novelraw Chapter 63
Chapter 63
Ch.63 If I Catch You, I’ll MAke Sure You Never Lie Again
How long had it been since we started our expedition, yet the weather had already turned foul?
The sky was blanketed in clouds, casting a gloomy darkness all around, and the biting cold pierced through our clothes with every step, sending sharp, stinging pain throughout our bodies.
Even fully equipped, it was this cold?
I’d layered up thicker than last time, when we’d braved snowfields and icy mountains—but still, it was freezing.
“Hans… the weather’s terrible. Are you okay?”
Selena was right. The fierce snowstorm made pressing onward impossible.
We’d have to stop here for the day.
“I guess we’ll have to rest here today.”
Selena nodded.
“Alright.”
I pulled a tent from my spatial bag and set it up.
Just in case cold wind slipped inside, I spread thick blankets corner to corner and arranged the floor to keep the chill from seeping up.
By the time I’d finished making camp, my arms trembled uncontrollably.
“Haah… haah…”
—Whoooosh!
The howling blizzard obscured my vision.
We’d set out early this morning to search for the Trident of the Sea God in the Arctic…
Damn it! This thing’s seriously heavy.
I’d modified the already heavy winter tent specifically for Arctic conditions, making it even heavier.
Worried it wouldn’t withstand the Arctic’s razor-sharp gales, I’d layered multiple sheets of leather over the fabric.
Consequently, the tent poles had to be reinforced to support the added weight, drastically increasing their heft too.
Eventually, I collapsed onto the thick blankets I’d laid out.
Even casting holy magic couldn’t ease the aching in my arms and lower back.
“Haah… haah… My arms hurt…”
“I told you I’d help…”
Selena looked down at me, worry etched on her face.
But how could I, a man, let a woman carry heavy loads and lose face?
Now my thoroughly abused body throbbed with muscle pain, as if I’d been thoroughly beaten.
—Woof! Woof!
“Shouldn’t we make shelter for the dogs too?”
Exhausted, I weakly nodded at Selena’s words.
“We should… but just… just give me a minute.”
Of course, I’d prepared small doghouses too—light wooden frames cross-braced and topped with hide. They were easy to store in and retrieve from my spatial bag.
Carlos had designed this structure so the dogs could rest comfortably, and it was simple to assemble and disassemble.
After resting a bit, I built shelters for the dogs and began preparing a simple meal.
“Ugh… my back…”
Still in pain, Selena gently took hold of my spatial bag.
“Hans, I’ll cook tonight.”
“What?”
Selena… can she even cook?
Among all the women I’d known—especially that certain red-haired mage, whose identity I’d rather not specify—cooking always resulted in bizarre, horrifying dishes, as if she used ingredients straight from the demon realm.
And tasteless, to boot.
“Yeah. I learned to make simple meals back at the orphanage when I was little.”
“Oh…”
An unknown piece of Selena’s past.
How should I respond?
One wrong move, and all the affection I’d painstakingly built might crumble instantly.
What… what should I say?
‘That you’re good at cooking?’ Or ‘You’re really self-reliant?‘
A single misstep might ruin everything, so I treaded carefully.
But before I could speak, Selena had already begun cooking.
Phew… lucky escape.
I sighed in relief, glad to have dodged that trial.
“Need any help?”
Worried she might cook something inedible like Leah once did, I approached her as she prepped ingredients.
“No, it’s fine. You just rest for now.”
Ah… what a heart-fluttering sight!
My beloved preparing a meal just for me…
Until now, I’d always been the one serving meals to the women I’d met, so this heartfelt gesture doubled my emotion.
Leah made inedible dishes, Cecilia had never cooked at all, and Mia would probably just serve grass.
Scarlet… I wasn’t sure.
Her letters mentioned she usually handled meals, so maybe she could actually cook.
Either way, Selena looked incredibly beautiful cooking for me.
She tied her hair back, added prepped ingredients and water to a pot, and began boiling it.
Was she making stew?
Selena glanced up, eyes slightly narrowed.
“What… what are you staring at so intently?”
“You’re pretty.”
She quickly hid her faintly flushed cheeks, feigning annoyance.
“If you know I’m pretty, stop staring—it’s embarrassing.”
In the old days, she’d have blushed furiously and fumbled for words at such a compliment, but now she seemed somewhat immune—probably because she’d heard it so often.
And honestly, I had said it plenty.
Even the nicest words lose their charm if repeated too much.
So I’d prepared a new line.
“But you’re so pretty my eyes just go to you automatically. What can I do?”
Selena’s face instantly flushed crimson—so red I almost expected steam to rise from her forehead.
“Ugh… you idiot! Don’t say such corny things—it’s embarrassing!”
She shook her head playfully, pouting.
“I’m not embarrassed! Is it wrong to say someone’s pretty when they are?”
At times like this, you had to act extra natural.
—Whoosh! Whoosh!
Selena shook her head vigorously, scowling.
“No matter how I look at you, you’re such a flirt! Saying things like that so casually!”
“I’m really not!”
