As they were leaving Ordo, the two horses had turned into three by the time they departed from the Holy Kingdom.
It was a natural change as their party had grown from two to three.
Da-eun didn’t mind riding with Kana, but…
No. To be honest, she preferred riding together rather than separately. So when Kana suggested buying another horse—
“Do we really have to buy one more? Kana is light, so can’t she just ride with me? We’d save money too.”
She said.
“I don’t want to. It’s uncomfortable.”
Kana’s firm response sunk Da-eun’s spirits.
When the party leader, the caretaker, and the mascot, Kana, said something like that, Da-eun—just a mere porter—couldn’t counter it.
Anyway, that’s why they were traveling on separate horses, but now that Da-eun and Kana were sharing one, it inevitably meant one horse was left out of the fun.
“Really smart…”
And Da-eun, not even holding the reins, watched the horse following the owner she had ridden with, feeling that horses were indeed intelligent animals.
“Oh my…!”
Selin, who was riding alongside, turned to Da-eun with wide eyes.
“You’re fast asleep…”
Kana was all snuggled up against Da-eun, her eyes tightly closed.
If Da-eun listened closely, she could hear tiny snores every time the cape shifted.
Da-eun raised her hand to pat the girl’s head but hesitated for a moment, then lowered her hand. Instead, she relaxed her body a bit more, allowing the girl to lean comfortably and sleep.
“Yes. She must have been very sleepy since she didn’t sleep well last night.”
“Ah… I see. She kept tossing and turning all night. Children are tired easily since they need more sleep.”
“Hahaha. That’s true.”
Da-eun, knowing Kana’s age, was aware she wasn’t just a child. Yet, every time she looked at her, she often forgot about her age.
Perhaps it was because Kana had grown up without enough food and care in her childhood, but her small frame and youthful face made her look much younger than her actual age.
And even if that wasn’t the case, her childish behavior sometimes peeked through.
She was stubborn, pretending to be aloof but would sulk easily, and would occasionally pull pranks…
Also, she could lean on someone she cared about like this.
Da-eun occasionally wondered what Kana’s life would be like had she grown up in a normal household.
“Selin, you must be tired too. Shall we get off the horse and take a break?”
“I’m fine. Thanks to Lady Edel’s grace, I can recover from this amount of fatigue quickly. Look, don’t I look better than before?”
“Ah, you’re right.”
“Kana isn’t that tired either. You probably just fell asleep because Joanie’s embrace is so cozy.”
“Cozy…”
Da-eun lowered her voice, chatting quietly with Selin, worried that Kana might wake up.
She was confident in her body.
Da-eun didn’t like exercising, but she understood she needed to stay fit for her health and her hobby, traveling.
That’s why she had been exercising consistently for a long time, resulting in a lean body with nicely built muscles.
However—
Glance.
“Wow…”
“No?”
“Ah, no. It’s nothing.”
Her confidence waned when compared to Selin’s figure.
‘Th-that specific part…’
As Da-eun’s attention slipped toward Selin’s grace, she glanced down at her own chest.
It was definitely not small; rather, one could say it was above average, but it couldn’t compare to Selin’s.
Would Kana’s frame also grow like that as she aged?
…A busty Kana, huh?
Da-eun imagined the completed form of Kana in her mind.
A beauty with pink hair cascading down her expressionless face.
The cold impression that could seem off-putting due to her expression was softened by her kind eyes.
It was a face that would make anyone turn to look.
Beneath such a face lay gracefully extended limbs and a voluptuous figure…
Just as she envisioned this, the painting in her mind blurred like a watercolor soaked in water.
She couldn’t recognize the original form of the picture, and as Da-eun picked up the brush of imagination again, the same thing happened repeatedly.
Drawing, the drawn picture got smeared.
After repeating this about three times, Da-eun realized it was futile and smoothly set her brush down.
‘Hmm. This is impossible.’
While she didn’t exactly want Kana to remain as she was now, she couldn’t help but imagine the impossible.
It was just that she was too accustomed to her current form. It’s not that my imagination was lacking or anything.
“Huh?”
Da-eun, deftly dodging responsibility, caught sight of something.
Like “midnight sun,” there were regions with special traits spread throughout the Ardina Continent.
Some places, just like this one, had sunlight that never set for 24 hours, while others were the exact opposite, with 24-hour perpetual night…
Even though she hadn’t been to all those places, Da-eun had been curious enough to gather some basic information about them, with hopes of visiting one someday.
Furthermore, because daytime visibility was more favorable in sunny zones, these areas were quite popular among players.
Not many players enjoyed the hassle of hunting while carrying torches.
So, though encountering people in sunny regions wasn’t unusual, the person walking toward her was different from the others.
