Chapter 28
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Balkan, who had been staring at Grecan watching his reaction, turned bluntly, and the young wolf man from his tribe followed him but glanced back at Grecan with regret.
Thud—Three wolves walked out of the room.
From the opening of the door to their exit, Balkan never looked back at Grecan and neither did they.
The sound of the door slamming closed resounded.
Bang~
As the door closed, the conference hall was enveloped in a strange silence.
The first person to speak was Chera.
“Mirania…”
Although he was bold, the current situation, in which the relationship between his father was broken, dragged attention to difficulty.
Chera, who suddenly glanced at Grecan, who has lost a father, whispered in Mirania’s ear.
“What are you going to do? Aren’t you going to send him back to the wolves someday?”
“That’s right.”
‘If I sleep, he will surely come back.’
But it wasn’t…
I don’t know how this world will roll its destiny, so I can’t take my eyes off Grecan for a moment.
It turned out as I had hoped, but it was also true that it was strange to see Grecan standing alone where the wolves left.
“It’s okay.”
Mirania spoke to Chera and looked at Grecan at the same time. Chera blinked as if she didn’t understand Mirania’s soft voice.
“Well done, Grecan.”
Grecan looked up at the unexpected compliment.
She faced the chief Balkan without being pushed even an inch, but his eyes were bitter as if shocked.
Mirania spoke more kindly, fearing that Grecan might feel nostalgic for the wolves later and run away on the way.
“Until you find a new settlement, your place will be by my side, at the Witch’s Castle. I will embrace you instead of the family who abandoned you.”
“…”
“Of course, only if you want to.”
Grecan, who blinked, slowly approached and leaned on Mirania’s leg. There was a slight sense of weight.
Mirania hesitated, but she carefully lowered her body and embraced Grecan.
Grecan became heavier to lift himself on his own. Grecan, who had hardened himself, soon relaxed and left himself completely to Mirania’s embrace.
He rested his chin down on Mirania’s shoulder and exhaled slowly.
“…”
Pat, pat—Mirania patted his hard back, waiting for him to calm his emotions.
Although the posture was too close, Grecan did not show any discomfort, unlike other times.
As the time passed, he regained stability.
The moment he was about to wait for Grecan to lift himself.
A low voice mingled with the sound of breathing.
“I want it.”
“…What?”
“Mirania, I want to be by your side.”
☪
When she came down from Windless Mountain, Mirania, who was riding down the broomstick, found Scarlett and stopped flying.
Perhaps it was not a coincidence that while she was standing there, Scarlett found Mirania and raised her hand to announce her existence.
Mirania drove her broomstick in front of Scarlett.
“I thought you were gone.”
“I’ve been waiting for you. I wanted to discuss it, but I couldn’t because there was Balkan.”
“I guess it was just for me”
Scarlett nodded. She tilted her head when she saw Grecan in front of Mirania.
Grecan croaked at Scarlett’s strange gaze. Scarlett spoke to Milania, while Mirania laid down Grecan.
“Now I see that this boy is the wolf.”
Mirania did not deny it. There was no need to hide from Balkan in a situation they knew.
“I would have talked to the Balkan. What do you still have him?”
“I’ve decided to keep him.”
“You, the wolf?”
“He gave up being a part of Balkan’s clan.” Mirania said quietly, not trying to hide it.
Scarlett seemed a little surprised to think that Grecan would not return to the wolves.
She looked at Mirania and Grecan alternately.
“The more I see it, the more unexpected it is.”
Mirania, who did not understand the meaning of the word, was puzzled, but soon pretended to understand and gently smiled.
Scarlett nodded, saying, “I knew it at first glance because I knew everything about you.”
“I knew that the witches were generally of a peaceful nature, but I didn’t know that they were so generous that they even embraced the children of the wolf-like child.”
“…”
“That’s why you gave your hand first to me, who can’t say that we’re on good terms even though it’s empty. I was really surprised. I was impressed.”
Scarlett smiled softly. It was very rare for a cold-blooded Scarlett to smile.
Mirania remained silent on Scarlett’s gaze of trust.
‘I think she’s misunderstanding something.’
She realized Scarlett was mistaken, but Mirania did not bother to correct it.
