SWS CH 28

Chapter 28

The knights quickly finished preparing and lined up in front of the cave in single file.

“Still, as his older brother, it looks like he’s going to try to save him.”

That was a good thing.

Even though I had sent Junel with him, I was still anxious.

Standing at the front, Nikolai raised his sheathed sword high.

“Kern Hall is a maze cave. Never fall more than two steps behind the person in front of you, and be careful of the cave walls. If Crag Bear saliva touches you, your entire body will become paralyzed, and you’ll be trapped in a maze of memories! Surround your body with sword aura, and do not let your guard down for even a second!”

Even for eight-star Nikolai, Kern Hall did not seem easy. As he said, it was a maze. No one who entered had ever come out. Going in to rescue someone was practically nonsense.

That was why he kept studying the map of Kern Hall so carefully.

What on earth was Docep doing inside a place like that?

The moment my worried gaze turned toward the cave—

Crack! Crack!

With an ear-splitting explosive sound, a blinding light burst out, illuminating the once pitch-black cave interior.

Step. Squish.

Wet footsteps echoed from inside.

Everyone’s eyes turned toward the cave at once.

“That presence…”

Nikolai muttered, as if sensing something.

Moments later, a knight behind him pointed into the cave and shouted.

“Someone’s coming!”

At that, I immediately ran toward the cave entrance. Nikolai shot me a glare, but I gently ignored it.

What mattered more was what was coming out.

“Please…”

The sloshing sound drew closer.

Then first appeared long legs.

And then—

The head of a bear as large as a boulder.

“Young master!”

Docep appeared, covered in the Crag Bear’s blue blood.

“Y-Young Master Docep??”

While the knights stared in shock, I ran to him first.

“Are you okay? How many fingers do you see?”

I held up two fingers in front of his eyes.

“I’m fine.”

“So how many?”

“Two.”

“Whew.”

Only then did I let out the breath I’d been holding.

It seemed he hadn’t been affected by the Crag Bear’s saliva.

“You’re not hurt?”

“No.”

“Not torn anywhere?”

Junel kept saying the Crag Bear tears people apart, but the one torn apart was the Crag Bear.

“Did Junel attack it?”

I wanted to ask, but Junel was nowhere to be seen. He hadn’t come out of the cave yet.

“It appears Young Master Docep eliminated the Crag Bear.”

“Does that make any sense? He’s only a one-star knight. Just a few days ago, a three-star knight entered trying to steal one of the legendary swords the Crag Bear possessed, and he died within ten minutes.”

“Then how did Young Master Docep…”

Nikolai and the knights stared in stunned disbelief.

“Was he not alone? Perhaps he secretly hired a knight above six stars to deceive us…”

It was that unbelievable.

Just surviving the cave was a miracle. Bringing back the Crag Bear’s head was beyond that.

Even I was shocked.

“…No.”

At that moment, Nikolai, who had been silently observing, spoke slowly.

“…He’s not one star.”

His brows furrowed deeply.

“Not one star?”

“What do you mean?”

Without answering, Nikolai strode forward and grabbed Docep by the collar.

“What did you do?”

“I did all sorts of things.”

“What things?!”

“Maybe it’s the power of love.”

“Stop your nonsense! Tell the truth!”

Nikolai snarled, face close to his brother’s.

Honestly, I agreed with him.

“A few months ago, I met an old man living in seclusion. That white-haired elder told me if I found a certain woman in the village who radiated strange energy, I could awaken.”

Docep’s gaze shifted to me.

At the same time, Nikolai’s head turned sharply toward me.

“Me?”

Come to think of it, that story did appear in the original novel. The reason Docep, who had zero interest in women, sought Halara out.

“Don’t force a connection.”

“I thought it was nonsense too. But in the end, it turned out to be true.”

This time, I agreed with Docep.

Whatever the reason, awakening was remarkable.

“Now admit it.”

At his words, Nikolai roughly released his collar.

Instead of congratulating his brother for finally proving himself useful, he just clicked his tongue.

“Congratulations on your awakening!”

From my perspective, it truly was something to celebrate.

