Chapter 19. Other People's eyes
They were here.
I froze in the middle of practicing a new set, the blade of my sword frozen in the air, forming a perfect line with my forearm. It wasn't a sound or a smell that came to me on the wind. Something else. Feeling. Alien eyes, watching intently from the mountain.
Two of them. On the mountain. And two more. Three hundred meters away from us. They're outflanking us. They move silently and professionally. Not monsters. People.
The instinct honed by the "Killer Skill" instantly drew a map in his head: their positions, possible attack vectors, vulnerable points. The brain coldly analyzed the threat. Rating: high. Unknown. They're armed. They're watching. I am the target. Or a cabin.
Yuki. The thought flashed through before any tactical assessment.
I didn't turn my head. He didn't show any signs of noticing anything. Any sudden movement and the trigger will be pulled. I smoothly lowered the sword, pretending that I had just finished the exercise.
"Yuki," my words sounded calm and casual. "Into the house." Now.
She looked up at me with her big blue eyes full of question, but when she saw my expression— not stern, but collected, ready for battle—she instantly dropped the axe and, without arguing, darted into the hut. The door slammed shut behind her.
Good girl. Obeyed. Now I could concentrate.
I remained standing in the same place, ostensibly enjoying the frosty air. But my whole being was attuned to the reception. I listened for the slightest rustle, for a change in the direction of the wind, for the silence that had become too loud.
They didn't attack. They were watching. Intelligence, then. Or preparing for something more.
Who! Surviving soldiers? Looters? Or... the ones from the Crimson Clan? Have you returned with reinforcements?
The thought of the blue-eyed warriors caused a slight wave of irritation. I told them to leave. They didn't listen. Or were they others?
It doesn't matter. The fact is that my privacy has been violated. My hideout has been discovered. And now there is a vulnerable link next to me — Yuki.
I slowly, as if warming up, turned my back to the mountain, to the observers. Showing them that I don't suspect anything. But my back was burning from the imaginary sight.
The "killer skill" was working hard, processing information. Distance. The cover. Possible hiding places. They thought they were hidden. But for me, their presence was as obvious as a spot on the snow.
I pretended to adjust my sleeve, and my fingers slid to the hilt of the hidden blade on my wrist. Readiness is number one.
They still hadn't moved. They waited. Studied it.
Good. We're playing in silence.
I walked slowly to the woodpile, picked up the axe Yuki had thrown, and began chopping logs. Every strike was accurate and effective. I put all my restrained rage into the work, all the frustration from the invasion of my space. That was the message. I'm strong. I'm in control of the situation. Even doing household chores.
I could feel their eyes on my back. The questioners. The missing ones.
After a few minutes, I finished, stacked the neatly chopped firewood, and, taking an armful, headed for the cabin. My gait was relaxed, but every step was adjusted for an instant rush in any direction.
I went inside, slammed the door, and leaned back against it, listening.
Yuki was sitting on my bed, wrapped in a blanket. She looked at me with wide-open eyes, full of a silent question.
—Nothing," I said quietly, moving away from the door. "Just... guests." Uninvited.
She frowned, and her brows drew together. She pointed her finger at the door, then made a gesture as if to ask, "Are they dangerous?"
I nodded. "Maybe." But for now, they're just watching.
I went to the small, icy window and looked through the crack in the shutter towards the mountain. Nothing. They were well disguised.
"Listen to me carefully, Yuki," my words were soft but clear. She immediately became alert, like her fox self. — We may be attacked. If that happens, you do one thing: hide. To the basement. And you don't come out until I tell you to. Do you understand?
She nodded, her face serious and mature. The fear in her eyes was replaced by determination.
I patted her on the head. "Now go eat." Life goes on.
I peered through the crack again. Silence. But the feeling of being watched did not disappear. They were still there.
Their appearance changed everything. My cozy plans for arranging my life and teaching Yuki collapsed in an instant. Now I had to survive again. To guard. Be on your guard.
I walked away from the window, picked up my black sword, and began methodically, almost mechanically, checking the blade. It was perfect.
Let them watch. Let them study it. They'll only see what I want them to see. A lone survivor.Nothing more.
But if they decide to cross the line... if their interest becomes too obsessive.…
Then they will see something else. Something that freezes the blood in your veins. And their last thought will be the realization that they themselves have come to the lair of the beast.
I glanced at Yuki, who was intently chewing on a piece of dried meat. They didn't know that this beast now had something it was protecting. And that made him a thousand times more dangerous.