Chapter 10: Congratulations, You’re the First

TL: Liz PR: May

Lavella winced, recoiled, and hunched her shoulders.

“Are you gonna stay out or come back inside?”

Lavella was the kind of woman who didn’t look nervous even though she showed her bare skin in front of him. While teasing her, Iska’s eyes were busy looking at Lavella’s condition.

“…Lavella?”

As he approached a little more, Lavella’s eyes became even fiercer. Feeling strange, Iska immediately stopped walking.

Lavella curled to her knees in a defensive position as if she would pull out a sword at any moment.

The crouching Lavella looked like a small beast growling as if to warn an approaching enemy.

‘Are you being wary?’

Beads of sweat on Lavella’s round forehead slid down the side of her face and dripped from her chin.

‘I guess you don’t fully trust me yet.’

Iska sighed as he looked at Lavella’s pale face. Since she was injured, it seemed she had an instinct to protect herself.

“You don’t have to be so vigilant. I don’t know why you’re so worried about being attacked.”

Iska said as he loosened the thin leather strap of the armor he was wearing and threw the weapons one by one nonchalantly.

“Of course I’m not pathetic enough to attack an injured person. So relax.”

Once Iska confirmed to Lavella that he was completely disarmed by opening the front of his shirt, he cut the rope hanging from the cliff into a proper length.

Iska quickly tied a knot with both his hands in it, and threw the other end of the rope to Lavella.

“All you have to do is pull. Look, I can’t undo it myself.”

Iska lowered his hand so that the knot could be seen clearly. Lavella’s gold eyes moved slowly between the rope and Iska.

“You, you have a reason to keep me around.”

“…….”

“There’s a lot you want to find out about me, right? It’s the same for me. So there’s no reason for me to hurt you.”

“…….”

“I swear. You can trust me.”

Their eyes met heavily through the silence. Iska looked at Lavella without even breathing.

“…Haa.”

Then Lavella relaxed her body and sank down, perhaps because she had made up her mind.

“That’s a good idea.”

Relieved, Iska hurriedly pulled the rope off his wrists and approached Lavella.

As he hurriedly lifted the hem of her clothes, the wound was more visible. It wasn’t life-threatening, but the torn area was deep and wide.

“!”

‘This is….’

Iska, who was looking closely at the wound, hardened his body. Deep inside the open wound, there was something like golden smoke.

It seemed as if nothing was flowing and was no longer bleeding inside as if it was being held inside.

‘Magic.’

Perhaps she was so wary because of this. However, she didn’t seem to know the situation, seeing that she didn’t respond even though he looked at the wound.

“Haah.”

At Lavella’s faint sigh, Iska woke up from his thoughts.

He felt sorry for her, who endured it without even moaning once, but he was angry at her for being so careless.

“Wait a minute.”

After Iska broke the small branches that had grown between the cliffs to start a fire, he started to inspect Lavella’s wounds again in earnest.

If she took off her clothes, she would have to raise her arms, so naturally, the wound would open. Iska tore the hero of Lavella’s clothes with a knife without hesitation.

As Lavella took off the clothes she was wearing to get new ones, she watched the light of the flames flutter over Iska’s solid body.

“…….”

Lavella laughed as she saw herself and Iska become half-naked in an instant.

It was funny that she was leaving her body to an opponent who she had been wary of up until a little while ago.

‘Looking at Iska, who pinpointed my intentions with both hands tied, I strangely felt relieved.’

I made up my mind to live in Imperia, but I had a lot of questions about how I came here and why I was confident. Charmer, who actually brought himself in, didn’t tell me anything.

So Iska was perhaps able to give her an answer. That’s why she kept him around.

It was the first time she ever thought of trusting anyone.

Maybe that’s why she wanted to take his word for it.

As the cold air touched her exposed flesh, Lavella instinctively trembled. Her fever seemed to rise because of the wound.

“Hang in there.”

“…Congratulations.”

“?”

As Lavella recited faintly, Iska’s eyes, focused on the wound, turned to her.

“You’re the first man to undress me.”

“…….”

Iska’s eyes narrowed.

“…I thought you’d like that.”

“What do you look at people as?”

