CH 18

His thick biceps, broad chest, and firm thighs felt strangely tingling and suffocating whenever she touched his body. 

Asha put her hands under his arm and whimpered hard to escape him as she learned, but his heavy body did not budge.

Finally, Asha timidly said.

“Mmm… captain….”

“Yes?”

“You can let me go now…..”

“Ah.”

Jackal, who had been hugging her without realizing it, was taken aback. 

The two turned to the side for a moment and blushed as they avoided making eye contact.

They were training a bloody killing technique, but somehow the atmosphere was like cherry blossoms fluttering in the spring breeze. 

Gabe, who was passing by, noticed it and shook his head muttering.

“What the hell are these two doing…….?”

Jackal came to his senses and spoke sternly.

“You don’t need to know this, I’ll teach you one of the most important killing techniques.”

“What is it?”

When the atmosphere changed, Asha quickly asked nervously.

“Kick here.”

Jackal pointed his finger at his vital point. 

Asha followed his finger and unconsciously looked down, her mouth hanging open.

“First of all, daggers, self-defense, or anything else, start here. Here’s a straight shot.”

Asha looked up hesitantly with a flushed face.

Jackal said as he turned around in embarrassment as her gaze was fixed especially on his vital part.

“….. But don’t really kick me there.”

“…….I won’t.”

“Really…..It’s a joke.”

His jokes made the atmosphere even more awkward, and the strange self-defense training ended. 

In exchange for the lesson, Asha made a scarf out of the rabbit skin that members of the organization had secretly hunted.

“Mmmm… captain……”

When Jackal looked up, Asha, who had come down from the upper floor, approached him a bit shyly hiding a scarf behind her back.

“What’s going on?”

Asha showed him the scarf without saying a word. Jackal’s eyes grew slightly larger. 

He froze for a while, only staring at the scarf.

“……”

When he didn’t say anything, Asha hesitated, wondering if the scarf was too much to the point where he lost the words in shock.

“I’m sorry….. If I had just entrusted it to Yuri, it would have been a more useful scarf than this……”

“All scarves are scarves, There’s no useless scarf.”

“…….Is that so?”

Asha’s face lit up a bit.

“Then since I’m giving it to you, I’ll wrap it around your neck.”

Suddenly, she stretched her hands behind his neck, causing Jackal to freeze hard. 

Unintentionally, the two seemed to be embracing.

Jackal’s face turned red as he recalled Asha hugging his neck and rubbing his face every chance she got whenever he transformed into a horse. 

Asha was also a bit shy. She wrapped the scarf around him and quickly removed her hands. 

The white scarf made of rabbit fur was as fluffy as new, but the short scarf barely covered his thick neck.

“…….Thank you. I will use it well.”

He said it indifferently and turned his blushing face undetected. 

Asha was relieved that he accepted the gift without refusing, but in fact, Jackal was very excited.

When he walked around with the scarf around his neck, the members of the organization who saw him covered their mouths and laughed. 

The fluffy white scarf really didn’t go well with him…… 

Although he knew it, his earlobe was a little red, but he was coughing hard, as if nothing had happened, and said to everyone.

“There’s nothing to hide in the middle of winter. It’s all right if you can warm yourself up.”

It was a reasonable statement, but no one listened to it.

Seeing him walk with the scarf around his neck, Asha felt surprised and saddened that she didn’t have so much rabbit fur. 

He always wore the finest wolf skins, but Asha was confident and serious.

She promised that next time she would make a marten scarf.

T/N: A marten is a species of carnivorous mammal that lives in Asia. It resembles a weasel.

* * * * *

After training in self-defense, Asha received one last survival training. 

When this training ends, then all her training is over. 

Jackal recalled the first time Asha was being chased by bandits and told her what she most needed to learn. 

Asha learned to hide using the surrounding natural environment, such as snow, soil, and grass, and how to set up traps between trees and under the soil. 

Jackal crossed his arms and watched her without wasting a single moment. 

Since she’s only lived in the Royal Palace, it must have been her first training for survival in the wild, but she learned pretty quickly and adapted well. 

He was proud to see her perseverance and overflowing will.

But that was when Asha climbed a tree.

“…….Ah!”

Maybe she stepped on a brittle branch by mistake, and the branch broke, causing her to fall. 

The moment she closed her eyes, she felt a solid body holding her securely from below.

Asha gently opened her eyes. 

Right in front of her was the grim face of Jackal.

“You need to be careful.”

