Ch.217Chapter 217. It’s Nut That Kind of Relationship.

“……So the competition that started afterwards escalated to this point?”

“Competition!? Where exactly in my story was there any competition!?”

She had long since removed all the baby items.

But as if the emotional wounds still cut deep, Merilyn’s face was tearful as she explained what had happened.

“It was torture. Nothing I saw while in the Demon Lord’s army was as horrific as what those two did to me!!”

“Ah, um. Yes. It must have been quite distressing.”

“Moreover, that girl initially framed it as a competition, but as time went on, she started having meetings with Tashian about how to take care of me instead of competing! Later she even said things like ‘Competition isn’t right when it comes to childcare, so let’s join forces!’ and treated me like a practice doll for parenting!”

“Yes, yes. That was going too far.”

“Not just too far—it was completely perverse! Feeling the desire to care for someone else without any reward… I don’t understand, I don’t understand either of them.”

Merilyn finally clutched her head in frustration.

Despite being a demon who would normally seek revenge after such treatment, her face showed nothing but fear, fear, and more fear.

What those two had done to her seemed to have deeply traumatized even a greater demon.

Well, to be honest, I think she brought it upon herself.

“I was hoping for a proper rival, but to think she was the same type as Tashian…”

As her faint murmuring continued, I sensed a shift in the atmosphere and looked over to see Merilyn hanging her head with a sorrowful expression.

“This isn’t the kind of fight I wanted. I thought she might be able to replace Irie…”

“……”

“…Ah, what I just said.”

“Merilyn.”

There was no way I could let that pass.

Even now, time continues to flow, and soon Irie’s planned event will descend upon this land.

“Do you miss Irie too?”

The empire is set to walk the path of destruction due to a successor who dreams of mutual annihilation with calamity.

If we want to prepare for that, we should distance ourselves from the empire, but that would mean never seeing Irie again.

But if I go looking for her, I’d be abandoning my current responsibilities and betraying her mission as well.

“…She is someone irreplaceable to me.”

As I struggled with this conflict, Merilyn reached out to me with a bitter voice.

“Do you know? Even as we face each other in this moment, an uncontrollable impulse is stimulating me.”

Yes, I can feel it.

I can feel the faint throbbing transmitted from her hand, intertwining with my own heartbeat and growing stronger.

If allowed, I would want to surrender everything to this throbbing and intertwine until reaching the climax.

“To make this throbbing continue uninterrupted, someone is needed to calm this impulse… Do you, who are not of the Demon Tribe, understand this?”

But if I were to be swayed by such impulses, there would come a moment when I would no longer be satisfied and seek even greater stimulation.

If that were to repeat, I would eventually break.

She understood from experience that this was the innate fate of the Demon Tribe, and that’s why she was looking for someone who could suppress that desire.

“…The one who became your first could fully perform that role.”

That was the reason why, despite being of the Demon Tribe, she sought a path of coexistence with others.

The fact that the person who had been the catalyst for this might disappear was causing her deep anxiety.

“So I’m afraid. I can’t even guarantee what I’ll become after she’s gone…”

No matter how much she understands patience, her essence is a being that’s completely honest about desire.

The longer she suppresses it, the more uncontrollable her outburst will be when finally released.

“Yes, I also…”

I tried to understand her.

Knowing that her desire to love only me was sincere, I wanted to live up to that expectation.

“…I also want to talk directly with Irie.”

That feeling, combined with the realization I gained upon entering the hidden world, came to me as a kind of calling.

The foreign gods who interfere with this world, including the god of destruction.

For unknown reasons, they spread their blood to create vampires, drop things that don’t exist in this world to cause pandemics that destroy entire nations, and sometimes make direct contact to create beings like witches who overturn the laws of the world.

I don’t know if there’s malice in it or what intentions they have.

The only thing we know for certain is that Irie’s ancestor is not the only foreign god interfering with this world for their own reasons.

“Then indeed…”

“…Yes, we should go meet her.”

Having learned this after directly entering the hidden world, how could it be right to demand sacrifice after hearing only one person’s opinion?

