Chapter 77 – 76 – Lies (4)

Can you two focus for a moment?

“Ian?”
“Huh! Yes, yes? Uh?”
“…Are you listening?”
“Of course, I am!”
“Diana?”
“Yes.”
“Are you listening?”
“Yes, I am.”
“What did I just say?”
“……”

Right. No one knows. It’s my fault. I shouldn’t have asked.
These two, seriously. Should I lay them both on the bed and spank their bottoms?

“Haa. There’s a huge underground waterway beneath this city, and it’s been abandoned for hundreds of years, turning it into a dungeon. The problem is, there’s another dungeon beneath that. If you dig down through the waterway, there’s said to be the tomb of an ancient ruler who governed this area long ago. That’s our goal. Got it? This isn’t the time to be spacing out; we need to prepare to enter a dangerous dungeon, you two.”
“Dungeon?”

At least Ian seems to have snapped to attention, his eyes sharp at the word ‘dungeon.’ But Diana still seems out of it. Come to think of it, she’s been like this even before I told her we were engaged. Is something wrong?

Knock knock.
Just as I was about to talk to Diana, there was a knock on the wooden door.

“Come in.”
“Excuse me. Is Priest Yurian here?”
“That’s me.”
“I’m Somir, here to deliver a message from the Magistrate. He wishes to discuss the matter of the guarantee urgently.”
“Guarantee?”

I grinned at Diana and Ian’s wide eyes.

“Please wait a moment.”
“I’ll wait outside.”

After Somir left, I chuckled at the bewildered looks on my companions’ faces. If only they’d focused like this from the start.

“I told you, the Magistrate’s influence is letting me entrust Carsilla’s education to the Magic Tower. That’s the guarantee. What else would it be?”
“……You’re unbelievable.”

What? Why?

Somir was a well-built man with a neatly trimmed beard. Despite looking to be in his thirties, his polished breastplate bore subtle scars that spoke of experience.

He definitely gives off the image of a seasoned warrior. He’d make a great vanguard. Should I try to recruit him?

…No, no. A reasonably handsome man in his thirties with a solid build? No way. My party must be all women, except for maybe a frail old man who can’t even stand properly.

“This way.”

Lost in thought, I quickly arrived at Cha Hyewon’s quarters. I thought I’d been assigned a pretty good room thanks to the Magistrate’s influence, but the Magistrate’s own place is dazzling. The door itself is huge, made of high-quality wood.

Knock knock knock.
Somir knocked politely, and when a voice from inside told him to enter, he opened the door and stood aside.

“Please, go in.”
“…Huh?”

What’s this? Why is it so dark in here?
The room was spacious, as befitting the Magistrate’s quarters, and filled with luxurious furniture, but the only light source was a few candles on the table. Even the large rectangular windows were covered with thick curtains? What’s going on?

“Cha Hyewon?”
“If you’re here, sit down.”

At the table, where only a few candles flickered, were neatly arranged dishes and rows of wine bottles. Cha Hyewon sat with her legs crossed, chin in her hand, and her low voice made me sit down opposite her in a daze.

“What’s all this? And why are the curtains drawn? Are you a child of darkness or something?”
“…A child of darkness? What is this, some old joke?”
“That’s the kind of joke my teachers used to make back in school.”
“Ugh, so old. You smell like an old man.”
“……”

She’s making me angry from the start. Should I hit her?

“First, take a big gulp.”
“……You didn’t put anything in it, did you?”

She’s pouring me a large glass of wine, which is suspicious. It’s so obviously suspicious that it’s weird.

“Hey! What would I put in it? Are you suspecting me right now? Wow, that’s ridiculous. Give it to me, I’ll drink it first!”
“Ah, it’s okay. I’ll drink it, I’ll drink it.”

I took a gulp, and surprisingly, it wasn’t bad. Actually, it was quite good. I’ve never had such a sweet and clinging wine before. It’s sweet but also has a slightly bitter taste. Is it expensive? It must be. I’ll ask for some later.

“It’s good.”
“I’m glad. Have some snacks too.”
“Just asking, but you didn’t put anything in the snacks…”
“I’ll eat them first, I’ll eat them first! Ugh, so annoying. You’re such a pain.”

Cha Hyewon kept grumbling and drinking, so I ate and drank in silence for a while. Was I too harsh? The atmosphere feels a bit chilly.

She’s the only one I can talk to in this big room, and she’s acting like that. Oh well, whatever. The wine is good, so I’ll just drink it. I kept drinking the high-proof wine, and I started to feel a little tipsy when Cha Hyewon spoke.

“Listen to what I have to say, and don’t get angry.”

Suddenly? She was just drinking, what is she going to say?

“I’ll listen.”
“You know, how about you try to stay away from the Saintess?”
“Diana? Why Diana all of a sudden?”

I was more dumbfounded than angry at her sudden words. Why would she suddenly tell me to stay away from Diana? What does she mean?

I glanced at Cha Hyewon’s calm face, but it was hidden in the darkness. Surely she didn’t make the room dark just for this?

