By Zephyria 
I was wearing a thick fur coat, sitting on a chair, quietly watching Aska.
“It’s snowy and there are many hills, so you might get lost.”
“Didn’t you say there’s a large lake nearby? Then it might be easier to find than we thought.”
“The land there is a bit… Let’s find Pukara village first. We don’t need to go all together, just send two or three as an advance team to confirm the location…”
Aska and Zero were seriously discussing their future plans. Just a little while ago, they were next to me, chirping like chicks about how a bed should be big and a house should have a heater, which was the complete opposite of their current demeanor.
Even if I couldn’t see their faces because of the hoods, their voices were different from when they talked to me. Their expressions must be very stern, right? I could tell without looking.
“But is it okay for so many outsiders to suddenly barge in like this? If it’s a small village in a remote area, the chances of them being exclusive are high…”
“There are quite a few traveling merchants who trade across the Rollai Mountains, so I don’t think that’ll be the case.”
“The Rollai Mountains? How can they do that with their bare bodies…? You really know a lot. Have you ever lived nearby?”
They hated each other so much when they first met, but now they were quite the pair.
Aska looked picky enough to not even drink a glass of water without complaining, but in reality, he wasn’t.
He slept well even in places where dust flew everywhere as soon as his head touched down, and he ate hard jerky or dry bread without complaint. He didn’t hesitate to step on dirty muddy water and was used to reaching out to others.
A few days ago, it rained, and the ground softened, causing the wheels of the baggage cart to get stuck in the mud. It was so heavy that the only way was to unload all the luggage and have everyone stick together and push the cart.
Aska, who had been quietly watching the commotion while eating candy, got off the cart. It was drizzling, and I tried to stop him, but he went out before I could.
Then, without saying much, he lifted the cart wheel, which was buried deep in the mud, with one hand. The cart was quite heavy, but the luggage hadn’t been unloaded yet, and many people saw him lift the hind legs of the two horses as well.
It wasn’t a situation that could be glossed over as just being exceptionally strong. But perhaps because he readily helped in the midst of the chaos? Despite it being logically impossible, no one suspected Aska or thought he was strange.
I couldn’t understand it at all, but this incident passed by somehow.
Even when I nagged Aska, wiping his dirty hands after he returned to the cart, he didn’t seem to take it very seriously.
“…”
While I was lost in thought, Aska, who had finished talking with Abyss, approached me. Then he took my hand and lifted me from the chair.
“We’re going to camp here for today. We’re only staying for one day, so we’re not setting up a tent and just sleeping in the cart and leaving when the sun rises.”
It was good that he got along well with others and found things to do on his own, but it also made me anxious. I was worried about what would happen if he was found out to be not human, and what would happen if some crazy bastard coveted Aska.
I suddenly realized why I had been so insistent on keeping Aska from leaving in the past.
“I don’t remember the exact location of the village, but it’ll be easy to see if we look from above. I lied to Abyss that I thought I remembered the approximate location and decided to go alone.”
“Alone?”
Still lost in thought, I naturally frowned at the words that he was going somewhere alone.
“I’m taking Pipi with me, so it won’t take long. You stay here.”
At those words, I briefly scanned the surroundings. Some people were curled up in the corner of the baggage cart, and some were observing the bushes, but most were lighting a fire and preparing a meal.
I took in the scenery roughly and looked for Abyss.
“Take Abyss with you. What if something happens to you if you go alone?”
“If I go with Abyss, who will watch you? It’s not very dangerous, so I’ll just go quickly and come back. Pipi doesn’t like humans very much, so I can’t go with anyone else anyway.”
Doesn’t like humans? He doesn’t show it to me very much. Does he recognize that I’m his master’s husband? He’s a smart bird. I should get him something delicious later.
“It’s getting dark, so don’t come out and just stay here. Abyss will bring you food when it’s ready.”
“How long will it take?”
“Finding the village isn’t difficult, but if I consider the travel route, it’ll take about an hour? Popo and Chichi are nearby too. Even if something happens, there won’t be anything dangerous.”
They’ve been nearby all along? Anyway, we’re still at the entrance of the mountain, and it doesn’t seem like anything dangerous will happen. Nevertheless, I didn’t like the situation very much, but I just smiled.
“Okay, be careful.”
I really need to quit anything related to the Ruins once I find the necklace. Or I should have others do it and just watch and listen, or it would be much better to just take Aska and go looking for them ourselves.
I was thinking that while dusting off the drab robe for no reason when Aska suddenly took off his hood. He glanced around outside the cart for a moment and then kissed me on the lips with a smack.
“What was that all of a sudden?”
“You didn’t look like you were in a good mood.”
