Chapter 5 – Let’s Go Together, Captain! (Part 2)

After setting the trap, Lena and Alhendore headed back to the campsite.

Despite his usual indifferent expression, he held her hand gently. Lena rolled her eyes and glanced at him.

‘I need to ask him…….’

Regardless of anything else, she had to ask this.

After a firm resolve and a mental ‘whatever,’ she tightly closed her eyes.

“Um, Captain!”

“What?”

“About us…… you know.”

“What?”

“You know……!”

Did we use contraception?

She was about to ask directly, but the memory of that moment blocked her words.

“Did we, um…”

Embarrassed, she couldn’t speak, only opening and closing her mouth repeatedly. She had to ask, but it was just too difficult.

Lena chewed on her innocent lips nervously.

“Really, you are hopeless.”

Seeing her struggle, Alhendore sighed deeply and reached out. He used his thumb to gently pull her lip from between her teeth.

“Ah…….”

The touch of his hand on her lips made them burn even hotter. As he lowered his head to meet her eyes, a subtle tickle that had been buried in her memory resurfaced.

“Why?”

“We, um, did we…….”

“Did what?”

“Con- contraception, did we, um, yes.”

“Contraception?”

At his repeated question, Lena quickly nodded. No matter how much she tried to recall, she had no memory of using contraception. He had even nonchalantly finished inside.

Remembering that day, her face and neck turned crimson.

“Contraception, huh…”

Alhendore trailed off, as if he wanted to tease her. Lena’s eyes welled up with tears at the uncertainty.

‘We didn’t?’

Tears began to pool in her eyes. He hurriedly wiped away her tears.

“We did, so don’t cry. Okay?”

“Sniff, you’re just teasing me…….”

How could you tease me about something like this! 

Feeling truly wronged, Lena sniffled.

Alhendore, who hadn’t expected her to actually cry, furrowed his brows.

“Sorry, I’m sorry.”

“You scared me!”

“I’m sorry, Lena. It’s my fault.”

He held Lena and comforted her for a long time. He knew he shouldn’t tease her, but her reactions were so cute that he couldn’t help it.

Blinking her teary eyes in his embrace, Lena lifted her head and asked. Though she was upset, she was also curious.

“……How?”

“Hmm?”

“I don’t remember taking any medicine or anything.”

Looking down at her tear-streaked face, he wetted his suddenly dry lips.

Her gaze, looking up at him with reddened eyes, made his throat tighten.

Like fresh sprouts pushing through the damp earth after rain. Her moisture-filled green eyes trembled like a newborn child.

Do you know? How deeply your eyes looking at me draw me in?

Since that day, his thirst had become uncontrollable, and Alhendore had struggled to maintain a façade of indifference.

That effort seemed laughable now, as his body still craved her.

Alhendore swallowed hard against the rising thirst.

He brushed her eyes with his fingers, feeling the dampness. Staring at it, he absentmindedly licked his lips.

The salty taste made his body react heavily.

“Sigh…….”

“……Pervert.”

“…….”

It was only after Lena gave him a glare as if he were a molester that he managed to regain his composure.

Though his body still burned with desire, he cleared his throat as if nothing was wrong.

“Ahem, it’s this.”

Alhendore showed her the ring on his right index finger.

“Huh?”

It was a plain ring with a blue gemstone set in a silver band. Lena looked at the ring with a puzzled expression.

What is this supposed to mean?

Her head was spinning from his vague words, but the next statement completely rattled her.

“Contraceptive magic tool.”

“Gasp.”

What? What did you say? A magic tool? The kind that costs as much as a mansion in the prime part of the capital? And you’re using it just for contraception?

Her mind was overwhelmed by the barrage of questions. The doubts piled up, growing like a snowball.

When all the doubts converged into one point, Lena subtly pulled back.

A deep-seated wariness began to rise.

After all, that ring had always been on the captain’s finger.

Since her first hunt about a year after she joined the knights.

‘But that was a contraceptive magic tool?’

She looked at him as if he were the world’s biggest pervert.

“When did you even buy that?”

“…….”

“Why did you buy it?”

She didn’t mention that she knew he didn’t have a lover or any personal life. Alhendore averted his gaze. He must have been really guilty about something.

“Two years…… ago.”

“That’s the year after I became your aide.”

“Yeah.”

Lena’s expression turned sour. Even though she didn’t want to believe it, the timing was too perfect.

And ‘Yeah’? ‘Yeah’?! How could he not even deny it?

“Pervert.”

“No, it’s not like that.”

“Sleazebag.”

“Lena.”

“Molester!”

“You’re misunderstanding.”

“Misunderstanding? How can you think like that about a subordinate? You’re the worst, Captain!”

With that, she turned away and ran off. Alhendore was left frozen, unable to offer any explanation.

Each of her words felt like a guillotine blade dropping closer and closer.

What should I do? Since it’s entirely my fault, should I start by apologizing? 

A heavy sigh sank into the even heavier silence.

“Haah….”

Alhendore slowly followed behind the retreating Lena.

“Lena, that’s not the way.”

***

On the way back to the campsite. Lena, unfortunately, ran to the right instead of the left at the fork where the campsite was.

She found herself in an even deeper part of the forest as she ran without thinking.

‘Where am I….’

Realizing she was lost, Lena couldn’t help but lament.

She had promised herself to stay alert and not make any mistakes, but she had done it again.

Rustle-.

