episode_0010

“Hmm… Aris, are you enjoying yourself?”

We were currently in a bustling downtown area of the capital, having finished a week of tedious classes. Various magical spells flew about, and the voices of vendors selling goods and food mingled, hurting my ears. In that situation, Aris’s eyes sparkling as she looked around. Of course, she wandered about without letting go of my hand.

“Wow… Ray… Look at this… No… Touch it…” Aris couldn’t contain her admiration. She layered her hand over mine and placed it on the object that had amazed her. Of course, I was aware of the magical energy flowing from it, but I didn’t say anything. The texture was cold, like touching a sheet of ice, and it seemed to have patterns etched into it.

“How much is this?” Aris’s eyes shone as she asked the owner the price of the small pendant, but I whispered in her ear. “Aris, this one is too plain.” At that moment, her magical energy focused on her ear, but I didn’t pay it much mind. With my other hand, which wasn’t intertwined with hers, I touched other pendants, letting my magic flow as if a water droplet was touching a lake. The pendant I carefully chose flowed with magic much more smoothly than the others, revealing its form to me. That flow presented only one answer in my mind. ‘This isn’t some processed gem… It’s really a pendant with some magic inscribed on it… But it doesn’t seem to be a curse… Is it for protection…?’ It was a pendant that felt like dipping your hand into the ocean and pulling it out, so I handed it to her.

“How much is this one?” “Hmm… Are you… really going to take that one?” “Yes, is there a problem?” “No… well… there are many other flashy pendants here, so isn’t there no need to choose only one with a blue sapphire?” The merchant pointed to several beautiful pendants with his hand. The merchant’s hand, pointing at the pendants, was trembling slightly.

“It looks like you two are dating, so how about this one?” He offered a pendant that appeared incredibly beautiful from the outside. “It’s fine, I’ll just buy that one.” ‘There’s no need to buy a cheap pendant that feels murky with magic when touched.’ When I refused all the others and insisted on buying only that one, the merchant looked at me with slightly nervous eyes for a moment, then opened his mouth. “It’s a little… dangerous… No, it’s 3 gold…” Only then did I nod with a satisfied expression, take out the pouch from my pocket, and hand him 3 gold. ‘Haha… I wonder how Elena would react if she knew I was buying a pendant like this…’ After paying, Aris and I, briefly recalling the past, left the pendant shop and went out to browse several other stores. “Hmm… well… it should be fine…” Only the merchant remained in the shop, shaking his head from side to side, acting as if he needed to forget about the pendant he had just sold.

***

After leaving the pendant shop, Aris’s steps slowed as she meticulously examined the pendant. Aris, who kept looking at the pendant with sparkling eyes, asked me. “Ray, you didn’t buy this knowing something, did you?” “Huh? Knowing what?” “This pendant seems to have some deep magical power.” “Well, I wouldn’t know about that.” I played innocent, only replying that I didn’t know. “Anyway, thank you, Ray. I’ll cherish it.” Aris smiled at me and tucked the pendant deep into her clothes. Her face was very bright, having received an unexpected gift. Though not an arm-in-arm embrace, her hand, gripping my right hand tightly, seemed determined not to let me go. I looked at her tenderly, as if she were a lover, and the system did not simply observe this.

[Sudden Quest Activated] [The System approves of your actions.] [Sub-Quest – A sudden quest is inserted for Aris.] [Become more deeply involved with Aris 0/1] [Reward: Skill Reinforcement Ticket X 3] ‘Hmm… System… what exactly does ‘more deeply involved’ mean here…?’ For a moment, I felt like smashing the system in my mind, but seeing Aris smiling innocently beside me, oblivious to everything, I relaxed my expression.

*Fizzing…* As we walked along, a rift suddenly appeared before Aris and me. ‘Who in their right mind would warp in the middle of the street…!’ It was something that seemed about to appear right before our eyes with a wave of magical energy, so I enveloped her.

