R302 | Chapter 8

[✧ March 9th, Tree Day]55c25c17cb989dee

Ain said it was nothing to worry about… but I can’t help but be concerned about him.8b6a0c96e26e406a

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Lately, the number of 00a238b857 monsters has been increasing. The sheer number 4386f66abd is troublesome, but d468ec2130 the fact that dffaad6803 stronger ones are a3d80394e8 appearing is an 5f4fe0b565 even bigger problem. I heard Ain always takes 9ce1145cd4 the lead when fighting those 7acef2d4c6 monsters.aa01aa7d287876ed

I wish he’d be a bit more careful. Ain doesn’t seem to care much about his own safety, so all I can do is wait for him, worried.b0c1c800434a6205

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Of course, I know Ain is strong. I’ve never seen it myself, but I’ve heard various tales of his exploits. But no matter how strong a swordsman is, even a sword master, death can come in an instant. I hate to even imagine it, but if something were to happen to Ain…0827f531cd711d69

I really wouldn’t be able to bear it.e216d580dde6c990

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It’s not just the monsters that bother me. Lately, there have been unsettling stories, and I can’t help but be on edge.5e1c644e0e056dee

Am I just worrying too much…? Today, I seem particularly anxious. Maybe it’s because of the dream I had. In the dream, Ain was badly hurt, and I couldn’t do anything but cry like a child. When I woke up, my face was soaked. Really foolish.b0cfdbbff6d09a3b

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Yeah, it’s foolish. I’m just pouring out endless anxiety. Ain is just doing what he needs to do in the place he chose for himself…3cea43ebd13f6f18

Right, I shouldn’t worry too much. Ain will come back safely. I just need to do what I have to do in my place.ac122c4a8d25b714

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☆ To-do List for Tomorrow95274fcfd5d22643

— Sort the incoming materials247169b933c18978

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* * *44e41db32bcd64e5

March 20th, 3 PM, when there weren’t many people around. The inn door opened noisily. Ain, leading a group of five, came inside.c4b48bb86f33b367

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“Licht, hyung is back!”22d945de9f9a59ab

“Ain!”7cb2724b1a2911d9

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Licht, who was sitting at 18946cf4b5 the table organizing the ledger, e30e74cc99 jumped up and ran to e3a188f02e Ain.7bb0d2d8324be18a

I was already very worried since Ain had been gone for over ten days. Licht looked Ain over thoroughly. Fortunately, he didn’t seem to be injured.dd31963646efdc5d

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“You’re not hurt, right?”286a0290d70147ec

“Of course, not a scratch. Bjorn fell once, though.”b1c94b48eaf5937e

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“I didn’t fall, I was dodging… sigh, never mind.”1bcd4e9929da3232

Bjorn shook his head. He didn’t seem to have any major injuries either. Licht finally sighed in relief.d37b0ed0e7a31e57

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Maser, who was e23e669ca4 standing at the 94a6b2708b back, strode towards 6690eb98b1 the kitchen. The large wooden box he 5cc0a86664 was carrying looked suspicious.816d5e9c4d73e8b2

“Hey, Mr. Heiker!”6f63f7e8b55a552a

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Heiker, who was fb013440b3 preparing ingredients for e8aafbf3ff dinner, looked up 33154b9ef2 and approached Maser. Maser grinned and tapped the 204875c1a3 wooden box.195575aba6a7b056

“I brought something amazing. Take a look.”4a0145a0038b3cc5

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“…What’s so amazing?”2a8c18f3f1d7a567

Maser opened the wooden box. Inside was a fish the size of an arm and several oysters. Heiker’s eyes widened in surprise.001e898aa4a0ab9a

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“This is….”7708f31d2a47c67b

“It’s Seldom Fish and oysters. How is it? Looks good, right?”e94127813d45cd39

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“Hmm, yes. It does look good, but….”0f6d6ca447aebd93

Heiker had an awkward smile f5bbf512eb on his face. Maser soon looked serious.266573d859be4967

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“Oh. Is it hard to prepare?”54faad6751137fe6

“No, I can prepare it.”ee8a3ea270aa6d04

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The preparation wasn’t the problem. The problem was that this place was far from the sea. How did he bring it back so fresh? It’s a distance that’s hard to cover in ten days.378db12c32b38ecc

