43 – Boy’s Charm (1)
“There’s a village over there. Stop by for a moment – “
“No.”
Applying saliva to her parched lips, she slowly walked back to the mountain path out of sight of the village.
Unable to take my eyes off the scenery of the place that was becoming a dot, I tried to ask a question –
“Your mother will definitely send a chase team.
She must have made people follow her will, either through threats or by using money.
And they probably put a bounty on my head or yours.
It’s been three days since that day, so maybe the information has already spread to nearby villages.”
He gave the answer first, as if he already knew what I was trying to say.
Refreshing sky and simple answer.
But my mind was not as clear as theirs.
Maybe I should go back now?
To my mother, even if she suffered more than that day…
I thought, wouldn’t it be right to give myself up so that no more people get hurt?
With blurred eyes, she moved her feet to avoid the stone.
“I know it’s hard, but don’t give up now.
You originally said you wanted to find your parents, right?
Can you do that next to your current ‘mother’?”
“…Maybe – “
“No matter how many conditions you put on it, it’s clear that your mother won’t leave you alone anymore.”
I didn’t want to say no.
I didn’t want to think that he would be so cold-hearted.
But I couldn’t deny it.
The mother who dyed the guard captain with blood without even blinking her eyes.
There was no need to explain how powerful the emotions contained in her magic and her ruthlessness were.
“Anyway, I’ll be by your side until you find a way.
I think it would be a good idea for you to think carefully until then.
Are you really going to go back, or are you going to walk your own path?
Of course – it’s not always easy to be independent from someone –
The right time always comes.”
– Puzzle.
Breaking branches to create a path, we continued into the mountain.
The trees filling my field of vision instantly reminded me of the scene I saw when I was young, and my heart sank –
“What’s wrong? Should we take a break?”
I was a little relieved to see my ‘colleague’ wiping his sweat and wagging his tail.
She tried to calmly catch her breath and speak, but she cleared her place and sat down in her seat, hitting her side with her palm.
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“You look tired at first glance. Sit down quickly.”
“…Whew.”
“Is this your first time walking for a long time?”
Nodding my head, I accepted the water bottle held out to me.
If I could use magic, I would fill my mouth with cool water right away.
Now I had no choice but to swallow the slightly earthy-smelling water that was floating on the edge of the stream.
“Yes. Just by listening to the story, I can see how much care you were raised.
The name ‘Evil Dragon Kalamar’ is almost meaningless.”
“He really hated being called that.
I told you, what about this?”
“That’s right. In some ways, that’s close to the meaning of ridicule.
That dragon – I mean, from your mother’s perspective.”
She took the water bottle I had used and quenched her throat, then took out her tongue and exhaled heavily for a moment.
I looked at the place where her mouth touched with her momentary trembling eyes and wiped the corners of her mouth slightly, perhaps because of the strong smell of dirt.
However, that expression did not last long, and when she saw me looking puzzled, she gently raised the corners of her mouth and continued her story.
“Would you be happy if someone told you that you were not a wizard, but an evil illusionist?”
“Ah…”
“Same.
The name Kalamar means disaster.
They clearly burned down an entire forest and took the lives of all those who lived there…
And then he came back and set fire to more people.”
“The story you told me – “
“It will be different. Of course.
Maybe there is something to do with it?
Actually, this kind of thing is very common.”
Wipe off the blade with the bark and dirt on it with a cloth.
She focused her blue eyes on the silver surface, as if recalling something about her.
“If we take the rabbit woman we will meet as an example –
I offered her hand to help her husband rise up.
In their opinion, I dared to hit the owner’s tail… But they thought I was seducing him.
This guy’s tail always causes trouble. Ha…”
Is it because I kept walking for several days without being able to wash?
The once shiny hair was very messed up.
Nevertheless, the fluffy fur wasn’t going anywhere, so it still caught my attention.
Why do I have high expectations for a texture that seems to be different from my mother’s?
“What, do you like this too?”
“Oh, ah?”
I should have paid attention a long time ago.
Maybe I couldn’t do that and just kept watching?
Her cheeks got hot as she lifted her tail with her hand and flicked it once.
Like the scenery her mother once displayed while teaching her about the seasons,
The way it gently swayed back and forth was like a wheat field shaking in autumn… It was beautiful.
“Well, it’s very different from her mother’s tail, so…”
An excuse or answer that I worked hard to come up with.
But was it not the right thing to do?
A light laugh escaped from between moist lips.
At the same time, a hand was gently placed on my head and –
“Oh, you shouldn’t do this.”
It came off in an instant, leaving behind only a brief warmth.
Mr. Luterrier’s face looked a little red as he smiled awkwardly and then took it back.
“I’m sorry.