His voice was so sweet and soft that Asha’s eyes widened and froze.

Jackal giggled at her silly expression, but Asha came to her senses and immediately turned her face red, and quickly escaped from his arms. 

But she sprained her foot while climbing a tree, and immediately staggered with a short groan.

“You got hurt?”

“What? Oh, no. I’m fine…….”

Asha pretended to be fine, but her forehead was covered in sweat. 

If she was sweating in this weather, it must have been quite painful. 

Jackal looked at her, leaning his head to examine her complexion.

Aisha avoided his gaze because she was embarrassed and a little intimidated.

Getting hurt would cause trouble for others.

“That’s all for training, let’s go home.”

Jackal grabbed her wrist and walked forward. 

But since Asha was limping, he immediately picked her up in his arms.

“Oh! Put…put me down! I’m really fine!”

“Why? It’s better if I carry you.”

“Carry…?”

Asha asked absurdly but kept her mouth shut because it was something that could not be denied.

Looking back, it seems that……

Asha slowly averted her gaze to the side. 

She felt it every time he forced her into his arms, but it was as comfortable as riding a horse.

It was because he was actually the horse, but Asha, unaware of that fact, only tilted her head. 

Jackal strode back to his own home, holding her immersed in his thoughts. 

His firm lips were slightly curved upwards, trying to suppress a laugh.

The hut was cozy and warm, probably because Sosa had already lit the fireplace. 

Jackal made Asha sit on the bed.

He grabbed a first aid kit, knelt on the floor, and took off Asha’s shoes. 

His bold action surprised Asha as if she had been struck by lightning.

Jackal felt that he had made a mistake.

He let go of her feet and said, looking at the floor.

“….. I’m a bit rude and clumsy. I have always treated only men……. Please understand.”

“Ah yes……I’m fine.”

Asha answered, trying to calm her surprising heart. 

Without realizing it, he treated her as if she really were his partner.

Jackal, embarrassed, didn’t make eye contact with her after that, focusing only on her wound.

As if looking at a dying patient, he looked at her thin ankle with a serious expression on his face. 

His mood seemed so serious that Asha glanced at him, worried that she might have suffered a serious injury. 

Then Jackal mumbled.

“It’s a sprain…..”

The ankle area was red and swollen. 

Even though it wasn’t a major injury, Asha, who thought she had broken a bone just by looking at his expression, breathed a sigh of relief.

But when Jackal fetched an ice pack and put it on her ankle, she frowned slightly and involuntarily made an “Ugh….” sound.

The sound that came from her mouth was unintentionally strange. Asha quickly covered her mouth with her hand and blushed.

Fortunately, Jackal still looked at the floor treating her wound.

He seemed familiar with this situation, having healed his comrades’ injuries.

Asha was relieved, but Jackal was struggling to keep a blank face as his heart pounded like crazy. 

She’s a really careless woman…….

Although he was nervous inside, he frowned, trying not to focus on Asha’s white, soft feet. 

But his careless act of grabbing a woman’s ankle and fiddling with it was something he didn’t even think about…….

After the treatment, Jackal raised his head a little and found more wounds on Asha’s hand. 

Asha noticed his gaze and fiddled with her hands, turning a blind eye.

She didn’t want to be seen as a weak woman making a fuss over this.

But this time, Jackal took her hand seriously without hesitation. 

There were blisters, scratches, and calluses on her soft, smooth hands.

He silently took out a white powder, and carefully applied it to her wounds. 

A warm warmth radiated from his large hand.

Every time his hand touched the wound, Asha felt as if her entire body was being electrocuted, and her chest was tingling. 

Jackal looked up and made eye contact with Asha.

At that moment, their hearts were pounding.

Jackal quickly stood up and said.

“Then I’ll wake you up for dinner later, so rest in the meantime.”

He sat down at a nearby desk and began to work.

The desk was stacked with numerous bundles of parchment.

It seemed that they were all requests from Lycaon. 

Asha, who was dazed, asked cautiously.

“Then, do you plan on staying here……?”

“Of course. This is my house. The second floor was originally my office.”

Jackal glanced at her and asked mischievously.

“Why? You said you’d be my partner at some point, and now you’re worried that I’ll do something to you?”

“Oh, no! I’ll just quietly wipe my feet…… No, I’ll just sleep…..”

“That’s a good idea.”

Asha blushed and lay on her side on the bed, pulling the blanket up around her neck. 

Jackal looked at the documents smiling and laughing.