Chapter 20

EP.20 Camping (2)

I understand.

Kayah has grown up like a soldier under the tutelage of Swordmaster Gerald since childhood, and has lived a life building walls against men.

For her, the situation of having to share a bed with a stranger must be quite psychologically distressing.

Moreover, if I were ugly, it might be different, but the face Isaac saw in the mirror was rather handsome. Furthermore, she even admires me.

The conditions for a strange atmosphere to arise were more than sufficient.

I glanced at Kayah again. She still seemed tense.

She must be anxious that I might touch her, whether in a good way or a bad way, both meanings included.

That said, I can't sleep outside, and there's only one tent.

Even if I made an igloo with ice magic, it would be useless because I can't control my magic when I start to fall asleep, and the spell would be canceled.

“……”

“……”

The crackling of the campfire, the gentle flow of the stream.

If we just listen to the natural ASMR and stay like this, the strange atmosphere will only intensify.

Drowsiness was starting to creep in.

Perhaps in this situation, the best way to reassure her might be for me to go to a corner of the tent and fall asleep first.

“I'm sleepy. Let's sleep.”

“Oh, y-yes, yes!”

Private Kayah Astraen.

I remember when I was a second-year private and had just been assigned to my unit.

I got up from the folding chair with a blanket over my shoulders. Ignoring Kayah, who was staring at me, I went into the tent first.

There was plenty of space for two to sleep, but to make Kayah feel more at ease, I went to the far corner and lay down.

‘Oh.’

What a comfortable feeling. It's great.

It feels like we're on a camping trip... but it really is a camping trip.

“Excuse me...”

After a while.

Kayah cautiously entered. Every movement was tense. She was wrapped tightly in a blanket.

I didn't answer her. I just glanced at her sideways and pretended to go back to sleep.

Kayah went to the opposite corner and lay down. The sound of the blanket and sleeping bag rubbing against each other could be heard.

Soon, it became quiet.

I wonder if this kid can sleep well.

I opened my eyes slightly and glanced at Kayah.

‘Oh dear.’

Shaking.

What is she so tense about? Kayah's body was trembling violently like a vibration bell.

She had pulled the blanket up to her lips and was staring intently at the empty tent ceiling.

Moreover, she was pressed tightly against the opposite corner, making the middle of the tent look overly empty.

[ Kayah Astraen ]

Psychology: [The thought of sharing a bed with you makes my heart race with tension.]

Don't worry, I won't touch you, okay...

‘Well, she'll probably fall asleep eventually.’

I closed my eyes again.

My whole body felt lethargic. It seemed fatigue was setting in.

After finishing all the classes for the day, riding in the carriage, and dealing with Garzia in the Tantak underground cave...

“Isaac-sama.”

Suddenly, Kayah called out to me.

“You said the mana of the demon in the underground cave was detected by the academy. Did you know... when I was following you... or around you...?”

Of course not.

Considering what Kayah just said, it seemed this wasn't the first time she had followed me.

For some reason, the situation of Kayah trailing after me was not a good one.

If she were to discover my daily routine, which is always tightly packed, there would be a significant risk of my secrets being exposed.

I don't know what kind of backlash might come. In a position where I need to be cautious, unpredictable variables are a source of fear.

Holding onto my drowsiness, I answered in a low voice.

“...Don't do it again. It's annoying.”

“A, I understand...!”

Kayah's response trembled as if an earthquake had struck.

This should be enough.

Letting go of my drowsiness, I drifted into sleep.

...

About three hours later. I woke up from a dream I was having during the cold weather training in the military. It was a light sleep here too.

I sat up. The early morning chill was not to be underestimated, even with just one blanket.

I don't feel the cold from the cold I create with my magic.

But I am just as susceptible to the cold from the external environment as an ordinary person.

“Ugh, it's cold.”

Muttering to myself, I turned to look at Kayah. She was lying on her side, facing away from me, covered in a blanket.

I took the blanket off me and covered her with it.

I took out a spare set of clothes from my magic bag. I'll cover myself with this.

It couldn't be helped. I felt better making this kid, who followed me out of a young heart, less cold than feeling cold myself.

“Ah.”

My hand touched the sheath of the Calamity Sword, which was next to the spare clothes. I took it out.

It always makes me feel proud.

I remembered the joy of getting the God Card, Obelisk the Tormentor, in a certain card game when I was young and looking at it all day. It felt similar to that.

As I secretly touched the sheath of the Calamity Sword, a smile naturally spread across my face.

“Beautiful thing.”

Hehe. I hope you serve me well from now on.

I put the sheath of the Calamity Sword back into my magic bag.

‘I'll go back to sleep.’

I covered myself with the spare clothes I had taken out and lay down. It's still cold.

I crossed my arms and curled up, trying to retain as much body heat as possible.

Fortunately, sleep came easily.

...

1st Battalion wake-up call.

Paparapapa paparapapa paparapapa paparapa!

I woke up from a dream, hearing the alarm I never wanted to hear again. For a moment, I felt terrible.

But unexpectedly, I felt refreshed. Maybe it was because I slept for a long time.

Lately, with the constant cycle of classes, training, and studying, I've been so busy that I've been cutting back on my sleep, making fatigue a constant passive skill in my life.

This feeling of refreshment is awkward.

I yawned widely and sat up, and the blanket covering my body slipped off.

“...?”

There was no sign of movement beside me. Turning my head, I saw that Kayah was not there. It seemed she had covered me with the blanket and left.

I opened the tent flap. The cool morning breeze chased away the remaining drowsiness, and the crackling of the campfire could be heard.

I poked my head out of the tent. The gorge was bright with the morning sun. I could see the back of Kayah, sitting on a folding chair in front of the campfire.

She was still wearing the coat I had given her yesterday, and the blanket was draped over her shoulders.

In front of her, the logs, which I assume she had brought in the morning, were burning black.

I put on my shoes and stepped out of the tent. Then,

“Huh!”

Kayah, for some reason, jumped in surprise.

She turned her head towards me with an unnatural speed. Why is she so surprised?

“A, Isaac-sama. You're awake...?”

Kayah, who was smiling awkwardly, had dark circles under her eyes. Her pale and delicate skin made the dark circles stand out even more.

She must not have slept well.

[ Kayah Astraen ]

Psychology: [Feeling relieved that you didn't touch me, but at the same time, feeling doubtful about my charm as a woman.]

...What am I supposed to do?

...

After walking for about 30 minutes, we arrived at the carriage stop.

Kayah and I got on a carriage. The driver, seeing a male and female student appear out of nowhere, looked at us with a suspicious eye.

The carriage started towards the academy.

Before long, Kayah began to nod off, and soon she was leaning against the carriage window, fast asleep.

The coat she was wearing had slipped down, exposing her small shoulders. I lifted the coat and covered her shoulders.

The carriage jolted, and her head swayed, eventually resting on my shoulder. She was completely out.

Thinking about it, if it weren't for Kayah, I don't know what would have happened. Originally, going to deal with Garzia, who was building up strength, before the end of Act 2, Chapter 4, was not allowed in *The Magic Knight of Merhen*. It was impossible to enter the Tantak underground cave before that.

I completely broke that rule and explored a part of the game I didn't know about. Therefore, it was impossible to be fully prepared.

But thanks to Kayah,