This time, the cold wind blew quite strongly. Sion glanced at Cecile’s hands, which were gripping her shawl tightly, and then spoke.
“The place I’ve always been.”
“…Since when?”
“Since long ago.”
Cecile bit her lip and sighed.
She wasn’t the only one who had kept “good people” by her side.
If left alone, time would naturally solve things…
She thought that, but in the end, she couldn’t hold back and spoke up.
“Are you saying you’re still in hell? Really? But what about Laila? Laila’s by your side right now.”
“I didn’t climb out.”
“What?”
Sion answered honestly. He could have lied to reassure Cecile immediately, but he didn’t.
Cecile is his family. Being honest in front of his family was the courtesy Sion had chosen.
“Laila came down.”
To put it bluntly, Laila had jumped into the pit beside him, where he was stuck in the mire.
There had been times he tried to stop her. He dismissed all of Laila’s feelings as mere misunderstandings and tried to keep her from getting close to him.
In fact, part of him had truly meant it. Even now, Sion didn’t fully understand Laila.
How could she love me?
How could she, of all people, love me?
Maybe it was safe to say a miracle had occurred. The problem was that Sion had never wished for that miracle.
He knew for certain that he had fallen in love with Laila first.
However, despite those feelings, he had never desired Laila out of greed.
The words he once said about “not being qualified” were sincere. They had multiple meanings.
The main one was that, having committed a terrible wrong against Laila, he couldn’t possibly want her now. But there were other layers to it as well.
Sion was still trapped in the hell he fell into at the age of ten.
One of the few things Sion could say with certainty was that he was alive because Laila was alive.
If Laila were to disappear, or if she no longer needed him, Sion wouldn’t hesitate to let go of life.
Since he was ten, Sion had always felt more empty than others.
People are usually filled with many things, but Sion was different.
What filled Sion was only duty. Even that duty had only arisen after he learned he was a descendant of the celestial gods.
The duty to bring down Hildegarde. The duty to save the world.
…Later, something else was added. His feelings for Laila, and the duty to atone to her and protect her.
But even including those, what filled Sion was still far too little.
An ordinary person—someone not living in hell, someone capable of making others happy—would be filled with much more complex things.
Laila shouldn’t have come near someone like him. He had wanted to keep her away…
…Did he really want that, though?
Had he truly never once wished for a miracle?
‘Do you think people only want things they’re always allowed to have?’
‘Your heart is beating right now. You’re human. You’ll want what you shouldn’t have.’
Even someone trapped in hell, even someone imperfect—if they’re still human, then maybe…
“…Ha.”
“What is it? Why?”
Cecile immediately reacted to Sion’s brief sigh. Sion closed his mouth, then spoke.
“I’ve never liked people whose words, actions, and thoughts don’t align, but I just realized that I’m one of them.”
“What?”
“Thanks to you, I just realized that I’ve never really pushed Laila away.”
Even though he had thought he should push her away and said he wasn’t worthy, his actions had never matched those thoughts.
He pretended to push her away and act as if he were running, but in reality, he only retreated just enough for Laila to catch up.
It was absurd. And the fact that he was only realizing it now was ridiculous.
“I’m trash.”
“I’m not sure what’s going on, but I won’t ask. I won’t interfere with your self-deprecation either. That’s your business.”
After showing a bit of consideration, Cecile threw out her next words.
“Just treat her well. Laila, the one who likes you, even though you’re belittling yourself.”
“I will.”
Sion responded immediately. Hearing his answer, Cecile chuckled.
“Maybe living together won’t be so bad. Even in hell.”
There was no response to Cecile’s added remark.
The garden remained silent for a while. Neither Cecile nor Sion felt the need to break the silence.
After a long pause, Cecile spoke first.
“Shall we go in?”
☪︎ ִ ࣪𖤐 𐦍 ☾𖤓 ☪︎ ִ ࣪𖤐 𐦍 ☾𖤓
Asilis had once been a member of the Moon Clan. Until a long time ago.
But Asilis left the Moon Clan on her own.
Though she had committed a mistake grave enough to be permanently exiled, even if the Moon Clan had forgiven her and wanted her back, Asilis wouldn’t have returned.
She had never regretted leaving the clan.
Because before she left, she had come to a realization.
That she had never belonged with the Moon Clan from the very beginning.
“Is your name Asil?”
It was truly a long time ago. Before she came of age, before she had even been given her name by the Moon Clan, Asilis used to frequently visit a village other than the one where the Moon Clan lived.
The people in that village were “ordinary people.”
In other words, they were people whose lifespans were much shorter than the Moon Clan’s, who aged as time passed, and who didn’t possess any special abilities.
Asilis, whenever she felt like it, would go down to the village where the ordinary people gathered and watch them.
Yes. Watch.
Perhaps, to Asilis at that time, the village wasn’t a village but more of a zoo.
A zoo filled with animals that looked somewhat similar to her.
“Your name is pretty. You’re not from this village, are you? When will you come back?”
Asilis made a friend in that village. Even later on, Asilis never corrected herself when she used the word ‘friend.’
That child truly was her friend. There’s no rule saying that only equals can be friends.
Asilis liked her friend.
Perhaps quite a lot.
‘Asil! I have great news!’
‘What is it?’
‘I’m not sick anymore!’
Her friend had been suffering from an illness. However, it wasn’t the kind of sickness that kept her bedridden all the time; she alternated between days when she was well and days when she wasn’t.
Asilis had met her friend on one of the days she wasn’t sick.
‘You mean you’re not just feeling better today, but you’ll stay healthy? Forever?’
‘I’m not sure about forever… but, well… as long as I don’t catch any other illnesses, I guess.’
‘That’s great. It really is good news. Congratulations.’
‘Thanks, Asil! You really are my most precious friend.’
Her friend, who had recovered from the illness, was very happy.
Just for a while.
‘Asil, you know.’
Her friend was standing with her back to a cliff, the sunset was behind her. Asilis looked at the red sky and her friend together.
‘My mother is said to be a witch. She stole some expensive medicine.’
‘……’
‘If stealing expensive medicine makes someone a witch, then… I have another question.’
Asilis was a few steps away from her friend. She wanted to get closer, but her friend didn’t want that. Asilis respected her friend’s wishes.
‘My mother said she received the medicine as a gift.’
‘……’
‘She said it was given by a kind man. A man with a lot of money…’
‘……’
‘Why did my mother become a witch?’
‘What do you want to do about it?’
It was the first time Asilis had asked a question while listening to her friend. Her friend smiled and answered.
‘I don’t want to do anything.’
‘……’
‘I don’t really want to do anything. Oh, but I should say this: Asil, thank you. If it weren’t for you, I’d probably be judged like my mother now. Just for being the child of a witch.’
Asilis had just saved her friend from the village. The situation truly fit the description of being saved.
Her friend was being dragged away by strangers—who, from Asilis’s perspective, were like animals. Her mouth was gagged, and her hands were bound.
