As I stepped onto the damp soil of the forest, Sera followed a step behind me. A rusty sword was at her waist, and an old bow was in her hand.
Her eyes were constantly scanning the surroundings, looking for a threat behind every bush. "Are you sure, Master?" she asked, her voice tense.
"We've never done this before. I mean... you haven't. The forest is dangerous. Wild boars, wolves..."
I stopped and turned to her. The borrowed hunter's clothes were a bit tight, but they didn't restrict my movement.
"Don't worry, Sera," I said, surprised even by the calmness in my voice. "I won't let any harm come to you."
Sera paused. A momentary surprise passed through her eyes, then she frowned with that familiar, fiery protective instinct. "No, Master!"
She lunged forward, taking a step ahead. "I am your bodyguard. I will protect you. That is my duty."
I closed the distance between us in an instant. My face was so close to hers that I could notice the slight smell of wine on her breath had diminished.
"You..." I said, raising my hands and pinching her cheeks. Just as one would do to a naughty student, I gently pulled at her cheeks. Sera froze.
This wasn't the reaction she expected. She expected a slap, a scolding, maybe a kiss... But she didn't expect her cheeks to be pinched.
"You need to sober up first," I said, smiling. "You can barely stand right now. If you want to protect me, you must first come to your senses."
I pulled my hands away and continued walking. Behind me, there was a stunned silence. As I walked, I looked at my own hands. What did I just do?
I thought. How can I act so casually with a woman, especially an unstable one with a sword? Is this Clarean's muscle memory, or am I getting used to this role too?
When we reached a clearing deep in the forest where tree roots had churned up the soil, I stopped. "This is the place," I whispered. Sera looked around.
"Here? There's nothing here, Master. Not a deer track, nor a boar..."
"Look down," I said, pointing to the small, dark holes in the ground. Under the mounds of earth were dozens of entrances. "This place is crawling with rabbits."
Sera shrugged with disappointment. "Rabbits? But they are very fast, Master. You can't catch them with a sword, and they are too small to hit with an arrow. How will you catch them?"
"They might be fast," I said, crouching in front of one of the holes. "But they are numerous. And they are stupid." I turned to Sera.
"Trust me and wait at the mouth of that hole opposite. Keep your sword in its sheath, just use your hands. Catch them the moment they come out."
Sera reluctantly did as I said and took a position in front of the opposite exit. "What are you going to do?" she asked suspiciously. "Are you going to stick your hand inside? They will bite you."
I smiled. I closed my eyes. Editor... You said magic is imagination. I formed an image in my mind. Not a fireball, not a burning flame.
Just a pure, blinding, sudden burst of light. A flashbang. I held my palm to the mouth of the hole.
"Magic isn't just memorized words, Sera," I whispered. "If you have mana and you know what you want... you can do anything."
And I focused. That golden river inside me flowed down my arm and gathered in my palm. Detonate.
A white light so intense, so sudden formed inside the tunnel that a muffled BOOM sound came from underground.
For those animals accustomed to the subterranean darkness, this was like the sun entering the earth. Instant shock. They froze.
"Now!" I shouted. But it wasn't over. Light alone wasn't enough. I slammed my other hand onto the ground. This time, I didn't want light; I wanted sound and pressure.
I imagined the wind howling in the tunnel, roaring like a predator. WHOOSH! Pressurized air filled the tunnel.
The rabbits, frozen by the shock, panicked at this terrible sound and pressure coming from behind them.
There was only one way out: The other side, where there was no light or sound. The side where Sera was.
"Here they come!" Sera shouted. First a cloud of dust, then brown and white fur balls shot out. They didn't know where they were running in their panic.
They leaped onto Sera, onto her legs, into her lap. Sera caught one in the air in surprise; another hit her leg and was stunned.
I lunged to catch the ones darting from the other exit at that moment.
After a few minutes of chaos, dust, and Sera's surprised screams, we were sitting on the ground, out of breath.
In our sack, there were five rabbits, stunned by the shock.
I picked one up, the largest and slowest one. Her belly was swollen. "We aren't eating this one," I said.
