MRPO:06

CHAPTER:06

Listening to his sleeping master’s soft, rhythmic breathing, Callion fell into a complicated state of mind.

‘What was that feeling?’

He slowly rubbed his chest, which had healed completely without a trace. Rubbing his smooth, scarless skin—as if the memory of having it torn open by a monster’s claws was nothing but a dream—gave him a strange sensation.

‘Is it because it feels too surreal that my wound healed so miraculously, or is it because…’

He raised his left hand and stared down at the back of it. Feeling as though the sensation of Juin’s lips still lingered there, Callion slowly clenched and unclenched his fist.

An impulse to press his own lips against the back of his hand welled up, but he barely managed to shake it off.

‘What is wrong with me?’

To calm his racing heart, he turned his gaze outside.

The mountain, shrouded in darkness, was quiet. Since there was no sign of monsters nearby, they wouldn’t be attacked for the time being.

Only when the distant chirping of insects began to fade did he finally turn his head to look down at Juin beside him.

She was curled up, sleeping while lightly leaning against Callion. A small, warm body. How could such an incredible power be hidden inside a frame so fragile it felt as though it would break at a touch?

Callion stared blankly at the back of Juin’s tiny head as she slept, recalling the first time he met her.

.

.

.

It was by pure chance that Callion, wandering the mountains as usual to hunt monsters, stumbled upon unfamiliar traces.

Traces of someone who had briefly stayed in that spot.

Crushed fallen leaves where they had sat, and loose grains of dirt scattered along footsteps.

It seemed not like a traveler crossing the mountain, but as if something had dropped straight out of the sky, lingered for a moment, and then trudged off elsewhere.

For some reason, those traces caught his eye. Without even thinking of moving on, Callion stared blankly at the empty spot.

How long had he been standing there?

The presence he thought had vanished was felt again from a distance. *Thud, thud.* It didn’t take long for the owner of the slightly unsteady footsteps to appear.

— Oh… a person?

She was a petite woman. Though dressed in worn-out traveling clothes, her posture and expression were far from those of a wanderer.

It felt as though a supreme being, detached from everything in the world, had descended here in awkward human garments. Even though she stood right before his eyes, she seemed so fleeting, as if she might vanish at any second.

Her naive, innocent appearance—so utterly out of place in a desolate mountain infested with monsters—was precisely the most suspicious thing here, the kind of sight that demanded the utmost vigilance.

It wouldn’t have been strange to assume she was a monster disguised as a human, yet Callion felt no desire to attack her.

— Why are you in a place like this?

— I don’t know either. I lost consciousness for a moment, and when I woke up…

It was strange. If she wasn’t wandering or on the run, there was no reason for a woman who couldn’t even defend herself to be roaming these mountains alone. Approaching someone so suspicious was suicide. He should have drawn his sword, cut her down, and left. That was the absolute rule of a monster hunter.

But Callion did not draw his sword. Instead, he reached out his hand.

She felt so out of place in this desolate landscape, as if she might scatter like mist at any moment, claiming she didn’t belong here—and he wanted to hold onto her.

So that she could remain here.

He wanted to become her protective shield, so she could blend into the deeply foreign surroundings.

It was not a mere protective instinct to safeguard a fragile being, but closer to a yearning—like reaching out to grasp a mysterious treasure found in the fog, desperately hoping it wasn’t an illusion.

He had no idea why he had such absurd thoughts upon seeing a suspicious woman for the first time, but that question was soon answered.

— My name is Juin.

Juin. The moment he heard that name, Callion fully understood why he was acting so unlike himself.

Because she was his master.

.

.

.

— I’m sorry. If only I could take away your pain instead…

He was not afraid of getting hurt. Callion was not weak enough to faint from a mere slash to his chest. He could endure the pain of the wound. He had to protect his master.

But when she grabbed his hand, Callion’s entire body froze. The moment her lips touched the back of his hand, all of his thoughts shattered.

It felt as if he had lost control of his own body.

Unable to look away, he stared down at her small head gently pressing her lips against the back of his hand, thinking that time had stopped. Had it not been for his wildly pounding heart, he would have thought he was dead.

It was then that a sharp throb rippled through his chest, and his wound began to knit together. It felt as though his body were being kneaded like dough, filling in the gaping wound and sifting out the pain.

Even as he felt the wound heal at an unbelievable speed, Callion could not take his eyes off Juin.

Only when the pain finally subsided and the wound had completely closed did he manage to move his lips.

— …Juin.

As he called her name, her soft lips parted from the back of his hand. She raised her head and looked at him. A relieved smile briefly touched her flushed face before her eyes closed, and she collapsed into Callion’s arms like a doll with its strings cut.

— Juin!

Callion hastily pulled her into his embrace. She rested her hand on his chest, panting heavily with furrowed brows.

