CH 61

Turning around in Dante’s arms, it wasn’t difficult to see his tear-stained face.

The first thing I saw was a distorted expression, denial, sorrow, sadness, and joy. In the midst of them, the eyes that one day thought to contain the Milky Way were shaking, full of water.

As I reached out my hand to the face in front of my eyes and touched the corners of his eyes, the tears that were barely forming were dripping down.

The tears, which seemed to have barely stopped, began to flow once again on my hands, and before long, they poured endlessly as they wet Dante’s face as well as my hands.

Even though Dante made eye contact with me, he couldn’t speak, opening and closing his mouth repeatedly. He couldn’t take his eyes off my face with a broken expression, and he didn’t even raise a voice. I guess he didn’t know what to say.

In the end, I was the one who spoke first.

“Do you know that I’m not fake now?”

“…”

Seeing him crying without an answer, I whispered softly.

“Can’t believe it either?”

“…Hm.”

“I see. What should I do for you to believe me?”

Even when I heard the words that I would ask if I was making fun of someone, the same weight as before had disappeared. The anxiety and helplessness that Dante wouldn’t recognize me had disappeared far away.

Dante replied in a suppressed voice to my playful words.

“…Kiss me.”

I burst up laughing and at the end, I had no choice but to kiss you.

***

It was a fact that I hadn’t noticed since Lisa immediately brought me to Dante, but the structure of the Magic Tower was bizarre.

It was obviously a dull simple tower on the outside, yet on the inside, it looked like a luxurious mansion. When you open a door, a hallway suddenly appears, and as soon as you look for a staircase, you find it right away as if it came from somewhere. I heard it was a space made of magic, but I had no way to understand such a principle.

Anyway, there was at least one room in the Magic Tower that had been neglected for a long time, probably because it had many rooms unlike its appearance.

A room with two or three sofas facing each other and a table between the sofas. As expected, it seemed to be a room that had been used as a drawing room for a long time.

Tired of the long trip, I leaned back comfortably as soon as I saw the sofa, and when I sat down, Lily, Kade, and Ivan sat along on the other sofa.

Sitting face-to-face with the people I was traveling with, it really feels like the difficult journey is over. I thought so while feeling the soft touch on my back, and then I noticed that the expressions of the three people sitting opposite each other were strange.

Well, I don’t know, but… It certainly doesn’t look like the faces of people who have solved their problems.

“…”

There must be only one reason for that.

I looked at Dante, who was leaning against me with his arms wrapped around my waist.

“Dante.”

“Hm.”

“They’re colleagues who came looking for you.”

At my words, Dante glanced at the three people on the other side.

“I know.”

“Hey, that’s not what I meant.”

“Then what is it?”

He could say hello, ask about business, or talk about anything, though. Dante hadn’t mentioned any of them.

Maybe it’s his own way of protesting about why he needs to meet other people when he wants to be alone with me, but…

I was accustomed to seeing him roll his eyes while taking off his pretense. Of course, as this was familiar to me, others had a suspicious look on their eyes. No, are they this surprised?

What kind of attitude has he shown to people all this time? I said with a confused expression, feeling that things were getting complicated in my head.

“Do you really have to hug me like this in front of your colleagues?”

“Obviously.”

“No, what is obvious? What is.”

“Miss Ei, we’re fine…”

I stretched out my arm and pushed Dante away, until finally Lily smiled and said:

You don’t look fine with a smile on that pale face of yours, Lily.

It’s obvious that saying they’re okay is a lie, but I’m more ashamed of myself when he’s like this in front of other people. Ah, look at Kade’s expression! As I struggled once more, Dante released his arm with a troubled face. As much as I pushed him away, his attitude of trying to come back was still the same.

After firmly telling him to stop, I let out a small sigh and brought up the matter.

“They say they have a topic to bring, so let’s hear it first. You can’t keep them waiting.”

“It’s an obvious topic anyway…”

“That obvious topic, I want to hear it.”

“…”

Look at that dissatisfied face. On the other hand, I was dumbfounded by the fact that he wouldn’t leave me even for a moment, yet strangely, a faint sense of relief filled my heart. What a strange thing.

I whispered in a low voice so that only Dante could hear.