“Mind Sword, Transform.” With my Mind Sword, which could block even magic, I created a greatsword of enormous size, just as I had against the golem before, preparing for the rift’s shockwave. “Oh dear… I’m so sorry…” A young-voiced girl in a hood looked up at us from where she lay on the ground. With red bobbed hair and red eyes, she made me try to recall someone. I seemed to have heard this voice in a game before, so I tried to revive my memory, but nothing came to mind. “I’m so sorryyyyy….” It was me who felt I had seen that languid voice and that huge bag somewhere before. ‘Definitely… not a good… person…’ I fell into thought for a moment, but decided I needed to reassure Aris, who was trembling slightly in my arms, so I hugged her tighter. ‘In war, she must have just warped around without caring about the damage from rifts, so she might be anxious even about this…’

“Aris, are you alright?” I stroked her hair, soothing her, and thankfully, her trembling disappeared shortly. Instead, I could feel the flow of magic indicating that her face, which was against my chest, had flushed significantly. Relieved, I tried to speak to the red-haired girl again, but she was no longer where she should have been. Only then, spreading my magic wide, did I realize she had already gone far away. ‘Well, I’ll figure it out somehow as I progress with the main quest…’ Thinking that, I continued walking with Aris.

***

‘I’m embarrassed.’ That was Aris’s thought. ‘What does Ray think of me…? Will he despise me for trembling whenever anything related to war comes up…?’ Aris clenched her right hand tightly with such worries, while Ray simply smiled, as if finding her appearance cute.

‘Yes… that’s right… This was something Ray suggested because I complained first… I’m trembling just from hearing a warp sound… I’d lose all affection for myself too…’ “Ah, Aris, aren’t you hungry? It looks like the sun will set soon, shall we eat something simple?” It was none other than Ray who momentarily pulled her out of her disturbed thoughts. At Ray’s suggestion, Aris also set aside her worries for a moment and accepted the skewer Ray offered. Thus, the two of them sat on the fountain in the center of the plaza.

“Aris, so, did you like the capital? Earlier, it seemed like you were so delighted you didn’t know what to do with yourself?” Ray said, tilting his head up as if imagining her earlier expression when she had taken out the pendant. Still not erasing that faint smile. “Yes, it was good. It was incomparable to that place.” ‘Certainly… this place is enjoyable… But why do I keep thinking of… that place…?’ She lowered her head for a moment, seemingly thinking of the time she had spent with her former mentor. Still quietly lowering her head, she gripped Ray’s right hand even tighter and spoke.

“Um… Ray… By any chance, aren’t you… tired of me…?” “We’ve only known each other for about four days, Aris. There’s still so much I don’t know about you, you know?” “No… I just tremble at everything and lean on you for support… If it were me, I wouldn’t want to be with someone who trembles just from hearing a warp sound…” Then Ray gazed at the sunset sky for a moment before opening his mouth. “Aris, everyone has a box in their heart that they don’t want to open. However, Aris, so many swords and spears have been thrust into your box, and you’ve broken it, so the box can’t help but become loose.”

“So… you don’t like me…?” Aris asked Ray sincerely, and Ray shook his head, answering. “If the box is broken, then wouldn’t it be fixed? If I can be of any help in fixing that box for you, I would gladly step forward.” Ray continued the conversation, still wearing that faint smile. “Thank you… Ray… And… this might be a bit… out of the blue, but…” Aris placed a hand on her rapidly beating heart and tried to open her mouth. “Ray… I… I lo…” “Just a moment, Aris.” Aris’s mouth, which was struggling to utter the words, was stopped by Ray’s firm single sentence. The faint smile that was always on Ray’s lips had vanished, and he was staring intently at one spot. “Aris, could you wait here for just a moment?” “No… but… Ray…” Aris tried to grab Ray’s arm as he hastily departed, but his arm was already too far away. Aris didn’t have the courage to stop him as he rapidly walked away, leaning on his staff. “How could you… Ray…” Only Aris’s lone remark remained by the fountain.