conflict.
conflict.
Dakia’s eyes looking at me were quite different from usual. I can’t explain exactly where and how much the difference is.
A pair of loose, thin nightgowns. The not-so-thick cloth shone in the moonlight, faintly showing the skin hidden inside my thin body.
The night wind blew. I was very tired because the bones were replaced without anesthesia.
“It is still cold. I don’t know if it’s because it’s Ganga. How about getting some more sleep?”
Dacia shook her head slowly. The gesture was very gentle, but also firm.
“no. are you okay. Would you like to come and sit down for a second?”
I moved and pulled a box next to me and sat down. Dacia raised her head and looked up at the night sky. The stars in the clear night sky shone very brightly.
“I am.”
The eyes that used to contain the night sky removed the stars and captured my face. She declared in a soft but firm tone.
“I didn’t follow Priest Marnak to be protected like today. As someone who understands your purpose, I have decided to set out on this path to support Father Marnak.”
Dacia murmured, ‘If all of that finally comes to an end, there will be at least a little wind,’ and smiled sadly.
“So like this time. I hope you don’t go somewhere secretly only from me. I don’t want to be woken up by Jamel, who is soundly asleep and struggling to drag two bundles I don’t know where he got from, and vaguely guess what happened.”
You woke up because of Jamel. I picked and chose and spat out the words.
“I didn’t mean anything bad.”
After spitting it out, I realized I had made a mistake. Dacia’s golden eyes, which had been quiet, sank coldly.
“Bad means… yes. He probably didn’t mean anything bad to Priest Marnak. The priest Marnak I’ve seen is rather overflowing with consideration. You’re not the kind of person who would harbor bad intentions and hide something from me. but.”
White teeth bit his red lips.
“Even if you don’t know that the consideration can hurt the recipient, you don’t know too much. I’ve never once asked Priest Marnak to treat me like a treasure in a box. I wanted to look at each other at the same eye level and support each other. Of course, I am lacking a lot, but I decided to join this journey because I thought I could fill in some of my shortcomings with Priest Marnak.”
floating power. A low murmur. Flames fueled by mana lit up the deck. Dakia stared straight at me in the flickering flames.
“If I had known that I would remain a treasure trove of pampering and protection, I would never have said I would follow.”
She was blaming me for the first time. I acted in good faith for Dacia, but in the end, my actions made her feel helpless.
“Dakia calm down…”
“How on earth are you going to trust me and confide in me? Do I have to keep relying on Priest Marnak’s goodwill and continue to be protected and remain unknown! I am!!!”
Tears welled up and ran down my cheeks.
“I am! I thought this was the only place for me!!! Do I have to be treated like a nerd even in this place!!! I was first before Jamel or Giselle!!! I tried to understand Priest Marnak by meeting Priest Marnak much earlier!!! why!!!”
An angry scolding ensued.
“Why do I know things that I don’t know…they know them for granted? Why do you do things with them that don’t explain to me? It’s annoying. It really bothers me!!!”
bare face revealed. Jealousy spurted out. She revealed her hidden feelings to me raw.
“Now that this has happened, I have no choice but to prove it.”
dismissal.
White thunderbolts danced above the blazing sparks. The light she created lit up the dark night at will. In the bright light, she smiled brightly.
“I have no choice but to prove who is more useful to Priest Marnak by crushing them with force.”
In the meantime, she controlled herself so well that she forgot about it, but she threw away the mask she was wearing and was also a wizard. A wizard who is self-righteous enough to be loyal to his feelings.
If left as it is, she might really wake up Jamel and Giselle and literally ‘crush’ them.
Someone had to stop her.
“Of course, thinking of Priest Marnak, I’ll just crush it enough to bring it back to normal… Huh?!”
He stretched out his hand and tugged at the thin wrist held in one hand. Dacia, who lost her balance due to the sudden pull, collapsed into my arms. Perhaps because she had lost her concentration, the thunderbolts and sparks that adorned the air faded.
I gently patted Dakia’s back in my arms.
“I am very sorry. It was my mistake this time, so please calm down for a moment.”
Dacia was speechless as she buried her face in my arms. A familiar scent tickled the tip of his nose. I patted Dacia and continued talking.
“The feelings Dacia must have felt. I fully understand. When we first met, I told Dakia not to go wild without consulting her, but now I see that it was rather me who went wild without explanation. Even if you have no face.”
In fact, I already knew. Because when a situation came up where I had to see a lot of blood, I always went out alone without saying a word to the party under the justification of being considerate.
It wasn’t because I didn’t value it, because I didn’t think it was important. Rather, the relationships I formed were so painfully precious and precious. So much so that I don’t dare to let go of anything.
Yes, being a greedy and selfish person, I was always afraid of losing what I had, even though I broke the things of others who were against me without hesitation.