She pushed aside the dense branches obstructing her view and moved forward.

Rustle-.

The path had long since disappeared, so she was aimlessly retracing her steps.

Growl-.

A low growl of a beast echoed nearby.

‘What’s that?’

She reached for her waist to draw her sword.

“Kyah-!”

A massive claw, as large as a bear’s paw, came flying at her, trying to strike her down in an instant.

Hearing her scream, Alhendore quickly grabbed Lena’s waist and pulled her toward him.

Growl-.

The beast’s low growl echoed through the quiet forest. Its gleaming red eyes were fixed on Lena.

Holding her with one arm, Alhendore drew his sword with the other.

A Beowulf.

A creature that prided itself as a predator, now facing mere humans.

With its sharp fangs and a single roar, all other prey would beg for mercy, trembling in fear.

It thought these humans would be no different. Snacks that had come to it while it was hunting.

Still hungry, the Beowulf felt like it had hit the jackpot.

It raised its claws and swung at the small human. The seemingly weak creature shrieked and stepped back.

The Beowulf, intoxicated with victory, let out a growling laugh.

Weak snacks that wouldn’t even make a mouthful. The Beowulf opened its jaws to tear their throats.

Then, it met the eyes of the one standing beside the weaker creature.

What is this?

The piercing golden eyes stared directly into its soul.

The broad view of its surroundings narrowed, and only those eyes remained imprinted on its retinas. Its fur stood on end, and its limbs began to tremble uncontrollably.

In an instant, the roles of predator and prey were reversed.

It will eat me.

The beast’s primal instincts screamed. 

Run away. If you don’t run,

You’ll die.

“Grrr!”

With what seemed like a final, desperate growl, the creature disappeared into the dense forest.

“Captain, what was that?”

“That was a Beowulf.”

Watching the retreating beast, Lena looked up at him with a worried expression. A Beowulf was classified as a mid-level monster. Moreover…

“Aren’t they pack animals?”

“Yes. It means there’s a pack nearby.”

“We should bring the scouts here.”

“Indeed.”

Alhendore sheathed his sword as if it were no big deal. Lena watched him with wide eyes.

“What?”

“It’s just, it’s amazing.”

Making a monster flee with just a look. It was enough to confuse who was the monster and who was the animal.

Just then.

Squeak-.

At the faint cry from beside them, Lena turned her head.

“Huh?”

“Seems there’s a monster left.”

Next to a large carcass, something small was moving.

Lena immediately approached the carcass. After three years with the subjugation squad, she was no longer afraid of monster carcasses.

“A rabbit!”

What was wriggling beside the carcass was a tiny baby rabbit, small enough to fit in both her palms.

“It’s a Rabbit. A monster.”

The rabbit was a monster with white fur and red eyes. The pinkish ears were so thin that the blood vessels were clearly visible. Classified as a non-dangerous monster, as the name suggests, its diet primarily consisted of vegetables and fruits. Of course, unlike ordinary rabbits, all of its teeth were as sharp as those of a carnivore. Underestimating its cute appearance could result in serious injury.

Lena cautiously approached and reached out her hand.

“So cute!”

“You’ll get bitten.”

Watching her approach the monster, Alhendore frowned.

Sure enough, the creature that had been curled up and trembling bit Lena’s finger.

“Lena!”

“Ouch! Ah… It’s okay, it’s okay.”

Frowning slightly, Lena gently petted the rabbit. It seemed it hadn’t even grown its teeth fully.

Alhendore knew she wouldn’t be seriously hurt, but his heart still skipped a beat. He lowered his sword subconsciously.

“Haa, Lena. Please…”

Lena held the rabbit in her palm and turned to him. It seemed timid, but not hostile towards humans.

Monsters usually had a strong hostility towards humans, but this one seemed too young to have developed such instincts.

“It’s pitiful.”

“…No.”

Seeing her large, pleading eyes made Alhendore uneasy, so he hardened his expression.

“I haven’t even said anything yet.”

“But you’re going to.”

“How do you know what I’m going to say?”

“Do I need to hear it? You’re going to say you want to keep it.”

Lena’s eyes widened in surprise at his words.

“How did you know?”

“Ha, Lena. No. Absolutely not.”

At his firm stance, Lena pouted.

“It’s still a baby.”

“It’ll grow up soon enough.”

“Even fully grown, it’ll still be this small.”

“How can you say that’s small?”

“If it fits perfectly in my palm, it’s small!”

Lena held the rabbit up to his face.

The creature with reddish eyes was twitching its nose. Its appearance reminded her of Lena.

“So, you’re going to kill this cute little thing?”

“……It’s a monster. It has to be dealt with.”

“Are you going to kill it?”

The tearful eyes staring intently at him were not good for his heart. After a long staring contest with her sorrowful gaze, Alhendore finally raised the white flag.

It was a fight he could never win from the start.

“Ha…… You can’t take it outside the knights’ order.”

The knights’ order. Lena, lost in thought, considered it briefly. Even if it was within the knights’ order, it would only be kept in the monster research lab.

“What about the Lengester estate?”

“……If you come with it.”

Seeing through his obvious ploy, Lena chuckled.

“Wow, that was really dark just now!”

“Shut up.”

Alhendore, looking at Lena, awkwardly scratched his chin and lowered his gaze.

“Lena. About earlier…… it was a misunderstanding.”

Lena, about to ask what he meant, realized he was talking about the contraceptive magic tool and snickered.