Chapter 5

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Chapter 5

“I can’t go out like this…”

Holly took a deep breath as she looked at her clothes. The fabric was torn all the way down her shoulders, revealing everything from her chest to the bottom of her stomach.

“Who cares about that? I will let no one see you.”

Hearing the voice of salvation coming from right next to her, Holly turned her head and looked at him.

“…Can you do that?”

Cahill flinched as if in surprise at her gleaming eyes, but then he said in a nonchalant tone.

“I can freeze them all.”

“Can you do that? Are you a wizard?”

At that, her voice filled with anticipation.

“Wizard?”

He didn’t seem to know what a wizard was. Holly wouldn’t have known about a being who was only known as a legend if she wasn’t a staff member at the inn in Centria, where people from all over the world gather.

“You mean you can freeze them anyway, right…? To what extent?”

“If I put my mind to it, I can freeze half of this continent.”

Cahill showed a bubbly look when he saw Holly admiring him.

“I was the only one who was born with this kind of ability since the first king.”

Continuing his words, he then twitched his lips, unable to control his excitement. Holly decided to match the rhythm like a proud child bragging.

“Then, you are an Ice God!”

“Ice God?”

“In some countries, if you have outstanding abilities, they give you the nickname ‘God’.”

Cahill wondered if he liked the nickname she had given him, so he repeated it over and over again.

“Well, you freeze everything. But, is it possible to get it back the way it was…?” She asked a light question, though Cahill was not answering.

A chilling anxiety overcame Holly.

“…What? You can’t?”

“I’ve never thawed something frozen… Do I have to melt it?”

Her eyes widened at the question asked with an innocent face. She almost killed everyone in the neighborhood out of shame.

“It’s okay. I’ll figure it out.”

Picking up the underwear that had been left under the bed, she thought being wet and uncomfortable would be better than nothing at all.

“Give me your clothes. You tore my clothes, so I can’t wear them.”

Holly was tying the laces on her underwear and scolded him. Cahill, who looked at her fingertips with eyes full of regret, meekly gave his clothes away. The problem was that his clothes were too big for her. It could be said his shirt became a wide, short tunic.

“I can’t do this…”

Holly took a deep breath as she looked down at the trousers. It was impossible to stay anywhere other than at home in this outfit.

“Why don’t we go back to sleep? I’ll get you some new clothes, too.”

Holly gazed at Cahill, who was speaking as if soothing her, with sullen eyes.

“Are you going to put me to sleep?”

He suddenly giggled at her suspicious eyes. Because of that, she grabbed her heart without realizing it.

“If we do it, you will fall asleep.”

The expression on Holly’s face disappeared as he spoke confidently.

“I’ll go. If anyone asks, I hope you don’t tell them about me.”

Her body trembled as she pulled the hem of the duvet off.

“It’s also my fault, so I’ll take you back.”

Cahill, who was watching her, shrugged his shoulders and spoke. Holly’s insistence left him no choice.

“You just have to go without anyone finding out.”

“…You’re going to freeze them, right?”

“I’m just going to hold you in my arms and run.”

Holly nodded her head at his answer. If she covered her face well with a blanket, no one would know who she was.

“Wait. Let’s see if there is anyone in the hallway.”

“Don’t go there? There are still a lot of people in the dining room.”

“…It looks like your ears are good.”

As Cahill said, the dining room was in full swing, and it was time for people to drink and chat. Centria, called the “city without night,” was rather quiet during the day.

“There’s no one here.”

Cahill nodded and pointed to the window. Then, he hugged her right away. Holly covered her face with a blanket and grabbed him by the chest and pulled herself up.

“Is there really no one there? Are you really going out here?”

The look in his eyes was full of doubt. He nodded his head as he put his feet on the window that Holly had given up trying to jump during the day.

Holly, suppressed by his confident appearance, curled up into Cahill’s arms. At the same time, his body slid downwards.

Thud!

“Ugh…!”

