Chapter 5
The lake looked several times more beautiful up close than it had from afar.
Approaching the shore, Irene gently dipped her hand into the water.
“Cold.”
Not the kind of cold that made her teeth chatter—just a pleasantly refreshing chill.
First, Irene filled the water container.
After that, she freely enjoyed the view of the lake she had been longing to see.
As she gazed at the beautiful, open scenery, it felt as though the worries, anxiety, and dark thoughts that had piled up in her heart were melting away.
“……”
But the moment she noticed the wound medicine in her pocket, those thoughts returned.
Fidgeting with the medicine, Irene recalled what had happened earlier that morning at the inn.
Everything had been confusing and puzzling, but the most incomprehensible thing was that Karlos had given her medicine for her wounds.
And telling her to wear his coat because it would get colder in the north had been strange too.
It was almost as if he were worried about her.
“Worried…”
That word didn’t suit Karlos at all.
It felt even stranger because it seemed connected to her.
After sorting through everything she had seen, heard, and felt so far, Irene had realized one thing clearly.
Karlos had no intention of killing her.
Maybe that could change later, but for now, she was certain.
And… what else had there been?
While organizing her complicated thoughts as she stared at the clear lakeshore, the bushes behind her suddenly rustled.
Startled, Irene quickly turned around.
A moment later, a small white rabbit—slightly bigger than her palm—hopped out of the bushes.
The moment she saw it, her tension melted away, and a bright smile spread across her face.
“Come here.”
When Irene held out her hand, the rabbit hopped over and sniffed at her fingers.
“So cute.”
She wanted to pet its head, but would it run away if she tried?
Instead, Irene lightly tapped its nose.
Fortunately, the rabbit only twitched its ears and didn’t run.
Maybe it would be okay to pet it after all.
Just as Irene reached out to stroke the rabbit’s head—
Kuuuung—
With a strange sound, the rabbit’s red eyes suddenly flashed, and its body began to grow.
“……!”
Startled, Irene stepped backward.
Unfortunately, the lake was directly behind her, leaving little room to retreat.
While Irene panicked, the rabbit—now as large as a house—raised its enormous front paw.
She hurriedly threw herself sideways to avoid the attack.
Kiiing, kiiing—
The rabbit made grotesque noises as it approached her.
Each step it took shook the ground like an earthquake, making it impossible to stand properly.
To make matters worse, when Irene had thrown herself aside to dodge the first attack, she seemed to have twisted her ankle.
A sharp pain throbbed through it.
But if she stayed like this, she would surely be crushed under the rabbit’s paw—or impaled by its massive, sharp front teeth.
I didn’t survive everything just to die to some weird rabbit!
Clenching her teeth, Irene struggled to stand, but she collapsed again after only a few steps.
At that moment, as the rabbit—now only a short distance away—swung its paw—
Sshhhh—
Something cut through the air.
A large shadow suddenly wrapped around her.
The owner of that shadow was Karlos.
Startled by his sudden appearance, Irene’s eyes widened and her mouth fell open.
“Just now—”
Kiiieeek—
Before she could finish speaking, a grotesque cry filled the forest.
Then the ground shook violently with a thunderous roar—far louder than when the rabbit had stomped its feet.
A metallic smell of blood drifted through the air.
“Did you… defeat the rabbit?”
“Yes.”
I see. It’s defeated.
Finally relieved, Irene let out a deep breath.
At the same time, a question arose.
Karlos wasn’t holding a sword or any sharp weapon.
So how had he defeated the rabbit?
And when had he done it?
He had run over immediately and pulled her into his arms.
“……!”
Only then did Irene realize she was still being held in his embrace.
Flustered, she tried to pull away.
“Stay still.”
But Karlos didn’t allow it.
Instead, he pulled her even closer.
Unintentionally pressing her face against his firm chest, Irene’s cheeks flushed bright red.
Trying to pull her face away, she pleaded,
“P-Please let go.”
“The cleanup isn’t finished yet. Stay still.”
“Clean… up?”
What did he mean by cleanup?
Irene asked in confusion, but he gave no answer.
The hand wrapped around her waist finally released her only after the smell of blood had almost completely faded.
When her view cleared again, Irene looked around in surprise.
The rabbit’s corpse was nowhere to be seen.
How could that be?
Was everything that had just happened a dream?
No—that couldn’t be. The enormous rabbit footprints stamped into the ground proved it.
Besides, Karlos himself had said he defeated it.
But there wasn’t even a trace of blood, let alone a corpse.
It was utterly baffling.
While she kept looking around for the rabbit’s body, Dewey suddenly came running through the bushes.
When he reached them, he asked anxiously,
“Are you alright, miss?”
“I’m fi—”
“She seems to have twisted her ankle.”
Before Irene could answer, Karlos spoke.
“She also injured her knees and elbows.”
At his words, Irene checked her arms and knees.
He was right.
She really did have wounds—injuries she hadn’t even realized she’d gotten.