Why would his perfectly fine master suddenly collapse?

Had his wound somehow transferred to her?

Terrified by the memory of the words she had spoken before kissing his hand, Callion tried to check her body for any injuries.

But the moment he touched her light, soft body, he froze once more.

For her body was so small and delicate that he feared her bones might break if he handled her carelessly.

— Juin, Juin…

In the end, unable to do anything, Callion could only call out her name in desperation.

He felt her ragged breathing, buried against his chest, gradually begin to stabilize. In his arms, she caught her breath, nuzzling her small face against his chest. Callion grew dazed at the sensation of her fine, scattered hair tickling his skin.

Like a newborn puppy burrowing into its mother’s embrace, Juin buried her face in his chest and slowly exhaled. Her soft, warm breath felt like it was slowly crawling over his skin.

Her soft flesh could be felt even through her clothes. The rapid beating of her heart beneath it pulsed against his palm.

Forgetting that he even needed to check on his master’s condition, Callion became intoxicated by the sensation.

It was Juin’s voice that dragged him back to reality from his stupor.

— Ugh, Callion. I’m sorry…

His consciousness, which had been so hazy he felt they might melt into one, snapped back. The moment he met Juin’s eyes in his arms, his face flushed bright red. It burned so hot, as if on fire, that Callion couldn’t think straight. He didn’t even know what he was saying, or if he was even speaking at all.

Flustered, Juin pulled away from him. As her warmth left his arms, his chest felt hollow and empty.

An inexplicable surge of emotion welled up inside him, making Callion turn his head and bite his lip. In contrast to his pounding heart and feverish skin, a strange anxiety and emptiness kept urging him on.

To touch her just once more.

‘I mustn’t. To dare harbor… such impure thoughts toward the one who healed me.’

Performing such a high level of healing magic naturally took a toll on the caster. The proof was that she had collapsed the moment she finished treating his wound.

Even knowing she would suffer, she had healed him out of pity for his injuries. Therefore, he had to repay his debt.

Callion untied the knot of his fur cloak and draped it over his sleeping master’s body. Seeing her completely engulfed in the oversized cloak made his heart tickle for some reason.

Very gently, he brushed her hair. Satisfying his selfish desire for just a brief moment under the pretext of brushing aside her stray strands, he made sure she was sleeping peacefully before turning back to look at the night sky.

Even without sleep, there would be no issue recovering his stamina. Feeling his fatigue melt away from the warmth beside him, Callion stayed awake through the night.

* * *

Believing a night’s sleep would restore my strength was a grave miscalculation.

“Juin. Are you alright?”

“Yes, *pant*. I’m… *ugh*, I’m fine. I can walk…”

With every single step, my entire body screamed.

I was currently struggling down a steep, precarious slope, suffering from a sudden onset of muscle aches.

I hadn’t realized it because I’d been sitting down ever since using the magic, but the aftereffects of the healing skill seemed much worse than I had anticipated.

It was bearable when I stayed still, but whenever I tried to move, my limbs creaked as if they didn’t belong to me, making it hard to even maintain my balance.

I really hadn’t wanted to find out how pathetic my stamina was in this manner.

“If you are uncomfortable, shall we rest for a bit before moving on?”

“No. Let’s keep going.”

Normally, we should have arrived at the village last night. But yesterday, we had to flee after encountering a pack of monsters, and today we barely made any progress because I was holding us back.

‘At this rate, I might run out of lifespan and die before we even reach the village.’

Even if this world really was inside a game, to me, it was reality. The monsters were real, and the healing skill was real.

If so, then my short remaining lifespan would undoubtedly become a reality as well.

It was funny how, despite being terminally ill, I had to worry more about immediate survival than my impending death.

…Actually, it wasn’t funny at all.

As I rubbed my eyes, letting out something between a chuckle and a sigh, Callion spoke up with a troubled expression.

“I am terribly sorry. I wish I could carry you on my back, but there is a high probability of monsters nearby, so I must stay alert and keep watch of our surroundings.”

“I know. It’s not something you should be sorry for, Callion. If anything, I’m the one who should be apologizing.”

Callion was deeply apologetic about not being able to carry me, but I wasn’t shameless enough to ride on his back in this situation.

Besides, since monsters could appear at any moment, carrying me would make it difficult for him to use both hands in an emergency.

I heard that bodyguards prioritize watching the surroundings over helping their clients even if it makes them uncomfortable, all to handle emergencies. Callion must be doing the same.

“Please take my hand, Juin.”

“Your hand?”

“It should be safe until we get down past this point.”

After scanning the area, Callion extended his hand, having deemed it safe enough. Just as I thought he was simply offering to steady my steps, my body was suddenly hoisted into the air.

“Whoa, Callion!”

“Pardon me for a moment.”

With that, Callion lightly leaped down from the large boulder.