In front of the cave stood a strangely horned figure, sporting the horns of a mountain goat atop their head.
“Hmm, fantasy vibes.”
I scrutinized the person, wondering if they were a beastman, but I couldn’t quite tell.
“They had goat horns, but…”
They also had a thin, black tail that didn’t match the goat aesthetic.
And the tail was pointed at the end!
I pondered what animal they resembled, but my limited knowledge was utterly useless.
“A hybrid? Like a mix breed dog?”
To begin with, I had never encountered any other races since I arrived here.
How could I distinguish between different races when I had no experience?
However, I had an unpleasant feeling about this one, and my impression wasn’t great.
“Feels like being next to a smoker.”
I found myself in deep contemplation about whether I was a racist, but I decided not to dwell on it.
Well, there’s something more important, right?
“Why did that person come here?”
Judging by how they didn’t notice me staring hard from behind, they didn’t seem like a top-tier fighter.
“The aura they give off…”
I deduced that they were probably just a hardworking beastman farmer or something similar.
That’s how weak their presence felt.
What could someone like that want in this boring, dangerous mountain?
Up until now, no one had come to this mountain aside from Nameless.
According to Nameless, the mana density here was thick, but it harbored many monsters laden with that mana, making it an unsuitable living environment for humans.
Also, normal folks had their limits in absorbing mana, he said.
I was unaware of that fact.
I would ponder why Nameless could handle it, but then I remembered that I had probably absorbed all the mana in the mountain, lowering its density.
“Sounds reasonable.”
How on earth could I manage that? Nameless must be the main character of this world, after all.
In any case, this was why people didn’t come to the mountain I lived on.
“There must be a reason that person has sought out such a mountain.”
Unless that person was like Nameless, intentionally seeking out a place to escape from others, it was hard to imagine.
“What are you?”
So I asked.
I might have sounded a bit too harsh, but after getting accustomed to being treated with disdain while living alongside Nameless and figuring out my own age, I felt no need to change my approach.
The one with the goat horns turned around and squinted at me.
“Hmm? A human girl?”
That was a pretty arrogant way to put it, considering the feeling I got from them.
My mood soured even more, given their unpleasant aura, so my face frowned as well.
I had asked first, so why this response?
These young folks nowadays really lack respect for their elders.
“Gosh, what’s wrong with me?”
I guess after spending time with Nameless lately, I felt my perspective aging too.
“I shouldn’t be like this.”
I shook off the random thoughts and continued with my inquiry.
“I asked what you are.”
“Ah, I apologize. I was looking for someone.”
Looking for someone? To my knowledge, no one lived here aside from me and Nameless, so if they were looking for Nameless, it’d make sense to hide that.
Just a few years ago, I nearly got dragged away by people unjustly; if they were looking for Nameless, they’d likely have a similar aim.
So I naturally spun a little lie.
“No one lives on this mountain except for me.”
It seemed the goat horned one started to think, scratching their chin with one hand, tilting their head.
“Hmm? I definitely heard it was a human male, yet the hair color surely matches.”
Heard it was a human male, hair color…
Given their response, it seemed like an authoritative figure sent them to find Nameless without a doubt.
After all, like me, Nameless had that rare black hair here.
“We seem to be close in age too.”
My shoulders involuntarily puffed up.
“I do look a bit younger.”
I adjusted my evaluation of them from being an annoying, unpleasant person to just a mildly unpleasant one.
“Well, at any rate, can’t I take you with me?”
What on earth was that supposed to mean? I was too dumbfounded to respond.
If comparing aura, I’d say that they probably couldn’t overpower Nameless since he hadn’t trained properly under me.
No way they’d be able to take me, given how weak they seemed.
“You? Me?”
It was outrageous, but I thought, let’s see what they do, giving them a cold stare.
The one with goat horns began releasing their mana from their fingertips and started drawing a blood-red magic circle in the air using their fingers like a brush.
