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Chapter 104: Sun and Mist (2)
In the dense bushes, leaning against a tree, Kaeram absentmindedly gazed towards the direction of the researchers.
Unlike usual, her face was frozen cold like ice.
While Cyan and Luna went inside and five minutes passed, she remained motionless, as if trying to keep her promise to her master, showing no sign of movent.
-Swoosh.
A little later, a strange presence was felt from behind Kaeram. Without turning her body, just moving her eyes slightly, soon soone’s voice was heard.
“I’m quite surprised, Kaeram. I never expected to see you at the academy.”
The voice had a sowhat eerie tone.
[As if I wanted to co back here. I never thought I’d see you here. Nice to et you, or rather, it’s quite the role reversal.]
Except for Kaeram, there was no visible form from which another voice could be heard.
Only a faint beam of light emanated from behind the tree she was leaning against.
Kaeram’s gaze remained fixed on the entrance to the research facility where Cyan had entered.
“How about it? How does it feel to wake up from a sleep of hundreds of years?”
[As unpleasant as ever. The world seems too peaceful for my liking.]
“Very much like you. Are you satisfied with your new master?”
[More or less. He’s a bit stiff and clueless, but there’s a certain charm to him, wouldn’t you say?]
At this, the owner of the voice laughed heartily.
“Hahaha! It must not be easy to satisfy the demonic sword. By the way, was the boy called Cyan? He’s quite remarkable.”
The mont Cyan was ntioned, Kaeram’s brow slightly furrowed.
“Terrifying. Kaeram! Your presence can be felt even here.”
The owner of the voice paid no heed.
[I’ve been waiting for you even in this place. Do we need to remind each other not to do unnecessary things? Let’s not go around blabbering about each other’s affairs, shall we?]
“Of course. I swear to Lundel that I won’t disclose your existence to others, Kaeram.”
Despite receiving the desired assurance, Kaeram’s cold face didn’t thaw.
“But there’s one thing that makes curious.”
After a brief period of silence, the owner of the voice spoke again.
“When do you plan to devour your current master?”
Only after those words were thrown did Kaeram finally turn around.
It was a gaze so cruel and life-filled that it could freeze even the hottest flowing blood, not sothing that could be considered humane.
“You don’t need to stare like that! It’s just simple curiosity. Isn’t it the nature of the Demonic Sword to swallow its owner, to take away the power they possess? I’m just curious about when that ti will co.”
At this, Kaeram’s rigid lips ford a half-smile.
[Curious about when I’ll devour my master?]
For a mont, she wore a bright smile as if to say, “When did you beco curious?” Then, her eyes, now grotesque and full of life, which a human could never confront, spoke.
[Mind your own business, you brat….]
* * *
The early morning sunlight stread through the window, signaling the dawn.
“Haah…”
Emily erged from her room with a yawn that indicated she hadn’t had enough sleep.
Stretching to loosen her stiff muscles, she suddenly exclaid, “Eek!” upon spotting sitting on the couch.
“W-what are you doing up, sir? When did you wake up?”
I didn’t wake up; I haven’t slept yet.
Well, technically, I didn’t sleep well.
“Sir, considering your age, sleep is crucial for your health. If you keep tossing and turning like this, it’ll affect your height and health…”
She seed to be nagging, but I couldn’t hear a word she said.
The graffiti I saw just a few hours ago was still vividly etched in my mind.
‘In the black mist, there’s a bright light struggling to survive, and the mist, waiting for an opportunity to devour that light… Could it be interpreted this way?’
Luna’s words echoed in my mind.
Not that I’m so kind of naive literary girl, but her expression was truly impressive.
To be honest, it might just be aningless graffiti, but I can’t shake the feeling that there’s sothing more to it.
Why did Boris draw such graffiti in his book?
If, as Luna suggested, his doodle indeed symbolizes the sun and mist, what should I do about it?
The sun.
A bright sphere always floating in the sky.
It also symbolizes the origin of the light, the god Lundel.
However, no matter how you interpret it, there’s no obvious negative connotation.
Then, what about the mist?
There could be several interpretations.
But my mind only leans towards one side for now.
Just like Lundel, if the mist is also associated with another god, how about that?
Aeru, the god of the black mist.
He’s the only presence I can think of.
Light and mist,
Lundel and Aeru,
I’m not a theologian studying gods, why am I even bothering with this?
A sense of self-disgust washed over .
My gaze naturally shifted to Kaeram next to .
[……]
She’s sleeping.
She’s been like this since we left the research facility.
I tried to wake her up a few tis, but I just left her alone.
She seed fine without any incidents, but I couldn’t understand the reason behind leaving her alone.
