NOVEL NEXT chapter 24
24 – 3: Where the Gaze Leads, Where the Heart Finds Rest (6)
“____!!”
The boy woke up from his slumber with unbearable pain.
There was no time to look around. The boy grabbed his chest and groaned.
Flashes of memories appeared before his eyes.
A towering knight standing against the sunset,
A sword piercing through his chest.
And, the girl’s red eyes.
As the pain subsided, the boy had only one thought.
Is the girl safe?
And at the same time, the world finally came into focus.
The night sky filled with galaxies,
The sound of buzzing insects in the forest,
A shabbily erected tent,
And in the midst of it all, a dirty, ragged girl on a dirt road.
“Rem…?”
The girl dropped the mushrooms and tree fruits she was carrying in her arms. Her clothes, stained brown from dried blood and dirt, appeared dirty.
At that moment, the boy couldn’t help but smile with relief.
The girl was alive. That alone…
“Hey, you stupid idiot!!”
A tree fruit struck the boy’s face.
“…!”
The boy clutched his face and fell to the ground. But the girl’s assault didn’t stop.
She pounded the boy’s back with her fists.
“You! Stupid! Fool! Idiot! Clueless fool!! Incompetent…!”
As the girl relentlessly beat him, her hands gradually slowed down. Her red eyes became teary and she finally shed tears reminiscent of bird droppings.
“I thought you were really going to die…!!”
And then, the girl burst into loud sobs. Without wiping her tears, she cried uncontrollably.
“…”
The boy, who had been receiving the blows, looked at the girl with a dazed expression.
Then, with a suddenly cooled expression, he approached the girl.
“I’m sorry.”
The boy held the crying girl in his arms.
The girl, as if waiting, grabbed onto the boy’s collar and buried her face in his chest. The boy gently wiped away the girl’s tears.
As the girl’s sobbing completely subsided,
Until the sound of the Milky Way flowing could be heard.
***
The sparks that flew up from the bonfire reached the night sky, creating a crimson path.
Within that scarlet path, the girl explained everything that had happened to the boy.
And the boy’s reaction to the explanation was something the girl had never even considered in her dreams.
“Why on earth would you do such a thing?”
Anger emanated from the boy’s tone. His furrowed brow clearly showed his anger.
The first time she saw the boy truly angry.
Unconsciously, the girl felt herself shrink away from the boy’s gaze.
“No… It seemed like there was no other way at the time….”
“Then you should have just let me die.”
A sharp gleam appeared in the once gloomy eyes of the girl.
“What on earth are you saying? You’re saying I should have let you die?”
“Well, at least only one person would have died.”
The boy raised his head as if he were at his wit’s end.
“Have you forgotten what happened to Glaia?”
Upon hearing the name Glaia, the girl’s shoulders trembled.
Glaia, the future saint,
She had been put to death for teaching the beggars about the holy law. It had happened only 30 years ago.
It was hard to think that the same punishment would not be applied to the girl.
However, the girl looked at the boy with a firm expression.
“It’s okay, I have a plan in mind.”
“If that plan involves hiding as much as possible, then I…”
“That’s not it.”
The girl’s red eyes met the boy’s dark eyes directly.
“Trust me, Rem. Everything will be fine.”
There was no trembling in the voice or eyes of the girl as she spoke.
However, the boy could not easily believe him. The life the boy had lived had made it so.
The boy closed his eyes and lowered his head.
“What on earth were you thinking…”
And, that sight ignited a fire within the girl.
“Well, what about you?”
The boy looked at the girl. The girl beyond the bonfire was glaring at the boy with intense red eyes.
“Why did you throw yourself at that time?”
“…”
The boy pondered for a while before finally answering.
“…Because it is the duty of a servant to protect the master.”
It was an expression that felt forced. Both the girl and the boy knew that it was either a lie or a part of the truth.
The girl frowned as if she didn’t like it and retorted.
“I’m the same, protecting the servant is also the duty of the master.”
And then she stood up from her seat and spoke in a rough tone.
“And now, I’m tired, I want to sleep.”
The boy looked at the girl like that and nodded his head.
“…I will prepare a bed for you.”
That way, the sound of crackling fire came in the deep night.
The girl was sent into the tent, even if it was in a sloppy manner, and the boy took his place next to the bonfire.
Wrapping his body in clothes that were not stained with blood, he fell asleep.
However, for some reason, sleep did not come. It was as if his body was heavy, even with fatigue.
Was sleep flying away with the sparks, traveling between the stars?
