Before she knew it, summer had arrived.

Sel found it amazing that time could pass so quickly.

She no longer had to worry about her stomach being empty at every meal.

She had a sturdy home to protect her from the chill of winter nights and the summer night monsters.

Her now clean skin, free from eczema and sores, no longer itched or hurt.

The time she spent here felt cozy and comfortable, like a sun-dried cotton blanket.

And as the weight of this happiness grew, the sands of time seemed to slip by even faster.

While Sel, being more sensitive to the cold than the heat, found this warmth manageable, the other mercenaries didn’t.

Strutting around as if clothing didn’t exist, they proudly showed off their muscled bodies as they roamed the building.

“Endure the heat with more heat, you weaklings!”

It seemed Choro was, as usual, working the mercenaries hard in the training room. His booming voice echoed all the way here.

Sel, who was repairing a sword in the armory, chuckled quietly and focused on her task.

As the days grew hotter, mercenaries roamed the building in just their underclothes.

At first, Sel had been taken aback, but that feeling didn’t last long.

Seeing their bodies so often, she quickly got used to it.

Today, Philip, wearing just short pants and fanning himself, wandered into the armory.

He seemed very bored, coming here almost daily.

“Aren’t you hot, Sel? Why are you still wearing long sleeves?”

Sel was wearing a long-sleeved summer uniform.

It was made of fabric Lavi had brought in from the Eastern Continent, and while it had long sleeves, it was well-ventilated and kept her cool.

“I have a sunlight allergy.”

“This is indoors, though. Why don’t you take it off? Ah…unless…”

“Some sad circumstance?” Philip muttered softly and soon had tears in his eyes.

Who knows what he was imagining, but in his eyes, Sel had become the tragic heroine. Not that he was entirely wrong.

“The commander’s not here right now! Let’s go get some ice pops, Sel!”

“The commander’s not here?”

“He went home and hasn’t been back for days!”

Since Sel didn’t always see Lavi daily, she often didn’t know what he was up to unless he happened to drop by with a weapon or they crossed paths in the dining hall.

“It’s too bright to go out now. Can we go this evening? I prefer evenings.”

These days, as she’d gotten much cleaner, Sel sometimes went on evening walks around the village.

She would imitate Lavi’s steady stride as she walked forward.

During those walks, she often felt the weight of her once lightweight existence.

The villagers no longer pointed fingers at her openly, and she didn’t shrink under their gazes either.

Sel had grown accustomed to her evening outings.

“Sel, ice pops are best when it’s hot out! I’ll pay. Let’s go together!”

At his offer, Sel, who usually disliked feeling indebted, immediately stood up.

But Philip, her closest friend in the mercenary group, made her feel less burdened.

Wearing her white gloves, Sel followed behind Philip with light steps.

Philip led her to the village’s general store, run by the village chief’s family.

The shop, which sold practically everything, was always bustling with villagers.

Sel stuck close to the magical cooling machine.

Inside was a neat row of colorful ice pops, each with a stick poking out, kept cold by a spell that circulated cool air with mana stones.

Philip bought four, paid the clerk, and led her to a shaded table outside.

“Here.”

“Why’d you buy so many?”

“It’s a reward for tagging along with me.”

“Philip, you’re the best. I won’t refuse.”

Sel accepted the ice pop with a bit of flattery.

Watching her eagerly bite into it before it melted, Philip’s eyes glistened slightly with tears.

Whatever he was imagining, his mouth was downturned as if he might start sobbing.

“Hey! You ragamuffin!”

In the middle of enjoying her ice pop, a sharp voice rang out.

Sel turned toward the sound. Of course—it was Karin, the village chief’s daughter.

“How’d you get money to buy that, huh?”

“A friend bought it for me.”

“A ragamuffin like you doesn’t have friends! You hide away all day, only coming out at night to walk that path, and now you’re here?”

Knowing Sel’s schedule down to the detail, Karin looked Philip up and down. Her stare was fierce.

“We just…came out for an ice pop.”

“Ugh. Without my permission? You’re getting bold, aren’t you?”

It was true. Even back when she lived in the hut, Sel only got an ice pop about once a year, thanks to this girl.

Every year, on the longest day of summer, Sel would go to the general store at night.

Then, Karin would secretly give her an ice pop—a rare indulgence for the year.

“Even after joining the mercenaries, you still look like a pale block of cheese!”

“Hey! What’s your problem? That’s really rude!”

Philip, standing up, put his hands on his hips.

“And who are you, half-burned firewood, to shout like that? Huh?”

But Karin’s voice was louder.

Philip, clamping his mouth shut, slowly sat back down.

“Karin. We’ll just eat quickly and go. I’m sorry for upsetting you.”

Sel, trying to soothe Karin, quickly finished her remaining ice pop in one bite.

“Who said you could go!”

“…Huh?”

“You’re making money now, aren’t you? It must be nice to live so comfortably!”

“Yes.”

“You should repay that favor, then!”

“How?”

With heavy steps, Karin entered the general store and came back out holding a variety of snacks. Each one looked sweet, clearly things Sel enjoyed.

“These are new products we’re stocking in our shop. From now on, whenever you have the time, come by, try them out, and write a review.”

“… Try them?”

Sel, who was reaching for her purse, tilted her head in confusion.

As Sel’s pale neck lengthened with the motion, Karin blushed.

“Yes! Just come and try them, then write a review.”

“The money…”

“Do I look like a beggar to you, huh?”

“…No.”

“Your eyes are all wide and clueless. Ugh!”

With a swift turn of her head, Karin went back into the general store.

