By Zephyria 
27
“So.”
“I don’t think he can ride a horse anymore.”
“Then carry him.”
“Carry him where? We don’t have a cart.”
“Then someone can hold him.”
“Who?”
“Anyone.”
Tae-muk gestured towards the dozens of soldiers. Meaning, weren’t there plenty of guys here to carry him? It wasn’t unusual. Carrying injured soldiers was common on the battlefield.
But Ho-eun refused.
“General, I’m okay, I’m okay. I can ride.”
He deliberately put strength into his voice. As he tried to push himself up from the ground, his arm buckled. Losing his balance in an instant, his body tilted towards a hard, rough tree. Just before Ho-eun’s head slammed into the tree, Gil-sang caught him and sat him back down. Then, he looked at Tae-muk and said.
“Commander, he’s your Bondmate.”
“So?”
“How can we carry the Commander’s Bondmate?”
“……”
Tae-muk’s mouth snapped shut. Gil-sang’s words were quite insolent. He should do as he’s told, not talk back at every turn. He could have his head chopped off for disobeying orders, but Tae-muk only twisted his lips as if displeased, without saying anything else. However, he didn’t give an affirmative response either.
“……”
Seeing Tae-muk like that, Ho-eun lowered his gaze. He couldn’t see even a sliver of concern for him on Tae-muk’s face.
He understood. He himself was disgusted by his own weakness, so how much more would Tae-muk be? It was clear he wouldn’t like that his Bondmate was such a weak human being.
But, but… he couldn’t help but feel hurt. The inside of his ribs throbbed. It felt like he really was nothing to Tae-muk.
“……”
For a while, Tae-muk just stared at Ho-eun without saying a word. With an expression as if he was wondering how to dispose of this baggage. Then the soldiers around them began to say one thing or another.
“Why does he look so pale?”
“Right. It’s like all the blood has drained from his body.”
“He’s barely breathing. Even a newborn breathes more strongly than that…”
“What if something happens to him?”
At those words, Tae-muk frowned.
“What could happen, damn it…”
But the soldiers wouldn’t shut their mouths.
“Commander, ordinary people can die from a fever. We just live like, ‘Oh well,’ even if our bodies get sliced up a bit.”
“Of course. They die from a cold, from indigestion, from starvation.”
“Huh? If we starve, we’ll die too.”
“Oh, just shut up for a bit. Anyway, that young master grew up so preciously that he seems weaker than ordinary people…”
“Shouldn’t he be sitting on the ground like that? He’s a nobleman, isn’t he?”
“Are we all going to get dragged away and flogged?”
“What flogging in this day and age. Maybe execution by Gun.”
The soldiers’ words wandered off track.
“……”
Tae-muk didn’t respond. Then Gil-sang stepped forward this time.
“Or should we just tell him to ride the horse? But what if he falls again? If you fall off a horse, you can break your arm, break your leg, and if you’re unlucky, break your neck…”
“Haa…”
“And if he gets trampled by the horse behind him, his head will be crushed…”
Gil-sang brought his fist up to the side of his head. At that, Tae-muk’s gaze went to Ho-eun’s head. The Braided Hair hanging limply, his head was very small and round. It even looked soft at first glance. If that kind of head got trampled by a horse’s hoof, it would be crushed like a ripe persimmon.
Annoyed, Tae-muk swept back his bangs and reluctantly nodded.
“Bring him.”
At those words, Gil-sang quickly supported Ho-eun and helped him up.
“I’m okay. I can ride. Really.”
Ho-eun kept muttering in a dying voice, but Gil-sang didn’t listen.
“Commander.”
Arriving in front of Tae-muk, Gil-sang supported Ho-eun’s waist. Holding him tightly, as if afraid of dropping Ho-eun.
“……”
For a moment, Tae-muk’s eyes narrowed before returning to normal. He grabbed Ho-eun’s collar tightly. It was called a collar, but his hand was as big as a pot lid, so he grabbed Ho-eun’s entire upper body. As he was pulled up onto the horse like that, Ho-eun felt a strange sense of stability, ridiculously enough.
Tae-muk, who easily lifted Ho-eun with one hand, placed him down in front of him as if throwing him. But Ho-eun slowly leaned forward. As if he was about to fall off the horse at any moment.
At that, Tae-muk hooked his fingers like claws into Ho-eun’s collar and pulled him back. Ho-eun straightened his back. But it was only for a moment. As soon as he took his fingers away, he leaned forward again. At that, Tae-muk muttered annoyedly.
“Haa, damn it, what a pain.”
