I Tried To Be Her Loyal Sword

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173 Chapter

In an instant, we were transported by the teleportation artifact, but it seemed that we hadn’t come this way in quite a while, as Zigmund and I arrived in the middle of a snowfield, a bit away from the hot springs.

I clearly remembered the path, so I was half-dragging the half-conscious Zigmund, who had been poisoned by Harabana, towards the hot springs.

“Hey, have you put on some weight? You’re way heavier than before.”

I grumbled as I lugged Zigmund along. In truth, Zigmund wasn’t heavy at all; it was just that the thought of saving my former enemy made me naturally grumpy. I chose this, but somehow it felt a bit like a burden.

“If it’s the same weight as when I was 17, that would be stranger. And why don’t you just leave me behind?”

Thud.

Zigmund, who was panting hotly due to the poison, let out a groan.

“Don’t argue with me. If you argue one more time, I’ll make sure you have to be carried by the princess.”

I kicked Zigmund in the side and shot him a glare before continuing on. He seemed to prefer not to snuggle up to me, quickly closing his mouth.

Not long after our conversation fizzled out, steam rose from a puddle of water in front of us. Feeling Zigmund’s body become stiffer, I sighed in relief and quickened my pace.

“Finally made it.”

I stood in front of the hot springs, smiling proudly. My body, frozen in the chill, began to melt just with the warmth radiating from the hot springs.

In the middle of the snowfield, where cold snow fell like rain, this hot spring was like a fracture leading to another world.

Had I been enjoying the warmth for a moment, Zigmund, panting with various colors on his breath, finally managed to speak.

“You idiot, I told you to leave me behind. Why are you still dragging me along…?”

Ugh.

Beside me, Zigmund, who had been half-conscious from the poison, moaned again.

“I’m sorry, but if it comes to that, you’ll find yourself excluded from the group treatment.”

As I kicked him again, he shot me a sharp glare before staying quiet.

A bit further, I saw the hot springs ahead. I felt relieved and sped up my steps.

“Finally reached it.”

Standing proudly in front of the hot spring, my frozen body began to melt the moment it was exposed to the warm air.

In the midst of the falling snow, this hot spring felt like a doorway to another reality.

Before I could enjoy the warmth even longer, Zigmund began to wheeze and eventually spoke in an exhausted tone.

“Hey, haven’t you lost your mind? Just leave me behind, please…”

I was low-key annoyed, but I threw Zigmund into the hot spring, making sure he splashed in without any chance of arguing.

Splash!

With a massive splash, Zigmund’s silhouette disappeared into the water.

The water flew all around with a big effect that drenched me as well. I wiped the droplets off my cheeks with my palm and took off my jacket covered with black blood.

“Hey, you can wash yourself, right? Or do I need to wash you?”

“Am I finally going insane? I’m not a leaky pot; I’m just poisoned!”

Zigmund emerged from the hot spring, pushing his damp bangs aside and answered with a lifeless voice. Droplets rolled down from his black hair, and his pale skin soaked up the moisture, with his white shirt clinging to his well-formed body.

‘Why does he still look so good even now?’

I glanced at Zigmund with a bit of reluctance. I didn’t want to admit it, but he really was a handsome guy.

It looked like his muscles were easing up as the poison washed away. Zigmund moved slightly, and his long fingers went for the buttons on his shirt.

With his long, white fingers, he undid a button while his deep violet eyes remained on me.

“Are you just going to keep staring?”

“Nope.”

I smirked and took off one of my boots.

“I’m going to wash up with you.”

Zigmund’s expression grew weird at my reply. He looked like someone who just saw a cat wailing.

“…You’re going to wash up together?”

“Yeah. What’s the problem? Did you think you would monopolize this large hot spring all by yourself? Don’t be so ungrateful.”

“I won’t stop you if you want to wash together, but I doubt we are suitable to be in the same bath.”

“Then were we suitable back then?”

I replied while scrubbing my dirty hands over the hot spring. Zigmund, Karasho, and I didn’t have the luxury of choosing nice accommodations when we traveled together, and sharing a bath was nothing new.

The cold snow was freezing, and the blood that dried on my clothes felt uncomfortable. Especially the monster’s blood, which absorbed into the skin faster, needed to be washed off quickly. As I threw off my splattered cloak, Zigmund looked somewhat disturbed.