I didn’t even show it, but how did he know? More than that, what does being in a bad mood have to do with this? One kiss wouldn’t make my bad mood go away.
“You always got better when I offered to heal you whenever you were in a bad mood.”
Is he talking about when we were in the Imperial Castle? The stuffy feeling cleared up like the sky after rain when I saw his face looking at me intently.
“I wasn’t in a bad mood? Why would I be in a bad mood?”
“Okay. I’ll be back soon. Don’t go out, stay inside. It’s cold.”
Aska clicked his tongue and put his hood back on when I played dumb. I watched Aska’s back as he opened the cart door and hurriedly grabbed him.
“Wait, do it one more time before you go.”
In the end, Aska closed the cart door he had opened and kissed me ten more times before leaving.
In the cart, which had suddenly become quiet, I closed my eyes and recalled the sensation of his lips touching mine. Naturally, I thought of the actions we had done before that, the voice Aska used to call me, his expression, and the face with tears streaming down…
When I thought of Aska crying, I also remembered what he had said at that time. I hadn’t been able to properly address it because he was crying so much, but there were many questionable points.
What exactly had he done to my body? I know that something didn’t work properly and ultimately failed…
In the end, I fixed my hood and went outside the cart. As soon as my feet touched the ground, Abyss, who was giving instructions to someone, found me. He tried to approach, so I shook my head lightly and went to the campfire where Zero and Andrew were.
“What are you doing?”
“Theodore, welcome. Are you cold? We’re lighting a fire.”
Zero’s face was covered in soot when I saw him up close.
“Sit here.”
Andrew pointed to a long log. It looked like my butt would hurt if I sat there, but it was better than sitting on the bare ground.
“Who is this? Are they from the same research institute?”
A man who seemed to be a bodyguard asked me, looking at me as I sat awkwardly in an uncomfortable position. Before I could say anything, Zero opened his mouth.
“He’s my assistant.”
“Assistant? You use honorifics with your assistant?”
“I don’t like that kind of hierarchy. There’s no rule that superiors have to speak informally to subordinates.”
“That’s true, but… then why does the assistant speak informally…?”
Zero, who had been speaking confidently, was greatly embarrassed by those words. He even stuttered and rambled on with strange words.
“D-Do subordinates have to use honorifics with superiors? Isn’t that a prejudice? That kind of prejudice makes society sick!”
“……?”
The man’s expression became bewildered. I thought he was going to make a mistake, so I had no choice but to intervene. I sighed inwardly and took off my hood.
“We’ve known each other since we were young.”
His gaze reached me at my words. The eyes that had been looking at me gradually widened, and the man nodded easily.
“Ah, yes… I see. I understand. I’ll go help with organizing the luggage. Then please rest comfortably.”
He even bowed politely, but I didn’t feel refreshed for some reason. I watched the man’s back as he went towards the baggage cart and asked.
“Why does he have that expression? I even used honorifics on purpose.”
“Theodore!”
At that moment, Zero called me in a small voice, as if whispering, making a fuss.
“How can you take off your hood!”
He was suppressing his voice and only putting strength into his neck, so it even sounded like metal scraping.
“You have to look at each other’s faces when you’re talking. I took it off on purpose so that people wouldn’t be suspicious or pick a fight, why?”
“Who would pick a fight? They’re not neighborhood thugs…! And why would they be suspicious all of a sudden, they’re all from the same organization and colleagues traveling for the same purpose. Put your hood on quickly!”
They wouldn’t be suspicious just because they’re colleagues? What are you talking about? People who cover their faces or don’t talk are doing that because they have something to hide. Of course, there are people who aren’t like that, but isn’t it common sense that they usually are?
If someone had a bad intention, they could be wiped out in a foreign land in an instant. Of course, the chances of that happening were low, but it was 100 times better to be suspicious and have nothing happen than to be caught off guard without suspecting anything.
I was dumbfounded until Zero put the hood on me again and then asked again.
“Does someone know me?”
“I don’t know. Who here would know Theodore?”
“But why is he like that?”
No matter how much I thought about it, I couldn’t understand why he was reacting like that. It wasn’t Zero who answered, but Andrew.
“He must have avoided you because you look like a noble. It was also very awkward for you to use honorifics just now.”
At the small whisper, I suddenly looked around. Everyone was moving busily, but from some point on, a round barrier had been set up around us. That is, a real barrier wasn’t set up, but no one was approaching beyond a certain distance.
When they had to pass by, they deliberately took a few more steps to go around. It was as if an invisible wall had been erected.
“You look like a…”
“Hey. How dare you call our Theodore that? Watch your mouth. This is really absurd.”
“You’re deliberately doing that to hide your identity more naturally. That way people won’t be suspicious.”
“Even so, calling him that is too much. Please be polite.”