61. Exploration Battle (4)
The rain began to fall more fiercely.
The raindrops, which had been gradually intensifying, started to grow thicker, eventually pounding their bodies as if it were a physical strike.
Ivan’s wind magic was clearing the rain as he carried Karla and ran, but even his magic had its limits. The raindrops, piercing through the wind barrier, were becoming increasingly impossible to ignore.
“Shouldn’t we slow down a little?”
Ivan thought for a moment at Karla’s suggestion—was there really a need to slow down? However, when he glanced down at Karla, her appearance was a mess.
With the rain pelting her directly, Karla was receiving the full brunt of the downpour. Her face was soaked, and she couldn’t even open her eyes properly. Seeing this, Ivan awkwardly smiled and began to slow down.
“I wasn’t paying enough attention to you, sorry.”
“No, it’s okay…”
Karla thought that she might be hindering him, but she couldn’t bring herself to say it out loud.
Even though they slowed down, Ivan didn’t stop. He was heading toward the Abzetti Cave, a location far from where the exploration battle was still presumably raging, with Karla still in his arms.
Looking up at Ivan’s face, Karla inwardly felt dissatisfied.
“I never thought I’d be the one to become a hindrance…”
She had always been someone who didn’t hesitate, yet now she found herself in this predicament. This situation reinforced her awareness of her current state, which she had noticed several times before but now truly understood.
While the circuit in her body hadn’t been disrupted and was still operational, allowing her to use magic, it was only at half capacity. Her physical body wasn’t in good shape, so the magic circuits couldn’t function properly either.
And that’s why they were here now.
“Are you cold at least?”
Ivan’s question snapped Karla out of her thoughts.
Without realizing, Ivan had turned to look at her with a smile.
“No, I’m not cold.”
“Right. That’s probably because I’m holding you like this. There’s body heat, after all.”
“We should probably take a break and get some rest soon.”
“That… I didn’t think you’d say that.”
Ivan immediately became flustered.
Strangely, his reaction amused Karla.
“Are you saying I’m not enough? Do you prefer Regina?”
“Regina? What does she have to do with anything? It’s not like that… Anyway, shouldn’t we be seeing the destination soon…?”
Ivan tried to change the subject and headed toward the large tree trunk nearby. It was raining, but they needed to check the map, at the very least.
“Ah, it seems like we took a wrong turn.”
“See? We should have been checking the map while we were going. Luckily, it’s not too far off course, though.”
As she examined the map Ivan was holding, Karla spoke. She hesitated slightly, worried that she might sound like she was blaming him.
“We can get back on the right path. Since we’re here, let’s take a small break, Ivan.”
“Shouldn’t we go directly?”
“Wouldn’t carrying me tire you out? I know I’m heavier than I look. Let’s take a moment to catch our breath before moving forward.”
“Hmm… Is it safe here from the rain?”
Ivan placed his hand above Karla’s head and swiveled it around to check.
Ivan didn’t really think too much of this innocent action, but Karla’s perspective was different. Leaning against the tree trunk, she found herself face-to-face with Ivan’s chest. As he moved his hand above her head, her gaze was inadvertently drawn to his rather broad and slightly wet—no, thoroughly soaked—chest muscles, which seemed to be right in front of her eyes.
“Karla, are you alright? Your face is red.”
“Ah, no, it’s nothing.”
When his face reappeared after his hand moved away, Karla immediately snapped back to reality.
“Is there something on your mind?”
“There’s nothing. I just wonder if I’ll be able to find what I’m looking for at the Abzetti Cave.”
“It’ll turn out fine, of course.”
“What will?”
Ivan, surprised by her question, gathered his words as he faced Karla.
“Of course, to help you achieve what you want. To help you get your arm back. That’s what I’m aiming for.”
“You…?”
“Of course. You’re my friend, and I believe helping a friend achieve their goal is a natural thing.”
“Is that… so?”
