CH 59.1

I sighed deeply as I watched Isabella surrounded by a flurry of rapacious wind blades.

I hadn’t assumed such a possibility.

“You aren’t going to go looking for him like that, right?”

“Huh?”

Judging by the look on her face, my assumption seems to be correct.

Man, did she really thought of going on a journey to find him with nails broken and the soles of her feet bleeding?

Holding back a sigh, I pointed my forefinger at the stairs to the second floor.

“You have seen my teammates, right? Go up and say my name and get yourself healed by a nun named Ophelia. I’ll go and get the surplus equipment we have to spare.”

“What do you want to do?”

“What do I want to do? Aren’t you going to find Mars? I’m not letting myself let you go to find death. Go, get yourself healed.”

Isabella narrowed her gaze.

“…for real, what are you up to? Up until now, you have been very resolute on seperating me and Mars, but now you’re helping me find him?”

“I still want you to stay away from Mars. But it doesn’t seem like that’s going to stop you, and you’re going to die if you go out like that. And if you die, Mars will blame me. That’s a big no-no for me. So, go up, get yourself treated, equip some simple gear, and then come down. I’ll tell you the direction in which Mars left only after that.”

“…”

Isabella was suspicious, but she knew she wasn’t in the right state to do what she wanted, so she choose to go up to the second floor.

After a while, Isabella descended, having herself healed and lightly armed in a leather armor along with a rapier.

“Tell me now. Where did Mars go?”

“The principality to the North. He probably went to the city of Lymar.”

“…Are you sure? You are not lying, are you?”

Ferocious swirls manifested around Isabella and intensified by second.

“What would you do if it is a lie? Kill me? Regardless of whether you have that kind of ability, are you confident that you won’t be blamed by Mars?”

Isabella bit her lip.

""

“…if it’s a lie, you’ll see it yourself.”

After saying those words, she left the inn.

I also watched her as she left the inn and the village for the north.

Of course, the direction I gave to Isabella was wrong.

Mars was heading east, to the Kingdom of Carta.

For that reason, the two will not cross each other for the time being.

For the time being…

‘I don’t know what will happen in the future.’

My plan to make Mars and Isabella walk their separate paths was already in shambles.

Isabella will actively seek Mars, and they may one day meet again.

If that’s a happy future for Mars, it’s all good and fine.

But.

‘If it’s a tragedy…’

I might get a little bit pissed with the Goddess.

I sighed and turned my back after Isabella was out of sight. And I was a little surprised.

Because Neria with a horribly pale complexion was leaning against the inn wall.

“Neria, what happened to you? You weren’t even in the room… where had you been?”

I knew someone was eavesdropping from in front of the inn, but never thought that it was Neria. Neria was greatly startled by my question and stuttered in between her words.

“Oh, no… that… I didn’t mean to overhear… I was just coming… ah, but I couldn’t…”

“Are you alright? Well, things have been quite hectic recently. Let’s go in and have breakfast. We will leave immediately after dinner.”

“Cloud, uh… can’t we stay for one more day? I’m not feeling well…”

“Not feeling well? What happened…”

No sooner did I want to ask, than I smelled a strong liquor smell emanating from her.

My brows furrowed intuitively.

“Did you come here after drinking all night long? Even after I said we were going to leave soon?”

“Ah, no, that’s because… I, I’m sorry…”

Tears like drops of rain flowed from the corners of her eyes.

“No, come on, don’t cry… Ha, it’s okay. We are leaving tomorrow, so go in and have a rest.”

“Sorry, sorry…”

No matter how many times I explained that it was okay, no matter how many times I asked her what was going on, her tears wouldn’t stop.

Neria repeatedly kept muttering that she was sorry.

* * *

– Why didn’t you tell him about it earlier?

‘I wanted to do it too. But if that happened, Cloud, I was afraid you’ll be in danger…’

– What a load of crap.

– And you are protecting him? What are you?

‘I’m your childhood friend. I like you. That’s why I promised myself to keep you safe.’

– So, at some point, that mentality must have been established. Oh, he’s someone on a level lower than me. He is someone I need to protect.

‘I… I never thought of you like that.’

Neria denied Cloud’s words.

Though he was actually talking to a pink-haired girl she didn’t know, she couldn’t help but deny it, as if it was her in that position.

However, she could not deny Cloud’s following words.

-That’s why you were more precious than anyone else.

– The feeling of being abandoned by such a precious person… can you envision it?

– First, there is blood in your head. Your face turns red and veins unsightly protrude near your eyes.

– So, do you know what comes out instead of tears? Blood. Tears of blood come out.

– It feels wrenching. It feels like something precious in your chest was being gouged out.

A huge nail was stabbed into Neria’s chest.

Each word that Cloud spoke worked as a hammer on the nail.

Her heart broke little by little.

She knew, for sure, that he must have been hurt.

But she didn’t think deeply.

—because she was afraid.

Neria was afraid to imagine the great wounds she had inflicted on Cloud, and after she did, she ran away.

While she just thought he’d be able to give her a hug someday again.

But the truth Cloud shoved directly into her head negated her optimism.

– Thak!

The pink-haired girl ran out of the inn in a different attire than she entered. The girl jogged out of village and sprinted towards the forest.

Cloud also came out of the inn and he quietly watched the girl hurry away. It wasn’t until about the time the girl was gone that he sighed and turned around, startled to find Neria.

“Neria, what happened to you? You weren’t even in the room… where had you been?”

“Ah…”

Neria bit her lips before she could answer something.

What could she say?

Originally, Neria was going to have a conversation with Cloud.

Because she thought that if she divulged her true feelings about what she had kept pressing inside her, she would be able to become close with him as they were before.

But it wasn’t so.

Everything was different from her expectations… from her optimism.

In the current situation, what will happen if she told Cloud the truth? How will he take it? Wouldn’t that just make the wound all more agonizing?

Could it be that their relationship is beyond repair? It’s already ruined?

Could it be that they will fall apart like Mars and that pink-haired girl?

Neria was frightened.

“Oh, no… that… I didn’t mean to overhear… I was just coming… ah, but I couldn’t…”

""

So she ran away, once more.