EP: 93
“We’re going to rest here for a while. Take a short nap.”
Kaiton lit a small fire in front of the small cave. The search for monsters was taking longer, and the surroundings had already turned into a pitch-black night. The situation was bad. Since she planned to return to the territory today, there was no such thing as a sleeping back. Kaiton took off his cloak and laid it next to the bonfire. It seemed he was telling her to lie down on it.
“Why are you just standing there like that?”
Kaiton glanced at Muriel standing far from him with a stiff expression. His eyebrows arched and his firm lips formed a sneer.
“Are you scared now? Since the monsters haven’t shown up… are you now starting to suspect that there might be a connection between me and the monsters?”
“I’m not scared…”
“…Your lies haven’t improved much.”
He misunderstood her again… and jumped to conclusions…
Muriel burst out.
“…I’m just nervous! Because of you! It’s one thing to be nervous and another to be afraid!”
“Why are you nervous?”
Muriel became slightly annoyed by Kaiton’s calm voice. So, without thinking twice, she shouted brazenly.
“How can I not be nervous? I’m alone with the man I kissed…”
“Ah…”
Muriel snatched the cloak that Kaiton had laid out and handed it to him. Then she plopped down next to Fen, who’d curled his body into a ball. With Fen between them, her trembling got a bit better.
“Take it. I can’t cast a warming spell to keep you from the cold.”
“Why, does Kaiton not feel the cold or something?”
Kaiton reluctantly accepted the cloak. Immediately, Muriel’s chill disappeared. It looked like he had cast a spell anyway. But since Muriel did not feel her pacio slipping out, she glared at Kaiton with a disapproving look.
“Why aren’t you using it? Did you decide to be a demon?”
“Never mind. I can’t turn into a demon just by that.”
“….”
“….”
An awkward silence followed. Kaiton looked at the bonfire with his mouth closed. Every time the magically created flame flickered, a forlorn shade cast on his face, repeatedly appearing and disappearing.
“Just get some sleep. I’ll wake you up soon.”
As if she could peacefully fall asleep with him next to her. Muriel pursed her lips and hugged her knees. When she turned her head, she saw Kaiton looking at her. His gaze wavered for a moment when their eyes met, but did not fall.
“Are you still tense?”
“… Because Kaiton is still here.”
“…I see.”
Kaiton looked at Muriel for a moment, his lips twitching before he asked in a slightly softer voice,
“You.. do you really trust me? Do you really think I’m.. not the one behind those demons?”
“…Of course.”
“Of course…”
He repeated Muriel’s words as if pondering them anew.
“Yes, of course.”
“…I see.”
A gentle warmth slowly permeated his dark eyes. As she looked at his relaxed face, a calm tremor spread through her heart. And she realized once again.
Ah… I have indeed fallen for this person.
She felt this every time. Her heart trembled at every small glance or casual answer… There was no way to deny it. Turning away from it was impossible.
But Muriel acknowledged that she kept wanting to deny those feelings. She couldn’t fully let herself love without reservations. So, she fought against the part of her heart that wanted to surrender to him, that kept banging onto her door to let it flow freely. She caught the doorknob and blocked it, telling it to hold on a little bit longer.
“Do you remember me?”
Because she couldn’t answer that question yet.
Why were her memories so fragmented? What about her memories of Seoul? Why had her sense of pain disappeared? What was the mark of the curse engraved on her back? With no answers to any of these questions, how could she confidently love someone?
How could she convey her fragile heart and feelings to him without knowing who she was, with no sense of self? Muriel suddenly felt incredibly shabby and sorry for herself. If she continued to look into her own pitiful inner self like this, she felt tears would come pouring out, so she averted her gaze. The black night sky revealed the breathtakingly beautiful galaxy
“In the Dream Butterfly… why didn’t you ask me anything about the place you saw?”
“You mean the place where you married me?”
