SGB: Episode 9
Episode 9: Night Companion (2)
"...Why are you giving me this?"
"Does helping someone require a reason?"
It feels like thorns are growing in my mouth as I say something I don't mean, but it can't be helped.
This will work better with this type of person.
I want to be night companions with this fairy.
Saying it like that makes me sound like a creep, but it's not a bad deal for her either.
Injuries, sleep deprivation, and pretty looks.
No matter how I look at it, her situation is several times worse than mine.
That's why she acted like that just now.
To be honest, even I was surprised by the tenacity for life she just showed.
"Like I said before, heal yourself first. We'll talk afterwards."
"But..."
"I'll keep watch."
I turn my back in a dismissive manner, and soon I hear a munching sound.
It seems like she's chewing the herbs to make them easier to apply to the wound.
"...I'm done."
Already? She's surprisingly skilled with her hands.
I turn around and see the bandages neatly tied between the gaps in her torn clothes. Her gaze seems to have lost some of its wariness as well.
Let's start by exchanging names and slowly close the distance.
"I am Bjorn, son of Yandel."
"...Erwen."
"I don't know what kind of misunderstanding you had, but what you're thinking won't happen."
"Yes? Ah, yes..."
She pretends otherwise, but the fear in her eyes remains.
I thought this much would be enough to clear up the misunderstanding, but what went wrong?
In the end, I ask directly.
"Why are you so afraid of me?"
"...Aren't barbarians and fairies enemies?"
"Enemies?"
"So, sorry. I didn't mean it like that... I just don't want to fight with you, mister."
My question seems to have brought her back to her senses, and she starts acting meekly again like before.
I was just genuinely curious...
Fairies and barbarians being enemies? That's news to me. They were on pretty good terms in the game.
What's going on?
Just by staring intently, I get the information I want without any effort.
"...It, it was a war that ended ten years ago, right? I, I don't hold any grudges about that! Really."
Ten years ago...
I don't know what happened, but judging by her words, it seems more like a rivalry than enmity.
Hmm, so she grew up hearing bad things and is that scared?
The situation has become quite troublesome.
What should I do? Should I look for someone else now?
The herbs and bandages I already gave her are a bit of a waste...
Okay, let's try it first.
"I don't hold any grudges either."
"R, really!"
"Yes. That's why I'm asking, Erwen, would you like to be my night companion?"
"...Night companion?"
"I'm tired right now. And so are you. Whether we have any grudges or not, how about we cooperate for tonight?"
"Hmm..."
Suddenly, her eyes sparkle.
To be honest, it makes me wonder if she's the same person as before.
As I give her time without rushing, Erwen, who was contemplating seriously with a frown, offers a condition instead of accepting.
"I thought barbarians valued their honor as warriors. Can you swear on it? That you won't harm me first?"
"Swear?"
"Of, of course, I will also promise on the name of my clan. I will never harm you first."
In Korean culture, it's like making a pinky promise.
Of course, I can do it all day long.
However, there's one thing I need to address first.
"I am Bjorn, son of Yandel. Not 'mister'."
Even if I don't know, our Bjorn is only 20 years old.
"...Why are you giving me this?"
"Does helping someone require a reason?"
It feels like thorns are growing in my mouth as I say something I don't mean, but it can't be helped.
This will work better with this type of person.
I want to be night companions with this fairy.
Saying it like that makes me sound like a creep, but it's not a bad deal for her either.
Injuries, sleep deprivation, and pretty looks.
No matter how I look at it, her situation is several times worse than mine.
That's why she acted like that just now.
To be honest, even I was surprised by the tenacity for life she just showed.
"Like I said before, heal yourself first. We'll talk afterwards."
"But..."
"I'll keep watch."
I turn my back in a dismissive manner, and soon I hear a munching sound.
It seems like she's chewing the herbs to make them easier to apply to the wound.
"...I'm done."
Already? She's surprisingly skilled with her hands.
I turn around and see the bandages neatly tied between the gaps in her torn clothes. Her gaze seems to have lost some of its wariness as well.
Let's start by exchanging names and slowly close the distance.
"I am Bjorn, son of Yandel."
"...Erwen."
"I don't know what kind of misunderstanding you had, but what you're thinking won't happen."
"Yes? Ah, yes..."
She pretends otherwise, but the fear in her eyes remains.
I thought this much would be enough to clear up the misunderstanding, but what went wrong?
In the end, I ask directly.
"Why are you so afraid of me?"
"...Aren't barbarians and fairies enemies?"
"Enemies?"
"So, sorry. I didn't mean it like that... I just don't want to fight with you, mister."
