Chapter 8
“You’re going to live here?”
“Yeah.”
“Why?”
“Huh?”
‘No, what is this crazy bastard talking about?’
Ivan covered his face with his palm. His mind had stopped working at this sudden turn of events.
Elena looked a little downcast.
“···Do you dislike me that much?”
“No! Absolutely not!! There’s supposed to be an order to these things, isn’t there? Starting with living together all of a sudden is a little···.”
“Ah, that’s not what I meant, so it’s fine.”
“What? Then what does that mean···?”
Ivan felt relieved, but also a little disappointed. Still, could asking to live together possibly mean anything else?
“I should have explained this first. I’m a shaman.”
As soon as the old man heard that, he shouted excitedly.
“I knew it! There’s no way she’d chase a bastard like that all the way here just because she liked him!”
Ivan glared ominously at his master and thought.
‘But what does her being a shaman have to do with anything?’
“You look like you don’t understand. Though it varies with aptitude, contact with the Mysteries is one way for a shaman to develop their spiritual abilities. And your soul’s stature is immense, no less than that of any Mystery.”
“So just being near me can make you stronger···?”
“More or less. So from now on, speak informally with me.”
It was a more businesslike reason than he had expected. Ivan felt a little bitter.
‘No, now that I think about it, it isn’t so bad, is it?’
Wasn’t it natural for affection to develop when people kept spending time together?
Ivan was already lost in a sinister fantasy of reclining in an armchair and even naming his third grandchild.
“Why are you smiling like that? It’s making me a little uncomfortable.”
“······.”
Reality was cold. The corners of Ivan’s mouth drooped.
The old man genuinely enjoyed Ivan’s misfortune and rose, brushing himself off.
“Then, now that we’ve got things more or less sorted out, let’s go have a little brawl. Oh, miss, are you coming too?”
“Yes, thank you···.”
Elena lowered her head, somewhat intimidated by the old man’s gaze.
Ivan felt a small sense of incongruity but brushed it off without giving it much thought. It wasn’t particularly important.
He certainly did look like a criminal.
“Then, let’s go.”
Elena placed her small white hand over Ivan’s rough hand. Ivan’s mind went completely blank.
“Wh-what?! Why are you suddenly holding my hand···!”
“It’s better to have physical contact if possible. Didn’t you say you’d do anything?”
“I···did.”
Ivan, flustered like a shy adolescent boy, was dragged along.
The old man cracked his knuckles with a deeply displeased expression.
***
“Aren’t you too close?”
“If we move farther apart, it will be less efficient. This distance is about right.”
Saying that, Elena leaned her back against a suitable tree nearby.
Watching them, the old man jeered.
“Oh my, you’re really devoted. Instead of worrying about someone else, take care of your own hide first. Let’s beat the hell out of you today.”
“Good grief, what a temper, old man. I’m coming, I’m coming.”
Watching the two slowly approach, Elena found it a little strange.
Even so, did they really need to stand that far apart? And they thought this was too close?
Her question was answered when the two grinned and slammed their fists together.
An enormous roar erupted, like siege weapons colliding head-on.
“······.”
Even the pressure wave made her hair flutter lightly. Elena quietly took several steps back.
***
“···Is it over?”
Elena cautiously poked her head out from behind a rock and looked around.
All the centuries-old trees had either snapped or been uprooted, and the ground was gouged in places.
The peaceful forest from moments ago had been transformed into a wasteland in an instant.
Anyone who saw it would have thought a typhoon had swept through—or perhaps that two giants had fought a bloody battle.
“Master, it seems you’ve started to run out of tricks?”
“Bullshit. I was just matching your level. If I fought seriously, would you call that a fight?”
Yet the two people actually responsible for reshaping the terrain were merely exchanging senseless remarks.
Elena closed her eyes for a moment and looked inward. She could distinctly feel that she had made significant progress.
To think this much could come from nothing but the fallout of two enormous souls colliding. It exceeded her expectations.
Perhaps the plan could be moved up a little. Elena smiled faintly.
‘Still, I shouldn’t follow them next time.’
Elena made that decision inwardly. If she got caught up in something like that, she wouldn’t walk away in one piece.
“Judging by your expression, miss, it seems you made quite a bit of progress.”
