Adelia's Fluttering Heart (2)
Before that, the real problem was my heart. Whether to stay in the world she lived in or return to the one I came from. In one world I would have to live only for her, while in the other I still had the chance to see my parents and friends again.
Adelia pouted, clearly displeased. “For the woman you love, you could forget your family and friends and live in her world, couldn’t you? No woman could survive in the environment you grew up in.”
“You’re right. I think so too. If she tried to live in my hometown, it would be incredibly difficult for her to adapt. Everything would feel strange and harsh. The food tastes different, the language is different…”
“Now that you mention it, you really were a foreigner.”
“You forgot?”
“You speak our kingdom’s language so well that I completely forgot.” Adelia glanced at Hyunwoo and added, “Just so there’s no misunderstanding, I don’t mind foreigners. I don’t particularly dislike them.”
“What’s that supposed to mean all of a sudden?”
When Hyunwoo chuckled, Adelia’s face flushed red with embarrassment and she began to flounder. “I-it’s just a statement! Don’t misunderstand and take it the wrong way! Just make sure you hold on to that woman!”
The conversation between the two continued for a while after that. Hyunwoo got to see a new side of Adelia. There were moments when the meaning of her words escaped him, but aside from those, he found that he could talk to her quite easily and felt a growing fondness. He also began to feel a desire to become closer to her in the future.
By the time they finished their meal and stepped outside, the sun had already set. They had truly spent a long time talking. It had been that enjoyable a conversation.
The carriage soon arrived in front of the mercenary group’s office. Before getting off, Hyunwoo turned to Adelia sitting beside him. “Thanks for today. Next time I’ll treat you to a meal……”
Hyunwoo was about to express his gratitude when he suddenly recalled something Adelia had said in the past. “I must decline. I have no desire to eat whatever food you might offer, as I can already imagine what it would be like.” She had rejected him quite harshly back then. Taking that lesson to heart, he swallowed the words that had almost slipped out.
“Treat…… No, never mind. Anyway, the food was delicious. Get home safely.”
“I want to eat it.” Adelia reached out and gently stroked Hyunwoo’s cheek. Her eyes sparkled as she gazed at him with a look that could only belong to a woman deeply in love. “If it’s something you’re offering, I want to eat anything. You’ll treat me to a meal, won’t you?”
“Even if it’s nothing special?”
“What does it matter if it’s nothing special? I’ll be eating while looking at the heart of the person offering it.” Adelia whispered sweetly and leaned in so close that their noses nearly touched. The inside of the carriage was dim, yet her beauty remained undiminished. Up close, her face was even more stunning. When Adelia slowly closed her eyes, Hyunwoo instantly understood what it meant.
“Just like yesterday……” she murmured softly. It seemed she was hoping for the same intense kiss Hyunwoo had given her in a fit of anger the day before.
It was hard to escape temptation once you fell into it, especially when a woman as dazzling as a jewel stood right before you. Resisting instinct became even more difficult. Drawn by an invisible force, Hyunwoo pressed his lips against hers without realizing it. The soft taste of the wine she had drunk at the end of the meal lingered on Adelia’s lips.
Bandit groups that had once run rampant throughout the Nobern territory were being eliminated one by one until only a single group remained: the band led by Bison, the Wild Wolf of Nobern. Bison was a barbarian who had grown up in the harsh northern environment. Though rough and violent like any barbarian, he also possessed exceptional leadership qualities, allowing him to build the largest force among all the bandit groups in Nobern.
While Hyunwoo and Adelia were putting their heads together to devise a strategy for dealing with him, a letter suddenly arrived from Bison. Bison was a rather peculiar man. Every other bandit group they had faced had chosen to hole up in their mountain stronghold and stage a siege once cornered, but Bison did not. Instead, he sent a formal challenge, specifying a date and time to fight an honorable duel on the Brümrn Plains to the west of the city. It was almost laughable that a mere bandit leader would propose a full-scale battle as if he were commanding an army.
The letter was filled with confidence that he could defeat them, along with crude insults and provocations. “The fact that he wants to wage an open battle on the plains against regular troops suggests he has something he’s relying on. We should analyze the enemy’s strength first.”
“Your words make sense. I agree.”
Adelia nodded at Hyunwoo’s suggestion and immediately mobilized all her informants to gather information circulating about Bison. Two days later, the soldiers who had gone out to collect information returned and reported.
“His real name is unknown, but a shaman called the ‘Diviner’ recently joined his side. Using the Diviner’s power, Bison captured an orc village and incorporated the orc prisoners into his forces. The number of bandits, which was only around sixty, has more than doubled to nearly one hundred and fifty.”
The Diviner. Hyunwoo had heard the name once before and vaguely remembered it. A few months ago, when they went to subjugate the scoundrel Gerduk, this was the person who had sold the Swift Bow—the very bow that killed Orlando, son of Lord Roton, and which Hyunwoo now possessed—to Gerduk. Furthermore, in the final investigation results revealed after the death of Nirgof, the vassal who had poisoned Lord Roton and driven the Nobern family to ruin, witnesses had testified that Nirgof had mentioned the word “Diviner” several times while alive.
