Midway up the snowy mountain. Though the summit was far, looking down was dizzying.
The sun was setting beyond the mountain.
The wind was picking up and the temperature was beginning to drop.
Even as I gasped for breath, my body shivered uncontrollably.
The cold that seeped into my bones was something I could never get used to.
After conquering the snowy mountain, I vowed never to return.
“Let’s camp here for tonight.”
Continuing to march was no longer feasible.
There was no reason to force ourselves to hike at night.
As soon as I finished speaking, Kayla approached and leaned against me.
“Are you okay?”
“Yes. I’m fine…”
Her voice was trembling. She seemed exhausted from the long march.
Among all of us, Kayla was undoubtedly the one struggling the most.
In contrast, Erina was preparing the campsite as if it were nothing.
We moved into a nearby cave to escape the wind.
For reference, the Snow Maidens who once lived here had long since died.
“Kayla and I will clear out the corpses. Erina, can you handle the rest?”
“Got it. Leave it to me.”
Naturally, roles were divided.
I dragged the monster corpses to a nearby slope.
Kayla followed behind me, albeit a bit late.
“Seo-Hyun-nim, I can handle this alone.”
“No, it’s fine.”
Even if I did nothing, the two of them would handle everything.
But I couldn’t just stand by and do nothing in good conscience.
As the self-proclaimed leader of our party, it was only right to do my part.
I threw the corpses off the cliff. The mangled remains of the Yetis tumbled down.
“Alright, it’s done.”
I dusted off my hands and was about to return to the campsite when Kayla blocked my path.
I could see her face under her robe.
She was smiling warmly, unlike before.
Ever since we bathed together, she had been smiling more often.
The distance between us had subtly closed.
Gone was the businesslike, stern demeanor, replaced by a sense of camaraderie.
“I have something I want to say. Is that alright…?”
I had somewhat expected this ever since she stopped me.
When she entered the bath previously, she also said she had something to say.
Back then, Erina had interrupted, but now it was just the two of us.
“Sure. Erina isn’t here anyway.”
Once I gave my permission, she immediately began to speak.
“I have something to ask you.”
She hesitated briefly but finally spoke.
“I want to know how Seo-Hyun and Erina met.”
It was a simpler question than I expected.
Thinking about it, it was rare for me to have a casual chat with Kayla.
I had never told her about the events before we met.
Of course, I hid the fact that I had fallen into a game world and that Erina had deceived me.
I made up a plausible story about what had happened.
“I almost died to a goblin horde. Erina appeared and saved me.”
“…I see.”
Kayla listened intently to my words.
She couldn’t understand the relationship between Erina and me.
In truth, Erina and I hadn’t spent much time together.
Compared to Kayla, it was a week more.
But Erina was a character I created. In a way, she was like my child.
Even if it was true that she had destroyed the world and dragged me into this one.
I couldn’t abandon Erina.
That’s why I decided to become stronger, to stop her.
“Are you afraid of Erina?”
“N-no, it’s just…”
“Don’t worry too much.”
Right now, Erina wouldn’t harm Kayla.
After the last big fight, Erina had been cautious around me.
Barring any special circumstances, the chances of Erina clashing with Kayla were low for now.
“Just bear with Erina’s behavior for a while, okay?”
I had known for some time that Erina was being territorial.
But Kayla never complained and just endured it.
She must have been quietly building up frustration.
Kayla fell silent for a moment.
In the biting wind, she swallowed hard.
“So, compared to Erina-nim… what do you think of me…?”
Had she been hesitating all this time to ask this question?
Erina was my most precious companion, almost like a child to me.
Kayla was my most reliable companion, a friend.
Both were important to me. I didn’t want to compare them lightly.
If asked whom I loved more, I couldn’t easily answer.
I chose my words carefully before speaking.
“I’m sorry.”
I vaguely understood Kayla’s feelings.
That’s why I couldn’t give her a careless answer.
I couldn’t choose just one of them.
Erina and Kayla. I wanted to keep both by my side.
“I’m sorry. That was an unnecessary question.”
Kayla smiled as if it was okay.
But for a moment, there was a hint of regret and obsession in her eyes.
The atmosphere I had only felt from Erina was now coming from Kayla as well.
“If you trust me, my lord, that is enough.”
Once again, she used a title I hadn’t permitted.
It probably wasn’t intentional.
But I could see that she always regarded me as someone of high status.
“Then, Kayla.”
“Yes.”
“What do you think of me?”
Her answer came without any hesitation.
“You are a benefactor I must protect, even at the cost of my life.”
“…”
“And a fateful connection I must stay with for life.”
I recalled the vow Kayla had recited when we made our contract.
The contents of that contract were like a dreadful curse, and I couldn’t even remember it all.
But Kayla was different.
She was sincerely trying to fulfill every word of the contract.
“Master.”
