“It's
saying this, soone who's walked a difficult path. The best thing is to be with the ones you love.”
This is a humble, common sentint from soone raised in an ordinary family. Iola calmly quieted his breathing and was buried in lancholic thoughts.
His smile, rarely, darkened.
“Walking the path of a scholar, disappointing my parents greatly, throwing away the perfect opportunity to marry dlit, causing enormous losses, and to top it all off, pursuing free love and ruining even my last chance to contribute to the family... Is that what you’re saying?”
Even Iola would start feeling like, "Isn’t this a bit too much?"
“I may often betray my parents' expectations, but I wonder what it would be like to beco a completely useless and frustrating child.”
He had worked hard to raise a son, but not only did he betray his parents’ expectations directly, but he also found himself in the miserable situation of having knocked his father down.
Not to ntion committing cris and becoming soone who couldn't return to Saha, and then, in an accident, refusing the marriage that had been arranged for him.
And now, if he were to marry a completely unknown woman, it was easy to imagine his father coming at him with a knife.
He would win, but he felt guilty for pushing his father into such a corner.
“It’s fine. I’ve lived without parents, so I know. It’s more peaceful that way.”
“I grew up under the protection and grace of the family, so I wouldn’t leave without a thought.”
Although it was a difficult reply to give, Iola dismissed it lightly.
“That’s already ruined the mont you ca here. If you jump in and die, what would that an?”
“Losing your life while pursuing knowledge is more honorable than dying on the battlefield.”
“You’re so optimistic when it’s convenient for you. Ordinary people value love much more than knowledge.”
“A reasonable yet tragic statent,” Iola muttered cynically.
Moslin found it strange that Viretta viewed Iola as “always pure, radiant, and optimistic.”
To her, Iola was a sharp man. He wore a gentle smile, but he didn’t hesitate to harm others.
To see soone like him as an innocent youth showed just how far Viretta’s heart was swayed.
Then again, how many people did she see in a favorable light other than Iola?
“As I get older, I feel more certain that people have to be true to their feelings to be happy.”
“That’s the kind of thing people who end up in prison after living true to their feelings and desires often say.”
“You can’t sleep unless you criticize , can you? Poor Viretta, fooled by that angelic face!”
Moslin grew angry, finally losing her temper. She swung her staff with force, but Iola casually dodged the blow.
Her frustration flared as he skillfully avoided all her attacks.
Since it was Roberto’s precious inn, she couldn’t strike lightning, so Moslin huffed in frustration and tapped the floor with her staff.
Iola, standing far from Moslin, pressed his toes to the floor and spun his ankle in a small circle.
“You’ll have to learn how to see through Viretta. Not a word of what she says is true. Viretta isn’t fooled by . I don’t have anything to say to her.”
“Ugh, seriously… This brat has no manners towards adults… What, don’t like Viretta?”
“You can’t harbor feelings for soone who intends to hunt a dragon for the one they love.”
It wasn’t about liking or disliking.
Having soone you love and then harboring feelings for a woman who is trying her best for that person is not ethical.
“Oh? None, huh?”
“I’m no scoundrel.”
“You say that, but that’s exactly the kind of person who’s already in deep.”
“….”
Iola said little after that. However, his expression remained a gentle smile when dealing with Moslin.
“If it were Saffron, he’d say with a contemptuous look, ‘? Why?’”
“You’re harsh with your words.”
“You’re done the mont you think that way.”
“…Harsh, aren’t you?”
Iola wasn’t that rude of a person. Even if he might seem to like soone, he wouldn’t say so openly.
At least, he wouldn’t say it out loud. He wouldn’t even think it. Iola turned away, ignoring Moslin.
“Ridiculous. Then why did you co looking for
yesterday?”
“…….”
“You were worried that Viretta had disappeared and went searching for her, right?”
“You weren’t there, neither was Saffron. Of course, I was worried.”
As he responded regularly, a bad premonition began to form.
It seed that he might have been drawn into Moslin’s words, or maybe he had been caught up in Viretta’s situation.
“Then why did I co looking for you?”
“…….”
Ah.
This was wrong.
When he thought about it later, he couldn’t understand why he had done such a thing.