My question seems to have brought her back to her senses, and she starts acting meekly again like before.
I was just genuinely curious...
Fairies and barbarians being enemies? That's news to me. They were on pretty good terms in the game.
What's going on?
Just by staring intently, I get the information I want without any effort.
"...It, it was a war that ended ten years ago, right? I, I don't hold any grudges about that! Really."
Ten years ago...
I don't know what happened, but judging by her words, it seems more like a rivalry than enmity.
Hmm, so she grew up hearing bad things and is that scared?
The situation has become quite troublesome.
What should I do? Should I look for someone else now?
The herbs and bandages I already gave her are a bit of a waste...
Okay, let's try it first.
"I don't hold any grudges either."
"R, really!"
"Yes. That's why I'm asking, Erwen, would you like to be my night companion?"
"...Night companion?"
"I'm tired right now. And so are you. Whether we have any grudges or not, how about we cooperate for tonight?"
"Hmm..."
Suddenly, her eyes sparkle.
To be honest, it makes me wonder if she's the same person as before.
As I give her time without rushing, Erwen, who was contemplating seriously with a frown, offers a condition instead of accepting.
"I thought barbarians valued their honor as warriors. Can you swear on it? That you won't harm me first?"
"Swear?"
"Of, of course, I will also promise on the name of my clan. I will never harm you first."
In Korean culture, it's like making a pinky promise.
Of course, I can do it all day long.
However, there's one thing I need to address first.
"I am Bjorn, son of Yandel. Not 'mister'."
Even if I don't know, our Bjorn is only 20 years old.
_______________________________
The agreement is made.
We didn't stamp a fingerprint, but we did something similar in this culture.
Thanks to that, I learned the fairy lady's full name in the process.
Erwen Fornachi di Tersia.
She's 20 years old, the same age as me.
Whew, I'm glad I'm not the real Bjorn. I'm sure the real Bjorn would think the same. I'm one thing, but she...
I won't say it out loud.
"So how will we decide the order?"
"I'll sleep first. That way, you'll feel more at ease."
"It's not really like that, but if you're willing to do that, I can't really help it..."
In other words, she's reluctantly accepting.
"I'll take that as a yes."
"Yes."
Phew, I'm glad it worked. If she had suggested deciding by rock-paper-scissors, I would have been doomed.
My eyes keep closing. Please, I just want to sleep now. Is it this hard to get a good night's sleep?
"Oh, right! How will I know the time?"
Tsk tsk, this is why newbies are troublesome, right?
I take out the watch from my backpack and hand it to Erwen.
"It's expensive, so don't break it."
"Yes..."
Seeing her handling it as if it's a sacred object, not just saying yes, puts my mind at ease.
"I'll be careful with it. Go to sleep."
Just like the man did, I lie down with my backpack as a pillow and cover myself with the blanket, curling up.
And...
Snore, snore, snore!
I fall asleep like I've fainted.
"Mister!"
...It's Bjorn.
"Mister, wake up. Time's up."
I force my eyelids open and sit up. I can't believe it.
Two hours have already passed?
"Here's your watch."
I look at the time, and it really has been 2 hours.
Come to think of it, I couldn't even properly fake snore to test her. I was going to do it for 10 minutes just in case...
Wow, is this the synergy of a backpack and a blanket?
It's scary.
If the man had lent me this, I wouldn't have been able to avoid his surprise attack.
I would have been sleeping soundly, completely unaware.
Is this karma?
...In that sense, let's lend it to her too.
"Cover yourself and sleep. Use this as a pillow if you want."
"Yes? But..."
She says she'll decline, but I see the corners of her mouth twitch upwards.
I pretend not to notice.
"Well then, I'll gratefully use them..."
Even though I didn't offer again, Erwen crawls into the blanket and curls up like a cat. And soon, she starts breathing rhythmically.
Geez, she sleeps soundly in front of a strange man?
Well, she must be exhausted. Just like I had a tough day, it seems like she did too.
"Whew..."
I lean against the wall and open the watch out of habit.
[22:50]
It feels like it's been about 5 days, but there's still over an hour left until the 2nd day is over.
I want to go back to the city. Actually, even saying "go back" is funny...
'...Seeing myself think like this, I guess my body is really doing okay.'
I put away the watch and start thinking seriously. In the rare peaceful moment, various thoughts come to mind.
What happened to me in reality?
Was I reported missing? It's definitely too early for that. Someone would have had to come looking for me. Even the company wouldn't take it seriously for a few days.
"Kick."
There's a reason I haven't thought about this issue even once until now.
