NOVEL NEXT Chapter 17
Chapter 17
Inside the giant magic circle, all the knights had gathered. I tried my best to ignore the stony gaze of Kal that was following me.
“I will teleport immediately.”
The robed wizards began to gather their magical power. I could feel the mana coalescing around us.
“Teleport!”
With a strong gust of wind, space warped around us.
As I opened my eyes, I saw a dense forest, feeling the unique nauseating sensation of spatial movement. After quickly scanning for any dangers, I turned to Farve.
“Where are we?”
“We’re in the Trash Region’s mountains. If we move diligently today, we should be able to camp near Harten Mountain by tonight.”
We had set off from the Trash Region around noon, but it would be evening by the time we reached Harten Mountain.
From near Harten Mountain, the chilling northern winds had noticeably dropped the temperature. When I pulled out a black cloak with fleece from my spatial pouch, Kal merely commented on whether I had any clothes other than black, but apart from that, the journey went smoothly.
“I think it would be best to camp here.”
As the sun began to dip behind the mountains, Farve looked around and decided on a camping spot. I furrowed my brows and surveyed the area.
‘The terrain itself is fine, but…’
I frowned upon examining the leaves around me.
“How about we go a bit further before unpacking?”
“Hmm? Is there a reason?”
Farve asked with a puzzled expression, while Kal also turned to look at me. The knights focused their gazes on me.
“If you look closely, the leaves of the surrounding trees have a faint reddish hue.”
“Really… so true.”
“That’s a sign that we’re in the vicinity of the habitat of Kifira, the monster that often inhabits Harten Mountain.”
People’s mouths fell open in shock, the looks on their faces conveying deep surprise. Such delicate details were information known only to mercenaries who had long engaged in monster hunting, so it was only natural that they did not know.
Kifira was a nocturnal monster that lived in groups. Its wings released a red powder that causes hallucinations, which is why the leaves of the trees around their habitat turned red.
‘Kifira would be easy to handle, but… there’s no need to take unnecessary risks.’
“Seeing the faintness of the red hue, it looks as though we’ve drifted quite far from their main habitat. If we just go a bit further, we should be out of their territory.”
I leaned forward in my saddle, plucking a leaf and examining it, and the knights cast sharp glances at me. I blinked awkwardly.
“Uh… was I overstepping?”
“Oh, no. I think that’s a good idea. It’s just that despite having researched monsters quite a bit before heading out, this information is new to me. You’re quite impressive.”
“This is my work, so naturally, it’s something I should know without having to experience it firsthand.”
I replied calmly and lightly tugged at the reins.
“Let’s move a bit further. We should find a suitable spot soon.”
After about ten minutes of moving, we arrived at a clearing where the leaves displayed normal colors. There were few rocks around, so it seemed unlikely that snake-like monsters would be there.
We helped the knights set up the barracks. It was a bit awkward since the knights seemed flustered just by me approaching to assist. After placing various items from my limitless spatial pouch, the surroundings soon dimmed.
A campfire was lit in the center of our camp. I sat alone on a distant boulder, staring blankly into the flames.
“Why don’t you eat something?”
“Oh, thank you.”
As I observed the knights receiving their food from a distance, Kal approached and handed me a bowl filled with stew. I noticed that he casually sat down beside me with a bowl of soup in his hand and asked a bit hesitantly.
“…Do you also eat this, Your Highness?”
“Did you think I was the sort to eat steak all on my own?”
Honestly, I half-expected that. The nobles I had seen all acted like they’d die if they ate anything common.
Seeing my expression, which seemed to convey some understanding, Kal sighed.
“I don’t know what sort of person you think I am. I’m not the type to enjoy luxury alone when camping.”
‘In the original story, you were that kind of person…’
I pursed my lips, recalling the villainous acts of the original Kal. Though I was attempting to suppress the sense of dissonance as we worked, I couldn’t shake the thought that the current Kal was nothing like the original.
‘His attitude towards people is different.
It doesn’t make sense that this mad Kal has never done anything insane yet.’
After hearing that Kal would join the monster hunt, I thought it would be a miracle if he could return in one piece, yet this was way off from my expectations.
‘If Kal hasn’t lost his mind, that would be great…’
“Are you a scholar instead of a mercenary? You seem to spend all day just thinking.”
“Ah.”
I quickly snapped out of my thoughts under Kal’s sarcastic comment. Although he maintained an indifferent expression, a faint hint of irritation was visible.
“Are you bored?”
“Do I look like a five-year-old child?”
As I asked, unsure if that was the case, Kal seemed a bit riled and replied harshly.
‘He seems like a spoiled child for not being played with…’
I belatedly realized that Kal wanted to engage in conversation. It was bizarre behavior I’d never imagined he would display.
