56
The first morning at the Icevant Fortress had arrived.
"Brr, so cold!"
I burrowed deeper into Sion's clothes, trying to escape the biting chill of the morning air.
Watching the knights and servants moving about the fortress in their relatively light clothing, I muttered.
"Wh-what in the world? Do they all have some kind of natural resistance to the cold?"
"If you live in a harsh climate long enough, your body builds up tolerance."
Sion replied casually as he adjusted his collar to better wrap around me.
"This is the northernmost frontier, so it's colder here than in the heart of the Grand Duchy. Once the deep-winter sets in, the cold will only grow more relentless."
"Ugh…"
Just then, we spotted Garen and Genevia waiting for us in front of the barracks dining hall.
Thanks to having enjoyed a rare, comfortable night's rest, both of them looked noticeably refreshed. Genevia in particular was once again glowing with the charming beauty befitting the heroine of the original story.
"Let's head inside."
Sion said, though of course, he himself looked completely uninterested.
"Ah, you've arrived! This way!"
As we stepped in, Diene spotted us and waved cheerfully.
Inside the spacious hall, a few knights were already eating. But the moment Sion passed by, they all paused their meals to show respect.
We approached the serving area, where a wooden board listed the day's menu scrawled hastily across it.
Menu: Kroad Sirloin
"…."
I whispered to Sion with a grimace.
"Sion… what kind of meat is that?"
"It's an edible cut from a quadrupedal, low-class beast called a Kroad."
"…R-right."
Soon after, we joined Diene's table.
"Did you all sleep well?"
"Yes, it's been a while since I got to sleep indoors. I slept really well."
"That's a relief."
I checked quickly to make sure no one was paying attention to us, then poked my head out from Sion's collar, arms crossed, sulking as I muttered.
"Hey… isn't there anything else to eat around here?"
"Oh? Does the fairy not like Kroad sirloin? It's a bit tough, but the taste isn't bad."
With a sour face, I replied.
"Beast meat? No thanks."
"My, my. I wonder if there's anything else edible available then."
At that moment, Garen asked.
"Ah, could it be that fairies can't eat beast meat? Maybe you can only consume natural foods, like fruits and vegetables…?"
At Garen's words, even Sion, who had been silently eating his Kroad meat, paused and glanced at me, waiting for my reply.
'Hm, that actually sounds like a convincing excuse…'
Seizing the chance, I nodded quickly.
"Y-yes, exactly. You see, fairies like me don't just eat anythi—mmph?!"
Suddenly, something small was shoved into my mouth.
A neatly cut piece of Kroad meat, just the right size for me, had been pushed in by Sion without warning.
"Mmmf!? Wh-what the—?!"
Flustered, I couldn't even spit it out. I just sat there chewing awkwardly.
Watching me, Sion spoke in his usual calm tone.
"You ate meat dishes and sweets from the annex just fine. All of those contained special cuts from beasts."
"…Th-that's… (that's different…!)"
I avoided everyone's gaze and kept chewing.
…And to my surprise, it actually tasted pretty good.
When I didn't say anything, embarrassed, Sion arched his brows smugly, as if to say, see?.
A little while later, Diene began talking about the current situation along the border.
"Compared to the year before last, last year saw more beast appearances. And this year, their numbers have increased even further."
"What's the identified cause?"
"As of now, none. The most credible theory is that the beasts inhabiting the Alketa Icefield have rapidly multiplied, and those who lost in territorial disputes have begun moving south."
"And the condition of the border wall? From what I've heard, it suffered damage in several recent large-scale battles."
"For now, it still holds. We regularly send the wall's engineers for repairs. But if the frequency and scale of beast appearances increase beyond this point, then… it'll become a serious problem."
As everyone focused on the grave discussion, I quietly stirred inside Sion's collar.
'Alright… just act natural…'
I wriggled my way through his tunic until I reached the sleeve resting on the table.
My target: the leftover meat on his plate.
'I can't openly ask for more after making such a fuss earlier. I'll just sneak some without anyone noticing!'
Carefully, I climbed down to his cuff and stretched out both arms.
Finally, my hands brushed against the meat.
Swoosh—
"!?"
The piece vanished right in front of me.
