Ch.6868. It was soft.

I can’t sleep tonight.

After tossing and turning several times, Chloe sighed and got up from her bed. Even forcing her eyes shut only made her more alert rather than drowsy. As she stared blankly at the dreary ceiling, she could hear the patter of raindrops tapping against the window in the silence.

The rainy season had begun. The relentless downpour cooled the sweltering heat. Chloe pulled up her blanket and wrapped it around herself.

“Cold…”

The words escaped her lips unconsciously. The orphanage building was old, with many holes scattered throughout. The chilly outside air was seeping through those gaps. Chloe approached the window with the blanket draped around her. Boom! A bright flash of lightning illuminated the room, followed by a thunderous roar that struck her eardrums.

“Ugh.”

Her shoulders trembled involuntarily, and her eyes closed. Since childhood, Chloe had been afraid of lightning. Though she had improved as an adult, her body still instinctively curled up in fear.

As she gazed at the scenery outside for a while, memories of her childhood surfaced.

‘Are you scared?’

On rainy days like today, Chloe would fall asleep nestled in the arms of the older girls she lived with. Frightened by the lightning strikes, she would pull the blanket over her head, and the older girls would laugh and cover her ears.

‘It’s okay. We’re here for you.’

Hearing those whispers, holding their hands, chatting about trivial things until she eventually fell asleep… and when she woke up, the sky would be clear again.

Chloe smiled faintly.

But when she turned around and looked at her room, that smile faded. Now there was no one to share warmth with like before.

Since becoming an adventurer, Chloe had been using a room by herself. The income she earned from dungeons greatly helped the orphanage, so they gave her a private room as a consideration.

Chloe hadn’t refused Lucas’s proposal.

By that time, the family members she knew had long been captured by the Underhand Clan and dragged to the red-light district. She wanted to protect them but couldn’t. The girls disappeared one by one, starting with the oldest.

Julie, who always acted as the eldest sister and took care of the children, remained dignified until the end. Even in front of rough men, she didn’t lose her spirit and shouted defiantly.

‘Don’t touch anyone else! Just take me, just me. That’s enough, isn’t it?’

The girls couldn’t say anything, just trembling in the corner, watching Julie leave with fear-stricken eyes.

Emma, who was particularly close to Chloe, said that Julie would return soon. It was just a matter of paying off the debt, right? Julie was strong, so she would surely endure. Maybe she was even biting those guys’ balls off right now.

‘Yeah!’

At that joke, Chloe’s stiff lips curled up into a bright smile.

But after a month—Emma was taken away.

From then on, Chloe couldn’t smile anymore. Mary, Anne, Sarah, Alma… the names of the sisters who had left were engraved in her heart like scars.

She needed to earn money.

It was because they had no money that Lucas had fallen into debt, leading to this situation.

She killed monsters in dungeons. It wasn’t enough. At this rate, she couldn’t pay off the debt. Her loved ones were still suffering. She had to be strong. What she was going through was nothing compared to the pain her sisters were enduring.

While pushing herself ruthlessly like that, she met Harald.

‘Are you crazy enough to want to die?’

At that time, even Chloe herself thought she was obsessively fixated on money and maintained sharp edges toward others… in other words, she had a nasty personality.

‘Join our party.’

‘…I don’t need it. I’m fine on my own.’

‘You fool. No one’s going to believe that when you look like a drenched mouse.’

But Harald and his party members accepted Chloe without showing any complaints. Even without knowing her circumstances, they subtly gave her a larger share of the earnings. They taught her adventurer knowledge and supported her so she wouldn’t break.

While staying with the party, Chloe suddenly realized she was smiling.

She was startled. This wasn’t right. She still hadn’t rescued her family. What was there to be happy about? She was so angry at herself that she erased her smile again.

The Underhand Clan periodically took girls from the orphanage. Nothing had been resolved.

After frantically conquering dungeons and repeatedly falling asleep exhausted upon returning, one day.

‘What, you’re Rex?’

She met him.

