HPV 81

Spare money, extra clothes, self-defense weapons, and artifacts for boiling water or carrying loads (which surely must have been outrageously expensive).

Countless items were shoved into my arms, to be left alone at Gerenique Castle. Along with them came all sorts of advice from the high priest, the mage, and the hero.

“Take good care of yourself.”

“I’m not worried about Riarun, but damn, the castle’s full of shady guys. Can’t exactly sew their eyelids shut either…”

They were the ones heading to the frontlines, yet somehow it felt like the roles had reversed.

Penzey went around the group of mages, making strange requests like asking them to take good care of me.

The hero grasped my hand tightly and said with confidence,

“We’re not going far. We’ll be back soon. Let’s return to the capital together. I’ll make sure to tell His Majesty that you were a big help to our mission.”

“That sounds great.”

If everything went well, maybe I’d even get a house out of it. It was a tempting thought.

There was a determined air among everyone saying goodbye.

The high priest and the mage looked relaxed, but the hero, Paronai, his tension was obvious from the his hand tightly gripping mine.

Finally, the young archer boy patted my shoulder.

Bzhan, who was willing to continue the mission without me, was admirable. I gave Bzhan a faint smile.

‘Bzhan’s way better… compared to a certain someone who’s acting like I don’t exist today.’

If you’re not even going to look at me, then don’t stand within my line of sight. Doing neither was just irritating.

Just then, a woman dressed in comfortable pants and a long tunic approached me.

“Good morning. Or is it still dawn? When you’re sleepy, a bit of salty jerky is perfect. You should try some too, Spirit Master of the Trees.”

The tall woman with dark skin gave off a heavy, warm energy, like that of the earth.

Tilly, a Spirit Master of the Earth, had approached me first yesterday, saying she wanted to be friends.

Even now, she came up to me first and offered a piece of soft jerky, made in the Jemanium style, telling me to give it a try.

Her country, Jemaniun, named after the spirit of the earth, was a small but powerful nation.

Even though I was awkward at making friends, Tilly treated me warmly, as if she understood everything.

Tilly had talked to me yesterday about her Jemaniun Order, and had gently asked about the atmosphere of the Rohin Order.

I couldn’t say even a single line.

—I ran away. I wanted to see the world.

I couldn’t avoid the question forever, so I spoke honestly, like I always did…

—Ahaha. I get it. Good for you.

—I ran away too, bored of staring at nothing but dirt floors.

—It worked out well, since they happened to need help here.

Maybe it was because Tilly had a laid-back and unburdened personality.

Even someone like me could still hold a conversation with her.

At that moment, I felt a heavy gaze behind me, like a rock pressing down.

Before I even turned around, Tilly noticed first.

She covered her mouth and smiled.

“Ah… We’re not close enough for you to worry. I have a sweet little lover back home.”

I didn’t even bother turning around. I just crossed my arms.

He wouldn’t even speak to me, so why did he listen to Tilly’s words?

But really, thinking about it, it was me who had made him angry last night.

Remembering how sweetly he had treated me for a time made my irritation vanish instantly.

‘If not now, I won’t see him for days.’

Now wasn’t the time to waste more seconds.

I uncrossed my arms and heart. I turned around to look at him.

Tilly gave a small smile and tactfully stepped aside, though she didn’t really have to.

Facing him, I didn’t know what to say to make it natural.

I scuffed my toes against the ground, then barely managed to speak.

“You can just keep the sunset coral stone I gave you.”

Banwes, who had been looking elsewhere, shifted his gaze — just slightly — toward me.

Hearing my words, he rummaged through his cloak.

A stone, blue and red, came out.

Snap.

“Ah.”

I stared, mouth agape, at the stone that had snapped in half in his hand. It looked like he had accidentally broken it while pulling it out.

Even if it was a bit soft for a stone, it was still a stone — how could it split cleanly just from a slight twist of the fingers?

Banwes seemed pretty surprised too.

His face stayed blank, but his mouth hung open slightly, which gave a strange sense of dissonance.

“…Carrying both pieces would be annoying.”

