My Desertion Would Be Faster Than Heros' Obsession-Chapter 5Vol 2.

Morning came. I opened my eyes in an instant.

It had already been a week since I left the military. I thought that once I was discharged, I’d spend my days lazing around, sleeping as much as I wanted, and doing whatever I pleased...

But after getting out, I realized a few problems.

"Aquila, did you sleep well?"

"Yeah, you?"

6 AM. Right beside me, Aquila had woken up at the same time.

Right. Because our biological clocks were still set to the Border Defense Army’s schedule, our eyes automatically opened at six in the morning.

Eight years of conditioning wasn’t going to disappear overnight.

In the end, we had been forcibly turned into early risers.

"Should we prepare breakfast?"

"Yeah."

After a quick wash, we headed to the kitchen to make breakfast. The house, which we had diligently cleaned the day before, gleamed under the morning light.

This was the second problem.

After years in the Border Defense Army, where we scrubbed everything meticulously using an obscene amount of toothpaste, we had become too accustomed to a certain standard of cleanliness.

Even if we hired a housekeeper, their cleaning never satisfied us.

"Um... Are you sure this is clean?"

"Excuse me? Ah, madam!"

"When I rub my finger across the surface, there’s still dust...."

Every time I inspected the floors after a housekeeper had cleaned, the specks of dust between the floorboards kept bothering me.

In the end, we concluded that it was better to do it ourselves.

So despite having the money, we didn't hire a housekeeper and handled everything ourselves.

While Aquila was frying bacon and I was making eggs, a knock came at the door.

I opened it without thinking, and my eyes slowly blinked in surprise at the unexpected face before me.

"Winter...?"

Winter stood at the entrance, his usual icy expression firmly in place.

Sure, he lived nearby, but he wasn’t the type to just drop by out of nowhere, so I widened my eyes in confusion.

Winter, completely ignoring my reaction, handed me a basket.

"Take it."

"Huh? What’s this?"

I looked down at the contents of the basket.

"Sweets...?"

Inside, along with some cooking ingredients, were a few desserts. I tilted my head.

Why would Winter bring me something like this—

Oh. Of course.

I wasn’t some clueless heroine who’d miss the obvious.

So, he was trying to win my favor, huh?

As I hesitated, unsure of how to respond, Winter spoke again, his tone as natural as ever.

"I went to the market and thought of the new neighbors."

"Ah."

So today, Winter had come by simply as a neighbor.

"A small housewarming gift."

"Ah... Thank you."

I awkwardly accepted it, offering a stilted word of thanks.

Then Winter, as if suddenly remembering something, added in a calm voice:

"By the way, Salvia."

"Yeah?"

"There’s a rumor going around that a dangerous criminal has been spotted in this town. Be careful."

The moment I heard that, my face went pale.

Damn it, stop setting flags!

Unfortunately, Winter showed no intention of stopping.

"Don’t be too scared. The search team is looking for him, so they’ll catch him soon."

"But... if he’s a robber, wouldn’t he break in during the night?"

I mean, that’s what robbers do, right? They sneak in like phantom thieves when everyone’s asleep.

Winter frowned slightly at my words.

"Hmm. That’s possible... But don’t worry about it."

His voice was oddly reassuring.

"This house has good security."

After finishing our brief conversation, Winter said he’d be heading back.

Only after he turned and left did I fully process what had just happened.

"A housewarming gift, a warning about a criminal, and—"

I glanced at Aquila beside me.

In his eyes, without a doubt, there was a flicker of jealousy.

A love triangle, huh.

Lately, Aquila had been getting more and more jealous.

"Hmm..."

I crossed my arms and stared at him for a moment before motioning him closer with my hand.

"Hey."

"Yeah?"

"Come here."

And so, I pulled Aquila close and kissed him.

"...I love you, Salvia."

"The bacon’s burning."

"I love you more than bacon."

"...Do you even hear yourself right now?"

Meanwhile, my mind drifted back to Winter.

This translation is the intellectual property of Novelight.

He clearly had feelings for me.

So how should I deal with him?

Should I just treat him like a regular neighbor?

I pondered over it, but no clear answer came to mind.

It was a difficult problem.

***

Jingle, jingle—

That night, as I tossed and turned in bed, I heard a sound.

A bell?

Why would a bell be ringing in the middle of the night? Something felt off. I immediately sat up.

As soon as I moved, Aquila also snapped to attention. With sharp eyes, he climbed off the bed faster than me.

"An intruder."

"What?"

"I can sense an unfamiliar presence."

Of course, when it came to detecting presences, Aquila was better than me. Hmph, this was usually Winter’s specialty, though.

"But why is there a bell ringing?"

Aquila was certain someone had broken into our house, but I still couldn’t figure out why I was hearing bells.

Well, I had a guess.

A robber.

I knew the flag had been planted, but I didn’t expect it to be triggered so soon.

But wait—why would a robber have bells attached to them? If someone broke in, shouldn’t they be silent? Why the hell was I hearing bells?

Still, I trusted Aquila’s instincts, so I climbed off the bed and followed him.

Aquila grabbed the sword hanging on the wall. I took the long rifle hanging beside it. We had bought it along with the furniture—because having weapons around was just reassuring.

Armed with a sword and a gun, we were now in peak "no one messes with us" mode. Even most monsters wouldn’t stand a chance.

With full vigilance, we crept down the stairs to the first floor.

And then—

"A robber!"

I shouted the moment I spotted a figure climbing in through the window.

