Chapter 86. Greed (5)
Everything that came to mind was different.
– Shoot…!
– Tap, tap, tap… Tuk.
A strong sound that constantly comes from far away, and the quiet sound of tapping on the shield covering the ceiling. Different memories emerged in the minds of the two people who listened to sounds that were loud or close to silence.
‘I can see rain outside the window. It’s okay if it’s raining and you don’t have to prepare a rain gutter.’
Kirie, one of those two people, was thinking of these words. This was the answer Hina gave to Kirie’s question one day not long after she came to the palace.
‘I love that so much. You just need to get closer to people little by little. There is nothing difficult or uncomfortable. ‘You don’t have to worry.’
The first and second floors of Chermil Palace, where Hina and Kirie were newly staying, had glass windows instead of wooden windows. There was no such thing as a ceiling that was constantly leaking from rain. Thanks to this, Hina was able to look out the window even on rainy days. I could see raindrops falling down the glass window and fell asleep comfortably while listening to the sound of rain falling all night long.
It was all a first time experience.
It was a pleasant and exciting experience.
So don’t worry. Hina had said those words to Kirie, who was worried that her younger brother might get lost in the extremely clean palace and the unfamiliar but friendly people.
‘Vice Commander, do you ever eat apple jam pie?’
Plantz’s memories were a little more colorful.
‘My younger brother runs a cafe on Astrisha Street. When it rains, I pack sweets and I made a lot of them today too. If it’s okay with you, would you like to try it, Vice Commander? It’s very sweet, but still delicious.’
I recalled Needlen’s laughter when he said that he should eat sweets because he gets depressed on rainy days, adding that he had already given half of it to Alan on his way back.
‘Vice Commander, have you seen Vice Commander Hertz? The healer said he would look at Vice Commander Hertz’s shoulder for a moment, but he can’t find Vice Commander Hertz. I said I stayed up for two nights, but I guess I already got off work…’
Another day came to mind.
It was the voice of a day when I had to cancel a scheduled class and handle the work of a colleague for the rest of the afternoon thanks to a crazy blue-haired magician who complained that my shoulder hurts when it rains and then fell asleep somewhere in the treatment room with an empty bed.
‘Prince, I think Anne went into a place where rainwater was trapped today. Lucy brought him a baby whose belly and tail were all covered in dirt and placed them on the prince’s bed… and we are currently rearranging the prince’s bed. Please wait a moment and I will finish quickly. I’m sorry.’
It was a time when Plantz had not yet been called ‘low’. Even so, the story of the day when young Anne, who hated water, fell into a puddle of rainwater and ended up having to take a bath, cried in sorrow late at night.
‘Look, my baby. ‘It’s raining.’
Of course, such light images were not the only things that came to mind.
‘No matter how fierce that rain is, it won’t be able to wet your sleeves. As long as I’m here, nothing will be able to reach you. I will take care of it all until you walk and talk and one day you bring me the greatest gift of all. Even if it is heaven.’
The day when I was so young that I wasn’t even called by my name yet.
Because it was left in my memory without understanding its meaning, the words of a promise that I was never happy about, whose meaning I learned only after a long time, are heard in passing.
And of course.
‘I hate rainy days.’
‘I hate rain. I also hate getting caught in the rain. It feels like being submerged in the sea.’
Similar yet different.
Or something similar that seems different.
Even his younger brother’s consistent confession.
‘If it were now, would I have recognized your brief words?’
And like this.
okay. like this.
The countless words I had heard on the rainy day suddenly came to mind and took on different voices.
While I feel happy about the sweet taste of apple jam, I also feel irritated by my missing co-worker, and I feel as warm and fuzzy as the sad cry of a young cat. Whether it was longing or resentment, I was lost in a longing that I would never find a complete answer to in the future.
In the end.
It returns to its original position as if it were being pushed back into place.
So many memories came together.
So, for Kirie, the sound of rain meant peace. And for Plantz, it was a neat mixture that could not be defined in one word.