‘Then again, he’s only 19 years old…
I suddenly realized.
Kal was my older brother, but having only lived for 19 years, it made sense that he wouldn’t be as mature as I, who carried nearly 50 years’ worth of memories from my past life with him. The original Kal, who would often drive people insane, was an anomaly; a normal 19-year-old would behave this way.
“It couldn’t be. But I’m quite bored, so… if it’s really alright, I would appreciate it if you would join me, Your Highness. Is there anything you’re curious about me?”
Putting aside my worries, it felt like I should spend time with my brother, whom I had just met. I set my bowl down and turned to Kal.
The crackling campfire. The chilly atmosphere of the autumn night. The gentle scent of Kal that tickled my nose. Aside from the distant noise from the group sitting far away, everything else around us was quiet. Feeling a bit lazy, I instinctively relaxed my tense muscles.
“…How did you become a mercenary?”
Kal, who appeared slightly more at ease, asked slowly. There was no trace of prying or trying to figure out my identity, which made me suddenly reflect on the genuinely simple reason why I became a mercenary.
“It was for money.”
There was no need to think deeply. It was quite simple.
“I wanted to protect what I loved. I didn’t want to lose it. Earning money was all I could do.”
A familiar pain tugged at my heart. I had struggled endlessly in a terrifying sense of helplessness and self-loathing as I watched my loved one fade away. I gave that meaningless struggle a purpose, and that purpose kept me going.
At least when I wielded my sword, I could feel that I was tenaciously living under the sky, that I had a reason to live.
“I guess I took up this job as a reason to live.”
Yes. I took up the sword for the sake of Aria, bleeding for her.
Perhaps the name Mir, stained with blood and filled with dark red drops, was what kept me alive.
“I see.”
A calm affirmation came back. Not understanding, nor excessively empathizing, it was a profound indifference. From Kal’s attitude, which simply showed affirmation without trying to grasp or intrude upon the life of a perfect stranger, I felt comfort.
An unyielding silence followed.
“You started working as a mercenary just for money.”
“…Yes.”
“Then why did you become a hero?”
‘Come to think of it, why did I become one?’
I closed my eyes slowly.
If only I could pass on this money-making endeavor and let it slide, how fortunate that would be.
“Because I know how painful loss can be.”
The face of a person briefly flashed through my mind. An indescribably brilliant ideal. I am the one who lost it. Just recalling it made me feel as if something within me was collapsing.
I stared into Kal’s eyes, suppressing my tears.
I was utterly terrified of losing something precious. Having experienced loss, I had longed for those who had departed and endlessly regretted the past that had slipped away; that pain tormented me.
The void left by someone cannot be filled by another. An empty space remains forever vacant, and what fills it is something different. Losing something precious means creating an empty mark that can never be erased from life.
Because I knew this, I didn’t want others to suffer loss.
“Many who might end up dying foolishly to monsters are someone’s precious people, right? I just didn’t want to see people lose someone they love.”
At my response, Kal’s eyes flickered. It was as if he were seeing some strange entity. After some time spent in thought, he slowly opened his mouth.
“…How is a life with someone you love so much?”
There was a profound ignorance in his voice. He did not understand love.
Kal was just that kind of person. He did not know love and had no intention of knowing it. He did not need love. That was simply how he was born.
It was exceptionally strange that he would ask me about love.
I slowly pondered my life. A life I had fought fiercely to protect Aria. The moments I desperately tried not to let her end up like that glimmering person disappearing in the snowy field. The instances when love and life felt burdensome.
I worked hard to clear my thoughts and calmly spoke.
“It’s despairing.”
“Despairing?”
“Yes. It is horrifically despairing. It’s tough and overwhelming. Sometimes I think I would prefer not to have loved at all. Loss is terrifying.”
My love is always rolling in the abyss. It was a color just like my aura.
“However… that despair drives people to live.”
Despair can lead one to death, and indeed, it has caused many to perish, but some find the meaning of life on the threshold of death. Poison and medicine are often separated by the thinnest line.
“If you can bear that despair and somehow keep living… you’ll end up finding moments when merely being alive makes one unbearably happy.”
Moments when you can feel happiness simply because you survived, because you didn’t die.
“That’s just how it is.”
Suddenly realizing I had said too much nonsense, I hurriedly ended my words. Kal fell silent for a long time. I started to worry if I had offended him when he slowly spoke.
“Fascinating.”
Meeting my gaze, he smiled slowly.
“I too want to meet someone who loves me so much and love them in return.”
Perhaps this was the moment.
When Kal Crisis began to love his younger sister, Kashmir Crisis.