And, it was not only the boy’s business.
Rustle, rustle.
The sound of fallen leaves reached the boy’s closed ears. Then, the girl’s suppressed voice flowed in.
“I can’t sleep because I don’t have a silk pillow anymore.”
“…I’m sorry. But please bear with it a little longer…”
“That’s why I’m asking for an arm pillow.”
Before the boy could react, the girl casually lay down next to the boy.
Carelessly, she brushed aside the boy’s arm and rested her head on it.
The fresh scent that tickled the boy’s nose. Perhaps it was because he had bathed in the stream, but there was also a faint hint of rain in the air.
They were the scents that touched his heart.
The boy felt warmth building up inside his chest.
Unable to resist, it was the moment he tried to pull away his arm.
“Promise…”
It was a voice halfway intoxicated with sleep.
The boy asked without expecting an answer.
“What?”
“To never do that again…”
There was no need to ask what.
The boy opened his eyes and looked at the night sky.
It was a night sky that seemed like stars would fall like raindrops if you tapped its edge. The blinking stars looked like round droplets of dew.
Above that, the boy let his thoughts slip away and condensed into words.
“I don’t want to.”
More laughter was present in those words than he had thought. The boy spoke, pretending to smile.
“I didn’t really think or move back then.”
Just at the moment of seeing the face of the frightened girl, his legs moved. He thought it was foolish even as he considered it.
“Instead, I can promise you this.”
The boy tightened his lips.
“I won’t die, no matter what happens.”
The boy spoke, capturing stars in his black eyes.
“Whatever it takes, I’ll survive tenaciously. Even if I have to crawl with my teeth, I’ll definitely come back to you.”
The boy turned to the girl with a faint smile.
“Is that okay?”
“…”
However, the girl was already asleep, breathing softly.
Realizing that his words had scattered into the void, the boy scratched his head awkwardly.
Then, eventually, the boy closed his eyes as well.
Fortunately, this time, sleep came quickly.
For the boy and the seemingly sleeping girl.
“Again! Again! Another story that gives me goosebumps!!”
I stared at the pitiful chief sitting on the floor and muttering to himself. He shouted, waving his arms and legs like a tantrum-throwing child.
“I wanted to comfort you and listen to your unfortunate past, not hear your ridiculous excuses!!”
I was about to say something, but I gave up when I saw the chief’s intoxicated face.
It wasn’t because I felt sorry for her, but rather because in that state, she wouldn’t listen to my words.
I decided to just finish the story I was telling.
“Anyway, because of that, we had to go back to the Vatican for a week, suffering on the streets…”
“Suffering? What are you talking about! You guys were probably too busy playing love games! Like little kids playing in the dirt!!”
I couldn’t let that slide.
“I’m sorry, Chief. But during that whole week, I didn’t have a conversation with Clara for more than a minute.”
The chief suddenly seemed to regain her senses and stood up.
“What? Why not?”
“Why would I? It’s because of shyness.”
I looked sideways, recalling the exhaustion from those days.
“During that time, she finally realized her feelings of love and every time she saw me, her face would turn red and she would look away. It made communication so difficult…”
“Wait, hold on.”
The chief interrupted me and held her temple, as if she had a headache.
“You knew? That Clara likes you?”
“Yes.”
“Even back then?”
“…Am I an idiot, Chief?”
I threw a cold gaze at the chief and added.
“Of course I knew. She made it so obvious.”
The chief remained speechless, her mouth agape.
I decided to ignore her and continued.
“Anyway, after all that hardship, we finally reached the Vatican…”
“Then what was that nonsense about insurance and throwing up at the library?!”
The entire tent resonated with her scream, and I held my aching ears.
“Chief, it’s dawn now. If you scream like that, you’ll wake up the kids…”
“No, this is unbelievable!”
The leader grabbed his collar.
“No, then, if I had lived my whole life as his pillar husband, as he said…!”
“He was only 11 years old, you know.”
I shot back sharply.
“How long do you think the love of an 11-year-old child would last? A month? Two months? I couldn’t entrust my future to something so uncertain.”
And then, I pointed at the leader and said.
“Honestly, I’m sure the leader also had six or seven boys he liked when he was young.”
“Is that so?”
The leader’s eyes suddenly sank.
“I was only one person my whole life. Just one person.”
“…”
Those words brought about a deep silence.
It was a silence that couldn’t be easily broken even by a drunken stupor.
That’s why I forcefully broke the silence and started talking.
