Intolerable Proximity

Ahem.

The knights clearing their throats simultaneously after harborings similar thoughts.

‘I never expected him to transform like that just because he found someone who looks like her.’

The knights felt immensely conflicted about whether they should call his emotion a pure, unswerving love or a sheer obsession. However, they considered it a relief that a man who seemed destined to wander forever in search of a dead person had finally turned his attention to someone living. Of course, the fact that they had to throw the pleasant and good-natured Lien as a sacrificial lamb to him was a bit concerning.

“Agh, I don’t even know anymore.”

It was utterly dumbfounding to watch just how desperately the commander was trying to get into the good graces of the innkeeper’s son. In the beginning, if Lien so much as locked eyes with any of the knights, the commander would glare at them with fierce eyes as a warning. But once Lien displayed genuine disgust, he refrained from doing it again. Meaning, that very commander was actually walking on eggshells!

“Is he serious?”

“I don’t know. It’s confusing.”

“Even if he is serious, isn’t it… a bit like total piece of trash behavior?”

“Ahhhh. I didn’t hear that.”

“Let’s just pay it no mind.”

Since he wasn’t exercising any violence toward a civilian, there was no real reason for them to intervene further. His desire to look good seemed genuine—putting aside the fact that it was yielding the exact opposite effect—so he would handle it on his own. In any case, there was nothing they could do about a commander who wouldn’t listen to a single word they said anyway. If so, the best effort they could make was to pay as little attention as possible and finish their duties quickly so they could leave.

Of course, it wasn’t the best situation for Lien.

‘Uncomfortable.’

Calix was awkward and burdensome. It wasn’t as if Lien hadn’t made it obvious. On the contrary, he was making his discomfort glaringly apparent, yet the man merely layered a smile over his uselessly handsome face and gazed at him with a wistful look. Looking at that expression made his fists tremble with agitation, yet he couldn’t treat the man recklessly. It wasn’t purely a matter of social status.

The villagers held immense expectations for the knights. And reasonably so, because while the economic stagnation after the miners’ withdrawal was a problem, the mere fact that monsters were appearing nearby was a source of great anxiety.

Thanks to that, every single time Lien went out to buy groceries, he heard the words ‘Be good to the knights’ until his ears were practically bleeding. They certainly knew how to twist the phrase ‘Don’t drive them away.’

‘The other ones are perfectly fine, but…….’

Because of that commotion on the very first day, a chilly response would occasionally pop out of him toward the knights for a few days until he received an apology. Even so, the knights possessed characters thick-skinned enough not to care. To the point where, despite having stayed for only a few days, they had already begun calling him ‘Lien’ instead of ‘the son,’ showing they knew how to treat people with familiarity. It was enough to significantly fix his prejudice that knights would automatically look down on him. They were so polite that there was no reason to be tense, and he even found himself thinking he could gladly accept ten groups of such customers.

So, there was only one single problem.

“…What are you doing out here?”

“I was just about to head out for a walk.”

Since it was an hour when the eastern sky was barely brightening with a bluish tint, there was plenty he could have said, but Lien kept his mouth shut. He felt that continuing the conversation would be no different from talking to a literal wall.

If the man had ignored his words or pushed his way forward, Lien would have at least flown into a rage, but the moment he tightly shut his mouth, Calix’s eyebrows drooped downward as if fretfully wondering if he had committed a mistake, which thoroughly complicated Lien’s mind.

‘He wasn’t of this sort of personality in the past, was he?’

Recalling the quiet and exceptionally calm boy despite his young age, Lien vigorously shook his head and spoke.

“Go on ahead.”

There was no need to grow soft-hearted. He was a complete stranger to begin with.

Thinking that way, Lien sent him ahead first. The man looked as though he wanted to say something, but it didn’t matter. When he finally stepped out much later to go marketing, fortunately, Calix was nowhere to be seen. Whether he had left because of the words he had spoken or if he truly intended to take a walk, Lien didn’t know.

“Exhausting.”

He didn’t understand why he had to pay mind to him at this point. This situation was gradually becoming irritating. Pulling the handcart, Lien shifted his steps toward the marketplace. He truly wished the man would stop disrupting his daily routine.

…Or so he had hoped.

“What a coincidence.”

“……Didn’t you say you were heading out for a walk?”

“Yes. I walked over this way.”

Lien was struck entirely speechless upon seeing Calix shamelessly standing and waiting right in front of the marketplace.

Who on earth comes to a place like this for a walk? He tried to point it out, but when the man claimed he had walked this way because he didn’t know the geography well, what could Lien even say in response? He could only pass by after telling him to enjoy his walk.

However, the problem wasn’t merely the fact that he had come here.

“Are you on a date today as well?”

“…He says he came for a walk.”

“Who comes for a walk at this hour? Anyone can see he followed you here.”

“I told you it’s not like that.”

“His eyes are fixed solely on you, child.”

The issue lay in the fact that this exact situation had been repeating consistently for nearly a week. Thanks to that, the marketplace merchants had thoroughly memorized the face of the Elhardt Knights’ commander, and once they grew accustomed to it, they began teasing Lien by linking the two together. Glaring at the man who kept standing annoyingly at the edge of his vision, Lien quickly moved to a different stall, but the man moved along with him at an incredibly leisurely pace as if that had been his intended direction all along.

“What exactly is your relationship with that knight?”

“We share absolutely no relationship.”

“It looks to me like that side desperately wants to form some sort of relationship with you, though?”

“Don’t speak of such dreadful things.”

Hearing this sort of nonsense had become a part of his daily life. It was unbelievable. Infuriating.

“Haha. Still, isn’t he truly handsome?”

“I wouldn’t know about such things regarding a man.”