Having been involved in so many incidents, the Diviner was clearly no ordinary individual. In any case, Bison’s bold courage must have come from the Diviner and the orcs. The enemy numbered around one hundred and fifty. On their side, combining the Lion Heart Unit, the Nameless Unit, the Valkyries, and the Kether Mercenary Group brought their total to roughly one hundred and forty, so the numbers were fairly even. However, victory in battle would depend on the quality of equipment, individual skill, and the commander’s leadership.
Hyunwoo did not believe that Bison, who had spent his life leading a bandit group, was more knowledgeable in strategy and tactics than Adelia, who had received formal military education. Yet the fact that he demanded an open battle on the plains suggested he intended to fight honorably without hiding, even if it meant death. No bandit group targeted by the Lion Heart Unit had survived thus far. The moment they were marked, they were completely wiped out. If they were going to fall anyway, perhaps dying gloriously in battle rather than cowering in a siege was the more honorable choice.
Paying respect to Bison’s bravery, the day of the decisive battle they had agreed to fight on the plains finally dawned.
“Huh? Dana’s riding behind me?” Unia, already mounted, turned around with a surprised expression. In front of the Kether Mercenary Group office, as the members finished preparing for battle and mounted their horses, Dana had suddenly climbed up behind her. Everyone except Hyunwoo tilted their heads in confusion.
“Not riding behind Hyunwoo……?” When Unia asked cautiously, Dana silently turned her gaze away and stared at the wall. Unia glanced at Hyunwoo. Her eyes seemed to demand an explanation—what on earth was going on? Hyunwoo let out a silent sigh and gestured for her to just let it go.
“What did you two fight about……”
“Haha, what are we supposed to do about this?”
“It looks like the captain and Lady Dana aren’t getting along……”
Realizing that discord had arisen between Hyunwoo and Dana, the members each wore troubled expressions. Marcus, who had come to see them off, clicked his tongue. “Whether you did well or not, just apologize and say you were wrong, you brat. She even shared her precious mana with you. Where do you get off throwing a tantrum? You should be living like her servant for the rest of your life.”
Kelly, standing beside him, narrowed her eyes and curled one corner of her mouth into a wicked smile. “They say if lovers don’t get along, it’s better to just break up rather than try to understand each other. Hehe……”
Epibia approached Hyunwoo’s horse with a grin so wide it nearly reached her ears. “Ho, is this, is this my seat?!” Her eyes sparkled brightly. Hyunwoo nodded. Since Dana had taken the spot behind Unia, the seat behind him naturally became Epibia’s.
“I-I’m happy! It’s the seat I’ve always wanted, so I’m happy! I’ll ride well!” Epibia leaped up excitedly and climbed onto the seat behind him. Good grief. The sudden heavy, solid sensation made him feel as though he had loaded a wild boar onto the horse. Even the horse seemed startled, letting out a loud neigh and staggering on its legs. Because Epibia was heavier than Dana, the feeling was completely different.
“I-I might fall, so I’ll hold on tight! I won’t let go! It’s dangerous to take your hands off while riding!” Epibia wrapped her arms tightly around Hyunwoo’s waist from behind, wearing an utterly blissful expression. She clung to his back like a tick and even rubbed her cheek against him vigorously.
While she was too overjoyed to know what to do with herself, Hyunwoo looked at Dana sitting behind Unia. She happened to be looking at him as well, and their eyes met. Her expression was complicated. Though her face remained cold and expressionless, her eyes carried a strange atmosphere, as if she resented him, as if she was silently angry, as if she was jealous that another woman was riding behind him instead of her.
He wanted to reach out to her right away, but as long as he had not decided whether to leave for Earth or not, approaching and embracing her now would only mean toying with her. He wanted to face her after making a clear decision. In this undecided state, he would only continue to waver indecisively.
To be honest about his current feelings, after the conversation with Adelia a few days ago, his heart had slightly leaned toward one side. Lately, he kept thinking about completely forgetting Earth and settling down in this world. ‘Mother, Father. Please forgive your unworthy son. It seems a woman from another world whom you can never meet might become your daughter-in-law. And you only had one son……’
Their mercenary group joined the Lion Heart Unit at the castle and immediately departed the city. After traveling for about half a day, they ate a simple meal of combat rations and continued marching until they finally arrived at the Brümrn Plains and set up camp. Bison’s forces had already arrived and were waiting. As rumored, an orc unit was mixed in among the soldiers. Armed with crude swords and bows that did not look human-made, they were positioned in the front lines, appearing to serve as meat shields to block the enemy’s advance.
At the very front stood a man wearing barbaric gladiator armor and a hunched old woman draped in a pitch-black robe. The old woman appeared to be the shaman known as the Diviner.
“Order the mages to deploy an Anti-Magic Field across the entire unit.” Having confirmed that there was a magic user in the enemy ranks, Adelia issued a swift command in preparation.