The Only Safe Warmth

I entered the greenhouse.

As soon as I stepped inside, as if he had timed it perfectly, Caliban turned toward me and opened his mouth.

“Welcome back, darling. You worked so hard again today. So what do you want to do first, eat or bathe. Or maybe…….”

I immediately pressed my hand firmly over his mouth.

“Mmph, so rough, darling.”

“From today on, ask my permission before you do anything. I let you roam free and you go around looking at all kinds of strange things.”

“Hahaha. More importantly, darling, aren’t you tired.”

I quietly lowered my heel.

“No.”

“Hahaha.”

“If you’re worried, then stop doing things that exhaust me.”

Well, that was just talk.

He probably was not really worried about me.

“Good work.”

Feeling drained, I threw myself down wherever I could.

Caliban spoke.

When I lifted my eyes and glanced at him, I saw his lips smiling beneath the shadow of the robe that covered even his nose.

“Thanks to you, DAY 3 ended much faster than expected.”

“Sure, you must be grateful. Thanks to me, you now have time to focus on your little romance project.”

“Hahaha, not really. I’m a creature who has mastered time management. Even while progressing through quests, I make use of every spare moment…….”

As if that were something to brag about.

“But for someone who wrapped up DAY 3 in record time, you don’t look very happy, darling.”

Caliban, who had been laughing aimlessly, suddenly asked that.

I slowly rolled my body over like a lazy kernel in a popcorn bucket.

The surface beneath me was soft.

Even though every plant in this greenhouse was supposed to be made of jewels, it was strangely comfortable.

“Do I look that way.”

“At a glance.”

“…….”

I closed my eyes.

I was too tired.

“Caliban, do you remember all the candidates here.”

“Hm.”

It must have been an unexpected question.

“Haha, of course. Caliban is quite a diligent selector. First, there’s Ran, a bird-shaped creature with a striking long flaming tail…… Ah, is this the list of post-apocalypse creatures you’re planning to contact later. Wait a second, darling.”

That bastard.

“Anyway, they’re all stored up here in my head. Why. Do you have something to ask.”

Unbelievable.

Still, he was the only one I could ask.

I meant it partly just to confirm.

“What about their age range.”

“Age. Hahaha, they’re all bright and young.”

“Not by your standards, Grandpa.”

Called a grandfather, Caliban whined in protest in a way that did not match his size.

It ended when I made a sharp “Tsk.” sound.

“They vary. To begin with, post-apocalypse creatures aren’t human, so they don’t see things the same way humans do.”

That made me feel troubled again.

“…Why.”

When I came to my senses, Caliban had already moved to the side of my head and was staring down at me.

“You look unsettled, darling.”

“And you look excited.”

“Hahaha. What’s bothering you. It’s not like things are going badly.”

“You’re the problem to begin with.”

“Oh my, am I just easy to blame. You always start by pinning things on me. That’s a bad habit.”

“It is partly your fault.”

It really was.

“If the system weren’t unstable, I wouldn’t be this tired even if the same thing happened.”

“Haha. Are you sure.”

“Of course.”

This is not even reality.

“…Right before I came to the greenhouse, I saw a child collapsed beneath the city wall.”

After hesitating, I finally said it.

When DAY 3 was ending and I was leaving Dongju, the one I found was a child.

Caliban tilted his head.

“A child.”

“Yes. Around twelve or thirteen. Maybe a year or two older.”

He was so thin it was hard to tell.

“Beneath the city wall.”

The way Caliban repeated the words made it clear he already understood what I was implying.

A bitter taste filled my mouth.

“You think they threw him down to open the path.”

“In extreme situations, the weak…….”

People say that in extreme situations, the weak should be protected.

That is called virtue.

And virtue is something difficult to uphold, which is precisely why it is called virtue.

“Yes.”

I nodded honestly.

“His leg was broken.”

“What did he say.”

“I didn’t hear.”

Instead of asking why, Caliban tilted his head the other way.

I avoided his gaze and sat up.

“He was unconscious.”

“I-I’m sorry…… I must have fainted…… What happened.”

“…….”

He was the one who asked what had happened, yet when I did not answer immediately, his face turned pale and he began waving his hands frantically.

“N-No. You don’t have to tell me. I was being rude. I asked something I shouldn’t have. Someone like me doesn’t need to know.”

The child struggled wildly as he slipped from my grasp.

First, because his leg was broken.

Second……

“I’m really sorry. Please don’t.”

Curled up tightly, he screamed without even seeming to look at me anymore.

“It hurts. I’ll do whatever you say.”

It was not directed at me.

It was simply a scream of terror.

Like a reflexive cry when you press on a wound.

“Don’t throw me. I’m scared……”

Before long, his eyes rolled back and he fainted again.

“Hm.”

Caliban did not seem particularly focused while listening.

Maybe he was not interested.

It did not matter.

I just needed somewhere to say it.

Better him than a wall.

