Chapter 112: Interlude – Mana’s Story (2)

The state of the house was far worse than one could imagine.

The only thing left was a single bed frame, giving the place a desolate atmosphere.

On top of that, a foul stench lingered everywhere.

It resembled an abandoned haunted house that had been left untouched for a long time.

Considering the timeline, it made sense.

Before joining the group, Mana’s house had been destroyed by a typhoon, and many of her belongings were lost in the process.

She then left for the journey without having time to replace her furniture.

After returning from the trip, her mental state was so exhausted that cleaning was the last thing on her mind.

As a result, the interior of the house had become so rundown that even a slum’s shack seemed better in comparison.

Esther found this situation utterly unacceptable.

“My goodness, what is this mess? Mana, you need to clean up your house!”

“……”

Mana avoided her gaze and looked away.

Her blurry eyes followed the dust floating in the air.

Seeing this, Esther sighed deeply and picked up a broom that had been thrown into a corner of the room.

“Let’s start by cleaning. We can talk after that.”

“There’s no need. Just tell me what you came for and leave quickly—”

“No.”

Esther firmly shook her head.

“Mana, you might think differently, but this house holds precious memories for the six of us. I can’t allow it to be defiled just because you’re feeling down.”

Mana gave Esther a resentful look for a moment but soon lowered her head in defeat.

She conjured a mop and a bucket with a creation spell and spoke.

“Fine. I don’t feel like it, but if you’re that insistent, I’ll go along with it.”

“Thank you for understanding.”

Esther smiled sincerely, a genuine expression of relief and happiness.

“First, could you open the window over there? Let’s start by airing the place out.”

“Got it.”

For the first time in a long while, the abandoned cabin came alive with activity.

After the cleaning was done, the two of them sat at a makeshift desk and chairs to talk.

“So, why did you come here today? I already sent you the analysis and reverse-engineering results for the demonification spell you requested. Is there something wrong with the research?”

“…..”

Mana finally asked Esther the core question.

However, the saint shook her head.

“No, the ‘adaptation procedure’ is progressing successfully, despite some challenges.

Helping the relocated people settle in the Sanchina Highlands seems manageable, too.”

“Then? There’s no reason for you to come all the way here, is there?”

After all, Mana wasn’t the only mage in the world.

With the war over, other court mages could handle most tasks. There was no need to pull her out of her solitude.

In response to Mana’s grumbling, Esther smiled softly.

“Is it so strange for a friend to visit a friend without a specific reason?”

“Don’t dodge the question.”

Mana frowned slightly, making Esther chuckle.

“Haha, you’re adorable. Mana, you’re the prettiest when you’re a little pouty, like a child.”

“You’ve got such a bad personality.”

“Don’t worry. I never show this side of me to anyone else. It’s something I reserve exclusively for you.”

“That’s not comforting at all.”

“Fufu…”

After shaking off her laughter, Esther spoke in a slightly more serious tone.

“Well, saying ‘I came as a friend’ is partially true. I thought if you were still feeling down, I’d have to forcefully kick you out of it. And as expected, you really were wasting away.”

“‘Still feeling down’… How long do you think it’s been since we got back?”

“Huh? What are you talking about? It’s been three months already.

Isn’t it natural for us to be concerned when you’ve been holed up in an unorganized room for three whole months?”

“That’s exactly my point. It’s only been three months.”

“Oh, for heaven’s sake…”

Esther rubbed her forehead in exasperation.

“This is why immortals are such a handful. You sound just like Exia.

Normally, if someone hasn’t eaten and has been depressed for three months, anyone would be worried. It’s not us being overdramatic.”

“Even so, to me, it doesn’t feel like such a long time ago.”

Mana lowered her head with a slightly somber expression.

I still think about it when I close my eyes.

The exhilaration of seeing Sien, whom I thought was dead, appear before my eyes once again.

The shock I felt when he revealed his true identity as the Demon King.

And the despair when negotiations ultimately broke down, forcing us into a fight to the death.

Though I pointed my staff at him for the sake of the two dimensions’ fate, deep down, I never wanted to fight him.

