“Captain, are you really planning to bring that woman inside?”
“I’m worried. We don’t know what she’s up to… She’s definitely hiding something.”
“Don’t worry. She’ll stay in my tent. If anything happens, I’ll handle it.”
“Isn’t that even more dangerous? Staying with you… ?”
“Do you think I’m incapable of handling this? Stop worrying about useless things. It’s exhausting to even talk about it.”

Kashan clucked his tongue in frustration. Then he began to walk, dragging the trembling Seria with him. She followed without resistance, as if swept along by the force of his actions. She had no desire to run. Half resigned, she walked weakly beside him.

***

It didn’t take long before Seria saw what appeared to be countless tents. Numerous canvas tents were set up on the barren land, filled with people who were much larger and more imposing than the Empire’s citizens.

This was a sight Seria had never seen before.

Whether they were men or women, their physiques were completely different from the Empire’s people. The women, too, seemed at least a head taller than Seria, with thick, muscular arms. Even those who appeared to be around her age had the same build. They were the complete opposite of the delicate, fragile women of the Empire who would sit at tea tables with slender arms, sipping their cups.

‘A lady should never be larger than a man… My mother always used to say that…’

The women of the barbarian tribe seemed completely indifferent to such things. Like the men, they wore large swords at their waists, and their skin, possibly tanned by the sun, was dotted with freckles. Furthermore, their gazes were intense—more imposing than most knights of the Empire.

Seria, who had been following Kashan timidly, made eye contact with a woman who was staring at her. Startled, she quickly lowered her head.

‘I’m scared…’

Kashan nudged Seria’s back as they entered the large tent at the far end.

“You’ll be staying here from now on.”

The inside of the tent was fairly neat. Of course, compared to the mansion where Seria had been living, it was nothing special, but compared to the room she had stayed in the night before, it was nothing short of luxurious, like a grand palace.

However, it wasn’t the clean interior of the tent that caught Seria’s attention.

“Mu, weapons…”

It was a number of swords, axes, and maces neatly arranged in the corner of the barracks.

‘Why are there so many?’

 Living with such things beside her… At that moment, Kashan seemed even more vicious.

“You can rest comfortably.”

‘Rest comfortably?’

Next to those weapons?

Seria wanted to ask if he was serious, but she didn’t have the courage to. She could only swallow the words that rose to the back of her throat and avoid Kashan’s gaze.

“Captain, are you there?”

Then, upon hearing a voice from outside the barracks, Kashan responded and spoke to Seria.

“I’ll go take care of something for a while. It won’t take long.”

“Take care.”

Seria felt a sense of relief. The idea of Kashan leaving the room gave her a small sense of freedom.

***

After Kashan left, the large barracks was left with only Seria. As soon as she was alone, she immediately pulled back her robe and checked her br*ast. Unlike usual, no milk flowed.

It seemed that the effect of Kashan drinking her milk last night lasted longer than anticipated.

“Haah…”

With a sigh of relief, Seria’s cheeks flushed slightly. She still couldn’t believe she had done such a thing with a stranger. It felt unreal.

‘But it worked, so…’

Seria thought this to herself as she tried to push the memories of last night from her mind. To distract herself, she aimlessly began walking around the barracks. She carefully examined the interior.

Aside from the ominous weapons, it wasn’t a bad place at all. But Seria’s heart remained uneasy.

‘Why did he bring me here…?’

There had to be some ulterior motive.

She carefully sat down on the bed. It wasn’t a cheap wooden bed, but a comfortable, soft one. There was no creaking sound.

‘I just hope he doesn’t plan to eat me…’

As she thought this, Seria unknowingly lay down on the bed. Perhaps it was because she had slept on the hard wooden bed the night before, but she was suddenly overwhelmed by a strange fatigue, and sleep began to take over.

‘I can’t fall asleep… What if he decides to eat me…?’

She tried to stay awake, but it wasn’t easy. Her eyelids were already too heavy, and they finally closed.