“Yes, thanks to you. I’m truly grateful.”
When Elena bowed her head, the corners of the old man’s eyes curved with satisfaction.
“You even speak so sweetly. You’re completely different from that good-for-nothing who looks down on his master.”
“If you want to be treated with respect, shouldn’t you start by acting deserving of it? What kind of person throws a punch at the slightest provocation?”
“How dare you answer back every time an elder is speaking···.”
Having heroic strength did not mean one’s behavior would be heroic as well.
Still, how should she put it···. Elena looked at the two with an expression of slight disillusionment.
As they bickered lightly, the sun began to set.
Before the sun had completely disappeared beyond the horizon, the three of them went inside and had a light meal. By the time they finished, it was night.
Elena covered her mouth and yawned, seeming a little tired, and Ivan studied her expression.
“Ah, I guess it’s about time to sleep. I’m fine sleeping on the floor, so you can use the bed.”
“What are you talking about? I told you before.”
“What do you mean···?”
“That it’s better to have as much physical contact as possible.”
Elena lay down right on the bed and nodded toward him.
“What are you waiting for? Come sleep with me.”
“······!!”
Before he could even collect himself, another heart-stopping remark followed. Ivan squeezed his eyes shut.
“Why are you so surprised? I’m not going to do anything strange, so don’t worry.”
“Even if you don’t do anything strange, I think I might start acting strangely···.”
“What does that mean?”
“···Nothing. Pretend you didn’t hear that.”
“Then hurry up and get in. I’m tired.”
He was completely cornered. Ivan appealed to his revered master for salvation with desperate eyes.
‘Master, save me!!’
The old man glared at Ivan as though he wanted nothing more than to beat him to death, then said listlessly,
“I know a good way, so close your eyes for a moment.”
“My eyes? Why all of a sudden···?”
Though puzzled, Ivan obediently closed his eyes.
Then, without giving him time to react, the old man struck Ivan across the chin with all his strength. Ivan fell into a deep sleep.
With a sour expression, the old man picked Ivan up and laid him on the bed.
“You won’t wake up until tomorrow morning, no matter what anyone does, so do as you please, miss. This old man will sleep outside.”
“···Thank you?”
“What are you thanking me for? At my age, I shouldn’t be wedging myself between young people without knowing my place.”
Elena stared blankly as the old man closed the door and left, then finally came to her senses.
Ivan lay so peacefully limp that she almost wondered if he was dead.
“You’re not pretending to be unconscious, are you?”
Elena extended a slender finger and poked his cheek repeatedly.
Ivan merely furrowed his brow slightly; otherwise, he did not move at all.
“Then excuse me. I have nothing personal against you.”
Since he couldn’t hear her anyway, she said it out of courtesy and placed her hand on Ivan’s chest.
The heart is the core of life and also carries important significance in shamanic practice.
She could feel the immense vitality pulsing beneath the hard muscles.
“Ah···.”
A gasp of involuntary admiration escaped her. Was he really even human, like her?
At the same time, spiritual stimulation rapidly climbed through her body from her toes. A tingling excitement enveloped her.
At some point, the sounds of their two hearts overlapped into one and could no longer be distinguished.
How much time had passed? Elena felt utterly exhausted.
“I’ll say it again, I have no personal feelings···.”
She herself did not know whom she was saying it to.
Elena wrapped her arms and legs around Ivan’s body. He was incredibly warm.
Her eyelids grew heavy, and she fell into a deep sleep just like that.
***
Morning sunlight tapped against Ivan’s eyelids. Ivan woke up, frowning.
His jaw felt numb. Something had definitely happened yesterday, but···.
“···Huh?”
Once he came to his senses, that was no longer much of an issue.
A sweetish fragrance tickled his nose, and soft skin enfolded his body.
Ivan barely managed to turn his head and stared at Elena’s face as she breathed softly.
It wasn’t a dream.
“Mmm···.”
Elena blinked and brought her eyes into focus, then met Ivan’s gaze.
“······?”
“······?”
An awkward silence continued for a while.
Elena naturally released her embrace as if nothing had happened, then turned her head sharply away.
“I told you, it’s better to have physical contact···.”
Her tone was as impassive as before, but her ears, flushed bright red, betrayed her.
‘This is life.’
Ivan could die happy right then and there.