It suddenly opened its eyes.
A pitch-black darkness where not even a sliver of light could be seen.
-I am…
Surrounded by an embracing darkness, it recalled a na.
-I am Krummo…
At that mont, emotions flooded its mind.
Rage, fear, sorrow, lant, despair…
Emotions pouring in without any filter.
Among them, it began to be engulfed by the most intense and overwhelming emotion.
That emotion was rage.
Where did this blazing rage, as if intent on burning everything to ashes, co from?
Suddenly, sothing flashed before its eyes.
Sothing red, burning intensely like the fury it felt.
Recalling the red light that had once cleaved through its body, its breath montarily halted.
-…
Huff—
The fear of death.
Its consciousness, wrapped in cold chains, beca faint as it sank deep into a dark abyss—
A fear that would ultimately scatter into nothingness.
It gasped for breath, harshly.
But it was only for a mont.
-How dare they…!
Rage flared up inside it once again.
-How dare they turn into this state…!
Those wretched vermin, not even worth an ant’s value, dared…!
A dark crimson fury erupted from its mouth.
The intense rage it spewed could lt even the toughest of rocks.
It wanted to tear apart and kill those vermin who dared cast it into this cold darkness right at this very mont.
It wanted to revel in the song of lantation and despair as it drifted off into sleep.
However…
It knew it was still weak.
No scales as strong as steel, nor claws sharper than any renowned blade.
Therefore, for now, it had to grow its strength.
In the darkness that wrapped around it, it quietly opened its eyes.
Waiting for the day when it would spread its wings again and soar into the sky.
***
“Kana.”
“…!”
A face I longed to see.
A face I thought I could never see again.
The mont I saw that face, it felt as though my breath stopped.
The kind voice calling my na, and the large scar on his cheek.
Everything was just as I rembered.
“Garid…”
No.
How much did I regret after being left alone?
Even though I knew he was different from those who rely gave birth to , why did I keep avoiding those three letters, “Dad,” as if it was sothing so awkward?
I won’t regret it anymore.
“Dad.”
“…”
My dad didn’t say anything in response.
He simply opened his arms.
“…Dad!”
His embrace was firm yet warm.
I surrendered myself to the warmth I thought I could never feel again.
Sothing I had yearned for, wished for, and desired with all my heart.
There was a mountain of things I wanted to say.
How lonely I was after he left, what I had gone through, and how sorry I was for treating him so coldly.
After sifting through the mountain of words piling up inside , I ended up burying my face in his chest and uttering one sentence that encompassed it all.
“I missed you…”
To see Dad again, I went to the Sedeth Kingdom and t Edel.
Just as Edel told , I went to Laxia and fulfilled the Demonic Race’s long-cherished wish.
It would be a lie to say it wasn’t hard.
But now that I’m able to see Dad again, it doesn’t matter anymore.
As if listening to my silent rambling from the depths of my heart, Dad extended his arms and patted my back gently.
I felt that gentle patting and slowly closed my eyes.
“Kana.”
“…Yes?”
“Are you happy?”
“…Yes.”
His gentle voice soothed my heart.
It felt as if all the hardships I’d been through were finally being rewarded.
If only this mont could last forever—
“Are you happy after stealing my life?”
“…!”
There was no more gentle voice or warm gaze.
What remained was a face full of hatred, looking down at with utter contempt.
As if cold water had been splashed over , the drowsiness that had clouded my mind suddenly cleared away.
“…I, Kana!”
“Hah… Haa….”
I glanced around.
It wasn’t until I saw Da-eun’s worried face, holding my shoulders carefully, that I ca back to my senses.
‘It was… just a dream.’
Realizing that it was a dream, my rapid breathing began to gradually calm down.
“Oh my goodness, look at this cold sweat… Your back is completely soaked! Did you have a nightmare or sothing?”
“A nightmare… Yeah, maybe.”
“Are you okay? Should I get you sothing warm?”
“…I’m fine.”
I stopped Da-eun, who looked like she was about to rush out to get so warm water any second.
If it’s called a nightmare… then I guess it was.
Calling a dream where Dad appeared a nightmare…
I felt a wave of guilt rising in my chest, and yet, recalling that face contorted with loathing, my mind seed to freeze.
“This won’t do. I’ll go tell Artisha, and you should just rest for today.”
“There’s no need. Don’t make such a fuss over it.”
“Kana!”
Da-eun raised her voice.
But I didn’t back down on my words.
Sensing my resolute stance, she, who had been trying to change my mind with a strong tone, shifted her approach and spoke in a softer voice.
“Wouldn’t it be better to postpone it if you’re not feeling well? What if you get hurt while pushing yourself when you’re not in good condition…?”
“I’m just in a bad mood, not in bad shape.”
