Chapter 147: The Eternal Rest in The Eternal Winter
After that, I endured a lot of nagging. It was the price I had to pay for my reckless actions. Sigren was understandably angry. It’s only natural to be upset with your partner when they recklessly declare they’ll fly with the strongest monster. I would be furious too if Sigren did something that reckless. Read the translation only on itsladygrey.com.
Heilon’s walls were safely guarded. From what I heard, it had been the most frightening attack they faced in years. Gunther and his mercenaries were quite a help.
“Killed two more dragons?”
“No, just one. The other one is sleeping.”
“….” Gunther looked at me as if I were a strange person.
Well, that was nothing new. I was used to it. Read the translation only on itsladygrey.com.
After that, we held an after-party for the soldiers who had endured so much. Heilon Castle’s food storage was opened.
“DRINK! DRINK! DRINK!”
No one minded the uproar and excitement. This was far from the classy noble balls of the capital. Perhaps that’s why there were rumors in the capital that the northerners were savages.
But I thought it was fun.
The majority of Heilon’s people were heavy drinkers. If they caught you, it was hard to refuse them, and if you couldn’t refuse, you were basically done for. A good example was Sigren, who had gotten caught up in the festivities and was now nearly drunk. I watched him try to turn down the drinks being offered. Read the translation only on itsladygrey.com.
Drunk Sigren was adorable. I had only seen him drunk once since my drinking capacity was similar to his. He had tried to avoid getting drunk after he showed his tipsy side in front of me and Abel once; he seemed to consider it a dark past.
And then there was Abel, the heaviest drinker of all. Perhaps because he was a native of Heilon, he drank alcohol like it was water and never seemed to get drunk.
But not now!
“Duke, your injury!” I snatched Abel’s wine glass, but suddenly another glass was lifted from his other hand. I was taken aback by his childish behavior. How could he anticipate my move and hold two glasses?!
Abel grinned. Then, with a completely natural expression, he clinked the glass he was holding against the one I had stolen. Read the translation only on itsladygrey.com.
“Cheers.”
The wooden cup made a dull sound.
“Duke!”
When I got angry, Abel chuckled.
“Call me father.”
I had already been hurt, so I turned my head away. “No, I don’t want to.”
But Abel didn’t care. “Okay, then I have no choice but to think of other ways in the future.”
Suddenly, I felt nervous at the thought of what he might do next…I put down the glass and slowly backed away. Read the translation only on itsladygrey.com.
Although Abel, the lord, was participating, the party had a mostly relaxed atmosphere. I could see familiar faces from the top seats. When the mercenaries under Gunther saw me, they bowed their heads.
“Sister…” (t/n: they call her 누님 [nunim] which means “Older Sister” but in a polite manner. Usually it is used by men to call their woman leader, it is still a polite nickname but still has closeness.)
When did I become their Sister?
Everyone’s faces were red as if they were drunk.
“I’ve never had younger brothers like you guys.”
Despite my reaction, the mercenaries faltered.
“Sister! Don’t be so cold-hearted! Please, have a drink.”
One of them handed me a glass and started pouring alcohol.
Seeing this, Gunther wiped his face. “You guys will really get yourselves killed if you keep this up…”
I passed the full glass of alcohol to Gunther, giving him a look that said, you better drink this.
Gunther took the glass in silence.
The mercenaries were in high spirits, their moods easily swayed.
“How could we not recognize you, Sister, and behave disrespectfully during our first meeting?”
Why were they calling me “Sister”?
“Huh?”
“Every mercenary who came to Heilon must have heard about you, even if they only came once.”
I was intrigued. “What did you hear?”
I hoped it was a cool nickname, like the Guardian of Winter.
“Aren’t you called the Vet?”
Veterinarian? Do they mean the doctor who treats animals? Well, it was a decent nickname. It sounded good, and I did like animals, but I didn’t think that was the reason. Read the translation only on itsladygrey.com.
“Why?”
The mercenaries buzzed with excitement.
“You shoot the horny guys—ack!”
Gunther slapped the mercenary’s head, trying to shut his subordinate’s mouth, then looked at me.
But I had heard it all. So that was why I was called the veterinarian.
Well, a veterinarian also neutered beasts. Did they think I was a vet because of what I did when I was a kid? I had no idea people would give me that kind of nickname. Read the translation only on itsladygrey.com.
One second. Two seconds. Three seconds.
As soon as I finished organizing my thoughts, my face flushed red.
I screamed,
“WHO THE HELL GAVE ME THAT NICKNAME?!”
The sober mercenaries dispersed in a hurry. Read the translation only on itsladygrey.com.
***
The people in Heilon were all heavy drinkers. They consumed vast amounts of alcohol. Abel was particularly known as one of the strongest drinkers in Heilon. He could down countless glasses without even getting drunk. Read the translation only on itsladygrey.com. Then there was Sigren; despite having lived in Heilon for years and having Abel as his master, he still couldn’t keep up with the locals’ drinking habits and would faint without warning. It was strange how his physique reacted differently to alcohol, especially since his strength was, frankly speaking, not much different from Abel’s.
Sigren sighed as he sat on his bed. It was fortunate that the banquet was over; otherwise, he would have ended up drunk. Just as he was ready to rest, he heard small footsteps in the hallway. They stopped in front of his door, followed by a gentle knock.
“Come in.”
The door opened carefully, revealing Fiona’s head.
“….”
She smiled awkwardly when their eyes met, as if she were gauging the atmosphere. Seeing her demeanor, Sigren found himself at a loss for words.
“Sigren, are you going to bed now?”
“No.”
When Sigren replied, Fiona quickly entered and sat beside him, causing the bed to rock slightly. Read the translation only on itsladygrey.com.
“So… are you mad?”
Sigren looked at her silently and then sighed softly. He couldn’t stay angry at her; he was always weak in her presence.
“You can say anything.”
He hugged Fiona and whispered, “The results are good, so I can’t really say anything.”
In his arms, Fiona smiled lightly, as if relieved. “Still, you could tell me anything you want.”
‘What do I want? Do you realize what you’re saying?’
Sigren smiled crookedly. “I want to half-bury those who clung to you while praising you as the guardian or something during the banquet.”
“Sigren, that’s difficult. Something else!”
“So, about your secret related to dragons…”
Fiona’s voice lost its energy. “Something else, please…” Read the translation only on itsladygrey.com.
What was she hiding?
“Then.”
He grabbed Fiona by the shoulders and gently pushed her back. Her delicate body lay down easily on the bed.
“What should I ask?”
Fiona widened her eyes, realizing a moment too late that she had been laid down.
Sigren sighed as he looked at her thin nightgown. He breathed slowly, suddenly feeling an urge to test how much she trusted him. Read the translation only on itsladygrey.com.
“Sigren?”
He couldn’t tell what she was thinking, but her voice was terribly relaxed. She pressed her fingers against his frown.
“Relax your expression.”
“This is all because of someone.”
He wanted to mess up that carefree face of hers.
Sigren leaned over, putting a little of his weight on her. Their chests touched, transmitting each other’s body heat.
Fiona grumbled slightly. “You’re so heavy!”
That shouldn’t have been the problem here. With that thought, he buried his nose in Fiona’s neck. A familiar scent brushed against his senses.
When Sigren’s breath touched her bare skin, Fiona froze, suddenly aware of the sense of crisis. Read the translation only on itsladygrey.com.
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