***

“Do you have any idea what the captain is thinking bringing her here?”
“Exactly. If she’s neither a prisoner nor a hostage, what’s the use of bringing her here?”

How long had Seria been asleep? The voices from outside the barracks gradually caused her tightly shut eyelids to flutter open.

When she woke up, Seria felt relief at the realization that she was still in bed and began to check her body, as if to reassure herself of her safety.

“Haah…”

Once again, she was alone in the barracks. Kashan, who had said he’d be back soon, still hadn’t returned.

As she sat up from the bed, trying to clear her groggy mind, she instinctively sniffed the air, drawn by the scent of food coming from somewhere nearby.

She didn’t know when or who had brought it, but there was quite an impressive spread of food on the table, neatly arranged on plates. Even the lids had been carefully placed to preserve the warmth.

‘Who brought this?’

Seria got up cautiously and made her way to the table. She gently lifted the lid from the food. Inside, there was a hearty soup with large chunks of meat and a sandwich stuffed full of filling. Beside it, a clean bottle of water was also placed.

How long had it been since she last saw proper food? Without thinking, Seria instinctively reached for the food. Then, like someone who hadn’t eaten in days, she hurriedly stuffed food into her mouth.

It was warm and flavorful, filled with the taste of spices. The thick slices of meat were distinct and chewy in her mouth, and the bread was warm and soft.

For the first time in her life, Seria forgot all her manners and ate hungrily, not even noticing that someone had entered the barracks.

“Huh, what’s this? She’s awake?”
“What? Really?”

The voices came from right beside her as Seria, startled by the sounds, quickly lifted her head to see two barbarians standing in the barracks, holding something in their hands.

“Were you hungry? You’re eating like a pig.”
“I heard she’s from the Empire’s upper class… But she doesn’t seem like it, does she? Guess she’s been starving.”

Seria couldn’t even imagine what kind of conversation they were having about her. With food crumbs still scattered around her mouth, she immediately tensed up, wary of their sudden appearance.

“Tsk tsk, how pitiful. They say there are so many people from the Empire starving to death… I guess it’s true.”

They kept talking in a language Seria couldn’t comprehend while setting a kettle and teacup, which she had never seen before, on the table.

“Drink this while you eat. When you’re done, come clean up.”

The muscular men clicked their tongues softly as they observed Seria eating, her mouth full. Afterward, they gave her a pitying look before leaving the barracks.

The events happened so quickly that Seria could only tilt her head in confusion.

‘What… what was that?’

A kettle? A teacup? Did they come just to leave this behind? And the barbarians drink tea? I’ve never heard of that before…

She tilted her head curiously. She took a sip of the warm tea.

“It’s warm…”

It was strangely relaxing, and she felt her tension slowly easing.

***

“Have you eaten?”

Just as Seria finished the food, a familiar voice sounded. It was Kashan, who had returned. He looked at the empty plate, then gently patted Seria’s head a few times, as if praising her.

“You’ve cleaned it all up.”

“Ah, yes… thank you. It was delicious.”

Seria hesitantly lowered her head, still unsure why Kashan was showing her such kindness. She couldn’t quite grasp his intentions, but regardless, she appreciated it. After all, if it weren’t for Kashan, she might have ended up like Anna and Selie by now.

‘Surprisingly, it was an ordinary meal.’

It wasn’t much different from the Empire’s cuisine… It felt oddly disconnected from the rumors she had heard.

‘I have heard that the barbarians eat raw meat, bones and all…’

Seria thought back to the food, which was nothing like she had imagined, and awkwardly fidgeted.

“Is your milk…?”

“Yes, yes?”

“Is your milk better now?”

Seria was taken aback by the sudden question, her arms flailing and her face flushing. The blunt words that came out of Kashan’s mouth made her feel even more embarrassed and she could barely stand it.

“Th-th-that…?”

“Is it not okay? If there’s a problem, I can help again.”

“No, no! It’s fine!”

At the mention of “help,” Seria panicked and waved her hands. She wasn’t foolish enough to not understand what that implied.

‘He’s saying he’ll suck on my br*asts again…’