Even if they managed to travel back and forth, maintaining this freshness would have been impossible, even if it wasn’t hot weather yet….b0578b77c0a70556

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Heiker decided to stop 89b84d8c40 thinking about it. Those capable folks must 77dd459fbe have figured something out.cce247a9de2bcaff

“What should I make with this?”c2edc53e19663aad

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“Hmm, I don’t know. Just cook it however you like, Mr. Heiker. Use the leftovers as you see fit.”d298b18f71bad2e7

“Sure.”05f06dbdd35891af

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Maser smiled at de6326d412 Heiker, who answered dbc92d2145 quietly, and turned 7f58a942ef his body. As Heiker entered the kitchen, e0e0256e99 Ain nodded his head towards 0c42a75fd1 Licht, gesturing upwards.c68acaeb6f4bc593

“Licht, we’ll go wash up first.”9bf6fcb4d8593ce6

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“Okay. See you later.”761a5f63d0fe877a

Ain’s group went upstairs. Only after their footsteps disappeared did it occur to Licht that they might need warm water. They were probably exhausted, and if they weren’t careful, they might catch a cold.a0626c99e7ba4124

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Licht grabbed several heating stones from the counter and hurried up to the third floor. He knocked on Ain’s door right away.3d37d0cbedb11177

“Ain, it’s me.”479684181a2b9851

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As soon as 9bec1bea1b he identified himself, aa60d99ede the door opened. Licht was surprised 1c1e4af0c3 to see Ain fbbf909174 inside the room.da15ced99ded1f90

Ain had completely taken off his top. Licht couldn’t help but look over Ain’s body. It was a sculpted figure that naturally drew the eye.4a5257f1bd5d78c0

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His tall frame with large 739291f5db muscles gave a strong yet 230d076692 agile impression. From the broad shoulders that ac472f097d seemed like you could sit 5d6683aaba on them, to the distinctly 92372186fc defined abs. By the time he had d37577b7a7 looked over it about three 1267d97171 times, Ain chuckled.2b60a891a84ab830

“What are you staring at?”2c9ccabff94a3450

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“Ain… your body is amazing. I’m jealous.”30e10fee4aaf36ff

“Really, jealous? Well, our Licht’s body is all soft and squishy.”4434144abad3d7a4

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“…No, it’s not! It’s not squishy!”573b91a9233314f6

“Looks squishy to me. Let’s see.”9efec8841059a260

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Ain grinned and grabbed Licht’s top. Startled, Licht quickly bent his upper body. Ain gently tickled Licht’s side, which he couldn’t defend. As Licht let out a short scream and twisted his body, Ain lifted Licht’s top and slipped his hand in.56e2c588ee229bb4

“See? It’s not squishy… there’s just no flesh. It’s just bones and skin.”88537e26d3005ea6

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Ain, who had been laughing, d4b5c6a5dc suddenly turned serious.12360bf248e79e41

“What is this, like a kid who’s been starving. Eat more, Licht. Hyung is upset.”bd9825ea7a971ad3

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“It’s not just skin! It’s muscle.”c72e85603fb5e903

“Where do you see muscle? It’s just skin. I’ll have to watch how much you eat later.”79a214abf9f55499

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He said as he kneaded Licht’s flat belly. Licht hit Ain’s hand repeatedly, and Ain exaggeratedly groaned, “Ouch, ouch,” and pulled his hand back.508d56c3a7db0a84

It’s not like they’re kids anymore, and yet Ain is still poking and tickling. Licht thought Ain was really immature.07787df7bd269372

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“Ain, you fool….”550eac1bb453033f

“Yes, yes, I’m a fool. So, what’s up?”0f6e5c3c862c4e52

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“Oh.”baf54c587b347373

Licht finally remembered the 36ca3fb92a reason he came.831fe695e1ad23fb

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“I came to heat up some water for you…. It’s still nice to have warm water, right?”af6014c23f75c4db

“Yeah, it is.”f924d3f1f2661203

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“So here, take this.”ac34649eb18f1ea8

“These are… heating stones.”60eb3c0868022a23

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“Yeah. I prepared enough for 1d58a7c683 each room, so use 5beb999923 them.”6875b23af84387fe