“Oh, magic! So there’s a credible aspect to this.”
It truly felt like a fantasy world. The sight of a spell made me curious about trying it out, although it could end up being risky.
“I wonder how it feels.”
Given how weak their aura seemed, I figured even if they tried to hit me, it wouldn’t be dangerous.
As the magic circle slowly took shape, chains burst forth from it, speeding toward me.
Not planning to dodge, the chains eventually reached me, wrapping around my body slowly.
“Hmm, being bound by chains is an odd feeling.”
But I had no further thoughts on that.
It felt like nasty energy was trying to flow into my body through the chains, but I circulated my energy to block it.
Curious about how strong the chains were, I flexed slightly, only to hear a concerning sound coming from the chains binding me.
“No point in struggling.”
Did that person recognize my full-fledged struggle as such? They approached me with a villainous grin.
“Hmm, I feel like I missed my chance to escape.”
Saying something to a person trying to kidnap Nameless didn’t feel right, but if I let go easily, they’d be majorly embarrassed.
Even if they were trying something bad towards Nameless, the kidnapping seemed like a failure too, and they likely were just doing what they were told.
“Why am I feeling so soft-hearted about this?”
But still, I couldn’t just let myself be taken by their whims. Deep down, I wanted to follow along and smack anyone who bullied Nameless around, but if I did that, it could teach Nameless something bad.
They say parents are mirrors for their children, right?
I wondered if mentors are the same; if Nameless saw me avenging for him, he’d probably think, “Oh, guess it’s okay to do this,” and may misunderstand, leading to bad behavior.
I imagined for a second.
A blond-haired, spitting-on-the-ground Nameless collecting my money…
“Not happening!”
Suddenly, chills ran down my spine and, breaking the chains binding me, I kicked the one with goat horns.
“What the hell..! Cough-!”
“Nameless! Your master is nothing like those scumbags! No dyeing your hair!”
Of course, this was only a fantasy, but even just imagining it made me feel quite irritable and I snapped.
Oh no,
I shouldn’t resolve things with violence.
The one with goat horns was crashed against a rock near the cave entrance; while their pupils were gone, their chest was still moving, so they didn’t seem dead.
A cold sweat trickled down my back.
“Oh no, this is bad…”
Seeing me resort to violence, I imagined the worst outcome for Nameless.
I absolutely couldn’t let this scenario slip into Nameless’ knowledge.
“As long as no one finds out…”
Then it’s not a crime!
I stuffed the unconscious person into a corner of the cave and slipped away quietly.
“Perfect crime.”
A perfectly executed plan.
– Cheon Mu-myeong
“What in the world is going on?”
Suddenly aware, I found myself sprawled across my Master’s lap.
“Did you wake up?”
Feeling my Master gently stroking my hair, I tried to recall the events before I passed out.
My cheeks turned red out of embarrassment.
I tried to take in my Master confidently, but it was impossible.
All I felt was a sense of my own inadequacy, feeling embarrassed that I claimed to be her disciple.
I didn’t know what to say, so I simply savored the comfort of her hand.
Gradually, I felt better.
I felt like I should say something.
I was opening my mouth hesitantly when my Master, seemingly aware of my thoughts, broke the silence.
“Did I not tell you before? It’s okay.”
My Master stopped stroking my hair and leaned down to press her forehead against mine resting on her knee.
“There is nothing wrong with you; it is merely my inadequacy as your Master.”
As her warmth from our foreheads dissipated, I saw my Master’s gentle smile.
“So don’t blame yourself.”
“Thank you…”
I felt like I might cry, but I smiled instead, knowing my Master always made a pained expression whenever she saw me cry.
“Your smile looks so much better.”
“…Yes.”
She truly was an unwarranted Master for me.
But…
“Master, did you happen to meet someone? You smell unfamiliar.”
There was an unpleasant male scent coming from my Master.
“What?”
Seeing my Master’s unmistakable surprise, my chest tightened and I frowned.