‘Please fix it. this time.’
For Plantz, who believed that patience was something an adult should do, Calian, who had been stubborn and chose words that he did not want to accept even if he was dead or awake, changed his attitude in an instant.
Randel, who heard those words, did not answer right away.
Even after Kirie was immersed in the warmth of a bonfire and Plants was immersed in mixed memories, he remained silent for a long time. He just looked at Kalian, as if he had forgotten that he had asked him first if he needed treatment.
“The waterfall and the sound of the waves that passed by were not bad.”
Then he said this.
Looking into the red eyes of my younger brother, whom I had not seen in quite some time since the Whitlin territory.
Calian nodded instead of telling him that the situation outside was serious enough to break his stubbornness and ask for treatment right away.
“I’m glad. I was worried because it was all unfamiliar things.”
Instead of revealing that the wound had moved because the disguise had been removed, the pain I had become accustomed to was creeping back in, so I answered instead.
“It looks a lot like the sound of rain now.”
“I imagined that it wouldn’t be much different since they were all the sound of water accumulating and vomiting out.”
“Did you imagine that?”
“Yes. I imagined it.”
Instead of the sound of rain and the valley, a quiet conversation continues like the sound of the Seneu River.
“Yeah. It wasn’t much different.”
“I’m glad to hear that my imagination wasn’t wrong.”
Those were words directed at ‘Kalian’.
Also, this was the answer given by ‘Kalian’.
He said it was nice to hear the sound of waterfalls and waves that cannot be heard in the palace. These were Randel’s words to ‘Kalian’, for whom the sound of rain that he heard in the palace was the only sound of water.
I had imagined that since it was a sound made by water, it would be no different from the sound of rain. This was the answer given to Randel by ‘Kalian’, who had heard the sound of rain in the palace as all other sounds of water.
Didn’t Calian have the face of Bern all the way from Whitlin to here? In the end, it seemed that among those who were with Randel, there was no ‘Kalian’ who had imagined the sound of the water.
no. It was correct that there was none.
“Were you curious enough to imagine it?”
Randel asked.
It was as if the Kalian standing in front of me now was the Kalyan from a long time ago who had always imagined the sound of water. It was true that Kalyan was not there, but it was as if he was still by his side and talking to him.
Calian shook his head.
“I wasn’t even greedy for the sounds of the waterfall and the ocean. I liked the sound of the wind more.”
“Did you think it was greed?”
“In the end, the only sound you can hear from the tower is the sound of the wind… Isn’t being curious about other sounds ultimately greedy?”
Calian answered by mentioning the things he had been trying so hard to pretend not to know. I continued the conversation with Randel, bringing up things I had kept ‘as unknown’ because I did not want to know.
“So I wasn’t greedy. I really liked the sound of the wind more.”
A small, quiet sigh was heard.
It was Kyrie’s.
No other breathing sounds were heard. The second brother held his breath and kept his head down, and the first brother was unable to decide when to breathe out. So in the end, only Kirie’s small sigh was dissolved in the sound of rain.
“I don’t plan on opening it until I die.”
Finally, under the rock roof, where only the sound of rain was left behind, under the shield that had been carefully placed to prevent rainwater from falling on the two brothers, Calian opened his mouth.
“What happened to ‘me’ from the time I received the poisoned tea until ‘me’ woke up again? Why did ‘me’ accept ‘me’? What were they thinking while they were with me? I don’t know. I would like to.”
Randel’s sea turned toward Kalian’s life.
Calian, who looked directly into deep blue eyes, continued speaking.
“I’m saying that I don’t want to blame others anymore. Instead of blaming other people for every single detail, I will just think of it as Serenti’s fault. Just like I didn’t care about the sound of the waterfall or the sound of the waves, I also imagine without knowing. “I will live my life just doing it. That is my greed.”
Do you think you might have resented your brothers?
If not, would you have forgiven your brothers?
