‘To complete the ‘Crossroads of Destiny’ quest, I needed to sleep with Iska. I thought that by living together, we might naturally complete the quest. With that in mind, I had to ask.’

‘Of course, Iska was a very robust young man. From the first time I saw him until now, I never thought he wasn’t an adult. But there was something inexplicably youthful about him. Being highly moral, I had to confirm.’

“I’ve been of age for a long time.”

“Ah… I see.”

Rudis scratched her head in embarrassment at Iska’s somewhat indignant response.

“Anyway, live at our house. It’s too far to commute from the forest.”

Feeling her excuse was flimsy, she quickly added, “We have many empty rooms.”

This was true. Rudis had expanded the house to its maximum capacity, until the carpenter Kuku declared, “No further extensions are possible.” I hadn’t even counted exactly how many rooms there were.

The problem was that despite having such a spacious house, she had no interest in decorating it. Except for the basement storage, the inside was a mess, and even the bed remained awkwardly placed in the middle of the living room, just as it had been when the place was a studio.

“There’s plenty of furniture too.”

Her collecting habit wasn’t any less intense with furniture. Rudis bought everything available, so some rooms even had two beds.

“Nobody visits. You can be comfortable.”

No one ever came to the house except the Lord’s representative collecting taxes. Since Iska was already familiar with the place, her offer couldn’t have been better.

“…Are you sure it’s okay?”

Iska asked cautiously. His upward gaze reminded her of a large dog. Without realizing it, she stroked his head and smiled.

“Of course. There are many rooms from the second to third floor, so sleep wherever you like.”

Iska’s eyes grew slightly moist. His overwhelmed expression tickled my heart.

Rudis suddenly remembered the large-scale fire quest from a few years ago. When she promised to rebuild four houses that had burned down, all the villagers smiled brightly with happiness. It was the pure joy that only people who had regained unexpected hope could express.

Iska was making that exact expression now.

“I’m truly grateful, but I can’t.”

Yet with that face, Iska declined her offer.

“Why?”

“…Because I’m a dangerous beast.”

Iska’s broad shoulders slumped. Who had instilled such thoughts in him? To think that someone as wonderful and kind as Iska had lived thinking of himself as a beast.

Her insides burned hot with anger. Rudis was filled with a sense of mission to find and punish whoever had implanted such strange ideas in him.

“That’s not true. It’s fine, live at our house.”

“You’ll come to dislike me.”

Iska’s voice was quiet but confident.

“That will absolutely never happen.”

Angered by Iska’s self-esteem that seemed ready to sink through the floor, Rudis became more resolute.

“Then can you promise me?”

“Of course. I promise.”

Rudis answered without hesitation.

‘While living together, I’ll have to fix that low self-esteem too.’

Her eyes blazed with firm determination.

“Thank you.”

Suddenly, Iska nuzzled his face against her hand and smiled brightly. Between his widely parted lips, his canine teeth gleamed. Suppressing the tingling sensation at the back of her head, Rudis whispered:

“Cute.”

* * *

“Ah. It’s hot.”

When Rudis opened the door, summer morning rushed in all at once. Unlike the cool spring mornings, warm air enveloped her entire body. It was the beginning of summer, with the fresh scent of grass and the warm energy rising from the soil.

Though she experienced it repeatedly, Rudis still couldn’t get used to seasons changing overnight like this. The same went for having specific crops that could only be grown in each season.

“Shall we start by clearing the fields?”

Looking at the spring crops that had dried up overnight, Rudis stretched broadly.

“Yes.”

Since that day, Iska had settled into her house.

“It’s summer, so let’s plant lots of grapes! Till the field while I go get seeds and fertilizer.”

Thanks to him, her life had become more abundant. For example…

“Please eat.”

The three meals a day that Iska prepared for her.

“Didn’t I just eat?”

“That was just a snack.”

“But I’m full…”

Not only three meals a day, but a lifestyle of endless snacks in between had begun. If she counted, it was probably about nine meals a day. Anyway, Rudis was enjoying an unexpected luxury.

“You must eat your meals.”

“Mmm.”

Whenever he had the chance, he would cook and say, “Try this, try that,” leaving no time for her mouth to be empty.

And how delicious everything was! Once she started eating, she would devour a whole plate in an instant. Originally, Rudis wasn’t one to eat meals, but now she had become so accustomed that she naturally waited for dessert after eating. 

Anyone watching might think he was fattening her up before eating her. She did feel like she had gained some weight…

[Your stamina increases with healthy meals.]

‘Thanks to this, my stamina was growing daily. It had increased by nearly three times the amount I’d gained in eight years of farming and fighting monsters. I only just learned that regularly consuming food increases stamina.’

“Delicious.”

After quickly finishing another plate, Rudis was touching her chubby cheeks when Iska brought yet another dish.

“You seemed to like this before, so I prepared it again.”

It was rather substantial for a dessert. Rudis subtly shook her head.

“Since I’ve made it, please just taste a little.”

‘I’m really too full…’

As Rudis stared blankly at the plate with food already reaching her chin, Iska took a seat across from her and pulled the plate in front of himself.

“Please take just one bite. For my sake. Say ‘aah.'”

Was he a fox rather than a dog?

Rudis was momentarily confused looking at Iska. Until recently, he had seemed like a pitiful puppy, but now he looked exactly like a fox.

To say he had been shy before didn’t make sense—She’d known him for seven years, yet he never spoke a word. Now here he was, eyes curved in charm. It made all her past desperate attempts to befriend him seem ridiculous. While it was nice, cute, and heartwarming, it also felt strangely dissonant.

“Ah.”

But what could she do? When he scooped a large portion onto the fork and brought it to her mouth with that face, there was no way Rudis could refuse. Though her mind thought something was strange, her mouth opened helplessly.

‘No, this is good.’

Iska, who had initially been like an excavator digging into the abyss, had brightened considerably—a tremendous improvement. When Iska smiled, Rudis found herself smiling along. It was simply heartwarming to see.

“Delicious.”

“I’m glad. Would you like more?”

“Mm-hmm.”

Besides, it was truly remarkable how cute such a large man could be. Especially when his ears perked up each time he checked her reaction—it was adorably maddening.

What good is an expressionless face when he gives himself away like that?

Cute. Too cute for words.

Rudis opened her mouth again, watching his tail swinging back and forth.

After emptying yet another bowl, she patted her stomach while appreciating Iska.

Even just tidying the kitchen, his broad shoulders and powerful back were quite admirable. Enjoying this sight to the fullest, Rudis stayed home from 6 AM until 3 PM.

“Then I’ll be going in now.”

“Mm. Okay.”

Looking at the clock, it was exactly 3 PM. Yes, Iska “clocked out” even at home. Just like before, he would arrive at 6 AM and at exactly 3 PM, he would retreat to his room and not budge.

On rainy days, he wouldn’t come out of his room at all, just like before. Rudis had believed that living together would naturally resolve the quest, but she was mistaken. They were merely living in the same house, and she couldn’t even see him after his working hours.

There must be a strategy…

No matter how much she pondered, Rudis couldn’t find an answer. Out of desperation, she tried talking to Shasha, but all she got were trivial comments like, “It rains a lot in summer.”

With a slightly guilty conscience, she even asked Xenon directly. But Xenon just snidely remarked, “Isn’t that something you need to figure out yourself?”

Rudis wondered if Iska might not be a character meant to be pursued, but then she was certain this couldn’t be the case. After all, Iska’s face had the beauty that could only belong to a main character.

And he calls himself a dangerous beast!