Episode 319 If Only (5)
The Meister glanced at the Archmage’s dark complexion and then turned his gaze to Daniel.
“Is it really dangerous?”
A subtle question can be easily understood even if the subject is missing. Daniel blinked a couple of times, as if he didn’t know he was going to ask me a question.
“…How can I judge it arbitrarily? But it would not be wise to delay and miss something.”
The remark, which seemed to be a bit of a retreat, ended up being a warning. Meister, who couldn’t possibly know what that meant, narrowed his eyes.
“but. “I guess so.”
Well, actually, it wasn’t something that was confusing. Wasn’t there a statement made by a devil knight just today during the day?
“Even if people’s lives are at stake, there’s no way you can be sane when you’ve truly attempted suicide.”
“…yes?”
“…What did you say just now?”
It is presumed that he even learned that he would return to his hometown when he died after regaining all his memories. Until then, I thought that if I died here, I would really die.
Despite this, the guy had devised the worst possible solution in advance and ended up wearing it on his body. Moreover, if you think back on what he said, there is a possibility that he will try the action again if the need arises. After all, doesn’t not having any thoughts yet correspond to saying that you will never have any thoughts?
Even those who don’t know much about the psychology of ordinary people know that this is not a common occurrence. In other words, he is not in a good state right now.
“…Now, suicide?”
While the Meister continued to think like that, the Archmage was shocked by the words that were too scary to say.
Although demon knights have taken their own lives lightly since ancient times, they did not know that they would go to the point of attempting it themselves. Her fur stood up and then drooped like the head of a frustrated person.
“…I guess I’ll have to talk to him tomorrow.”
However, her frustration did not last long.
“I’ll go first.”
As if she had experienced some kind of change of heart, a light appeared in her eyes and she gained strength. The two young men left behind the Archmage who left in an instant scratched the backs of their necks.
“What are you going to do?”
“…You mean me?”
“Didn’t you say that because you wanted to help?”
“That’s… true.”
Daniel rolled his eyes at Meister’s point. It didn’t last long. In front of the meister’s gaze, he sighed as if he understood.
“Our relationship is one in which we both feel uncomfortable with each other. “In a situation like that, how can intimate feelings come and go?”
“So you’re going to step back?”
“…I did leave a message saying that if you want to be angry with me, you can do so at any time. But I doubt he will follow suit. “Some people prefer to endure rather than express themselves, and he seemed clearly the latter.”
Meister immediately agreed to Daniel’s words. It was natural to understand that a person who wants to die with all the guilt that is not theirs could possibly be the former. Demon Knights are confident, patient people.
“Then we shouldn’t wait any longer.”
However, since that was the devil knight’s tendency, they had to move even further.
“Because they will never make the first move.”
Even if heaven and earth were created, there would be no way that a person who is more comfortable with patience would approach them first, even though they are not even close friends.
“…I guess so. But if you try to force it, it will be counterproductive.”
“Oh, I know that arrangement. “Those guys don’t really like to cross the line they draw.”
“…That’s unexpected. “I thought you didn’t know.”
“…?”
…This bastard?
For a moment, Meister wondered whether or not to hit Daniel on the neck. The reason I didn’t do that was because the question was asked right before impulse tried to overcome reason.
“Why do you take care of him, Meister?”
“…What does it mean?”
“No… the hero and that young brat showed signs of following him from the beginning, but you weren’t like that.”
“So, it’s surprising that someone you don’t seem familiar with is passionate about something?”
“…If you take it that way, I have nothing to say.”
It feels a bit weird, but it’s not a question you can’t ask from that perspective. After much thought, Meister refined his thoughts and expressed them in words.
“Just because we haven’t been friends up until now doesn’t mean we don’t want to be friends in the future, right?”
“…yes?”
“In a world full of idiots, how many people can communicate like that guy?”
“Is that why…?”
“Oh, there are things I need to hear from her.”
Few people have interesting knowledge even by their own standards. In the meantime, there is no one who doesn’t feel uncomfortable when they communicate well and are together.
