Chapter 35

EP.35 A Three-Week Vacation - 6

It was a strange feeling.

Clearly, she was too tired to get up, yet she didn't feel the exhaustion.

Instead, the rest brought by fatigue was comfortable, and she even felt a sense of happiness.

She could sense Leonardo.

It was an odd expression, but now she could say it was appropriate.

The place where she lay, the things covering her body, even the temperature and air, all seemed to carry the presence of Leonardo.

"..."

Overwhelmed by that sense of happiness, Ariasfil slowly opened her eyes, which had started to close.

What she saw when she opened her eyes was an unfamiliar ceiling, and what she felt upon waking was a familiar scent.

Amid this contradictory harmony, Arias carefully got up from the bed and looked around. An old desk, shabby walls and wallpaper, and faded curtains.

Everything seemed old, but paradoxically, she felt more comfortable here than in the family mansion.

The fact that everything, despite being so old, was free of dust and grime greatly contributed to her positive impression.

As she slowly surveyed the small house, she saw the kind knight who had created this comfort on the side.

"...Leo...?"

Leonardo was dozing in a chair, his clothes covered in dirt and torn, the collar and sleeves ripped and tattered.

His body, hidden beneath such a pitiful outfit, was even worse. His hands, from the palms to the fingertips, were calloused and torn, and his barely healed hands were clumsily bandaged.

"...Because of me..."

Just as she was about to wake Leonardo, feeling guilty, she noticed a piece of bread and a cup of milk on a tray on the side drawer. Next to the tray was a small note.

[Sorry about the village chief. He's a rather inflexible person. If you wake up and feel hungry, please eat the bread and milk. It might not be as good as what you eat at home, but it will help with your nutrition.]

Arias silently looked at Leonardo. He must have been exhausted just breaking through the barrier, so it was better to let him sleep a little more.

Arias picked up the bread and milk and started to eat slowly. As Leo had said, it wasn't particularly delicious. The bread was dry, and the milk wasn't creamy.

Still, she liked the taste.

Regardless of how delicious it was, she enjoyed the food.

After finishing her meal, Arias carefully lifted Leonardo. He was heavy and solid, but compared to what her knight had done for her, this small act of kindness was insignificant.

Just as she was about to gently lay Leonardo down on the bed,

Creak

The old hinges of the door creaked as an old woman walked in.

"Leonardo, how is the child...?"

Anus's eyes fixed on the bed. More importantly, she was looking at the girl who had carried the man in her arms.

"..."

"...Ah...that's..."

"Let's talk about it later. I won't stop you, but don't forget to use protection."

With that, Anus tried to close the door and leave. Surprisingly, Arias was not flustered. She laid Leonardo down on the bed and walked towards the door.

"It's fine. We can talk now."

"...You're surprisingly calm. Are you familiar with such terms?"

"...What terms?"

Arias asked, puzzled. Her reaction allowed Anus to gauge her level of knowledge.

"...Not knowing that, you made such plans..."

"...What?"

"No, it's nothing."

Anus looked at Leonardo, who was sleeping on the bed, and then back at Arias.

"Though I lack shame, can we talk outside?"

Arias glanced at the sleeping Leonardo and nodded quietly.

***

The night in Doron was quiet, unlike the morning. The darkness seemed to swallow all the surrounding sounds like a fog.

The two women, one elderly and one young, walked through the dark forest.

As the oppressive silence flowed, Anus pressed her cane firmly into the ground.

"...How are you feeling?"

Her question was stiff but not harsh. The kindness hidden behind her gruffness was noticeable even to Arias, who was not close to her.

"...I'm fine. Thanks to you..."

"You collapsed because of me. You only got better because of Leonardo."

Arias had a conflicted expression but didn't correct her. She wasn't angry, but she hadn't forgiven Anus completely either.

"Are you angry with me?"

Perhaps sensing her lingering resentment, the old woman approached Arias's heart with clumsy steps.

"...What?"

"If you're angry, be angry. If you're not, I wish you would have been angry. It's easier for the young to move on when an old person like me dies quickly."

Arias hesitated, unsure of what to say. It was difficult to come up with words of sympathy or agreement on the spot.

"...That's..."

"...And I'm sorry. I should have apologized first."

By giving her this hesitation, Anus bowed her head and waist to apologize to Arias.

Arias was even more confused by this reaction.

"...Ah..."

"I promised. If I lose, I would cancel my words and apologize."

Anus raised her head and met Arias's eyes.

"I'm sorry. I took your feelings lightly and belittled your relationship with Leonardo. I apologize, even if it's late."

Anus bowed her head and waist again.

Perhaps because she usually only spoke harsh words, this apology felt heavier than others.

"...No...! I also suddenly brought up such a topic...! It's understandable for you to be angry, as a guardian...!"