“Still…”
“No ‘still’.”
“…Fine. But if it really doesn’t seem doable, promise you’ll postpone it. Okay?”
“I said no ‘still’.”
Grumbling like that, I noticed Da-eun stood her ground, unwilling to give an inch.
In the end, she made promise by locking our pinky fingers, and only then did she back off, seemingly satisfied.
How can she be so happy about a promise that isn’t binding in the least?
Da-eun smiled, visibly more at ease.
“Then shall we go have breakfast?”
“…Breakfast?”
“Yep! We can’t go fight on an empty stomach. Eating is important! No matter how cute you are, Kana, I can’t let you skip your als.”
“I didn’t plan on skipping my als…”
I tilted my head while shaking off my damp clothes.
“We can just eat here, can’t we?”
“What are you talking about? When you’re invited to soone’s house, you should have als with the host.”
“…That’s true. But aren’t you forgetting sothing?”
“Huh? Forgetting sothing?”
What could it be?
I debated whether to remind her of what she missed, but decided against it.
Well, there’s no rule saying the host has to serve the al.
Worst case, we can serve it ourselves, so eating together as Da-eun suggested isn’t a bad idea.
It’s not like we’re short on food.
I threw off the sticky clothes and changed into my usual outfit.
“It would’ve been nice if you wore sothing prettier…”
Ignoring Da-eun’s quiet grumbling, I finished changing and walked out with her.
It wasn’t a big house for a lord’s mansion, so it didn’t take long to find the dining room.
“Ah, you two are here?”
“Celine! You’re up early.”
“Hello…”
Celine and Artisha, who were already there before us, greeted us warmly.
As always, Celine greeted us with a gentle smile but widened her eyes in surprise.
“Kana, you don’t look well… Did sothing happen?”
“She said she had a nightmare. It must have been a really bad one because she was sweating and moaning even while she was asleep.”
“Kana… had a nightmare?”
“It’s a bit unexpected, isn’t it?”
“…I’m sorry to say this, but yes, it is.”
“Haha, I understand how you feel. Kana always seems so strong, so it’s hard to imagine her showing any signs of weakness.”
“What are you two talking about?”
“Huh? Just so light morning greetings.”
“Hmm…”
It didn’t seem like that at all.
I gave her a suspicious look, and Da-eun lowered her gaze, smiling softly.
“Don’t doubt .”
“What’s with that tone?”
“Didn’t it sound reverent?”
“Not at all.”
Even Edel didn’t speak like that.
Or maybe… thinking back, it might’ve been because Edel was unusual in the first place.
Not that I expected reverence, but I never imagined that a deity would speak so informally.
Saying she studied Earth’s civilization and culture might not have been a lie, considering she casually used phrases that didn’t exist in Silia.
Even I, who ca from Earth, can’t rember them properly.
“What were you doing, Celine?”
“We were talking about the communication thods used by the Purifier Clan.”
“Oh, I found that fascinating too. Even though the language is different, you can still understand each other… How does it work?”
“To be precise, it’s not the words that you understand but the aning behind them… You’re not hearing the words but reading the intention conveyed through the mana in the words…”
“Mana in the words?”
“All living beings unconsciously emit mana… Since we are sensitive to both mana and magi, we’re accustod to reading it… And it’s also easy for us to imbue our intent into mana and convey it…”
“So that’s why I could understand what Artisha was saying…”
I didn’t fully understand what Celine and Da-eun were saying, but I could understand what Artisha was saying.
Reading soone’s intent through the mana they emit when they speak…
That’s quite intriguing.
I wonder if I could do it too?
I had a strong desire to try, but based on what I’d heard so far, imitating Artisha would be impossible.
As I attempted to release so mana to test it, I felt three pairs of eyes watching and quickly retracted it.
Instead, I focused on paying closer attention to Artisha’s words.
anwhile, Artisha continued her conversation with the others as if my presence didn’t matter.
Artisha’s voice had a languid quality, and just listening to it made feel drowsy.
Perhaps it was because I had a nightmare.
“Haaah…”
I fought against the drowsiness, suppressing a yawn that escaped my lips, and overheard Celine and Da-eun murmuring to each other.
“Kana seems very sleepy.”
“Well, children usually need a lot of sleep.”
“Don’t call a child…”
“Ah, sorry. You just looked so cute yawning that I couldn’t help myself… Huh? Wait a mont.”
Da-eun suddenly leaned forward.
Feeling uncomfortable with her face so close, I instinctively leaned back.
“Kana, did I speak in Granic?”
“…Huh?”
Listening to Artisha’s languid voice had made so relaxed that I answered without thinking, but… maybe I really did reply in Arkish.
No way, did I actually succeed?
…Just like that?
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