“Why? My son said he likes their commander purely because he’s handsome.”

“Bent said that?”

“He said standing behind him makes one look quite imposing.”

“So he has no intention of ever standing in front, then.”

“With his skills? Not a chance—.”

Suzanne joked as she packed a generous amount of vegetables for him. She was an absolute master of bargaining whom Lien usually struggled against every single time, but ever since her son began staying at the inn, she started handing over vegetables at practically clearance prices.

“Is it alright if I stop by for a brief moment later?”

“Have you eaten your meal?”

“Of course I’ve eaten. I’m just going to check on my son’s face.”

“Ah, you mentioned needing some ointment last time, right? Take it with you later.”

“You didn’t forget about that. Thank you.”

“Consider it a part of the vegetable price.”

“It feels like you’re taking a loss, but let’s do that.”

The moment Lien moved after finishing his conversation with Suzanne, who patted his back with a smile, Calix began to move as well a brief moment later.

If he had at least pretended to look at something or buy something upon coming to the marketplace, Lien could have passed it off, but pulling this stunt of blatantly trailing behind him was driving him absolutely driven to distraction.

Furthermore, what was with that attitude of curling his eyes into a soft smile every single time their gazes met? At this point, it felt as though the marketplace people’s fuss was entirely justified.

‘Uselessly handsome!’

Normally, this phrase would be a compliment, but right now to Lien, it was a source of pure irritation. The ‘uselessly’ handsome knight effortlessly captured the attention of the remote village people at a single glance, and the observing gazes never ceased wherever he went. There was no way for people to fail to notice that such a man was staring solely at Lien the entire time, trailing along behind him like a shadow, unless they were completely blind.

“You rejected every single one of those filly-like maidens, only to finally meet your match, eh?”

“Don’t speak of such dreadful things.”

“I expected you to become a charming husband, but are you going to become a charming wife instead?”

“May I pass those exact words along to my father?”

“Oops, my bad. I’ll throw this extra piece in, so please spare me.”

“I’m letting it slide only because it’s you, Uncle. It’s not like I’m letting it go because of this extra piece.”

As he resumed his marketing, people called out to him from here and there. Lien’s sigh grew heavier. It was because the contents of the conversations were mostly identical.

Though Rumisen was larger in scale and saw more people passing through than an average village due to a famous tourist destination across the mountain and a coal mine nearby, Lien was a uniquely conspicuous individual.

There was no one who didn’t know Lien, the son of the village’s sole inn, and there was no villager Lien didn’t know. Knowing that he was being closely followed by a knight—and the commander of the most talked-about knight order at that—the villagers were naturally itching to tease him!

Because of that, he had to quickly finish his marketing today as if being chased and flee the marketplace.

“Yikes!”

Lost in his thoughts, Lien was startled by a rough sensation brushing against his hand, making the hairs on his back stand straight up. And then, he stared blankly and helplessly at the cart that had slipped out of his grip yet again and the bundles that had completely vanished from his arms.

“Give it back.”

“I would prefer if you entrusted it to me.”

Enforcing this kind of bizarre persistence. Lien reached his hand toward the handle of the cart, only to freeze. Because Calix’s hand was resting precisely where he usually gripped it. Unintentionally touching the hot and firm skin, he pulled his hand back instinctively.

‘There is no reason for me to act like this.’

It’s not like I’m living as a woman anymore. Thinking that he had reacted too hypersensitively to a skinship that could easily occur between men, he forced his agitation to calm down. But it was entirely useless. The gaze of Calix, who was looking down at him, was fluctuating.

Beneath the shadowed eyelashes of the man that slowly closed and lifted, a gaze of incomprehensible meaning was directed at him. The heavily lingering look was accurately aimed at Lien. Seeing himself reflected within those deep blue eyes, Lien ultimately turned his body away. He no longer possessed the confidence to face those eyes.

How much time had passed? The sound of Calix’s footsteps began to be heard. Watching the retreating back of Calix, who was naturally carrying his luggage now without even uttering a word about what he intended to do, Lien bit his bottom lip fiercely.

Just what on earth does that man want to do with me?

Whatever it was, it must share absolutely no connection with him. He had no desire to face a hypocrite again.

Once they returned to the inn after the suffocating marketing trip was finished, Lien could finally breathe properly. Although it was uncomfortable that the knights took it for granted that he and Calix were side by side, he felt set at ease as their immense appetite and sight of inhaling food felt like a normal routine.

“What kind of appetite does every single one of them have……”

Anyone watching would think they had been starving for days. To the point where Alfon’s time spent staying in the kitchen over the past few days had become twice as long as usual. Watching the knights devour the stew, which contained far more vegetables than meat, as if possessed by a hunger demon, Lien quietly backed away.

He wanted to gradually separate himself from Calix. Still, once they returned to the inn, the man didn’t stick excessively close to him, so it was a bit better. He was likely conscious of Lien’s parents. It was a strange thing. That a man of noble birth would treat a commoner couple running a mere inn with genuine respect. Lien tightly suppressed the urge to tell him to cut out the pathetic acting.

“I will head up to my room.”

Whether Calix spoke because he knew Lien was avoiding him, he gave a crisp smile. As he naturally reached up to hold Lien’s hand, Lien was startled and brought his hands together tightly in front of his chest, causing the man to wear a disappointed expression.

What on earth is he disappointed about?!

Was he secretly trying to do something to the back of my hand again?

Calix didn’t conceal his disappointment as he watched Lien bristle like a guarded cat. However, Lien could let out a sigh of relief as the man soon climbed the stairs just as he had said.

“Ah, damn it!”

The moment the man vanished, Lien ruffled his hair and pulled the cart along. He was thoroughly annoyed by the fact that he was reacting so sensitively to every single action of that man.