“…Are you really planning to go in without any clothes?”

“What?”

I gave him a disdainful glare while taking off my socks.

“Did something happen where Harabana’s fang stabbed your brain? Of course, I’m wearing clothes to get in. What kind of thought crossed your mind?”

“Right. I’m glad at least that’s properly ingrained in you.”

Zigmund’s tense expression relaxed a bit at my blunt words. I clicked my tongue and untied the belt around my waist. Then I jumped lightly into the hot spring.

Splash!

With a refreshing sound, warm water enveloped my body, and the tight muscles slowly began to relax. The good feeling of my nerves easing, I sighed and smiled slowly. An involuntary sound of admiration slipped out.

“Ahh, this feels nice.”

“Have you turned sixty this year?”

“If you keep that up, you’ll find yourself here upside down at a tourist attraction at a young age!”

A familiar quarrel broke out between Zigmund and me. As always, it was Zigmund who fell silent first.

I plunged my head into the water and brought it back out. The coldness in my face was now blushing red from the heat. Once I’d thoroughly washed off the black blood covering my body, I pushed my hair back and finally checked on Zigmund’s condition.

“Hey, are you okay?”

At my calling, his violet eyes slowly rolled toward me. Snowflakes fell onto his wet black hair.

After staring at me for a moment, he turned his gaze away indifferently.

“None of your business. Just don’t worry about it.”

‘Is that really what he should say to the person who saved him?’

Hearing Zigmund’s wicked tone made me question my own hearing. I recognized he was like this, but when faced with such an astounding display of his attitude, I wanted to find out what was truly going on with this guy.

“Wow… Why don’t you quit your guild master position and apply for a job in hell? Even demons would want to learn from you.”

“I could work there, but I doubt there’s a place for a foolish and dull-minded person like you. Heaven wouldn’t accept you either. You’re too filthy to be an angel.”

Zigmund shot back sharply to my sarcasm, with one corner of his mouth twitching. Watching him, I felt the thin mental thread from my brain snap.

Splash!

Mana swirled around me, and the water erupted like waves behind me. I used my mana to create a wall of water that could easily be five times my height and turned to Zigmund with a genial smile.

“Come at me, you incorrigible brat.”

If I let Zigmund’s pitiful attitude go unchecked, he would undoubtedly tarnish the face of his mentor, Karasho. As her disciple, I couldn’t allow him to be that disgraceful.

Zigmund, gazing at my fierce water barrier, smirked, showing a look of amusement. Mana swirled around him.

Splash!

Unlike me, who mainly used mana to create aura-based magic, Zigmund was a wizard skilled at detailed mana manipulation, capable of creating miracles. Under his deft control of mana, the water behind him formed into a creature that seemed to be a mix between a snake and a dragon.

“I’ll gladly face you if you want a challenge.”

We locked eyes, and a fierce battle of nerves ensued between Zigmund and me.

‘Ha!’ I let out a hollow laugh and shot towards him at lightning speed, feet clad in mana.

“Don’t you dare go around saying you were a teacher’s disciple with that rotten character, you jerk!”

Boom!

My water barrier collided with Zigmund’s water beast. Though they were both water, an enormous noise erupted as though a meteor had fallen.

Thus, began the aquatic battle of the strongest contenders in this world.

“If you use that rotten speech of character one more time, I’ll roll you up into a barrel and toss you into the sea.”

I proudly wiped the liquid, which was either sweat or water, from my forehead with the back of my hand. Zigmund was now lying flat beneath my feet.

The winner of the water battle was me. Although the magician Zigmund held the upper hand with his detailed manipulation of water, he couldn’t defeat me in his poisoned state.

“What a pain in the ass…”

With his face soaked in water, Zigmund muttered. He sighed while brushing his wet bangs aside. Transparent drops of water slid down his white skin.

‘You’re more of a pain…’

As I gazed at Zigmund, I swallowed back what I couldn’t say and made a grimace. It seemed the saying that beautiful people look twice as lovely when wet was true.

His skin-tight black shirt clung to him, revealing enticing curves. Zigmund, totally soaked, was nothing short of stunningly dangerous.

‘If he had only been a bit less good-looking, I would have punched that irresistible face of his a hundred more times.’