Calian, who I met in my dream before leaving, said he already understood everything, but I wonder if he had other feelings before that happened. Perhaps it is an understanding that has already passed the point of resentment and forgiveness. I don’t want to know whether I resented my brother or forgave him. That’s what I said.
“Could it be greed?”
“I said I would live, so I will just live without worrying about that one thing. I will do it for myself, not for my brothers. That is my wish. So, for me, it is greed.”
There was silence again for a while.
Calian continued.
“I cannot forgive you even if you think about what happened when you heard the waterfall and the waves alone. Even if everyone in the world tells you that Brother Randel’s neglect was something that could not be helped, I am the only one who cannot say that. I do not hold any resentment. “I won’t forgive you and I will just understand.”
“okay.”
“That is also my greed. I am a very greedy person, so I am greedy for all of these things. So Brother Randel, just live like me. Don’t even think about asking for forgiveness, but don’t forget and just live as you understand. That’s my brother. It’s my responsibility and my responsibility.”
Randel lowered his eyes without answering.
Calian pointed to Randel’s hand.
“Please give me some treatment. It hurts.”
I didn’t necessarily want to remind her of Calian, but in the end, it was a situation where I had to remind her, so I had no choice but to change my words. I tried to avoid anything that would remind me of Calian, but the situation has changed, so what can I do?
I have no choice but to let go of my regrets at this point.
Whether it is a lingering desire for forgiveness or a lingering desire for resentment.
Randel, who was looking down at Calian’s finger pointing at his hand, looked up. And he opened his mouth with a calm face.
“Don’t do that.”
“yes.”
Randel’s thick hands immediately glowed red.
Gradually, the pain subsided and I felt like my bones, muscles, and flesh were healing and sticking together.
“Should I pay for the mithril scissors?”
The healing power is quite different from Hina’s, and rather than putting my mind at ease, it feels like my heart is aching. Calian, who gave up his right shoulder to such power without any doubt, asked.
Randel’s tightly closed mouth moved slightly.
“Are you putting a price on a gift?”
“That’s a bit shameful. Then, what price should I put on this?”
“Leave it.”
Landel, who cut off Calian’s words as if cutting off a weak branch, continued.
“I’m just paying you back without paying anything.”
Don’t pay back, ask for help.
This was what Chase had asked Plantz for.
However, Plantz, who realized that he still had a lot to pay, left out the teachings and only conveyed his thoughts to Randel. Don’t pay the price, just pay back. If you pay it back like that, the day will come when you can help.
Calian, who had no way of knowing what happened between Chase and Plants and between Plants and Randel, chuckled.
“yes.”
And he nodded.
I don’t know what I’m paying back, but free stuff is good anyway.
* * *
He had bright eyes.
Then he made a loud voice.
“no.”
A forest near Siegfried Ridge.
It is the territory of the Sispanians, just called that in Kairis, and is also a vast place where the Mother Tree of the Elves took root.
In fact, it was the voice of Arnaizel, who proudly stood deep in the vast forest whose proper name was ‘Silahar’, but whose name was unknown to humans.
“If I go, I’m going to fight. That’s why I took Danu out from the elves.”
It was just as Arnaizel said. Now, a literal forest was spreading around them. Not only the elves that filled the surrounding area, but also the mysterious and beautiful scenery of the elf city had disappeared, and the vast sea was nowhere to be found.
This is because Sispanian temporarily broke the link between the great forest and the great desert, which no life on the continent could give a new name to because it was named directly by Serenti. As Arnaizel said, it means that the Sispanians have taken out Danu, which was surrounded by a city of elves.
– Sispanian is here, so give it back quickly, Biadhanur.
– Just get that back and go back to Sispanian. huh?
Arneizel, standing between Danu, who had transformed into a young elf, and the Sispanian, who was dressed in black mourning clothes as always, conveyed his message again.