“……”
Hearing those words, Ho-eun tried to support his body somehow. But it wasn’t easy. To ride a horse, you had to put strength in your core and thighs, but right now, even moving a finger was difficult. Just as he was about to slip sideways while struggling, Tae-muk’s hands came under both of his armpits. And then his body flipped over.
“……”
Tae-muk’s face was right in front of him. Ho-eun froze for a moment, but soon leaned forward again. But the crown of his head bumped against Tae-muk’s chest. Now, no matter how he fell, it seemed like he wouldn’t fall under the horse.
But Ho-eun wasn’t comfortable with this situation, this position, at all. He almost wanted to fall off. He barely raised his head and looked up at Tae-muk.
“General. Let me, let me down…”
“……”
“I’m okay… I can ride. Really…”
Ho-eun kept muttering in a weak voice. He also pushed at Tae-muk’s chest with his hands. Tae-muk narrowed his brow as if annoyed by his constant fidgeting.
“Just stay still.”
“Sorry-”
“Shut up.”
He pulled Ho-eun’s head towards him. Buried in the black, rough military uniform, Ho-eun let out a stifled groan.
After that, Ho-eun struggled a few more times, then slumped down. His vision was spinning from the fever. Tae-muk, who had become quiet, grabbed the reins behind his back. And said to the soldiers.
“Let’s go.”
Soon the horse began to move. Tae-muk took the lead, and the other soldiers followed him. Gil-sang also took care of Ho-eun’s horse and moved.
“Haa, haa…”
Ho-eun, leaning against Tae-muk’s chest, breathed heavily. Strangely, his fever rose even higher than before. As if he had received permission to be sick as much as he wanted.
Ho-eun groaned and constantly watched Tae-muk’s expression. Tae-muk was only staring ahead. He didn’t seem to have the slightest interest in whether he was holding baggage or Ho-eun in his arms. But he couldn’t hide the annoyance that had seeped into his eyes.
Of course he would be annoyed. How could he not be annoyed when a weak patient was squatting right in the middle of his path, which no one dared to overtake?
Ho-eun, looking up at Tae-muk like that, said in a subdued voice.
“I’m sorry.”
“……”
“I’m really sorry. I didn’t want to be sick either…”
He didn’t want to cause trouble. At least not this early, not this uselessly. With piercing misery, the corners of Ho-eun’s eyes drooped.
“I’m really sor-”
“If you say one more word, I’ll throw you to the Devouring Ghouls.”
Tae-muk replied in a low voice.
“……”
At those words, Ho-eun finally shut his mouth. Tae-muk, who had become quiet, lightly kicked the horse’s flank. The horse began to run.
With that recoil, Ho-eun, who had been slipping little by little, ended up sticking to Tae-muk completely. Before, only his head was buried, but now his entire chest was touching.
Strangely, his body shook less when he was stuck to Tae-muk like that. He could smell Tae-muk’s scent, which he was now used to. The warmth, which was more than warm, was a bonus. And he also felt an indescribable sense of stability. It felt like he was lying face down on a wide bed.
“……”
With that strange comfort, Ho-eun’s eyes fluttered shut. He didn’t know if the pouring sleepiness was due to the fever, or to Tae-muk’s wide, warm embrace.
Soon Ho-eun fell into a deep sleep. Every time the horse’s hooves hit the ground, the silk Hair Tie tied to his head fluttered like a butterfly.
“Young master. Young master, open your eyes.”
Ho-eun slowly woke up from the sound of someone calling him. Young master. Although it wasn’t his name, his body reacted on its own because it was a title he was called more often.
When he opened his eyes, he saw a black, swaying ceiling. It was a tent. It had only been a few days since he left home, but he was already used to that tent. After being dazed for a while, he turned his head. He could see someone’s figure beyond his hazy vision.
“…Deok-woo?”
“Yes? Bellflower root?”
“……”
“Do you want to eat bellflower root?”
The voice was unfamiliar. It was a man, but it was more high-pitched and younger than Deok-woo’s. Ho-eun blinked a few times before he could recognize the owner of the voice.
It was the cook. The boy who had given Ho-eun seasoned beef along with scorched rice water sometime ago.
“Ah…, it’s you.”
Ho-eun struggled to raise his upper body. No matter how sick he was, it wasn’t polite to lie down when someone was in front of him.
Only after getting up did he notice his surroundings. Straw mat, bedding, small table, candlelight. They were all familiar things. It seemed to be Tae-muk’s tent. But Tae-muk was nowhere to be seen. Moreover, light was coming in through the gaps between the tent and the floor.