SWY 29

‘If you found out what I’ve been hiding… what would you do?’

If he learned the truth, this fragile balance between them would surely fall apart. Maybe deep down, Lestel was hoping it would. Maybe he wanted to shatter the uncomfortable relationship that had been predestined since the moment they were born –enemy heirs, rivals, childhood friends – and start something entirely new with Sharhan.

But he was afraid. Not of losing what they had, but of being completely cast out by Sharhan. What if he gave all the signals in the world and that oblivious Sharhan still ran too far for him to catch?

Lestel, clutching the contract tucked in his robes, eventually loosened his grip and simply stared at Sharhan’s back. That was when Sharhan finally seemed to feel his gaze and turned around.

“You finished changing?”

Lestel casually turned his head and answered, “Yeah.”

“How is it?”

“I hate it.”

“The fabric is rough, huh? Oh, I always thought you were just a sheltered noble, but you actually look pretty good in rugged gear.”

Sharhan narrowed his eyes, looking Lestel over, then let out a low whistle.

“I mean, what doesn’t look good on me? But what bothers me is not knowing whose clothes these were.”

“You’ve probably never even touched secondhand clothes before. Should I take mine off for you? Wait, actually, mine would probably feel worse. It was worn by the son of Kaios, after all.”

“Yours would be fine. Now that we’re talking about it, take it off. I’ll wear that. I think I can tolerate your scent.”

“Wh-what are you saying? I was joking! And my clothes are filthy.”

“I don’t mind.”

“I mind! You don’t get to say whether it’s fine!”

The thought of Lestel wearing his sweat-soaked clothes made Sharhan’s voice rise without meaning to.

“Oh, right. It wouldn’t fit anyway. You’ve gotten shorter than me.”

“You wanna die?”

The situation had flipped since they were kids. Now it was Sharhan who bristled at the mention of height. Lestel, grinning at having teased him, suddenly felt a burning gaze. He turned his head to find Derry staring at him without blinking.

“You have something to say to me?”

Derry quickly shook his head, then hesitantly opened his mouth while still staring intently.

“I’ve been meaning to ask… your sword, Lord Lestel, it’s a magic artifact, right?”

“You saw it, didn’t you? Yeah, it is.”

“C-could I look at it more closely? Just once? The only relic from the ancient empire I’ve ever seen is my robe…”

Despite his cautious tone, his expression was desperate. His magical blood must have been stirred by the sight of the artifact.

“……”

“If not, that’s okay…”

As Derry wilted and looked down, Lestel stared at him, then pulled something from his robes and tossed it over. It was a pure white stone, about the size of a fingertip.

“You can’t look at the sword, but check this out.”

Sharhan, who’d been curious, looked disappointed when he realized it was just a rock. But as soon as Derry caught it in his hand, he flinched.

“Th-this is–!”

“Do you recognize it?”

“I think… it’s a mana stone–ah!”

The white stone in Derry’s hand turned gray and then crumbled to ash. He froze. So did Sharhan and Lestel, thrown off by the sudden turn. Silence fell over them.

“……”

“……”

“Ah! I-I’m sorry!”

Derry dropped flat on the floor, pale as a sheet, his voice trembling.

“What the hell just happened? It looked like a regular rock, and now you’re calling it a mana stone?”

Sharhan asked in Lestel’s place, who remained silent. Derry, glancing nervously at him, explained.

“When I held it, my mana core started reacting, and it just… drew the mana in. I’m so sorry. I didn’t do it on purpose, it just happened.”

“It’s fine. I brought it thinking I might trade it with the Lord of Luhas anyway, and it was no use to me.”

“S-still… a mana stone must be insanely valuable…”

“Maybe, but to anyone who’s not a mage, it’s completely useless.”

Though Derry kept looking sorry, Lestel remained unbothered. It made sense. Unlike a contract, a sword, or a heatstone that anyone could use, a mana stone only held value for a mage.

“I’ll find a way to repay you somehow.”

“More importantly, did anything change?”

“…Huh?”

“You absorbed mana. Did it do anything to you?”

Only then did Derry blink, sit up straight, and begin checking himself. The next moment, his eyes widened so much they looked like they might split, and his face lit up with pure joy.

“My, my mana core got bigger!”

“And that’s a good thing because…?”

“I can cast stronger spells now!”