Maybe I know why your mother cares about you so much.”
For some reason, that reaction made her heart sink, so she had no choice but to hastily lower her head.
The tail was still swaying at the edge of my vision.
Among the dull soil and brown wet leaves, it was the only one with a strong color –
Once again, my eyes rolled like beads and I slowly placed them in the center.
“…Huh.”
He straightened his back in surprise at the snort that broke the silence, but then he rolled his body again and lowered his head.
Nevertheless,
Nevertheless,
Her eyes couldn’t take her eyes off her tail that kept swaying.
Unlike the smooth, red ones of her mother, whom she had slept with since she was a child,
Because I kept wondering what Mr. Luterrier’s would feel like.
***
“There is one thing I would like to ask.”
One night while the boy was sleeping.
On the day when the response from those selected as the chasers to accept the mission arrived,
The old man who led the guild in the small town stood behind the woman.
Her appearance, scattering embers high in the sky and looking somewhere with vague eyes, did not resemble an ‘evil dragon’.
If it weren’t for the guard leader who was swallowed up by her fear and speaking gibberish, she would definitely have been reflected in the guild leader’s blurred eyes as something else.
“I don’t mean any harm.
…I’m just looking for a child.”
“I’m not talking about the magic you wield in your hands.
However,
I’m just curious as to what kind of person the person you’re looking for is to you.”
Like blowing out a candle,
The fluttering red flames suddenly disappeared.
Only the two yellow eyes shine in the darkness of the window.
“…While using so much wealth and people.
Even taking the risk of revealing your true identity to the Knights of Ormr who are chasing you.
Is this really worth it?”
“You won’t know.”
The half-covered yellow light blinked and headed towards the black side once again.
I searched through the darkness where I couldn’t see anything, and found someone who couldn’t be there at the end.
“…Abandoned by parents,
I was stabbed in the back by people I trusted.
Do you know what it feels like to be chased for the rest of your life, resented for something you did to protect yourself?
As I moved to my new home alone, with no one to rely on,
I live my whole life in solitude, thinking that I will die someday.
How painful it is to spend time just spending time without any purpose –
Do you know?”
“…”
The woman quietly lowered her head and wiped away her tears, letting the cold wind dry her own face for a moment.
She once again lit a fire in her hand and began scattering sparks into the sky.
Scattering everywhere like starlight, they floated up as if they were being drawn by something and began to slowly head towards the mountain.
“It’s been a long time since that child became my everything.
He is the only one who brought me happiness in this terrible life.
Feeling reward from doing something,
Makes you look forward to tomorrow,
She is a child who makes me smile when I look back on the path I have walked so far.”
But it doesn’t last long, it just stays on the mountain where Russell disappeared,
Without being able to turn anywhere – as is the end of an ember that brightly lights itself,
Slowly disappeared into the darkness.
“…That wad of money I gave you?
The treasures that punished and took away the things that threatened me throughout my life?
They are all just useless things to me.
If Russell isn’t in my arms, they have no value to me.”
However, in the darkness, the dragon’s desire burned even brighter.
I wrapped my empty arms around me, and my cold body heated up with anger.
“Money to move people? I can give as much as I want.
What do you need to chase Russell? I can give you as much as I want.
Knights?
…Before, I didn’t want a bigger stigma attached to me,
And now, the only thing that remains is because I don’t want to disappoint the child I love.
If it gets in the way of getting Russell back, I will burn the capital down.”
Persecuted,
Being ridiculed,
Being scolded,
Rosaria, who had been purring along with her tears, took a deep breath as if she was letting out all the anger that had been building up.
“Now I don’t even have any regrets in this world.
If only Russell were by my side, she would have no reason to ever set foot in a place full of pain again.
So if you want to kick me out,
If you really think I am a threat and want to make me leave this place as quickly as possible…”
Her hands trembled before she could finish her sentence.
A coldness enveloped my body, which even my anger could not warm.
“Huh, huh, huh -“
The cold night air, as if I had an incurable disease.
She has no scent and suffers by gulping down that tasteless thing.
“Hmm – “
I quickly grabbed a piece of cloth from my arms,
I sucked in the traces left on it with my nose.
“I understand… I understand.
I don’t know if this will be any consolation, but the guild has issued a wanted order from the nearest village…
Soon, personal information will be posted in most cities and villages.
Unless something big happens, I believe we will find it soon.”
“…It will have to do that.”
However, that alone did not satisfy the dragon’s thirst.
I couldn’t warm my cooled skin with a piece of cloth.
The dying fire could not be revived with this.
Just as it is impossible to create a flame in charcoal,
Like the fate left behind for coal that has turned pure white,
The fire-breathing dragon was cooling down like that.
Because a boy left her side.