How had Karlos noticed?
Dewey also saw the injuries and clicked his tongue.
“Oh dear. You’re quite hurt. Are you alright?”
“I’m fine.”
They stung a little, but not enough for her to make a fuss.
The real problem was her ankle.
It had swollen badly, worse than she’d expected. Walking on her own seemed impossible.
“Could you… help support me?”
“Of course.”
Just as Dewey was about to extend his hand, Karlos suddenly stepped forward and lifted Irene into his arms.
“Ah—!”
Caught completely off guard, Irene let out a startled cry.
Meanwhile, Dewey smiled warmly.
“Well, this certainly works better than supporting her.”
Better for who?!
Irene screamed silently inside, though she politely asked Karlos,
“Please put me down.”
“……”
Karlos ignored her request as if it weren’t even worth answering and walked toward the carriage.
Dewey watched them with a cheerful smile before his expression suddenly hardened.
Then he turned and walked in the opposite direction.
Thanks to Karlos carrying her, Irene reached the carriage comfortably enough.
But her heart felt extremely uneasy.
Still, she tried to calm herself.
Once we reach the carriage, this embarrassing situation will end.
After setting her gently on the seat, Karlos asked,
“Where’s the wound medicine?”
“In my pocket…”
Irene took it out and handed it to him.
When Karlos grabbed her knee, Irene realized what he intended to do.
Shocked, she protested.
“I-It’s okay. I’ll apply it myself.”
“I’ll do it.”
“No. I can do it. Please let me.”
She pleaded desperately, but once again her opinion was ignored.
Karlos dampened a handkerchief with water from a container she didn’t remember him carrying.
He gently cleaned her wounds and applied the medicine.
His touch was surprisingly careful and delicate—completely unlike him.
And it made Irene strangely nervous.
Not as intense as when he had touched her back earlier, but still oddly stimulating.
Afraid she might make some strange sound without meaning to, Irene covered her mouth while he treated her injuries.
“All done.”
Finally, his hands moved away, though the lingering sensation remained.
Her heart fluttered.
Taking a deep breath, Irene tried to calm herself.
“I’ve given you first aid. We’ll go to a nearby village for proper treatment.”
“I-I’m really fine. This is enough—”
“I’m not fine.”
But I really am…
Irene glanced at her wounds, now thickly covered with medicine.
Compared to the beatings she had received from that man, injuries like these were nothing.
“You must be tired. Get some sleep.”
Irene shook her head.
Before, she had fallen asleep from exhaustion without realizing it. But now she wasn’t that tired.
More importantly, she didn’t want to fall asleep defenseless in front of a predator.
“Lie down.”
But once again Karlos insisted.
Reluctantly, Irene lay down on the carriage seat.
When she pulled his coat over herself like a blanket, his unique scent filled the air.
She couldn’t quite describe it, but it somehow made the tightness in her chest disappear.
It was ironic.
She was afraid of Karlos, yet she liked his scent.
…Well, he wasn’t quite as terrifying as when they first met.
When Irene stared at him, Karlos frowned.
“I told you to sleep. Why aren’t you?”
Startled, Irene hurriedly closed her eyes.
She thought she wouldn’t be able to sleep—but drowsiness quickly washed over her.
Her consciousness began to fade.
“I’ll wake you when we arrive.”
His low voice drifted into her fading awareness.
Half-asleep, Irene suddenly blurted out the question that had been lingering in her mind.
“Are you… going to kill me?”
There was no reply.
But Irene didn’t notice.
More precisely, she couldn’t.
The question had slipped out unconsciously, and she was already sinking into deep sleep.
“…Maybe.”
Unfortunately—or perhaps fortunately—she didn’t hear Karlos’s belated answer.
About two hours later, Dewey returned from the direction he had gone.
Noticing him, Karlos glanced once at Irene’s sleeping face before stepping out of the carriage.
Dewey approached and knelt before him.
“My apologies.”
The apology carried many meanings.
As if he had already expected it, Karlos simply nodded.
“He’s quick. He may have already returned to the Underworld after releasing his minions.”
The world was divided into three realms: Heaven, the Human World, and the Underworld.
The Underworld was a place teeming with monsters feared by humans.
Karlos was the ruler of the northern territory of the Underworld—one of its four regions.
Dewey was his loyal subordinate and a resident of that realm.
“Shall I send a pursuit team?”
Karlos was about to nod when he suddenly sensed killing intent from the forest.
He turned his head toward it, darkness swirling in his purple eyes.
Dewey sensed it as well.
“It seems some remnants remain. I’ll handle it.”
“No. I’ll go myself.”
“There’s no need for you to—”
Whoosh—
Before Dewey could finish speaking, Karlos vanished into the forest.
“…need to.”
Dewey scratched his head.
“My, he really is impatient.”
Then he looked down at the shadow Karlos had left behind.
The shadow, having lost its master, stretched out and spread over the carriage—
as if protecting Irene while she slept.