“Hero. Hero, are you here?”

As I was firming my resolve, I heard a familiar voice.

Recognizing it as Sanson’s, I opened the door and went out, where he greeted me politely and explained why he had come.

“I’ve come to inform you that the repairs and modifications to the ark are nearing completion.”

“You’re here to discuss future plans, right?”

“Yes, everyone is waiting for your opinion.”

“…I’ll be preparing, so please inform all the refugees to gather at the city square without exception.”

“Understood. Then…”

Yes, soon the moment will come for me to announce my decision.

Sensing this, I turned slightly toward Merilyn and quietly reached out my hand to her.

“Will you join me?”

“Of course.”

What follows will be like heading into certain death.

Nevertheless, she took my hand without hesitation, willing to walk the path I chose to take.

Though I’m worried, she must have her reasons for following me.

Moreover, I felt reassured that someone was affirming my choice.

“Oh, by the way, I’ve been wanting to ask Hyoseong something when he returns…”

As I led her while steeling myself for what was to come, Merilyn, walking through the ark’s corridor, turned to me with a question.

“Are you really not in that kind of relationship with that child?”

“That child… you mean Garam?”

“If you’re willing to risk your life to save her, I thought maybe you had feelings for her too… Or perhaps she might have developed feelings for you.”

“…Merilyn.”

“Just curious~ You know, there are no absolutes in this world, right?”

Despite her evasive words, the expectation in her bright eyes was evident.

It seemed this mischievous troublemaker was planning to repeat what she did to Flan with that child as well.

Despite having suffered unprecedented humiliation as a demon… if this personality isn’t addressed, she might face more harsh treatment in the future.

“…We’re not like that.”

But regardless, I couldn’t satisfy her expectations.

No matter how much people say there are no absolutes in the world, for me, this statement was an inviolable rule that should never be broken.

“Are you sure?”

“I’ve been committed to that from the beginning.”

I promised to protect her until she became an adult, and then watch over her growth from behind…

That feeling led to a relationship where we were dependent comrades in dangerous situations and comfortable siblings in everyday life.

And the accompanying feeling was probably like that of a parent raising a child.

I finally realized that this protective feeling wasn’t one-sided when that child took my hand.

“Even in this kind of world, I just want that child to grow into a good adult and live well.”

As long as we don’t abandon each other, there will always be a small courage and hope to live in this world within us.

I was certain that Garam felt the same way.

****

“It’s not like that.”

“…Really?”

“I’ve told you many times. I will never have those kinds of feelings for my brother.”

As her body and mind gradually recovered, Garam visited the construction site where the ark’s repairs were being finalized.

While greeting Jaseong who was resting there, the topic shifted, and Garam frowned in displeasure as she glared at him.

“Hmm, I still find it hard to believe.”

“…Sigh, this guy, really.”

Why would he think she and that person could have that kind of relationship?

Unable to understand such a statement, Garam held her head and asked Jaseong.

“Why do you think I would have those feelings for my brother?”

“Well, you call him ‘brother’ consistently while the rest of us call him ‘mister’.”

“I call him brother because he’s a brother, and I call you mister because you’re a mister. Are you saying this just because of how I address him?”

“Not just that… You’ve wandered through many dangerous places with him, right? Hyoseong said he had no one to depend on except you during his adventurer days.”

“If helping each other automatically leads to romantic feelings, then firefighters and police would be everyone’s lovers and superstars.”

“…Wow, that analogy is so spot-on I have nothing to say.”

He still wondered if her outward demeanor might be different from her inner feelings, but Jaseong had known the girl before him for a long time.

Having crossed the line between life and death together multiple times, perhaps it was unreasonable to expect a romantic relationship to develop just from protecting each other’s lives.

But still…

“But that guy risked his life to save you this time.”

No matter how much they value each other, there must be a reason to risk one’s life to save someone.

While Jaseong could risk his life for loyalty, he didn’t have the courage to throw himself into situations where the chances of survival approached zero, as had happened before.

“He might have special feelings for you… Are you sure you don’t feel anything at all?”

After all he did, it’s strange not to feel anything romantic at all.

