Chapter 22

After walking for a while, Rex suddenly stopped and looked at a spot. Suji casually followed his gaze and discovered a large spring among the dense bushes, exclaiming in admiration. The spring was not as large as a lake, but it was quite sizable, enough to swim in without any issue.

“Is this the place?” Suji asked, gesturing with her hands. In response, Rex bent down, cupped his hands to scoop up some water, and pretended to drink it. Understanding, Suji quickly untied the wooden branch and filled the pot with water. Taking a sip, she felt a refreshing coolness spread to the tip of her nose. It was cold and invigorating groundwater.

“Wow, wow.”

Overjoyed, Suji couldn’t help but express her admiration. The water was much cleaner than rainwater. It was so good that she thought she could come here alone, as it wasn’t too far.

“Can I wash up?” Suji asked, mimicking washing her arm. Rex pointed to a spot. It was a place where the water from the spring flowed out. The spring was formed by water gushing from underground and collecting above, and due to the previous day’s rain, it was flowing down like a waterfall. The spot Rex pointed to had shallow water, perfect for dipping her feet. Suji quickly headed towards it.

‘This feels too good.’

She lost track of time as she washed herself. Suji cleaned every nook and cranny of her body that had felt grimy. Even without soap, the water was so clean that her skin felt naturally smooth. As she washed her entire body, Suji noticed that there wasn’t a single scratch on her.

‘I had a feeling, but…’

She couldn’t believe she was completely unscathed. Did her healing abilities improve in the swamp? Feeling strange, Suji washed her neck. It was a spot that always tensed up whenever he touched it. Feeling a duty to clean it even more thoroughly, she was rubbing her neck when she noticed Rex standing with a large branch.

‘What is he going to do with that?’

Was he going to carve something? Watching him strip the smaller branches, Suji suddenly felt a ripple in the water and turned her head.

“!”

On the other side of the spring, there was a deer with golden antlers. When Suji froze and stared, the deer seemed to sense her gaze and looked back at her. An indescribable, majestic mystery struck Suji. Just then, something flew through the air.

It was a small branch. As the branch lodged itself in the deer’s head, the deer stumbled on its front legs and soon collapsed by the water’s edge. Startled, Suji turned around. Rex had approached silently. He was staring at the deer with cold eyes.

“I thought it was attacking,” he muttered, as indifferent as ever. He had thrown the branch thinking the deer was attacking Suji from afar. Upon closer inspection, there were no signs of it baring its teeth or charging with its antlers. Only the lifeless body remained. Rex didn’t care either way. Suji was safe, and that was all that mattered to him. The golden-antlered deer, revered as sacred in the kingdom, meant nothing to him. What was important was Suji and ensuring she wasn’t harmed.

“Is it because of m-me?”

Suji felt a pang of guilt seeing the mysterious deer die so abruptly. She couldn’t blame Rex. He must have attacked because he thought it was dangerous. Remembering his rational approach to attacks, Suji felt sorry for the deer. Thinking it was her fault, she unconsciously reached out to the deer, only to be startled when a small light rose from the golden antlers.

“Huh?”

The light quickly seeped into the back of Suji’s hand. Startled, she hurriedly touched it, but there was no reaction. Her hand had only briefly glowed golden. Rex, watching this, furrowed his brow and grumbled.

“This place is so weird. Even in death, they leave their traces behind.”

Other creatures pass on a part of themselves. A caterpillar, as it dies, exudes a sweet fluid to attract bugs to eat its corpse, and a vine monster offers soil formed from its hardening blood to vine plants. All of this is driven by a strong desire to remain within another being even after death.

This strange and astonishing behavior is commonly observed in this swamp, but Rex found it merely annoying.

What’s so special about a deer?

Displeased that such a thing had happened to Suji, Rex roughly grabbed the deer’s neck. He lifted it and carried it away, leaving Suji confused. However, she soon understood his intention.

‘He’s trying to prevent the water from being contaminated.’

The spring was a precious water source in this swamp, a valuable resource worth preserving even if it meant removing the deer. Suji hoped Rex wasn’t being too cold-hearted about the deer as she watched him. After discarding the deer far away, Rex grabbed a handful of sharpened twigs and occasionally threw them into the bushes or undergrowth.