I clicked my tongue, grudgingly acknowledging Zigmund’s beauty. It felt like the heavens had given him a stunning appearance while withholding any semblance of a good character and brain.

“Wash it off perfectly. I’ll give you some medicine.”

I forced myself to look away from him and emerged from the hot spring.

Luckily, I had worn the spatial pocket cloak for mercenary work, just in case. This pocket contained all sorts of essentials, including herbs that could alleviate poison and boost immunity.

‘It feels like the fragments of a shattered sky are pouring down.’

I watched the falling snow as I started a fire inside a cave next to the hot springs.

Looking at the desolate land buried in snow, I could somewhat understand why the Northerners were often said to have strong and tenacious life forces. To survive in such a harsh place, people had no choice but to grow stronger.

Thud, thud.

“Ah, you’re back.”

After lighting the fire and mixing the crushed herbs with water for a hastily concocted medicine, I looked up at the sound of approaching footsteps. The scent of winter came close.

Zigmund appeared, looking dry, as if he had already used magic to dry himself off. He entered the cave and sat across from me comfortably, as if he had returned to his usual spot.

‘How strange. Being here feels more natural than absence.’

Thinking about it, we had only spent about a year together, yet it had been six years apart. Nevertheless, Zigmund and I still felt more at ease with one another’s presence. It seemed that year had indeed been profoundly deep and precious for both of us.

“Drink this.”

I tossed the hastily made medicine to Zigmund. He caught the bottle easily in mid-air. As he examined the small glass vial, he muttered.

“You didn’t put poison in it, did you?”

“Would I bother that much? If I wanted you gone, I wouldn’t give you poison; I’d just toss you to Harabana’s dinner instead. There’d be no women’s dinner without you.”

Even with his doubts, I reacted calmly. Zigmund smirked then quickly chugged the medicine, finishing it in one go.

Whoosh.

The empty glass bottle flew back to me. I caught it effortlessly.

“It’s just a habit to check for poison. I know you didn’t put any in.”

Well, for Zigmund to survive as the guild leader of ‘Hide & Seek’, he needed awareness and caution with everything he consumed. It was understandable to see suspicion as a habit.

After taking the medicine, Zigmund looked a little tired and turned his gaze back to me. His eyes narrowed with skepticism, and they seemed to shimmer, but he quickly returned to his usual lifeless demeanor.

“Dry me off.”

As he spoke, his elegant frame and lightly reddened skin glowed as their essence spread.

Swish.

A warm wind spread throughout my body with a shining magic circle in front of me, enveloping me like a spring breeze.

‘This must be why it’s great to travel with a magician.’

I looked down at my dry clothes and hair in satisfaction.

When traveling with Zigmund, his magic took care of all the troublesome things. In the months since our separation, I had struggled to adapt alone during my hunts and camping.

His presence still lingered with me.

After six years, I no longer made the mistake of buying two portions when getting souvenirs in hunting grounds, nor did I idly wait for aid from magic anymore. Yet, in memories and habits, moments came when I sought him out.

As the crackling fire sounded around us, I stared at Zigmund. Silence with someone isn’t awkward if that someone becomes a part of your own existence. Realizing that the deep stillness between us felt comfortably familiar made me feel a bit uneasy.

“Kashmir.”

“…What?”

His transparent violet eyes rolled towards me. Gazing at me, he wore an expression as complicated and nuanced as mine.

“Are we… friends?”

This was already the third time I asked that question.

Zigmund kept pushing the definition of our relationship onto me, never declaring his own thoughts about it.

I glanced into the void, reflecting on the past.

When he first asked, I answered no. Back then, he was nothing but a sworn enemy. When he asked the second time, I responded that I didn’t know. The complex feelings of love and hatred we felt couldn’t be defined as friendship.

I hesitated for a moment. Now, neither of those initial responses fit. Our relationship kept changing, and both he and I were growing.

After long contemplation, I raised my head. His violet eyes still watched me intently.

“Maybe.”

I couldn’t deny it. He was far too precious for me to declare he wasn’t a friend. Yet, I also couldn’t fully affirm him as one, as I still hadn’t completely embraced him.

Caught between denial and affirmation, my answer tilted slightly more toward the positive.

Only then did I fully acknowledge the fact.

I, too, could not entirely reject Zigmund.