Feeling the weight of this deep apology, Arias quickly accepted it. After all, the one who had practically raised Leonardo was her, so Arias couldn't help but consider her dignity.

"...Guardian... Indeed, that's a fitting term. I'm not Leonardo's parents, so I have no right to interfere in your relationship."

Following this self-deprecating statement, Arias blinked. She wasn't Leonardo's lover, let alone his wife, so she felt a pang of guilt.

"...I... That is... actually..."

"I called you here to talk about Leonardo's childhood."

Arias, who was about to confess the truth, closed her mouth.

"Probably, that rock wouldn't answer even if you asked him. In such cases, an old woman with a nagging heart has to step in."

Leonardo's past.

Even if it was a topic that would weigh heavily on her conscience, it was something she had to hear.

It wasn't just out of curiosity.

The air of the forest and Anus's sincerity instilled in Arias the resolve to listen and the determination to keep a secret.

"Have you heard about Leonardo's mother?"

Arias nodded in response.

"Yes, she passed away when Leonardo was around ten..."

"...Passed away, I'm sure that's what Leonardo said."

Anus smiled bitterly. If she didn't laugh, the bitterness of the story would linger even more on her lips.

"Do you know why Leonardo left the village?"

Arias couldn't answer. She couldn't.

Unless she made something up, there was no way she could answer.

Thinking about it, Leonardo never talked about himself. He especially kept his past a secret.

"You wouldn't know. Leonardo is that kind of person."

Anus walked to a secluded spot in the forest. It was dark, but for some reason, there was no fear of the darkness.

People find comfort in a shallow shadow more than in harsh sunlight.

"Leonardo left the village to find his mother. He was looking for his mother who disappeared when he was around ten."

"But... I thought Leonardo said..."

He had said that his mother hadn't returned for three months and he thought she was dead.

Soon, Arias understood the true meaning of Anus's words.

It was just that "he said that."

"Leonardo came to this village when he was less than a year old."

Anus remembered that day as vividly as if it were last night. Strangely, the older her body got, the easier it became to recall old memories.

On a night of torrential rain, even the water spirits fled from the fierce rain.

Through that storm, a fool walked.

A woman who was old enough to be someone's mother but not quite good enough to be a good mother.

Without a husband, she carried a baby in her arms and braved the storm alone. That decision was her mark of judgment.

"That was Leonardo's mother, Ren."

This Ren, who suddenly appeared in the village, demanded a place to live.

"...What? Wasn't this her hometown?"

"To Leonardo, it might be, but not to Ren."

Ren was just a stranger who had stayed in the village a few times; she wasn't from the village.

"Still, since she had helped the village a few times, I gave her an empty house nearby. I thought it was a good thing, as it was a waste to use it as a storage shed."

While complaining, Anus provided a place to live, light food, and money.

She asked about the baby, but Ren, as if cursed with silence, didn't answer.

"So, Leonardo doesn't know his father. Neither do we."

At that moment, Arias remembered Leonardo's introduction.

'So, I'm just Leonardo. Don't add any nonsense about a non-existent father.'

At the time, she didn't think much of it.

Since Leonardo had said it casually.

But the time it took for that weight to become light wasn't light, she guessed.

"Leonardo was a unique child."

"...In a good way?"

"Neither good nor bad. If I must add, it was pitiful."

Leonardo didn't desire anything.

Just as madness can exist in desire, madness can also exist in the absence of desire.

He was like the good child in Santa's carol.

"He didn't cry, didn't get angry, and didn't play pranks."

It was hard to believe he was the same person as the current Leonardo.

Even if he didn't cry, the lack of anger and pranks was unimaginable now.

"Everyone in the village was worried. It was easy to feed and put him to sleep, but raising a child is different from feeding and putting an animal to sleep."

It was an extreme analogy, but it was still vivid to Anus. At that time, the boy was only not dead; he couldn't be described as alive.

"Still, we weren't too worried. He seemed more human with his mother."

When with Ren, Leonardo would laugh, show cute anger, and sometimes play pranks that made the whole village laugh.

"...But Leonardo's mother..."

"Yes, she disappeared when he was around ten."

After that.

Leonardo discovered apathy beyond the lack of desire.

"The boy who at least used to laugh lost even that."

The boy lost hope and became indifferent to everything.

About a month later, Leonardo tried to leave the village.

"He said the village was boring, but no one believed him. He must have gone to find his mother."

Everyone thought Ren was dead.

No matter how bad a mother Ren was, she didn't seem like someone who would abandon her motherhood.

"To stop him, Dean blocked his way. It was obvious what would happen if a ten-year-old in that state went out."

"...So he won and left."

"No, he lost at first."

Arias was taken aback.

