[Chapter 34]
“It seems like no one else lives here but you, so I was curious if you have any friends to hang out with.”
Even to my own thinking, it was a question that trampled on manners, but in the expression of the young girl, there was only pure curiosity. The face of the boy, who naturally looked friendless, seemed embarrassed. As if he could shoot something in anger at any moment, he swallowed his frustration, unable to think of what to say, and vented his anger first.
“Whether I have friends or not, what does it matter to you! Are you making fun of me?”
“…..So, you don’t have any?”
“I do! I have a lot of friends!”
At those words, my mouth hung wide open.
“How many do you have?”
“Really? How did you meet them? What do you do together?”
Why is this kid so curious about everything? Despite my frustration, my body, fueled by a growing curiosity in my eyes, approached him closely and persistently asked.
“Am I one of them too?”
However, the boy’s blushing ears gradually calmed down in the face of the following question.
“……Um.”
“Really?”
“Yeah, that’s right.”
“Good for you. I asked because I only have you as a friend, and you seem to be popular too. Is it because you’re good-looking?”
A brief silence passed. It seemed like I had spoken without much thought, but the boy stopped in his tracks with a shocked expression. In truth, I was also surprised. In my dreamlike state, I was creating an atmosphere with an innocent face, trying to keep things calm.
“…..Hey, do you know how hard it is to become my friend?”
“Are there conditions?”
“Of course.”
As I widened my eyes, the boy, whether satisfied with my reaction or arrogantly, clenched his fist triumphantly.
“To be my friend, you must come to my place once a week.”
The conditions were too demanding. I became anxious, wondering if I might not meet the criteria to be his friend, and nervously bit my lower lip.
“….it’s too much. My parents probably won’t allow it.”
“Then, I’ll make an exception and allow you to come once a month.”
“Well, but if they find out about the recent kidnapping, they might not let me go outside the Southern Empire for a few years, you know?”
The boy’s lips protruded with a pout. There was evidently some discontent, but in the face of the word “kidnapping,” he seemed resigned.
Silently, we walked for a while, our conversation naturally fading away. At that moment, a faint ripple split like the wind, and the previously locked heels of my shoes echoed. This place was truly mysterious. It was said to be where divine beings rested, but how and where they found solace remained a mystery.
Soon, blades of grass emerged along a tranquil stream. Lost in thought, I had been walking alongside the boy without realizing it. When I came to my senses, a lush and sunlit forest unfolded before us. It was the place where I had first met the boy.
My eyes, now enlightened, slowly widened. A strong intuition told me that leaving this forest would mean parting ways with the boy.
“…..If I become an adult, maybe I can come to see you.”
“Adult? What’s the standard for humans?”
The boy, who had been silent, showed interest. Puffing up with pride, I counted on my fingers like autumn leaves falling.
“Maybe 16 years old? Or not. To get permission from my parents to go abroad, I might have to be an adult under the laws of the Western Empire, not just the Southern Empire, so it might not be 16.”
Then, 17 years old? No, there was also a system in which the coming-of-age ceremony was held at the age of 19.
‘It’s 16 years old, yes, that’s right!’
I shouted, recalling the original story, as I was possessed in the girl’s body. However, the child, whimpering and muttering that there were only ten fingers, began counting again. As the fingers unfolded from one to five, something suddenly bumped against my forehead.
“…you should go now.”
“What?”
It was the boy’s back. Suddenly, he stopped, and his shoulders ominously lowered. He didn’t even look at me; his gaze was fixed on something. Startled by the eerie expression I had never seen before, I took a step back in fear.
“You were planning to go alone from the beginning. Look over there. Do you see something like a white castle?”
The boy approached me and pointed to something.
“Yes.”
He was right. Amidst the dense pine trees, a slender skeleton of a bell-tower, like a needle, was visible.
“That’s a white bell tower. It was built in the center of the city when the Northern Empire was thriving before its downfall. The empire has collapsed now, and there are no nobles around, but there might be small villages nearby.”
“……Why?”
“The Northern Empire fell due to monster attacks. The name has now changed to the Middle Lands. Because of the demons, neither the Western nor Southern Empire can dominate this place, so people can’t even approach it. Just follow that and you’ll come to a main road. Got it? If you ever don’t know where to go, head towards the direction of the white castle.”
Why is he suddenly telling me to go alone? Feeling uneasy for no reason, I grabbed the hem of the boy’s sleeve.
“…..Can’t we go together? I don’t even know how to come back here.”
