Erus woke to a gentle tapping on his shoulders. When his eyes snapped open, he was met with Cana's deepening frown.
"You're awake?" He asked. He'd expected her body to take at least a full day to adjust to the strain of his high-level healing magic.
"Yes. Why are you sleep-sitting on the edge of the bed? And where are we?" Cana demanded, her eyes already scouring the room, searching for a threat or a reason for the unfamiliar walls.
"In my room," he answered plainly, his joints popping as he stood. "How do you feel?"
Cana didn't answer. She stood up, her movements stiff, but his words had clearly derailed her train of thought.
"You fell into a deep sleep while we were traveling in the carriage. Likely the aftereffect of the magic you absorbed to act as my conduit," he explained, his tone clinical.
"Then... how did we end up here?"
Erus paused, looking down at her from his full height. "How else do you think we did?"
"Ah..." Cana bit her lip and turned around, pretending to check Erus' room. "So this is your room," she said instead.
But then, her eyes landed back on the bed. It was a single bed, meant for one person only; it would only fit two if they were forced to cuddle. She remembered Erus's awkward position while sleep-sitting on the floor, his head leaning against the bed's edge. This was his room, but he had given way for her.
"Ahm, Erus," she called to him. He was still watching her.
"Thanks," she shyly said. This wasn't the first time they had been together like this, but it felt different in the silence of his own home.
"Are you not comfortable here?" Erus asked, noticing the way she scanned his room, looking for specific things he couldn't identify.
"No. Yes—I mean, I can adjust. You don't have to burden yourself. Your room is spacious enough; it only needs some arrangements." But then, the thought hit Cana like a physical blow. "Are we... living together here?"
"Yes, but don't worry. I don't stay here often, so you can take your time," he answered plainly.
"You don't stay here?" Cana's tone turned cold and serious.
Was he planning to dump me here? The thought flared in her mind. Weren't they supposed to be together because of their master-slave contract?
Erus nodded.
Cana let out a sigh—a deep, heavy one. "Why don't we just burn this room down if you aren't living here anyway?"
Erus' mouth opened, but no words came out. He was dumbfounded by Cana's sudden outburst. He stood frozen, baffled that she had turned hostile in an instant just because he wasn't here often.
"I mean, I stay here, but I am always taking party quests at the guild. I spend most of my time in the forests hunting monsters, or in other cities depending on the contracts we're given. Plus, I still attend school during the day," Erus explained thoroughly.
The explanation silenced Cana. She realized then how Erus managed to balance his life while being away from his mother. It also meant she was nothing more than an added burden. He had even promised to train her; how would he find the time when his life was already stretched so thin?
Cana's eyes softened as she looked at Erus. How did he endure it all? The grind was constant.
Then there was the way people treated him. The insults they threw. He was carrying all that weight, yet he still made room for her.
"Is there any way I can help? I can't stay here knowing you're out there for days or weeks while carrying that mark." She was referring to the Reaper's mark on his back.
Was there anyone better than her who could sate the Reaper's hunger for energy?
"I... I don't want to drag you everywhere I go and have you treated like a curse, too," Erus replied. "If not for my accidental marking on you, I wouldn't have brought you here. You're safer with Mom."
That was the sad reality coming from Erus, but Cana felt it like a thud against her chest. They hadn't been together long enough to forge a truly tight bond, yet his words sparked a sudden, inexplicable rage within her.
Was it because they were connected by the markings? Or was it simply her pride refusing to be sidelined?
"So, do you think the mark chose me just to stay by Uruja's side?" Cana asked, her voice tight. "Do you think if you hadn't marked me by accident, this stupid twin of your wings on my back wouldn't have chosen me anyway?"
Erus was caught off guard by her questions. Was it possible the heirloom had only marked Cana because she was bound to him first? Or had it really chosen her from the start? Her arrival on the island had been too perfectly timed to be a mere coincidence.
"And why are you trying to protect me, anyway, when your own life is at stake?" She pressed. "Hiding me from those fools doesn't mean I'm safe at all."
Erus knew that very well. It was a selfish desire—one that forced him to make decisions that weren't aligned with reality. It wasn't truly about saving Cana. He was trying to protect his image in the eyes of the first person he had met who was genuine, who held no ill intentions against him. Cana's spirit was too pure; he didn't want to stain it.
