“…You might feel a bit uncomfortable.”
“I won’t show that I’m uncomfortable, so just say it.”
“I know the sound of your breathing.”
“What?”
“I also know how you walk.”
“…”
“To be more honest…”
Sion hesitated a bit before finishing his sentence.
“I can distinguish you from others even when you’re out of sight.”
Laila unconsciously sat up, staring at Sion with a shocked expression.
“…That means, just like how you felt the energy of the trees, you can sense me from far away?”
“That’s right.”
“So you always know where I am?”
“As long as you’re not too far away.”
“Even in the mansion? In the Axid mansion, you always knew where I was?”
This time, Sion nodded instead of answering.
Laila stared intently at Sion’s face. Sion briefly met her gaze before looking away.
At that moment, Laila grabbed Sion’s face with both hands.
Sion was forced to make eye contact with Laila again.
“You….”
“…”
“Then you must have always known where I was going within the mansion, right?”
“…Yes.”
“So even when I came to you like this.”
Laila briefly pressed her lips to Sion’s and then pulled away.
“You knew I was coming before I even appeared where you were?”
Sion said nothing. But Laila felt she had already received her answer, as Sion’s eyes had slightly flickered.
“So you could have avoided me but chose not to?”
“…”
“You really…”
Not honest but honest.
No, wait.
Is he just being honest?
Yes, that’s right. Sion is being honest. Being honest means not ignoring his feelings, whether it’s affection or guilt.
I’m going to make you throw one of them away soon.
Laila slightly lifted the corners of her lips. She moved closer to Sion as if to kiss him again. That’s when…
“…Someone is coming.”
Laila, momentarily pausing, asked while keeping her gaze on Sion’s lips.
“Who?”
“A person from the Moon Clan.”
…I was considering becoming a bit shameless if it was Esther or Marie, but I guess it can’t be helped.
Suppressing her disappointment, Laila let go of Sion. As she moved back to the initial distance, the presence got close enough for Laila to sense it.
Hearing the sound of footsteps and the rustling of clothes, Laila turned her head.
“Um…”
A young woman and a child holding her hand appeared before Laila and Sion.
“…This child wanted to greet you.”
The woman released the child’s hand, and the child, who looked to be around six or seven years old, ran up to Sion.
The child plopped down beside Sion and stared at him, then spoke.
“Did you really kill the evil god?”
The child’s pronunciation was very clear. Is it normal for someone that age to speak so well?
While Laila idly pondered this, Sion looked down at the child and answered.
“Yes.”
“But what if the evil god comes back to life?”
“Then I’ll kill it again.”
“Really?”
“Yes.”
“Thank you.”
“……Sure.”
“But what did the evil god look like?”
The child seemed very curious. Perhaps it’s just because of their age.
“It was ugly.”
“How ugly was it?”
“What’s the ugliest thing you’ve ever seen in your life?”
“My older brother.”
“It was uglier than that.”
“Ew…”
As the conversation showed no sign of ending, the Moon Clan woman, who was presumably the child’s guardian, began to fidget anxiously.
“Um…”
“It’s alright.”
Laila stepped forward. She addressed the woman while getting up from her seat.
Then she took the woman’s hand and sat down with her under the tree’s shade.
“While they’re making noise over there, let’s talk amongst ourselves. What’s your name?”
“…Neidal.”
“I’m Laila.”
“I know. Duchess of Axid. The hero’s wife…”
The woman, who introduced herself as Neidal, glanced at Sion, who was still interacting with the child, and then looked back at Laila and said,
“…Is that correct?”
“Yes. But is Sion well-known among the Moon Clan too?”
“Yes, everyone… thinks they owe him a debt of gratitude.”
“Because the Duke of Axid sealed the evil god?”
“…Yes.”
Laila suddenly realized.
The Moon Clan woman who had explained about Asilis.
That’s why she had been so kind to Laila and Sion all along.
Laila had even wondered if she might be friends with Esther but hadn’t seen her talking to Esther in any particular way, which seemed odd.
…It was all thanks to Sion.
It felt strange. She was newly aware of the weight of “saving the world.”
“I heard you’re unwell.”
Laila, who had been lost in thought, met Neidal’s gaze.
“Welcome. Starting tomorrow, you’ll be in good health.”
“……”
“Although it may not be in this body…”
“I know. Thanks to the Moon Clan, I’ll be able to live a long life. Thank you.”
Neidal smiled shyly.
Looking at her face, she seems to be about the same age as me.
“Neidal, may I ask how old you are?”
“I’m a hundred and six.”
“…And the child?”
“She’s six.”
“So, are you the child’s mother?”
“No, I’m her older sister.”
“……”
“We’re three siblings. My younger brother, who is the second, is now seventy-three.”
“I see…”
“But my younger brother has aged a lot. He uses his power too frequently to save dying animals…”
“Oh.”
Wait a minute, did the child say her older brother was ugly after seeing his wrinkled face?
That’s harsh…!
As Laila was taken aback by the child’s brutal honesty, a voice from the side interrupted.
“So? What did the evil god do?”
“It swung its arms. The evil god has four arms, so it swung its third arm.”
“Wow…”
He’s really engaging.
Meanwhile, Laila, with one leg folded and her arm resting on it, propped her chin up and watched Sion and the child.
And then Neidal, moving closer to Laila, whispered,
“He’ll make a good father.”
Taken aback by the unexpected comment, Laila widened her eyes and glanced sideways at Sion.
Sion was still focused on talking with the child, or at least that’s how it seemed.
He must have heard it.
Turning back to Neidal, Laila spoke.
“I agree.”
“Right?”
“So I plan to have about four children.”
A coughing sound was heard. The child, seeming startled, asked,
“Why are you coughing? Are you sick?”
“…No, I’m fine.”
Sion’s voice, replying to the child, sounded a bit hoarse. Laila laughed refreshingly.
☪︎ ִ ࣪𖤐 𐦍 ☾𖤓 ☪︎ ִ ࣪𖤐 𐦍 ☾𖤓
“Before we transfer the duchess’s soul, there’s one request I’d like to make.”
In a meeting where Laila and her party were gathered, Iodal began speaking.
“What is it?”
“After transferring the duchess’s soul, I’d like to take possession of the Duchess’s body.”
“My body?”
Sion interjected. “What will you do with Laila’s body?”
“I’m going to burn it.”
“You mean you’ll cremate it?”
“Similar, but not quite the same. After burning, there will be no remains.”
“Why?”
“Because we will use the power of the Moon Clan, not ordinary fire.”
Laila blinked and then asked,
“May I ask why you need to burn my body in such a way?”
“I will be honest. The duchess’s heart contains the time stone.”
Laila’s eyes widened.
It was easy to deduce that the time stone referred to the regression stone.
‘Time stone…’
Indeed, it was a more fitting name than the regression stone. Because strictly speaking, I hadn’t regressed.
The stone moved time. It sent everyone back to the past.
Only one person recognized the fact that they had returned to the past.
…Actually, it was not just one person, but still.
“What the Moon Clan desires is to completely destroy the time stone.”