Iska sighed as if he was speechless at the absurdity and tied up Lavella’s wound with a cloth.

“Ugh.”

Lavella’s eyes shut at the blunt response.

“Stop talking nonsense and come and lie down. You’re gonna get hurt.”

Sitting on the cliff, Iska pulled Lavella into his arms and hugged her as if to say she wasn’t supposed to talk anymore.

Lavella’s back, which was covered in torn clothes that had lost their function, touched Iska’s firm chest.

Lavella felt Iska’s body harden against her skin.

Lavella giggled and relaxed as she breathed a weary sigh. It was like someone was digging through her side with a hot fire.

‘Damn old man.’

It was better to show up and help at times like this. Lavella’s eyes, which were similar to Chamer’s, were distorted.

‘It was pathetic of me to fall off a cliff. I almost died in an unseemly way. When I die, I have to die in style.’

When Lavella began to shiver again due to the pain from her side, she curled her lips.

Fortunately, Iska’s temperature was higher than she expected, so the shivering began to go away a little. His arms were surprisingly snug, though a bit stiff.

Come to think of it, it was the first time she’s been hugged by anyone. Except when she fell off the roof.

Lavella tried to erase the humiliating memory.

“…Lavella.”

A pleasant voice rang in the silence.

‘Now that I think of it, your voice is quite low.’

Feeling the pleasant ripples, Lavella closed her eyes.

“When you fell, I thought my heart was falling too.”

“…….”

Lavella opened her eyes.

“I guess I’m more attracted to you than I thought.”

His whispering voice that blew like the wind, penetrated her deeply.

Perhaps he was talking to himself but Iska no longer spoke.

“Iska.”

Feeling awkward, Lavella gripped Iska’s knee hard as he was drinking.

“You have Zvolibayu, don’t you? I can smell it.”

“…What are you thinking now?”

Iska’s eyes dimmed. Zvolibayu was a deadly poison that could take a human life with even just a very small amount.

“What are you thinking? I’ll eat it. If it’s a small amount, it will have an anesthetic effect.”

“…What?”

Iska felt his mouth sour. What kind of life had she lived up till now?

“You better stop thinking about it. I don’t want to put that in your mouth.”

“…….”

Lavella, who frowned, turned her head slightly sideways and glared at Iska. The small movement brought Iska’s head that had been facing the sky down toward Lavella.

A breathtaking distance. The purple eyes, which contained only one woman, were clear.

“Then why do you carry it around?”

“For emergencies.”

He retorted a calm answer back.

“Isn’t it for you?”

“Ha.”

Iska gave a sigh as if she was being absurd.

“…What’s so funny?”

“Lavella. People don’t usually use that kind of poison on themselves.”

Lavella pressed her lips together like a clam. Iska was genuinely curious about Lavella’s past.

When she threw herself to save Leah, and when she asked for Zvolibayu, she did not hesitate. He didn’t like how she seemed to think of death.

“Lavella.”

“Hmm.”

Iska wrapped Lavella’s cheek in his hand and met her eyes.

“Kirah would be sad if you disappeared. So would I.”

“…….”

“So value your life.”

“…….”

Lavella, who tried to take it as a joke, did not know how to answer and eventually chose silence.

*   *   *

“You kids, what have you been doing for the Captain to be like this?”

A thunderous roar fell over Argen and Iska. The furious Pessini’s beard trembled.

Argen rolled his eyes away as if he had nothing to say, and Iska frowned and covered one ear.

“I should have gone with you…Captain, huh.”

His roar soon turned into a loud cry.

“Stop it. Why don’t you spread the word around the neighborhood? I’m dying!”

Lavella screamed unbearably as she laid down after returning to the guild for treatment. It was because of Pessini who sniffed around and got angry all the time.

“Let me get some sleep! Take him with you!”

“I, I’ll be quiet.”

Pessini covered his mouth with one hand the size of a pot lid.

“Why don’t you have a doctor in here?”

As the atmosphere calmed down, Iska asked guild members for their opinions.

“Come to think of it, it doesn’t make sense that there’s not a single doctor for a guild of this scale.”

Most of them were mercenaries who came to live on the street, so it became a habit to treat their wounds simply.

