Ethan climbed into the wagon and carefully lowered and secured the canvas at the entrance. Although he had said they were transporting goods, the inside of the wagon was filled with tightly sealed crates. Sitting on one of the crates, Ethan unfolded the clothes he had brought with him.

First were the women’s drawers – knee-length, lace-trimmed undergarments, typically designed for women who raised their skirts to seduce men. While most women would simply wear a chemise, since she was always flying around and people could easily see under her skirt, he had no choice but to make her wear these.

When Ethan had first asked for it, Deverick had looked at him suspiciously, but when he heard that he would have to carry it around with him all the time, he quickly handed it over.

If tilted her head as she looked at the unfamiliar garment.

“Is it the same as the one you wear, Ethan?”

“It’s different.”

The fabric was so thin that the silhouette underneath was clearly visible in the bright light. This was the thicker winter version – the summer ones were almost see-through, revealing the skin completely.

“What’s different?”

If you were referring to the trousers Ethan was wearing. They both had holes for the legs, covered the cr*tch and lower belly – looked the same, didn’t they?

“…”

At this rate, she might just walk out wearing nothing but underwear. Ethan squeezed his throbbing temples, feeling a headache coming on.

“Oh, the length is different.”

There were plenty of other differences, but at least she noticed that much – better than nothing, Ethan thought.

“Look closely. This one’s short, so your legs are all exposed.”

“Yeah.”

“This is meant to be worn underneath other clothes. You must never walk around wearing only this.”

“I can’t? But it’s clothes too.”

“It’s different. This is underwear. That is outerwear.”

Why did he even have to explain all this…? Ethan let out a deep sigh.

Ethan’s hand—

When Ethan reached out his hand, If lifted her arms. The clothes were gone in an instant under Ethan’s hands – by now it was just another part of her routine.

Clothes really are such a nuisance, If thought, feeling lighter as she began to float up. But Ethan reached out and grabbed her by the waist as if he was used to it.

“I told you not to fly.”

“There’s no one here.”

If looked around the empty wagon, as if to prove her point, and gestured at the empty space.

Ethan had no idea how to explain this. Frankly, it was easier just to give up trying.

Without a word, he pushed the drawers up her legs and dressed her.

“There. You can carry at least this much on your own now, can’t you?”

“Yeah.”

Stepping out of Ethan’s arms, If took the clothes he had given her and began to put them on – the petticoat, the dress and the skirt.

Although she knew the theory, she wasn’t used to doing it herself yet, so her hands fumbled awkwardly in the air several times.

Still, she managed to get dressed fairly quickly.

“Hmm, but it’s different when you do it, Ethan.”

Ethan sighed and pulled down the ivory dress that was caught in the overskirt.

Since commoners couldn’t afford corsets or maids to help them get dressed, all ties were designed to be fastened at the front so they could do it themselves.

But the corset straps across her chest were a mess, tangled with bits of skirt material caught in between.

Ethan began to undo the tangled laces, patiently tying them back together one by one.

Once her clothes were neatly arranged, If stretched out both arms – this time clearly asking to be held again.

“Wait a minute. I need to change too.”

Ethan removed the fur hood draped over his shoulders and began to remove the battered pieces of armour.

The gear, which covered only vital areas such as his chest, elbows and knees – parts that would be serious if injured – was a hastily put together mix of sizes and materials. Even then, the joints were so loose that they would slip off with the slightest movement.

After stripping off all his torn and worn clothes, Ethan stretched his stiff body and tried to loosen up.

If, sitting on the box, kept her eyes on Ethan’s body.

She had seen it during the scan, but still – his body was hard and rigid.

Muscles, overdeveloped, swollen so that his skin stretched tightly over them, leaving no flesh soft enough to pinch.

If she pinched her own forearm. Mine is easy to pinch, she thought.

Her gaze drifted slowly down – to the black bands wrapped around both of his ankles.

The dark, shadowy marks surrounded them in a perfect ring.

Inside the bands, his skin was shriveled and wrinkled, and around them were deep scars, as if they had been carved into him.

Even though Ethan could feel her eyes on him, he calmly continued dressing.

By the time he had tied a cloth tightly around his trouser legs, the black bands were no longer visible.

Fully dressed at last, Ethan gently pulled a hood over If’s head and lifted her into his arms.

Deverick, who had been tending the campfire, looked up as Ethan stepped out of the wagon, carrying the clothes that were now to be discarded.

“Oh, that suits you very well. The size fits perfectly. That outfit is just right for long journeys – tough and durable, so it won’t wear out easily. It may be ordinary clothing with no special features, but with the Grips fur lining it’s a perfect fit”.

“It is very comfortable, no complaints at all.