He was the only person I could converse with on the same intellectual level.

A man who shared my path in the magical arts, making me feel a strong sense of kinship.

At times, he was like a dependable older brother; other times, like a younger brother who needed a lot of care.

He was someone who silently stirred my heart like a gentle spring breeze and then vanished—a fleeting first love, never to return.

How could I not feel disheartened, knowing I played a significant role in his death?

“I understand your feelings perfectly,” Esther said with a slightly bitter smile.

“But as cliché as it may sound, the living must go on. Sien probably wished for us to live as cheerfully and happily as possible. That’s why he entrusted the fate of the two worlds to us.

So, Mana, I hope you’ll overcome the pain and start looking forward. That’s the duty of those left behind.”

“…….”

-Kuuk

Mana gripped her staff tightly.

Her green eyes glinted with a faint light of resentment. She turned sharply away from Esther and spoke.

“You don’t understand. That’s why you can say such things so easily.”

“Pardon? Understand what?”

“My feelings.”

Mana pulled her robe around herself, as if shielding her body, slamming the door of her heart shut even tighter.

She muttered gloomily, as if retreating into a small fortress:

“After all, you have Lier. You’re similar in lifespan, and both strong and healthy.

You’ll probably spend the next hundred years together in perfect harmony.

So honestly, what you’re saying doesn’t really resonate with me.”

“……”

Esther’s expression stiffened, and she fell silent.

Mana glanced up at her before continuing.

“Don’t worry; I’ll probably recover enough to live normally in about a hundred or two hundred years. It’s not like I plan to waste my entire life wallowing.

So just leave me alone until then. Pass that on to the others as well.”

It was essentially a declaration that she would live the rest of her days avoiding her companions.

After a long silence, Esther finally spoke.

“You’re mistaken about one thing.”

“What is it?”

“Lier and I aren’t the kind of relationship you think. Because I dumped him.”

“…What?”

Mana was so shocked she lifted her head abruptly. Had she heard wrong?

“What did you just say? You dumped Lier—”

“Yes, I told him flat out, ‘I’m not interested.’ So, unfortunately, your ‘lifelong harmony’ theory doesn’t hold up. Hahaha~”

Esther laughed lightly, as if she was teasing Mana with a “Gotcha!” expression. Mana’s face slowly filled with astonishment, and she muttered in disbelief.

“Why… why?”

“Who knows? It just happened that way.”

“Don’t lie!”

Mana raised her voice, shouting roughly.

She knew better than anyone how much they liked each other.

Lier and Esther had known each other since before the hero’s party was formed.

Childhood friends who grew up seeing each other in the same village.

That’s why, when Lier was chosen as the hero, Esther was the first to follow him, and during their journey, she took the most care of him.

And now, she said she dumped him?

Why?

“Was it because of political interests? Did royalty or the archbishop pressure you two to separate?
If that’s the case, I’ll help you. It’s unacceptable for someone who saved the continent to be treated like this.”

“No, no, it wasn’t anything like that. I told you, I dumped him. It was entirely my own decision, without any coercion or threats.”

Esther chuckled, as though reminiscing fondly.

“Ah, seeing your surprise reminds me of the look on Lier’s face when I rejected him.

He set up the perfect mood for a confession, and I cut him off with a clean, ‘Nope.’ Mana, you should’ve been there to see it. It was hilarious.”

“…..”

Mana was certain that even if she’d been there, she wouldn’t have laughed.

She glared at Esther like she was staring at a monster and spoke slowly.

“Why did you do that?”

It was the biggest question someone grieving a lost loved one could have: how could someone cast away their happiness when the one they loved was still alive?

Faced with Mana’s incredulous gaze, Esther smiled faintly and replied.

“Don’t worry. There wasn’t any profound reason. It’s just…”

“Just what?” Mana pressed her.

Esther paused, seemingly enjoying herself, before finally answering in a calm, composed tone devoid of any solemnity.

“Well, I plan to kill myself in about a year.”

Her face still bore a radiant smile as she said it.