Despite their concerns about the young dragon that had not yet reached adulthood, the two people standing nearby gave no other response. Arnaizel saw that and pursed his lips tightly shut. And then he opened his mouth once more and let out his voice.
“Danu is not a dragon, Sispanian. It may want to know why it is here. It may try to talk to you directly.”
“Don’t worry.”
I wonder if Sispanian will be angry.
Has Sispanian’s understanding reached its end?
“Will you understand?”
“I understand.”
“Okay, okay. I won’t worry. I’ll just wait here quietly.”
Arnaizel, who was worried and took Danu’s side, smiled brightly. Perhaps, if it had been in the sea, pleasant air bubbles would have spread out into the water.
Those who have mediated between mermaids and humans, between the sea and land, between dragons and other ancient beings, and thus between gods and life are the sea dragons. They were the ones who prevented humans from approaching the mermaids living in the ocean, sent back things from the land that washed up in the sea, and prevented those who had spent their past lives from fighting, thus protecting the life on the land from being hated by the gods.
That is why they suffered the most cruel sacrifices during the War of the Two Gods. He was sacrificed more cruelly than anyone else because he blocked the path of an evil spirit who was spewing out his anger at the world.
The precious life that was born from the only egg that Sispanian managed to save from the arms of the dead sea dragons and grew up under the protection of the mermaids was none other than Arnaizel.
“I will be here then, so talk to me. Don’t fight, just talk.”
Arnaizel, who took a few steps away from the two, spoke stubbornly.
In the end, I can’t let go of my nature, so I try to mediate like this again. Even though I know how people like me died.
The Sispanian, who resembled a human, let out a small sigh and looked at Danu. The meaning was clear without having to say it. However, Sispanian insisted on speaking.
“I want it back. Biadhanur.”
“Explain, Sispanian. Why it is in human hands.”
“There’s no reason I need to explain anything to you.”
“It will not disappear. Eventually, it will come together and regain its original form. How can we allow the king of humans to covet that?”
“It’s not that my child coveted it.”
Arnaizel called Calian ‘Sispanian’s favorite human being.’ And Sispanian was referring to Calian in a more advanced way.
“He”
“is my child.”
As if nailing it like this again.
Danu frowned.
This is because he understood that it was a warning that if he touched Calian any further, he would have to pay the price for his actions of harming not just a human but the ‘blood of an ancient dragon’.
The Sispanian who cut off Danu’s words spoke in a voice that seemed to be engraving.
“My child does not covet it. He only protects it with my permission.”
“… Are you saying you entrusted me with your protection?”
“So it was.”
“Is it to replace you?”
“It is true.”
The hem of her black dress moved like waves, as if it had been released in the deep night without even the stars. Sispanian took a step toward Danu with unwavering steps and looked down at Danu.
– Don’t covet that power.
– Don’t say you will protect.
– Do not think that you distrust humans.
Three warnings flowed simultaneously and were directed at Danu. Danu shook his head at the strong warning. Then I looked up at the Sispanian who was much taller than me and answered.
“It’s not about coveting. It’s about protecting. It’s not distrust, it’s anxiety.”
A piece of the axis of time. Or a piece of disaster.
It was not my intention to abuse it. Because my accident wasn’t short enough to be greedy for something I didn’t even know how to use. He just felt uneasy about leaving the power to disappear into the hands of a human who didn’t even notice his attack.
Just a difference in understanding.
Or differences in beliefs.
Danu cannot trust Kalian, and Sispanian cannot trust Danu. In the end, even though what each other wanted was not different, they kept misaligning.
“If not, I want it in your hands, Cispanian. If so, I will hand it to you.”
“It’s impossible.”
“Why do you say it is impossible? Isn’t this something you made?”
Sispanian took a deep breath.
Just like Hatsuara did when she was about to worry.
Instead of explaining the reason, Sispanian remained silent for a moment.
– There were people who objected to Hatsuara raising his flag on such a large piece of land.