“Even if it’s not right at this moment, you can hold me anytime now.”

Finally Dante was quiet.

I nodded my head to indicate Lily could talk, then she looked at Dante and me with a distraught expression before opening her mouth.

“…We’re a delegation that came under the command of the Imperial Family. Investigate the whereabouts of the Master of the Magic Tower and investigate the ecosystem of the monsters that are being disturbed… There were many reasons, but they’re all superficial reasons.”

“…”

“We have come to convince you, the Master of the Magic Tower.”

Lily’s green eyes met Dante. It was her eyes that glistened with a strong will, as if she had made a firm decision.

“End your old wanderings now.”

“…”

“Brother said so. Once we meet, I need to tell you to find your place, no matter what card you play. I came all the way here because I agreed with that idea.”

Wandering.

I rolled that word in my mouth, which dismissed the actions of Dante in the 10 years of my absence. Wandering, wandering

Even if I couldn’t openly say that it was crazy, that’s right, isn’t it too refined? No one wants to end their life as a result of wandering.

Even as I thought so, Lily’s words continued.

“There were many ways that came to my mind. From the thought of persuading you by mentioning the duty of the Master of the Magic Tower, to the worst case scenario, I thought that I might have to attack you.”

Your condition seemed so dangerous. With those words added in a calm tone, the magic circle in question popped up in my mind once again. And the monsters who were affected by the mana of the magic circle and ran amok.

“But looking at you now.”

Slightly hesitant, Lily, who slowed down her speaking speed, was silent for a moment.

“…I don’t think that’s necessary. Don’t you think so?”

Lily’s eyes were on me as she said that.

And, Dante’s gaze.

Since when has Dante been looking at me? Ever since Lily looked at me? Or, since I remembered Dante’s ‘dangerous state’? I bet Lily wasn’t looking at me the whole time she was talking.

It’s been a long time since I’ve seen that soft smile that folds whenever we make eye contact.

“Yeah.”

“…”

“…You don’t have to worry about my condition anymore.”

Responding to Lily, Dante laughed. It was the kind of laughter that made my heart that had unconsciously been cramped finally feel at ease.

“As the reason for all that action has now disappeared.”

The words were ambiguous, yet everyone in the room could understand Dante’s meaning.

I couldn’t shake off the arms that hugged me again.

***

I watched Dante give Lily, Kade, and Ivan a room to rest before dragging me out into the hallway.

Without saying anything, I just pulled Dante’s arm, and he smiled as if he had been waiting for this moment. Seeing his flawless face for the first time in a long time, it was hard to get used to it.

The two of us had enough time to talk, and from the bottom, an inexplicable tension rose subtly. Unknowingly, I looked around, and before I knew it, my head was spinning thinking about useless things.

For example, what floor is this place on? It seems that Lisa sneakily told me while taking me there, but was it on the 3rd or 4th floor? Or maybe even more. Suddenly curious about something unimportant, I approached the terrace at the end of the hallway to gauge how high up I was.

But getting closer didn’t help much. Before I even checked how high it was, the view over the railing caught my eye.

“…”

The forest, where black trees were densely located, the sun was dyeing the gloomy landscape pink and vermillion.

The sunset that crossed the horizon, crossed the forest, and reached the terrace here drew even us standing by the window into the light.

“It’s already this time.”

I murmured softly, and Dante, who had his eyes on the sunset-covered forest, turned his head. I could feel the transparent shining eyes looking directly at me, but my eyes were still captivated by the scenery until that moment.

It was the first time I saw the sunset here, but it wasn’t unfamiliar. Rather, the word familiar was more appropriate. Dante is by my side, and this scenery, which makes my heart thump just by looking at it.

Yes, this scenery resembles that day. When I heard that you would give me the world if I wanted it,

The day you let me know that you live forever.

When I remembered that fact, I unconsciously grabbed Dante’s hand.

“Dante.”

Even though I was the one who held your hand first, I could feel your hand holding me tightly as if you would never let me go.

Just as if you can’t believe that I called, no, you can’t believe that I’m even here, because the eyes that look at me contain joy that you can’t hide.

I took a deep breath in for a moment, then exhaled.

I should have told you earlier, and maybe it was too late.

“I have something to say.”

This was something I had to tell you.