There was no doubt about it. The man was decked out in all-black clothing, a black mask, and even an unkempt mustache. If there were a ‘robber’ aesthetic, he fit it to perfection—right behind the classic ‘peach’ and ‘grapefruit’ types.

The moment he realized he’d been caught, the man lunged at us.

Oh? Now that I got a closer look, I saw he was holding a weapon—a dagger.

But...

The second he saw our weapons, he switched tactics immediately and bolted. Not surprising, considering I had a gun.

"After him!"

Just as we were about to chase him down—

"Salvia!"

A voice called my name, blocking the robber’s escape route.

The man in front of the robber didn’t even need to draw his blade. He simply used the scabbard to knock the intruder unconscious in a single swift move.

I stood there, blinking dumbly at the figure standing in front of the open window.

"Winter...?"

How the hell had Winter arrived so fast? Did he teleport here? No way... he wouldn’t be standing guard around my house every night just because he liked me... right?

While I stood there speechless, Winter calmly sheathed his sword and explained.

"I heard a bell."

"A bell...?"

A sudden realization struck me, and I bolted toward the garden before even waiting for his answer.

And then—

"Oh my god..."

My jaw dropped at the sight before me.

Thin wires, nearly invisible to the naked eye, were strung across the garden.

They were so delicate that only an Arkon’s eyesight could detect them. Small bells were tied to the wires so that anyone passing through would trigger a sound.

These hadn’t been here before.

And there was only one person who could have set them up.

"Winter... you did this?"

"Yes."

He nodded without hesitation.

"As the former owner of this house, I have a responsibility to ensure it remains safe. I told you before that security wouldn’t be an issue."

"Ah...."

"And earlier today, you seemed a little anxious."

"That was..."

I clamped my mouth shut. I couldn’t exactly tell him I was more afraid of clichés than actual robbers. That wasn’t important right now.

"Winter, thank you."

Sure, Aquila and I could’ve easily taken care of a low-tier robber, but the fact that he’d gone out of his way to do this... It was unexpectedly touching.

And he didn’t just hover around the house like some overprotective watchdog. He set up a system that would notify him from his own house.

He was making an effort to act within reasonable boundaries.

...Maybe completely avoiding him just because things felt awkward isn’t the right approach.

It wasn’t like he was forcefully imposing himself on me. If he was being considerate, pushing him away just for the sake of it felt wrong.

After ensuring everything was settled, Winter wished us a peaceful night and left.

Aquila and I started cleaning up the mess the robber had made. The guy had forced the window open, and now it was broken.

Normally, Aquila would be sulking with jealousy, but he was silent as we cleaned.

Curious about his mood, I cautiously tested the waters.

"Aquila."

"Yeah?"

"Are you okay?"

He lifted his head and stared at me before answering.

"I should be asking you that. Were you scared?"

"Me? Not at all."

"Good."

He went back to cleaning, then quietly added:

"I wouldn’t let my feelings make things uncomfortable for you."

"Ah..."

Was he indirectly talking about Winter?

Hearing him say that... It was kind of moving.

I hesitated, unsure of how to respond, before coming to a conclusion.

For now, there’s a justifiable reason.

Winter was the former house owner and our neighbor.

And besides, he had already helped me. If I put in a little effort, maybe we really could just stay as former comrades-in-arms.

BANG, BANG, BANG!

"Who—who is it?!"

I had {N•o•v•e•l•i•g•h•t} just finished breakfast and was about to take a well-earned nap when someone pounded on the door. Hard.

Aquila, who had been sitting in the living room, got up to answer it instead.

"...It better not be Winter again."

But no, Winter wouldn’t knock like that.

Just as I tilted my head in confusion, a familiar voice called out.

"Huff... Huff... Aquila, is the kid okay?"

"Salvia is inside, safe."

"Ishina?!"

It wasn’t just anyone—it was Ishina!

Delighted, I ran to the door. When our eyes met, Ishina scanned me quickly before breaking into a relieved smile.

"Salvia, you’re okay."

"Of course I am. Was there something to worry about?"

"I read your last letter. It made me anxious."

"My last... letter?"

"Yeah, it seemed like you stopped writing mid-sentence."

"Ah... I must’ve sent it before finishing. Something came up."

"......."

Ishina gave me a why am I not surprised look. Feeling awkward, I pulled him inside.

He was the same as always.

But seeing him in clothes other than his Border Defense Army uniform for the first time was... interesting. He wore a white shirt and beige trousers, and somehow, he made even a simple shirt look amazing.

The male leads in this world really did have distinct styles.

I sat across from him, and Aquila immediately plopped down next to me, very close.

Ishina frowned.

"Can you two not do that in front of me? It’s making my blood pressure rise."

Knock, knock!

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Before I could even react, another knock came at the door.

What the hell? Why was everyone suddenly showing up today?!

"For god’s sake, who the—ah, hello, Winter."

"...Am I interrupting?"

"No, not at all... What brings you here this time?"

"I didn’t properly check on you last night. I wanted to make sure you weren’t too shaken up."

"Ah... Well, come in."

I waved him inside, but the moment he stepped in and saw Ishina sitting there, his pupils wavered.

"Ah, yeah. Ishina just happened to visit."

"I see."

Winter handed me a bottle of wine as a housewarming gift, which I happily accepted.

Come to think of it... I hadn’t had any alcohol since coming to this world.

I should definitely crack this open tonight.

Just as I was about to close the door—

A hand suddenly shot through the gap.

"Ahhh!"

I screamed in surprise, but an all-too-familiar voice quickly reassured me.

"Whoa, whoa, don’t freak out! It’s me."

"...Altair?"