The fact that he returned alive alone made me want to pat him proudly.

And now he awakened before the family’s destruction.

Clap, clap, clap.

Returning alive was already amazing, and awakening on top of that?

It was an incredible change.

For the first time, the original storyline, which always went wrong, had changed in a way I liked.

While I was clapping, Docep came over and leaned against me.

“Help me walk.”

He said he was fine, but his body swayed.

Without thinking, I grabbed his waist.

“That tickles.”

He lowered his head, suppressing a laugh.

“There’s nowhere else to hold.”

He was much taller than me.

“When we first met, you touched me everywhere.”

This man.

He was definitely teasing someone who didn’t remember.

“I don’t remember.”

I answered firmly.

“I do.”

There’s nothing to say to that.

If I don’t remember, what can he do?

“This time I remembered clearly. You asked me, ‘Oppa, are you good?’”

“Ahhh!”

“And then you said, ‘Since you’re good, stay still?’”

“Ahhh!!”

Was that fair?!

I jabbed him in the side.

“Ugh.”

“Stop it, seriously.”

“Why? Remember now?”

“I’ll drop you and leave.”

“I think my bones are broken.”

“What? Where?!”

“I’m hungry. Let’s go down.”

I got tricked again.

That quiet, gentle mercenary I met him at first—where did he go?

“Just today, I’ll let it slide.”

Today was historic.

Docep had awakened before the original story even began.

“Make me something tasty.”

“Are you ordering me around?”

“Does your stomach hurt?”

“Why would it?”

“Then make it.”

What nonsense was that now?

I didn’t know what he meant, but I decided to support him anyway.

With the knights’ murmurs as background noise, we descended the mountain with lighter steps.

***

Behind Story—One Night

The kettle on the stove gave off a soft hissing sound as steam rose.

Whenever the wind blew, the window frame rattled slightly, filling the room with creaking sounds.

The old house carried a faint scent of wood.

In front of the stove stood a woman pouring liquor into wooden cups.

“It’s been a while since a young, handsome man came to visit.”

The woman with red lipstick was Halara Seheb, known in the village as a temptress.

“Here.”

She grinned as she handed him a cup filled with cheap whiskey. Her white teeth contrasted sharply with her lips.

Docep hesitated but accepted the cup with both hands. The chair beneath him creaked.

“You can leave anytime. Make yourself comfortable.”

As if reading his thoughts, she spoke softly.

Despite his large frame, he looked completely shrunken.

Halara took a sip first.

Seeing her boldness, Docep brought the cup to his lips.

The liquor was bitter, with a faint sweet aftertaste.

“It doesn’t suit the refined taste of a noble young master, does it?”

“…You know who I am?”

He looked at her in surprise.

“There are only two famous people in this territory. One is me. The other is the notorious young master of the lord’s house. Of course I recognize you.”

She wiped liquor from her lips and removed the shawl from her shoulders.

Her pale skin was suddenly revealed.

Docep inhaled sharply.

“What are you trying to do?”

“What do you mean? There’s only one reason a man visits me this late at night.”

“No—”

His vision wavered as he tried to stand.

“It’s okay. Noona will take care of everything.”

“Take care of what—!”

“Isn’t Noona sexy?”

She loosened the thin strap of her shawl.

When Docep squeezed his eyes shut, she pressed closer.

He tried to push her away.

“What did you put in the drink—”

She pressed a finger to his lips.

“Knowing would only put you in danger.”

She spoke slowly.

Danger.

A strange unease flickered.

Heat like melting bone touched his skin.

“Just lie back comfortably.”

“…Ugh.”

With a short groan, his consciousness faded.

After his eyes closed, Halara stepped off him.

She lit a cigar.

The stove light flickered over her fingers.

Smoke drifted.

In a very small voice, she said,

“…It’s all for that person.”

With a sigh that sounded like an apology, the light in the room gradually dimmed.

“For that person, I can do anything with you.”

After those words, the woman roughly began removing his clothes.

The fire in the stove flickered and slowly died down.

The steam from the kettle was drawn back and disappeared.