Chapter 146

There’s a saying about shame. Literally, it means dying from embarrassment.

Right now, that’s exactly my situation. I’ve shown everything I didn’t want anyone to see.

Not just to a stranger, but to one of my closest friends. I can hardly express how humiliating this is.

Knock, knock—

[Sivar? Can I come in? If it’s okay, open the door.]

As I lay in bed, wrapped up in my blanket, Kara knocked on the door.

As much as I wanted to open it as if nothing happened, I just didn’t have the courage to do so.

In the wilderness, exposing myself was no big deal. But at that time, there wasn’t anyone watching.

If others saw, it might appear that I was getting a bit used to civilization. The problem is, I’m wild on the outside but civilized on the inside.

‘Of all times for her to show up… I didn’t think she’d be here this early.’

I thought it would be at least three days before they’d start looking for me. I figured they’d be too busy fighting for at least two days.

Yet, surprisingly, the battle ended quickly. Kara’s presence may have been more consequential than I thought.

Even if she is an Academy Student, facing real tactics would make anyone else look like a mere ghost.

[I’ll wait here. Open the door when you’ve calmed down.]

Since I didn’t open the door until the end, Kara also seemed to give up. More like she postponed it.

When she said she’d wait outside, it felt like she was planning a siege.

I needed to calm my mind too, so I intended to go out after a little while.

[Alright! Let’s leave! Beyond that sea…]

By the way, that guy is singing unnecessarily loudly. From the language, it sounds like it’s from the East.

Normally, I would have canceled it just for being noisy, but the song is so good, and besides, I’m feeling lazy.

I just want to lie still and do nothing. Everything feels like it’s breaking my will.

[Faith is increasing!]

No. Damn it. Is this comforting me or mocking me?

Earlier, when I was embarrassed to the point of madness, my faith soared significantly.

Honestly, I have no idea anymore. What on earth are the criteria for increasing faith?

They say all followers of Chaos are clowns, and that fits perfectly. If Chaos saw it, it would be turned upside down.

‘Can’t I turn back time?’

Suddenly, that thought crossed my mind. If I could turn back time, I’d want to go back ten minutes.

Of course, even Chaos can’t turn back time. Gods themselves can’t defy time.

Resistance might be possible, but that’s still just resistance; you can’t go against it.

‘Is there a way in the Soul World…? I don’t know.’

I sighed deeply. My heart felt uneasy, and various anxieties swirled in my head.

Detecting a presence, it seemed Kara was wandering around outside. I felt a bit sorry to leave her there like that.

Swoosh—

So, I quietly crawled out from under the blanket. That dull music from the East continued, but I walked toward the window.

Looking out the window, I saw Kara examining my wooden carvings, the ones I made out of boredom.

There were pieces shaped like axes modeled after Ragnarok and various figures and tools. My dexterity had turned out pretty well.

‘That’s an Iron Man…’

Without a doubt, the one I focused on the most was Iron Man. I had squeezed out as many faint memories as I could to carve that piece.

Of course, Kara wouldn’t know its identity and would lose interest pretty quickly. She probably thought it was just some kind of armor.

Once the exams are over, I might just give it to Jane. I hope she finds inspiration from it.

‘But I think there was someone else besides Kara.’

I looked away from Kara. When she caught me crafting, there were definitely other sounds that came from somewhere.

The sound of someone bursting into laughter. I had headphones on, so it was hard to tell, but it was definitely a woman’s laughter.

Kara probably noticed that too. She’s just staying quiet, having taken no action.

Creak—

I made up my mind and opened the door. As the door creaked open, Kara stopped what she was doing and looked this way.

Another odd atmosphere was about to flow, but luckily, she covered it up with a bright smile.

That signature refreshing smile of hers is always beautiful. It suits her usual image so well.

“Are you feeling a bit better? You sing so well…”

Thud—

I wish that mouth of hers wouldn’t bring that up again.

