A Warmth More Precious Than Anything
"Hehe. Zion, Zion……."
Out of nowhere, I found myself being petted.
The one doing the petting was a woman marked by long black hair and golden eyes. The thighs I sat upon were soft yet springy with elasticity, and the chest I used in place of a pillow was so plush I could have used it for airbags.
Her name was Helena. Helena Krauser. My top priority conquest target—and a corps commander of the kingdom.
"Helena. May I go to the bathroom for a moment?"
"…What?"
In that instant, a chill ran down my spine as if the air inside the tent had plunged below freezing. The temperature hadn't actually dropped, but that single frosty word from Helena made it feel that way all the same.
Even so, I lifted my head with an unshaken expression and studied her face. Just as expected, her eyes were dead—and beyond that, she was radiating a murderous aura fierce enough to kill a man where he stood.
"Lies. Lies. Lies. Lies. You're saying that so you can run off somewhere, aren't you? You're going to abandon me and escape, aren't you? No. No. No."
Her mind was terribly unstable. When I—currently serving as her attendant—stayed by her side, she was a gallant, spirited heroine. The moment I tried to step even a little away, though, she displayed extreme symptoms of anxiety.
If there was any silver lining, it was that she had never actually harmed me.
At any rate, she was a woman who showed a serious degree of obsession and dependency. If it were a disease, she'd be in the terminal stage by now.
"Then will you come with me while I pee? Will you watch over me so I can go properly?"
"…Uh, uhh?"
I held back the urge to gag as I deliberately chose the most childish words I could manage to match my childlike appearance. The effect, however, was tremendous—Helena's ice-cold face melted away as her cheeks flushed bright red.
"Sh-Should I…? Zion is still a little kid, so I should keep a good eye on him. Yeah. That's right."
Helena nodded, wearing a smile more radiant than a flower garden blooming on a spring day. I couldn't have been more relieved that she reacted just as I'd anticipated.
"Then let's go together. Okay?"
"Okay…!"
Like a mother leading a child by the hand down the street, I took Helena's hand and stepped out of the tent.
In this world, my name was Zion. My real name was Jungwoo.
I was the meat shield some high and mighty being had tossed into this place—tasked with stopping the sick women who stood at the focal point of the world's collapse.