STM 163

“Please don’t do that again in the future.”

Haas ran to me out of breath after I finished my meeting with Solongo. He immediately started nagging me.

“You can’t just go around alone without me. You really shouldn’t!”

What did he mean I can’t? Haas looked like he just woke up. His hair was a mess like a bird’s nest, and he still had crust in his eyes. Was he really in a position to be angry in that state? I didn’t even know he was there. Besides, I go where I want.

“Haas. Wherever I go—”

“You should go with me!”

“So why do I—”

“Because you’re Salvation!”

My tongue really itched to tell him the truth. I’m not Salvation. In fact, I’m the one who’ll close the Eye of Hell and bring disaster back to Tubain.

I wanted to reveal my identity for the first time since I arrived in Tubain. How could I get rid of this leech? I closed my eyes and then opened them.

“Haas. I’ll call you when I need you. Don’t worry about me and go do your business.”

“Lord Lu, how many times must I say it? The world is dangerous. I must stay by your side—”

“The divine beast told me to do so.”

Haas’s eyes went wide instantly.

“D-does the divine beast know me?”

“Of course.”

It knows you, but it probably has zero interest in you. To a divine beast, anyone other than the contractor is just like a rock. I’m just a strange rock that can talk.

But Haas, who had no way of knowing that, put his hand on his chest and shed tears of emotion.

“If the divine beast says so, I’ll do my work diligently while I watch Lord Lu from afar.”

“You don’t even need to watch me.”

“No! I must watch you. It’s the task the Grand Duke assigned to me. I’m sure the divine beast will understand.”

When he mentioned Tairok, I remembered the healer’s words.

“His Grace came at dawn?”

“Yes, I brought him. He stopped by the infirmary for a moment and then left immediately. He ordered me to stay and protect Lord Lu again.”

He left right after a short visit. I felt strange, but I didn’t know how to describe it. He supposedly came at dawn to see me, yet he left so quickly.

Joy and disappointment were mixed together. It was clear that neither of these were emotions I should feel.

Not wanting to be caught, I pretended to run my hand through my hair and covered my face. Fortunately, Haas didn’t notice and began to brag excitedly about the Grand Duke..

“Did you hear about Crystal Lake? Grand Duke Kun wiped out the monsters with the power…well, the power of the divine beast that now belongs to Kun. It was incredible. Zav’s power couldn’t even reach the Grand Duke’s toes. Yet, the Grand Duke truly embodied the very essence of a god.”

Even as Haas’s praise for Tairok continued, I couldn’t hear him properly. A feeling of impatience filled my heart, wanting to know why he had only looked at me and left.

However, I hesitated to face him. I felt like I shouldn’t see him in this state. Then Haas asked me a question.

“By the way, the area around Crystal Lake is completely cleared now, so you can go there. Do you want to go see the Grand Duke right now?”

“…”

“Lord Lu?”

“Yes, I should go.”

‎

‎

Borhumi Castle was completely different when I visited for the second time. The castle itself was the same, but the different atmosphere made me doubt if it was the same place.

Before, everyone was silent like people walking on thin ice. Now, every place where people were huddled was full of energy. It seemed like Kun’s army managed the place well after they took it over.

“The soldiers who belonged to Borhumi surrendered as soon as they learned the Grand Duke used the divine beast’s power. The remnants of the Borhumi family who controlled them packed their bags and left the capital entirely.”

The young knight who guided me briefly explained the situation, and her voice was filled with great pride. Well, that’s understandable.

A family that had ruled a vast land for so long was suddenly forced to abandon their will to resist. It was like throwing away everything they had built.

I realized once again how absolute the divine beast’s power is in Tubain. While listening to the explanation, I arrived at the room the knight had guided me to, but it was empty.

“Nobody… is here?”

I felt bad the moment I saw the empty room. The knight noticed my expression and quickly asked a question.

“Don’t you like the room? We’re reorganizing the castle, so the other rooms are still being prepared. If you wait a moment, we’ll take you to another room…”

“No, the room is fine. I thought the Grand Duke was here.”

“The Grand Duke is currently at the camp near Crystal Lake.”

Right, many monsters appeared there, so he’d have a lot of work. He probably has to prepare for any potential dangers, too. My head understood it, but I didn’t know why I felt disappointed. Despite feeling shameful for my childish feelings, I finally asked the question.