And I sent this message to someone:
– Hatsuara was, of course, a strong human being, but he did not have the disposition to take out his sword, saying he did not understand the same thing as the few surviving members of his compatriots.
– Because of this, Hatsuara just watched those who opposed him.
– One day, they captured Hatsuara.
– Because they trusted my understanding, they believed that even if they harmed Hatsuara, they would not incur my wrath. They aimed their swords at my human, who had gone out alone to do some important work.
So many words delivered in an instant.
Danu, who was standing in front, showed no reaction. instead.
– I didn’t know.
Now I heard a familiar answer from an irrational person who was very good at thinking.
– That kind of story wasn’t in the history books. I heard this for the first time now.
An answer too calm to be attributed to someone who did something without a plan. Sispanian, who had been quietly listening to that voice, spoke again.
– They told me not to record it because it would be embarrassing.
– …… His Majesty the first king.
– okay.
– Ah…
‘People believe that when I hold a sword, it flies. Even though he can’t fly, he’s definitely a sword master, so it’s embarrassing to be kidnapped. So I told them not to record it. In case this somehow becomes known in the future and someone asks about the truth, Sispanian. Please explain that I only held you for a moment because I felt like I was in a bad mood.’
– so. How did you do it?
Sispanian raised his head in response to the answer, trying not to be embarrassed by the sudden conversation. Then, he looked at Danu, who was standing still as if he was rooted in one place, waiting for Sispanian’s answer, and then continued speaking.
– He called me.
– His Majesty the first king. Sispanian.
– okay.
– I’ve been kidnapped, so please save me.
– That’s what he said.
– …… ah.
The quiet laughter of a distant descendant who heard the secret story of the first king is heard. Sispanian continued, pretending not to have heard that.
– You handed it to Danu. Fragments of disaster.
– yes.
– Have you not thought about how I would treat someone who would not allow me to touch it?
– I didn’t have time to do that. Otherwise, I’m going to lose my brother.
– So you handed it to me without any other thought?
– yes. It was like that.
-You him.
Sispanian, who was talking like this, stopped talking.
This is because Danu was seen moving one foot and approaching Sispanian. However, no further action was taken. Because of this, Sispanian tried to continue talking to Calian.
– Is it similar to asking for a great person without any solution? I am the first king.
But Calian’s voice was heard first.
Sispanian gave a small smile.
– It reminds me of him.
Even without reason.
Doing things without hesitation.
Because it reminds me so much of that person.
– … I wanted to apologize for calling the black butterfly death.
– I understand.
– I would like to apologize for what reminded me of this.
I would like to apologize for making me reminisce about the feelings that I tried to forget but still did not fully understand.
– Don’t do that.
Sispanian spoke in an extremely calm voice.
– That was life for me.
He said he would not accept an apology.
I felt like my life that day would fade if I received an apology. I didn’t want to understand, but somehow I just felt that way.
“then.”
I heard an answer.
– Jerk!
Footsteps were heard.
A loud sound that had been made on purpose was suddenly heard.
Black hair and red eyes.
A pretty face that was flawless even compared to the three gathered here smiled brightly at them.
Kalyan.
Before I knew it, Kalian, who had completely healed his shoulder, came to visit.
Calian looked around as he walked towards the three older beings who would have already known of his visit without even having to make a sound. He walked slowly with his right shoulder still intact and was the first to show a deep bow towards Sispanian. And instead of saying hello, he looked at Arneizel and gave him a brief wink.
I didn’t say hello to Danu, who looked a lot like the young elf Sia. Because Calian was not a big-hearted person.
“I won’t apologize. Instead.”
Jump and jump.
Calian walked without hesitation and stood in front of Sispanian.
“I will get it back myself.”
The spot where Arnaizel was standing a little while ago.
I stood right there with my back to Danu. I stopped, facing Sispanian. And I finished saying what I had said.
“I need trees to grow corn.”
Sispanian looked at Calian.
Calian smiled once again.