What if she saw the real him and began hating him, too?
"Wouldn't it be better if you let me tag along? Let me learn your ways, so I can protect myself without bothering you. Just like how you cleared those bandits and monsters."
Erus' heart hammered against his ribs. It wasn't just his imagination—Cana truly wasn't afraid of him, even after seeing him soaked in blood the night before. Did she really witness the entire massacre?
"You saw... how I killed them?"
"Ha?" Cana looked puzzled. "What kind of question is that? Of course I saw you do it. My eyes are as clear as day."
"And?"
Cana frowned. "And?" She repeated, throwing his own word back at him.
"Cana, you just witnessed me killing a bunch of mortals! Weren't you afraid? Am I not a monster to you?"
"What?" Cana pressed her lips together, fighting the urge to laugh at Erus' sudden outburst. "You dealt with criminals who colluded with monsters. Why would I see it any other way? You did what was right to protect lives."
But the truth was, Cana didn't fully understand herself, either. She had seen the bodies—men brutally slaughtered by bandits and wolves. She had clearly seen the blood gushing from the throats Erus had cut. Yet, she hadn't flinched. Her body and mind reacted as if it were normal, her eyes already long accustomed to violence.
She wasn't scared of blood. She had witnessed enough road accidents back home that her reaction had become a reflex. She wasn't nonchalant, and she certainly didn't enjoy the sight; to her, it was just a mess—a bloody annoyance that delayed her commute to work or her return home.
"What?"
Erus couldn't believe what he was hearing. She sounded like a brutal force that matched his own. Was this because she was some kind of lunatic?
"I've dealt with shits my whole life," Cana said, referring to her life back on Earth. "I think any world is unfair—that's just how life is. It's ride or die. And I'm not some shitty-damsel-in-distress who always needs a prince to save her."
Erus' status was currently loading. He was trying to absorb everything Cana had said. He assumed the "shits" she mentioned were similar to his own burdens, but something was off—she was saying things he simply didn't understand. She sounded like a badass, though.
He remained standing while Cana inspected the items on his small table.
"What is that... shitty? What was it again?"
"Shitty?" Cana looked back at him.
Erus stepped closer. "The distressed one?"
"Oh, shitty-damsel-in-distress?"
"What does it mean?" He looked at her intently.
Cana took a step back. It hit her then that the words she was using were completely foreign to this world.
"A damsel is a young, unmarried woman who always needs a hero or a prince to save her butt from trouble," Cana explained. "In short, a woman incapable of doing anything. All beauty, no brains."
"Mm... You might be a bookworm. You know words that deep. This is my first time hearing it. Plus, you don't look like someone who's gone through hell."
Erus closed the gap between them, leaning in and locking his gaze on her.
He had only just met Cana, yet he had felt this strange familiarity from the first day she touched him. It hadn't gone away. But there was also an uncertainty about who she really was. She might not be a threat to him, but her voice alone was enough to make him stop in his tracks.
"Erus," Cana called out. Her neck was starting to stiffen from the angle she had to hold to meet his eyes. She waited for him to say something after his long study of her face, but he just stood there, staring.
"I'm still not used to how you can look me straight in the eyes without breaking," he finally said.
Cana's right brow arched.
"You seriously want to see me break?" She asked. She reached out and gripped the sturdy collar of his cloak, pulling him down until their eyes were on the same level.
Erus gripped the edge of the table for balance, desperate not to fall with Cana onto the floor.
"W... what are you doing?" Erus stammered. He was so caught off guard by her sudden move that he completely forgot he was still wearing his mask.
But Cana just stared into his eyes. She was searching for something deep within them.
"They aren't red," Cana murmured, a comment that stopped Erus' eyes from wandering over her face. "I saw them last night. They were red when you stepped out of the carriage," she added.
Erus tightened his grip on the table until his knuckles turned white.
"Looking for this?"
"Oh, my gosh!" Cana gasped, her hands slipping from Erus's collar as she stumbled backward. She almost hit the floor, but Erus' reflexes were faster.
He caught her, pulling her into a tight hold while her body arched back over his arm. Even in that precarious position, she didn't look away from those glowing, crimson eyes.
"Wow... they're real," Cana said, her fear quickly replaced by genuine amazement, even though her knees felt a bit shaky. "Are you a vampire?"
