episode_0010

“Is there only one tent…?”

“Yes. Unfortunately.”

Sneakily.

Yerina concealed the backpack with an extra tent behind her back as she spoke.

Just one cramped tent.

In this deserted mountain, where no one else was around and they had to spend the night, what kind of person would this man turn out to be?

“He came all the way to Pallana by crossing train for sightseeing? Just by himself? That’s unbelievable.”

It looked suspicious no matter how you saw it.

Pallana is a place so remote that you can count the number of tourists who have visited in the past ten years on one hand.

And he claimed to have walked this mountain path alone without any local guide in Pallana?

It was hard to believe.

“As someone about to become a ruler, I need to test him.”

Yerina Frost, the future ruler of Pallana.

By chance, she met this mysterious man while she was out collecting herbs.

He had no clothes or accessories proving his status as a ruler, not even a weapon.

To him, I must look like an ordinary village girl.

Yerina decided to test him using this fact.

“It gets cold quickly here at night. Shouldn’t we get inside the tent quickly?”

“Uh, okay…”

Once she ushered the man into the tent, things became awkward.

Even if they tried to stick to opposite walls, the tent was so narrow that their backs touched.

The tent soon filled with the sound of wind blowing outside and the rustling of sleeping bags.

“Should I use this sleeping bag?”

“Yes. Why? Is there a problem?”

“No, there isn’t.”

She deliberately handed him a thin sleeping bag with poor insulation.

But the man accepted it without any complaints or objections.

He didn’t seem like the type to take advantage of a situation.

“Even if I end up sharing a bed with a pretty, obedient, cute, innocent country girl, will this man really do nothing?”

It’s best to nip potential trouble in the bud.

If he attempts anything foolish, she planned to restrain him immediately and perhaps even throw him to wild animals as prey.

Yerina closed her eyes tightly, waiting for the imminent danger.

She was poised to break his hand the moment a single hair touched her.

“Huh?”

Despite the passage of time, nothing happened.

Sensing something amiss, Yerina glanced back.

There, she could see the man already wearing the sleeping bag up to his head, lying with his back turned.

“Am I crazy to provoke a woman who can tear a bear apart with her bare hands?”

At that moment, Eugene, overwhelmed by fear, lay stiffly against the ground.

Yerina seemed visibly tense, her ears perked up.

Feeling that even a slight touch might trigger a violent reaction akin to a wild animal howling, Eugene decided to pretend to be asleep.

No matter how hard she looked, Yerina couldn’t detect any signs of movement from Eugene, so she gave up and lay down.

“Don’t let your guard down. He might try something while you’re asleep.”

Yerina thought to herself as she sniffled.

For some reason, her ears drooped as if disappointed.

“Excuse me. Are you awake?”

“…?”

Tap, tap.

Every now and then, she could feel a flinch whenever their backs touched.

When she tried speaking, the flinching intensified.

Caught red-handed for not being asleep yet, Eugene had no choice but to open his mouth.

“Yes. It’s hard to sleep when it’s cold.”

“What’s your name? I haven’t asked you that yet.”

“I’m Eugene.”

“And your family name?”

“My family name is Yu.”

“Haha. Just kidding.”

“Yes, well… Let’s go with that.”

An amusing commoner indeed.

But for a commoner, he seemed quite refined in appearance, attire, and speech.

Seems like he received a decent education.

The thought crossed her mind that she might be the child of a noble family’s employee.

“What is your name, miss?”

“My name? My name is… Yekaterina.”

“Hmm. Yekaterina. What a lovely name.”

Eugene couldn’t help but burst into laughter at the alias that seemed to have been thought up after some contemplation.

Originally, the name Yerina had come from Yekaterina, but due to opinions that it was too long, it was shortened to Yerina.

The person in question had no idea about the backstory of her name.

“Yekaterina. I have one question for you.”

“Ask away.”

“Is it true that you intend to take me to Pallana?”

“… ”

A sharp question devoid of laughter.

Yerina maintained silence for a moment as she carefully chose her words.

She couldn’t fail to understand the implication behind that question.

‘He must have noticed that I’m not heading straight to Pallana.’

There seemed to be a hint of fear in the man’s voice she had just heard, however slight it may have been.

From his perspective, I must seem suspicious.

I must appear as if I am trying to lead him astray and kill him.

Realizing this belatedly, she bit her lip tightly.

It would be troublesome to be misunderstood.

“I-I’m sorry! I didn’t take the wrong path with ill intentions!”

