CH 96

Warm.

I froze, forgetting what I would say and what I had to do. I had no choice but to smell Marianne’s sweat as she awkwardly pressed her lips against mine. I tried to pull away, but her firm grip prevented me from escaping. I see Marianne’s shoulders twitch as I reposition my mouth, and it feels strangely real again, but I force my eyes shut.

We must not have done it for long, but the moment seemed to last forever. The scenery faded away, and the scent of the sea faded away. I took a small breath, and Marianne gently moved away, separating our lips.

“Hero…Elroy.”

Marianne looked at me with eyes like a sunshower. I found myself unable to say anything as I met her eyes. All I could do was stand still and watch as I couldn’t comprehend the situation.

“I’m… a little embarrassed.”

Marianne’s body was trembling slightly. A crimson flush crept up her cheeks. It was so unlike her, yet so in character, that Elroy couldn’t help but let out a small chuckle. Marianne looked up at him with a hint of disapproval in her eyes.

Marianne was unsure of what to say, and as if she had made up her mind, she closed her mouth, took a deep breath, and opened it again.

“I’m not here to do this. I’m here to save you… to help you.”

I stared at Marianne as she spoke. The Holy Spear in her hand glowed with a strange light different from that of a Holy Weapon. Perhaps Marianne had succeeded in awakening it. I stared at her for a moment, then opened my mouth with a faint smile.

“Why did you call me by my first name?”

At my out-of-the-blue question, Marianne blinked and looked at me as if to ask why I was asking such a question.

“That’s because…the Hero told me to use his name….”

“You can call me by my name.”

Marianne bowed her head deeply at my words. Then she grabbed the hem of my robe and pulled me nearer. Now that I had a closer look, she was shaking from fear.

“…I was scared.”

Marianne said. I nodded, not knowing what to say. She rested her head against my chest and shook her head. Marianne’s hair brushed against the hem of my shirt.

“I was afraid you would’ve never returned, consumed by the fog. I was afraid I couldn’t even help you when you needed it the most.”

Marianne’s voice was soft and trembling. I didn’t know what to do, so I stood and caressed her hair gently. Crying. It was a word that I would never relate to her, but that’s what she was doing. Marianne’s hands tighten on my clothes.

“Why…you always…carry it all…yourself?”

I could barely make out Marianne’s words as her tears flowed freely. She clung closer to me, trying not to show her face. I could only wrap my arms and pat her hair.

“You don’t…have to protect…everyone by yourself…I joined the party…to follow you…So why…do you always…leave?”

Marianne sighed heavily. As she repeated herself, the words she wanted to say seemed to twist.

“I don’t know… just, just…”

Marianne’s voice was crawling down a rat hole. Instead of speaking, she grabbed the hem of my dress. I wrapped my arms around her shoulders even tighter.

“I don’t want you to go…I want to stay with you…You showed me another world…You tried to protect me…”

Marianne said plaintively, placing her hands on her chest. I looked at Marianne, who lifted her head. Her face was a mess of tears. I wiped away the tears on her cheek.

“Why are you suffering from something that never happened…what was on your mind being so tormented and hurt….”

I scratched my cheek in confusion, wondering if she saw the illusion of the Kraken.

“…I didn’t want to lose you, I didn’t want to sacrifice people, and I thought it might be something I could control.”

I answered, my voice rough. Arjen’s words still echoed in my head. I wanted to protect you. I wonder if Marianne would hate me for saying that.

“We are not yours to protect, Elroy.”

Marianne said as if she could read my mind. I looked away from her. She pulled my head to face her, bringing up the issue I’d been trying to ignore.

“I’m not going to stay weak forever, and I will not be left behind.”

As she spoke, Marianne gestured toward the distant island. There, the phantoms of Georg and Daphne stood, unharmed, looking at us.

“Neither Georg nor Daphne are that weak. They are not the children they were when you met them.”

Marianne said emphatically and grabbed my arm.

“Please trust your companions. We’re not weak enough to fall for a monster like this, and we would never even dare to leave you alone.|

“…Even so–”

“This is an illusion, Elroy. I will not leave you to break down here slowly.”

I sighed. I could never explain my actions to anyone.

“We all grew stronger. We needed to so we could walk alongside you. So that when you fall, we can pick you up.”

I wanted to ask if it was that easy, but I remembered how many times I’d already said things that were just as hard to follow through on. A small smile crossed Marianne’s face as she had yet to play her ace in the hole.

“The Hero’s Party is not complete with the Hero alone. So we will complete it: You, me, Daphne, and Georg.”

Marianne’s words woke me up again. Suddenly, I realized how ridiculous it was to have this back-and-forth with her, so I stopped and chuckled.

“I will not let you worry. I will become someone you can rely on.”

I nodded. Marianne’s eyes, looking straight at me the whole time, wavered slightly.

“…That was a bit of an embarrassing thing to say.”

Suddenly, as if embarrassed by that, Marianne stepped away from me. I blinked and looked at her, confused.

“Well, I mean, let’s go back together– or rather, let’s beat the Mist together.”

Marianne’s fists balled up at that abrupt conclusion. It was cute how her reddened eyes confidently declared the Disaster’s defeat.

I just realized something weird.

“How the hell did you get here?”

There’s no way the Mist would allow this to happen, yet the Marianne in front of me is unmistakably the real Marianne. She tilted her head, then raised yer right hand.

“The Holy Spear helped me, though I didn’t know it could cut through the fog.”

Putting aside cutting apart the fog, how did she find me? Surely she hasn’t been wandering through it for days…

“How did you get here…?”

Marianne blushed again and reached for something. I stood up and walked over to her, my curiosity piqued, and she reluctantly held something out to me as I approached.

“…A compass?”

I remembered what the Pope told her. It would lead to wherever she wanted to be.

As I recalled what else it could do, Marianne waved her hand in front of my eyes, trying to bring me out of my thoughts. I looked at Marianne and laughed with glee, and her ears turned a deeper shade of red.

“Ah, well, that’s how it came to be. Can we use this compass?”

Marianne handed me the compass, but when I picked it up, the needle only continued to spin in circles.

“…I can’t. What am I supposed to do with this?”

I muttered, frowning, and Marianne took the compass back and gave me a serious look. The fog wasn’t a tangible entity. There’s no such method to kill it directly.

“I’ll give Elroy some of my mana.”

Marianne said, sounding determined.

“What?”

“I still have all my strength and mana, as I haven’t used it much, but you are almost drained. If Elroy can recover some mana, we will both have an easier time.”

Marianne squeezed my hand as she spoke.

“…This illusion seems to be sustained by Elroy’s mana, so if we can retrieve it and return you to your true strength, we may have another way.”

Marianne said, looking around. From the moment Marianne intervened, time in this world stopped, and so did the mana draining from my body. I clasped and unclasped my hands, looking around with her.

“…I see.”

Marianne’s magic slowly began to enter my body. I took it as a cue and slowly began to circulate it. I finally realized how much mana I had lost.

“Come back.”

Slowly, the background around me began to crumble like a sand castle. I began to gather up my magic, bit by bit, as the illusion turned to fog and dissolved into the air. Marianne let out a small sigh as she felt her reserves empty, and I clenched my fists as I felt my power slowly return.

“…It’s been a while.”

My wounds healed, and I felt a new weight at my waist. I open my closed eyes. The fog gathered above our heads.

The Mist let out an angry growl, and I grinned.

Now, how do we hunt this thing down?