***
Lewis let out a whistle.
Emerging from the edge of the closed-off woods revealed gentle hills carpeted in waist-high grass rather than towering trees.
Scattered clusters of low shrubbery also stood nearby, offering ample cover from the wind.
Hugo stamped the earth with the heel of his combat boot.
Furthermore, the gentle slope kept rainwater from pooling, and fresh brooks and streams ran aplenty along the woods.
It was an ideal site, boasting an abundant water supply essential for establishing a base camp.
‘There’s plenty of water to draw, and it’s much better than the hills near the estate.’
Having been the one to suggest coming here, Mona took in her surroundings with inward relief.
Guarding Mona as she scanned the area, Natasha spotted several modest dwellings dotted near the trees.
There were several cottages, yet not a single soul was in sight no matter where they looked.
Judging by the abandoned logs and axes, woodcutters seemed to have lived here.
Used water basins lay scattered carelessly across the yard, and both the stable and chicken coop were empty.
At Mona’s words, Natasha clicked her tongue with a bitter grimace.
Meanwhile, Lewis strode right into one of the vacant cottages and looked around the interior, where traces of a hasty departure remained plain to see.
Mona’s eyes went round at his utterly unbothered attitude.
Was that really allowed?
It was still someone else's home….
When she asked fretfully, Lewis picked up a half-burned letter from inside the fireplace.
Good heavens.
No wonder everyone clamored to get onto imperial projects.
Just as Mona was realizing anew the terrifying reach of state authority—
Having complained about the chill, Lewis promptly shrugged off his uniform coat, rolled up his sleeves, and headed outside.
Intricate geometric tattoos snaked across his sinewy forearms.
Picking up a battered axe lying in the yard, Lewis stood up one of the fallen logs scattered around.
He apparently intended to chop some firewood in advance.
Thwack! Crack.
‘Whoa.’
Though the axe was nicked and dull, a single blow cleanly split the log in two.
‘So knights are good at chopping wood, too.’
Mona stared in awe at his disciplined, effortless motions.
Pausing his swing, Lewis crinkled his eyes with a teasing smirk, prompting Mona to drop her head in a hurry.
Why? When his blatant flirting was right out in the open, how dared he play innocent?
‘That sly snake.’
Seized by a sudden conviction that she had to rescue Mona from this incorrigible philanderer’s clutches, Natasha reflexively grabbed Mona’s arm and tugged.
“?”
Surprised by Natasha abruptly seizing her arm and pulling her along, Mona looked around on guard.
Realizing how rashly she had acted, Natasha hastily let go of Mona’s arm.
Yet despite gripping her arm fairly hard, no tactile distortion had occurred this time either.
Natasha clenched and uncurled her gloved fist before gathering her wits to speak.
To Natasha’s cobbled-together excuse, Mona replied with utmost earnestness.
“Mm….”
While Natasha hadn't meant they should freely help themselves to everything in sight, Mona seemed convinced enough, so Natasha cautiously steered toward her real point.
Recalling the conversation interrupted by the unruly mercenary in the square, Mona nodded.
Offering what sounded equally like an insult and a compliment, Natasha lowered her voice.
Mona answered mildly, accepting the warning without fuss.
When Senior Jake at the lab constantly whined about exhaustion while calling himself a sinful womanizer, it had been thoroughly unconvincing, but Lewis clearly looked popular enough to back it up.
Besides, his easygoing manner suggested he was the sort who welcomed anyone who came and clung to no one who left.
“…Mm.”
Because Mona took it so impassively, Natasha hesitated before adding a little more.
Natasha swallowed a sigh at Mona’s bewildered look despite all the explanation.
Though razor-sharp when breaking down monster ecology, she seemed utterly oblivious outside her own field.
Mona chuckled softly, waving her hands as if the thought were absurd.
“…”
Wasn't she being far too definitive about that?
Granted, between the shaggy fringe and the thick spectacles, she presented an overwhelmingly scholarly impression….
Yet there was an unexpected side to Mona that drew the eye.
‘…And her hair is so soft.’
Unthinkingly recalling the soft sensation of Mona's hair grazing her cheek during the ride, Natasha gave her head a sharp shake to brush the thought aside.
‘It was merely a fluke.’
If she touched it again and felt nothing soft, the disappointment would only cut deeper.
Even so, brushing it off as though nothing had happened proved difficult.
And naturally so: ever since her sense of touch had become warped, Natasha had not felt a single soft texture.
She was fortunate if she felt nothing at all.
Whenever revolting sensations surged without warning—squelching, sticky, or needle-sharp—her mood plummeted to rock bottom.
It had even happened when petting Luna.
‘Luna….’
The greatest darling of the Empire and the beloved mascot of the Black Knights.
The thought of that genius cat plunged her into gloom in an instant.
Even Luna’s soft black fur had stung like knife blades against her skin, an incident that had only deepened her aversion to touching anything.
Yet Mona had brought back that lost softness, if only for a fleeting instant.
‘Should I ask to touch her just once more, if only to put lingering hopes to rest?’
No matter how she considered it, however, it was an outrageous request.
At this rate, she would seem far more of a degenerate to watch out for than Lewis ever was.
‘…If I can somehow slip that hood off, it wouldn't be hard to touch it while pretending it was an accident.’
Caught red-handed plotting something entirely unworthy of chivalry, Natasha let out a startled cough.
Mona rummaged through her robe pocket and pulled out a small glass vial.
Mona's needless kindness only weighed heavier on Natasha's guilty conscience.
‘What in the world am I thinking…? Stop this.’
Swallowing down the restorative, Natasha shook her head once more.
Even so, the lingering longing for that soft touch showed no signs of fading.
