Ch.5959. Stories of Others, Stories of Lovers

I was truly flustered.

A blanket was draped over us, and Shiro’s face gradually drew closer.

“Haa…”

Shiro’s breath touched my face.

The distance between us was barely a few centimeters.

“Adel.”

“…Ms. Shiro.”

Shiro’s eyes were trembling.

“Let’s stay like this.”

She spoke with a flushed face.

In her purple eyes, I glimpsed emotions mixed with embarrassment and determination.

Beads of sweat were forming on her face, which seemed to be burning hot.

Her warm exhales spoke of her feelings.

‘Ah.’

Even this was just an act.

She was making such a bold move, enduring embarrassment in case someone was eavesdropping and might discover our deception.

I felt pathetic for misinterpreting Shiro’s actions.

At the same time.

“…Yes.”

“Mm, Adel. I love you.”

As I listened to Shiro’s voice whispering in my ear, I felt a slight sense of regret.

If only Shiro’s words had been sincere.

If there had been nothing threatening us, and nothing could interfere with us—

—Scratch.

While my thoughts continued, Shiro wrote something in the notebook.

[Adel, I’m sorry.]

“…”

Seeing what she wrote made me feel pathetic.

‘What was I thinking?’

I steeled my resolve once more.

My feelings toward Shiro.

…What feelings?

What exactly?

—….

My thoughts drifted.

—….

My vision blurred with dizziness.

***

Let’s just survive first.

Let’s climb the Labyrinth and return to the real world.

Reaching that conclusion, I took the notebook from Shiro.

That had been my only goal from the beginning. There had never been any other purpose.

I need to steel my heart.

….

Anyway.

[You don’t need to apologize.]

Shiro and I continued our written conversation.

I was still in the position of being pinned down, but this couldn’t be helped.

We couldn’t risk being discovered by that person.

It wasn’t that I enjoyed it; it was simply something that had to be done.

“…”

Anyway, I passed the notebook back to Shiro and waited for her response.

But Shiro just stared at the empty notebook.

“Adel…”

She called my name.

Looking into my eyes, her expression now much more serious than before.

“Ms. Shiro.”

“…”

When I responded, Shiro closed her eyes, appearing deep in thought.

“I love you.”

Opening her eyes, she showed a faint smile.

That expression somehow looked sorrowful.

“I love you too, Ms. Shiro. Truly.”

Her hand briefly brushed against my face, then she began writing something in the notebook again.

[I’m sorry, but I want to tell you a long story.]

“…”

I nodded.

I wasn’t exactly sure what she wanted to say, but somehow I felt I knew.

[I’ve been hiding something.]

She showed me the notebook with trembling hands.

I nodded, and Shiro put the notebook down beside my head and continued writing.

[You noticed someone has been following us since this Labyrinth began, right?]

I affirmed.

[It’s probably because of me.]

“…”

Though a bit surprised, I maintained my smile and nodded.

[I’ve never told you why I want to climb the Labyrinth, have I?]

Her hand moved busily.

[Long ago, my grandfather who raised me was killed by some group.]

[Originally, I thought I was presumed dead too, but recently when I visited the Elf Sanctuary regarding my identity.]

[I think that’s when they discovered I was alive.]

Sometimes trembling, sometimes shaking.

[That’s why they’re after us.]

“…”

[Adel, I’m sorry.]

In the eyes of Shiro who handed me the notebook, emotions were finally welling up.

There was something so deep within them.

I couldn’t fathom it with just a moment’s judgment.

Not knowing what meaning even saying “it’s okay” would hold for her, I just held the notebook and met her gaze.

After maintaining silence for a while.

[You didn’t tell me because you were trying to protect me, right?]

I finally managed to write one sentence.

She must have feared that if she mentioned the organization pursuing her, I would get entangled in her affairs.

[I’m too inadequate to fully grasp your story, Ms. Shiro. I can’t arbitrarily empathize or understand. I need to hear more about what you were thinking, how you felt.]

