After hearing Jang Cleo’s words, I took a mont to reminisce about the tis I had spent with Tacchia.
I did this to find the basis for why Tacchia would have co to love .
“Since you’re here, have a al before you go.”
The first thing that ca to mind was that she always prepared als whenever we t.
Yes, now that I think about it, every ti we t after I received the weapon, she always cooked for .
There might have been exceptions once or twice, but upon reflection, I couldn’t recall any such instances.
The sa was true even when I had a al appointnt with Airi.
“I’m sorry, I already have soone to eat with today…”
“Then eat here and eat again.”
“…What?”
“At your age, you need to eat a lot to grow. Eat before you go.”
“No, I’m not even a teenager…”
“Don’t you like the food I make?”
“…No, it’s not that.”
“Then eat. I’ll prepare it for you.”
It was almost forceful in a way.
Thanks to that, I had three als just that evening, but it wasn’t like I didn’t enjoy the food.
It tasted ordinarily good, was plentiful, and she didn’t even ask for compensation.
During the early days of my adventuring, when my earnings were modest, I was grateful even for that.
When I knew nothing about her circumstances, all I felt towards her was pure gratitude.
“Um, Miss Tacchia. Are you lonely by any chance?”
But no matter how much I liked her, the disparity between such treatnt and her rugged nature was unavoidable.
One day, while having a al with her, I committed the faux pas of bluntly asking her a question that might be considered rude.
“…What?”
“Oh, no, I an… I thought maybe you didn’t have anyone else to eat with.”
Although I knew it was impolite, I couldn’t help but be curious.
Her base, both before and after, was a secluded place with few people around, so it seed unlikely that anyone else but would visit.
So, even though she acted otherwise, I thought maybe she was lonely, and that’s why she offered als.
“If I were lonely, I would have grabbed anyone to eat with.”
However, her actual response was far from such a speculative thought.
When I turned around, puzzled, she had already turned away, staring only at the distant mountains outside the window.
“What?”
“Don’t ask pointless questions. Just finish your al. The food is getting cold.”
“Ah, yes…”
Her voice was unusually sharp and uncharacteristic of her.
I sensed her evasion, but I still vividly rembered what she had said up to now.
It wasn’t sothing she did for just anyone.
Wasn’t that statent enough to misinterpret myself as soone special to her?
Of course, in this world, being oblivious could lead to death at any ti.
Having faced many near-death experiences, I was fully aware of how dangerous it was to make assumptions.
Especially now, knowing a bit about her situation, I was certain she couldn’t harbor ‘those feelings’ for , yet to think it was love.
Was it even plausible?
“You, managing to casually get als from her…”
But what Jang Cleo focused on was not her inner thoughts but the actions she showed towards .
“Is that really so surprising?”
“It’s beyond that. What you’ve told is less believable than if soone said the world would split in two tomorrow.”
Even so, I couldn’t help but think that was an exaggeration.
However, the cold sweat trickling between his furrowed brows indicated that his words were not a joke but a serious statent.
“If you’ve t the soul within the spear, you’d know she’s no ordinary human.”
“……”
After a mont of silence, I finally nodded in affirmation.
My reluctance to respond directly was because I hoped her identity wasn’t what I thought.
The fact that she was a dragon who almost destroyed the world in the past, abandoned her daughter in a war-torn era, and even killed her daughter who tried to stop her.
Wasn’t this a story far removed from the initial impression that she was a blunt but caring person?
“Indeed, I suspected as much, but to say I’m loved just because she cooked als for …”
On the contrary, if all that was true, why would she have shown even a rough kind of care towards ?
Her goal was for , through her daughter, to kill her, yet she cared for like one with affection, cooking als every ti.
“How can love be confined to just romantic relationships? There’s also the love between parents and children, and even affection towards pets.”
A pet? Did Tacchia truly see as such?
From a dragon’s perspective, are humans seen as such adorable beings?
…No, I don’t know.
Initially, I was inadvertently entangled in her circumstances and needed the cooperation of those in front of to navigate through them.
Even in my conversation with Pheloi, having been driven out midway, it was impossible to understand her thoughts right away.
“…Is there any relation between Tacchia’s love for and my newfound ability to create a circle?”
So, it was better to focus on the imdiate tasks at hand rather than dwell on unresolved questions.
Regardless of what the future held, it was clear that I needed strength, so I decided to set aside my doubts and focus on the training with him.
“Before explaining that, let ask you one thing.”
Jang seed to understand my intention and didn’t press further.
Before we started the training, he posed another question to .
“Haven’t you created a circle in front of her before doing so in front of ?”
“Yes, I have done it before in front of Tacchia.”
“Then, did she ever feed you her blood before that?”
“Blood?”
“I’m talking about the blood that flows in the body.”
For a mont, I thought he was talking about sothing like blood soup, but soon I realized why he was asking.
After all, we were in a dragon’s tomb.
Considering even the remains of a dead dragon were coveted by humanity, Tacchia, a ‘living dragon,’ could be seen as a resource with special powers.
“No, she just put the cigarette she was smoking into my mouth.”
Ironically, I had never actually consud her blood.
It was possible she could have hidden it in the als she prepared for , but considering I created the circle after she shared her cigarette, it was likely that was where the basis lay.
Looking back, it was quite an awkward situation, but anyway…
“Cigarette… Well, considering its worn and used state, feeding you ash wouldn’t make much difference.”
“Worn and used?”
“You’ll understand in ti. For now, focus on the training. Sit down, close your eyes, and take deep breaths as I signal.”
“Ah, yes. Like this…”
Whatever the case, it wasn’t a situation where I could afford to waste more ti.
I then took the ti to prepare for the actual training, as he instructed.
Quietly closing my eyes, breathing out as if ditating.
As I began to feel a refreshing sensation spreading from my lungs throughout my body, he quietly spoke, placing his hand on my back.
“Do you feel anything different than usual?”
“Yes, it feels fresher than usual. My mind also feels clearer.”
“The abundant energy of the Dragon Vein is having an effect. In that state, try to quietly manipulate mana.”
Whooosh.
Jang’s mana was transmitted through his hand placed on my back.
As I harnessed the power of the armor to manipulate mana, I began to feel a sensation of colliding forces from behind.
But that collision was brief.
As soon as I was willing to accept his mana, the resistance faded, and soon, I felt the mana he was controlling seeping into my body.
“…You are doing well without needing guidance. It’s rewarding to teach a cooperative student.”
As I continued to manipulate mana while absorbing his, I gradually began to feel a distinct vibration through my skin.
Yes, sothing changed the mont his mana rged with mine.
Whizz…
The strange ringing that followed was like an ultrasonic sound, created by the intensified natural vibrations of mana.
“Are you starting to hear sothing?”
“Yes, sothing like tinnitus…”
“They are drawn to your caliber and are beginning to recognize your existence. I expected it, but the progress is fast. Continue a bit more.”
Whizz, whizz.
And then…
Whoosh.
After so ti, I felt a vibration as if sothing was grasped at my fingertips.
Was it Jang holding my hand?
No, it didn’t feel hard or wrinkled like a hand.
Thump, thump.
“Now, prepare yourself and slowly open your eyes.”
I prepared myself not to be startled by whatever might appear in front of .
Whoosh…
In the end, what appeared before was a bluish afterimage in a space where light flickered.
It looked human, but ultimately, it was just an afterimage.
There were no facial features, and only the upper body was visible.
The lower half seed to be half-ford, then vanished as if evaporating, leaving only an afterimage.
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