Iola swallowed his emotions, his face still smiling. Moslin sneered and struck his foot with the end of her staff.
“Don’t even think of deceiving . I didn’t eat my age with my ass. To defeat , you’d have to throw dirt in my eyes—ah!”
Moslin scread as the dirt from a flowerpot hit her. Words should always be spoken carefully.
Iola shook off Moslin and walked down the hallway with purpose.
As expected of an upscale inn, the hallway was long and wide. He quickly traversed the hallway and opened the door.
Unlike the room last night that had felt like it might be haunted, this was a clean, spacious room.
It wasn’t as large as his ho, but it was a comfortable room for an inn.
There was a window that looked out, and the soft bedding felt nice. This was truly the kind of expensive inn where nobles, rich rchants, or high-ranking people would stay.
He quickly removed his outer clothes, soaked a towel in the basin of water, and began wiping himself down.
Starting with his face, he carefully wiped his body, then put on the indoor clothes the inn had provided, which made him feel refreshed. The restlessness in his heart settled.
Why had he gone to find Moslin last night?
Why had he gone to visit her so late when she was using the small chamber?
Had he gone to find Viretta first, it would have looked suspicious, but Moslin was different.
She was a strong mage who must have been at least thirty. Even if Iola, who had made a na for himself as a rcenary, ca looking, no one would have suspected a special reason.
It was only because of this that the eting didn’t happen. But if Moslin didn’t understand Iola’s intentions, she was still able to grasp them quite accurately.
“I always thought the idea that you get wiser as you grow older was a dream-like notion…”
Maybe it was because of her experience, or maybe because she was keenly aware of human psychology, but Moslin quickly saw through Iola’s mind.
He felt embarrassed, as if his insides were being laid bare. Iola firmly adjusted his indoor clothes and lay on the bed in a proper position.
He had sothing to say to Moslin.
The reason for moving late at night was because it was the best ti to avoid Viretta’s notice.
“…….”
That night, Iola had gone to Moslin to make a request.
Raised in a rcenary city, he knew that while he couldn’t vouch for Moslin’s character, her qualities as a rcenary were unquestionable.
“A rcenary’s principle is to do the job they’re paid for.”
Ranken was too soft to be considered a true rcenary, but he knew that Moslin, once paid, would do her work with certainty.
There were two things he wanted to ask her.
The first was to ensure Viretta’s safety in case their group faced danger.
The second was to ask her to protect him if Viretta’s plan were to fail.
Iola hoped that Viretta would remain safe in the chaos of battle.
But at the sa ti, he didn’t fully trust her.
He didn’t doubt Viretta’s resolve, but circumstances could change, and so could her decisions.
The dragon’s wings were right before him, and the inn was filled with ominous sounds. At tis like this, humans, weakened by fear, run away.
They make all kinds of excuses to retreat or collapse in genuine distress.
A resolution is like the leaves hanging from a tree—co autumn and winter, they fall.
That’s why last night, Iola had gone to Moslin to request her protection. If Viretta’s mind changed, at least he could investigate the dragon.
That’s why, walking down the empty hallway, Iola had been filled with anxiety.
He opened the door, but Moslin wasn’t there.
He kicked open the door, but Saffron wasn’t there either.
He couldn’t see Ranken, who was supposed to be protecting Viretta.
Had they all disappeared sowhere before the dragon? His heart pounded.
Like many others before, had they left because they couldn’t stand being with him?
Had he been left alone, with the dragon so near?
Just before opening the door to where Viretta should have been, his heart ached terribly.
And then.
The mont he opened the door, seeing Viretta curled up on the bed, it felt like he had grabbed a lifeline.
Viretta hadn’t run away.
Even with the ghostly sounds of resentnt, she hadn’t forgotten her duty to hunt the dragon and had remained at her post.
Seeing Viretta shout to capture the enemy once she realized the enemy was human, as she desperately tried to hold on to the words she had spoken, a sense of calm slowly washed over him.
Until now, everyone, even his father, had told him he would walk this journey alone.
Viretta hadn’t run away and had stayed with him.
“That’s not good.”
Moslin was right.
It was dangerous because it felt like he might fall in love.
Reviews
All reviews (0)