episode_0125

“Indeed.”

“Three years already… It feels as vivid as yesterday. Does that mean it’s a precious memory?”

“I also remember it clearly.”

We chatted animatedly for a while.

The conversation, which began with reminiscing about our first meeting, continued until it finally concluded after even that harsh winter blizzard had passed.

Time was already approaching morning.

We had stayed up all night, just talking.

I mumbled about the memories with a gentle smile.

“I thought Neria-yang back then was also quite nice. She used informal speech, unlike now, which made her feel more approachable.”

“Because now I am the one who serves you.”

The girl’s expression was equally relaxed.

The process of looking back after such a long journey was as warm as cocoa held in one’s hands on a cold winter’s day.

We were savoring that sweetness and bitterness.

My hand gently reached out and stroked her silver hair.

Perhaps she was surprised by the sudden touch.

Her pale cheeks quickly bloomed with a youthful blush.

Yet, she quietly accepted the touch, so I would smile, feeling proud of her.

With a reaction as if melting away, her silver eyes averted their gaze.

Her lips stammered timidly.

“I-I’m sorry. My face suddenly got hot…”

“Still so shy, I see.”

“…Only Master-nim can make me like this.”

“Even if it’s just flattery, I’m happy.”

I replied playfully.

My hand, which had been exploring her hair, naturally moved down, gently caressing every part of her face, including her forehead.

Her skin fully absorbed that faint heat.

Her cheeks were already flushed, and her breathing gradually became rougher.

A beautiful scene, like falling flower petals, further affirmed our relationship.

As I traced her life through her eyes, nose, and mouth in sequence, my fingertips eventually touched a widely etched scar.

A burn mark covering the entire right side of her face.

…………

Her gaze held a hint of regret.

A scar I hadn’t been able to protect her from.

Mulling over my mixed emotions, I cupped that unusual texture with my palm.

Because even the wounds from winter were affection to us.

I gently lowered my head.

Then, I pressed my forehead against the girl’s forehead.

Our body temperatures merged completely.

“This scar… you still don’t want to erase it?”

I asked.

Because I could have fixed such a mark with a single gesture.

I had already suggested it several times.

But.

The girl always.

“I like it just the way it is.”

She would shake her head.

As if even that scar was love to her.

“This is the salvation I received from you… and proof of warmth that will never disappear.”

“To live, even while embracing the scar.”

“Rather, I live precisely *because* I embraced the scar.”

It was the truth.

Life is not a process of covering or hiding wounds, but an overcoming that comes from acceptance.

The girl intended to embrace even that terrible winter.

Only the boy was reflected in her silver pupils.

“Because right now, this scar makes me feel alive.”

“Then there’s nothing for it, I suppose.”

She certainly was stubborn about strange things.

I let out a soft laugh.

Perhaps wanting to hold onto even that moment, the girl carefully placed her hand on top of mine.

The scar, resting in my palm, as if she were giving everything away.

Yet, when I interlaced our fingers first, her cheeks flushed.

A smile naturally spread across my face at her youthful reaction.

“I like how consistent Neria-yang is.”

“Ugh…”

The girl tried hard to cool her face.

After a few deep breaths, she regained her composure and faced me again with clear eyes.

Her face, still faintly flushed, painted a picture of affection.

“Anyway… what I wanted to tell you is this.”

Though it might have wavered, her expression was no longer dark.

“I am no longer bound by the past.”

…………

“Haven’t you been worrying about it since earlier? It must be because of what happened at the kingdom today.”

“I can’t possibly deny that.”

“If it’s about encountering the monarch, I don’t mind.”

“Still, it must have been a painful scar.”

“Master-nim.”

Her voice was resolute.

Her subsequent declaration slowly bloomed into a faint smile.

“It would certainly be a lie to say it doesn’t hurt… but didn’t you give a new life even to a monster like this?”

Therefore.

There is no longer a reason to be bound by my old name, nor a reason to suffer in the nightmare of loneliness, nor a reason to hate myself.

Even if darkness comes, I will choose to confront it rather than shed tears.

That alone is the destiny of light.

“Because the name you gave me has become the reason for my life.”

…………

The name I had given the girl.

Neria Lightni.

Read in an ancient language, it meant ‘the one who ignites a light’.

It was a name I had given her, hoping she would escape from eternal darkness and one day shine brightly.

For a moment, that moment shimmered.

-Don’t you need a name?

Your figure, trapped behind pitch-black iron bars.