So I didn’t even know that I was trying to decorate my comrades by my side, like the spoils of this fight, as if I had gathered my things in a small box.
Or, I didn’t even know that I was hesitating because the wounds of losing my person once were still stinging.
Why? I had no idea why I was behaving like this. It was so difficult to be certain about one’s own reasons.
But one thing was certain.
That I was hurting my colleagues in the wrong way.
“Dacia.”
There was a small snoring sound followed by a snoring sound.
“…yes.”
“I lost once before. my precious person No matter what I say, it will only be an excuse… but I want you to listen.”
She responded with a small nod in my arms.
“Once upon a time there was a benefactor named Santos…”
He brought up the story of Santos for the first time. It was not so easy to bring out the story that was buried in the heart. I had to stop talking several times because of my sore throat as I cleared old wounds.
Dacia waited for me to continue talking without saying anything. Thank you very much.
“…So I buried Sanctus in the cold ground.”
When I finally finished the hard story, I felt a little relieved. I’m not sure why.
“That’s why I’m so scared of losing someone I hold dear. People… die too easily.”
Especially in a world where violence so easily prevails.
Dacia still didn’t raise her head buried in my arms.
“This story… is it just for me?”
“This is the first time I’ve spoken out about it.”
A procrastinating hand squeezed my waist and covered my back. She gave me a hug and said.
“I’m sorry I got so excited.”
“You don’t have to apologize. Dacia deserved it. But…”
I smiled bitterly as I patted her on the back.
“I want you to be patient with me crushing Jamel and Giselle.”
The white ears exposed through the shiny silver hair turned bright red.
“…Forget about that. I think I made a little mistake.”
“I already forgot.”
“Now, next time, will you explain in advance?”
“yes.”
“That’s enough for me.”
Dacia hugged my waist tightly for a while and quietly held me in her arms. When the silence felt awkward, Dakia spoke in a small voice.
“I think I’ll be fine if I go back and sleep. Please look elsewhere for a moment.”
“You mean somewhere else?”
“…My face was swollen from crying earlier.”
“I turned my head.”
As I was looking elsewhere as she requested, Dacia stumbled and got out of my arms.
Soon, I felt a soft, moist feeling on my cheek. No, it’s moist and soft, but it feels very cold.
“what…?!”
Surprised, I turned my head and saw my fingers covered with the cold air generated by magic. With Dakia smiling mischievously. Ice-covered fingers pricked my cheek. I don’t know why, but her cheeks were slightly flushed.
“No matter how much I think about it, it was a bit embarrassing, so I played around with it. I’m going to go to bed now! Good night, too, Priest Marnak!”
As if being chased by something, she flew and disappeared into the water swallow. When Dakia disappeared, her mother jumped out of her arms as if she had been waiting for it. Mother sat on my leg and pouted her lips.
‘killing.’
Now I see, that’s a very bombshell girl grumbling. I smiled and comforted my mother.
“Still, aren’t people nice? Shall we go to bed soon?”
The time when I was holding my mother’s hand and was about to head into the boat. I saw a person leaning against the entrance to the lower deck.
Master looked at me and smiled softly.
“Yuna, very coincidentally, I overheard everything you said.”
“yes? Where are you from?”
Master pretended to wipe away tears and spoke out as if she was sorry.
“My Yeon-yi went through a very sad thing before meeting me. I want this kind and compassionate master to hug me and soothe me. How about it?”
I never heard this by accident. Well, it would be even more strange if Master didn’t wake up even though the mana fluctuated like that.
“Master Lee is worried that you will wet your pillowcase with tears tonight as you reminisce about the sad past.”
little prank. This was Master’s peculiar tease.
“…go to bed and finish your sleep. I’m really going to sleep now.”
***
Early the next morning we left the city with the Swallow. It was foolish to stay here as long as the owl woman might be alive.
They say there is nothing more to dry.
Giselle ran her eyes through the map spread out on the table and asked a question.
“So where are you going now?”
“Where! We will go as the wind and Priest Marnak lead us! Find a new treasure!!!”
Thanks to the two bundles he stole yesterday, Jamel was in a state of excitement.
“Didn’t I ask you? And it’s not like we’re on a treasure hunt trip! So where are you really going?”
I pointed to a point on the map. The most prosperous city in the Northern Empire, and a city located at the center of the Northern Empire.
Fides, the capital of the Northern Empire. The center of a world cut in half. The place where the Emperor of the Northern Empire resides.
“We skipped the scheduled search points in the middle and went straight to the capital.”
There, he meets Pearly again and steals the holy relic near the vessel of the god. that was my plan
Jamel smiled brightly.
“Sudo! very nice! There, I can handle the bundle I packed yesterday at a very expensive price!!! Hehehe!”
