“So, what are you trying to find by using them?” Xyle asked the question he had been concerned about the most after listening to Ella’s story.
After Ella spoke about the plague, Xyle quickly thought about everything he knew about it. After the Great Revolution of Marquis Tuchizen, medical prowess had made a huge leap in progress. The plague wasn’t much of a concern anymore. However, the plague that she spoke of was entirely different from the previous plagues. She mentioned that a certain object started the plague. He tried to think about an object that could cause a plague that could kill millions, but he couldn’t find the answer.
‘Does such an object even exist?’ Xyle thought with some doubt in his mind.
Ella watched Xyle’s dubious expression towards her, retraced the words she read from the novel and found the answer he wanted. Then she said, “It’s called the Tear of Cielin.”
“Tear of Cielin?”
“Yes,” replied Ella.
Xyle frowned at her answer. Tear of Cielin… He had never heard of it. The word “tear” was put on many objects, so it was hard to even tell what kind of object it was.
“I knew you wouldn’t know of it,” commented Ella.
“Never heard of it.”
“Yes, you said that. In the book.”
Their eyes met. Both of them were beings who came from outside the book, and every time they mentioned that they were beings within the books, a weird atmosphere was created between them. Even now, unexplainable, strange feelings swept across them.
“So, you know what it is? I can’t even tell what it is by the name alone,” said Xyle, disturbing the flow of the weird atmosphere, and looked casually at Ella. He made a face as if he didn’t know anything about the strange feelings he felt just now.
“Unfortunately, I have no idea. There was an explanation in the book, but it was vaguely described. It just said it was a very clear gemstone of some sort. It was the size of a nail, and the substance that comes out from it destroys the immune system.”
“I have no idea what it might be even after listening to your explanation. There is no record whatsoever of the existence of such a gemstone.”
She understood his reaction. Xyle from the book didn’t believe it until he saw it with his own eyes. Then, Ella commented, “Anyway, we have to find it. The problem is, there’s no way we’ll find it before it ignites itself. According to his words, maybe it’s not even in this world at this moment.”
“His?” questioned Xyle.
“Someone, who we will meet tomorrow. He told us about it.”
Xyle looked at Ella with disbelief. There’s no way that the person they will meet tomorrow will know something he doesn’t already know. He was a being who would learn about the world and wouldn’t know the truth already.
“That’s the same face you made in the book. He said that a man who thinks he knows everything in this world is no more of a fool than an arrogant man. He also said you shouldn’t judge him using your standards.”
Xyle’s mouth shut with a sulky expression on his face. What Ella just said, which were that person’s words, was right, but it didn’t feel good to hear them. He especially didn’t like hearing them from her.
“Don’t be like that. I told you because I didn’t want you to hear it from him by making that face in front of him. He said he has his secrets to keep while you have yours. The Tear of Cielin is in his territory.”
Xyle let out his astonishment and took a step back from Ella. He realized that, unlike her appearance, this woman was actually 38 years old. What felt worse, to listen to those words from her or to hear that in front of her? The answer was clear. He had to thank her for her courtesy, but his pride couldn’t summon his courage.
He made the dullest facial expression he could possibly make and asked Ella again, “So, did he tell you how to find it?”