"Start!"
And…
With a loud roar, the Bandit King came charging at me with his massive axe! At that moment, my only thought was:
RUN!
I quickly jumped to the right and heard the whooshing sound of the axe slicing through the air next to me. If that had hit me…
I WOULD'VE DIED. FOR REAL.
And I didn't want to die. At least not today. The Bandit King Varanger, rolling up his sleeves, came at me again.
"Are you too scared, you wimp?!" he roared.
Well, if being scared keeps me alive… then yes, I'm a total coward! But I didn't make the mistake of saying that to him. Instead, I started running toward a rocky area to slow him down.
And my plan... failed.
Because the man was A MOUNTAIN, AND THE ROCKS DIDN'T EVEN MATTER TO HIM. On the contrary, he caught up to me and slammed his huge arm into my chest with a powerful blow!
"GHAH—!"
My feet left the ground. The world flipped upside down. When my back hit the ground, all the air in my lungs was forced out.
Get up, get up, get up!
When I opened my eyes, I saw the Bandit King raising his axe above me. A huge shadow loomed over me. That moment, I realized that...
I'm going to die.
And just as the axe was about to come down on me… someone quickly yanked me backward. Before I knew it, I thought my soul had left my body.
But no, even stranger, when I turned around, there stood Young Master, holding a thin sword. His face bore that familiar, unsettling calmness.
"You have to live, Theodore. After all, I am entrusted to you."
"WHAT DO YOU THINK YOU'RE DOING, SLAVE?!"
Varanger screamed in fury. His tone shook the very earth. Even his voice felt like an axe.
"Didn't that source say that if you interrupt the duel, you will all die?!"
Young Master, with a completely relaxed expression, stood up. As if he hadn't just barged into the middle of a duel.
"I don't want my master to be harmed. He needs me."
Meanwhile, Varanger swung his axe at incredible speed! And I… instinctively pushed Young Master aside to block him. I succeeded. But my face? I wasn't so lucky.
"GHHH—"
I felt a hot slash on my face as the axe barely missed me.
When I turned my head, I saw Master Henry fighting the other bandits with a sword I didn't know where he had gotten. Young Master had also started his own fight.
As for me... I was face-to-face with Varanger's terrifying gaze. Now I noticed that this man's eyes were practically screaming, 'I'M GOING TO KILL YOU SOON.' He started running toward me to finish me off! So I… naturally ran in the opposite direction. When I turned around, I saw him right behind me and I ran even faster.
But then… someone suddenly grabbed my wrist and pulled me in a different direction.
"Come here!"
When I turned to face them, I realized it was Young Master, holding my hand tightly. And interestingly enough… his hands were warmer than I had expected. But there was no time to think about that, because the man was running like crazy! He was slashing through the bandits in front of us with his sword, focusing only on the direction we needed to run.
This man's survival instinct was stronger than mine.
We sprinted even faster into the approaching forest. But hiding in beige clothes in the forest? It was like... stepping into mud with white shoes.
And as you can imagine… the bandits were still chasing us. But then I noticed something.
THERE WAS A CAVE AHEAD.
And with a frantic move, I pulled Young Master toward it. We got inside. And for the first time, we could breathe.
The entrance to the cave was small, but it was much larger on the inside than I expected. Dark, silent, and… just the two of us.
For a while, we silently tried to steady our breaths.
Then... Young Master turned to me. And despite the tension of the situation, he reached out to my face. In that moment, something trembled inside me. Without saying anything, he gently wiped the blood from my cheek with a handkerchief he took out of his pocket.
"You look better now," he said calmly.
I just stared at him blankly. In that moment, I felt something shift inside me. Without even thinking, he continued to speak.
"How stupid are you?"
Pardon?!
Before I could even defend myself, he shot me that infamous look. His words were as sharp as a knife, but his tone strangely soft.
"Why do you have to do every task I give you? Are you that desperate for your life?"
He gently tilted his head as he continued. His voice came out in a tone I wasn't used to hearing.
"Does it hurt?"
When I put my hand to my face, a little blood stained my fingers. Does it hurt? I wasn't feeling much, but… would it leave a scar?
"It doesn't hurt."
At that moment, I realized I'd made a mistake. Because Young Master quickly raised his head and moved toward me. And the distance… was dangerously small.
His silver hair clung to his face from sweat. I wanted to push it back, but… he's a duke's son! I can't just touch him like that!
"Are you stupid? Why are you stepping forward just because it doesn't hurt?"
"Sorry—"
"Shh."
He raised his hand slowly and made a "be quiet" gesture, then pulled me deeper into the cave. A second later, I found myself behind some dark rocks.
And just then, the bandits entered. Four or five of them were inside, while the others were still searching outside.
But me? I had another problem. Young Master was still stuck to me. His body against mine… and that damn heart of mine wasn't helping. The pounding in my chest felt like a slap in my ears.
What if he hears it?!