Grand Duke of the Heibern House

＜Chapter 44＞

After struggling through the forest of Belganoa, Ruin arrived at Faris, the village of wind.

The first thing that unfolded before his eyes was a group of children playing with mountain goats.

Boys running frantically with pinwheels in their hands.

Girls spread out in the field and laughing together.

All the children Sirha had to protect and all the children we should have saved were right in front of us.

It was hard to keep looking.

Even though he knew that this moment was in the past before the disaster, he was afraid that everything would disappear the moment his gaze landed on him.

peace.

The fantasy that I dreamed of all my past life.

“after… … .”

Ruin bit his lips as hard as he could to suppress the rising sadness.

However, I couldn’t finally sort out the emotions that started to get messy.

This wasn’t peace after killing him.

It was even less the peace that he and his colleagues wanted to keep.

This is just a false peace before disaster.

Suddenly, a cold feeling deepened in Ruin’s chest.

because i came

Because this horror of darkness has returned.

Now he will face a foe he never imagined.

It was more like a declaration than a promise.

It was more like a scream than a human will.

It was close to the oppression endured while swallowing blood, and it was close to the scream of someone who walked out of death.

Twisted and withered hatred.

When Ruin’s emotions, as dark as gray, were dizzyingly flowing out with the energy of the Blood Judgment.

The screams of children echoed across the field.

“Ugh! sheep! Where are you guys going!”

“Kyaaa catch!”

The goats ran wild and scattered in all directions.

Ruin approached the children, blaming himself for not controlling his emotions.

“uh? Traveler brother!”

“gentile!”

Children who show both curiosity and vigilance toward strangers.

Louin smiled softly and looked at those children.

“Can you do me a favor?”

The first child to respond was a large boy with impressive clear eyes.

“Go back! The chief said to beware of strangers!”

A wide-brimmed hat, a wide poncho, a heavy hunting stone hanging from her waist, and even a leather whip in her hand.

Perhaps this guy is a gaucho (Gaúcho) guarding the pasture.

It was still about the age of a shepherd boy, but it was strange that he was wearing the costume of a gaucho.

Ruin showed the sleeve of his robe and then turned around once.

“I have no weapon. The age difference between you and me isn’t much.”

“okay! Just a traveler brother!”

“You are too skinny! You look hungry!”

The children charged at the boy dressed as a gaucho and scolded him.

However, the gaucho boy still did not relax his guard as if he were in charge of the children.

“Which town are you from?”

“Paneom.”

Only then did the gaucho boy seem to be relieved.

Then he let out a small sigh and opened his mouth again.

“I heard about the Paneom Mine. But our village is too poor to accept nomads. You should have gone to the Duchy of Bern, not our village.”

“I did not come to settle down in this town.”

“then?”

Ruin quietly gazed at the golden giant mountain, where the screams of the roaring wind resounded.

“… … I am looking for a friend.”

“friend? Who is that?”

A stranger I’ve never seen before.

Why is such a stranger’s friend in our town?

The gaucho boy was looking up and down Ruin with an even more suspicious look.

“Sirha.”

Moment.

“Sirha… … ?”

“A friend of that monster?”

The children all distorted their faces and were more wary of Ruin.

Ruin couldn’t help but be taken aback by the children’s sudden reaction.

“What do you mean Sirha is a monster?”

“Ominous Sirha!”

“Cursed Sirha!”

When the children spewed out their fiery emotions and ran wild, the gaucho boy also shouted at Ruin.

“He is the one cursed by the golden giant mountain! If you’re a friend of such a cursed bastard, get out of here!”

“what… … ?”

The children who suddenly rushed at Ruin and shouted.

While Ruin was taken aback by the children’s harsh reaction, the question never left his mind.

‘What kind of curse is Sirha… … .’

Even in the fear of death, he made the hearts of his colleagues infinitely comfortable, and he had a smile like the wind.

His warm heart was more of a strength to his allies than the saintess.

In an instant, old memories suddenly came to Ruin.

The last battlefield, Tenebriga Castle.

The words that Sirha, who came out of the camp engulfed in flames, casually threw at herself.

His voice trembled terribly, as if weighed down by empty emotions.

＜If someone had hugged me back then, if only they had said that it was okay… … .＞

＜Ruin… … this i… … Could this Sirha have saved everyone?＞

Ruin’s gloomy gaze turned to Peiris Village in the distance.

I wanted to meet the guy who resembled the wind, Sirha, as soon as possible.

* * *

It wasn’t difficult to find where Sirha was.

It was because when the name Sirha was brought up, all the villagers looked deep into the valley with ominous eyes.

Bubbly.

The deeper the valley went, the denser the yellow lilem trees became.

This huge mountain was the reason why it was called the Golden Giant Mountain.

Shoot aaa-

Valley gusts raging again.

Golden leaves scattered in all directions, disturbing Ruin’s vision.

Ruin immediately understood why this wind, which suddenly blew so hard that it was difficult to walk, was called the golden giant’s cough.