I quietly closed the door when Kara mentioned my dark history again. She hurriedly apologized.

I accepted her apology and opened the door again to step outside. My face was flush, and I couldn’t bear to meet her gaze.

“Sorry. It was just a joke, but I guess you weren’t on for it. This will have to be our little secret… or will it?”

“….”

Kara turned her gaze away as she said that. She seems to be aware that someone else saw.

Who knows how long this secret will last, but I sincerely hope it stays buried quietly.

“By the way, when did you learn another country’s language? It seems like it’s not the common tongue.”

“I just followed along.”

“You just followed along and got that good? Impressive.”

That’s not all. Even though it was a freshly heard language, I could completely understand it.

I might not speak it well, but catching the meaning was doable. Didn’t I understand everything the first time I met Luna and Eli?

‘This is kind of strange. What a half-baked privilege?’

Actually, I’m quite grateful for it. If I knew absolutely nothing, I would have been helplessly frustrated.

Thanks to that, I figured out most of the lyrics and could sing along. Though I still got stuck here and there.

I wonder how long it’ll take to fully speak. I’m nearing the end of common tongue words, yet speaking is still disconnected.

‘I suppose I’ll figure it out when I visit Byzantium.’

I spent time chatting with Kara about my carvings. Surprisingly, she didn’t say a word about contracts.

It seemed she intended to present a contract when the other team came. Or maybe she just came to play with me.

“There are really so many different songs. Western, Eastern, and every song from Santiago has such different characteristics.”

“Tartar?”

“Tartar only has songs related to rituals. It’s mostly filled with percussion like drums.”

Talking about songs made time fly by without us noticing. Besides that, she explored my room, checking out various things.

Kara jokingly suggested that she could stay here for a lifetime. To be honest, the welfare is pretty good.

After around thirty minutes of back and forth chatting, it happened.

“Hey, there you are. Sivar.”

“Grace…”

As expected, Grace found me. She was hugging her stuffed toy, Lee Yeon-joo.

Kara showed a delayed realization when she saw Grace entered. She also came looking to make a contract with me.

As the strange tension between the three of us escalated, I suddenly noticed something odd. Specifically, it was Lee Yeon-joo.

“Pffft…!”

“…”

As soon as Lee Yeon-joo saw me, she started suppressing laughter. Her cheeks puffed up, and her eyes sparkled with delight.

Seeing that reaction, I tilted my head in confusion, but quickly realized—she was the one who burst into laughs earlier.

That person who maintained a poker face couldn’t hold back at my expense. Shame washed over me.

‘Look at her. Look at her biting her lips.’

She was biting her lips to avoid breaking the mood. Thanks to that, her expression became rather peculiar.

Later, I’ll need to approach her and ask her to keep this a secret. Otherwise, she might laugh every time she sees my face.

“What kind of conditions did you offer Sivar? I hope they’re reasonable. Well, probably not as reasonable as mine.”

“Confident, aren’t you? So, what are your terms?”

“Hehe…”

After a while of tension, Grace chuckled at Kara’s words. For some reason, there was an unnerving vibe to it.

Eventually, she pulled out a piece of paper from her pocket. It seemed to be the contract.

“But do you know? You’re not allowed to disclose the contract details. Tartar is sensitive about money, so you should know that, right?”

“Tch. I have nothing to say.”

“Then how about you, Sivar? Here’s the contract, so take a look.”

I accepted the contract from Grace. During that handover, I could see her face slowly turning red.

She must be embarrassed. I hurriedly checked the contents in case something weird was included.

I felt Kara glancing sideways at the contract, but I tried my best to ignore it. This should be fine.

‘Let’s see… supplies as expected. It even says she’ll cook for me?’

This is pretty nice. Not only will they provide supplies, but they’ll cook for me directly.

Everyone knows I need to eat more than others. Otherwise, I wouldn’t even mind breaking the contract.