Judging by his vague words, it seemed like he didn’t have any plans for later.
“Why?”
“Just run!”
With an urgent shout, a strong force pushed me. It wasn’t just casual advice. If I insisted on not leaving, he seemed ready to get angry. Nodding hurriedly in response to the desperate cry, I opened my eyes.
However, this wasn’t the forest I had seen.
Rather than a forest in a field, it was a rough tropical jungle. The leaves, densely covering the lush forest, trembled as they swayed in the wind. As the sunlight filtered through, dazzling and squeezing an impression, I slowly rose my upper body. The clothing covering me slid down underneath. Seeing the frilly garment, it was undoubtedly the uniform of a patrol officer.
“…Deon?”
I don’t know why I called him. Now, whenever I habitually didn’t know what to do, his name would come to mind.
Upon calling, the man leaning against a nearby tree, eyes closed, opened his eyelids. The red irises, noticing me with open eyes, shook violently for a moment.
“Am I not dead?”
In response to my question, a mocking laughter burst out as if he found it amusing. Then, abruptly, his gaze, grabbing my chin, focused on my face.
Compared to the indifferent response, his gaze was intense. He seemed inexplicably restless. Deon, who had been silently staring at me, suddenly called my name, as if he wanted to test something.
“Officer.”
“Yes?”
At my response, the red irises slightly widened.
“…..Lemony.”
He called again. This time, it was a bit lower and more discreet, slightly lowering his seated upper body.
As the shadowed face approached, the red irises revealed between the black hair seemed particularly intense today.
“Answer.”
Feeling strangely uneasy, I tried to avert my face, but once again, my chin was caught by the large hand.
“….Why do you keep calling me?”
Unknowingly, my voice trembled. As his face drew closer, the sharp features became more distinct, and I couldn’t even speak properly because my breath caught.
“I just wanted to see your eyes. You only look at me when I call you.”
“…That’s how most people are.”
“I’m not.”
The man’s lips twisted into a smirk.
“For eight years, I’ve only looked at you, Lemony. Thinking about how to make you cry, how to torment you.”
Is he talking about that again?
“I’ve already cried a lot because of you.”
“You say it as if it’s for my sake.”
“It’s almost true.”
“Then cry more.”
“…What do you want from me?”
Wary of making more strange remarks, I glared at him, but the man’s lips, about to respond, hesitated. Deon, unexpectedly, seemed to be at a loss for words himself, and with a slightly frustrated expression, he withdrew from me, furrowing his brow.
“Just examine your body.”
“What?”
“Check your neck.”
As I felt around with my hands, I noticed bandages wrapped around my neck. Could it be? Only then did the situation before I lost consciousness flash through my mind like a panorama. Come to think of it, I was bitten by a monster. At that time, I naturally thought I would have died.
“….Was I infected?”
“You’re quick to ask.”
“Lemony? Are you awake already?”
That’s when it happened.
While Deon and I were engaged in a prolonged and meaningless staring contest, it seemed like someone had spotted me not far away. It was Ian. Carrying a handful of fruit in his arms, he saw me and immediately dropped the fruit, bounding toward me like a puppy.
“Is your body okay? You’re not trying to bite me or anything, right?”
“…..What about you?”
Ian smiled mischievously.
“I always want to bite Lemony.”
“Then, it seems like we’re both normal.”
The watcher also knelt behind Ian and met my gaze.
“Is your body alright, Princess?”
The watcher’s expression when asking about my well-being wasn’t good. Perhaps he thought I was injured because of him. It wasn’t the case. I raised the corners of my mouth forcefully for his sake. Even if he was not there, I would have been bitten. It was just a coincidence that I spared the watcher at that time.
“I’m fine.”
However, he didn’t seem to hear me, and he continued speaking without making eye contact with me.
“For now, the monster transformation has been suppressed, but it might be best not to touch guns for a few days. The strain on your body was too much, and there were hidden bruises in various unseen places.”
Huh?
“…Yes? Suppress?”
The watcher, lowering his head like a sinner, mumbled while glancing at the men.
“I don’t have magic power in my body. In other words, it means I’m a saint.”
“…. A saint who can use divine power?”
“Ah, that’s why…”
He is weak. His lips, which had swallowed the words, tightened firmly. Thanks to his explanation, the lingering questions that had remained unanswered were resolved, but I felt sorry for not directly discussing it with him.
“Yes. That’s why I’m weak.”
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Thank you for reading!
