Chapter 32

Abelin and I ran across the snowy field for quite a while.

Thanks to our good stamina, we covered a considerable distance, but even so, it was impossible to reach Rostia in just one day.

Honestly, we were fine, but…

“Phew, huff…”

The problem was the horses.

They had worked hard carrying us, so they needed a proper rest.

“It seems we’ll have to take a break.”

“I guess so. I’d like to start our vacation as soon as possible, but we can’t just leave these precious horses behind.”

Reluctantly, Abelin and I tied up the horses, unpacked our gear, and fed them some hay.

The two horses, having run nonstop, greedily ate their feed and then leaned against each other, falling asleep.

“They get along so well.”

“Yeah, unlike us.”

“I thought we’d gotten pretty close, though. Was I wrong?”

“…You’re free to delude yourself.”

“Hmm…”

Abelin said that, but she didn’t give me a sharp glare.

“Since the horses are asleep, why don’t we eat something and get some rest too? We’ll need it to properly enjoy our vacation.”

“I guess so, but…”

Abelin hesitated at the suggestion of sleeping and gave me an unreadable look.

“Why, is there a problem?”

“Of course there’s a problem. How can I relax and close my eyes with a man around?”

“What…? Ha, unbelievable. So you do see me as a man?”

“Don’t get the wrong idea again. There’s not a single hint of me being flustered. I’m just wary of you, you ignorant and sly person.”

“I’ve been called ignorant countless times, so I’ll let that slide. But where did ‘sly’ come from?”

“You don’t know? You’ve exposed your bare body in front of me several times!”

“What, what? That’s my fault? And it wasn’t even fully naked, just my upper body!”

“Exposed is exposed!”

“And it was only twice! Once when I was changing clothes and you barged in, and the other time when you came in while I was sleeping!”

“…Anyway!”

Abelin took out a few pieces of wood from the unpacked gear and quickly started a fire with her swift hands.

“Being called ‘Silver Flash,’ your hands are fast too. But even if your hands are quick, it feels like you’ve done this many times before. Is that also a delusion?”

“That’s not a delusion. Before joining the Vanguard, I wandered around with Neias for a while.”

“Wandered around?”

My ears perked up.

It was the first time I’d heard about Abelin’s past, something she’d never shared before.

“That’s interesting. Tell me more.”

“…Ah.”

Abelin, who had been feeding the fire, finally realized what she’d just done.

She had unintentionally revealed a small piece of her past, despite her earlier resolve not to.

“Ugh…!”

Annoyed, she carelessly tossed more wood into the fire instead of placing it carefully.

Then she just stared at the growing flames without saying another word.

“Not going to say more?”

“…Let’s just warm up and get some sleep.”

“Hmm.”

Abelin was firm, but I didn’t want the conversation to end there.

It had been a while since I realized it, but while Abelin knew all about my past, I knew nothing about hers.

It wasn’t a pleasant situation, and it felt like I was losing somehow.

‘I can’t let this go…!’

I pretended to be casual, waiting for the right moment. When the silence stretched and Abelin’s pouting lips relaxed a bit, I spoke up as if casually.

“Surprising. A warrior as capable as you being a wanderer.”

“…”

Abelin didn’t look at me, just slightly furrowed her brows, but thankfully, she didn’t seem too upset.

She just looked troubled, as if recalling something unpleasant from her past.

“Especially with someone as capable as Neias by your side. It doesn’t seem like an ordinary story. Could it be…?”

I was just following the flow of thought, but it was a pretty reasonable deduction.

“Abelin, are you actually a princess from one of the many kingdoms in this world?”

“I told you not to call me a princess!”

Abelin clenched her teeth, but I wasn’t scared at all.

In fact, I took her irritation as an opportunity to push further.

“What I call you is up to me, right? Just like how you mock me for being ignorant and strong. Let’s see, which kingdom’s princess are you…?”

When I stared at her, Abelin sharply turned her head away.

But that only revealed the pale skin of her neck, hidden under the thick clothes she wore to ward off the cold.