Leonardo, who had overwhelmed her without mana even at their first meeting, losing, even as a child, was hard to believe.

"And a month later, he beat Dean. A mere child felled a werewolf."

It wasn't just a matter of strength or skill. Rather, it was the opposite of what Arias and others imagined.

"At first, he sprinkled animal blood here and there to confuse the smell. He only made defensive attacks, and in the end, he trapped Dean by breaking pre-cut trees. It was far from a fair fight."

Still, no one tried to stop Leonardo.

"...It felt like if we held him back any more, he would really cross a line. As a child, as a person."

So, Leonardo left the village.

No one knew the details of his journey, but the scars on his body after just three years clearly showed it wasn't an easy one.

"Then, the runaway child suddenly sent a letter."

At that moment, Arias remembered the letter Dean had shown her.

"At first, I didn't understand. Why would such a doll-like child join a knight's family and feel so fulfilled serving a lady?"

The conclusion the villagers reached after discussing was simple.

"Everyone thought Leonardo had fallen in love. Otherwise, a person couldn't change so much."

Arias's cheeks turned slightly red. It was possible, she thought.

"And when he came back a year ago, I was sure."

It was something anyone close to Leonardo would know.

"She's as good as a rock when it comes to love. She doesn't even know what love is."

At this, Arias became gloomy again. But soon, her expression changed to a strange embarrassment.

"...Why? Did you really think I believed you two were lovers?"

A wave of shame washed over her like a typhoon and a tsunami. The fresh, hot history made her face flush.

"The villagers might be easily fooled, but I'm not a romantic... It's harder to fool me."

"...I... I'm... sorry..."

"Apologies are fine. Rather, I should apologize for raising a child like a rock."

Anus's wrinkled lips curled into a smile. It wasn't a sneer or a mockery, but a smile of relief and reassurance.

"So, I'm sorry, but can I entrust such a Leonardo to you?"

"...Me... me?"

Anus's eyes were clear, and her gaze was straight. Such eyes could only come from pure sincerity, free of any emotion.

"I know you two aren't dating or planning to marry. Still, I want to entrust my grandson to you."

Anus brushed Arias's hair. Despite her wrinkled hands, a warm softness seeped into Arias's head.

"...But I'm not as strong as Leonardo..."

"You don't need to protect Leonardo. I've never heard of a lady protecting her knight."

After a moment of silence, Anus spoke again.

"So, I want you to protect yourself. Please don't die before Leonardo."

Only then did Arias understand Anus's test.

"You can do it."

"But I..."

"With the will to skip dating and go straight to marriage, I think it's possible... Did I think too quickly?"

At this, Arias's face turned completely red. Anus laughed heartily, satisfied with the girl's reaction.

"Fortunately. I'll go first. Thank you for lending me your time."

Arias couldn't respond for a while, too busy trying to cool her flushed face.

***

"...I'm back..."

When Arias returned, she stopped and looked at the bed.

Perhaps because of the exhaustion, Leonardo was still lying in bed, not yet awake.

"He must be very tired."

Worried, Arias walked towards the bed where Leonardo lay. Leonardo was breathing peacefully with a gentle expression.

'...The expressionless Leonardo...'

In fact, she still couldn't believe what the village chief had said.

Leonardo had always been so expressive, making it even harder for Arias to imagine.

'...But where... where am I supposed to... '

Looking around, Arias realized something.

'...This house... there's only one place to sleep.'

Usually, there would be at least a sofa, but in this shabby house, there was only one bed. The only other option was the cold, hard wooden floor.

...The sound of swallowing echoed.

Arias carefully lifted the blanket covering Leonardo.

This was absolutely not what it looked like.

Wasn't it an irresistible force? Anyone would see it as an irresistible force.

Leonardo would be cold, and she couldn't sleep on the wooden floor.

It was mutually beneficial, yes! A win-win situation.

If they stayed separate under the blanket, there would be no problem.

There was nothing to feel guilty about, as the village chief had entrusted her with this.

"..."

But with a sigh, Arias finally pulled her half-in body out of the bed. No matter how she thought about it, this wasn't right. Sleeping on the wooden floor would be better for her conscience...

Thud...

At that moment, Leonardo's arm wrapped around Arias's waist, which was half in the bed. It was unintentional, just a coincidental sleep movement.

"...Le...Leo...na..."

Arias was in extreme mental conflict. Her reason and instinct were in extreme conflict, heightening her excitement.

"...I'm sorry..."

At that moment, Leonardo mumbled.

"...Leo...?"

"I'm sorry... Don't go... I'll... do better..."

At that moment, reason and instinct became one.

Lying in bed, Arias wrapped her arms around Leonardo, holding him close.

Whether it was out of ulterior motives or mutual benefit didn't matter.

She just wanted to

give this boy the feeling that "it's okay."

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