Chapter 112: Annoying People

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After spending a night on the train, they arrived at the station the next morning. Then, they took a carriage and continued their journey.

As the carriage rattled along, one thought crossed Sugar’s mind.

‘I want to get a car someday…’

Driving with Riley!

In this world, cars powered by magic stones exist, but they haven’t been fully commercialized yet.

Outside the city the unpaved roads would make the ride incredibly bumpy and the dust would be unbearable but wouldn’t that be romantic too? Wearing sunglasses, blasting Eurobeat, gripping the steering wheel to the beat, and then drifting with inertia…

Hehe, Sugar chuckled to herself, leaning against Riley’s arm before quickly pulling away. Riley, noticing this, looked down at her.

Riley, with his buttoned-up shirt and tie, his clean skin.

Behind that neat appearance…

“…”

Sugar’s cheeks flushed as she lowered her head.

“What’s wrong?”

“No, nothing…”

Sugar had just realized that Riley had truly been asleep when she secretly left a mark on his neck last night. He really, really didn’t know.

Feeling awkward, Sugar opened her mouth.

“R-Riley, do you usually sleep deeply?”

Riley’s eyes narrowed.

“No! It’s not anything weird… It’s just that you seemed to sleep well on the train. You didn’t even notice when I climbed up yesterday.”

Sugar had also fallen asleep, so she didn’t fully succeed in her crime. She got a light scolding from Riley for sneaking into his bed. What was she doing climbing into someone else’s bed?

Riley looked at Sugar suspiciously before turning his gaze forward.

“Not really…”

“Huh?”

“I’ve gotten used to sleeping lightly from camping. Actually, I woke up when you climbed up.”

“…Huh?”

“But I was still sleepy. So I just pretended not to notice.”

“Oh, come on.”

After Riley said he fell back asleep right after, Sugar let out a sigh of relief.

“Phew? So you did do something?”

“No! I didn’t!”

“Why do you mess with people when they’re sleeping? Why?”

“I just slept next to you, okay!”

Riley pulled Sugar into a hug and started poking her stomach. Sugar squirmed, saying, “Stop poking me!” but it was no use.

“I just… did a little, ah, just a little…”

“You little troublemaker. What did you do a little of?”

“I’m not a troublemaker…”

Sugar’s legs tightened at the tingling sensation. Her thighs pressed together, showing off their plumpness, and the air around her seemed to grow damp.

Amidst the commotion, on the opposite seat.

Leon was looking out the window, watching the scenery flow by. Actually, it wasn’t really registering in his mind. He was just spacing out.

It felt like just yesterday that he left his hometown and arrived in Steele. Now, he was going back. Familiar scenery. Familiar smells. Views full of nostalgia

It was a land filled with regret.

“Leon.”

A tap on his shoulder brought him back to reality. Turning his head, he saw Ian pointing at the window beside him.

“Look at the sky over there. The clouds are cute.”

“Huh? Ah… yeah.”

It was a cloud shaped like a cat’s face. Ian seemed to like it, her mouth forming a small ‘o’ as she continued to gaze at the sky.

“A cat… so cute…”

‘Really, he’s so pure’

“Do you like cats?”

“Yeah. I like them. Now that I think about it, there was a stray cat that used to come to the cathedral often… It was chubby and really friendly. It couldn’t catch a single mouse, but… it was really cute.”

“Ah, ‘Dining’?”

Sugar, who had just escaped from Riley’s grasp, chimed in.

“Dining?”

“Yeah, Dining. It always sat in front of the dining hall, so we called it Dining. That cat was really smart, it never went inside the dining hall. It knew its boundaries…”

That’s the secret to being loved… Sugar nodded to herself as she spoke.

“Do you like cats, Leon?”

“I… don’t really care much for animals…”

When Ian asked, Leon answered. That’s understandable. Nodding, Sugar then spoke up.

“I like sheep.”

A white, fluffy animal. It somehow suited Sugar, so it made sense.