The flickering candlelight revealed her cold eyes, clearly fixed on me, as if to say this wasn’t a joke.

“I’ve been thinking about it. The reason you’ve become like this. I think it might be because of the Saintess.”

Is that why she told me not to get angry? Hmm. If she’s saying this even though she expected me to get angry, there must be a reason. She’s not a frivolous person, so I’m curious about the basis for her judgment.

I rested my chin on my hand, which I had placed on the table, and nodded slightly, signaling her to continue.

“When we talked yesterday, you said you had a headache, right? Why did you look for the Saintess then?”
“Did I? Hmm… I told you I’ve been here for 16 years, right?”

I calmed my mind and carefully considered my thoughts before speaking. The way I’ve become accustomed to talking over the past 16 years works well even when I’m drunk.

“Do you think I haven’t thought about this before? Of course, I have, countless times. My head feels like it’s going to explode, my chest feels tight. Why did I come here? Why can’t I see the quest window? Why me? …I’ve been agonizing over it for years, and it got to the point where I felt like I was going crazy.”
“……I see.”

Her voice was strange, but I ignored it. Once I started talking, it wasn’t easy to stop. These were stories I had kept bottled up inside. It was the first time I was telling them to someone else. The more I spoke, the more the tightness in my chest seemed to ease.

“Diana was the one who comforted me every time. When my head ached from endless worries, when I was tormented by the loneliness of not having anyone to talk to honestly, when I was frustrated by invisible hope… Diana and Ian were there for me. When I’m in their arms, especially Diana’s, I feel at peace.”

Diana and Ian… they’re my last resort. The ones I can lean on and rely on. They keep me from going crazy, they help me endure.

“Could it be that she’s doing it on purpose? You know, comforting you when you’re hurt and making you dependent on her?”
“Are you delusional?”

What was she talking about?

“There’s no way someone as innocent and kind as Diana would do that.”
“Innocent and kind? That Saintess? Do you really think so?”
“……She does have a bit of a cunning side.”
“Besides, she’s abnormally clingy. Even I, who haven’t seen her much, can feel it. So, don’t just brush it off, think about it carefully.”

My head ached, but I thought about it carefully while drinking. Diana’s comforting presence during my most difficult times.

“She’s not doing it on purpose. It’s just… I rely on her a lot.”
“Then you’re the problem.”

Her firm tone startled me. Me? The problem? Why?

“……Me?”
“Yes, you.”

Cha Hyewon leaned forward, her face hardened. And the faint emotion in her eyes was… pity? Sympathy? Was I seeing things?

“You said it’s been 16 years, right? I understand that you’ve had a hard time… I know that feeling well.”
“…You know? You know? Could it be that you’ve also been here for 16 years…”
“No. I’ve been here for a year.”

I felt an inexplicable surge of anger at her words. A year? A year? I’ve been suffering for 16 years… and she says she understands after only suffering for a year? Does she know how tormented, how difficult, how lonely I’ve been?

As she saw my face contort with anger, Cha Hyewon’s hand gently cupped my face. The warmth on my cheeks. Cha Hyewon held my face steady, looked me in the eyes, and her calm voice resonated.

“Even though it’s only been a year, it feels like I’m going crazy… 16 years. I can imagine how tormented, how painful, how lonely you must have been, even though I’ve only been here for a year. No, I think I’m the only one in this world who can understand?”
“…You don’t know. You don’t know how long 16 years is. You don’t know how much I struggled… how much I gave up.”

A flood of memories flashed before my eyes. Ah… I see. I was avoiding it. I was running away.

I was simply giving up on everything because of the pain, the frustration, the loneliness.

“Yurian. When I met you… do you know how relieved I was? How relieved I was to feel that I wasn’t alone… you know, right?”

I do. I know it well.
The bewilderment and relief I felt when I realized there was another player. The way I observed from afar, wondering if it was a lie, if I was mistaken. It’s already too late… another player after 16 years.

I watched from afar and pondered. Should I kill her? Should I just leave her alone? Should I actively bring her in? …Well, in the end, I didn’t make any choice. The awkward distance we have now is the result.

“…It’s too late.”
“No, it’s not too late. Why are you doing quests? Why are you growing stronger and trying to clear quests, even running away from the temple, instead of just being content with your companions?”
“……Reason?”

Come to think of it, why am I doing quests? Why am I going through all this trouble, leaving the temple?

“…To go back.”

The words came out on their own. I was surprised by the words that had come out unconsciously. To go back. Was I still holding onto hope? Did I still have that hope left in me?

“Yes. We have to go back together. Okay? So… don’t say things like that. Don’t talk like you’re going to live here forever. I… I’m so anxious. I feel like I’m going crazy with anxiety. Okay?”

Cha Hyewon’s face, leaning over the table, flickered in the candlelight. The anxiety, confusion, fear… so many emotions were reflected in her beautiful face. She was pleading with the face of a fragile woman.

“Please. It’s so hard for me.”
“……Okay. We have to go back. We have to go back.”