NOVEL NEXT Chapter 92
It opened its eyes in an instant.
A darkness so thick it obscured even a foot ahead.
-I am…
In the comforting embrace of that darkness, it recalled a name.
–I am Krumo….
Then, emotions flooded into its mind.
Anger, fear, sadness, sorrow, despair….
Unfiltered emotions pouring in.
It began to be consumed by the most intense and fierce of them.
That emotion was anger.
What could be the source of this seething rage that seemed ready to burn everything?
Suddenly, something flickered before its eyes.
Something red, burning hot like the anger it felt.
Its breath hitched at the recollection of the red light that cut through its body.
-….
Huuuuuuk—
The fear of death.
A consciousness entangled in cold chains began to fade deeper into the dark abyss—
Only to finally scatter into nothingness.
It gasped for breath, but just for a moment.
-How dare…!
Once again, anger surged within it.
-How dare you leave me like this…!
Those filthy bugs, no bigger than ants, dared!
The seething rage erupted from its mouth.
Such red-hot anger shot forth, intense enough to melt rocks.
It wanted nothing more than to find those bugs that had cast it into the cold darkness and tear them apart.
It longed to be lost in a song of sorrow and despair.
But….
It knew it was still weak.
No steel-like scales, no claws sharper than any master sword.
So it must first grow strong.
It quietly glinted its eyes in the enveloping darkness, waiting to spread its wings and soar back into the sky.
*
“Kana.”
“…!”
A face it longed to see.
But a face it thought it could never see again.
The moment it laid eyes on it, it felt as if its breath had stopped.
The gentle voice calling it, the large scar on its cheek.
All just as it remembered.
“Gari….”
No.
How much it had regretted being left behind.
It knew it wasn’t like those who had merely given birth to it, yet it avoided the words “Dad” for so long. What was it about that title that made it so uncomfortable?
It wouldn’t regret anymore.
“Dad.”
“….”
At its call, Dad said nothing.
He simply opened his arms.
“…Dad!”
A firm yet warm embrace.
It surrendered itself to the warmth, which it thought it would never feel again.
What it had longed for, wished for, and yearned for.
So many things it wanted to say.
How lonely it had been since Dad left, what it had gone through, how it was sorry for being curt.
Choosing words piled high like a mountain, it finally buried its face in Dad’s chest and spat out a single word that encompassed everything.
“I missed you….”
To see Dad again, it went to the Holy Kingdom and met Edel.
Following what Edel said, it went to Raxia and fulfilled the desires of the demon race.
It would be a lie to say it wasn’t hard.
But now that it could see Dad again, it didn’t matter anymore.
As if it had heard the laments piled in its heart, Dad reached out and gently patted its back.
Feeling that warmth, it slowly closed its eyes.
“Kana.”
“…Yes?”
“Are you happy?”
“…Yes.”
Dad’s gentle voice caressed its heart.
It felt like its efforts were being rewarded.
If only this moment could last forever—
“Taking away my life, are you happy?”
“…!”
Gone was the gentle voice, the warm gaze.
What remained was only the contempt-filled, hateful face looking down at it.
Like icy water had been thrown on it, its dreamy state abruptly surfaced.
“…I, Kana!”
“Ha, ha….”
It looked around.
Seeing Da-eun’s worried face, carefully gripping its shoulder, it finally regained its senses.
‘It was a dream….’
Realizing it had merely been a dream, its heavy breaths slowly calmed.
“Goodness, look at this cold sweat… You’re soaked! Did you have a nightmare?”
“A nightmare…. Yeah, maybe.”
“Are you okay? Do you want something warm?”
“…I’m fine.”
It restrained Da-eun, who was acting like she would rush to bring warm water right away.
A nightmare…well, it might have been.
To think that a dream with Dad would be a nightmare.
It felt nauseous with rising guilt, yet recalling that face, which had shown nothing but disdain, made its thoughts freeze.
“That’s it. Let’s tell Atysha and just rest today.”
“No need for that. Don’t make a fuss.”
“Kana!”
Da-eun raised her voice.
But it didn’t back down from its stance.
Noticing its resolute will, Da-eun, who had been trying to change its mind with a strong tone, shifted her approach and began to persuade with a gentle voice instead.
“If you’re not feeling well, wouldn’t it be better to postpone it? If you go out feeling unwell and get hurt….”
“It’s just my mood that’s off; my body is fine.”
“But….”
“There’s no but.”