Individuals who made deliberately weird characters, referred to as “old water looks,” tended to show restraint in Silia Online.
Unlike other games where one could delete a character and create a new one if dissatisfied, in Silia Online, each player could only create one character.
If you deleted it because you didn’t like it, that was the end.
There were no second chances.
Of course, some still enjoyed the “specialness” of being different from the rest.
“…That left arm…”
A shabby-looking man was walking toward Da-eun.
Where there should have been a left arm, only an empty sleeve fluttered in the wind.
What was his story being alone in the sunny region, appearing to look like a Silian?
Feeling a bit of curiosity, Da-eun turned the horse’s head to the left to avoid him.
Thud.
“…Huh?”
Haven’t there been moments like that?
When you encounter someone on a not-so-wide path and both try to move out of the way in the same direction, feeling awkward?
As the man stepped left along with the horse, Da-eun thought this was another such situation.
However, when the same thing happened two more times in quick succession, Da-eun had to abandon her earlier thoughts.
In a situation where she was sure she would crash into the man if this continued, Da-eun halted her horse, and he mirrored her action.
It was the moment she confirmed it wasn’t a coincidence.
“…Do you have business with us?”
Da-eun asked, giving herself enough distance to run away quickly if he lunged at them.
It was a reflexive action triggered by the sword strapped to the man’s hip.
“No.”
The man responded with a gruff voice.
“Then can we pass?”
“No.”
“…Why? Didn’t you say you have no business with us?”
“Yeah. I have no business with you.”
The man repeated Da-eun’s words as he drew his sword.
The blade, worn by time, was as frayed as his clothing, yet it still exuded a sharp edge.
In his eyes lingered emotions that could be hatred or reverence.
Following the man’s gaze, Da-eun realized where it landed—on the girl nestled in her arms.
‘Surely not…’
Proving her suspicion right, the man’s gravelly voice echoed.
“After losing my companions and left arm to a demon, I realized that it isn’t gods or trivial luck that govern human fate. Only strength defines one’s destiny and others’.”
His tone revealed a reflection on his past, cold and detached.
“Since then, I have wandered the continent, devoting myself to the sword. To determine my own fate. During my journey, I heard rumors of a pink-haired girl conquering an ogre horde and dimensional beings. When I caught wind of that, sensing the demon had reappeared, I pursued its trail.”
And thus, they met again.
Da-eun, who was quietly listening, opened her mouth as soon as he finished speaking.
“Are you from the Empire?”
“Once, but now I’m just a wanderer.”
“You came looking for revenge against Kana…?”
“No.”
“Eh?”
She had assumed it would be revenge, but it turned out it wasn’t.
Da-eun let out an unintentionally silly-sounding voice at his unexpected answer.
“I came to prove something. That my fate is in my hands.”
“Fate and proof… You don’t seem like the romantic type.”
“This is truth, not romance.”
“Oh, I see.”
It seemed he had indeed come to fight Kana but not for revenge, so that part seemed genuine.
To be honest, Da-eun didn’t quite understand the difference between proof and revenge, yet she gathered he was speaking his version of truth.
If his sole objective was revenge, he wouldn’t bother blocking the path and having this conversation; he would have lunged at Kana the moment he saw her sleeping.
‘What should I do…?’
Selin, who had met Da-eun’s gaze, smiled awkwardly, seemingly troubled.
Though she appeared troubled, she didn’t seem intent on stopping the man.
“It’ll be okay.”
“That may be, but…”
As Da-eun sighed, she felt a sudden heavy weight around her waist.
First, it was frightening, but recently it had become rather familiar.
A sword.
‘…Fighting is scary. I don’t want to hurt anyone or be hurt myself.’
Knowing pain, Da-eun was sensitive to the pain of others.
That’s why she shied away from fighting.
“…But.”
With her hesitant eyes twinkling with determination, the trembling of her hand on the reins stopped.
“Can I also try proving that?”
“…You?”
The man raised an eyebrow in surprised.
“I’m curious.”
“Doesn’t seem like you’re at that level.”
“Long and short, we’ll just have to measure it, don’t you think?”
She wanted to be with Kana, not hide behind her.
Perhaps no matter how many monsters she defeat to gain levels, she might never reach Kana.
But still, she didn’t want to give up.
‘Kana said to rely on her.’
Of course, that request wasn’t in the sense of ‘fight for me.’
So this was her own personal resolve.
“If that’s what you want.”
The one-armed swordsman shrugged his shoulder slightly.
Naturally, if Da-eun gets off, Kana would wake up.
Da-eun called out to Selin.
“Selin, can you take care of Kana—”
“—No need to.”
At the familiar voice coming from her arms, Da-eun looked down.
Kana had already opened her eyes and was gazing directly at her.
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