You! Don’t Press that Button! - Chap 74
As the day gradually darkened, the temperature dropped. Karhan slowly pulled the reins, stopping the tired horse’s legs.
With a snort from the horse, we settled on a narrow flat area. I had been fine while riding, but as soon as I got off, my feet felt unsteady. While I stumbled to a large tree and leaned against it to regain my senses, Karhan quickly set up the collapsible tent we had brought. Sitting down completely, I watched the tent slowly taking shape when a question suddenly occurred to me.
“Doesn’t it look a bit small?”
There was no way a wealthy duchy would only have such a small tent. Maybe it was enchanted, so the space would expand once we entered? As I examined the small shelter with suspicious eyes, Karhan said:
“Claude must have misunderstood. It seems he prepared a one-person tent for convenience.”
“What? Then…”
Does that mean one of us has to sleep outside by chance?
I alternately looked at the ground covered with dirt and grass and the small tent standing prominently in the middle. I desperately wanted to sleep inside, but if Karhan slept outside and his handsome face got bitten by insects, it might cause an emergency throughout the entire duchy.
Quietly sighing, I prepared to transform into a bird. Flexing the wings on my back, I looked up at Karhan.
“Make sure to take care of my clothes! I need to wear them again tomorrow!”
As much as I wanted to camp in human form, this was better than seeing Karhan’s eyelids swollen from insect bites. With a solemn expression, I thumped my chest with my clenched fist. Trust me, I seemed to say. I wrinkled my nose.
But Karhan grasped my shoulder as if to stop me and chuckled lightly.
“Even if it’s for one person, there’s enough space for two to lie down.”
“Really? It looks so small…”
Still not quite convinced, I trailed off and peeked my head into the tent. It seemed possible if two people hugged tightly without sleep-talking. In that case, it would be better to sleep as a human even if it’s cramped. I nodded, pressing my lips together firmly.
Transforming into a bird is easy, but turning back into a human leaves me naked. With the tent being this small, it would be uncomfortable to put on clothes. Twisting and squirming, I entered the tent and sat down.
Karhan, who was unpacking the rest of the luggage outside, took out a rather large stone from the bag. It was extremely pretty, but it looked like it would weigh a ton.
Why did he bring that? Emergency funds…? But that thought was fleeting, as the stone began to glow ethereally when Karhan’s hand brushed against it. In an instant, everything around us was filled with a blue light.
“Wow. It’s beautiful…”
“It’s called a magic stone. It’s a rock containing the magical power that constructs the world.”
“Do they all glow like this?”
“This one is specially for lighting, so it gives off a particularly pretty light.”
Saying that, Karhan squeezed into the tent. With another adult male entering, it instantly became cramped. I quickly lay down flat against one side, and Karhan lay down next to me, covering us with a blanket. As we snuggled into the blanket, our bodies naturally pressed together, and we could feel each other’s body heat.
“It’s nice and warm.”
I said with a contented smile. It had been a bit chilly in the night forest, but as soon as Karhan’s body made contact, I quickly warmed up. Still, thinking it might be uncomfortable to be too close, I turned my back and scooted my hips away a step. However, before the cold air could seep in, Karhan’s long arm pulled my waist, closing the gap I had just created. His thick forearm wrapped firmly around my waist like a safety belt.
With no space even for a finger between us, I could feel Karhan’s heartbeat through my back. Thump. Thump. The regular, vivid heartbeat gave me a sense of security. I blinked my eyes wide before relaxing. As I followed the flickering blue light beyond my eyelids and started to drift off, a tickling voice softly sounded above my head.
“Sweet dreams.”
A smile naturally spread across my face at the sweet voice wishing me happy dreams. I wriggled my curled-up body and fell into a deep sleep, carried away by the warm body heat.
🐤
After about two days of trekking through mountains and grasslands, we arrived at a village. The atmosphere was a bit different from the Sabon region, with buildings stretching up a bit taller. If they were just a bit higher, they might resemble low-rise apartments of the modern era.
I held Karhan’s hand tightly as we walked. I absolutely wouldn’t let go, as becoming lost would be a disaster for me without a penny to my name. As I trotted along, Karhan entered a clean-looking inn.
“A room for two, please.”
“Yes, sir. Would you like two single beds?”
“One double bed.”
“Understood, sir.”
The innkeeper’s gaze lingered on me for a moment before quickly dropping. I would prefer separate beds. As I watched the innkeeper’s back while he selected a key, I tugged on Karhan’s hand that I was holding and asked:
“Wouldn’t separate beds be more comfortable?”
“A joined bed is larger.”
“Is that so?”
It seems the bed sizes in this world are all mixed up. Being always confined to the mansion, there was so much information I didn’t know. Bed sizes are inconsistent, friends take care of certain matters for each other, kissing on the forehead is a simple greeting… Being in a completely different world, there was so much to learn.
