Episode 54: Boy Of The Plateau
“Help Muriel.”
Kaiton took Muriel home. It was to ask his father for help.
He was worried about what he would hear when his father found out he had used magic, but his main concern was rescuing Muriel from her suffering as soon as possible.
“Kaiton… Did you do this?”
Father looked at the curse pattern of Muriel’s body and asked somberly.
“…Yes. I’m reflecting on it.”
“It doesn’t matter that you used magic! I’m talking about the pain this child will endure…!”
“I know that too! That’s what I’m reflecting on!”
Kaiton blushed and yelped. He meant it. He’d thought it was fortunate that he could use magic that only he could undo for Muriel.
There was no other choice.
Seeing Muriel in pain made him disgusted that he’d had such a pathetic thought.
Although Muriel tried to calm the gloomy Urs by saying she was used to pain, her trembling hands and cold sweat couldn’t be hidden, which made his heart ache even more.
“It’s impossible. This magic can only be undone by the caster.”
Kaiton knew his father was a stubborn man who even used firewood to make a fire. However, he knew his magic skills were great, so he hoped he would be able to fix his mistake.
But as his father carefully examined the curse marks on Muriel’s back, he shook his head in frustration.
“There’s no gap. The magic is tightly and securely bound. Only the caster can undo it.”
“…Then…”
“You have no choice, Kaiton. No matter how long it takes, this is a problem that you must solve.”
“Is there no way to relieve her pain right now? Muriel is suffering!”
“If we overlay magic that eliminates pain on top of the curse, it might be possible… but that’s a forbidden ancient magic. It closes off a person’s heart.”
“I don’t like that. It’s weird to have no pain. I like being an ordinary person.”
“I’m sorry, sweetheart.”
“What are you talking about, you idiot! It’s better than being in pain! Receive the magic that gets rid of the pain. Dad can do it!”
Kaiton couldn’t understand Muriel’s easy rejection of a solution and shouted in frustration.
Muriel, whose face had turned pale and was still sweating, seemed to enjoy bluffing.
What if Muriel goes crazy or ends up taking her own life?
Kaiton shivered at the thought of a terrifying future that made him feel nauseous just by imagining it.
“I can endure the pain. Besides, we just have to wait until you learn the dispelling magic. It’s not a big deal.”
“…What if I can’t learn it? What if I can’t find a way to undo it, and you end up going crazy?”
“Why would I go crazy? You’re a genius, so you’ll learn it quickly. I’m not worried.”
“…No. I’m not a genius or anything like that.”
Kaiton didn’t want to say these words. He wanted to forever maintain Muriel’s belief that he was amazing.
He felt miserable, but he had to confess how pathetic a wizard he was, because he didn’t want Muriel to suffer.
“I’ve never even used magic before. It’s a miracle I was able to put a curse on you It doesn’t feel like something I did.”
“You really are such a fool, Kaiton.”
“…”
“The future where you become a great wizard is as natural as the future where I become a hero who saves the world. I told you I saw it with my own eyes.”
“Do you…Do you believe in me?”
“I said that from the beginning.”
Kaiton always hated the constant. He disliked the unchanging scenery of the plateau, which was always white and cold, and he disliked his father, who was stubborn and always did things his own way.
He thought that things that remained unchanged only tightened his breath.
However, Muriel said she believed in him without a hint of doubt, and her unwavering faith propelled him to new heights. It freed him from being stuck in that snow, and suppressed in his own eyes. For the first time in his life, he felt a fullness, and he felt a sense of relief that he wasn’t alone in the world.
“You’re really… a fool.”
Kaiton laughed brightly.
Muriel only raised the corners of her mouth slightly, forming a faint smile on her chubby face, but he didn’t miss a single detail of her expression.
It was because he could feel that this smile would be the wind that would carry him in the future.
⚜ ⚜ ⚜
Since that day, Muriel visited the plateau every day. Kaiton, with his father’s approval, devoted himself to learning and mastering the dispelling magic. Since it was impossible to learn the advanced level 3 compound magic without a foundation, Kaiton quickly acquired the basic magic that he had not learned before.
His father would watch Kaiton, buried in magic books, with a hint of unease, but he agreed that there was no other choice. He believed that taking responsibility for Muriel’s suffering was more important. He actively answered Kaiton’s questions and recommended magic books that would help him understand.
It was a pleasure.
His father had excellent knowledge of magic, just as he had suspected. Learning magic directly from him felt like a magical time itself.
Muriel guarded Kaiton’s side like a drowsy cat. Now, she would doze off with a tired expression by the fireplace lit by Kaiton’s magic, not firewood.. She would also lean against Kaiton’s back and read books.
It seemed that Muriel preferred reading fantasy books or folklore rather than magic books, possibly because she lacked talent in magic.
Kaiton liked the time when they leaned against each other’s backs and read their respective books. When the warmth and weight of Muriel’s body transferred to his back, he felt an indescribable sense of ease.
If only this peaceful time could last forever…
Whenever Muriel gasped in pain, Kaiton would become anxious to succeed in the magic quickly. But when he spent lazy afternoons with Muriel, who was sprawled out drowsily, he found himself hoping that this time would continue indefinitely.
“Let’s eat, you two.”
Muriel, who had been rolling around, leaning against Kaiton’s back while engrossed in her book, suddenly stood up and hurried to the kitchen at Sophie’s words.
Kaiton followed Muriel with a dark expression. It was not only because he missed the familiar weight of Muriel which had disappeared, but also because he was concerned about their meal.