Because it's just sad.
If I think that there's nothing good even if I go back, my will will break.
In many ways, it's better not to think about it.
Even if it's just self-deception, I'm pretty good at hypnotizing myself.
"......"
I intentionally change the flow of my thoughts.
Yeah, let's review what happened in the past two days instead. Finished the coming-of-age ceremony, entered the labyrinth, fought goblins, fought the man...
I can pat myself on the back for doing well so far, right?
It was really tough, almost deadly. There's no one to praise me, so can't I do it myself?
Click-
I decide to leave the self-praise until I return to the city and open the watch. It's time to change shifts.
"Erwen, wake up."
"Five more minutes..."
What do you mean five more minutes? Get up quickly.
"Ugh..."
I shake Erwen's shoulder with my rough barbarian hand, and she wakes up, rubbing her eyes.
This is dangerous.
Now I understand why the man didn't trust me.
"Just because nothing has happened so far, don't think about dozing off."
"Yes..."
She seems a bit uneasy, but she lies down in her spot and starts snoring.
Snore, snore.
Really, what is with her?
The fairies I know weren't like this.
The agreement is made.
We didn't stamp a fingerprint, but we did something similar in this culture.
Thanks to that, I learned the fairy lady's full name in the process.
Erwen Fornachi di Tersia.
She's 20 years old, the same age as me.
Whew, I'm glad I'm not the real Bjorn. I'm sure the real Bjorn would think the same. I'm one thing, but she...
I won't say it out loud.
"So how will we decide the order?"
"I'll sleep first. That way, you'll feel more at ease."
"It's not really like that, but if you're willing to do that, I can't really help it..."
In other words, she's reluctantly accepting.
"I'll take that as a yes."
"Yes."
Phew, I'm glad it worked. If she had suggested deciding by rock-paper-scissors, I would have been doomed.
My eyes keep closing. Please, I just want to sleep now. Is it this hard to get a good night's sleep?
"Oh, right! How will I know the time?"
Tsk tsk, this is why newbies are troublesome, right?
I take out the watch from my backpack and hand it to Erwen.
"It's expensive, so don't break it."
"Yes..."
Seeing her handling it as if it's a sacred object, not just saying yes, puts my mind at ease.
"I'll be careful with it. Go to sleep."
Just like the man did, I lie down with my backpack as a pillow and cover myself with the blanket, curling up.
And...
Snore, snore, snore!
I fall asleep like I've fainted.
"Mister!"
...It's Bjorn.
"Mister, wake up. Time's up."
I force my eyelids open and sit up. I can't believe it.
Two hours have already passed?
"Here's your watch."
I look at the time, and it really has been 2 hours.
Come to think of it, I couldn't even properly fake snore to test her. I was going to do it for 10 minutes just in case...
Wow, is this the synergy of a backpack and a blanket?
It's scary.
If the man had lent me this, I wouldn't have been able to avoid his surprise attack.
I would have been sleeping soundly, completely unaware.
Is this karma?
...In that sense, let's lend it to her too.
"Cover yourself and sleep. Use this as a pillow if you want."
"Yes? But..."
She says she'll decline, but I see the corners of her mouth twitch upwards.
I pretend not to notice.
"Well then, I'll gratefully use them..."
Even though I didn't offer again, Erwen crawls into the blanket and curls up like a cat. And soon, she starts breathing rhythmically.
Geez, she sleeps soundly in front of a strange man?
Well, she must be exhausted. Just like I had a tough day, it seems like she did too.
"Whew..."
I lean against the wall and open the watch out of habit.
[22:50]
It feels like it's been about 5 days, but there's still over an hour left until the 2nd day is over.
I want to go back to the city. Actually, even saying "go back" is funny...
'...Seeing myself think like this, I guess my body is really doing okay.'
I put away the watch and start thinking seriously. In the rare peaceful moment, various thoughts come to mind.
What happened to me in reality?
Was I reported missing? It's definitely too early for that. Someone would have had to come looking for me. Even the company wouldn't take it seriously for a few days.
"Kick."
There's a reason I haven't thought about this issue even once until now.
Because it's just sad.
If I think that there's nothing good even if I go back, my will will break.
In many ways, it's better not to think about it.
Even if it's just self-deception, I'm pretty good at hypnotizing myself.
"......"
I intentionally change the flow of my thoughts.
Yeah, let's review what happened in the past two days instead. Finished the coming-of-age ceremony, entered the labyrinth, fought goblins, fought the man...
I can pat myself on the back for doing well so far, right?
It was really tough, almost deadly. There's no one to praise me, so can't I do it myself?
