Interlude – Faith

The Iron Bear Tribe regained their senses far faster than expected. Their mental fortitude was impressive. To deny all their instincts the moment they shook off the drug’s effects… They held onto their humanity until the very end. I didn’t, though. Or rather, did I even intend to? Probably not, not in the future either. Given the chance, I’d throw myself into the abyss. Just like I’m falling now.

I landed lightly on the ground, teleporting a good distance from the Dormitory. My feet, bathed in moonlight, felt incredibly heavy. Maybe it was because I was holding Hajin, or maybe my heart was just that heavy.

I could hear soft snores coming from my arms. A pungent scent of blood flowed along with those snores. I lowered my gaze to look at Hajin, who was sleeping soundly with her eyes closed. The livestock that had been screaming her lungs out was gone, and only a peacefully sleeping lamb remained.

A replica. A life forcibly extended. A bound substitute. But despite those many insulting titles, she seemed happier than the original me. Pathetic. Now I’m even feeling jealous. I walked towards the East Dormitory, strolling through the unusually dark moonlit night.

There were many spirits in the night sky. More spirits of wind and earth than stars embroidered on black paper. The spirits of two attributes that formed the foundation of Kahlalia, the land of the Elves. If a spirit master were here, they’d try to move their Dormitory immediately, like Lecanter-nim.

Those countless spirits were constantly moving, purifying the air. In truth, spirits themselves had no effect. They were merely organisms floating around, following the laws of nature. Until an order came, they were just orbs of light. Yet the fact that the air was so clean meant that the spirits were carrying out air purification according to some order.

But I couldn’t sense any human will. When a mage controlled spirits, they conveyed their will in exchange for Mana. Do this, do that. What the mage conveyed was solely human will. But the spirits in the night sky were moving solely by their own will.

Aileen.

For her sake. For my daughter’s sake. Hundreds of spirits gathered to purify the air.

The closer I got to the center, the more spirits there were. There weren’t this many spirits when I first visited this place, but they were multiplying as the days went by. Or rather, it would be more accurate to say they were coming here. Me and Hajin. Aileen. The one who received the gift of Kahlalia and her daughter. The replica was in one place. Spirits. For them, this place was an attractive place where they could feel the scent of the Mother Tree.

The chattering sound of the wind around me was cold. I walked towards Aileen’s room, feeling the cold wind.

―Hng, ungh… hng…

I arrived at the room, but I heard a sound that shouldn’t be heard.

“….”

My face hardened like an ice monster dwelling in the abyss. I doubted my ears and hesitated to grab the doorknob. The spirits clinging to that hideous aura were startled and ran away. This was clearly a moan.

I released Mana to scan the room. No one was there. No one except Aileen. Thank goodness. Really. No. It’s not that I wanted to meddle in whatever she was doing, but I couldn’t let her live like me.

―Ah, eum? Ah, aah…!

Udangtang! Aileen, sensing the Mana permeating the room, moved urgently. Kung. Jjaenggeurang. I heard the sound of something colliding and glass breaking. Followed by Aileen’s flustered voice. And the noise of tidying up. I placed my hand on the doorknob, leaving a distance of 2cm. It seemed better to wait for Aileen to open it rather than me opening it.

• Beolkeok!

And after 1 minute and 27 seconds, the door opened.

“Ah, Ha… You came early? You said you might do it until morning…”

Aileen peeked out with only her face through the gap, smiling awkwardly. Her face was strangely red, as if someone was holding her waist from behind. Without answering, I tilted my head slightly to look through the gap in the door. There was a sweet smell. I wanted to tell Aileen to show me her hand, but I buried it in my heart because I wasn’t confident in facing the truth I’d be greeted with.

It’s understandable at this age. No matter how perfect someone is, it’s hard to suppress sexual desire… I said in a voice that showed I fully understood.

“Should I go back?”

“―No, no!”

Aileen shouted back.

“Just. Just. It’s nothing. Euu. Come in quickly. It’s cold outside.”

Aileen let out a rough breath. Whether she had calmed her troubled heart with that breath, she returned to her usual cheerful expression. Then, as if she was used to it, she hugged the slumped Hajin and went into the room. I sat in the living room, waiting for Aileen to return.

“Hua. The smell of blood is terrible. I’ve erased the smell. More than that, Mom, did you enjoy yourself too?”

“No. Unfortunately. I have to attend the banquet soon, and I can’t reveal my face.”

Aileen tilted her head, sensing the strangeness of my words.

“But, Mom, you haven’t disguised yourself.”

Is changing clothes a transformation? Aileen asked, looking at the bright red nun’s habit. I looked at Hajin’s room, which still smelled faintly of medicine, and answered.

“Hajin is here, isn’t she?”

All the bizarre things I did would be attributed to Hajin. If they doubted it, I’d have to make them believe it. Aileen nodded, saying, “I see.” Then, she said in a slightly worried tone.

“Hmm… But what if we get caught? Well, it seems like we’ve already been caught, but, you know. Things like the surrounding gaze…. It’s okay since it hasn’t been many days yet, but we’ll be together for years to come―”

“It’s touching to hear such words from a daughter who was just masturbating with her father’s handkerchief, but, Aileen.”

“――Yes?! H-How did you.”

Ignoring Aileen’s flushed face, I said.

“Lecanter-nim.”