If you even included the condition that they recognize his dream without laughing at it, he was the only one.
“If I were to sum it up, it would be something like that.”
So it was. That’s why I came forward now. Meister leisurely defined his principles of action.
“I see….”
“Is that expression a fight?”
“…no.”
Daniel’s expression became a little shaken after hearing everything.
“Anyway, do you still have any ideas?”
“Yes, unfortunately.”
“Ah… It’s annoying… I’m the type of person who just keeps that bastard inside.”
Wouldn’t it be nice to live a cheerful life like that, drinking alcohol and beating up enemies with your fists? The Meister grumbled with all sorts of complaints and then stopped for a moment. A rather plausible means came to mind in his mind.
“…alcohol.”
“…?”
“Can’t I just give him alcohol?”
“yes??”
This is it. The Meister’s eyes sparkled.
* * *
Caw caw!
“…!”
The birds that had gathered for the body cried and my eyes widened. Saruk. If you turn your head to the side, what you see is a dark room with thick curtains blocking all sunlight and no lights.
[Oh Grethen. Are you finally awake?]
I struggled a few times to escape the soft king-sized bed. Even though I desperately wanted to get up, I had to roll over because the bed sheets were so soft.
It’s not that it’s not comfortable, but it’s a bit difficult to escape.
‘How long have you slept…’
This is the first time I’ve felt so comfortable. I hurriedly got out of bed and walked towards the wall where light was seeping in shallowly. The light that flows between the curtains has a bright edge somewhere.
[well. Fourteen hours?]
Oh my!
The angry words and the drawn curtain overlapped and stung my eyes. Strong sunlight that creates almost no shadows. He was a robber who could tell it was noon even without a watch. My mind went blank.
‘really?’
[Really.]
Wow. I’ve never slept this long, even in the Great Forest.
I opened the window, admiring my sleep time. Rattling rattling. The precious glass window opened along the wooden frame, letting the outside breeze in. It was a lukewarm air mixed with the smell of coal that woke me up.
“Throw it this way!”
“If you count the signal, it burns! one two!”
…ah. yes. Even after the incident is over, there is still work to do.
I wrinkled my nose at the smell of burnt smoke mixed in the air. There is no need to even think about the fact that the smoke rising from all over the city is the cause of this smell.
“…It’s burning so bad.”
[Behemoth was a being that governed gluttony and was also a delivery man that brought plague.]
Plague. With that one word, I understood why people burn so hard. The acrid smoke was a desperate struggle for those who remained.
[It’s pitiful… I have to burn it while smelling like this all the time.]
It’s a bit awkward to keep smelling this. I took a half step away from the window and placed my fingers on the window frame. Squeak. The window closed again in my hand.
Funny enough, the air inside seemed to be better than the air outside.
‘Did the Faust conversation end better than that?’
Even if I can’t ventilate, I’ll have to face the day. Not only did I not open the window, but I also took down all the curtains that darkened the room. Clap clap clap. Even when a few curtains are lifted, there is no answer to my question.
‘Faust?’
[The conversation ended well and the kid is asleep now. I probably won’t be able to wake up for a while.] I
guess I was a little embarrassed by that. Anger kindly whispered the situation into my ear.
‘why?’
Naturally, those words didn’t quell all my questions.
‘Perhaps you’ll make another mistake—’
[Why do you blame me when you do something damned? Do you suspect me that much, Gretchen?]
‘Then would I trust you if it were you?’
[…I didn’t do it. Really.]
As soon as I had legitimate doubts, anger took over. Since it wasn’t a puppy, I didn’t feel too bad. I crossed my arms as if glaring at a guy who hadn’t even materialized.
‘Then why is she sleeping all of a sudden?’
[It’s because my soul is broken.]
‘…My soul is broken?’
One thing that follows is a sentence that, even if you don’t know the details, you can tell that it’s ominous. I uncrossed the arms I had just closed. joy. The devil snorted loudly.