Muriel’s lips curved up in a smile tinged with amusement at Ceyton’s teasing voice. She playfully raised her eyebrows, then dampened her dry lips before finally asking. She was nervous. She didn’t want to hear an answer. Still, despite her hesitation, her mouth moved slowly to produce clear words.
“…It’s a world where magic doesn’t exist. A completely different world from here. A world without Ur or Sharan.”
“It doesn’t matter.”
The answer popped out immediately without hesitation… Muriel’s gaze slowly turned to Kaiton again. Those black eyes seemed to resemble the night that harbored the galaxy.
“I… might have come from there…? Maybe… someday… I might have to go back. Well, I don’t really know either…”
“But you’re here next to me now.”
Kaiton firmly held onto her heart that was swaying like a balloon that lost its string.
“I will always bring you out with me.”
Kaiton’s resolute words sent gentle waves that took root in Muriel’s heart. A sprout emerged in Muriel’s heart, which had only been swaying in the wind. It gradually grew deeper and stronger, taking root dashingly. It seemed to say, “Don’t waver, hold on to me, endure…” like it would shield her from all the winds. It took its place in her heart.
“Even if you hate me for it… I can’t help it.”
As if he had misunderstood Muriel’s shaky eyes, Kaiton whispered in a low voice this time. It was a somber and dreary voice, almost stubborn. The firm and raspy sound was so comforting that Muriel unknowingly opened her mouth and spoke.
“Yes, please. Please be the place I can return to.”
This time, Kaiton’s eyes shook. In that moment, his eyes, which had always been firm and cold, swayed as delicately as the flame of a candle in the wind at her words. That momentary agitation pushed deep into Muriel’s heart again.
“You…”
“….”
Furrowing his brows and biting his lips, he asked nervously,
“Didn’t you reject me?”
“Ah…”
A sigh escaped from Muriel’s lips. It was because of his sharp and threatening thorns that sprung forth when he was hurt.
“You wanted to turn away from me.”
“No… It’s not like that…”
“Then?”
Kaiton waited still for Muriel’s response. Though he grimaced fiercely as if he could hardly bear the silence and crumpled his face, he never took his gaze off Muriel.
“I can’t like you yet… I’m not confident… So, what I mean is, I like you… but there are still so many things I haven’t solved yet… That’s why… I think I shouldn’t like you… for now…”
Muriel rambled like a fool. It was because of his piercing black eyes. She was distracted by his eyes, which were moist as if they were hurt but spewing flames of anger like he was going to devour her. Being stared at so intently by those black eyes left her flustered and unable to articulate her thoughts reasonably.
“So what you’re saying is…”
As Kaiton briefly blinked his eyes, trying to check the words Muriel had haphazardly thrown out in her rambling, a rustling sound came from the bushes. Annoyed at being interrupted at such a crucial moment, Kaiton quickly positioned himself in front of Muriel to protect her, despite clicking his tongue in irritation.
[Human….]
The one who emerged from the bushes was Pony. The cowardly Murishi Pony who had fled, leaving Muriel who was dying from the attack of the wolf monster.
“..I’ll kill it.”
Realizing that he was once again being interrupted by a Murishi, Kaiton whispered a menacing remark. But Muriel quickly rushed out, her face filled with joy.
“Pony…. You’re alive.”
[Yes… I’m Pony. I’m Pony, Human.]
Muriel could instantly recognize Pony. It was fascinating. She thought it would be difficult to distinguish them since all the Murishi looked like raggedy dolls, but she could easily identify the one she had formed a bond with.
[I ran away. I’m sorry.]
“It doesn’t matter. I know very well you’re all cowards.”
[Human survived. I could smell it. I… followed the scent. Human lived.]
“Pony…”
That little rascal. He didn’t even look back, but it seemed he still cared about her… she was moved by that thought, but Pony plopped down and shamelessly blurted out his words.
[Human. I’m hungry. Give me food.]
MF