Derry responded confidently, then chanted a spell. A fist-sized orb of water appeared in the air. Sharhan grew excited, if Derry could conjure water with magic, they wouldn’t need to worry about drinking water anymore.

But right then, the color drained from Derry’s face, and he collapsed to the side, gasping for breath. The orb fell and splashed on the ground like an overturned glass.

“……”

It wasn’t much, but in a pinch, it could at least wet their parched throats. It was better than before, but still a pretty useless spell overall.

Derry, flushed and panting, slowly pushed himself up into a sitting position. His earlobes were bright red.

“It’s just… I’ve never made such a big water orb before. It took a lot out of me.”

Lestel gave a brief chuckle and tossed him a small pouch.

“It’s full of mana stones I brought to trade with Lord Luhas. I brought five, so there should be four left. Take them.”

“Huh? Y-you’re giving these to me? But why? I can’t pay you back… Please, take them back.”

Even as he protested, Derry clutched the pouch tightly, like he’d cry if it were taken away.

“If absorbing mana expands your core, you’ll be able to use more spells. That benefits us too, doesn’t it?”

“Yes, yes! Exactly! If my mana core grows, I could use offensive spells like Fireball too! I’ve only read about them in magic books, so I’m not confident, but I’ll practice hard! I’ll make sure I can hold my own when we fight those walking corpses!”

Derry puffed up his chest, proclaiming proudly before deflating, then regaining his spirit again. Sharhan was about to pat Derry on the head like a kid with a treasure chest, but stopped midway, Lestel was glaring at him.

‘Why the hell am I watching Lestel’s mood?’

Sharhan grumbled to himself. Since they were kids, whenever Lestel gave him that blank glare, he’d get nervous even if he hadn’t done anything wrong. He awkwardly retracted the hand he’d reached toward Derry and frowned.

‘Now that I think about it… he always made that face when I tried to touch someone else, didn’t he?’

Whether it was when Sharhan got too close with the servant boys, or when he got friendly with other guys at the academy.

‘Was he just being territorial? Like, “I don’t have friends, and you better not either”?’

Maybe that’s why Sharhan never had anyone he could truly call a friend. Come to think of it, from birth to adulthood, the only person constantly at his side was Lestel. The same probably went for Lestel too.

‘God, someone hearing this might think we’re not rivals but some kind of fated bond.’

His heart fluttered at the ridiculous thought, and Sharhan shook his head, brushing off the odd feeling creeping in.

“Let’s light the fire. I was worried after that crash, but I guess nothing’s coming this way after all.”

Plenty of time had passed since the loud boom, but there was no sign of any walking corpses nearby. Lestel nodded in agreement. They’d survived five days on jerky and water alone. When that got too tiresome, they’d toss cornmeal into their mouths and wash it down with water. They were desperate for a hot soup.

They split the firewood into smaller pieces and stacked them in the hearth. Derry stepped up, saying he’d try lighting the fire himself. Sharhan and Lestel stepped aside.

“Fire. …Fire! …F-Fire!”

Every time Derry chanted the spell, a tiny flame sparked and vanished. Only a smudge of soot the size of a fingernail remained on the smallest log.

“I’ll just do it. Move.”

“It’s my first time… but I know the theory. Just one more try. F-Fire!”

Even after ignoring Sharhan’s gesture and pouring all his effort into the spell, it still didn’t work. Derry slumped, shoulders drooping, and retreated with a shuffle.

Sharhan struck two firesticks together over the hearth. Made from a rare mineral called low-iron, firesticks easily sparked when clashed. They were expensive, not something a mere Second Rank mercenary like Sharhan could afford. These had come from Lestel.

Sparks flew, and soon the fire caught and blazed to life. From there, Derry took over. Reinvigorated, he found a pot in the hut, filled it with water, and stirred in cornmeal and a bit of geullin grass. As the soup began to boil, a rich aroma filled the cabin.

They ladled it into bowls also found in the hut and sipped slowly. Their stiff muscles relaxed, and the warmth settled into their bones. The three of them gathered close around the hearth, enjoying a rare moment of peace.

But that peace shattered when the sound of urgent footsteps pounded toward them.

“To the cabin! Go to Lyle’s cabin!”

“Hurry!”

It was a human voice. Sharhan shot to his feet.