Startled, I looked up, only to see Sion gazing straight down at me as he popped the forked piece of meat into his own mouth.
"….."
"…Not bad."
I just stared at him, dumbfounded.
'…Why is he being so petty all of a sudden?'
Determined, I reached again, this time for the last piece on the plate.
But...
Swoosh—
He snatched it away too.
"You've gotta be kidding me…!"
Annoyed, I slipped back into Sion's sleeve. But this time, instead of sneaking cautiously, I climbed quickly up his body and popped my head out from his collar.
Then, without hesitation, I lunged at the piece of meat heading toward his mouth.
"Mine-!"
And then… something soft slipped between my teeth.
'…Huh?'
I realized, far too late, that I hadn't just bitten into the meat.
I'd also clamped down on Sion's lower lip.
"……"
"……"
Silence spread over the table.
I quickly spat out both the meat and the bit of Sion's lip I'd accidentally caught.
Then, pretending nothing had happened, I shrugged exaggeratedly.
"…Fine, you can have it. I'll let you win this one."
With that, I squirmed back into Sion's collar.
But inside, I was kicking the blankets in my mind in sheer embarrassment.
'…What the hell just happened?!'
At that moment, Garen's worried voice broke the tension.
"Are you alright, young lord? If you're not careful, your lip could-"
"Eat."
Sion cut him off sharply, giving no room for further comment.
He then resumed his meal in silence, though his movements were noticeably more awkward than before, proof that even he had been unsettled.
Across the table, Diene and Genevia exchanged an unreadable glance.
"Hmm, amusing as expected."
"Indeed, isn't it?"
***
After breakfast, we took a slow tour around the fortress.
"That over there is the armory, and beyond that, the stables. The training grounds are just ahead."
From a distance, I spotted Enoch, currently drawing all the attention of Sion's words. The large beast perked up at the sight of him, stamping its front feet and growling excitedly.
[Master! I'm here!]
The desperate tone in Enoch's call made me tilt my head curiously.
"What's wrong with you? Did something happen?"
Snorting angrily, Enoch puffed out clouds of breath.
[Of course something's wrong! Tell the master, this handler they assigned me is useless! Feeding, brushing, everything, he does it all halfheartedly!]
"…?"
I glanced over at the stablehand Enoch was complaining about.
And then...
"…Huh?"
Looking closer, I realized the stablehand was none other than Alo, the man we'd brought along with us to the Icevant Fortress.
"So that's where you were hiding!"
At my words, everyone's eyes turned toward Alo.
"Ah, it's Mr. Alo!"
Genevia exclaimed, brightening as she hurried over.
"So you're helping as a stablehand now? Congratulations!"
"Ah, Genevia!"
Alo's face lit up with a cheerful smile, like a loyal dog greeting its owner.
'…Hmm.'
I narrowed my eyes at the sight.
'Aren't those two getting a little too close?'
That radiant, sunlit smile, the one she hadn't even shown Sion yet, she was freely giving to some background extra like Alo, a mere stablehand.
Of course, Genevia's attitude toward Alo was no doubt just the warm, gentle kindness of a healer tending to a poor, troubled patient.
But when it comes to relationships between men and women… who can ever really predict what might happen?
"…Tch. This is annoying."
I kept glaring at the two of them, muttering under my breath.
At that moment, Sion suddenly spoke.
"Is it bothering you?"
"…Huh?"
I looked up to see Sion watching me with an odd expression.
"I noticed it before, too. You pay unusually close attention to that man. Why is that?"
"Huh?"
For Sion to say something like that… it must mean I'd been way too obvious in showing my wariness toward Alo.
Explaining the real reason would be complicated, so I fumbled out a vague excuse.
"Ah, well, yeah… he just kind of bothers me, that's all."
"……"
Sion's brow twitched, his expression tightening.
It was the first time I'd ever seen his usual impassive face shift into something different, a look that seemed to say he disliked something.
For someone like Sion, who normally showed no preferences, no likes or dislikes at all, it was a rare sight.
I stared at him blankly, fascinated by that unfamiliar expression.
And then...
"Mr. Alo?! What's wrong?!"
Genevia's startled cry rang out.
We turned to see Alo crouched on the ground, clutching his head with both hands, groaning in pain.
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