The cause of the attack was a group of hungry wyverns. It wasn't uncommon for hungry beasts to descend near the territory during the long winter. However, the damage was disproportionately severe. Not only was the castle destroyed, but there were also many casualties. Even an hour after Kyle had ventured out alone, there was still no news from the shelter, and an unsettling silence hung in the air.
"I've never seen a wyvern like that before..."
A terrified voice startled me. I hurried through the darkness, squeezing into the space between those who were lamenting.
"How was it different from a typical wyvern?"
"Oh, it was... peculiar. It felt like it was specifically after His Highness, the Grand Marshal..."
I shook my head, urging him to explain further.
"Wyverns are typically considered low-level members of the Dragon Clan. They possess ferocious temperaments and sometimes move in groups, but they're usually not difficult to hunt. But..."
The man swallowed hard, clenching his weakly trembling fists.
"When the Templar's spear pierced the wyvern... a terrible stench of blood erupted. And both the spear and the ground where the blood spilled were completely corroded."
"What's more, it was the largest I've ever seen!"
"Its beak was also incredibly sharp..."
I gasped involuntarily. A beast similar to a wyvern, yet massive in size, with a foul, corrosive blood that continued to eat away at anything it touched, even after death.
'A Drake...'
It was the monster wyvern from the game I developed. I pulled out the Demon Beast Compendium from my inventory and frantically flipped through the pages. I read and reread the section introducing the Wyvern. Everything I had just heard was true. This wasn't the wyvern known in this region. This time, too, there was an anomaly, just like with the swamp goat.
"Hah..."
Haha. A laugh escaped me.
What on earth am I supposed to do? How can I possibly bear this guilt?
Fortunately, Blake's estate proved more resilient than I had anticipated. The people who had shivered sleeplessly in the shelter the night before rose the next day and began to rebuild the castle. They were strong people. Even with fallen walls, destroyed homes, and the loss of loved ones, they knew how to grieve, yet they were all striving to live today for the sake of tomorrow.
I rubbed my eyes and watched Kyle in the distance as he commanded the knights. He looked very emaciated. The commotion had taken a long time to subside, leaving him no time to rest. He must have stayed up all night, probably unable to even take a sip of water.
I looked down at the cookie crumbs in my palm. I had been in such a hurry to eat them earlier, I couldn't recall how many jars I had bought. Now, the 'miracle figure' was barely in the 20 percent range. When I came to my senses, I realized I had written quite a lot. But there was no way. I couldn't suddenly disappear from the shelter, and I was afraid Kyle would find me once all the commotion died down.
['Load' will be lifted in 3 minutes.]
'I ate so much, yet I only had three minutes left.'
I smiled and walked back into the castle. A bright light enveloped my body, and when I opened my eyes, I was in a familiar study.
[(. ﹏. *)]
The system repeatedly appeared and disappeared under my gaze. I stared at it quietly, then rolled over and sighed.
Let's do what we can. Start with what's possible. Impatience won't help. I felt that right before I died.
'Yes. Slowly...'
I went into my hiding place and curled up to sleep. I just wanted tomorrow to come quickly.
The castle remained busy the next day. It would likely remain busy for several more days. As proof, Kyle hadn't returned to the study yesterday. I wondered if he had gone to my room to look for me.
"Don't worry. I'm fine." I muttered to myself and pulled back the bowstring. The taut string protested, and my arms trembled simultaneously. I pulled as hard as I could, but I couldn't control my shaky aim. When Kyle had helped me, it had been so easy.
"Ugh..."
Sweat dripped from my hands, causing me to lose my grip on the arrow. With a 'thunk,' the arrow, meant to fly with maximum force, hit the tree next to the target and fell. I didn't know if I lacked talent or had zero athleticism. Perhaps it was both.
I swallowed a sigh and pulled out another arrow. I thought I had already fired twenty shots, but only a few had hit properly. Still, every day, steadily, as people returned to their daily lives after a major disaster, I continued to pull the bowstring. It had already been a week.