Seeing Karla’s expression, Ivan smiled again.
“And it’s because it’s you, Karla, that I feel I must help. It’s not just anyone, after all.”
“…Isn’t it someone else’s business?”
Ivan muttered something peculiar.
“Let’s have a little snack, at least.”
Karla twisted around to grab the bag behind her waist. Recalling the provisions they had agreed to bring earlier, she suddenly felt hungry.
“Dried fruit. It seems sugar-coated as well. Given the quality, it must’ve been expensive.”
As Ivan examined the piece of dried fruit Karla handed him, he commented. Karla couldn’t help but chuckle.
“What do you expect? Dried fruits without sugar wouldn’t taste right.”
“Ah… Is that so? I haven’t had many fruits myself.”
“You… well, it’s because…”
Karla promptly shut her mouth mid-sentence. She didn’t want to insult Ivan by bringing up the subject of his class and risk upsetting him. After all, she would need his help to reach the Abzetti Cave.
“Right, that’s true.”
Karla convinced herself silently.
In order to achieve her goal, she needed to cater to Ivan’s mood. It was a necessary compromise.
“This is delicious. The sugar probably does it, but it’s incredibly sweet.”
“Is that so?”
Karla popped a piece of fruit into her mouth. Though coated in sugar, the fruit tasted rather bland.
“You should come over to my place some time. I’ll give you the real deal in dried fruits.”
“How can I visit when you can’t even go to your own home?”
“…Maybe next time. Yes, next time.”
“Since we’ve had a bite to eat, shall we get moving?”
After eating the small piece of fruit and a few slices of jerky that Ivan judged were quite decent, he grunted and got to his feet.
“Yeah.”
Ivan stood first and brushed off his bottom, although it wasn’t damp from the rain—just an old habit.
“Alright, Karla. Hold on.”
“Umm… Could you phrase that differently?”
Holding her seemed too intimate.
“What’s the matter?”
“Can’t we use a gentler term, like ‘support’?”
“I’m going to carry you, so you need to hold on.”
“…Poor Regina.”
Poor Regina indeed.
Muttering under her breath, Karla still grasped Ivan’s outstretched hand and stood up.
“Ack!”
Without noticing, she stepped into a puddle and lost her balance, letting out a small scream. Ivan quickly caught her before she could fall forward.
“Karla, are you okay?”
“Ah… I-I’m fine…”
“Looks like you need to be carried, after all.”
As she said, Karla’s face had ended up pressed against Ivan’s chest, leaving her snugly enveloped in his arms. Subtly, the sound of rain began to diminish, and she could faintly hear Ivan’s heartbeat. Soon, she realized that the heartbeat wasn’t his—it was her own.
“Is anything injured?”
“Yeah… I’m alright.”
Ivan helped Karla stand up and smiled. When he extended his arms, signaling for her to be carried, Karla hesitated before approaching him.
“Are you two really entertaining yourselves, fooling around with another man’s fiancée? Some things can’t be helped when the blood of a lowborn runs deep.”
Ivan frowned and turned toward the voice.
“There was no magical presence reaching us from this direction. Lucas, you’re not strong enough to conceal your own magic.”
“Those above naturally use those below.”
Through the rain, Lucas slowly emerged, with Kiara behind him, her face dark. At the sight of her, Karla scowled and yelled out.
“You trash, what brings you here again? Come to get beaten, have you?”
“How absurd, Karla. That time, the son of that servant caught me off guard with his tricks. Besides, Kiara, my concubine, is invincible in this kind of downpour.”
Karla couldn’t refute that.
She was well aware—Kiara di Servitore, her magical power was water-based. In weather like this, abundant with water, she exhibited extraordinary strength.
“Leave that servant’s son alone and come to me, Karla. Come be embraced in my arms, as the future Lady Karla von Shaiskeil.”
“Are you kidding me?”
Karla’s face contorted in disgust.