A groan came out at the same time as a loud noise.

Her back, which was still sore, was throbbing from the shock. It was the same between her legs, which suffered from afternoon to late at night.

“What’s the matter?”

Cahill tilted his head as he looked at Holly as she groaned in pain. A round shoulder was visible through the ruffled duvet. The large piece of clothing slid down her chest.

“Are you okay? Should I put you down somewhere?”

He slipped his hand into the duvet, and she slapped his hand away as he came in.

As she glanced around with an anxious expression, she was worried about the sound they made when they fell. Holly held her breath, concentrating on the sounds around her. Loud noises were coming from inside the alley where businesses were concentrated.

“It’s okay.”

Cahill blinked his eyes and moved his feet in place.

He moved slowly, and then he started running. There was a reason for his confidence. Holly, who was in his arms with round eyes, stretched out her hand. His hair, shining white in the moonlight, intertwined between her fingers.

“Not that way…!”

She pulled Cahill’s hair and made him turn his head in the opposite direction. Cahill spun his body in the direction of his head, like a horse with reins.

“Turn right.”

Holly deliberately used the main road. This was because the night streets of Centria were quiet. In fact, people’s attention was concentrated inside the alley.

After running for a while, a remote house appeared.

The house, whose lights were turned off, seemed to be buried in darkness as there were no people around.

“Wait. Let’s go back there.”

Holly led Cahill into the alley that led back a block from the house. There was a single door without any decorations. It was a door that could be opened by holding the groove and sliding it to the side, although it did not have a handle, so it would look just like a wall from the inside.

Holly came up with it as a way to get into the house to avoid the debtors guarding the front door. She had worked hard to earn money, so it was a big deal if she got sick from the cold dew.

Thanks to this, she was able to get inside safely without encountering anyone.

She looked into the messy house and opened her mouth. The kitchen and living room and the room used as Holly’s room were littered with all kinds of household items, and the appearance of the main room through the open door didn’t look very good either.

Her hand also lost strength, and the blanket fell.

“It looks like you have to pay for cleaning.”

Holly, who was enthralled, was relieved from the shock at the unfamiliar voice that dug into her ear.

Cahill looked around the messed up house with curious eyes. The light coming through the window shone on his head. At that moment, Holly lost her words and stared at him. The image of a beautiful man shining in the moonlight was unrealistic.

“But, what about the bad guys?”

“Ah…!”

Coming to her senses at those words, she remembered the existence of the Torimas. It was quiet outside.

Holly approached the window cautiously to avoid any shadows.

“…None.”

The narrow yard was empty. Holly sighed in relief. By now, they were either hanging out in a backstreet gambling house or chasing other debtors.

“Isn’t that good?”

Cahill, who stood there watching her, took the apple lying on the floor, wiped it on his clothes, and put it in his mouth. He squatted down on the floor and lifted the dusty underwear with his fingertips.

Her eyes, who had been staring at him curiously with a stern gaze, opened wide.

“Don’t do this.”

She came swiftly, snatched what was in Cahill’s hand, and muttered in excuses. Then she ripped off the clock on the wall. Again, the hole in it was wide and empty.

“They took them all.”

“Is this place a stable?”

He turned Holly’s stomach inside out with a carefree voice.

Because of that, she glared at him with sharp eyes, but Cahill wasn’t looking at her. Since there was a perforated wall by a torn floor, his eyes scanned them one after the other.

Holly sighed deeply as she followed him to the floor and saw the smashed pieces of the wall and pieces of the couch lying around. It was not enough for the shameless parents to keep debts in front of their daughter, and they took all of her money, which she had hidden for emergencies.

“I knew this was going to happen, but…”

When no one except Torimus lent money to them, she expected this situation. The parents left the debt on her and went to a place where they could easily get money.

“How long are you going to stay here?”

Holly, who had looked around the house with empty eyes, gazed at Cahill and asked. The outsiders had to be kicked out before she could confirm the last secret place.

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