We went up to the room with the key we received. Opening the door, we entered a large room with a king-sized bed sitting prominently. Of course, it wasn’t larger than the beds in the duchy, but it was sufficient for two people. Excited at the sight of the bed, I jumped and flopped onto it.
“Ah, this is nice.”
My whole body was stiff from living on hard ground for several days. I can’t count how many times I considered giving up on staying in human form. As I hugged a pillow and rolled around, Karhan’s low laughter echoed through the room. His laugh, slightly mixed with his breath, always sounded good.
As I was savoring the comfort, there was a knock on the door, and the doorknob slowly turned. My wings fluttered nervously at the sudden intruder. I lifted my face from the pillow and looked at Karhan, who was sitting calmly in a chair, waiting for the intruder.
Soon the door opened slowly, and a person wearing commoner’s clothes entered. I fixed my gaze on the familiar face, eyes wide open.
“Huh?”
“Hello, Your Grace, Duke Barthes.”
The intruder was none other than the employee I had seen at the inn in the Sabon region. Though he was in ordinary clothes without the uniform apron, there was no mistaking it. Not thinking it could be a coincidence, I looked up at Karhan.
“Is this the Sabon region?”
“No. This is the Beani region.”
“Then why…”
As I mumbled, moving my lips hesitantly, the nameless intruder standing at the door smiled kindly and said:
“You didn’t bring the bird, but came with a new person, I see.”
Ah. This person had met me when I was in bird form back then. Naturally, he couldn’t connect the bird he had touched with me. The fewer people who knew I was a shapeshifter, the better, so I remained silent and glanced at Karhan. Noticing my gaze, Karhan stepped in and spoke:
“This is a close ‘friend’. Seol, he’s our guide to show us the way to the Elven forest.”
He’s definitely the person I saw at the inn, but…
“Um… Haven’t you worked at an inn before?”
I asked, carefully phrasing my question without mentioning the Sabon region. The guide opened his eyes wide and smiled. His lips, forming a pretty curve, parted slightly.
“Haha, I have many jobs because money is tight.”
It was a sad story despite his pretty smile. It seems even here, it’s an era where people need two or three jobs. I once had three part-time jobs simultaneously when I was in school, and it nearly killed me. Both mentally and physically, it wasn’t something a person should do.
Feeling a sense of kinship, I nodded, and Karhan asked:
“I was thinking of leaving right away, but it might be better to rest a bit. Can we postpone the time?”
“Of course, if you pay more.”
The guide made a circular gesture with his thumb and index finger, indicating money, and winked at Karhan. To ask for more money so blatantly. He was a true worker.
We, who had planned to leave immediately, ended up postponing for a day. Staying in the room all the time was quite boring, so while Karhan was taking something out of his bag and fiddling with it, I opened the door and came out. Below the railing, I could see many people moving busily.
It was truly fascinating. This was clearly a world inside a book, yet these unnamed extras seemed like real people maintaining their lives. As I stood there absentmindedly, swaying my head gently, someone tapped my shoulder.
“Who— Ack!”
“Is that how you react to someone you haven’t seen in a while? I’m hurt.”
My heart raced violently at the sight of someone I absolutely didn’t want to see. Clutching my pounding chest, I exhaled sharply. Barely calming my trembling lips, I opened my mouth to speak.
“Asmil…?”
“Long time no see.”
Asmil’s eyes curved gently. Why on earth is this guy here? Hoping to look as fierce as possible, I furrowed my brow deeply and looked up and down at the very suspicious Asmil. As I took a step back warily, I heard a meaningful chuckle.
“No need to be so scared. I just came to see you.”
That’s the scariest thing of all. I bowed my head slightly and stepped back. Asmil, who had been standing still, watched my feet intently and then approached again, closing the distance I had created.
“You came with Karhan, right?”
He seemed to have followed us here, knowing we would come, as if he had some kind of intelligence network. Realizing that telling a lie wouldn’t help, I nodded slowly.
“Hmm.”
Asmil, wiggling his eyebrows, raised one corner of his mouth and looked at me as if pitying me. I tensed up, not knowing what kind of disastrous words would come out of that annoying mouth.
“Do your best. Though it won’t work out anyway.”
What am I supposed to do my best at? I just came on a trip with Karhan to see the elves. I stood there blankly, completely clueless, and Asmil nodded as if understanding something on his own. Just as he was about to open his mouth to say something, the door behind me suddenly burst open, and Karhan appeared.
“Karhan!”
As Karhan came out, a natural confrontational structure formed between the two. Karhan, hiding me behind him, tilted his head and asked:
“What business do you have here?”
“I just came by out of curiosity.”
Asmil smiled softly, not taking his eyes off Karhan. Though the lower floor was noisy with bustling people, a heavy silence enveloped this space where the two faced each other. The uncomfortable standoff only broke when Asmil first averted his gaze and moved his feet.
As he passed by us, he let out a voice full of amusement:
“You know I’m not that patient. I hope you’ll come soon.”
His chilling red eyes narrowed and rested on me for just a moment before quickly disappearing.