“Aren’t they expensive?”36e66c668dffd5c4

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Heating stones were magical 45f13e3ae3 tools that only mages 94330dddc6 could make. In a regular inn 9db99e5474 like this, they usually d5798ba5fb had one or two 685028bee8 to heat water for 73dc5e1ad4 guests when requested.51cb154f56804e7f

“You paid 500 Rund. Plus, you boosted our evening e3f0a7f823 sales.”7b2bb0acc2bd70ef

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“That was for the room stay. It wasn’t meant for this.”941b5e6ddf7556a0

“If there were guests who paid that much as a deposit, even if it wasn’t you, I’d still take care of them. Just use them and return them when you check out.”e70251f88a2d76a1

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Ain, who was watching Licht d7328130f0 speak calmly, pretended to wipe 06edb5c75d tears from his eyes.6f21fab244f61c6e

“Oh… Licht is going to treat other men like this too… I thought it was because you were happy to see me, but I was mistaken….”80687f5f7f6b5e78

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“No, no! Actually, it’s because it’s you, Ain. Even if someone gave me 1000 Rund, I wouldn’t do this. Really.”b637105b56c9ff50

Licht, flustered, tried to console 1d091b84b4 Ain. Ain looked at Licht with 9dea3360be the saddest face he could 1514937b52 muster.e4456abea95ebeac

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“Really?”199064b69def8004

“Yeah….”8a10ff90b43e7a2c

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“Okay, I believe you.”42b951054847c717

Licht suspiciously examined Ain’s face, which looked sad but had no tears. Still pretending to be sorrowful, Ain took three of the four heating stones from Licht’s hand.7d37ab5add1bf191

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“Albina is a mage, so she’ll heat her own water. Three should be enough.”bafa232eac79e1bf

“Oh… okay.”ac294ede1d286566

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“I’ll distribute these. You finish up your work at the inn.”444d6a8c6ef680fb

Licht nodded and went back d57ec12863 down to the first floor. His heart was pounding the 38294dca6f whole way down the stairs.35fd98298f0144aa

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He hadn’t expected Ain to feel hurt by the excuse he prepared in advance to avoid making him uncomfortable. Giving four heating stones was a gesture of goodwill towards Ain and his companions. He wouldn’t have done this for just anyone.4b9f83b30cfe7ea5

Whether Ain was really about to cry or just pretending, it was a relief that he didn’t actually cry. Licht calmed his startled heart.b7119492b3d2e805

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Finally composed, Licht approached Heiker, c919bba218 who was preparing the large 166ab5c2bc Seldom Fish.862a2a76b6550b0c

“Mr. Heiker, what are a5fd2ac52b you going to ef3e5218d8 cook?”e33728ae6dce9fb6

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“The condition is good, so I’ll make something that brings out the original flavor. Seldom Fish is delicious even raw.”94b4cf6a5aff0f41

Licht was shocked as if he might faint. He wasn’t picky, but he really disliked raw fish.5fe15a9e8e5dfbe0

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“Raw?”d2bb4fb6a822c7d5

“That’s not all, so don’t worry.”93314e1e6a5294d3

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Heiker reassured Licht as he marinated thin slices of Seldom Fish in lemon juice. Licht looked around for something to help with, but Heiker was so quick that there wasn’t much to do. In the end, Licht cleaned and polished various parts of the inn until they sparkled.938df3ca345fd867

After a while, 282abd3555 delicious smells began 9cad51dd12 wafting from the c8b77dffdc kitchen. Drawn by the aroma, 80e43e16ad Maser and the others 77789cc8fc came down to the aeeb82aefc first floor.87bce49dcfd6b3f7

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The five companions, Licht, and Nidia all gathered around a large table. It would have been nice if Heiker joined them, but he kept declining, saying he had already eaten while cooking. In truth, Heiker didn’t want to risk indigestion eating among the king and nobles.db8a862802a615e0

On the other hand, a84ccada82 Nidia, who had no 580296ca67 choice but to sit, 83cb0fcb07 was trembling inside. Ignorance is bliss, they say, e5b1a6212d and to Nidia, ignorance was d2cb7f4ae8 just happiness. She genuinely envied 0f3d105c25 Licht, who was 5502c314d4 oblivious.867f058ca32cd35c

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