Then a roar was heard.

Kwaaang-

A powerful blow that resonated throughout the valley.

Immediately in the distance, a massive lyrem tree leaned slowly and let out a long scream.

Kkwajijijik!

At the same time, a powerful wave of speculation surged!

The corner of Luin’s mouth went up slowly.

I realized it as soon as I felt the envy coming from all sides. that he is in this valley.

“… … .”

Ruin, who was rapidly climbing the mountain, stopped.

He was frozen at the scene unfolding in front of his eyes.

Lirem trees fell in all kinds of bizarre shapes.

A straight path stretching all the way to the top of the mountain, a straight empty lot like a dent in a cake.

Ruin’s shaky gaze scanned the ragged Lirem trees.

The horribly crumpled marks were full of bloodstains.

This wasn’t training.

It was hate that I could feel at a glance.

When Ruin reached the summit frantically through the rough bushes.

That guy, Sirha was standing there.

“… … .”

Between the messy messy hair.

The dark eyes of Sirha were revealed like those of a wounded beast.

It was like hurt hatred or dry futility, but in either case, Ruin’s heart ached terribly.

I wanted to open my mouth to ask about the pain, but I couldn’t.

His consciousness was not clear.

Disorganized breathing, feeble speculation.

It was difficult to even stand, and he was holding on like that with only willpower.

‘I see. Sirha.’

Your smile bloomed so brilliantly only after enduring all of this.

With that terribly trembling body, you endured and endured countless slashes of emotion, and only after everything became blurry did you smile so brightly.

Luin just smiled.

For a long time, she stood in front of Sirha, enduring that desperate despair, but she had nothing to do but smile.

“why… … smiling… … the poor… … ?”

The intermittent cracking sound, Sirha’s voice without feeling a single emotion.

Ruin stared numbly at Sirha’s fist, whose blood had hardened and turned black.

What did he swing so far in order to forget and gain?

The emotions that burst out like a dam squeezed through his mouth and flowed down.

“Sirha.”

staggering and approaching

Sirha, half-conscious, staring at herself dubiously.

Ruin looked at the expressionless face of such a guy.

“you… … who… … ?”

I could feel Sirha’s complicated emotions.

Ruin just held his hands without saying a word.

“… … You must be sick.”

agent of the wind.

Sirha of the Windstorm.

Like the life of Ruin, the great mage, the fear of darkness, Sirha also had such a harsh past.

Nevertheless, Ruin wanted to believe that it would be as different as Sirha, who gave warmth to everyone.

However, it seemed that Sirha was living in a story that was more difficult than himself, no, than anyone else.

“… … does not it hurt.”

Sirha shakes off his fist as if this is nothing.

His eyes, which had gone numb before he knew it, returned to the top of the golden giant mountain.

As he staggered away again, Ruin grabbed his shoulder.

“Let’s rest for a bit. Sirha.”

Sirha looked at the stranger’s hand holding her shoulder slowly.

The first human to find himself and not run away.

A small doubt spread in my heart, but I had to move on.

“Leave this… … I am… … I have to go.”

Ruin looked at the top of the golden giant mountain hidden in the white clouds.

“What is there?”

sudden question.

Shirha’s eyes flashed with agitation.

Ruin’s voice entered again between Sirha’s disturbed mind.

“There is nothing.”

“… … .”

In fact, Sirha’s blind advance had no meaning.

Just like the horrors of darkness in those days.

It was just a struggle to struggle in the illusion of the past.

It was just a longing to endure a broken heart.

Ruin sat in the bush and looked up at Sirha.

“Let’s sit together.”

“… … I will.”

fluff.

Sirha’s half-opened eyes.

Louin walked closer to him and sat down.

“Actually, it hurts.”

Sirha looked down at his poor fists and shook his head.

“really… … it doesn’t hurt… … .”

Ruin silently clenched his fists.

How could he lie so well?

“ah… … ? what is this… … ?”

A stranger who touches his fist and then suddenly hugs him.

It was when Sirha panicked and tried to withdraw.

Luin hugged him even more deeply and rubbed his back.

While holding Sir Ha awkwardly, he hardened into an unknown emotion.

The lost emotion, the warmth that had been forgotten for a long time, spread all over my body.

“Ahh… … .”

I couldn’t express it because it was a lost feeling.

Sirha forced his rough, cold fists open.

“Big uh… … .”

Sirha couldn’t remember how long it took to open his fist.

“Okay. It’s okay Sirha.”

Moment.

“Ah… … ahhh… … .”

Shirha’s trembling hands hugged Ruin’s back.

Emotions for unknown reasons came flooding in and stirred in his heart.

“okay. Sirha.”

Feeling the trembling emotions intact, Ruin closed his eyes.

At that time, everyone realized what comfort Sirha wanted.

“Ugh! Ughhh!”

The sound of Sirha’s cries filled the golden giant mountain.

Ruin was now rebuking himself for coming to Sirha.