IBWMD 31

~Chapter 31~

Didn’t they say the backstreets of Saint Portou had deep bonds?

All the more reason.

‘If someone from the old Saint Portou backstreets became the new boss, they wouldn’t have driven the others off a cliff like this.’

There’s no reason for people from the same neighborhood to treat each other that way.

The immediate concern…

‘The adults may have already died from being unable to endure it.’

Why would they use such extreme methods?

Was it that important to the new boss to drive out the original inhabitants and take control of the backstreets? Why?

‘What’s hidden in the backstreets?’

Crime syndicates, black markets, information guilds. Things you can’t overlook if you get your hands on them, even if they’re hidden from the public eye.

Just from what I could think of, there was plenty of value.

And the first thing they did after gaining control was drug Saint Portou’s soldiers?

Right before winter, when monsters start migrating south and supply routes are cut off?

‘Let’s say all the soldiers became addicted to the drugs.’

If a major monster migration occurred at that time…

The moment I thought that far, I knew this wasn’t just a simple issue.

‘Could someone else be behind all this?’

Someone who stood to benefit or wanted to hurt Saint Portou…

ROAAAR!

A massive roar snapped me out of my thoughts. Karl and I locked eyes and drew our weapons at the same time.

“Did you hear that?”

“North.”

Even from this distance, the deep reverberation meant it wasn’t an ordinary beast.

‘Could it be a real monster?’

I whispered to Karl while estimating the distance.

“Northeast, 2 o’clock. 500 to 1,000 paces.”

Karl understood immediately and took off running.

I followed close behind.

* * *

For a while, we ran in silence. The surroundings flew past in a blur.

ROAR!

Just when I was out of breath, another roar came — much closer this time.

I looked at Karl’s back as he ran ahead and thought:

‘I should load my gun now.’

Unlike Karl, who could swing his greatsword at any moment, I needed time to prepare my shot.

Thankfully, the musket didn’t need reloading after the first time.

‘Still overpowered, no matter how I think about it.’

While running, I fumbled around my waist for the bullet pouch I’d hooked earlier.

“Go on ahead!”

I called out to Karl and stopped to reload—

“Ugh!”

Karl quickly turned back, wrapped his arm around my waist, and swept me up under his arm like luggage.

“I said go on ahead!”

“I can’t leave you alone in a dangerous place.”

His voice was calm and even, despite running with me in tow.

I was impressed by his monster-like stamina.

Although surprised at first, it didn’t hurt.

More than that, Karl’s arms were stable enough that I could still reload with ease. A wave of defeat swept over me.

‘What is this… ride quality…’

With a swift motion, Karl adjusted his posture.

Click!

The moment I heard the reloading finish, I realized I was sitting on his arm like a doll.

‘Hah.’

I remembered stubbornly refusing to be carried like this before.

‘Good thing no one’s around to see this—’

“Help, please!”

…Or not.

A man came running toward us, panting.

Dirty clothes, skinny as a stick — like one of the pickpocket kids, only grown.

I was sure immediately:

‘He’s one of the missing adults.’

And he wasn’t alone.

ROAAAR!

A massive bear burst through the air, chasing him.

“…That’s not a monster, right? Just a bear?”

“Seems like it.”

Was this the ancestor of all bears or something? It was the size of a house.

“Ahhh!”

The man screamed as he kept running toward us with the bear hot on his heels.

“Karl.”

Seeing Karl draw his sword, I quickly tapped his arm, spun my musket into position, and motioned toward the ground with my eyes.

“……”

He looked at me like I was serious. I nodded.

“That man’s going to get caught at this rate.”

Even though he was thin, the man ran fast. But the bear’s claws were inches from grabbing him.

‘I have to shoot first—’

“AHHH! HELP!”

ROAR!

The man shrieked as the bear’s claws grazed his back. The bear’s howl split the air.

“…If that’s what you wish.”

Karl’s low murmur was drowned out by the beast’s roar.

“Duck!”

I clung to Karl’s back, pressed flat against him.

At the same time, I rested my musket on his shoulder blades and aimed.

“EEK!”

The man saw me aiming and flung himself to the ground in a panic, rolling off to the side just in time.

Luckily, the bear didn’t crush him.

With the path clear, the roaring bear came into full view.

I took my stance.

Whirr.

As I aimed, time seemed to slow down.

I felt everything — every hair, every breeze.

‘Perfect.’

A solid weight settled on my shoulders.

That familiar confidence — I was good at this.

Supported by a strong, tree-like foundation…

‘Right, this support…’

Then I noticed Karl’s warm back muscles pressing against me, clearer than before through our thin clothes.

His spine, his tight erector spinae, his broad latissimus dorsi touching my chest…

The focus made every sensation too vivid.

It was similar to being carried before, but…

‘Somehow… different.’

At that peak of focus—

A snowflake landed on Karl’s ear.

My breath — white with cold — touched his ear.

‘Why is even his ear handsome?’

Click. I pulled the trigger with that thought.

Huff.

From the corner of my vision, I saw my breath ruffle the tiny hairs on his ear.

…Twitch.

And then it happened.

The body supporting me suddenly jerked, and I tilted off-balance.

“Ah!”

Bang!

‘Damn it!’

I adjusted my aim at the last second, but I knew I’d missed a vital spot.

ROAR! ROAR!

Sure enough, the bear — grazed on the side of its head — screamed and fled in the opposite direction.

‘So close!’

I slapped Karl’s back in frustration.

“You moved!”

“……”

“Go deal with that guy! I’ll finish the bear!”

“Wait, Elaine—”

Before he could stop me, I jumped up and ran.

I was chasing the bear… but also wanted to get away for a bit.

‘I haven’t messed up like that in a while.’

It wasn’t really my fault — Karl’s sudden movement threw off my aim.

Even though I still hit it, I didn’t get the clean, single-shot kill. That bothered me.

‘It’s not like I always hit 100 out of 100.’

On bad days, it was more like 98 out of 100. That’s normal. Even monkeys fall from trees.

Still, today that one little mistake stuck with me.

Because I knew exactly why I missed.

That annoyingly handsome ear, with its fine hairs…

And that searing warmth through thin fabric that kept invading my memory…

“Oh heavenly deity above, give us our daily bread and deliver us from—”

I reflexively began muttering the temple’s prayer to calm myself down.