Soft golden hair like rye stalks and blue eyes. To be honest, her first impression wasn’t great. He seemed innocent and weak. She thought he wouldn’t be able to properly kill monsters in dungeons.

She was wrong. Rex was an extraordinary boy beyond Chloe’s imagination. A genius incomparable to herself. Yet he wasn’t arrogant and showed a humble attitude toward others—a kind person. She suddenly wanted to get closer to him. When Rex decided to join the party, she secretly rejoiced inside.

‘From now on, call me Chloe.’

‘Is that okay?’

‘If you don’t like it, don’t!’

‘Thank you. Chloe.’

Since they were similar in age, they decided to speak informally. Fifteen? That’s three years younger than me. He’s like a little brother, right? Thinking this, she rolled around in bed, smirking to herself, but then thoughts of the orphanage would bring an uncontrollable wave of depression.

‘If he knew I was an orphan… if he knew about the debt, would he be disappointed?’

No. She muttered this, but she couldn’t shake off the possibility. Afraid of disappointment, she decided to hide it. The debt was almost paid off anyway. She resolved to tell him once all problems were solved.

But.

Her heart softened. To Chloe, Rex was like spring. The spring sunshine melted her frozen heart. Every moment with him—their eyes meeting, his gentle smile—was sweet. She began to feel happiness. She didn’t want to lose Rex when she had no time to be distracted.

Maybe he would understand me.

‘Can you spare a little more time?’

Before she knew it, the words had already left her mouth. Her heart sank, but fortunately, things went well. Rex wasn’t disappointed at all to learn she was an orphan. Seeing his reaction, Chloe felt as if something heavy that had been clogging her insides was washing away.

‘It’s okay.’

Now all she had to do was pay off the remaining debt and rescue her captured sisters and brothers. That’s what she thought.

‘I’m sorry, Chloe… I’m ashamed.’

It was a delusion. Reality hadn’t changed at all. The world whispered that happiness was too much for her. That she could never be free. That she should quickly stop her foolish greed.

A sharp pain pressed down on her heart.

The higher you fall from, the more it hurts.

It hurts.

It hurts so much.

“Ah…”

Chloe clutched her chest and opened her mouth. A sound with no meaning or emotion, just a mere resonance, flowed out. She wanted to vomit out everything inside, but she had forgotten how to scream.

“…Haha.”

Laughter came out. She hated herself for not being able to shatter the unfairness that had befallen her, and the situation itself—resigned to doing nothing but staring out the window—seemed ridiculous.

‘Why is there no one by my side?’

She felt lonely. She was about to collapse, but no one was there to lift her up.

‘Should I give up? Everything.’

She wanted to let go of paying off the orphanage’s debt, rescuing her captured sisters and brothers… she wanted to release it all now.

“Yes. Let’s do that.”

Just as she nodded with a self-deprecating laugh.

—Knock knock.

A voice was heard.

“Chloe, are you there?”

At those words cutting through the sound of rain, Chloe’s eyes widened. A truly familiar voice. It was late at night. He couldn’t possibly be at the orphanage, she denied for a moment, but her hand was already reaching for the door. Carefully pulling the doorknob, a boy awkwardly scratching his cheek came into view through the gradually opening door.

“Rex…?”

“Yeah. It’s me.”

Chloe looked up and down at the unexpected visitor—Rex—with a bewildered face. His wet hair clung to his cheeks, and water dripped from his entire body. Since it was pouring outside, he must have gotten soaked on his way here. As she stared at him blankly, her gaze suddenly met his vivid blue eyes.

Chloe opened the door completely, fidgeting.

“C-come in.”

“Thanks.”

“And… use this to dry off. You’ll catch a cold.”

Rex dried himself with the towel Chloe handed him. After putting down his equipment one by one, including his breastplate, and taking off his thin tunic, his well-trained muscles were revealed. Chloe tried to quickly avert her gaze but froze.

As if scratched by sharp claws, a long scar ran diagonally across Rex’s upper body. From the collarbone to the pelvis.