“Ah, eu. Y-Yes…?”

“Cecilia. Lushellini. The protection of the Fourth Prince. Prukaise and Angrid. A recommendation from the Margrave. The full support of the Holy Empire.”

Every single one.

Were powerful families.

“Aileen.”

I said to Aileen, who still didn’t understand.

“You are the queen here. No one. Can touch you.”

Realize justice as much as you want. Since you are the king here, your will shall be the rule. Lecanter-nim’s name will be your strength, so cross your legs as much as you want. Control people with just a flick of your finger. It doesn’t matter. If they touch you, Lecanter-nim will move.

“Aileen.”

Once again. I called my daughter’s name.

“We are nobles. The nobles you hate so much. If you want, everyone will bow their heads before you.”

“Still… I don’t have such hobbies. I prefer peace to oppression.”

I’m always amazed when I look at Aileen. How did such a daughter come out from between me and that taciturn man?

“I was just saying. But it’s good to know. You’ll find out even if you don’t want to.”

“What does that mean?”

“It means there’s a possibility that your kindness will be distorted. I wouldn’t worry if Cecilia was by your side…”

It was a stiff story. People in the world aren’t that kind, you have to get used to malice and pretense, I kept spouting old-fashioned words.

“….”

Aileen listened with a small smile. Was it because she had been falsely accused and dragged away by nobles before? She had a face that said she fully understood. Soon, when the story was over, she brought a golden apple from the warehouse and cut it beautifully.

“Mom.”

And she spoke kindly.

“I know what Mom is worried about. About me getting roughed up, developing strange hobbies, or going on a rampage like when I broke the wrists of bad nobles, things like that. You’re right. I was very disappointed too. Humans are much more evil than I thought, and they’re a race that only seeks their own survival. But still. But still, Mom.”

Aileen said with a bright face.

“I’m going to trust a little more.”

“…Trust what?”

“Mom.”

In Aileen’s eyes, which trusted me, were the ugly actions I had seen in the Imaginary World, the malice of humans, the filth of the outside world that she, born from the branches of the World Tree, had not known. The reverse side of the world, which was too harsh for Aileen, who had only lived with the kindness of the Elves, was mixed in. But she still trusted me. I wanted to shout, “Do you still trust me after seeing that?” But I held back. Because I didn’t deserve to.

Aileen looked straight at me and said.

“The memories of Mom that I read in the Imaginary World were full of distrust. Mom didn’t trust humans, and she was afraid to step forward because she didn’t even trust her own strength. But in that long trail of distrust, the moment Mom finally changed came to me as absolute faith.”

It was a hopeful voice.

“You changed, didn’t you? You found hope in that dirty world and changed, didn’t you? So Mom, I’m going to trust a little more. I believe that the world can change just like Mom changed. If I fail, I’ll trust twice. And if I fail again, I’ll trust until it changes. If I think my strength is not enough, I’ll rely on Mom like a child. Because I trust Mom.”

I was immersed in sentimentality in the moonlight. Aileen smiled brightly, imagining a hopeful future. She took a piece of apple with a fork, nyam, and raised the corners of her mouth. I lowered my head, listening to that crunchy sound. The shadow under the table was as dark as the night sky. I looked at the shadow and thought. I just wanted to be buried like this. I was afraid to lift my head.

• Puk.

Then I heard the sound of an apple being pierced. So clearly that I could hear the sound of juice bursting from the crushed area. And a few seconds later, I smelled a refreshing scent. The sweet and sour smell unique to golden apples. I reflexively lifted my head at the sour fruit scent.

There was light there. The bright yellow light illuminated by the lighting stone. And I saw a piece of apple cut into the shape of a rabbit, and Aileen’s smiling face. Aileen pushed the piece of apple between my lips and said.

“Please change it. Together with Dad.”

Maybe.

I was foolish.

• Wajak.

Sweet fruit juice spread throughout my mouth. Without answering, I quietly chewed the apple. Once, twice. Until the fruit, heavier than a stone, passed through my throat. Time passed, seemingly endless, and when nothing was left in my mouth, I smiled brightly so that Aileen wouldn’t be ashamed to see me, and said.

“…Okay.”

It was a promise.

* * *

Even if you twist a chicken’s neck, dawn will come. The meeting that I wanted to continue came to an end as time passed. Astra. It was time to leave now. To leave Aileen and Hajin behind, and go to the banquet hall with Shuriel.

“Hehe, please tell Dad when you meet him! Tell him thank you for the handkerchief, and, and…”

As the end approached, Aileen packed a lot of gifts for Shuriel. Golden apples, a handkerchief she made herself, and even hair…? She cut off a handful, tied it up, and decorated it prettily, but I didn’t know what it meant. Even if I asked, she would just say, “It’s just hair!” and wouldn’t tell me the purpose. It seemed like she wanted to be with him even to the point of cutting off a part of her body.

“Honestly, I can’t imagine myself wearing a dress and dancing.”

Hajin grumbled lightly as she saw me off. I laughed at the sight and answered.

“I agree. Who would have known that I would wear a maid outfit that reveals my pussy and nipples and say, ‘Please fuck me, Master. Please plant your seed in an inferior race’?”

“…Shibal. When did you hear that again?”

“Aang, aang. I’m sorry, Master. I’ll tighten my pussy, so―”

“――Shibaal! Shut up, jebal!”