For a while, Philip and Sel sat there, dumbfounded.

***

“Honestly, it’d be easier to just buy them myself. My wrist is killing me! I’ve never done anything like this before.”

Philip complained, shaking out his hands.

He had almost worn out his wrist, trying four types of snacks and writing reviews for each.

“But at least we got to eat for free.”

“Sel, you’re seriously…”

Philip looked at her longingly before closing his eyes in resignation.

He tried to comfort her, saying that he actually had plenty of money and that she should feel free to ask him if she needed anything.

Though Sel simply responded with a cheerful “Alright,” she didn’t take his words to heart.

After leaving the general store, they strolled around town, eventually arriving back at the mercenary building. Suddenly, Philip’s eyes went wide as he stared at the back of Sel’s neck.

“Sel… You! It’s completely red here!”

Sel touched the spot where he pointed, noticing that it was slightly swollen—probably her sun allergy.

“Here too, and here, and here!”

Philip kept pointing out spots along her neck. Clicking her tongue, Sel regretted not bringing a scarf to cover up. Now that she noticed it, the affected areas suddenly felt even itchier.

As Philip pointed out Sel’s red spots, he curled his fingers like hooks and gently pulled down the neckline of her collar.

“Whoa! Even inside, it’s all red! What should we do?”

Sel lowered her head to examine her collarbone, only to find it dotted with red blotches.

In the past, she would have been alarmed by this kind of close contact. But here, she’d learned to trust others, growing close to Philip and Choro, and she felt at ease around them. Only with them did she no longer overreact like before.

“You’re really fair-skinned. When you turn red like this… it’s…”

Philip’s words trailed off as a dark shadow loomed over him.

“What… are you doing?”

A large hand gripped Philip’s wrist firmly.

Philip yelped, “Commander?!”

Sel, who had been looking down at her collarbone, focused on the space directly in front of her.

A pair of immaculate black shoes.

Long, tailored pants.

A pristine white uniform hugging a sturdy frame.

And on the chest, various gleaming medals.

Draped across the uniform, a red sash and a gold cord.

A strong neck.

A jawline with thick edges and tightly pressed lips.

Shining green eyes.

A smooth forehead beneath neatly brushed black hair.

“…Commander Lavi?”

Sel muttered, her eyes wide with surprise.

Lavi cast her a brief glance before turning back to Philip.

“Please, let go of my hand, Commander. Ow! It hurts!”

Only then did Lavi release his grip, speaking in a low tone.

“What’s going on here?”

“Ow, geez, all brute strength and no finesse.”

“Excuse me?”

“Nothing, Commander.”

Quickly backtracking, Philip pointed to the back of Sel’s neck.

“Sel had an allergic reaction, and I was just checking it. Geez, why twist my wrist like that?”

“Philip’s gotten a bit too comfortable around here, hasn’t he?”

With that, Lavi grabbed Philip’s ear and twisted it. Philip yelped, threatening to report him to his parents, but Lavi only scoffed.

“And you. Is it serious?”

Lavi asked, looking at the red patches on Sel’s pale neck.

Sel shook her head, signaling it was fine.

Yet, something seemed to trouble him, as Lavi stepped closer and stared intently at the rash on her neck.

Noting the swelling, Lavi offered to call a doctor, but Sel adamantly refused.

The suggestion made her pale instantly, her mind flashing with bad memories.

Just as Lavi was about to ask if she was alright, a man in a knight’s uniform came running toward them.

“Lord Lavirus! You can’t just… just take off like that! Huff, huff.”

“…Sigh. Now what?”

“When you suddenly jump out of the carriage, it puts me in a bind as your bodyguard!”

“Bodyguard? You? Guarding me?”

Lavi tapped the knight’s chest with his sheathed sword.

The knight hurriedly raised his arms to guard himself.

However, unable to match Lavi’s speed, he fumbled, landing just a beat late.

‘Ow, ouch!’

The large man let out pathetic whimpers, flinching as he took each hit.

“Wow, Commander, in that outfit, you really look like a nobleman’s son.”

Sel was the one who saved the knight.

At her admiring comment, Lavi lowered his hand and sighed.

“Lord Lavirus, are you still keeping your identity hidden?”

The knight asked abruptly.

Lavi scratched his head, saying the rookie simply didn’t know the whole story.

Lavi was never fond of talking about his family background.

In that moment, people looked at him with sparkling eyes.

They had placed him on a pedestal of their own making.

Then, calling him a possessed young master, they would shove him off the edge without a second thought.

He had never caused them any harm, yet they kept lifting him up and throwing him down repeatedly.

Lavi was tired of it.

But unaware of his true feelings, the knight introduced Lavi without a hint of tact.

“This is Lord Lavirus Penhac, the young master of the Penhac duchy.”

“Wow, is your name that long?”

“…That’s what amazes you?”

Looking weary, Lavi asked Sel, who was now clapping her hands.

“Then what should I be amazed by?”

So, his name wasn’t just Lavi, but Lavirus Penhac. It was unexpectedly fancy, and she was impressed. What else was she supposed to be amazed by?

“…Never mind. Be as amazed as you want.”

Lavi’s large hand ruffled Sel’s soft, blonde hair.

Her unusually small head fit right in his hand.

“For dinner tonight, there’s a special smoked meat from the capital, so I’ll see you at the dining hall, Sel.”

Lavi spoke kindly, his eyes curving into a warm smile.

Sel responded cheerfully with a bright “Yes,” laughing along.

A genuine smile.

It was his rare, sincere smile.