What kind of injury could have left such a terrible scar? Chloe reached out to Rex’s body as if entranced, then startled, stepped back.

“I’m done.”

Rex, who had been vigorously rubbing his face with the towel, put his tunic back on. Chloe cleared her throat and spoke.

“What brings you here? At this late hour.”

“I have something to tell you.”

Rex stared at Chloe with calm eyes. Feeling somehow embarrassed, Chloe blushed and lowered her head.

In her mind, she was repeating what Rex had just said.

Something to tell me? Is it important? It must be important for him to come all the way here at this late hour. What could it be? Could it be—

Her thoughts were interrupted.

“The Underhand Clan. You know them, right?”

At those sudden words, Chloe’s eyes widened. The joy of Rex’s visit, the sound of the pattering rain, those blue eyes—everything was forgotten. Her head was buzzing. It felt like being sucked into something. Her breathing quickened, and nausea rose from within. Chloe covered her mouth.

She hadn’t told Rex yet. Did that man tell him? Or was it Lucas? Either way, it was a situation Chloe desperately wanted to avoid. She had revealed being an orphan only after much deliberation. She didn’t want to disclose the massive debt yet.

“I-I wasn’t trying to hide it. I, I was. Really, I mean…”

Her skin trembled. She needed to make some excuse, but the words wouldn’t come out properly. They kept getting stuck in her throat, and Chloe gasped for breath roughly.

“…Chloe?”

That gaze, looking at her with narrowed eyes and a worried face, pierced through her lungs like an awl. It was painful. She wanted to run away. She felt ashamed. A whirlwind of words that couldn’t form sentences raged in her head.

“It’s okay.”

Chloe, who had been hanging her head low, blinked at the warm sensation on her head. Rex stroked Chloe’s hair with a careful touch, as if handling a fragile glass.

“It’s all over, Chloe.”

Rex’s lips were contorted. Though he was trying to force a smile, anyone could see that Rex was angry. That anger was directed not at Chloe, but at someone else.

“The Underhand Clan is gone now. The captured people will return. The orphanage’s debt has also disappeared.”

“…What?”

To her, looking up at him with empty eyes, Rex smiled and said,

“No one will bother you anymore. It’s been hard, hasn’t it? Not being able to live freely, carrying a heavy burden all by yourself. It’s okay now.”

It took a very long time to understand the meaning of those words. After a long silence, Chloe said in a trembling voice,

“Did you… do this?”

Rex nodded with a bitter smile.

Chloe.

She felt as if a thin, long thread in her mind had snapped. I. An irresistible impulse boiled up. You. As an intense emotion she had never experienced before rose up, suddenly she found herself.

Whoosh!

Chloe roughly embraced Rex. The entangled couple fell onto the bed with a thud. Red hair cascaded down, touching Rex’s face. Chloe breathed heavily without saying a word. Her excited breath tickled Rex’s nose.

“C-Chloe?”

Rex opened his mouth with a bewildered face. Chloe didn’t answer. Instead, she firmly gripped Rex’s shoulders with both arms, as if to prevent him from escaping. Her golden pupils, filled with a strange heat, scanned the boy.

“Wait. Calm—”

“Why?”

Chloe cut off Rex’s words.

“Why… are you always so kind to me?”

In a heavily suppressed voice, Chloe asked. Plop. Rex closed his mouth at the droplet falling on his cheek, then answered with a gentle smile.

“Because you’re precious.”

“…What?”

“Because I didn’t want to lose you. Because I didn’t want to see you suffering. Because I wanted to continue laughing together with you in the future. And above all, the biggest reason is…”

Rex said in a playful tone,

“I wanted to keep eating the lunch boxes you make. If you make a sad face, tears might get into the lunch box. That wouldn’t be good. I don’t really like salty tastes.”

Chloe thought,

‘Ah.’

This won’t do.

Her pounding heart felt like it would burst, and she couldn’t hold back anymore. Chloe’s fingertips quietly cupped Rex’s chin. And then.

“Chloe? Mmph—!”

It was soft.