“Should I take care of the old clothes along with the rucksack?”

“Yes. It’s just a burden to carry.”

Deverick stuffed the clothes Ethan had given him into a shabby bundle.

As he began to load the packed crates back onto the wagon, his face lit up with a broad smile, obviously pleased with a job well done.

“I left some Komaron there, so go ahead and eat first.”

“Oh, it’s been a while since I’ve seen Komaron. You must have passed through the Kingdom of Kvarz.”

At Deverick’s nod, Ethan picked up the fruit placed in front of the campfire.

It must have been roasting while he was changing – thin wisps of steam still rose from it.

If, still nestled in Ethan’s arms, stared intently at what he was holding.

Sniff sniff, she wrinkled her nose as a sweet scent wafted up.

When she instinctively opened her mouth, Ethan let out a small smile.

“Wait. I have to peel it first.”

A thin strip protruded from the centre of the round fruit, encircling it like a ring, making it look almost like a bell.

This fruit, found only in the Kingdom of Kvarz, had to be roasted over a fire to bring out its sweetness.

Ethan grabbed the strip and pulled it apart with steady force. Crack – as the hard shell split, the fruit inside swelled and puffed out as if expanding.

The tiny seeds, originally stuck to the flesh inside, burst free as the skin tore. Ethan, well trained, quickly caught them and placed them neatly back into the shell.

As soon as one of the roasted grains approached her mouth, If lunged forward and bit into it.

The grain, softened by the heat, burst open in her mouth with a pop. Before her saliva could collect, the sweet juice filled her mouth completely.

Delighted by the sweetness dancing on her tongue, If tugged at Ethan’s collar, her mouth wide open, her eyes sparkling.

Seeing her like that, Ethan was busy stuffing pieces of Komaron fruit into her mouth, one after the other.

Watching Ethan happily feeding his wife as he came out after loading the luggage, Deverick let out a small chuckle.

“At this rate, you’ll give it all to your wife. You haven’t even eaten yet – you can’t let her fill up on fruit before a proper meal”.

“Well, it’s her first time. Can’t be helped.”

“Ah, I see – she hasn’t had any because of her health.”

Komaron was delicious, but not exactly the best food for someone who was unwell. After all, the tastiest things tended to be the least good for you.

“We couldn’t afford it anyway. And Komaron is all about location, isn’t it?”

“That’s true. From Rigo to Kvarz, it’s like going from one end of the continent to the other.”

The kingdom of Kvarz, in the far north of the continent, and Rigo, at the southernmost tip, were as far apart as possible.

Although Komaron was a fruit that could be stored for a long time, the time it took to transport it limited its reach – at best it could get as far as Alcate. Beyond that, half of it would rot before it even reached the city.

“How is your wife? I never get to see her face.”

“Her face is quite damaged from all the treatments, so she doesn’t like to show herself to others. Well, her voice is also weak and her eyesight has got worse, but she’s much better than before.”

“Still, the fact that she was able to get treatment at all is something. Having a mercenary husband saved her life!

Although mercenary work was dangerous and poorly paid compared to the risks, it still earned more than the average commoner. And if things went well, a single monster slay could bring in enough from the sale of by-products to support a family of four commoners for an entire year.

As the two men chatted above her, If’s eyes darted back and forth and her lips began to curl.

‘He told me not to talk, and now look at him.’

But with her mouth busy chewing the endless stream of fruit pieces that Ethan kept feeding her, she couldn’t say a word.

She had thought that being around other people would be just as fun as being with Ethan, but now that she was actually in the situation, it was nothing but boring.

She couldn’t even talk to Ethan. She had never realised that not being able to talk would make things so boring.

“But we’ll get to Alcate soon enough. Why are you taking me on such a short trip? As far as I know, this region is close to the border, so there aren’t many bandits around.”

“Well, actually, the monsters have started to expand their territory. There wasn’t a single one around here before, but lately they’ve been showing up one by one, and it’s been a real headache. Just the other day, a guy I know was attacked by a monster and barely made it out alive – he had to abandon his goods and run. If he hadn’t been transporting food, he would probably have been the monster’s meal.”

“If there are monsters around here, it should only be Belphirn, shouldn’t it?”

“That’s what I’m saying! But the thing is, they don’t seem to have come from Belphirn! If they were, there should be some trace of it, right? But there isn’t – it’s clean. Which means they must have come from somewhere else.”

“So you’re saying they could be going to Belphirn?”

“That, I don’t know. This all started happening recently. The people of Alcate are on edge, worried that the monsters in Belphirn could come out at any moment.”

Ethan rubbed his chin, deep in thought.

Then, glancing down, he caught sight of If’s sulking face.

‘Could she possibly be connected to this?’