Sera, her hair disheveled, her face covered in dirt, looked at me breathlessly. "Why? That's the biggest one."
"Because she's pregnant," I said, holding the animal gently in my lap. "We aren't slaughtering this one. We're breeding it."
Sera asked in astonishment. "But Master, what will we feed it? Our pantry is empty."
"Rabbits eat whatever they find," I said. "Grass, roots, leaves... They are cost-free."
Then I paused, looking at the animal's sharp teeth and feral state. It didn't look docile like the rabbits in the modern world.
"Though they might be too destructive to keep inside the house," I said thoughtfully. "They could chew on everything. We can't keep them inside."
Sera looked at the other rabbits in the sack with disgust. "Master... Are these animals really edible? Peasants eat them but... for a noble..."
I smiled. "It probably tastes like chicken. Don't worry, if we cook it nicely, it won't be any different from palace meals."
The sky had begun to darken on the way back. We were walking with the sack full of rabbits on my shoulder and Sera by my side.
The tension on Sera had gone, replaced by an admiring silence. "Master..." she said suddenly. Her voice was soft.
"You've become like a completely different person. Like before... no, you are smarter than before. The way you cast that spell, that strategy... This version of you..."
She stopped and turned to me. Her eyes were shining. "This version of you suits you very well."
And before I understood what was happening, she grabbed me by the collar and pulled me to herself. Her lips locked onto mine.
This kiss wasn't like the aggressive, desperate kiss from the morning. It was passionate, willing, and dizzying. Clarean's body reacted instantly.
I wanted to drop the sack in my hand, wrap my arms around her waist, and pin her against a tree right there. No, said Leon's will. No, don't do it.
"Mmmph..." I pulled back forcefully. I grabbed Sera by the shoulders and pushed her away gently but firmly. "Sera, stop," I said, out of breath.
Sera's face fell. The pain of rejection appeared in her eyes again. "Why? We are clean now, aren't we? Do I... do I not please you?"
I took a deep breath and tried to calm down. "Look," I said, looking into her eyes.
"I want to understand you, Sera. I don't want to hurt you. But what is the reason for rushing our relationship like this, so uncontrollably? Is it because you truly love me, or is it to bond with me before those other girls and prove yourself?"
Sera lowered her head. She couldn't answer. "Listen to me," I continued, lifting her head by her chin.
"Your worth and love don't have to be measured by your body or the pleasure you offer me. You don't need to offer yourself to make me happy."
Sera's eyes filled up. "But... I just..." Then her gaze changed. That fragility vanished, replaced by a sly, jealous expression.
"Or..." she whispered. "Are you saving yourself for your fiancée, Master?"
Lightning struck Leon's brain. What? "What fiancée?" I asked, unable to hide the panic in my voice.
Sera looked at me with a bitter smile. "Veyra Arvhal Merevain," she said. She pronounced every syllable as if chewing on a poisonous fruit.
"The Ice Rose of the North. That cold, arrogant woman. The arranged engagement your family set up right before your fall."
Leon's head spun. Damn it, I thought. How could I forget?
Sera took another step toward me. "There is still a year until your engagement, Master," she said, running her fingers over my chest. Her voice was provocative.
"Until then... Until she comes... Can't I be your 'lover'? Can't I keep you warm until that cold woman comes to take you?"
I looked at her. At her desperation, her love, her obsession. "Do you want to play a role you are not, Sera?" I said seriously. I removed Sera's hand from my chest.
"Let everything fall into place on its own. Don't rush. Don't force it."
"But I want to..."
"Control yourself during this process," I said, hardening my voice a bit. I needed to speak in a language she understood.
"If you can't... consider this your punishment."
Sera's eyes shone. That word... Punishment. A vague, masochistic smile appeared on her lips.
She had accepted this 'deprivation punishment,' and even found a strange satisfaction in it. "As you command, Master," she whispered. "I will serve my punishment."
I picked the sack up from the ground and started walking toward the house. I heard her muttering as she followed me.
"Veyra..." Her voice was not friendly at all when she said this name.
When we arrived home, it was completely dark, but the warm light of the hearth Mirel had lit was leaking out from the windows.