[I need to hear everything you’ve been holding in your heart to barely understand your feelings.]

Because I am an insufficient person.

[You didn’t want me to get deeply involved in your affairs, right?]

Because Shiro was an altruistic person.

“…”

Her eyes finally wavered.

Because she thought this was something she had to bear alone.

Something she believed she had to resolve by herself.

[I…]

My hand paused momentarily.

‘If I go further here, there’s no turning back.’

Shiro must have judged the same.

She only listed the major events that led to the current situation, without going deeper into her story.

If she spoke more deeply about herself.

I would become entangled in her affairs.

‘….’

I tried to think for a moment.

I tried to judge based on the values I pursued.

Wondering if jumping in recklessly would disrupt what I had wanted.

But.

[I want to hear more of your story, Ms. Shiro.]

I decided not to think.

I shouldn’t think now.

Because I knew I would run away, I decided to confront it head-on.

[It’s okay if there’s no turning back. No, I’d prefer if there’s no turning back. No matter how painful, even if death threatens, whatever awaits me.]

I wanted her to shackle me so I couldn’t run away.

[I want to hear your story, Ms. Shiro.]

Rather than running away from myself, rationalizing, deceiving myself.

It was far better to stake my life on a single belief.

“Ms. Shiro.”

I handed her the notebook.

Of course, what I handed her wasn’t just the notebook.

It was a belief, and that belief would now become life, holding me forever.

I entrusted everything to her.

“A, del.”

We had many conversations while looking into each other’s eyes.

Conversation didn’t just mean moving our lips.

The movement of our eyes, small trembles, warm breaths, changes in expression.

A conversation made up of these countless things, a moment, could express more than words.

Shiro loved me, I loved her.

Shiro wanted to leave, I approached her.

Shiro hesitated about me, I held her hand.

Holding hands, looking into each other’s eyes, feeling each other’s breath.

There were many worries, many conversations.

And at the end,

[Long ago.]

Shiro’s hand moved.

[I lived with my grandfather in a small cabin. I think I’ve been with him since I can remember.]

[Grandfather did something that involved making things. I didn’t know exactly, but I think he made special artifacts.]

She said she lived with her grandfather in a cabin in the untouched forest of the Elf Sanctuary.

Sometimes reading books her grandfather brought, quietly observing the outside, silently practicing mana manipulation, and so on.

She said she spent her days like that until she was about 16 years old.

But.

One day, as her peaceful life continued, suspicious men came to the cabin.

[Grandfather gave me a spatial pouch and told me to run until I saw the fountain.]

[At first I hesitated, but,]

She saw her grandfather die before her eyes.

[I fled with only the pouch grandfather gave me, and after leaving the Elf Sanctuary, I continued to hide.]

She continued to unfold her story.

[After living like that for almost three years without knowing anything, one day I discovered something hidden in the materials in the spatial pouch.]

[It was the identity of the organization that killed my grandfather. What they were doing, what they were planning.]

They had taken her grandfather’s family hostage and threatened him to make artifacts.

Meanwhile, her grandfather had taken in Shiro who was dying.

[The organization seemed to mainly deal with human trafficking.]

[They probably knew I was at grandfather’s cabin and wanted to kidnap me too. Grandfather prevented that.]

“…”

I watched Shiro’s story while holding my breath.

Trying to stay as calm as possible without saying anything, just watching, lest she be triggered.

[By now, you understand why I want to climb the Labyrinth, right?]

Shiro handed me the notebook again.

“…”

Looking at the empty notebook in my hand, I thought.

The reason Shiro wanted to climb the Labyrinth.

The reason why, from our first meeting, she continued hunting regardless of money, despite the risk to her life.

The reason she felt more urgent recently was,

[Do you want revenge?]

What her grandfather meant to Shiro, what she had lived for.

And what she would live for.

I still didn’t know such detailed stories.

But I intuitively realized.

“…Yes.”

Her true purpose.