At the very least, she should feel some heart fluttering, shouldn’t she? Isn’t she being too emotionally detached?

“…That’s just how my brother is.”

Despite these suspicions, Garam firmly maintained her position.

“Someone who’s so afraid of the world that he wants to keep people close… He would have done the same if anyone else had been taken.”

Of course, since she was the first one he directly resolved to protect, he might value her more than others.

But that only means a larger allocation of his heart and a willingness to take greater risks.

That alone shouldn’t lead to expectations of a romantic relationship—it would be insulting to both of them.

“Besides, my brother is already married. Do you realize how disrespectful it is to say such things about someone who already has a partner?”

“Well, I know, but… Hyoseong has so many women around him. And now he’s come back from the expedition with another girl who respectfully calls him ‘master’.”

“I am concerned about my brother’s romantic relationships, but please don’t try to include me in that.”

Garam turned away from Jaseong with a swift motion.

It was then that Sanson arrived to deliver a message.

“Attention everyone! Hero Hyoseong Woo will be explaining future plans, so please gather at the city square!”

“…Repairs are almost complete, so it seems it’s time to leave.”

“Or he might decide to stay here. The undead here are somehow protecting people.”

Whichever choice he makes, he’s now the owner of the ark.

Having entrusted all responsibility to him, the two were committed to respecting and following his decision.

“Hey, kid.”

Just as she was about to continue on her way, Garam stopped at Jaseong’s call and turned to look at him indifferently.

“Let me ask you one last time… Are you really sure you have no feelings for him?”

His voice was much more serious than before.

Feeling his concern for her in that question, Garam turned her back with a bitter smile.

“No way. He’s not even my type to begin with.”

“…Don’t say that to Hyoseong. No matter what, hearing he’s not your type would hurt him.”

“I know how to handle things, so just worry about yourself.”

Waving her hand dismissively, Garam walked ahead of Jaseong toward the square.

Her steps moved naturally toward her family.

As if to show Jaseong what she had emphasized multiple times—that she felt no shyness toward her brother.

‘That’s right. What I feel for my brother isn’t that kind of emotion.’

Of course, when she first made her promise with him, there might have been a possibility of feelings developing in that direction.

But such thoughts disappeared completely after meeting the person he introduced her to.

‘Welcome, Hyoseong. And who is this with you…?’

‘Ah, I mentioned her before, right? This is the child who travels with me.’

‘Nice to meet you, Garam. I’m Irie, Hyoseong’s partner.’

A girl who grew up too quickly because she was thrown into a harsh world.

Her matured inner self made her accept reality and resign herself before her feelings could take shape.

‘That’s right. That person should be my brother’s priority.’

Wouldn’t it be inconsiderate to ask him to accept her as equal to—or even above—that woman?

So Garam repeatedly suppressed her feelings for him, and now she even unconsciously denied the possibility of such thoughts.

That resolve was strengthened even more after the life-and-death moment when he saved her.

If he would go to such lengths to save someone who was merely an acquaintance, she knew he would be even more desperate when his precious person was in danger.

‘Being siblings with my brother is enough.’

Just not abandoning each other and being pillars of support when the other is falling apart.

That was enough for their relationship, and it shouldn’t go beyond that.

It was a resolution and determination, a rule she absolutely had to follow in her life…

-Thump, thump.

But why?

Why does a corner of her heart begin to ache when she recalls the moment he helped her?

‘I’ll never abandon you, so Garam, you too…!’

Yes, though his appearance had changed, what she saw then was clearly her family.

It was definitely him who risked his life to save her and reached out his hand to her in the final moment.

Just that he had changed from male to female, and because the situation was urgent, the attitude he had maintained all along had crumbled.

‘Please… don’t leave me behind.’

As the image of her broken sibling became clearer in her mind, Garam hid her face in the cloak she was wearing and murmured in a strained voice:

“…Would it be disrespectful to think that my crying brother looked cute then?”

The vulnerable side shown by the adult who had always protected her.

The young girl, lacking experience, was not yet aware of what emotion she felt when recalling that image.