CH 68

Hearing my words, Kade’s expression went blank for a moment, then slowly twisted.

He looked so miserable that I couldn’t tell if he was doing that because of what I said or because of the pain.

“I’m not even asking an absurd question, am I?”

It was a voice that was even ferocious. As if he was particularly offended by the remark not to cross the line.

“Someone will have doubts when they see you. Why are they both pretending nothing is wrong, and why are they not talking about the 10-year gap?”

As the words continued, the end of the voice trembled more and more, and before, it sounded like it was about to break.

“But it doesn’t even look like someone who completely turned a blind eye…”

“Therefore.”

This person kept pointing out the wrong part. I let out a big sigh as he wrinkled his face proudly.

As I looked down, our eyes met, and Kade changed his expression, startled.

“Who are you to say you don’t understand us, so what?”

“…”

“You have nothing to do with this. Don’t you?”

I crossed my arms and looked at Kade.

“You knew, didn’t you? Whatever question you have between us, you’re not qualified to say it.”

He still had no answer. He just quietly kept his mouth shut with a face that seemed to be holding something.

But it was better that way than giving useless answers, so I went on.

“Having doubts about other people’s affairs, and passing it over at will… If you hadn’t opened your mouth up to this point, we wouldn’t have known.”

As I said that, I glanced at Dante from the side of my eye, but he just stood still behind me with an incomprehensible expression.

If he had shown an expression of anger or depression, I would have known what he was thinking, even if it would have calmed my mood.

However, one thing was certain. I don’t know about now, but Dante must have been very angry when he talked to Kade.

So Kade can’t even dare to get up like that, and he’s sitting against the wall, staring at me. I looked away from Dante and moved to Kade, who held his breath.

It may be a bit biased to do so in front of someone who looks like a victim to anyone, but what Dante felt was more important to me.

“You got your gear out of your mouth, which made Dante angry.”

“…”

Kade opened his mouth as if he had something to say, yet he didn’t say anything. No, it was more befitting to say that in fact, he said nothing. Because before he could even speak, he started coughing.

Suddenly, the ‘results of making Dante angry’ caught my eye. For example, Kade coughing suddenly, or debris falling every time his body moves, even for a moment.

The result of his mistake was a devastating sight. However, there was only that kind of feeling.

“Hmm.”

Just because he’s angry doesn’t mean he did a good job by hurting people hard and unilaterally. Deep down, while I was gone, Dante was a bit… No, I also thought that he might have gone too far. I don’t even know if it’s just that I haven’t seen this side of him.

But every time I thought about it, it made me feel bad because it was like admitting that Kade was right.

“Even if, as you say, we don’t know each other too much, and Dante is getting sick of my indifference.”

Ah, I almost looked back for a moment. Dante suddenly grabbed my arm.

Yet I continued talking without looking back.

“You have no right to say anything. Do I really need to tell you this?”

I was full of energy, you don’t even know that one, so I have to tell you directly like this?

“This is a matter between us. ‘Our’ matters that others may or should not interfere with.”

Even without looking at it, I could tell that my expression would be colder than usual.

Kade, who had been looking up at me, changing his expression with each word I said, opened his mouth.

“… Mad…”

“I’m not mad.”

What’s the point of asking such a thing only after saying things that make me angry? Even the words that looked at my mood in an unresponsive manner were absurd, and my expression hardened once again.

Really, I’m not mad. Isn’t there a saying that you can’t be angry if it doesn’t make sense? If I was mad, there was no way my mind would be as calm and cool as it is now.

Apart from that, I really hated the person in front of me.

Lily will take care of him anyway, so it should be fine. No, even if it wasn’t going to be fine, I didn’t want to be bothered anymore. Since I discovered this situation, my bad mood has been sinking towards the bottom.

“Perhaps no one has ever spoken to you this way, but listen.”

I bent down to meet Kade’s gaze, who still couldn’t stand up. As I lowered my posture, I could see Kade’s eyes quivering slightly.

What is that expression, I wonder. Fear? Anger? I’m not sure, it was an expression that couldn’t be defined with just one emotion.