“Does he know I’m here?”

“He does. He received the report. The Grand Duke ordered us to bring Lord Lu here.”

…Ah. I looked away for a moment and then spoke hesitantly.

“Is Crystal Lake still dangerous?”

“No. All the monsters have been exterminated, and the rift will remain quiet for a while, so it’s fine.”

“That’s good,”  muttered, looking around the room. She bowed politely to say goodbye.

“Then please rest comfortably.”

Click.

The door closed as she left, but I couldn’t move my eyes away from it. He told me to stay here, so I should follow the order. Maybe he’s busy, or maybe the lake was still a bit cluttered, so I might just get in the way if I go.

But it was hard to wait. I just felt restless. I only had to wait a little bit since I’m already here. Besides, I don’t have anything urgent to talk about with Tairok, right?

Reason taunted, but my body refused to listen. After a brief, but seemingly long, struggle that felt like hundreds of hours, I opened the door and called the knight.

“I need to go to the lake now. Guide me to the Grand Duke.”

‎

‎

Countless people and piles of monster corpses filled the area. The Crystal Lake I knew became a completely different place, just like Borhumi Castle.

The knight who guided me disappeared to find Tairok. However, I found him instantly among those many people in the distance.

He was only the size of a finger from where I stood, so I couldn’t even see his expression clearly. Yet, the entire background seemed to disappear, and only he remained vivid as if he were cut out from the scene.

That wasn’t all. All the noise vanished, and the sound of my heartbeat hit my eardrums like a drum. I had been wary of his feelings toward me all this time. What if he really liked me?

I decided to use him, but even after I steeled myself, my damned conscience kept bringing up the issue. But the moment I saw Tairok, I realized this problem actually wasn’t the most important one.

There was a bigger problem. It was my own feelings. The wall I built while I told myself it could never happen was high, so I thought it would never fall.

But I couldn’t ignore this feeling anymore. I really like that man. Fuck.

The moment I admitted it, I couldn’t help but curse. This situation should have been embarrassing, but instead, a feeling of uncharacteristic sadness welled up in me. And then I was a little afraid of the consequences I would have to face.

It was because I’ll never give up my plan. Even if a worst-case scenario happens where I can’t close the Eye of Hell, I’ll ignore it and carry out my mission.

My feelings didn’t help in a situation where the future was already set. I’d have to smile and act like nothing is wrong if I face Tairok right now, but I didn’t know if I could do that.

I came to Crystal Lake on my own to find him, but I couldn’t take another step forward. Before I knew it, I was backing away.

Let’s go back. This is the right choice. I moved my heavy feet one more step to run away, but…

‘…!!’

Things didn’t go my way. I forgot how Tairok has such incredible instincts. He turned his head in the distance and looked exactly in my direction.

Oh my god, shit.

I gasped and quickly hid behind a tent. He couldn’t have seen me. It’s so far away. My heart pounded as I thought about it.

Of course, it wasn’t a problem even if he saw me. He knows I came to Borhumi, so it’s not strange that I’d visit Crystal Lake. But what the hell, why am I running? And with all my might?

The surroundings blurred past me like I was in a car going 100 km/h. I ran between tents and piles of debris so people wouldn’t notice me.

The skills I’d acquired from fighting monsters for so long instinctively guided me, and in no time, I arrived at the edge of a deserted forest.

I was out of breath and I felt pathetic for running away like this, but I couldn’t stop my feet. However, my meaningless escape ended quickly because of a sudden interruption.

Thump.

A person dropped from the sky in front of me. It was Tairok, of course. Unlike his expressionless face, his golden eyes were glowing fiercely. I turned around the moment our eyes met.

‘Mo, Survival Mode!’

[Survival Mode can cause irreparable fatal damage, so I don’t recommend it unless your life is in danger.]

‘Hey, is this the time to nag?! I’m in danger right now!’

My pride was in danger. However, someone grabbed my arm before Mo could follow my command. The grip that snatched me was so strong that my arm felt numb from the pain.

The real problem was my body, which got turned around by that force. He looked down at me and smiled.

“Why are you running?”

Unlike his smiling lips, his eyes flashed fiercely as if he were about to devour me.