Originally, he had planned to travel to Kings River, one of the six cities.
However, Calix changed his mind.
The closest city was Lyon, but that wasn’t an option since the city’s officials put a huge bounty on his head.
‘I should head to Black Castle then.’
It was a bustling place with the largest population.
Plus, the woman’s magic stone necklace pointed towards Black Castle, so perhaps he might find someone there who knew her.
Despite knowing the necklace was fake, Calix had no choice but to think this way because he couldn’t take responsibility for her.
‘Maybe Black Castle already put a bounty on my head, too….’
His heart sank with this thought, but he quickly shook off the ominous feeling since he was already prepared for the worst-case scenario.
He planned to seek help from a mercenary guild in the city to get fake identification.
He could then leave the woman at the city inn or a local restaurant.
She was unable to speak, but she could still do simple chores like cleaning or washing dishes.
‘Yeah, that would be quite generous of me.
Helping a stranger, even without knowing her name, to this extent is more than enough,’
He convinced himself, deliberately ignoring the woman’s gaze that constantly sought his attention.
He avoided looking back, fearing their eyes might meet.
Fortunately, they came upon a stream soon after.
Calix stopped and turned to look at the woman, who seemed clueless about why he had brought her here.
He gestured towards the bubbling stream.
“Wash up.”
The woman blinked her large eyes and just stood there, doing nothing.
Calix sighed deeply, as if wishing the ground would swallow him up.
Any attempt to initiate a proper communication was a complete waste of time since she couldn’t understand even a single word. This chapter is updated first at g.com.
‘How did I get myself into this mess….’
“Come here.”
The woman, burdened with his belongings, had no hands free to wipe her face.
Eventually, he had to grasp her shoulder to pull her towards himself.
Sitting her down beside him, he began to wash her as he would have washed a puppy he had raised in the temple during his childhood.
The pig grease, caked on her skin, did not come off easily despite repeatedly wetting and wiping.
He reached for a handkerchief in the bag she was holding.
“Umph.”
But the woman acted as if she would never hand it over, clutching his belongings close, like a dog hiding his oh-so valuable bone.
She was stubborn, to say the least, leading Calix to click his tongue in resignation.
“Fine, have it your way.”
He wiped the sleep from around her eyes and cleaned off some unknown gunk stuck in her hair.
By this point, she should have been able to put down the luggage and wash herself, but she never loosened her grip.
She just quietly let Calix do whatever he wanted with her face.
“Now blow your nose.”
When he put his hand near her face, she blew her nose.
Calix, wiping her snot on his own hand, felt a slight sense of regret and self-doubt.
“What am I doing here…”
The entire situation felt so absurd to him.
He shook his head to clear his complicated feelings, but he still couldn’t find the right answer to his own question.
He just couldn’t stand to look at her disheveled state.
They couldn’t communicate, so he had no choice but to wash her with his own hands.
‘All I have to do is get to the city ASAP.
Then, find someone else who could babysit this woman.
If she’s out of my sight, she won’t be on my mind anymore.’
Even though she’s an outsider, she was still a human being who deserved to live.
After all, Calix himself was once a knight who served the divine teachings and purposes of god, so he just couldn’t leave any innocent life behind in danger. New chapters come out on novelping.com first.
Calix decided to rationalize his actions this way.
* * *
“Hey….”
Calix swallowed the hot emotions that was rising within him.
He barely restrained himself from yelling at her to go away.
Instead, he warned the woman clinging to him from behind in a quiet, yet firm and determined voice.
“Stay back.”
He was closing his eyes so he couldn’t see her, but he could imagine her expression well enough.
Probably flinching like a puppy that had been beaten, gauging his reaction….
“Ha….”
It was pitiful, but he couldn’t sleep like this.
They were too close.
Far too close.
Calix harshly took back the hem of his clothing that the woman was clutching onto.
He sat up and pointed to the other side of the campfire.
“Go. Over there.”
How many times had it been already?
Each time he detached himself, she whimpered and crept back to his side, quietly clutching the hem of his clothing.
“Go. Go away!”
He had never been this close to his training mates back at the temple, let alone held a woman’s hand.
“….”
Calix looked down at the woman beside him, feeling suffocated.
Her face, not fully cleaned of the pig fat, shone slickly.
Under the dim light of the campfire, her presence felt irresistibly seductive.