“…Anyway, that’s how we were able to return to the Vatican after going through hell.”
***
The boy felt his heart swell as he looked at the building in the distance.
A platinum tower towering high amidst the all-white city.
A symbol of the Vatican.
Thump-
The girl who had been following behind the boy plopped down on the ground. Tears streamed down her face as she whimpered.
“We finally arrived…”
And then she looked up at the boy. The boy, too, looked down at her with revived eyes full of vitality.
“Wowww!!”
Cheers filled the forest.
The boy and the girl embraced each other and jumped around, expressing their joy with their whole bodies.
.
.
.
Excitement did not last long and soon subsided.
Now, facing the Papal Court, they had an issue that must be discussed.
The girl who revealed the canon law and the boy who received the teachings.
Having violated the most important taboo of the Church, their fate was now sealed if this fact were to be exposed.
The boy looked at the girl with a determined expression.
“Miss, I will somehow find a way to hide it…”
The girl shook her head.
“I told you. I have a way.”
“But…”
“Rem, it’s okay.”
This time, the girl smiled subtly.
Then suddenly, she uttered an unexpected remark.
“Rem, do you remember when I seemed tired a month ago?”
The boy nodded, confused.
“Yes, so…”
“I said I was preparing something for you back then.”
The boy vaguely recalled such a memory. However, he couldn’t understand its relevance at the moment.
“If things go well, look forward to it.”
And with a cheerful laugh, the girl began running towards the tower.
Watching her, the bewildered boy soon realized that another race had started without his consent.
With a smile emerging on his lips, the boy chased after the girl.
Well, with such a firm statement, there must be something.
Besides, the boy has no sharp wit to speak of.
Let’s trust the girl just once.
Just once.
***
Naturally, the girl’s return turned the Papal Court upside down.
Immediately, the most outstanding priests from the Papal Court rushed to treat the girl, and numerous things were prepared to comfort her after the difficult journey.
However, the girl rejected everything.
She even forwent the warm bath and simply washed herself with cold water before donning her most modest attire.
Then, she hurried straight to my room.
The spot she stopped at was just beneath a tiny crack in the ceiling.
As the light emanated from the girl’s hand, the crack transformed into an empty space.
From that space emerged an old, worn-out book. The girl took it and cradled it gently in her arms.
A month ago, she found it in the ancient book repository.
And now, as the boy’s wrist ached,
something she had intended to give him once he became a bit more resolute.
The girl, exhaling a tense breath, murmured to herself.
“It’ll be okay… It’ll be okay…”
Then, she started running again.
The destination this time was not far away.
“…Miss Clara?”
In Ivan’s office, he looked at Clara, who was breathing heavily with a perplexed expression. Soon, he knelt before the girl.
“The humble servant of the lady…”
“Enough. Fetch Rem.”
The girl spoke with eyes unable to conceal her excitement. Despite Ivan’s awkward expression, he gestured to his secretary.
Nodding, the secretary left the room.
Before long, he returned with the boy.
“You called…?”
The boy alternated between looking at the girl and Ivan as if he didn’t understand English. Ivan, too, gazed at the girl with curious eyes.
“Ivan, read this.”
The girl unfolded the old book she held and pointed to a particular passage. Ivan squinted his eyes.
“The companion of the saint is permitted to learn the sacred law…”
Ivan wore a puzzled expression, not understanding the English.
“Why are you showing me an ancient custom like this?”
The girl didn’t immediately respond to his question. Instead, she looked at the boy with tense eyes.
And at that moment, the boy realized what the girl intended. He began to lower his head.
It’s not possible.
No, it absolutely can’t be.
But, against his will, the boy’s head moved up and down.
No, it’s not just that.
The boy’s whole body seemed frozen and didn’t move.
The boy’s bloodshot eyes turned toward Ivan.
But the girl doesn’t know that fact.
She simply accepts the silence as affirmation.
The girl took another deep breath and looked at Ivan.
Yes, because Ivan always followed my words.
Because he placed me, the child of a window washer, in the position of a potential saint.
Because Ivan brought the boy.
The girl opened her mouth with a stern face.
“I made Lem my companion during this trip.”
Ivan’s face trembled faintly.
The boy’s eyes, struggling to move, became reddish and bloodshot.
“And I taught Lem the teachings.”
The girl placed her hand on her chest.
“I know sudden confessions are hard to accept. But….”
The girl looked at Ivan with a pitiful gaze.
“Will you not help us, Ivan?”
And Ivan smiled and replied.
“Of course.”