“…Okay. But if it really becomes too much, we postpone it, alright?”
“I said there’s no but.”
Though she pouted, Da-eun stood firm as if she couldn’t concede on this matter.
Finally, after they linked pinky promises, she withdrew with a satisfied expression.
How could a promise with no enforceability feel so welcome?
Da-eun smiled with relief.
“Then shall we go eat breakfast from the morning?”
“…Breakfast?”
“Yeah! You can’t go fight on an empty stomach. Meals are important! No matter how cute you are, Kana, skipping meals isn’t acceptable.”
“Honestly, I wasn’t planning to skip.”
It was really hard to think with the wet clothes clinging to it as it tilted its head.
“No need to go elsewhere; we can just eat here.”
“What do you mean! If invited to someone’s house, you should eat with the host!”
“…That’s true, but aren’t you forgetting something?”
“Huh? Forgetting what?”
What?
Debating whether to tell her what she missed, it ultimately decided against it.
Well, there’s no rule that the host must serve food.
If it came to it, they could always serve, so eating together like Da-eun suggested could be fine.
There was no shortage of food anyway.
Throwing off the damp clothes, it changed into its usual outfit.
“It would have been nice to wear prettier clothes….”
Ignoring Da-eun’s quiet grumbling, it finished dressing and left with her.
Since the lord’s residence was relatively small, they were able to reach the dining hall quickly.
“Ah, you two. You’re here!”
“Selin! You’re awake early.”
“Hello….”
Selin and Atysha, who had arrived before them, greeted them.
As always, Selin welcomed them with a gentle smile, but her eyes widened in surprise.
“Kana, are you looking a bit pale? Is something wrong?”
“She had a nightmare. It seemed quite severe, as she was sweating profusely and groaning even in her sleep.”
“Kana had… a nightmare?”
“It’s a bit surprising, right?”
“…I’m sorry to say this, but yes.”
“Hahaha, I understand that feeling. Kana always seems so strong, it’s hard to imagine her showing weakness.”
“What are you talking about?”
“Hmm? Just a simple morning greeting.”
“Hmm….”
It didn’t look that way at all.
Sending a skeptical glance, Da-eun lowered her eyes and smiled warmly.
“Don’t you dare doubt me.”
“What kind of tone is that?”
“Wasn’t it reverent?”
“Not even close.”
Edel never used such a tone either.
Then again, thinking back, it seemed Edel was always a bit odd.
It didn’t expect reverent speech, but it never thought a deity would use such flippant language either.
It wasn’t a lie that she had studied the civilizations and cultures of Earth; she spoke words unabashedly that didn’t exist in the world of Silia.
The one person actually from Earth couldn’t even recall those things properly.
“What were you doing, Selin?”
“I was discussing the communication methods of the Purifier Clan.”
“Oh, that’s interesting! It’s amazing that even with different languages, communication can happen… How is that?”
“Technically, it’s not about words but ideas…. It’s about reading the meaning through the mana contained in the words….”
“Mana contained in words?”
“Living beings unconsciously shed mana…. Because we are sensitive to mana and magic, we are accustomed to reading it…. Conversely, we are also used to conveying meaning through infused mana….”
“So that’s how you understood….”
Though it couldn’t decipher what they were saying, it understood Atysha’s words.
Reading someone’s intent through the mana they emit while speaking.
That was quite fascinating.
Could it do that too?
As much as it wanted to try, it would be reckless to attempt to mimic Atysha with just the explanation it had heard.
Having tried to conjure mana, it felt three pairs of eyes staring at it, prompting it to retract the mana.
Instead, it paid a bit more attention to Atysha’s words.
Regardless, Atysha continued her conversation with the other two, excluding it.
Atysha’s voice had a slight lethargy that made it hard to fight back the drowsiness creeping in.
Perhaps it was due to the nightmare.
“Yawn….”
As it couldn’t stifle a yawn, Selin and Da-eun began to whisper.
“Looks like Kana is really sleepy.”
“Kids usually need more sleep.”
“Don’t call me a kid….”
“Oh, I’m sorry. You were just so cute yawning that I let it slip… Huh? Wait a minute.”
Suddenly, Da-eun leaned in close.
Feeling her face looming over it, it instinctively leaned back.
“Kana, did I just say Granic?”
“…Huh?”
Listening to the drowsy voice of Atysha lured it into a haze, and it absent-mindedly replied, not even fully processing if it was Arkish.
Could it be that it had succeeded?
…So easily?