Salvation? What Salvation?
The word that slipped from Mathias’s lips was so utterly unexpected that for a moment Odeliana wondered if the man standing before her was actually some other creature wearing Mathias’s skin. Yet her bewilderment did not last long.
“Grrrrr.”
A low, guttural growl shattered the silence.
In that instant, countless pairs of eyes flashed crimson in the darkness. One, two, five, seven… too many to count. Their glowing gazes watched the two of them with predatory hunger. The oppressive, eerie aura of the mountain at night pressed down on them, sending a chill straight through their bones.
One of the beasts stepped into the faint circle of light cast by a lantern someone had hung along the mountain path. The moment Odeliana saw it, she doubted her own eyes.
Beast?
It had the shape of a wolf, yet its size far surpassed any ordinary animal. Higher-class individuals usually hunted while wearing what was called human hide, so these creatures that closely resembled wolves were undoubtedly low-class beasts.
Still, low intelligence did not make them any less threatening. Among beasts they might be considered relatively manageable, but they were still predators at the top of the food chain. Their sheer mass alone was overwhelming enough to make even the mightiest bears seem insignificant.
And this was no solitary low-class beast over three meters long. Given their pack-hunting nature, there had to be at least ten of them.
If she had been in Lerusha’s body, she would have sliced their throats without hesitation. But in this frail woman’s body, subduing several house-sized monsters was simply impossible.
All she carried was a pouch of deadly poison powder, a dagger, and a cane with a hidden blade. The odds of the poison working on beasts were low. They possessed far tougher bodies than ordinary wild animals and were known to have strong resistance to toxins.
That left using a blade as the only real option, yet this damned body could barely walk ten minutes without breaking into a sweat, her heart pounding as if it would burst, leaving her unable to even breathe properly. Before her sword could pierce their thick hides, the wrist holding it would likely shatter first.
Running was equally hopeless. The moment she turned her back, they would tear into her nape.
…Of all the rotten luck.
So this was as far as she went.
She had come prepared to die, but ending up as dog food was a bit much.
Odeliana stood frozen in resignation.
Mathias might possess the power to handle the pack. Yet she had already given up any hope that he would help her. He was mercilessly cold to others. Not the kind of man who would bleed if pricked by a needle—he was someone whose blood had long since dried up.
He was not compassionate enough to inconvenience himself for a dying stranger. If he had even a shred of empathy, would his fellow knights have met such meaningless deaths? In her previous life, he had only ever moved on orders, and even then it had felt as though he did so only because he had no choice.
There was no way a man like him would step forward now…
“Huh?”
What happened next took her completely by surprise. Mathias scooped her up in one swift motion. The arms of a boy who looked half-starved were unexpectedly solid and broad. Perhaps it was simply his natural bone structure.
“…What are you doing?”
“You didn’t look like you had any intention of dodging.”
“……”
“You were standing there with an expression that said it wouldn’t matter if you became dog food.”
With beasts right in front of them, his young face remained as calm as a tranquil river on a summer day, showing not the slightest trace of fear.
“You’re going to run away with me?”
Their eyes met, and he answered with perfect composure.
“Even if we run, we should do it together.”
Still holding her, Mathias turned his back to the pack. The moment he exposed his rear, Odeliana looked back at the beasts in alarm.
As expected, they were crouched low, hind legs furiously scraping the ground, clearly about to pounce. Just as those massive shadows were about to burst from the darkness like bullets—
Mathias turned his head and stared directly at them.
In that instant, the beasts that had been snarling and preparing to attack suddenly froze like stone. The others let out pathetic whimpers one after another.
It was too dark to see clearly, but they appeared to be terrified. Before long, the entire pack had vanished completely into the shadows behind them.
Odeliana stared at Mathias with a dazed expression. He said nothing, simply continuing forward at a leisurely pace.
A wave of futility washed over her and she went limp in his arms. When she thought about it, there had never been any need to fear low-class beasts with a high-class individual like Mathias—who wore human hide—standing right beside her. After all, he was the most terrifying thing here.
Even if the shell is young, a beast is still a beast…
Without lifting a single finger, Mathias had resolved the situation. Here he was, covered in bruises from being helplessly beaten by boys his own age, yet he could drive off a pack of far stronger beasts with nothing but his presence. It was almost comical that he had let himself get beaten in the first place.
“The mountain paths are dangerous at night. Allow me to escort you back.”
His words snapped Odeliana back to her senses. Only then did she remember why she had come here on her own two feet. She rolled her eyes, suddenly awkward.
I still have more to say. I can’t let us part like this.
After pondering for a long moment, she lifted her head with renewed determination. She would cling to him however she could. Opening her mouth, she spoke.
“Actually… I’m not from around here. I got lost, and I have nowhere to return to right now.”
“……”
“Could you possibly let me stay at your house for just tonight?”
The moment the impulsive words left her lips, a rush of heat flooded her face.
Let me stay.
When she quietly turned the innocent phrase over in her mind, it suddenly sounded rather suggestive.
Though Mathias had not yet reached adulthood, he was hardly a small child. If anything, he was at the peak of youthful vigor.
For a woman he had only just met to ask a boy like him to let her sleep in his house… no matter how one interpreted it, the request sounded impure.
“You want me to let you sleep in a place crawling with men?”
After a long silence, his reply carried clear disbelief. He smiled, revealing white teeth.
“That would be dangerous.”
“……”
“Who knows what kind of treatment you’d receive?”
This time it was Odeliana who let out a small laugh. The boy’s cheeky provocation felt less threatening and more endearing.
“No matter what happens, wouldn’t it still be better than sleeping on the street? And if we’re being honest, it seems far more likely I’d suffer something terrible out here on the road than inside your house.”
“……”
“Besides, is there anywhere in these mountains that isn’t dangerous?”
Objectively speaking, Mathias’s home was the safest place.
Remaining on the mountain meant risking attacks from wild animals or beasts. She might also encounter bandits or thugs. Sleeping outdoors carried the same dangers. In a place with such poor public order, a lone woman spending the night outside was practically suicide.
That was why the people here traveled in groups. Anyone alone was almost certain to become a target for crime. This wretched world was especially cruel to women and the weak.
In that sense, there’s no man safer than Mathias.
He was the sort of man who had remained an impregnable fortress despite countless women trying to warm his bed. The rumors had grown so ridiculous that some even suspected he had problems with his reproductive functions or preferred men.
Even if he possessed a cruel side, he was certainly not the kind of trash who would carelessly violate a woman.
“If it’s too much to ask, then I suppose there’s nothing to be done…”
Yet she doubted Mathias would easily allow an outsider into his personal space. He had always drawn strict boundaries around his private domain. Such territorial instincts were only natural for a beast.
He insisted on sleeping alone and would not tolerate anyone touching his belongings. He maintained no close relationships with others.
There was no way he would calmly invite a woman he had met only hours ago into his territory. Even if she emphasized her pitiful crippled legs to the fullest, it probably wouldn’t work.
She had spoken only because she wanted to hold onto him, but she had held little expectation.
However, after gazing at her silently for a moment, he nodded without hesitation.
“Then I shall escort you to my home.”
“Eh? Really?”
“I can’t very well abandon you on the side of the road.”
Still carrying her in his arms, he turned and began walking back toward the shantytown.