Click-
I decide to leave the self-praise until I return to the city and open the watch. It's time to change shifts.
"Erwen, wake up."
"Five more minutes..."
What do you mean five more minutes? Get up quickly.
"Ugh..."
I shake Erwen's shoulder with my rough barbarian hand, and she wakes up, rubbing her eyes.
This is dangerous.
Now I understand why the man didn't trust me.
"Just because nothing has happened so far, don't think about dozing off."
"Yes..."
She seems a bit uneasy, but she lies down in her spot and starts snoring.
Snore, snore.
Really, what is with her?
The fairies I know weren't like this.
_____________________________
[04:30]
Day 3 has begun. And there are about 10 minutes left until I wake Erwen up.
As I watch Erwen sleeping curled up with the blanket between her legs, I contemplate.
Aftercare application.
In other words, whether or not to propose becoming companions.
Of course, there's the downside of having to share the loot if we become companions.
Even if goblins start appearing in groups of three or four from Day 3, Erwen's joining will definitely decrease my income.
It's not related to her strength. Well, since her race is fairy, she'll definitely pull her weight...
But am I already overpowered?
I can easily defeat three or four goblins even without Erwen.
It's not arrogance, but that's my honest judgment after experiencing several battles with this body.
And I'm in a position where I need to collect as many magic stones as possible to prepare for living expenses in the city and future taxes.
"Whew..."
A safe place to sleep or more magic stones.
To make the most rational choice, I continue to ponder.
Thud.
I hear the footsteps of an explorer from the left passage.
This has happened several times during my watch, so I'm not particularly nervous. Most of them just take a look and pass by.
However...
Thud-
This pair of explorers, one chubby and one skinny, take a look at us and stop walking.
And they whisper to each other.
"Isn't that the fairy?"
"Seems like it. The shape of the bow matches."
After whispering and reaching a conclusion, the chubby one asks me on their behalf.
"Barbarian, what's your relationship with that fairy?"
"As you can see, we're night companions."
"A barbarian and a fairy as night companions, that's a rare sight. So, how much time is left?"
"I have no obligation to answer that."
The chubby one doesn't press further at my response.
He just grins and leaves with the skinny one.
"I see. Let's go."
"Huh? Oh, uh..."
The presence of the two disappears from the surroundings.
However, I can't let my guard down.
What the hell were those guys? They're as ominous as the chieftain when he yelled right in front of me.
I slowly move to the side and nudge Erwen's shoulder, who's sleeping.
"Ugh..."
Hey, can you sleep in this situation?
Wake up quickly.
I have a feeling we're screwed.
[04:30]
Day 3 has begun. And there are about 10 minutes left until I wake Erwen up.
As I watch Erwen sleeping curled up with the blanket between her legs, I contemplate.
Aftercare application.
In other words, whether or not to propose becoming companions.
Of course, there's the downside of having to share the loot if we become companions.
Even if goblins start appearing in groups of three or four from Day 3, Erwen's joining will definitely decrease my income.
It's not related to her strength. Well, since her race is fairy, she'll definitely pull her weight...
But am I already overpowered?
I can easily defeat three or four goblins even without Erwen.
It's not arrogance, but that's my honest judgment after experiencing several battles with this body.
And I'm in a position where I need to collect as many magic stones as possible to prepare for living expenses in the city and future taxes.
"Whew..."
A safe place to sleep or more magic stones.
To make the most rational choice, I continue to ponder.
Thud.
I hear the footsteps of an explorer from the left passage.
This has happened several times during my watch, so I'm not particularly nervous. Most of them just take a look and pass by.
However...
Thud-
This pair of explorers, one chubby and one skinny, take a look at us and stop walking.
And they whisper to each other.
"Isn't that the fairy?"
"Seems like it. The shape of the bow matches."
After whispering and reaching a conclusion, the chubby one asks me on their behalf.
"Barbarian, what's your relationship with that fairy?"
"As you can see, we're night companions."
"A barbarian and a fairy as night companions, that's a rare sight. So, how much time is left?"
"I have no obligation to answer that."
The chubby one doesn't press further at my response.
He just grins and leaves with the skinny one.
"I see. Let's go."
"Huh? Oh, uh..."
The presence of the two disappears from the surroundings.
However, I can't let my guard down.
What the hell were those guys? They're as ominous as the chieftain when he yelled right in front of me.
I slowly move to the side and nudge Erwen's shoulder, who's sleeping.
"Ugh..."
Hey, can you sleep in this situation?
Wake up quickly.
I have a feeling we're screwed.
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