“Don’t try to meddle in other people’s business. It might not look good.”

Ah, now I know. Kade’s expression.

That was definitely the expression of a person staring at something out of control.

***

L6.

After successfully contacting the Crown Prince, Liliana, who was coming downstairs, noticed that the atmosphere in the hallway was strange.

“…Ivan?”

“Ah… Sister Lily.”

“What happened…”

It took an instant for the blood to drain from Liliana’s bewildered face.

“Kade?!”

A blood stained hallway that reminded her of the first day she came to the Magic Tower. In the meantime, Kade, covered in blood, was sitting on the floor.

Since the day they finished talking with the Master of the Magic Tower, they hadn’t had a chance to get together, yet for some reason, everyone except Kade was standing alone in the hallway.

She had no idea what had happened in the moment she had been away. In the end, she couldn’t say anything and she just opened and closed her mouth, but as she stood still, Ei said in a quiet voice.

“I’m sorry, Lily.”

Liliana looked at Ei with a confused gaze. She was very calm and cold-faced for someone who was saying sorry.

She thought Ei would explain how this happened with that calm face on her face.

“Somehow, he got hurt like this. Really, somehow.”

Ei didn’t do it out of the blue.

“Still, he didn’t die. If you take responsibility, I will listen to you later, not now. Later.”

Rather, she just kept saying things that made no sense. For a moment, she was taken aback by the unexpected words and her usual voice.

“You can ask Ivan what happened. Then we’ll be going.”

Liliana even felt devastated as she left the seat holding the hand of the Master of the Magic Tower. She didn’t even notice properly that an emotion similar to bewilderment briefly appeared on the face of the Master of the Magic Tower, who was following Ei.

The two disappeared in an instant, and the hallway became quiet again.

Liliana couldn’t even try to hide the stunned expression on her face and looked at Kade, the hallway, then Ivan, until she finally fixed her gaze on him.

Recognizing Liliana’s gaze, Ivan put on a very complicated expression.

“…It’s kind of hard to say that in front of someone who’s been hurt.”

As if to notice Kade, Ivan turned his eyes for a moment before speaking in a very small voice.

“Brother Kade did something wrong first.”

When Kade, who seemed capable of rebutting him, didn’t respond, Liliana could only let out a sigh.

***

Leaving the crumbling hallway and quickly leaving the two of them alone, Dante hurriedly opened his mouth.

“I don’t get sick of you.”

As I turned my head to look at him at the unexpected words, Dante’s voice became more urgent.

“If I was going to get sick of you being indifferent, I wouldn’t have liked you in the first place. I already knew that you were indifferent, and I also,”

“Dante.”

When I quietly called his name, the gibberish voice stopped. I was wondering what he was saying, but it seems that he was still paying attention to one of the words I spit earlier.

It shouldn’t be that important right now, yet as soon as it’s just the two of us left, he said that. Anyway, he had a knack for focusing on odd places.

Even all the way here, he must have been paying attention to what I was thinking.

Once again, my feelings faded away.

“It’s just something I spat out, you don’t have to worry about it.”

“…That’s a relief. I thought you really thought so.”

“But I have to ask you this.”

“Hm?”

Bang! I hit the wall next to Dante, and he was quickly trapped in my arms. I heard him bewildered, calling my name, seemingly taken aback by the sudden action, yet I ignored it. As it was something that could only be told when there were only two of us.

I hate to admit it, but there was a fact that I only realized after hearing Kade’s words. I’ve never asked Dante how he’s been in 10 years.

And when I entered the Magic Tower, I promised to hear the answer, yet in the end, I couldn’t hear it clearly.

Subconsciously, I might have thought that it was okay because ‘’we have a lot of time’. But now I know what a wonderful means of escape that remark is, and how bad it can be to miss the right time to say what must be said.

I pushed Dante against the wall, looked him straight in the eyes and said.

“Dante.”

“…Mm.”

Thump, thump, trying to ignore the heart that started beating heavily.

“…Why did you decide to end your life?”