[It’s nothing special. It’s just… I didn’t have enough offerings when I called you, so I cut off some of the corners. When you’re worried about your lack of magic power, you need a way to borrow magic power, so I cut off a little more. It’s just that I lost part of my soul because I did it carelessly.]
‘What are you doing?’
So the soul was used as a sacrifice? Even if it was true when you brought me in, what if I was worried about my lack of magical power?
‘Lack of magical power means…’
[Why is it in your skill window? That skill that converts vitality.]
‘…Wasn’t that about exchanging vitality into magical power?’
[Oh Grethen. Think realistically. Is vitality really a real value? Conditions change every day. The basic ability of a healthy body to fight illness and disease in general. All of that can never be quantified. This is especially true with a word that is nothing like vitality.]
‘No, then why is it written like that…’
[Because I had to pretend it was a game. It’s natural, right?]
I held my forehead for a moment, feeling dumbfounded. For some reason, what HP looks like and what it applies are slightly different. Even considering that the indomitable will was activated, there were many moments when I wondered why my HP did not reach 0.
‘…I thought it was all your fault.’
[It’s not like I didn’t put in any effort.]
‘That’s it, the replacement of vitality is now sealed. I guess I’ll use it in the future.’
[Why? If it’s dangerous, you should use it.]
‘That’s terrible. Tell your soul first and say. ‘
I waved my middle finger at the scumbag who said that I was not a soul and let out a weak sigh. I’m glad to know this now, but it’s also so unexpected that it’s a shame. I pressed my hands against my throbbing head.
‘Okay, if the problem is that the soul is broken, then why was it possible to have a normal conversation until now? Or did something further break your soul last night?’
Still, there are still stories that need to be heard. After remembering the problem of replacing vitality, I got back on track. Anger, who had only whistled when told to give up your soul, quickly responded to the conversation.
[Uhm, that’s not it… What should I say about this. The reason the soul was broken is not directly related to the baby’s sleep. In human terms, lifespan? Cheonsu? The real cause is that something like that leaked through a crack.]
‘…What?’
[Oh, I’m telling you this in advance because I think you’ll misunderstand, but that’s not usually the case. It only happens when it takes over the surface consciousness.]
‘No, why on earth…’
[This is also a bit complicated to say… Roughly speaking, since there are three souls in one body, something like pressure is created and it leaks. When you’re in an image, it’s okay because there’s less pressure, but it’s different when you’re in control of your physical body. It’s similar when sending the soul body outside.]
Damn, I haven’t heard any good news.
I massaged the back of my neck again as my blood pressure rose with each word. I really didn’t know where the happy feeling I felt when I woke up had gone.
‘Sending the soul body outside… is that it? ‘You act like you’re popping out.’
[Yes.]
‘Why doesn’t that damn kid tell me?’
In the meantime, I can guess why Faust didn’t tell me, which makes me even more frustrated. Anyway, maybe it’s because the kid did something wrong, but he doesn’t try to help or smoke. Hwabyeong, I’m going to die.
‘Fuck, fuck, really….’
I couldn’t hold it in any longer and repeated the same curse two, maybe four or five times. I wanted to live without swearing if possible, but I just couldn’t do that. It was so fucked up.
‘…So how long does she sleep?’
[You don’t know, right? But at least I probably won’t wake up today. Even if the lifespan that was leaked yesterday will be enough for a month.]
‘…I wonder how long we had a conversation.’
[It wasn’t that long. Roughly 2 hours? 3 hours?]
‘You lost that much of your life just by sharing that?’
[So the kid is losing his mind, right?]
‘….’
It was really shit.
I felt like I was falling headlong into a deep pit.
plod along.
“…under.”
But in life, things don’t always happen according to my mood. I bit my lip as he kept wandering around in the hallway and eventually closed my eyes.
“If you have any business, come in. Don’t go back and forth.”
“…Is that okay, Demon Knight?”
“…okay.”
The visitor was an Archmage.