“Thank you for the food.”
Muriel raised her spoon with a determined expression. Kaiton glanced at Muriel as he pretended not to pay any mind to her.
Muriel’s extended stays at Kaiton’s house led her to start having meals with his family every day.
“Mure, does the food taste good?”
Sophie noticed Kaiton’s tension and asked affectionately.
“…Yes. It’s delicious as always. Thank you, Auntie Sophie.”
Lies. Kaiton frowned at Muriel’s brazen lie. He didn’t like the shabby table. He had asked his mother to pay more attention to the food because he was conscious about Muriel’s taste since she was a noble. But it still seemed insufficient to cater to a young lady’s picky palate.
“Don’t eat it if you can’t.”
“Why can’t I eat it?”
“You don’t have to force yourself to eat it.”
“I come to the plateau every day not only to see you but also to eat Auntie Sophie’s food. Don’t be stupid, Kaiton. Sometimes you say foolish things like a fool.”
“Oh my. Hehe. How does our Mure manage to speak so sweetly? Eat a little more. In this cold place, you need to eat a lot of greasy and spicy food to withstand the cold.”
Muriel flinched slightly.
When Sophie poured more food onto Muriel’s half-empty plate, Muriel quietly relented.
“…Yes… Thank you, Auntie Sophie.”
“I’m so happy that you’re eating well, Mure. Hehe, it’s worth spending the Dallant.”
Kaiton was on the verge of losing his mind. The watery soup was embarrassing, and the lack of fresh vegetables on the table was embarrassing as well.
Dallant was the currency of the commoners, made by melting bronze lamina. Even the cheapest bronze lamina, the currency used by the nobles, was too valuable, so it was divided into smaller pieces like Dallant and used as the currency of the commoners.
Dallant for Kaiton, lamina for Muriel.
Sophie’s words were like a sharp reminder of the stark difference between the two.
He didn’t know the Storms were such great aristocrats. Muriel’s clothes looked nice at a glance, so he had already noticed that she was a noble, but he didn’t know she came from such a remarkable family.
In the magic books that he read as he pleased now with his father’s permission, he often came across the name Storm.
Storm was a prominent family among the vassals who pledged loyalty to Dachini, one of the guardian families. Because they produced many great wizards, among the inventors of the third-level magic formula were individuals with the name Storm.
Having grown up in such a prestigious household with history and tradition, how could she be satisfied with the simple food of the humble Ur household?
He could offer her something better if he became the kingdom’s best wizard…
Kaiton stared at the fork in Muriel’s hands, feeling defeated that he couldn’t help anything right now.
The worn wooden handle was too shabby for her delicate hands. They also lacked silverware. Until the most precious tapahit in the kingdom was processed and adorned with various jewels, nothing else seemed like suitable tableware for Muriel.
“It was delicious again today, Auntie Sophie.”
Kaiton followed Muriel as she hurriedly ran out after finishing her meal. Seeing her pale and rushing out as if she was about to vomit, he thought she was going to cough up the food she’d forced herself to eat.
“It’s even more rude to my mom for you to force yourself to eat food that you don’t like.. What are you doing?”
Kaiton shouted abruptly when he saw Muriel crouched down on the floor. He thought she was vomiting. However, when Muriel turned to look at Kaiton with startled eyes like a rabbit, her mouth was filled with ice.
“Why are you eating snow?”
“Hiccup.”
“What… what’s wrong?”
“Hyuk! Hyuk…!”
“Are you okay? Why are you sweating so much…”
“…It’s spicy.”
When Kaiton, who did not hear her faint voice, approached closely and asked, Muriel cried out in anger while choking back tears.
“It was because it was spicy!”
“You didn’t come out to throw up, but you ran out because it was spicy…? Why didn’t you say anything? We would have prepared something that wasn’t spicy for you!”
“…It’s embarrassing.”
“What?”
“Why can’t you understand at once!! It’s because I was embarrassed!! Did you come out to make fun of me?!”
“…”
Kaiton looked at Muriel with a surprised expression. Muriel continued hiccuping incessantly, but she couldn’t bear the heat of the spicy food and rubbed her eyes with both hands. It was a bizarre sight to see her shedding tears and sweating profusely.
“Ha! So all this time… it was really because it was spicy…?”
“Don’t make fun of me. If I try a little harder, I can eat it well too.”
“…You really… why go to such lengths… if it doesn’t suit your taste, you can just not eat it.”
“What are you saying? I told you I really like the time when we all sit together and eat together.”
“…You can eat something better at home.”
“…Not really. I prefer eating here. It’s a bit spicy, but Auntie Sophie is fun, and Uncle Charlie is sweet. You’re a fool sometimes, though.”
“…”
“I’m not lying. Everyone calls me a liar who only talks nonsense, but I always try to be honest. I don’t like lies.”
Muriel said, brushing aside her messy hair as if it were bothersome. The damp strands of blue hair were stuck to her forehead, cheeks, and neck.
Kaiton approached her as if possessed and gently brushed away one of Muriel’s hair strands.
“Because of the sweat. It was sticking to your cheek.”
When Muriel looked at him with a questioning gaze from such a close distance, Kaiton mumbled as if making an excuse.
“…Yeah.”
“I… I’ve never thought of you as a liar. Then I wouldn’t be a genius wizard, right?”
“…Yeah.”
“I will always believe you, Mure.”
sobbing
