28
Yeon Ji-ho was currently curled up in Set’s large robe, basking in the warmth of the campfire. Nearby, his wet clothes, which seemed to have been washed from somewhere, were spread out.
The cave in the forest was quite cold in the early morning. As Yeon Ji-ho blew warm air into his palms, someone approached from outside the cave. It was Set.
“Ji-ho.”
Set, who had rushed over in a single step, briefly set down what he was holding. Then he checked on Yeon Ji-ho’s condition.
Since confessing his feelings in the morning, Yeon Ji-ho had been in that state. He was anxious about not being able to do anything for Yeon Ji-ho, and whenever Yeon Ji-ho let out even a small groan from muscle pain, Set would apologize with a guilty expression.
…In other words, he had the face of someone who had truly fallen in love.
“What is that? Is it a rabbit?”
“It’s a low-level monster. The meat tastes pretty good even if you just grill it.”
Since it had long ears, Yeon Ji-ho naturally thought it was a rabbit, but it turned out to be a monster. As Yeon Ji-ho stared blankly at what Set was holding, Set, who had drawn his sword, hesitated. He spoke while hiding the palm-sized dagger made from the sword and the rabbit-shaped monster from Yeon Ji-ho’s view with his body.
“Ji-ho, it might look cruel to you. Close your eyes.”
“…Huh? I’ve seen chickens being slaughtered in the countryside when I was young.”
When he was young, he had seen various slaughter scenes while going back and forth to his grandmother’s house in the countryside and following his parents who had opened a pension. Even when he went to the market with Set, he could see a cow being slaughtered every market day.
Still, Set did not show Yeon Ji-ho the slaughtering process with a determined face. He could understand what kind of image Yeon Ji-ho had in his mind.
“Are you just going to grill it and eat it like that?”
Set skillfully completed the slaughtering, more adeptly than expected. When he turned back, it looked no different from the meat sold in a regular supermarket.
Set, who was about to skewer it on a well-prepared stick to grill, paused at Yeon Ji-ho’s question. He nodded briefly.
“Hmm. It would be nice to have some seasoning, but we don’t have that right now… Ah, wait a moment.”
Yeon Ji-ho briefly stood up. He approached his robe, which he had taken off to one side the night before. It was the only piece of clothing he had worn that wasn’t wet and was half-torn.
The robe that Apophis had brought from somewhere was of better quality than Yeon Ji-ho had expected, and it even had a small pocket inside. He rummaged through it.
He had put something in the pocket before leaving the night before because there was no room in his bag. Yeon Ji-ho smiled as he took it out and shook it lightly. A cheerful sound of ‘chacka-chacka’ rang out.
“Ta-da.”
“What is this?”
“It’s seaweed flakes… Well, I packed anything that could be eaten easily, so it was in my bag.”
Yeon Ji-ho tore open the packaging of the seaweed flakes, which was about the size of his palm.
“Originally, it’s meant to be sprinkled on rice, but we have to make it now.”
As the meat on the stick was almost cooked, Yeon Ji-ho carefully lifted it. Each time Yeon Ji-ho held the skewer of meat in front of the campfire, Set watched with a nervous expression.
He gently sprinkled the seaweed flakes over the fully cooked meat. As the black seaweed and yellow sesame seeds were mixed and placed on top, it looked quite appetizing.
Of course, Yeon Ji-ho was not someone who usually used seaweed flakes in this way. But he thought that familiar flavors were the most delicious, and somehow, it seemed like it would taste good even without trying. Yeon Ji-ho offered the part well-coated with seaweed flakes to Set’s mouth.
“Ah.”
“…Ah.”
In fact, if counting the times, it had been quite a while since Yeon Ji-ho had directly fed Set. Yet, Set still opened his mouth with an awkward expression. The funny thing was that he had never once refused.
Naturally, Set thought the taste of the meat would be no different from what he knew, but when it touched his tongue, he was taken aback by the umami flavor. He looked down at the meat in surprise and said,
“It tastes completely different from what I had on the battlefield.”
“It’s the advantage of modern civilization. Isn’t it amazing how just this little thing can completely change the flavor?”
Yeon Ji-ho also carefully took a bite of the meat, and then he too looked at the new dish he had made with a surprised expression.
“What is this? Why is it so delicious?”
“…Ji-ho, is this your first time eating it?”
“It’s my first time sprinkling it on meat. Does seaweed flakes usually go well with meat? Or is it just this monster meat that’s particularly good?”
Yeon Ji-ho pondered seriously with a thoughtful expression. Should he consider opening a seaweed-flake barbecue restaurant?
