MRPO :11

CHAPTER :11

“Phew, that was a good wash!”

“!”

*Smack.* A wide piece of fabric slapped right against my lips.

It was the cloth we had been using as a partition screen.

“…?”

Kalion, who had been pressed right against me just a second ago, was gone.

Startled by the sound of Senes coming in, he had bolted.

And to make matters worse, he had yanked the partition down so fast that the fabric fluttered and smacked me in the face.

“…”

It didn’t hurt, but it was more than enough to completely ruin the steamy mood.

Does that jerk have zero tact? Why did he have to walk in *now* of all times!

He could have read the room and given us some space!

And right on cue, the clueless jerk started poking his nose into things.

“Kalion. What’s wrong with your face?”

“I just finished bathing, and I’m hot… Ah, Brother. Don’t go over there. Master is bathing.”

“How slow can one person be to still not be finished? Hey, dead weight. If you stay submerged any longer, you’ll prune up.”

I *am* finished, you absolute jerk!

I barely managed to suppress my exploding rage. My threadbare sanity only ever chose to work at times like this. Clenching my trembling hands into fists to calm myself, I took a deep breath and pulled back the screen.

“Good grief. What is wrong with your look?”

“What about it?”

“Your front is completely unbuttoned. Who are you trying to seduce walking around like that? Did you wash away your common sense along with the dirt?”

Is there no disband party option? I seriously want to kick this jerk out.

I gnashed my teeth. Answering him would only be a waste of energy.

While buttoning up my shirt to suppress my huffing breath, I locked eyes with Kalion, who was watching me with anxious eyes.

“Ahem. I will keep watch.”

Kalion quickly turned around and headed toward the entrance.

*We’re inside a barrier anyway, so there’s no way monsters would attack.*

Should I explain the skills?

But with Senes right here, if I explained them poorly, I’d probably just get a tongue-lashing again.

*Well, nothing I can do.*

Giving up, I returned to the bed Kalion had made for me.

Burying myself deep into the cozy fur cloak, the maddening frustration of having my moment ruined finally subsided just a little.

*It smells so good.*

A soft, refreshing scent.

Since he was a monster hunter, he wouldn’t be wearing perfume, so could this crisp fragrance be Kalion’s natural scent?

*Can a person’s natural scent really be this fragrant?*

I couldn’t quite comprehend it, but hey, a good thing is a good thing. Rubbing my face against the soft fur, my mood began to lift.

I could hear Senes still rambling on in his usual obnoxious tone, but I didn’t have the luxury of paying attention to him right now.

As I snuggled into Kalion’s cozy cloak and gradually calmed down, a soft, mushy feeling welled up inside me.

*We touched slightly earlier…*

Driven by impatient anticipation, I hadn’t been able to resist sticking out my tongue to lick Kalion’s lips.

It was unbelievably soft.

It was the first time a man’s lips had felt so sweet. It was just like whipped cream.

*I should have just grabbed him by the collar, pulled him in, and kissed him.*

Opportunities must be seized when they arise!

I had missed my chance to actually suck on his lips because I was too busy admiring his damp, glistening eyes.

This was the sorrow of losing one’s nation. The despair of a raccoon washing its cotton candy. The agony of a writer losing their manuscript right before the deadline…

If I hadn’t tried it at all, I wouldn’t feel this cheated, but having tasted just a tiny bit with the tip of my tongue and then being torn away made me want to cry from sheer frustration.

I might actually die of regret at this rate.

*Could I make something happen after Senes falls asleep?*

I subtly rolled my eyes toward the entrance to look at Kalion.

As if he had been looking at me too, our eyes met.

Suddenly, a heat surged in my chest as if a ball of fire had settled there, and I quickly lowered my head.

*Thump, thump, thump.*

My heart was beating so loudly I felt like it could be heard outside.

I curled up tighter, trying to suppress my ridiculously pounding heart. My ears tingled.

*It’s fine. Another opportunity will come!*

They say Koreans do everything in threes.

If the first time was the healing guide, and the second was the dud just now, that meant there was still one last chance left.

*Kalion didn’t reject me either. Next time, surely…*

I felt certain that he would accept me more passionately next time.

And it wasn’t a groundless assumption.

When I kissed the back of his hand, I figured it was just because he had an exceptionally shy personality.

But his reaction was different when we crossed paths just now after my bath.

He couldn’t take his eyes off me, and the way his face gradually flushed red was so obvious that there was no missing it.

*Honestly, he was incredibly cute.*

He’s a man much larger than me, strong enough to cut down monsters in a single blow.

If you start finding someone like that cute, isn’t it already game over?

“Why are you grinning like that instead of sleeping? Do you have sleepwalking tendencies or something?”

Yes. I’m going to sleep, you absolute jerk.

Wrapping myself tightly in Kalion’s cloak, I lay down on the rock.

Though it wasn’t as comfortable as a bed, thanks to Kalion’s fresh scent and the cozy feel of the cloak, I fell asleep in no time.

* * *

It was slightly past noon the next day when we arrived at the town.

Since they said it was a town close to the mountain, I had expected a small village vibe, but it was shaped much more like a proper city than I had anticipated.