“They’re delicious.”

“…”

Anyway, it suited Sugar, so it made sense.

After each of them said their piece, their gazes turned to Riley.

“…Rabbits.”

“Rabbits?”

“That’s unexpected.”

“Riley likes rabbits?”

Everyone was surprised, but Riley just looked down at Sugar.

Sugar’s eyes were wide with curiosity, bouncing with excitement.

“Yeah. Rabbits.”

“Riley… I didn’t know you liked cute things.”

Sugar poked Riley playfully, giggling. Ian and Leon sighed, shaking their heads.

“I can’t stand these people.”

“They’re getting scarier by the day.”

Even as they said that, they were both laughing. It was the kind of laugh that comes out when you’re at a loss for words.

Especially Leon, he didn’t mind this silly conversation. It was annoying with so many people around, but if he had returned home alone, he wouldn’t have been able to feel this way.

He would have been drowning in his usual melancholy, struggling in the swamp, endlessly, endlessly…

Leon shook his head and focused on the people in front of him.

‘Animals…’

If he had to choose, he’d probably like dogs.

Seeing Ian beside him, calling his name and looking up at him softly, it just came to him.

***************

Leon’s house was modest and cozy. An old place that carried the scent of the countryside.

It was surprisingly clean for a place no one lived in. When asked, Leon said the elders in the village occasionally came by to clean.

“So… your mother is at the treatment center, right?”

“Yes. You all can unpack and rest here. I’ll go see her for a bit.”

“How can we do that? We’ll go with you. You two, come here right now.”

Sugar and Riley, who were about to lounge on the sofa, awkwardly stopped.

“You don’t have to come. I’ll just go quickly—”

“We should greet her. We’re staying at her house, after all.”

“Why are you so polite?”

“It’s only natural!”

Leon looked like he had a lot to say. Maybe there was a reason he didn’t want to take them but despite that, parts of him also wanted to take them.

After some thought, he nodded.

“Alright… just… prepare yourselves a little.”

“…Maybe we should just stay here?”

Seeing his expression, Ian hesitated and asked. Leon smiled weakly and said, “Please come with me. My mother will be happy.”

…

On the way to the treatment center, they passed by villagers who greeted them warmly.

‘Leon’s back!’, ‘He brought friends!’ they said, handing over food as they went.

Sugar held a bunch of grapes, her mouth wide open.

“Eat one at a time. How is that going to fit in your mouth?”

“Eeeh.”

While Riley scolded Sugar, Ian, holding a basket of apples, examined the shiny fruits.

“Leon… you’re really loved here.”

“They’re kind people. Very warm-hearted.”

“They really are…”

Ian recalled the conversations they had with the elders earlier.

‘Huh? Your eyes are purple?’

‘Isn’t that the descendant of the Saint?’

‘What an honorable guest! And such a handsome man.’

‘Here, take this and share it with your friends.’

In a quiet village, the arrival of an honorable guest was a big event. In a place where the same routine repeated every day, this was a major occurrence.

After walking through the village, they came across a small market. In the distance, they could see a pointed building with an octagonal star decoration. It was a church. Treatment centers were usually located next to churches.

Priests had basic medical knowledge, and many of them could use magic. It was a natural extension of their work.

Of course, they charged money.

From Ian’s perspective, they couldn’t just pass by the church, so she decided to let the three of them go to the treatment center first. She would greet the bishop and then join them.

Entering the treatment center, the smell of herbs filled the air. Leon, familiar with the place, walked through the lobby and into the hallway. Probably where the patient rooms were.

Walking down the hallway to visit a patient always felt nerve-wracking.

No matter how much you said it was nothing, the fact that someone was hospitalized meant something was wrong. Especially if it was a serious patient, the weight on your heart was even heavier.

The white hallway, the smell of medicine, and the eerily quiet atmosphere made people uneasy.

“I’ll go in first. I’ll call you in later.”