The seaweed-flake grilled meat quickly disappeared into the stomachs of the two. They were extremely hungry since they hadn’t eaten since last night. Of course, it could also be due to the vigorous activity from the previous night.
After finishing the meal, Set tidied up the campfire they had used. The fire was just about to go out.
“Ji-ho. There’s a water source nearby; how about we go there?”
Unlike Set, who had been busy moving around since morning and had a quick drink, Yeon Ji-ho was stuck in the cave, struggling with muscle pain. At the suggestion, Yeon Ji-ho nodded with a delighted expression.
“Let’s go!”
While following Set, Yeon Ji-ho was busy lifting the robe that was quite large for him. Eventually, only after Set helped him lift his clothes could he move more freely.
What soon became visible was a clean river where animals were drinking water in the distance.
“Set, are you a good swimmer?”
“Just survival swimming.”
When Set nodded, Yeon Ji-ho’s face brightened. Soon, Yeon Ji-ho threw off the robe he was wearing and jumped into the river.
Splash!
Naturally, Set was startled. He couldn’t help but be flustered when Yeon Ji-ho suddenly fell into the water. Then Yeon Ji-ho popped his head up.
“Ji-ho!”
“Set, help me!”
Seeing him floundering, Set was momentarily, just for a moment, at a loss for what to do. He didn’t even remember that he had entered the river on his own and hurriedly took off his shirt and jumped into the water.
Splash…
It was a sharp and short sound, unlike when Yeon Ji-ho fell. Set quickly swam towards the floundering Yeon Ji-ho… Wait, was he floundering?
“It’s refreshing, isn’t it?”
With his heart still racing, Set was taken aback by Yeon Ji-ho’s relaxed tone, as if he were an uncle entering a bathhouse. Only then did Set realize that Yeon Ji-ho had been teasing him.
“…Ji-ho.”
“Yes, Set. I forgot to mention, but I’m actually a really good swimmer.”
“…”
Set’s heterochromatic eyes were suddenly filled with feelings of injustice, betrayal, and sorrow. It was only natural since he had thought Yeon Ji-ho was drowning and rushed to follow him.
“Don’t look at me like that; I just wanted to play together.”
“Ji-ho… Don’t do that again. I… I don’t think my heart can take it.”
Sighing deeply, Yeon Ji-ho chuckled at Set. He splashed water playfully at Set, who had a serious expression.
“Sometimes, I feel like you see me as too fragile. Here, sure, I can’t use magic or swords, so it might seem that way, but in my world, I’m not seen as weak at all.”
“Is that… why it upset you?”
“Not exactly, um.”
Yeon Ji-ho fumbled for words while stroking his chin.
“I’m not someone who needs to be protected all the time. Such a relationship wouldn’t allow for a proper romance, would it?”
“I see… What? Ji-ho, what did you just say…?”
Set, who had been nodding in agreement, suddenly understood his words and widened his eyes. Then he saw Yeon Ji-ho smiling brightly.
His face, shining as he looked at Set from the sparkling surface of the water, was dazzling. In that moment, Set felt his heart stop, and he couldn’t even breathe as he gazed at him.
Beautiful. More than anything he had ever seen.
“Over here, over here! Apophis! The lord is here!”
And then, a lively voice broke the silence. Yeon Ji-ho quickly looked up to see Isquis flapping his arms as he flew in the air.
“Lord! We waited for a signal, but since you didn’t send one, we came to find you ourselves!”
Set’s expression hardened. Isquis, floating in the air, was too busy laughing to notice Set’s grim face.
Finally, Isquis slowly glided down to the riverbank. At that moment, something caught Set’s eye.
It was Yeon Ji-ho, completely bare after throwing off his robe. Set quickly swam over to him, closing the distance between them, and hugged him tightly, making sure Isquis couldn’t see.
“Damn it, Isquis! Get lost right now!”
“Eh? All of a sudden? Why? I just wanted to take a bath with you… Huh.”
At Isquis’s sulky retort, Set conjured a sword in his hand. Without hesitation, he threw the sword at Isquis.
Thanks to flying, Isquis managed to dodge it and began to back away cautiously. A powerful killing intent was emanating from Set.
As Isquis moved away, Set hugged Yeon Ji-ho’s body again. It was a ploy to keep him from being seen by Isquis even a little. Yeon Ji-ho couldn’t bring himself to scold Set, who kept clinging to him annoyingly.
“Damn it, Ji-ho, why are you so pretty?”
Set kept muttering to himself, and his face was filled with sincerity.
Author: Hyacinthus B
Hyacinthus