The conditions of the contract are simple, too. Once the castle is conquered, the contract is fulfilled immediately, and recontracting is possible if needed.

It seems they added recontracting just in case I decided to leave right after fulfilling the conditions. Which means Kara can’t do anything about it.

“…What is this? It states they will provide sweets sweeter than candy and softer than cake. Can Sivar really provide that? Are you kidding me?”

Kara seemed to have noticed that bizarre clause in the contract as she glanced back at it.

Normally, I would’ve ignored it, but the wording was too ridiculous for it to be overlooked.

I mirrored her baffled expression, trying to figure out if they were serious about offering food or not.

“Actually, that’s the core of it. I can’t discuss it here, but if you sign the contract, I can guarantee you, we will definitely provide it.”

“Hey. Don’t do this. People who make jokes in contracts are the worst.”

“Kara, this is Sivar’s decision. You’re not the one advising him…”

“I’m not doing it.”

I replied resolutely. Even without Kara’s advice, I had no intention of signing it.

Why? Because it’s too ambiguous. Even though I’m a noble, I clearly lack worldly knowledge.

“Uh, why not? I can guarantee you! I stake my honor on it!”

Grace appeared quite flustered when I firmly refused. The honor she staked must be more important than life to a noble.

In response, I answered in my usual blunt tone.

“Criteria.”

“Criteria?”

“Yeah. This is your criteria. Mine is different. First of all, it’s not food.”

The criteria can’t be so mismatched. This contract is tailored to Grace’s standards.

Taking into account her life story, it makes sense, but some things are simply unacceptable.

Grace seemed to realize her mistake late and had an ‘oops’ expression.

“Well then, does that mean this is just a piece of trash? Now…”

“K-Kiss!”

“?!”

Just as Kara was about to hand it back, Grace dropped that bomb out of nowhere.

Both Kara and I were taken aback and stared at her. Grace’s determination not to back down was visible.

Her face was already burning red, and her purple eyes were swirling wildly. Yet she stoically revealed the true nature of the contract.

“I’ll grant you the honor of receiving my kiss! I can assure you it’s sweeter than candy and softer than cake!”

“…”

“Don’t worry about the rumors! You kept my virtue; this is enough, right?!”

With a do-or-die attitude, Grace bombarded us with her proposal. The problem is, all those bombshells landed directly on target.

I was left stunned, staring blankly at Grace. Her face had turned alarmingly red; it looked like she would faint at any moment.

Even Lee Yeon-joo beside me looked shocked, her mouth wide open. Thankfully, there weren’t many people listening.

“…Ah. Really? A kiss?”

While I was still in shock, Kara whispered in a cold voice.

Then she grabbed my face with both hands and turned it towards her. As a result, I was looking directly at her face.

It was a determined expression, but different from Grace’s. What on earth is she scheming?

Before I could respond appropriately to this completely unforeseen situation,

Smooch!

Kara’s face suddenly drew near, and I felt her lips touch mine. It felt both incredibly sweet and soft.

What this means is that Kara just kissed me. Although it was closer to a peck than an actual kiss.

But a kiss is still a kiss. And she did it boldly, even with others watching.

“…?”

“This is what I mean?”

While I was still struggling to grasp the situation, Kara spoke. She nonchalantly wrapped her arms around my waist.

She pulled me in tightly, as if to flaunt our relationship to the world.

“What now? I kissed first. So does that mean the contract is completely void?”

Though she said that, her face was as red as a tomato. It might be hard to tell because of her brown skin.

Of course, Grace wouldn’t care at all. Her current state could be expressed like this.

She was turning crimson. Her face was bright red, but her eyes were dead.

“I, I…”

Grace began to point an accusing finger at Kara.

She looked like she was on the verge of passing out.

“Exposure… tanning… you…”

Thank goodness there exists a thread of sanity in this situation.

“Isn’t that an uncivilized thing to say…!!”

Unable to say “barbarian,” she fainted right there.

[Faith is increasing!]

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