Sugar and Riley agreed.

From the patient room Leon entered, they could hear his voice. There was no response, just Leon’s one-sided conversation.

Sugar leaned against the wall. Riley stood beside her. The two waited for a while.

“He’s not coming out…”

“…”

From what they could guess, their friend’s personality had changed due to some family incident. They didn’t know what had happened. Half anxious, half curious, Sugar looked up at Riley, whose expression was unreadable.

“Do you know something?”

“A little. Not the details.”

Sugar hummed and returned her head to its original position. Meanwhile, Ian arrived.

“Why are you here? Where’s Leon?”

“He said he’d call us in later.”

“Oh?”

The three of them waited quietly.

Soon, the door to the patient room opened.

The closed door opened, breaking the boundary between the hallway and the patient room.

As they crossed that boundary, a scene from a game suddenly came to mind.

“Son! Keep going strong today. Mom will always be here, so come rest whenever you need to.”

It was something the mother said when the protagonist visited home during the story. Sugar couldn’t remember exactly, but it was something along those lines.

In that distant memory, in its lingering echo, she felt a sense of longing.

Sugar swallowed hard.

She stared straight ahead, trying not to show her surprise, and steadied her breathing.

She must have been a kind person in her prime. Despite her pale complexion, her sharp jawline and large eyes gave that impression.

Beneath that face, malice spread.

It was as if someone had conducted an experiment on how to make a person as unsettling as possible.

Her upper body was covered in scales. Starting from her chin, the densely packed scales extended down, and instead of hands, her arms ended in wrinkled, twisted bird-like claws.

Below her upper body, the lower half was covered in coarse fur, belonging to some unknown creature. Below that, a tail fin. The result of a forced fusion, her skin oozed a sticky mucus, and her body was falling apart.

She looked at them. Just staring. It was unclear if she was actually “seeing” anything.

Then, she slapped her tail fin against the floor with a loud thud. It seemed like a reflexive reaction to their sudden visit.

Splat. The melted skin splattered against the wall of the patient room.

-It’s just… compared to when we wished for strength, we’ve come too far. Have you ever regretted, thinking, ‘If only we had this back then…’?

Everything made sense now.

Sugar looked at Leon. His dark, hollow eyes peeked through his bangs.

She didn’t know what to say to him.

What kind of comfort could she offer to someone who had lived thinking he was abandoned by God? How could she tell him to carry this burden? How could she dare tell him to endure this suffering?

Feeling sorrowful, she clenched her lips. In the silence that filled the room, someone moved.

Without asking anything, without fearing anything. She approached and took the pitiful woman’s frail hand, not minding the mucus.

“Hello.”

“…”

“I’m Ian. Leon’s friend and dorm roommate. We’ve come to visit and will be staying for a few days.”

“…”

After the introduction, Sugar and Riley approached. They introduced themselves, each saying their names.

“The three of us are Leon’s friends.”

Riley wasn’t too pleased with being called a friend, but he let it slide.

Leon’s mother, who had been lying still, looked at the three of them. Then, she turned her head back to stare at the ceiling.

Was that her way of responding? The three of them started chatting, sharing stories about Leon’s usual behavior, funny incidents, and how ‘his tastes are weird!’

Even though the mother didn’t react, they kept talking. They were a noisy bunch. The conversation didn’t stop.

Leon watched the lively scene and quietly covered his face.

“Hey… why are you crying? No matter what, your mother should know about this.”

“Stop talking nonsense, really… You and Riley should sleep outside tonight.”

“Why me?”

As Leon bickered with Sugar, Ian reached out to him.

“Leon, come here. You should tell her about what happened at school too.”

It was like she was inviting him to eat, as usual. Leon, looking uncomfortable, reluctantly agreed.

He always felt out of place in this lively group. He thought he didn’t belong, that he wasn’t worthy.

Yet, they kept talking to him, treating him like a friend. Calling his name.

It had always been like this.

Really, they were such annoying people.