Everything Mirania is doing now was not particularly humane or philanthropic.
It was an obvious misunderstanding, but well, things were good.
Scarlett said that Mirania was a peace-loving great witch, but she didn’t like bothersome things that much.
She pretended to intervene, but the bystanders were normal.
But she was right, she didn’t like conflict, so she decided that Scarlett’s favor wasn’t bad.
Mirania nodded slowly a couple of times as if she had been really one Scarlett thought of.
“So I can trust you more. Please take care of my child, too. Is he healthy… or in good condition?”
Scarlett looked at Mirania anxiously because she missed Leberianz. Then she can stop by and see for herself.
As the head of the bat clan, she must not be able to enter the realm of the witch clan on a daily basis.
Mirania guessed Scarlett’s desire to ask about Leberianz even while waiting for her.
At this time, it was right to say something that would reassure her.
“If you don’t trust me and take him, that’s going to be a problem. Rather than doing well.”
He was dragged into the forest like garbage and dumped in the lake as if it were being collected, but that was all I could say.
When Mirania, who hid the truth, spoke gently, Scarlett hesitated regretfully.
“When will he ever be completely healed?”
Scarlett asks when Leberianz could get out his disease and live a normal life.
“After a few days, I know it’s questionable. But this is the heart of a mother for her child. I get nervous and worry for nothing.”
Mirania blinked.
‘What should I say?’
In his previous life, Leberianz suffered from sleep sickness for about 15 years.
This time, it was planned to adjust the period of fighting the disease to 10 years in line with the time of its appearance of Alice.
‘That’s enough time for me to brainwash Leberianz before meeting Alice.’
Mirania thought.
“About 10 years…”
“About 10 years?”
Scarlett’s face hardened. Scarlett doesn’t know Leberianz would suffer from sleeping sickness for more than 15 years.
Although Mirania spoke of the healing period being shortened by five years, it would have been an unbelievable length of time for Scarlett, who did not know the original length of his disease.
Doubts spread in Scarlett’s eyes. Anxiety raised doubts, like a disease.
“I think it could happen a little earlier than…”
Mirania naturally corrected her words.
“That’s how serious the condition of the Leberianz is. I knew a lot about sleep sickness, so it’s just a guess.”
“That’s true, but still…”
“Yes, normal sleep sickness can happen even for a short time if you constantly stimulate it, no matter how deep you fall asleep. But Leberianz isn’t like that.”
As Mirania whispered persuasively, Scarlett’s eyes were confused.
“That’s true. But 10 years is too long.”
“That’s a shortcut, Scarlett. Trust me and wait. I’ll take responsibility and wake him up.”
Mirania spoke kindly, Scarlett’s eyes shook and soon sighed.
“I can’t help it. I’ll trust you, Mirania.”
“Did you wait for me to ask about Leberianz?”
Scarlett shook her head.
“There’s that too. There are other ways as well.”
“…”
“Malandor… I have a question. I want to discuss the wild black man.”
“Malandor?”
Mirania’s eyebrows turned to frown at the unexpected name.
After receiving the Night of Obedience, why did his name come out of Scarlett’s mouth, which she didn’t even think about?
“Mirania, do you know him personally?”
“We’re not close, but…”
“It’s not?”
Scarlett nodded curiously.
“We’re not that close.”
Mirania corrected herself. For Mirania, Malandor was only a person who shared the witch forest for a short time as the right person to guard the entrance to the brimstone fire.
He could also be said to be a villain among others.
‘He’s more intimate than Balkan or Scarlett.’
Balkan and Scarlett do not even fall into the category of my
‘close people’
, so being close actually meant that Malandor wasn’t a foe.
“Really? He picked you as his best friend, but it’s strange that you’re not close.”
Scarlett tilted her head but soon continued as if it was not important.
“Anyway, according to my children, his movements are suspicious these days.”
“Suspicious?”
Mirania thought to herself.
‘Malandor’s existence itself is suspicious.’
One day, he suddenly appeared and insisted that the entrance should be blocked because the dark world could open, and settled in the witch forest.
It was also suspicious that a man who’s said to be a dark freak but was a monarch of one world, could act so freely.