“Haah…”

“Eugene?”

As she turned around hastily to dispel any misunderstandings,

Yerina noticed Eugene making strange breathing sounds and placed her hand on his forehead.

He was cold.

His irregular breathing and pulse, coupled with his lack of response despite being called multiple times, indicated severe hypothermia.

She suddenly remembered that humans were much weaker to cold compared to the subhumans.

All because she hadn’t taken him straight to Pallana.

No, it was because she had only given him a thin sleeping bag.

“Please don’t die…”

Yerina couldn’t help but start to cry.

She had to save him by any means necessary.

If this man died, it would all be her responsibility.

“Ugh… Ugh…”

It felt like a waste of time to consider other options.

Yerina quickly pulled Eugene out of the thin sleeping bag and transferred him to a thicker one.

But this alone wouldn’t be enough to raise his body temperature.

“Haa… Haaa… Hold my hand. What should I do? You’re so cold…”

Without hesitation, Yerina squeezed herself into the cramped sleeping bag alongside him.

In the confined space of the tent, within the even more cramped sleeping bag, the man and woman intertwined to share body heat.

Her curly tail wrapped around Eugene’s cold leg.

His hand was as cold as ice.

Yerina fervently begged him not to die, gently stroking his bluish hands throughout the night.

***

“We’ve arrived now…”

“Was it closer than you thought?”

“Really, I’m so sorry…”

“Haha. No, it’s okay.”

On this early morning filled with chirping birds, we finally arrived in Pallana after two hours of travel.

Yerina, who had been apologizing incessantly since we woke up, looked somewhat sheepish.

It’s really not a big deal.

If I were truly going to die from such a minor case of hypothermia, I would have turned into a cold corpse during the frigid training sessions long ago.

Thanks to Yerina’s warm, almost hot body pressing against mine, I could sleep well, so one could even say it was nice.

Although I was actually conscious at that time, pretending to sleep due to shivering in this cold was so pathetic…

I never dreamed such an event would occur.

“Oh.”

After traversing the rugged forest and clearing branches, the cityscape filled our view.

Just seeing smoke billowing from the chimneys of the densely packed wooden buildings made the heat surge through me.

It was a place akin to Petenbourg’s square modern city or Hameln’s Renaissance European-style city bustling with activity.

Certainly, as a city with an Eastern vibe, the high population density gives off a strong human scent, which I find appealing.

“Could I ask for some guidance about the city?”

“Well, sure. Since I’ve made mistakes too, it’s only fair… Oh, of course! Although I’m just a naive country girl who doesn’t know much about every nook and cranny of the city!”

“…”

Am I still going to stick to this concept?

I’m starting to get a little tired of it.

Following Yeolina’s guidance, I wandered around various parts of the city.

While everything was as per the game settings, I couldn’t afford to explore carelessly.

There might be parts where the system corrects inconsistencies or adds new settings, so I need to pay attention.

“Pallana exports many natural resources, including iron, sulfur, and gems. Despite numerous attempts by powerful nations to invade in pursuit of these resources, we have repelled them all. All of Pallana’s citizens receive basic military training.”

“…”

It resembles a setting from a country in Northeast Asia that enforces conscription for all adult males.

“And here is the palace, where Grand Lord Yeolina Frost resides.”

“Is it okay for me to enter here?”

“Of course. Well…”

“My lord, have you returned?”

Finally, I arrived at the royal palace.

Yeolina’s attendants hurriedly adorned her with a splendid fur coat and crown as she turned back to look at me with a gaze full of curiosity.

It seemed like she was saying, “Surprised?”

“I never said I wasn’t surprised!”

“You were surprised.”

“Lies!”

I was indeed surprised.

Not by Yeolina but by her acting skills, which were even more lackluster than expected.

“Ugh!”

Yeolina blushed slightly, perhaps feeling slighted by my reaction.

She glanced at my waist and asked, “Do you happen to wield a sword?”

“Yes, I have learned swordsmanship.”

“Then let’s spar. Of course, if you think you’ll lose, you can withdraw.”

It seems our Grand Lord Yeolina wants to vent her frustrations on me, legally speaking.

She is one of the strongest believers in a world where one can tear bears apart barehanded.

There seems to be no chance of winning at first glance.

It seems better to face her head-on than to chicken out and become a coward.

“Very well. Let’s have a match.”

Unexpectedly, I readily grasp the hand Yeolina extends to me, causing her eyes to widen slowly. She has something in mind.