The wide wooden palisades and watchtowers suggested they were standing guard in shifts, likely to prepare for monster raids. The streets were wide, and the town districts were cleanly laid out.

While residential clusters bordered the outskirts, the center was lined with two-to-three-story commercial buildings. They didn’t just sell food or basic necessities; there were also weapon shops and what looked like magic tool shops.

I walked over to inspect some oddly colored glass bottles lined up on a display stand, but upon seeing a warning label that read, [HANDLE WITH CARE! May cause poisoning upon contact with skin], I promptly took three steps back.

“Master, this way.”

The place Kalion led me to was an inn located on the wide south-western road.

It was a clean, three-story building, and like typical lodgings for travelers, the first floor seemed to house a restaurant-slash-tavern.

The receptionist at the front desk welcomed us warmly.

It wasn’t exactly the textbook professional friendliness meant for any traveler… rather, seeing her blush at the sight of Kalion and Senes, she clearly had a weak spot for handsome men.

I understood.

After looking at all the faces around here that resembled discarded, half-eaten pancakes, seeing such beauties would naturally make anyone’s cheeks rise in genuine joy.

Even if they were scammers trying to sell jade mats, she would probably buy ten without hesitation. So, with them as actual customers, it was only natural she’d feel like falling to her knees.

Of course, I would never under any circumstances fall to my knees for the rude-mouthed Senes.

“Two rooms. One double. Preferably somewhere quiet.”

“Y-yes, of course. A single room is two silver a night, and a double room is three silver.”

Unable to hide her flushed face, the receptionist handed over the keys with a goofy grin.

“They’re at the end of the right hallway on the third floor.”

“Thank you.”

“Oh, it’s nothing! Hohoho.”

They say smiling brings happiness, and looking at handsome men naturally brings smiles.

The inn receptionist looked truly happy.

I seriously had no idea why Kalion was doing something like monster hunting with a face like that.

He’d probably make far more money working in sales than hunting.

“Are your feet glued to the floor? If you can’t move them, should I sling you over my shoulder and carry you up?”

While I was spacing out admiring Kalion’s face, Senes had once again sharpened his tongue.

I wonder if Senes slays monsters with his words instead of a sword. I’ve never actually seen him fight. We encountered a few monsters on our way to the town, but Kalion had taken care of all of them.

The first floor was bustling and noisy, but it definitely grew quiet as we went up to the third floor.

The rooms at the end of the right hallway. Side by side at the end of the corridor, where the afternoon sun streamed through a long window, were the two rooms.

Mine was Room 310. Kalion and Senes were in Room 309.

Though we had slept together in the cave, they had apparently decided to split the rooms here, likely because sharing a single room at an inn was a stretch. It was a logical decision, so I wasn’t surprised, but I did feel a little disappointed.

We had entered this inn together, but we wouldn’t be leaving together.

Kalion’s goal was merely to bring me to town. Once he finished restocking, he would leave.

“Kalion. How long will you stay here?”

“About two days… Ah, please do not worry about your room fee, Master. I will make arrangements so that you can stay at the inn until you find a job.”

Considering that it would take time for me, who had lost my memories, to adapt to an unfamiliar town, Kalion offered to help me look for a job, not to mention covering my living expenses.

It was an overwhelmingly generous offer, yet I wasn’t happy.

I was going to die in three weeks anyway.

It wasn’t as if I had enough days left to warrant getting a job and settling down here.

*I shouldn’t ask him to take me with him, right?*

If only I had at least some combat ability to defend myself.

My Screaming skill was merely a buff for allies and didn’t apply to me, and the same went for my healing skill.

Even my Shelter Creation skill required at least one ally to be with me to activate. If I hid by myself, the system would probably tear down the safe zone, rambling on about how it dislikes lazy righteous people or whatever.

In other words, all of my abilities were skills suited for party play, and the problem was that they were meaningless unless my party members protected me.

And Kalion wasn’t someone who protected people; he was someone who hunted monsters.

“Please go on in, Master.”

Kalion inserted the key into my door and turned it lightly. With a click, the lock released, and the door creaked open.

Through the slightly open gap, a small bed came into view.

I turned my head to look at the room next door. Thanks to the wide-open door, it wasn’t hard to see inside. Senes was pouring out a pile of colorful magic crystals from his inventory, seemingly sorting through their luggage.

“Kalion. I gathered all of yours too. Take them.”

“Got it, Brother.”

Kalion gave me a polite bow.

It meant he was going to restock.

Selling the magic crystals gathered from hunting to make money, and using that money to purchase supplies needed for the next hunt before setting off again.

That was the life of a monster hunter.

Though he wasn’t a traveler, he wasn’t someone who stayed in one place either.

His home was the hunting ground, not a town.

And I was useless on a hunting ground.

*I don’t want to part ways like this.*

On impulse, I grabbed Kalion’s hand.

“Master?”

The moment I grabbed his hand, Kalion’s face flushed slightly, but he didn’t show his fluster and asked gently,

“What is it?”

“The, well, the bedsheets.”

“The bedsheets?”

“I forgot how to change the bedsheets. I was hoping you could help me, Kalion… Would you come into my room?”