In truth, the broad and firm chest that I had been embraced by several times tempted me.

I knew that if I leaned into that embrace, it would be comfortable, cozy, and warm…… but strangely I couldn’t readily agree.

‘Why, why am I suddenly so embarrassed?!’

Perhaps because Carl’s shirt was slightly loosened and disheveled, my cheeks and ears became hot and my body froze completely.

Carl, who misinterpreted my lack of response, said.

“Don’t misunderstand. I really don’t have any other intentions, I’m saying this because I’m worried. Usually in situations like this, people press their bodies together to maintain body temperature.”

“……”

“If you’re scared I might do something strange, you can tie my hands, I don’t mind.”

“……It’s not that.”

I finally answered while squeezing my eyes shut to look away from his chest muscles.

“It’s not you, I’m worried I might do something strange.”

“……Master?”

Carl looked at me with a face that said he was hearing all sorts of absurd things.

Then he soon smiled mischievously and tilted his head toward me.

“What strange thing are you going to do to me?”

“That’s…… I don’t know.”

“If you want to do it, go ahead. I’m just a bondservant, so I’m prepared to accept whatever you do to me, Master.”

He lowered his voice mysteriously and smiled with his eyes crinkled. This guy is being mischievous again.

No, is he just teasing me?

‘Aaaah.’

Anyway, I was suppressing the urge to scream from the tickling sensation rising from my toes when—

“……!”

Carl pulled my waist and arbitrarily embraced me while covering the back of my head.

“Stay still. Shailyn, your lips have turned blue.”

After hearing those words, I felt that my body was trembling like an aspen tree.

Geez, at this level, the color of my lips must be no joke as Carl said.

Being embraced by him with his high body temperature, I was definitely less cold than before and my stiff body also relaxed loosely.

“Um……”

“I said it’s okay to do strange things, so don’t worry.”

“No, that’s not it, my cheek is being pressed by a button and it hurts, so move your hand.”

Then Carl, who had been pressing down on my head with that big hand of his, awkwardly withdrew his touch.

Phew, now I feel like I can live.

I wriggled my body to get into the most comfortable position and leaned against Carl again. It felt like hugging a giant hand warmer.

“I don’t think I’ve ever seen anyone in my life who adapts to situations as well as you, Master.”

“That’s a compliment saying I’m flexible and tolerant, right? Thanks.”

“What’s thanks?”

“It’s like a greeting that means thank you.”

He looked at me as if dumbfounded, then chuckled and lightly touched my forehead.

“Really, where do you keep learning such strange words…… Who exactly did you hear such things from?”

“Uhh, I made it up myself. Everyone makes their own secret code when they’re young, right?”

At my confident excuse, he also didn’t point it out further and let it pass.

And after a while of silence as I dozed off nodding, Carl asked in a voice as if he suddenly remembered.

“Then, what’s a game?”

“……Huh?”

“What does the word game mean?”

I became alert as if hit by cold water. A game character asking what a game is?

My sleepiness disappeared all at once and I looked up at him with wide eyes.

“How, how do you know that word?”

“You said it in your sleep talking long ago. What was it, that you would work hard at the game without regrets? You said something like that.”

This mouth of mine was loose.

I don’t know when I said such a thing, but it seems I misspoke on some tired day.

“That, that’s…… so……”

Perhaps my brain froze from the cold in the mine, I couldn’t think of an excuse to make up and stammered.

D*mn, how do I explain what a game is?

Carl, who had been quietly watching me roll my eyes around in confusion, lightly placed his hand on the top of my head.

“If you don’t want to say it, don’t.”

“Huh, huh?”

“As long as it’s not harmful to you, Master.”

I flinched at his considerate words. If Carl knew what a game was, he would really be greatly shocked too.

But seeing him not dig deeper for my sake, I impulsively opened my mouth instead.

“Carl, what do you think it would be like if you weren’t really human?”

“If I’m not human, then what am I?”

“Well, like an imaginary character someone created. Like a prince in a fairy tale. Not just you, but everyone in the world is like that, and your world doesn’t actually exist either.”

Carl thought deeply about my words, then soon shrugged with an indifferent face.

“I don’t really think about it.”

“……Why? Doesn’t it matter to you that you’re an imaginary person?”

“Rather than that, I don’t think of myself that way. I think I’d just continue living my life.”

Carl, who showed a calmer reaction than I expected, added.

“To me, both myself and this world are all real.”

Ah, I see.

I only now realized the simple truth that this world and the people here being fake only applies to me, not to the people involved.

It’s a game to me, but not to Carl.

‘……But then, can this place also be seen as a real world rather than a virtual one?’

I, who had thought I was living and breathing in virtual reality all this time, became a little confused.

Carl asked me.

“What about you then, Master?”

“I…… think I’d be very sad. When the imagination ends, I can’t meet you again.”

When I see the ending, I’ll leave Shailyn’s body, and Carl is an extra in the game so I won’t be able to see him in reality either.

At some point I had grown attached to him, and that fact made my heart churn.

“Where would such a thing happen? A bondservant should follow wherever their master goes.”

Unlike my gloomy voice, Carl responded in a nonchalant tone.

“Even when the imagination ends, I’ll chase after you, so don’t think about abandoning your bondservant.”

“……”

“This time you’re not arguing that you won’t abandon me? Are you really going to abandon me?”

“……No.”

I shook my head low. I was troubled because I couldn’t explain that it wasn’t abandoning but returning to how things originally were.

Carl, who leaned forward to look at my face, raised one eyebrow.

“But why do you have such a thoughtful face? What are you afraid of?”

“……I don’t really know either.”

Why is it that now when I think about ending the game, I don’t feel refreshed and happy but somehow uncomfortable instead?

It felt like a small hole had formed in one corner of my chest and wind was blowing through it.

Carl, who pressed my head down to make me lean on his shoulder, said quietly.

“Whatever it is, I’ll stay by your side until the end. I’m Master’s bondservant after all.”

I didn’t answer with my eyes tightly closed. Even so, Carl just stroked my head.

***

The next day, Michael came with some people and rescued us.

We, who safely escaped with the 150-year-old magic stone, received simple treatment and returned to the Diart residence.

The ducal family’s physician examined my ankle and said it was slightly sprained and would be fine after resting for a few days.

And Carl, as expected, had more serious injuries than me and received a diagnosis that he would have to lie in bed for a while.

“My goodness, Miss! What is this all about?! Are you alright?”

“Yes, yes. I’m fine, so just send one letter for me, Mandy.”

With my mobility impaired, I had no choice but to call Jeron to the ducal residence.

He came with the antidote ingredients as I had told him.

“Is it true that you found the real method to make the antidote?”

“Yes, so please help me.”

I said while stroking the back of Goldie, who sat on my lap. Jeron, whose eyes had been shaking roughly, nodded with difficulty.

It was nothing to lose anyway.

We mixed together the spring water from the Saha Mountains containing fairy’s breath, the wings of golden butterflies holding sunlight, the horns of silver-shining stags, and the 150-year-old magic stone.

Bubble, bubble, bubble.

The magic cauldron Jeron brought boiled up, and the purple liquid slowly changed to a clear red color.

“It’s complete.”

“Good.”

Now there was one thing left.

Waiting for Goldie to take this medicine and return as the tower master, but…….

“Kyahak!”

A problem arose.

“No, Goldie! You can’t spit it out!”

“You must drink this, Tower Master.!”

“Ah, Goldie knocked over the medicine bowl……!”

My cute baby kitten was refusing to take the medicine.