Roy, clad in a tremendously thick cotton coat, was bundled so thoroughly that his entire frame seemed to vanish beneath layers of heavy fabric. From a distance, his cumbersome silhouette resembled nothing less than a lumbering, humanoid beast on the snow-capped mountain.
“Damn it… this is, this is practically a joke, isn’t it?!” Roy exclaimed, a shuddering sneeze interrupting his words. “Seriously, the temperature here must be… it must be below negative forty or fifty degrees Celsius, right? Even… even Antarctica… *achoo*… can’t be this frigid…”
He shivered uncontrollably, his entire body trembling.
‘It wasn’t as if embarking on adventures was new to him. From the tender age of four, when he first scaled the desolate mountains outside the orphanage under the director’s guidance, sixteen years had passed. What kind of storms hadn’t he weathered?’
“*Achoo!*”
‘However, he had to admit, this particular situation was an absolute first. Such bizarre phenomena were utterly new to him. Anyone unaware would surely think he was climbing a snow mountain right now, even if, truthfully, he was indeed scaling a formidable one.’
“*Achoo!*”
‘But seriously, just two hours ago…’
Just two hours ago, this very spot had been a picturesque landscape of clear streams and lush mountains, alive with the songs of birds, basking in the scorching heat of a 38-degree Celsius summer!
“*Achoo!*”
‘Though he had considered various reasons to explain this miraculous scene, every flimsy excuse crumbled the moment he stood on the mountaintop and gazed into the distance. Because…’
‘Gazing at the surrounding mountains, which remained a veritable paradise of peak summer splendor, Roy was struck by a profound realization. “It’s not the world that’s strange,” he marveled, utterly shaken, “it’s me!”‘
“*Achoo!*”
‘But why, exactly, had things suddenly turned out this way?’
‘And it seemed as if only his own head was experiencing this phenomenon. How utterly bizarre!’
[Creak—]
“Hiss!—”
Roy gasped, drawing in a sharp breath as he stared at the sheer cliff before him, his heart still pounding in his chest.
He truly hadn’t noticed it. Everything around him was a blinding expanse of white, making it impossible to distinguish one area from another. ‘Damn it, I almost plunged to my death here!’
‘What a joke!’
‘He, of all people, was destined to…’
[Crack—]
“*Achoo*… speaking of which, is… is this… the path not very sta… sta… *Ah!*—”
****
“Ah!—”
“What’s wrong, Miss Leya? Is there danger? I’ll come protect you at once!”
Leya: “…………”
“No… it’s fine. I merely had a nightmare,” Leya said, pressing a hand to her forehead with a hint of a headache.
‘Oh, right. As for the name Leya, it was the only one Roy could come up with that suited his current identity. In a rush, that was all he could manage. After all, the names here seemed a bit odd, with the given name before the family name, rather like in the West, and he knew so few Western names.’
‘Incidentally, Leya still hadn’t managed to invent a catchy surname, which was fortunate since Roy hadn’t asked. Otherwise, it would have been quite awkward.’
“Is that so? Thank goodness… thank goodness you’re alright!” Roy said, letting out a long sigh of relief.
At his words, Leya’s brow furrowed slightly in annoyance. ‘What a troublesome person,’ she mused inwardly.
Outwardly, however, she maintained an expression of stubborn aloofness, keeping others at a distinct distance. No ripple of emotion stirred in her placid eyes, nor was a hint of feeling discernible on her delicate face.
Her rosy lips, though soft, offered no smile that could topple kingdoms; they merely served as a stark, cold embellishment to her frigid features. That chilling demeanor unequivocally proclaimed: ‘Keep away.’
“Uh… then I’ll go back to standing guard outside. If anything happens, please, Miss Leya, be sure to inform me!”
Having lived with Leya for over a week, Roy was accustomed to her reserved nature. He merely scratched his head awkwardly before dutifully retreating from the cave.
‘Hmm, I’ve gathered enough information,’ Leya mused to herself, her tone tinged with a cold detachment, as she watched Roy’s retreating figure. ‘It seems I really must find a time to slip away. After all, this boy is unlikely to possess any more crucial intelligence, and having someone constantly by my side is too inconvenient for my future plans.’
****
Meanwhile, on the other side…
Silently guarding the cave entrance, Roy gazed blankly at the sky.
‘He recalled that since their first meeting, Leya had rarely smiled.’
‘Ah… yet he knew she would be breathtaking when she smiled, the kind of beauty that could overthrow cities and kingdoms with a single glance.’
‘Roy silently questioned himself, knowing his own rest amounted to less than three hours a day. Beyond essential eating and brief naps, he spent virtually every waking moment hunting for prey and protecting Leya.’
‘During any spare time, he tirelessly scouted paths for their escape, ensuring their safety along the way.’
“But… no matter what… I am willing to sacrifice my life to pledge my unwavering loyalty to Miss Leya!”
‘Yes, that was enough. For the Goddess who had saved his life, being able to guard her side made Roy feel that all his efforts… were worth it.’
‘As for anything else, Roy neither considered it nor felt the need to.’