable.”
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****
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After washing up, we changed into comfortable clothes.
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We put down our belongings and organized the instruments.
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Ner had safely stored her medical equipment in our bedroom.
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Although there were many rooms in the house, ultimately, we only needed one.
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Using multiple rooms unnecessarily would only attract the attention of the villagers, and rumors would quickly spread.
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Honestly, there was a bit of coercion on my part as well.
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To become closer in heart, we needed to be close in proximity.
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If I had used separate rooms to be considerate of Ner, it wouldn’t have been difficult to imagine spending our lives in an awkward and distant manner.
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Fortunately, Ner seemed to have anticipated sharing a room and didn’t show any particular complaints.
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Maybe she was relieved to see that nothing happened even though she slept close to me the night before.
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Soon we headed to the town square.
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The noisy sounds were already resounding.
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I couldn’t hear cries of mourning. At least on this day, it was a day to enjoy.
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It was also part of the mourning process.
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Laughing, playing, and eating until we were full would make it easier for us to let go of our departed comrades.
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Adam Hyung and I had learned this from our previous mercenary group.
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In the town square, a large bonfire was burning.
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As we appeared, the crowd erupted into cheers.
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Ner stuck closely behind me, and I could tell she was nervous from her tail curling up.
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It was natural.
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She was a stranger in this place.
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If even I would feel nervous entering a village full of werewolves, then it was only natural for her to be tense.
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I raised my hand in response to everyone’s cheers and led Ner.
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I searched for a place to sit.
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From afar, Shawn waved at us.
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“Shawn...!”
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Seeing Shawn looking well, I approached him.
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He slowly stood up and bowed to Ner with his waist bent.
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“Thank you, Ner-nim.”
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Ner looked at Shawn, surprised by his gratitude.
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“Thanks to you, I’m alive. I won’t forget this favor.”
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Ner looked up at me, gently holding onto my sleeve.
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Then she replied in a raised voice.
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“...Yes.”
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We eventually sat next to Shawn.
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The atmosphere of the feast was getting livelier.
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Some skilled members played instruments, and some started singing along with the music.
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Baran brought some drinks for the members, and Theodore appeared with roasted meat.
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Ner’s eyes were fixed on the meat.
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Her tail was also cautiously swaying.
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I could tell she wanted to eat it.
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Looking at that, I said to her.
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“I’ll bring it. Wait here.”
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“Ah. Thank... Thank you.”
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****
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Ner was amazed by the feast, it was her first time attending such an event.
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Her only similar experience was attending a noble ball.
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But this feast before her was quite different.
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It was more primitive, yet the people seemed happier.
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They were bursting with laughter, and everyone showed their true selves.
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This unpretentious celebration somehow appealed to her more.
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From afar, Berg was surrounded by members, laughing and enjoying the celebration due to his marriage.
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Even without getting close, it was apparent that he was receiving jokes from the others.
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Seeing Berg in such a state, Ner smiled and eagerly waited for his return.
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At the same time, she noticed a strange sight in the village.
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Some women were looking at her with displeasure.
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Feeling the animosity, Ner cautiously asked Shawn next to her.
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“Can I ask you a question?”
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“Yes, of course.”
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“Why... does it seem like those people don’t like me? Do the werewolves are hated by humans?”
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Shawn looked around as Ner questioned him.
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And just as Ner described, he burst into laughter while looking at the people giving her strange looks.
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Watching Shawn laugh for a while, Ner was puzzled.
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Finally, after calming his laughter, Shawn spoke.
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“Those people?”
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“Yes.”
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“…They are all people who liked the vice-captain.”
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“......Really?”
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Ner blinked at his surprising words.
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The women giving her looks of animosity were not just one or two.
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“All of them? Aren’t there too many? Rather hating werewolves is-”
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“No, all of them. Ner-nim, the vice-captain is extremely popular.”
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Ner fell silent as Shawn spoke.
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“The werewolf’s standard of beauty may be different, but from the human perspective, the vice-captain is handsome, wealthy, fit, and although gruff, he is kind and gentle. It’s strange if you don’t fall for him after just hearing him speak.”
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Ner looked at her husband, Berg.
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She realized that she had married someone like that.
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Shawn giggled next to her and announced one more fact.
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“By the way, among those people, no one has dared to make a move on the vice-captain.”
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“....Really?”
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“Ner-nim is the first one. It’s the first time I have seen a woman touch the vice-captain. Today, when you were lying on the hoarse and leaning on the vice-captain’s chest, I thought it was a dream.”
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Ner felt her temperature rising.
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For some reason, she felt hot. When she turned her eyes to Berg, he was coming towards them with a plate in one hand and a drink in the other.
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In the meantime, a woman approached him. She had heavy makeup and revealing clothes, giving off an air of promiscuity.
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With a raised voice, Shawn said to Ner.
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“Look, she’s going over there. Uh-oh...”
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Ner felt tense for some reason.
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Soon, the woman stood in front of Berg.
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Since the distance was close, her voice could be heard.
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“Brother, you look handsome today. How about being with me...”
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The woman naturally tried to touch Berg’s chest.
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Upon that, Berg’s expression turned colder than ever as he said.
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“Don’t touch me.”
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The woman shut her mouth like a bee stung.
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Berg passed by her.
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Shawn burst into laughter next to Ner.
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However, Ner’s heart sank as she looked at Berg’s cold expression.
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She realized that he was someone who could have such a chilly expression.
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She had a feeling that she knew why people said he hated women.
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But as Berg approached Ner, his expression softened.
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By the time he was right in front of her, he even had a smile on his face.
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“Here.”
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He handed Ner a plate with meat on it.
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Ner accepted the plate and felt a warm emotion for some reason.
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The fact that he treated her like this again made her feel special.
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“Thank you.”
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Ner said.
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Berg nodded his head.
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Shawn teased from the side.
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“He’s only warm to his woman.”
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“…”
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Afterward, Ner mustered up the courage.
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He asked her to act as a friendly couple.
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He might even dislike her touching him.
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He might be holding back his emotions for the sake of other members.
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...Of course, on the other hand, her acting didn’t seem very convincing so far.
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Regardless, now that she knew the significance of this feast as a mourning event, she understood that she needed to continue the act more than ever.
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Ner cautiously picked up a piece of meat and handed it to Berg.
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Berg smiled and tried to take the meat with his hand.
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But Ner closed her eyes tightly and pushed the meat towards his mouth.
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Berg’s approaching hand stopped.
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Soon after, he smiled and took the meat she handed to his mouth and ate it.
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Afterward, Ner quickly withdrew her hand.
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“Thank you.” Berg said.
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His words carried a complex meaning of gratitude.
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Ner nodded her head with a smile.
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– – – End of Chapter – – –
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