“Hmph, whatever.”
She scooped a ladleful of stew, blew on it gently, then tasted it.
With a thoughtful expression, she turned to me.
“Hans, do you prefer it salty or a bit bland?”
“Me? I like it… just right.”
She frowned slightly.
“‘Just right’ is the hardest! Come here and taste it yourself.”
When I stepped closer, she held out the ladle filled with stew.
Wait… is this indirect kissing?
The thought sent a strange thrill through me—getting to share even this small intimacy.
I blew on it gently and took a sip.
Hmm… honestly, I couldn’t even taste it properly.
All I could think about was Selena right beside me.
Why did she have to be so pretty?
Especially today, her lips seemed unusually red.
Our eyes met.
In that instant, time seemed to freeze—our movements halted.
—Gulp…
Was it just my imagination, or did my swallowing sound unnaturally loud?
Selena slowly closed her eyes.
Finally…
After such a long, long wait…
—Woof! Woof!
—Woof!
“Huh?”
The dogs suddenly barked, shattering the mood.
Selena scanned the surroundings warily, then glanced toward the tent entrance and whispered,
“Hans? Something’s happening outside.”
Damn it… again?
Why did they always show up precisely at moments like this?
“AAAARGH!”
I stormed out of the tent with a frustrated scream.
These damn things!
Pushing aside the tent flap, I saw a massive white bear.
Unable to contain my rage, I roared furiously,
“You too?! Even you can’t stand to see me with someone?!”
Grumbling, I drew Equality.
—ROOOAR!
The beast opened its jaws wide and roared.
Because of that stupid thing—because of that!
I aimed Equality at the polar bear, which reared up threateningly, and pulled the trigger.
—Bang!
One shot wasn’t enough to vent my frustration, so I fired wildly.
“Hans! You’ll catch a cold doing that!”
“Huh?”
Selena had already bundled up in thick clothes and stepped out, sword in hand.
“And don’t attack so recklessly! We might need its pelt later. Now come on, let’s go eat.”
Her gentle coaxing made me turn back toward the tent—but my anger still hadn’t subsided, so I glared murderously at the now-limp polar bear.
Tch. If only you’d come ten minutes later…
Muttering under my breath, I went inside. Selena served me a bowl of stew.
“Oh—thanks. I’ll dig in.”
Calming down, I sat and took a bite—and immediately burst out,
“Wow! This is seriously delicious!”
No joke—it was far tastier than I’d expected.
“Pfft… well, I can cook, you know.”
Listening to her cute self-promotion, I eagerly devoured the stew.
“Second bowl, please!”
“W-wait! You don’t have to eat so fast! There’s plenty—I made enough!”
Beyond the taste itself, I was deeply moved that she’d cooked so thoughtfully just for me.
I ate until my stomach was full.
Selena really was different from the others!
***
The signing ceremony for the Slave Liberation War’s surrender had concluded.
At last, the war that had held back the Hero Party was over.
Cecilia turned to Leah.
“So… where is Priest Hans?”
“Hmm… somewhere north. I don’t know the exact spot.”
Leah’s magic only revealed direction, making it hard to pinpoint Hans’s precise location.
“North, you say…” Mia interjected.
“Leah, didn’t you say you came from the north too?”
Leah nodded.
“Yeah. He probably survived the avalanche.”
Ignoring Mia, who seemed lost in thought, Scarlet spoke up.
“Then we should head north.”
“Yeah, but…”
The three women focused intently on Leah as she trailed off.
“The continent’s so huge—it’ll take at least a month or two to get there.”
As if rehearsed, they all sighed deeply in unison.
Travel was far more exhausting than it seemed.
Though everyone looked weary, Mia brushed it off lightly.
“We have no choice. That distance means nothing compared to our revenge.”
“Exactly! I won’t calm down until I give Priest Hans a good scolding!”
Scarlet and Leah nodded in agreement.
“Then let’s buy what we need today and leave right away.”
A few hours later, after purchasing all necessary supplies, the girls gathered at an inn, chatting animatedly.
Naturally, the topic was Hans.
“But why did Priest Hans come to the New Continent? Was he avoiding us?”
They’d exchanged plenty of information about Hans, yet his reason for fleeing to the New Continent remained a mystery to all.
“From what I heard, it’s his master’s hometown.”
Given how often he lied, even Leah found it hard to believe her master’s words.
Mia frowned, muttering,
“His hometown… I didn’t know he was from the New Continent.”
“Maybe that’s why he knows the local geography so well? But with all his lies…”
Leah’s trailing off prompted Cecilia to speak.
“Would he really lie about something like his hometown? He has no reason to.”
Of course, from Hans’s perspective, it had merely been a convenient lie to defuse the sudden appearance of Leah—but Cecilia, unaware of the full context, voiced a perfectly reasonable doubt.
Seeing the conversation stretch on, Scarlet cut it short before they stayed up all night.
“Let’s call it a night. We leave early tomorrow.”
Everyone nodded, lost in thought.
‘Once I catch him, he’ll never be able to lie again.’
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