“Judging by his appearance, he seemed to belong to the Southern Province. I’m not certain.”

If the reason he was beneath the wall was what I suspected, then affiliation hardly mattered anyway.

“Benchel.”

Benchel was the lord of the Southern Province.

“…….”

I moved the child somewhere harder to find.

Then I returned to the greenhouse, feeling even more unsettled.

“Caliban, do you hate humans.”

There was no real reason to feel that way, yet it felt a little like running away.

“Haha, darling.”

Only after I asked did Caliban respond.

He had barely listened to the child’s story, yet now he reacted quickly.

“You thought that because of me, you felt that way.”

He bent down to look at my face more closely.

I instinctively leaned back.

“…The selection system is unstable right now.”

Those were his words earlier.

Especially after I fell into that gap.

“Yes, it is.”

“And you dislike humans.”

“So you think that affected you too.”

“Wouldn’t it.”

Even to my own ears, my voice sounded weak.

Like someone searching for an excuse.

“Darling, let’s clear up a misunderstanding first. I don’t particularly hate humans. I don’t like them either, but not liking is not the same as hating. If I had to put it into words…….”

Caliban straightened up.

Without realizing it, I lifted my head to follow him.

As if noticing, he smiled.

“I’m indifferent.”

“So you’re just not interested.”

I muttered unconsciously.

I thought about the way he treated the Bran candidates.

Could that really be called indifference.

I did not know.

“Yes, indifferent. As you know, I’m not human. Wouldn’t it be stranger if I were deeply interested in humans.”

“I’m not talking about romance.”

“Hahaha, neither am I. What I said is true. I’m indifferent to humans. Whether these candidates become king or not does not matter to me. That’s why I can be perfectly fair as a selector.”

On the surface, his words had no flaw.

They sounded correct.

Still, I hesitated to nod.

“Do you need an excuse, or do you need a change of mood.”

At that, my ears burned.

I thought my hair would hide it, but it was useless.

“So warm.”

Because his large hands had covered my ears.

“Let go.”

“But hyung. If I don’t do this, you won’t even pay attention to me.”

“From now on, every time you look at a post, get it inspected by me first.”

“Haha. I think you’re mistaken, so I’ll tell you.”

I frowned instead of answering.

Caliban smiled faintly.

“I may not be human, but even I know that feeling disgusted right now is normal. Don’t you.”

“Is it.”

“Of course.”

He tilted his head.

“Let’s look at the facts. No matter who it is, seeing the bottom of someone’s nature is extremely unpleasant. To open a path a few hours earlier, they threw a companion from the wall. To solve a problem, they deceived those who followed them and sent them to their deaths. Objectively, it’s vile.”

“…….”

“And you said the one thrown from the wall was a child by human standards. What a mess.”

“It’s only a guess.”

“Haha. Even so.”

I swallowed a sigh.

“It’s just a game.”

“Yes. It’s not reality.”

His voice lowered slightly.

“But even when reading a book or watching a film, your mood changes. It’s the same. You saw something disgusting. It’s natural to feel disgust.”

“I don’t want to get too immersed.”

“Alright.”

The large hands that had cupped my ears moved to hold my chin.

With a force that was not coercive, he lifted my face.

“It feels foolish.”

“Yes. Then be foolish if you want.”

“…What are you doing.”

“I’m saying you don’t need excuses to hate what is hateful.”

“No, not that.”

I frowned at his face, which was very close.

When I tested it by moving slightly, our noses bumped.

“This.”

Too close.

“Haha. I thought I’d offer some service, dear customer.”

“Service. What kind.”

“Comfort.”

“…Comfort.”

The word slipped out of me.

“How absurd.”

“Haha. Why.”

“You just said you’re indifferent to humans.”

From a distance where our lips could touch with the slightest movement, he laughed softly.

“Yes. So what.”

I narrowed my eyes and stared at him.

The shadow of his robe flickered over his pale skin.

“Not every plaything in the world is kind to humans. If anything, they’re indifferent.”

“So you’re telling me to use you as a tool.”

Stepping back slightly, he shrugged.

“Why not.”

His lips curved.

“Besides, I’m the only safe existence for you here.”

That was true.

I reached out and grabbed his collar.

He laughed but did not avoid me.

“That’s true.”

Pulling him closer by the collar, I muttered.

“If you really want to comfort me, then take this off first.”

“Oh my, beast. Telling me to strip without warning. How bold.”

“If your plan is to annoy me so I forget I’m depressed, then congratulations. But that’s not what people usually call comfort.”

He let himself be pulled in, chuckling.

He gently pried my fingers off his collar one by one.

“Of course not, darling.”

One.

Two.

Three.

Four.

Five.

A firm arm wrapped around my waist as he pulled me into a tight embrace.

I……

“Then how about this.”

I did not answer.

It was ridiculous, but it truly was comforting.

Just the simple fact that I was wrapped in the warmth of someone I could feel safe with.