Chapter 1017 – #243_Scouting Is Hard (5)
#1011
One.
A nun’s uniform that thoroughly covers the skin to the point of being obnoxious.
A black veil over the eyebrows.
Curly red hair peeking out from under it.
Witches are immortal beings with fire.
No matter how much time passes, it is forever beautiful.
The reunion of Arin Tiandra after 100 years, no, the appearance of Sister Arin now resembled Dorothy’s memories.
However, unlike her appearance, which shines like a jewel that does not fade, her mood is very different.
Actually, the younger you are, the more you change over time.
For Dorothy, a century is part of a long life, but for Sister Arryn, it was like her whole life.
Arin, who had not yet been able to shed all the childlike features of her apprentice witch, was staring at Dorothy’s face, revealing her dignified dignity and quiet sanctity as a full-fledged witch.
“Welcome~ It’s been a while.”
Although she has shown a side that Linnaeus would not see, she does not show such an ugly side to anyone.
A mask that hides the true feelings was a well-skilled instrument or something.
Dorothy welcomed Siu and Sister Arin with her characteristic languid tone and composure, as if she had never done that before.
Even so, she did not forget to hide her relationship with Siu.
Even if some witches seemed to know, there was no need to make scandals about exploits and barons to outsiders.
“The two of you seem to know each other, so no introduction is necessary.”
“Yes, I would appreciate it if you would take some time to be alone for a moment.”
It was a rather grateful proposal to Dorothy, who was expecting a three-way face-to-face.
“Then, Rinne-sama.”
“I get it.”
Rinne vacates her seat after hearing Siwoo’s words.
“Long time no see. Dorothy.”
“Yes.”
A long time after the intruder disappears.
Arin, who was standing still, looked at Dorothy with her many emotions intertwined.
There, lingering and remorseful, joy and bitterness, doubt and self-restraint, memories and recollections were entangled like weed roots.
“Shall we sit down and talk?”
“Okay~ Would you like something to drink?”
“A glass of water is enough.”
An embarrassing situation where the president of her husband’s important account is an ex-lover that ended badly.
Facing Arin alone, Dorothy felt her heart grow heavy.
In fact, I myself know why it is so uncomfortable.
Are you afraid that it will catch Siwoo that they were in a relationship?
Are you afraid that the light-hearted relationship you had when you were still immature will look bad on him?
Of course there is that too.
However, the root cause is her sense of debt to Arin, who was sitting in front of her.
Would it have been more comfortable if I had heard the complaint as soon as the two of us had left?
However, she did not show even a hint of resentment towards Arin, who quietly brought her water glass to her mouth.
– Click
“…”
“…”
Lengthy silence.
Only the sound of each other putting down their water glasses echoes like thunder in the silence that only feels terrible.
Dorothy, impatient, spoke first.
“A lot has changed.”
“Is that so? After all, so much time has passed.”
It was amazing.
Even though they only exchanged a word or two, the long time spent between them becomes blurred like a lie.
Just like those days when we sipped coffee together at a cafe every day at 5 o’clock when the sting of the afternoon sun subsided.
The senses and distance that felt like distant memories were scattered like bubbling bubbles.
I think I would believe it even if we met just the other day.
But the two have changed.
Dorothy and Arindo.
Her situation, her environment, her age, and even the witch were swept away and changed by the irresistible wave of time.
“Do you have anything to say to me?”
Only then did Dorothy realize the source of her sense of debt.
Dorothy was overlapping the past and present Dorothy of Arin who was holding her.
Even if you know that it is imperfect, even if you know that a perfect future will not be guaranteed, you have no choice but to make a choice.
Magnetic magic that makes people more stupid than any hypnosis or brainwashing magic.
The magic name is love.
Just as Dorothy now showed her blind heart toward Siwoo, Arin at that time only looked at Dorothy.
Left alone, she came to understand more intuitively than her abstract imagination the grief she should have endured.
“If you resent it, I will accept it sweetly. It’s true that I did something bad to you.”
Homosexuality is taboo in many religions.
Recently, some sects have allowed same-sex marriage according to the changing trends of the times, but it is also true that conservative religious circles are still not paying attention.
There was no coercion or temptation, but anyway, Dorothy and Arin slept together.
The size of the confusion she should have taken on was probably greater than the sadness of parting.