At first, I tried to help calm the disturbance by 'calling out,' but when I realized I was only getting in the way of the systematic movements of those who had already been through similar situations many times, I simply came silently to practice with the bow. Thanks to this, I had improved quite a bit, but to be blunt, it was still too much for me to be at full strength. I was barely halfway there. With only two hours a day, I couldn't improve my skills that much.
"Six feet. That's quite a bit better."
As I put a bandage on my hand, I turned my head at the voice behind me. When he approached, Kyle was looking straight ahead and muttering.
"...Weren't you busy?"
"If it were an apprenticeship, it would have progressed a lot. It's in the final stage, so you don't have to stick around."
"How did you know I was here?"
"I came to see you yesterday."
"What?" I truly never knew. I opened my mouth in a daze and quickly replayed yesterday's memories. Did I make any mistakes? Did I talk to the system? Punch the air?
[o(°///°)o]
I ignored the system, which seemed to be expecting something, and chuckled coolly. The system seemed to be getting weirder and more whimsical as the days went by. But why did His Highness take time out of his busy schedule to secretly see me?
"You pretend not to notice."
"I thought it would interfere with your enthusiasm."
Kyle muttered and gently squeezed my hand. Even with his feather-light touch, I narrowed my brows and twitched my fingertips. That's right, because I had been practicing for almost a week without any guidance, my hands were swollen, red, and sore. They recovered quickly, but I was making the same wounds in the same place every day, so there was no remission.
"Ugh..."
"Shh." Kyle soothed me and smeared something like an ointment all over my palm. The cloudy, solid substance in the round jar smelled like dried grass. In other words, it didn't smell good. Still, I didn't mind as Kyle applied it carefully, blowing gently on my palm.
I looked up at him as he covered the wound with a white handkerchief and tied it, examining his complexion. His face still looked tired, which bothered me. Of course, I had seen him looking utterly drained before using 'load.' Even amidst all this hectic activity, Kyle came to take care of my food every morning. He was so busy he couldn't even take a moment for himself.
"Don't overdo it. You can't improve quickly if you rush."
"I know. But..."
"When the wound heals and hardens, you can build a new foundation on it, but if you keep holding a bow with an unhealed hand, you'll only slow your progress."
His gentle voice eased my tense body. I looked down at my hands and saw that they had healed neatly. It had hurt just to touch them, but now I only felt a dull ache, and there was no discomfort when I squeezed and stretched my hand.
Meanwhile, Kyle diligently sorted out the bows and arrows I had used. Then he took my uninjured hand and gently pulled me in his direction.
"If you're not busy, let's stop by for a while."
"Where?"
"The market is open again. It seems they're selling the duck and quilts you gave them."
"Oh." I quickly checked the system window. The remaining time was about 30 minutes.
'...Wouldn't it be okay if it was just for a while?'
I haven't been able to see anyone these days, and I couldn't even say anything more about Shuro. Even if it's not because of Kyle, I was curious if they had learned the recipes I gave them, how they were selling their clothes, how they had fixed the castle, and what the people's expressions were like. Honestly, I was curious, right? It's okay to see it for a while, right?
I cleared my throat and gently took his hand.
"Then it's just 30... no, 20 minutes."
"Yes." He smiled.
The tired-looking handsome man smiled, and he looked even more handsome. It wasn't that I particularly liked a strong, handsome face. No, it wasn't my usual preference, but seeing a face like his right in front of me, I honestly felt like I deserved to drool.
As I walked toward the market, I swallowed hard. He looked down at me and asked, "Are you hungry?"
"...Uh-huh. Yes!" He was uselessly perceptive.
The corners of his mouth twitched into a smile. I avoided his gaze and quickened my pace a little.
"Did you say you were going to get a meal?"
"Ah. There's street food. We can eat that. Wow, it looks like there's a lot of delicious food! Oh, there are skewers, right?" I was embarrassed and fidgeted.
Standing in front of a stall selling roasted horse meat, he paid. I took a big bite of the skewer in my hand and looked around at the lively market. People's faces were much brighter than they had been a few days ago. There were still some broken and unresolved areas, but everything seemed to have been repaired well, even the funerals for the dead.
I was lost in thought with the skewer in my hand when he said, "There will be a memorial service tomorrow." He added that it was going to be a long night, and his voice, calm and steady, felt rather sorrowful.