ESMLT 27

Chapter 27

“Do you have your backpack? Give it to me.”

Jaeger obediently handed over the bag slung over one shoulder.

I fumbled to open the backpack and reached inside.

Using my sense of touch, I pulled out cotton, disinfectant, and the temple’s special ointment.

“Give me the injured leg.”

Again, he willingly extended his leg.

‘Strange… I thought he’d just brush me off, telling me to focus on my own tasks.’

I guess it hurt him too.

“Do you still have the light stone I gave you?”

I heard him rummaging through his pocket, and suddenly the area brightened.

Blinking a few times in the blurry light, objects came into focus.

“…!”

Jaeger’s face was right in front of me.

Smooth, flawless skin, a nose that stretched cleanly from the brows, lips neatly closed.

‘…This is textbook handsome.’

Just as I admired him, Jaeger twitched one eyebrow and abruptly turned his head.

“…….”

I felt slightly uneasy.

‘Still, he held my hand when we were trapped in the cave. He must have felt some camaraderie.’

But now it wasn’t a big deal, so I took the light stone and illuminated the wound.

Blood flowed through the torn fabric.

I repeatedly dabbed at it with cotton soaked in disinfectant.

The gash bled like gills spewing water.

‘How did he endure this?’

Just as I was about to apply the ointment:

“Why…”

A deep, muffled voice reached me.

Jaeger moved his lips slightly, seeming hesitant to speak.

I glanced at him, continuing to apply the ointment while silently waiting for his words.

Jaeger was rigid and not very articulate. Careful yet secretly emotional, he probably had experience saying the wrong thing.

Types like that are better waited on than questioned.

Come to think of it, in the original story, he was more action than words.

[Jaeger, do you love me?]

Even though the romance developed over just a few pages, he never once said he loved the saintess, leading to misunderstandings.

He also blamed himself for having natural sexual desires for the woman he loved, calling them vile and lowly.

Being a paladin and she a saint, professional ethics probably influenced him as well.

Betraying such a person could have terrifying consequences.

Prejudices, once formed, aren’t easily changed.

“May I ask you something?”

At that moment, a softer voice than before came from above my head.

It seemed he had collected his thoughts; there was no hesitation this time.

“Go ahead.”

“Why didn’t you run away alone? If you’d abandoned us since I can’t move, we wouldn’t have been trapped here.”

I paused the ointment and stared at Jaeger.

Unexpected.

‘I expected hesitation for a difficult question, but I didn’t expect him to care about my thoughts.’

I wrapped a bandage around his thigh and replied nonchalantly.

“Do I look like someone who would abandon comrades and run off alone?”

“…….”

“Do I?”

“…….”

“Do I?”

“……”

Come on, answer me.

I repeated the question three times.

Jaeger still didn’t respond, even with the subtle pressure.

I shot a secret glare at the silent one, as if glue had sealed his mouth.

Well, it made sense.

In the original story, Redria would have grabbed her bag and run alone.

I pondered briefly.

‘How can I answer so he vents that damned resentment and cooperates with me?’

I chastised myself internally for scheming, even if it was for the sake of saving them and myself.

‘Can I really call this a good intention?’

Surely even the keen ones would sense some discord in my “goodwill.”

‘So they wouldn’t genuinely reciprocate.’

I didn’t expect genuine gratitude from them, but a strange bitterness crept in.

Luckily, there was no time to dwell—the treatment finished just then.

I tied the bandages securely and organized the relief supplies.

“All done.”

“You haven’t answered. Why didn’t you run away?”

“I missed the timing.”

“……”

Maybe he noticed my excuse or didn’t intend to press further; he remained quiet.

Good. I didn’t want pointless arguments.

I tightened the backpack and looked up at the sky.

Zombies were trying to squeeze through the gaps.

“…A good opportunity to study their characteristics.”

“Characteristics?”

Yes, characteristics.

In the original story, zombies’ traits weren’t described.

The male leads were frantically hunting them, driven crazy.

Peace was just a fleeting moment for them.

Even while organizing scouting parties, building watchtowers, and maintaining life, they constantly faced zombie attacks and the cruelty of monsters.

Zombie cries echoed all night.

Food shortages due to Redria, lack of weapons, exhaustion.

Basic needs like sleep and hunger were unmet while fighting zombies—rational thinking was impossible.

‘Better to study zombie traits now, while I have time.’

Life is about preparing for variables.

I shone the light stone on the ground and found the one that had fallen.

‘Here it is.’

Luckily, I found it quickly.

I removed the soundproof sticker and lifted the light stone.

Kuuuuek!

Zombies were stretching their hands and heads through the narrow gap.

Jaeger, slightly flustered, asked:

“What are you doing?”

“Watching quietly.”

I picked up a stone and tossed it among the zombies.

Clack… clack-clack.

The stone bounced out of the cave, but not a single zombie noticed it.

‘Then this time…’

I threw the light stone through the zombies.

Clack—! Roll.

It hit the slope with a duller sound than before.

Still, they didn’t notice.

They weren’t intelligent—they couldn’t recognize the trap.

‘…Zombies clearly neither hear nor see. How do they recognize us?’

Then something soft pressed my hand.

Shining the light there, I saw a rabbit.

“You’re still here?”

“Squeak!”

Watching its flapping ears, an idea occurred to me.

‘Maybe…?’

I lifted the rabbit to face it directly—brutal but effective.

“Sorry.”

“Squeak…?”

I held the rabbit firmly.

“Squawk! Squawk!”

It thrashed with its hind legs, resisting fiercely, but I pressed it up.

Finally, it slipped through the zombie gap, twitching its rear, yet no zombie followed.

I let out a relieved sigh.

‘So that’s it.’

Whatever the principle, zombies sense only living humans, without vision or hearing.

‘Damn.’

I shared all my observations with Jaeger.

Having seen my actions, he seemed to trust me without resistance.

I explained further:

“The horse was infected because a horse, excited by the zombie cries, went wild and was bitten by a zombie that confused it with a human.”

I didn’t know exactly how zombies recognized humans, so I left it at that.

‘Still, being trapped in this tunnel wasn’t a total loss.’

At least we could safely study zombie traits.

I glanced at the zombies trying to squeeze in.

The darkness of the dawn forest was unpredictable, but the tunnel’s layout remained 24 hours.

If we survived one day, we could leave and find the male leads using the tracking brooch.

I tied back my disheveled hair.

“Until the terrain changes again, we can’t escape. Let’s take turns standing watch and get some rest. Can I rest first?”

I was exhausted from being on edge and emotional labor.

Jaeger, seemingly without objection, didn’t respond.

‘Good.’

I leaned against the narrow wall and curled up.

By morning, the terrain would shift.

We’d be busy again, so I needed to replenish energy.

As I closed my eyes, thankfully, no difficulties arose, and the storm passed.