After an hour, they were near the village.
With a calm voice, Scarlett said, "We are getting near."
"Yawn~"
anwhile, Amon yawned. He was feeling sleepy. His body was still injured. He really needed rest. Walking for so long had also made him even sleepier.
With a lazy tone, he said, "It would have been nice... if soone had carried ."
Amon finally broke the silence between them. He was back to his usual self.
Scarlett imdiately shot him a flat look. "Don’t even think that I will carry you on my back."
With a playful grin, Amon said, "Co on, Scarlett. You can do it. Didn’t you say it’s close to the village? It’s not for much longer."
With irritation in her voice, she replied, "That doesn’t give any reason for to carry you."
Amon chuckled inwardly. ’It’s always fun to tease her.’
In truth, he was just teasing her for fun. He really had no wish to be carried by her.
He rested his cheek against her shoulder. "Co on! Take ! I’m tired of walking. And I’m feeling sleepy."
He could sniff her sweet scent.
"Argh!" she groaned in irritation.
Before Amon could say anything else, he suddenly felt a strong pull.
"Wha–?!" he exclaid in surprise as he was lifted up.
Soon, Amon found himself on her back. He instinctively wrapped his arms around her neck and his legs around her waist.
She was now carrying him in a piggyback.
Amon was baffled by the sudden turn of events.
With disbelief, he said, "Wait? You’re really carrying on your back."
With a straight face, she replied, "You asked for it."
"Well... that’s true. Haha~" It didn’t take much ti for Amon to get comfortable.
He rested his cheek on her shoulder again, closing his eyes. Then he frowned slightly.
’Wait! This should be the opposite. A man should carry a woman... but well, I’m the one who’s hurt here more. So I guess it’s okay.’
For a few seconds, he felt like this was wrong. But soon, his expression turned normal.
He relaxed more and soon fell asleep. His breathing beca steady and relaxed.
Scarlett side-glanced at him. She saw that Amon was already asleep.
Stomp!
Stomp!
She continued to walk.
A small smile curved on her lips as she looked at him sleeping. "You look better when you are silent. Not chattering with that annoying mouth."
---
After a while, they reached the village.
She entered and saw that most people had gone to sleep. The village roads were lit by wooden torches.
Just then, she saw Kael. He was walking toward his own house when his eyes t hers.
He imdiately walked toward them. "Oh, so you are here. Where have you be—" He paused when he saw Amon on her back, then continued, "...I an, where have you two been?"
Scarlett remained silent for a while. She wanted to tell him what they had seen today. But it would be better if Amon could also explain. He was dead asleep. She didn’t want to wake him. She decided to talk with Kael and Roland tomorrow.
With a calm expression, she said, "We just went for a walk during the afternoon. Explored the surroundings and trained for a while. Without realizing the ti, it got very late. So we caught so animals and had food in the forest."
"Oh, training. Good, good! He’s really working hard," Kael said while gazing at the sleeping Amon.
Then his expression turned curious. "Also... you’ve really gotten close to that boy. To the point of even giving him a piggyback?"
Scarlett stiffened. Her ears turned slightly pink.
Quickly, she denied it. "No, it’s not like that! He was just too tired from training. So I carried him. Nothing more."
Kael chuckled knowingly. "Haha! Sure, sure. I believe you."
"Now go and rest, you two," he said. Then Kael turned toward his house and walked away while muttering, "Youth~"
Scarlett gritted her teeth at Kael’s teasing and turned away sharply, adjusting Amon more securely on her back.
"Idiot..." she muttered under her breath—though whether she ant Kael or the sleeping boy clinging to her, even she wasn’t sure.
Stomp.
Stomp.
She walked toward their houses without looking back.
Soon, they arrived.
Since they were neighbors, she headed to Amon’s house first. Carefully shifting his weight, she pushed the wooden door open with her shoulder and stepped inside.
The room was simple. Quiet. Dimly lit by a fading torch outside.
She walked into his bedroom and stopped.
There was only a plain wooden bed inside.
No mattress. No cushioning. Just hard wood.
Scarlett blinked.
Her gaze slowly lowered to Amon’s sleeping face resting near her shoulder. His breathing was calm and steady. But he was still injured.
Letting him sleep on that hard surface...
Her brows knitted slightly.
"...Tch."
Without another word, she turned around and walked back out of his house, closing the door behind her.
Carrying him again, she headed to her own ho.
Inside, her room was modest but cleaner. On her wooden bed lay sothing close to a mattress—a large cloth stuffed tightly with dried leaves and sewn together. It was temporary. She had to change the leaves from ti to ti.
But it was softer.
Better than bare wood.
She gently lowered Amon onto it, adjusting him carefully so he wouldn’t wake.
He didn’t stir.
He was sleeping deeply.
For a mont, she just stood there, looking down at him.
His expression was peaceful. Without his usual teasing grin or mischievous eyes, he looked... younger. His black hair was ssy, slightly longer than usual. His skin was smooth, though there were so cuts here and there.
Despite all that... he looked softer. Almost innocent.
With a faint murmur, she said, "...You really do look better when you’re quiet like this."
For a brief second, she thought he looked cute.
Her ears ward instantly. "What am I thinking..." she whispered, shaking her head.
A yawn escaped her lips.
She was tired too. The long walk. The cave. That unknown tower. The tension.
Her eyes drifted back to him. He was asleep. Completely defenseless. There was nothing wrong with resting for a while.
Right?
After a small, hesitant pause, she moved to the other side of the bed and lay down beside him, keeping a careful distance at first.
Her heart was beating slightly faster than usual.
Ba-dump!
Ba-dump!
She could hear his breathing. Feel his warmth.
Her fingers curled lightly into the cloth beneath her. Embarrassed, she turned her face slightly away from him.
But she didn’t move farther.
The room was silent. Only the faint sound of two steady breaths filled the darkness.
Slowly... her heartbeat cald.
And before she could overthink it any further, sleep claid her too.
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