“It’s fascinating. Rolling around in the dirt with the other members, yet your skin is flawless, without a single blemish.”

“Ugh. Stop looking…!”

Abelin, realizing her neck was exposed, hunched over to hide her skin under her clothes.

“Is there some secret to it?”

“There’s no secret. I’m a warrior. If I had time for skincare, I’d rather swing my sword a few more times.”

“Ah, I see. So you were just born with good skin.”

“…Think what you want.”

Abelin had buried her skin in her clothes, but I didn’t need to see it.

I’d already spent a long time with her as a comrade.

Moreover, staying with the Vanguard had given me a lot of information about the world.

With volunteers and prisoners from all over gathering here, I’d seen every skin color imaginable.

Considering Abelin’s speech, skin tone, and habits…

“From the central region, huh?”

“…!”

Abelin, who had been hunching to hide herself, jerked her head up in surprise.

“Stop it. Don’t make assumptions about people.”

“It’s not an assumption. It’s a plausible deduction. But fine. Digging into someone’s past isn’t exactly desirable, so I’ll stop here.”

“Hmph…”

Only after I declared I’d stop did Abelin relax and sit back down to warm herself by the fire.

I got up and took out some dried rations from the gear.

“Instead, why don’t you tell me something? We’ve got time before we eat and sleep. Let’s talk while we eat. Here!”

I tossed some dried rations to Abelin, who caught them effortlessly and placed them near the fire to warm.

Then, she finally started to speak.

“I was kicked out of my home, you could say.”

“Kicked out? Why?”

“That’s what I’d like to know. Why was I kicked out?”

I was the one who asked first, but Abelin threw the question back at me.

Still, the fact that she’d started talking was a big opportunity, so I decided to play along more sincerely.

“There are many reasons a child gets kicked out of their home. But the most decisive ones are usually two: either the child doesn’t like the parents, or…”

I trailed off, glancing at her. Since Abelin didn’t react, it seemed she wasn’t the type to run away because she disliked her parents.

So, it had to be the other one.

“Or the parents kicked the child out.”

“Both are wrong.”

“Oops… Wrong guess.”

Even though I didn’t get it right, I didn’t feel too bad.

I’d successfully used the conversation to get Abelin to open up more.

“It was because of aegyo.”

Wait, what did I just hear?

“Ae, aegyo…?”

“Yes. I wanted to be the daughter my parents could be proud of. So while I was out honing my skills, my younger sister stayed close to our parents, showering them with affection and winning over everyone around her.”

“A cute daughter and a proud daughter are different. If I were your parents, no matter how cute your sister was, I wouldn’t have kicked you out for trying so hard to earn their favor.”

“Thanks for saying that. But the family I was kicked out from was a bit different. My parents’ business could only be inherited by one child. And the people around them, who had already taken a liking to my sister, urged my parents to pass it on to her instead of me.”

“…I feel like I’ve heard similar stories before.”

It wasn’t entirely unfamiliar.

“Yeah, politics is exactly like that.”

I didn’t need to think hard to get the vibe.

A field where individual ability doesn’t matter as much as social skills and building a powerful support base.

Having mingled with wealthy nobles and royals before joining the Vanguard, I knew exactly what she meant.

“I get it. Being kicked out for not having aegyo means exactly that.”

“Glad you understand. The situation doesn’t seem great for a leisurely chat, though.”

Abelin stood up, brushing off her seat.

The atmosphere around us had grown tense.

Outlaws of the snowy plains, wolves, had surrounded us.

“Perfect timing. I needed something to chew on when I’m in a bad mood.”

I stood up too.

As we rose, the wolves crouched low, ready to pounce.

But these wolves didn’t know.

Just yesterday, we’d faced something far more terrifying than them—Demon Hounds.

Chewy jerky is good for a long chew, but fresh, tender meat is always better.

“Come at me, you mutts!”

“Grr-!!”

The wolves charged at us, drooling.

They had no idea who the real prey was.