"Ha? W—"
Erus was cut off by three sharp knocks on the door. Both he and Cana snapped their heads toward the sound.
"Eek! Why did it get so eerie all of a sudden?" A voice outside the room quaked.
"Rohan?" Erus called out.
"So... Solari, Mom said your food is ready!" The boy answered.
"Okay," Erus said, and they listened as the footsteps faded away.
Erus helped Cana to her feet. His eyes had already bled back to their normal midnight blue, the predatory glow extinguished as quickly as it had appeared.
"Thanks. Umm... that was the second time someone called you Solari. Is that your name, too?"
"That's my hunter codename," he answered, his voice regaining its usual low, steady rumble. "Just call me the usual."
Then he tossed her a bundle of clothes from his storage.
"Change into something lighter. Your dress is too long, you'll stumble on the stairs," he told her. "I'll wait outside. Just make it fast," he added before stepping out and closing the door. He remained right there, standing guard in the hallway.
It took Cana three minutes just to decide what to wear. She snapped out of her indecision when she heard the impatient tapping of Erus' boots in the hallway. She grabbed the dress and changed as fast as she could. Once finished, she tidied the remaining bundle of clothes, placed it on the far side of the bed, and stepped out.
"L... let's go," Cana stuttered, feeling the unfamiliar rush of air against her thighs.
Erus, caught off guard by her appearance, couldn't even bring himself to complain. He just scratched his head, looking away. Though the dress fit her perfectly, the length only reached the middle of her thighs. It was a proper woman's dress, but on her, it felt like a feast for the eyes—and he knew it wouldn't go unnoticed.
She always has to be extra, Erus thought to himself.
He walked ahead, heading down the stairs with his hands shoved in his pockets. Cana followed close behind, trying her best to hide herself behind his broad frame as they descended.
"Hey, Solari! Didn't know you were back." It was a fat, bearded man who greeted Erus. He was sitting alone at a table for two, surrounded by several different dishes.
"You didn't have to," Erus answered coldly.
Instead of getting irritated, the man just laughed. He was used to Erus' downright rudeness; he knew the hunter didn't truly mean it.
"Hey, man! Congrats on winning," another guy chimed in, followed by a chorus of greetings from the others.
"Thanks," Erus answered shortly.
Suddenly, the atmosphere shifted as they caught a glimpse of Cana hiding behind him.
"Who's that?" Someone asked, their voice dripping with doubt.
Erus shifted to the side, exposing Cana fully to the room. Her eyes went wide—she immediately closed the distance, grabbing his shirt and holding on tight.
She hadn't been told this was a tavern or a canteen with lodging upstairs. The room was packed, and most of them were men. Erus hadn't even warned her about what she was wearing.
She gently kicked his shoes to tell him she was a bit uncomfortable. But he did not react.
She looked at him, her brows knitted in a deep scowl. She was about to shift into her beast form and skin him alive right then and there.
"Her name is Cana, and she is with me," Erus said straightforwardly.
"Ahh..." A chorus of murmurs rippled through the room, though most looked doubtful, as if waiting for the punchline to a joke. Erus was known for being aloof and downright rude to women—especially those who tried to seduce him or even lay a hand on him. So, what was this show all about?
"Miss, are you alright? He wasn't bullying you, was he?" Someone finally had the courage to ask.
"Why are you idiots clamoring over these two? Don't you have eyes?" A woman stormed in from the kitchen, slamming a large plate of food onto a table crowded with men. "Hey! Don't mind them. They're just a bunch of cocks. Follow me, your food is ready," she told Erus and Cana.
"And we're your loyal customers!" Someone snorted, but the woman just brandished a fist in his direction.
The other men roared with laughter while Cana and Erus followed the woman.
Then, Cana felt Erus' hand gently tapping her mid-back as they walked. She glanced at him with a confused look.
What kind of comforting gesture was that supposed to be? It felt more like he was checking her for injuries than offering actual solace. Still, she let him be—as long as it was his hand and not some stranger's, she wouldn't complain.
Cana had no idea that the gesture was actually Erus' warning to the room. It was a silent declaration that she was off-limits and under his protection. She was the first woman Erus had ever appeared with in public, let alone touched with such possessive familiarity.
To her, it was just a strange pat on the back; to everyone else in the tavern, it was a clear message. Touching her meant going against him—the Beast on top of the beasts.