“I was resentful.”
Arin fumbled for the edge of her water glass and opened her mouth.
“It was a terrible feeling that half of my soul had been ripped out.”
Dorothy caught her breath, but Sister Arryn continued her words in silence.
“I have dreamed of you coming back every night since you left. A dream in which you whispered in my ear that you missed me with a shy smile and hugged me under the blanket.”
“…”
“When it was daytime, I went out into the streets. Even after wandering aimlessly, at 5:00, I found a pretty cafe nearby. You liked coffee and I wondered if God would guide us again.”
“…”
“I resented it, and I resented it again.”
Dorothy of the world could no longer pretend that nothing was wrong.
It was because Sister Arin, who spoke of the pain of her broken heart in her grave tone, pricked her heart at the end of her words.
“Sorry.”
Dorothy bowed her head.
She thought that any excuse would be useless.
“But now I understand. You don’t have to act like a sinner.”
“What?”
Sister Arin, who looked up at her again, had her benevolent smile on her face.
“After searching for you for three years, I returned to Gehenna. I started to devote myself to everything in order to forget the pain of her broken heart.”
“…”
“I founded a religious order. I built a foundation of faith for witches who have the same concerns as me in Gehenna.
After that, I practiced the word of the Lord while carrying out projects to relieve the poor and orphanages in this world.
To be honest, that wasn’t my natural goodness. Even while acting hypocritical, he must have wanted to give painkillers to the pain of a broken heart.”
“…”
“It was then that I suddenly realized. The reason why we had no choice but to break up.”
Arin’s hand rested on the back of Dorothy’s hand.
“As time passed, I began to look back at my immature self. At that time, you were in a deeper and longer pit than me
I also realized that I was lost.
I was being coddled without knowing that, and you accepted my childishness without showing any resentment.”
It was a relationship that would only leave scars the deeper it got from the start.
Even if Arin followed Dorothy, it was the same.
It’s because it’s the same as saying that I’m going to step into the public life.
“That’s why he took on a bad role for me. In order to leave without a promise, to prevent my wrong choice and to become someone I can resent.”
“Thank you for your kind words, but… At that time, I had never cared so deeply.”
Dorothy showed disapproval at the evaluation, which was nothing short of beautification.
“No.”
However, Arin spoke with a confident tone.
If Dorothy was only going to use her Arin to eat her, she didn’t have to throw it out.
I was able to bring her unreasonable young witch to my side and extract and extort not only her body and mind, but also her practical interests.
If Dorothy had asked for her wrongdoing in exchange for proof of her love, Arin would have been willing to do so.
At that time, Arin was so fascinated by Dorothy.
But Dorothy didn’t.
“Because Dorothy has an invisible kindness in her indifference. Even if you weren’t aware of it, it would have been a choice for me.”
Dorothy is not ready to answer whether such speculation is true.
If you want to know the truth, you will have to visit Dorothy 100 years ago and have an in-depth dialogue.
“I found my own answer. Because of you, I was able to ask many questions about my life and move on a path I am not ashamed of.”
Arin met Dorothy’s eyes without a hint of blur or falsehood.
“Just as I was helped by you, I wanted to help Dorothy now if she was lost. But… You have already found it.”
“Are you that obvious?”
“Yes, very much.”
Sister Arin smiles as if she knows everything.
The nun girl who frowned as she ate alcohol or chocolate had become a full-fledged adult who could grasp the secret love between her man and woman with just a glance.
“The reason why President Shin Si-woo is trying to recruit a partnership with our society is to eventually get Dorothy into Gehenna, right?”
Not only that, but it also grasps the approximate context.
“Well, I can see that…”
“I will help.”
As if she really wanted to confirm, Sister Arryn, who waited for an answer from Dorothy, nodded her head as if it was good.
“Instead…”
Dorothy is reflexively nervous in front of Sister Arin, who believes that it is absolutely not too much, but tries to add some conditions.
It is a habit that has been lived in public for a long time.
And Arin was neither a villain nor a villain who judged profit or loss.
“Can you tell me how she’s been?”
“Of course~”
Starting with Dorothy’s smile, the two talked about what they hadn’t said for nearly six hours.
On this day, both Dorothy and Arin seemed to have gone back 100 years ago, with a light tone and a light smile.
