Childhood Friend - Hans
Early in the morning, Lena and Leo left the village.
They decided to stop by a larger town first, but they weren't alone. The village cart accompanied them.
Demos Village sent a cart to the larger town twice a month. The cart would depart, laden with goods to be sold at the market held every week in the larger town, and return with necessities.
While adults sometimes accompanied the cart to sell their goods, it was usually entrusted to their sons. Hans, the baker's son, also loaded a small crate onto the cart.
The young men all pushed the cart together, and Leo joined them.
“Hey, Leo. It’s okay just this once since you’re leaving.”
“No, it’s okay.”
The young men, feeling bad that Leo was pushing the cart on his day of departure, tried to stop him, but he remained stuck to the cart. Even though he was leaving, he couldn't bear to walk alongside Lena while others toiled away pushing the cart.
Lena followed the cart, distributing water to the young men. Autumn was approaching, but the weather was still hot.
The young men drank their fill, sprinkled some water on their heads, and pushed the cart with all their might.
It would have been easier if the heavy cart could gain momentum and roll smoothly, but the road was unpaved and not straight.
They had to constantly adjust their speed and examine the path, which was exhausting.
Nevertheless, they had to hurry. The larger town was quite a distance away, so the young men diligently pushed the cart, even skipping meals to make good time.
The cart finally came to a halt at dusk. The young men parked it at the edge of the larger town and pitched tents around it, preparing to camp out for the night.
Staying at an inn would be costly, and they couldn't carelessly leave a cart full of goods unattended in a strange town. Even if it was an obvious robbery, there was no guarantee that the locals would side with outsiders.
Therefore, the young men pitched tents and camped out, guarding the cart.
“We’ll be going now.”
“Take care! Be safe!”
Lena and Leo bid farewell to the village young men and departed.
They planned to stay at an inn.
Leo didn't want to subject Lena to a night outdoors, especially not when he could afford a room. She might say it was fine, but there was no need to make her suffer when they had the money.
Unaware that Hans was following behind, the two entered an inn.
It was Lena’s first time in an inn, and she was bubbling with excitement from the moment they stepped inside.
She stepped forward, declaring that she would take care of booking the room.
“...And we’d like just one room, please.”
“Double or twin?”
“Eh...? What?”
“Twin beds?”
“Yes. We’ll take that one.”
Leo cut in and chose twin beds.
As the innkeeper led the way with a candlestick, Lena turned to Leo with a puzzled look, as if wondering what he had just chosen. But Leo just shrugged and didn't explain, knowing she would be incredibly embarrassed if he did.
‘Should I have just gone with a double bed?’
Leo chuckled to himself.
The innkeeper led them to their room.
The innkeeper’s wide hips filled the narrow staircase, so the candle he carried wasn’t of much help to Lena and Leo.
Finally, the innkeeper stopped at a door in the hallway.
“Here you are. Please let me know when you’re leaving tomorrow.”
“Yes, thank you. We’ll see you tomorrow.”
The innkeeper pointed his light down the hallway and disappeared downstairs.
As they entered the room and lit a candle, Lena jumped up and down excitedly.
“Wow! There’s a bed!”
Lena’s house didn’t have a bed.
She had probably never slept in one before.
“I thought we’d be sleeping on the floor. This is so nice! But shouldn’t we go somewhere where we sleep on the floor? You know, considering our situation...”
“Those places are cheap, but they’re not suitable for women.”
There were also accommodations where you could rent a roof over your head in a large room without beds.
It was the cheapest way to sleep, but it wasn't a place for women to stay, as they would have to sleep among strangers. Even men were hesitant to use them alone.
Lena bounced on the beds, comparing them, then turned to Leo with a scary look on her face as if something had occurred to her.
“Wait a minute! Leo, if you try anything funny just because we’re sharing a room, I won't hesitate to give you a piece of my mind!”
She shook her fist threateningly.
Leo thought to himself that such actions would only have the opposite effect, but he simply agreed with her.
Lena was just too adorable.
The room was equipped with several candles, but afraid of being charged extra by the innkeeper, they soon blew them out and settled into their respective beds.
Despite lying on a soft bed for the first time, Lena couldn't fall asleep. She had barely slept the night before, too excited about leaving the village, but her eyes were still wide open.
Leo was breathing softly in the bed next to her. He must have fallen asleep already.
Lena turned on her side to face him. It was dark, but she could see him clearly.
He was such a good friend.
Actually, she had planned to confess her feelings to him while they were gathering mushrooms last weekend. She had intended to say things like, “I'm going to stop studying to be a priestess,” “What do you think, Leo?”, and “I like you.”
But before she could even utter a word, Leo had abruptly suggested they go on this trip.
He had a plan to help her achieve her dream. Not just Leo, but her parents, the priest, and even the monk were all prepared to support her.
‘I had almost given up…’
Lena turned over again, burying her face in the pillow to hold back the sudden urge to cry.
Just then, Leo let out a soft moan, as if he was having a bad dream.
She quietly got up, adjusted his pillow, and felt his forehead. His moans subsided.
“Lena… Lena…” Leo mumbled in his sleep.
Is he dreaming about me?
Lena sat on the edge of her bed and studied his face in the darkness.
His messy, unkempt hair, his straight forehead and neatly set eyebrows, his healthily tanned cheeks, and his lips, firmly pressed together even in sleep.
This was the man who could have been her lover.
In the darkness of the empty room, Lena glanced around and cautiously leaned in towards his lips.
Her heart pounded in her chest.
Her lips gently brushed against his.
- I'm sorry, Leo! Please forgive me, Lord Binar!
How would Lord Binar, the god who guided against evil deeds, judge this act?
But this was the first and last time. From now on, she would remain only his friend.
With this brief kiss, Lena extinguished the embers of regret for a future they would never share.
Fortunately, Leo didn't wake up.
“Leo, I’m really awful, aren’t I?”
She whispered to her friend, gently stroking his messy hair, before returning to her own bed.
She felt guilty for taking advantage of her friend who had only offered his help with pure intentions. But in return, when I become a priestess, my first blessing will definitely be for you...
She tossed and turned for a while before finally drifting off to sleep.