“…Don’t call me that.”
Master was too grand a title for me.
Others might get the wrong idea if they heard it.
“Can’t you allow it, just when we’re alone…?”
It was hard to refuse when she pleaded like that. Reluctantly, I nodded.
But I insisted she must not let anyone else hear it, especially Erina.
“Understood.”
Finally, a satisfied smile spread across her face.
Was the title really that important to her?
If we took too long, Erina might get suspicious.
As we were about to head back to the campsite, Kayla spoke up again.
“There’s something I want to say.”
She grabbed my hand with a serious expression.
“I know that Erina has a place in your heart.”
“Um…”
“I may not be able to match Erina, but please remember just one thing.”
Kayla lowered her head while holding onto my hand, her voice resolute yet vulnerable.
“I love you, Master.”
“…”
“My feelings will never change.”
Kayla lifted her head after finishing her words and looked into my eyes.
I couldn’t accept Kayla’s feelings. She knew that too.
But she didn’t seem to have any intention of giving up on me.
“Kayla.”
“Yes.”
I looked at her with a mixture of guilt and a somewhat lonely smile.
Though relieved, there was also a pang of sadness.
“Let’s go back.”
“Understood.”
If only I had decisively rejected her, perhaps Kayla could have eased her affection for me.
But I didn’t answer.
I felt ashamed of myself.
I was toying with Kayla’s feelings.
Out of selfishness, I wanted both Erina and Kayla by my side.
“Oh, you’re back?”
Erina greeted me warmly, waving her hand.
Approaching her with a smile as if nothing had happened.
By then, all preparations for camping were complete inside the cave, with a bed and a campfire, as neat as always.
“We’re all set. Let’s eat!”
Erina stirred the pot containing her meat soup in a lively voice.
I patted her on the back, a gesture of appreciation.
In response, she straightened her chest confidently.
It felt like a child seeking praise.
“Thank you. Thanks to you, I can rest easy.”
“It’s nothing.”
With a noble heart, I patted her head, and a blush spread across her face.
Then, I turned to Kayla who was beside me.
“Kayla, let’s eat first.”
“…Alright.”
In a subtle atmosphere, we concluded the day.
***
“Master…”
Quietly watching over the campfire, I lost myself in contemplation.
When I looked around, my sleeping comrades caught my eye.
Among them, Master sat calmly with his eyes closed. I recalled our recent conversation.
‘He doesn’t like me…’
It didn’t mean he disliked me.
A trustworthy comrade. To him, I was nothing more or less.
When my confession was rejected, my heart sank.
In truth, I already knew the outcome.
The Master’s heart belonged to Erina. There was no room for me.
Yet, unknowingly, a glimmer of hope remained.
After the bitter realization, instead of feeling relieved, I felt only impatience.
‘Erina…’
I had nothing that surpassed her.
I wasn’t stronger than her. I wasn’t even as beautiful.
I didn’t share as many memories with Master as she did.
Guarding the blazing campfire, Kayla blamed herself.
‘Why am I so weak…’
Originally, it couldn’t be helped that dragons were sensitive to the cold.
But among them, Kayla was particularly vulnerable to the cold.
Because of this, even climbing the mountains wasn’t easy.
Kayla blamed herself.
Why am I so weak?
Why can’t I endure something as trivial as the cold?
‘ I must become stronger.’
She had to surpass Erina and earn recognition from Master.
She needed to become relentlessly stronger to ensure Erina didn’t catch Master’s eye.
That was the only way to capture Master’s heart.
Amidst deep contemplation, a strange sensation swept through the surroundings.
“…?”
She heard a rustling sound from somewhere.
Initially echoing from within the cave, the noise quickly vanished.
With a cautious heart, she turned her gaze upward toward the cave’s entrance.
It was just as serene as moments before. Yet, her instinctual unease lingered.
Someone had been nearby just moments ago.
Without hesitation, she leaped onto a nearby tree.
Surveying the surroundings, she meticulously searched for any signs of presence.
But she found nothing.
It wasn’t the aura of a demon. Instead, it felt strangely familiar and nostalgic.
‘No, not nostalgic.’
There were no memories with that person. Rather, they were memories she wished to forget.
‘Could it be another dragon…?’
That seemed unlikely.
Most dragons were sensitive to the cold unless there was a special reason, like hers.
Yet, her earlier intuition was unmistakable.
Descending from the tree, she scanned the area near the cave.
She searched for any trace of something unusual.
But there were no clues to be found.
‘Am I being too sensitive?’
With no other choice, Kayla halted her search and returned to the cave.
In the meantime, the campfire was wavering dangerously.
Quickly adding more firewood, she controlled the flames.
Fortunately, before it could extinguish, the embers flared up again.
Afterward, she sat quietly, keeping watch over the fire.
Even as time passed, she felt no strange sensations.
But her suspicion still lingered.