As I confirmed her eyes, which had become quite clear compared to then, I couldn’t help but entertain such sentimental thoughts—that what I had done in this world had meaning.

I felt comforted.

A soft chuckle. “Huhu… when did she grow so much?”

You might think I saved you.

But in fact, it was the opposite.

Because the one who truly received salvation back then was none other than me.

To me, who had become a wreck after losing my younger sister in my previous life; to me, who had repeated my wandering after suddenly falling into this world; to me, who couldn’t find a reason to live until the end; to me, who only wanted to walk dangerous paths as I had no regrets about life; to me, who had the mindset of just dying; in my winter, where everything was precarious and meaningless—

You were the first meaning in life I had found.

The responsibility of taming.

I lived with the thought that I had to take responsibility for you.

That was the calling of my possession, which had continued until now.

If it weren’t for you, my winter would never have ended.

Perhaps I would have given up.

With the clumsy excuse of saving you, I had saved my silently dying self.

That’s why your words of thanks were precious to me.

And so.

I gently pulled you into an embrace.

Then, I whispered.

“Please take care of me from now on, too.”

“Everything for you.”

You simply replied silently.

Morning had arrived.

We held onto each other’s warmth as if melting into one.

In the dark room, only two people stood.

***

The next day.

Once the matters in the kingdom were settled, I boarded the carriage returning to the academy.

Even though it was a break, I had been away for two days.

“Then… I’ll leave the upcoming matters to you.”

“Yes, Master-nim.”

The silver-haired girl came out to see me off.

I entrusted the remaining tasks to her and then departed from the streets filled with memories and the headquarters.

The rolling wheels ran towards another home.

It was like going home, I suppose.

At first, everything was unfamiliar and wondrous, but now the academy scenery had grown somewhat familiar.

While I was lost in thought for a moment, we arrived at our destination.

The first one to greet me was Foxis.

She was waiting for the carriage in front of the main gate.

“You worked hard.”

“How did you know I was returning today?”

“I got a call from someone named the Vice-Captain.”

“I see.”

“How did the matter you went to resolve turn out?”

“It was concluded well. Shall I tell you about it if you’d like?”

“I’ll hear about that later.”

“Then?”

“First, there’s something more urgent we need to talk about.”

“Urgent talk…?”

“You’ll see if you follow me.”

The girl took my hand with an inexplicable remark.

While I reacted as if I didn’t understand, I unthinkingly followed her guiding hand.

As we crossed the academy streets, familiar faces appeared one after another.

“Young Master-nim! We’ve been waiting for you!”

“Hold on, commoner…! You’ll get hurt if you run like that and fall!”

The protagonist greeted me brightly.

And seemingly having waited together, the villainess revealed her presence with her usual retort.

The two of them had now become inseparable best friends.

And they weren’t the only ones.

“Yes… we’re here too.”

“Because a certain delinquent Doctor-nim skipped his appointments.”

The young prince appeared, pushing a wheelchair, and even Rose, who was scolding him from the wheelchair.

It seemed the princesses had also been waiting for my arrival.

The group, now grown to five.

As for me, my doubts only deepened.

‘An urgent talk… Is it something everyone needs to discuss together?’

They weren’t usually on good terms, it seemed.

Especially Foxis and Rose, they would bicker whenever their eyes met, to the point where I had to ask them to get along.

And for those two to have to put their heads together and deliberate…

Something bothered me.

‘Something’s off with everyone.’

The strange atmosphere that had been flowing since earlier also bothered me.

I couldn’t explain it precisely… should I call it strangely clingy?

I tried to ignore the strangeness.

It must just be my imagination.

After returning from dealing with trash in the kingdom, I must have become mentally on edge.

My steps, clearing my mind of miscellaneous thoughts, led me to the dormitory with the children.

But.

‘Bad premonitions usually come true.’

Approximately 30 minutes later.

We were sitting side by side in the dormitory living room.

The children subtly surrounded me.

The matter to be discussed together was as follows.

“What? A banquet?”

The upcoming Academy banquet.

It was an event celebrating the start of the new semester, and a ball where men and women participated as partners.

The topic for discussion was choosing a partner to attend the ball with.

“So… who will you choose?”

The girls looked at me with somewhat chilling gazes.

The air instantly felt heavy.

All I could do was laugh.

It was a laugh filled with awkwardness in many ways.

“H-haha…”

It felt like I had seriously stepped into something.