“What’s the difference? The volume is still the same anyway.”

He barely listened to my words.

Then suddenly, thud, he pushed one half against my chest.

“It’s just annoying, that’s all.”

“Then why are your hands shaking?”

It felt like he was handing over a blade, not a stone. I couldn’t understand why.

Had I really just seen the hand of that powerful hybrid tremble?

He opened and closed his mouth a few times, then eventually lowered his head deeply and confessed.

“I don’t know if it’s okay for me to do this.”

I tilted my head slightly, glanced at his strange expression, and then at the stone still pressed against me.

Of course it’s okay.

“You can break a few stones, who cares?”

It wasn’t a big deal. It wasn’t some precious treasure. We could always find another one.

Banwes’s brows furrowed.

Feeling mischievous, I started talking lightly and teasingly.

“At the start of our journey, you broke something at every single inn we stayed at. The high priest and I had to go around paying for it all. And you didn’t even look the least bit sorry.”

The past few months flashed through my mind.

We bickered all the time, constantly throwing around meaningless arguments. Thanks to that, Banwes’s vocabulary had improved dramatically.

And yet, strangely enough, living together had become second nature.

It no longer felt odd that our food and clothes got mixed together.

And eventually, we had even crossed the line with our bodies.

The man, usually so skilled at silencing his every move, had breathed harshly, let out gasps of pleasure, and made wet sounds both above and below…

‘Why is that the clearest memory? Well, it was recent, so of course it would be. Argh, stop thinking about it.’

I shook my head hard, stuffed the half-stone into my pocket.

His hand had briefly touched mine when handing it over — rough, but burning hot.

“Take care.”

Banwes still looked like he hadn’t completely calmed down.

But after my words, he hesitated, then gave a small nod.

As the others were about to leave the castle, the high priest suddenly stopped.

“Riarun. One moment.”

Yurichen gestured toward the empty inner wall of the castle. I quietly followed, wondering what he wanted to say.

***

The hero’s party left the castle.

And one man also walked away from my side.

For the first time in months, I was left alone without my companions.

But I didn’t even have time to feel lonely.

Only five people had left the castle, and yet monsters immediately began pouring down from the northern mountains like a swarm.

Arrows rained toward the descending monsters.

As the arrowstorm ceased, cavalry with spears charged out through the open castle gates.

At first, it seemed like they were holding them off well.

But soon enough, they could no longer maintain the advantage of the castle’s defenses.

“A griffin!”

A soldier screamed, pointing at the sky.

From the north flew monstrous birds — griffins — with fierce beaks and lion’s hind legs, monsters capable of flight.

They dodged crossbow bolts and slammed straight onto the castle walls.

Archers’ screams rang out everywhere.

I could only stand below the castle and watch from afar, as if spectating.

After all, I wasn’t part of the reinforcements, nor a true member of the castle.

Strictly speaking, I was just a guest — one who was supposed to be protected.

So it was dangerous here, and it made sense to retreat further inside.

But then, a man who looked like a commander called out to me.

“You’re a spirit user, right?”

He asked if I would join the battle using the power of spirits.

If any of my companions were still here, he wouldn’t even have suggested it.

Those chosen by the oracle were tasked with preserving their strength for the mission to slay the black dragon.

I was the only one not included in the oracle.

A griffin let out a shriek that sounded like it would tear apart the skies.

Crash!

A sharp beak smashed into a tower, sending stone shattering everywhere.

A soldier, gripped by fear, threw himself off the tower.

Such scenes were happening everywhere, all at once, spraying the scent of blood into the air.

Standing in the middle of this battlefield, I thought:

‘Just for a little while, maybe I don’t have to be an extra.’

It wasn’t about wanting to be noticed.

No one had to watch me. But maybe, just maybe, in my own life, I could be the main character — even if only briefly.

Maybe I could be someone who shines. I always said this world was just a game.

And if it was a game, shouldn’t I remember playing it in a past life? But I remembered nothing outside of the game.

‘I’m living now, thinking of this as my very first life.’

Shouldn’t I do something I could be proud of in my own life?