Suji curiously watched him, wondering what he was doing. When the bushes rustled and something fell to the ground, she finally realized what was happening. It was a snake with sharp fangs. The snake was entirely green, with a twig stuck in its head, lying dead with its mouth open.

‘W-Was it hiding there to attack?’

It was waiting to ambush animals coming to drink from the spring. Suji finally understood that Rex hadn’t been carving the branches for decoration.

‘H-How many more are hiding?’

Rex continued to throw twigs into the woods. With his exceptional hearing and vision, he accurately targeted the snakes, and each time, the waiting predators died helplessly.

“S-Should we go?” Suji asked, feeling restless and finally standing up. The thought that Rex couldn’t rest because of her made her uncomfortable. Before she could even finish, Rex tilted his head and stared at her face. His clear eyes were filled with worry, anxiety, and a sense of guilt.

‘She’s making that face just because of those snakes.’

Rex found Suji’s concern for him endearing and somewhat amusing. He was a being that could crush snakes and even the predators that feed on them. From the beginning, he was made as a weapon to deal with the swamp’s monsters all day without tiring, but Suji didn’t know that. She saw him as a human.

“Let’s go quickly, before more snakes appear,” Suji urged, pulling him along. Even though he thought of himself as a weapon, when she grabbed his arm, strangely, the amusement vanished. What filled its place was warmth. As always, she radiated a warmth that showed him what life was. Rex couldn’t help but look at her with softened vigilance.

“Come on, hurry up,” Suji urged again, and Rex started walking. He had the strength to resist, but for some reason, he wanted to follow her. As he moved according to her intentions, Suji’s face brightened.

“Let’s go home and rest,” she said softly. Even though he didn’t understand her words, her gentle tone was soothing. Rex, feeling her caring touch, obediently followed her. Suji, not forgetting the pot in her other hand, walked eagerly ahead. Rex, sensing a large snake’s presence rising behind them, quickly and quietly threw a twig at it, unnoticed by Suji. She chattered on, oblivious.

“I must have taken too long washing up. It felt so good since it’s been a while. Next time, I won’t take so long.”

Such a cute and lively woman. Rex decided that as soon as they got home, he would lick her nape. He would press his lips to her chattering mouth and bury his cock deep inside her to feel the warmth of her most intimate place. Completely unaware of Rex’s thoughts, Suji repeatedly thanked him for accompanying her to this place today.

“It couldn’t have been easy. Thank you for indulging my stubbornness.”

As Suji smiled brightly, the corners of Rex’s mouth, which had been expressionless until then, curved up. Although his eyes weren’t smiling, the sparkle in them was strangely sweet, making Suji’s face flush.

It was just a reaction to her greeting, so why did she feel such a sensual thrill? Her heart pounded, and a strange heat surged not only in her chest but also in her lower abdomen, making her uncomfortable. Suji couldn’t look him in the eye and walked ahead, looking straight forward.

The way back was smooth as expected. Rex caught a passing rabbit and a herbivorous animal, slinging them over his shoulder. As soon as they returned, Rex cooked the meat and shared it with Suji, naturally offering her dessert. This time, it was black raspberries. The plump seeds burst in her mouth with a tangy sweetness.

Suji was enjoying the berries when she met Rex’s gaze and flinched, dropping the berry she was holding. Rex picked it up with a slow movement. Suji naturally opened her mouth, a habit from always receiving food from him. Amusingly, the man popped the berry into his own mouth. Just as she was about to feel embarrassed, his lips overlapped with hers.

“!”

Following his sweeping tongue, the seeds burst sporadically. Suji widened her eyes in surprise. The softened fruit flesh filled her mouth and spilled over, and Rex sucked on it painfully hard, rubbing his tongue in a circular motion, kissing her wildly.

‘W-Wait.’

Suji tried to push him away, but her neck was already firmly gripped by his hand. Suji gave up resisting. The thought of being captured by him made her defenses crumble, and her attitude turned submissive. Rex immediately picked up on this. Soon, his rough kiss turned deep and intense, consuming Suji.