Sigh…
Trying to grasp the incomprehensible only results in sighs.
It’s probably too late to sleep now.
I decided to go outside to get so fresh air.
The morning mist had dissipated, and the sun had risen without a single cloud in sight.
If I stare at it for too long, I might go blind; it’s definitely not an ordinary bright sun.
“Cy… Cyan?”
I imdiately turned my head at the familiar voice.
At this hour, when most students had not yet returned to the academy, the chances of encountering soone were extrely limited.
It was Arin Princess and Ressimus.
Judging by their attire, they seed to have co out for morning exercise.
“Are you going for a workout?”
I asked.
“Uh, yeah…”
Arin Princess smiled awkwardly and avoided eye contact.
There wasn’t much else to say, but perhaps because of yesterday’s events, my feet just wouldn’t move easily.
“Are you also going for exercise, Cyan?”
She asked.
“I just ca out to get so fresh air in the morning,”
I replied.
“Oh, I see.”
Awkward silence ensued.
We all seed unable to speak, like mute statues.
Finally, I found myself speaking up.
“Would you like to… go together?”
* * *
There wasn’t anything particularly special about the princess’s morning workout.
It was a very ordinary morning routine.
However, the distance she covered exceeded my expectations.
If we were to asure it, it would be around 10 kiloters?
Considering she circled the entire academy twice, it must have been about that distance.
She stopped at the starting point, the fitness training ground, and caught her breath before turning to .
“Wow, Cyan, your stamina is amazing! Aren’t you tired at all?”
She exclaid.
“It seems your stamina has improved significantly, Your Highness,”
I replied.
It was just breathing exercises for , but that’s just my standard.
Seeing this slender girl complete a distance that most territorial knights would run without any rest, I didn’t think it was anything ordinary.
“It’s still not enough. I’ll just keep working to get better every day,”
The princess replied, waving her hand dismissively.
Seeing her growth that I had only heard about until now was quite strange.
It wasn’t even like this when I saw Brian, whom I had raised myself.
Is being the top student at the academy really worth it?
As the conversation stalled, another awkward silence settled in.
Suddenly, my eyes t with Ressimus, who had been following behind.
It seed like she was watching quite closely because of what happened yesterday.
I turned my head back to the princess.
“About yesterday… I apologize,”
I said.
“Hmm?”
The princess was taken aback by the unexpected apology.
“I won’t make excuses. Upon reflection, I realized that my behavior towards you, Your Highness, was quite forced. If you felt uncomfortable, I’d like to apologize…”
“Yeah, that’s right. You were quite arrogant yesterday,”
She responded unexpectedly.
I couldn’t help but raise my head in surprise.
What did I just hear?
After a mont of strange silence, a small smile appeared on her lips, as if she couldn’t hold back any longer.
“Wasn’t that the kind of response you wanted?”
It was the honesty and dignity that a princess should show, regardless of the situation.
At this mont, the princess showed that side of her.
As soon as I understood her intention, I couldn’t help but smile back.
“Yes, it was.”
It felt like the first ti she had punched .
“You seem quite surprised. I’ve never seen Cyan so flustered before,”
She remarked with satisfaction.
“It seems you were more cunning than I expected.”
Satisfied with having given a hard ti, the princess smiled beautifully.
“I may not know how you feel about , Cyan, but I’m always grateful to you,”
She said.
“Are you talking about ?”
Even I couldn’t help but chuckle at the unexpected turn of events.
“Regardless of how we t and what happened, in the end, Cyan showed how to live. Thanks to him, I feel different every day, growing into a new version of myself, different from yesterday.”
Not knowing how to respond, I scratched my face, staring into the distant void.
It’s true that I showed her the way, but ultimately, she’s the one walking that path.
If my advice can change soone’s life for the better, it’s a great thing.
But even I can’t help but think of this princess as nothing more than a ans to an end.
Can I even accept this gratitude?
“My feelings for Cyan haven’t changed. I’ll continue to strive to make Cyan mine. So I hope Cyan will continue to say the sa things as yesterday, so that I can like Cyan.”
I couldn’t help but inwardly laugh.
That’s why I can only see you as foolish.
But instead of denying it, a smile of resignation spread across my face.
“You’ll keep doing that?” she asked.
The only answer I could give was an ambiguous one, neither positive nor negative.
“I’ll try my best…”
The princess smiled broadly, as if that was enough.
Still as foolish as ever, but maybe a little stronger.
“You’re both diligent from the morning.”
That smile shattered in an instant.
With fists clenched and hairs standing on end all over my body, I slowly turned my gaze, suppressing the emotions inside .
“Good morning. Arin, and… Cyan.”
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