It was good to be confident in your skills, but accidents happen in unexpected places like today.

“It’s not bad to have one professional.”

Canpiden nodded quietly as if he agreed with Iska, and Argen moved his eyes busily as if to calculate the cost immediately.

“Captain?”

“Do what you want. Now get out of here.”

When Argen asked to confirm, Lavella waved her hands as if he was annoying.

“We better have one of us next to the Captain, just in case. Pessini, you’re too loud.”

As Argen pushed Pessini’s back he looked at the remaining two men.

“I’ll stay.”

“I’ll stay here.”

At the same time, Iska and Canpiden’s eyes met in the air.

“Iska, I’ll be here, so you can rest.”

‘Huh.’

Iska’s eyes narrowed. It was a word that was considerate of someone at first glance.

However, looking at the still sapphire-colored eyes, he could see the hidden emotion beyond the expression of honesty.

“It’s alright, my room is next to hers anyway.”

“…….”

Normally he would have avoided the hassle, but Iska held on nonchalantly.

“Then decide on your own.”

As if it was good, Argen turned around without regret.

“If you make her uncomfortable, I’ll kill you!”

A strange silence fell as Argen dragged out Pessini, who left noisy words at the end.

Canpiden seemed unwilling to back down. It was quite an uncharacteristically stubborn attitude.

“What are you two doing?”

It was Lavella who ended the tense war of nerves between the two men. Iska and Canpiden looked back at Lavella simultaneously.

There was a sense of useless tension on the faces of the two men who looked at Lavella’s lips. A silent agreement was concluded to follow as Lavella decided neatly.

“Both of you get out.”

But what came out of her mouth wasn’t a blessing.

For a moment, Iska forgot that his opponent was unusual.

“Call me if anything happens.”

As Iska, who swallowed a laugh, loosened his shoulders and turned around, Canpiden closed his mouth and followed his lead.

“Then rest.”

“Okay, bye.”

Iska and Canpiden closed the door and greeted each other in a simple way.

Iska watched the back of Canpiden disappear down the stairs with interest.

‘I mean, it was that kind of feeling.’

It was true that she was so strong that she was recognized as an object of respect and someone who was not accessible to the guild members, but she was still full of charm.

Among the countless affection towards Lavella, Iska wasn’t the only one who saw Lavella as a woman.

Lavella was a strong opponent, and now there was even a rival.

‘It’s getting more fun.’

Iska burst into laughter as he opened the door. There was something he had to do first. Now that Lavella had proof that he was the one.

The tip of Iska’s red tongue licked his lips languidly.

Click.

Following the sound of walking down the stairs, the door in the next room had opened and closed.

Staring at the closed door, Lavella sighed and caressed the choker around her neck. She thought she could concentrate on thinking now,

‘What was that?’

Lavella’s gold eyes glowed sharply.

As soon as I was cut by a branch, I felt something like energy was swirling in my body and concentrated on the wound.

It was a strange sense that something hot swept through her body and attracted the organs with a strong grip.

The case was also that the wound was not as deep as expected.

When she was cut, she thought there would be damage to her organs, but it wasn’t serious except for the torn skin. The amount of blood poured out was embarrassing.

Lavella glanced back at the closed door.

She wanted to call Chamer, but Iska being in the next room bothered her.

Even if Chamer could block the sound with magic, he would easily notice any change because he was a skilled guy. Of course, there’s no guarantee that Chamer would come out.

‘Can’t we do telepathy?’

Damn old man, Chamer. Hey.  Lavella sighed at herself as she felt pathetic.

‘She had a question but there was nothing she could do about it.’

He was an irresponsible man who could not be seen even after bringing him in. Saying that it was useless, Lavella raised her body and approached the window.

When she opened the window wide, fresh air flowed in. She leaned her arms on the window frame and loosened her jaw as she relaxed the tension in her body.

 

<“You have a reason to keep me around. There’s a lot you want to find out about me, right? It’s the same for me.”>

 

Iska’s eyes looked serious back then.

“Hmm.”

Was it true? Does he really know something?

“…How do I get you to open your mouth?”

While Lavella was worried, a small bird that was hovering outside the window flew away.