episode_0067

“Hmm… . Didn’t I say it would be small this time?”

“Ugh, that’s right.”

A northern continent sanctuary that looks like it might be frozen.

I came back to tell Azta the story of Wonderland.

“I was wondering if I could get some rest… . The world won’t leave me alone.”

How unfortunate it is to be a being treated unfairly by the world.

“Ahahaha. I’m glad I got to hear a lot of interesting stories thanks to that. Well, cheer up.”

“Are you calling that comforting?”

“Hmm, wasn’t it enough?”

“You sleep with insufficient energy, it’s just a mockery.”

“Ahahahaha, is that so?”

Azta’s smile is loud today.

Is it really that funny that I’m being treated unfairly?

“Then, would you like me to comfort Zeke after he has had a hard time and brush his hair?”

Azta is trapped naked in ice.

The important part is exquisitely covered with hair, and he says he will take it away as a consolation.

“Was that something you could clean up?”

“No, I can’t clean it up.”

“This is absurd.”

Well then.

It’s completely frozen, so how can you move your hair?

“Did you expect it?”

“Not at all.”

“Pretend it’s not true.”

“It’s not pretend, it’s real.”

“Really? I was quite confident.”

Azuta is also a heroine, so of course she is pretty.

Being trapped in the ice like this feels like a work of art.

However, I am overwhelmed with just one rupiah.

“If you keep messing around, I’m leaving?”

When I turned around and tried to leave, Azta urgently grabbed me.

“Wait, wait. Aren’t you too impatient?”

“It’s too cold to just sit still and do nothing.”

Still, today I brought a special heating device developed by the research department.

The battery doesn’t last very long, so I have to use it when I can’t bear it anymore.

“Then let’s talk about something. By the way, I have a question that I put off because I didn’t want to be interrupted.”

“What is it?”

“Did you say Ryuka? That blue dragon child.”

“Uh, that’s right, Ryuka. Why him? Do you know each other?”

The homeland of all dragons is the North Continent.

Ryuka also lived in the North Continent and fled to the Central Continent, so she and Azta may be familiar with each other.

“No, it’s not like that. That kid said Sa-Kaniel was his real name?”

“That’s right.”

“Hmm… . You’re doing something cute.”

“The reaction is… As expected, Sacchaniel is not a name.”

I was a bit skeptical, but after seeing Azta’s reaction, it became clear.

“There was a dragon that I was friendly with. That friend called me Sa-Toriol.”

“Similar to Sacchaniel.”

“That’s because the ‘sa-’ attached to the front of a word is a prefix that indicates the first person possessive.”

A full-fledged explanation emerged.

Well, verbs are also a language, so they probably have grammar.

“Sakaniel means my Kaniel.”

“That’s right.”

“Then what is Kaniel? Is Kaniel real name of Ryuka?”

“Ahahaha. No, Kaniel is not a name.”

Azta’s bright laughter that was echoing in my head died down.

Afterwards, a serious, heavy tone of voice entered my head.

“Sa-Toriol, Etach Fora.”

“…What does that mean?”

“My best friend, seize life.”

“Oh… .”

“That’s what my friend used to say.”

Those are very words of advice.

Oh, the dragon must have died, so the will must be correct.

“Good words.”

“Right?”

“So does that mean that Satoriol is my best friend?”

“That’s right. Dragons rarely call themselves by their names, so most people call them something like that.”

I’m not sure if etak is life or a verb to pursue.

I have no desire to learn verbs.

What I want to know is what Kaniel means.

“Aren’t you curious what Kaniel means?”

“Yes. I’m so curious, it’s driving me crazy.”

“Haha. It wouldn’t be fun if I told you right away, so I’ll give you a hint.”

Oh really. Just let me know.

It’s so cold I’m dying.

“The title Sa-Kaniel is not used in general relationships.”

“I thought so.”

It’s so good that I’m dying just by singing it.

Hey, if it’s just a loose name like that, there’s no way you’d get that kind of reaction.

“Used only in very deep, really deep relationships.”

“Hmm… . I expected that to some extent.”

“Above all, dragons should not use that title carelessly. You can only use it on one person in your entire life.”

“That… I expected that too.”

Somehow, I feel like I’m narrowing it down to the word I expected.

A title that should be used only with one person with whom you have had a very deep lifelong relationship.

“Is this really what Kaniel uses to call his married wife?”

“No.”

Oh my goodness.

I almost had a wife before I knew it.

“No, but it can be seen as similar.”

“Or it’s not, what’s similar?”

“There is no marriage culture among dragons. If we are in the same mood, we live together, and if we don’t like it, we just break up, so there is no specific word that corresponds to the word wife.”

“That’s a bit surprising.”

Marriage and divorce are free.

These guys are American style.

Well, there are many people who divorce because they can’t live together for just a few decades, but dragons who live for hundreds of years must be miserable.

“Then what on earth is Kaniel?”

“Kaniel. Among the Central Continent languages, the most similar word is… A life partner.”

“Huh? They said it had nothing to do with marriage.”

“Humans make lifelong promises when they get married. That’s why a spouse is also called a companion.”

First of all, it says so in the marriage vow.

The parties involved would probably think the same way if it were a normal marriage.

No one knows what will happen in the future.

“As I said before, dragons do not have a culture of marriage. Instead, let Kaniel be the one person you want to spend your whole life with.”

“…How is that different from marriage?”

“Marriage is when a man and a woman form a relationship and start a family, right? The person you choose as Kaniel doesn’t necessarily have to be the opposite sex, and you don’t have to start a family together. Just someone I sincerely want to spend the rest of my life with. That’s it.”

Is it like a soulmate?

The relationship is so good that it feels like souls are connected.

“You can make a person of the same sex with whom you have a close friendship as Kaniel. Of course, if your love is deep, you can make the opposite sex your carniel. It could be a parent and child, or a teacher and student. The form of the relationship doesn’t matter. Being together in life is important.”

“It’s romantic.”

“Right?”

Wait, why does Kaniel have such an important meaning… .

“Then that color… No, Ryuka forced such an important title on me, a naive person who knew nothing?”

“That will happen, right? Well, Zeke is not a dragon, so in the end, the only thing he can achieve is his own self-satisfaction.”

“Ugh… .”

Ryuka’s request to call him ‘Sakaniel’ is no different from asking a foreigner who does not know Korean to call him ‘Honey’.

No, if you think about the meaning, it can be seen as worse than that.

‘It’s so damn different that it’s done in so many different ways.’

You suddenly found a life partner.

Oh my.

*

My body was getting cold, so I opened my bag to take out the heater.

‘What the fuck.’

The heavy heating device that was clearly supposed to be inside the bag was nowhere to be seen.

Instead, there was only a huge rock and a folded note in the bag.

‘no way… .’

I opened the note with an ominous feeling in mind.

– Zeke’s heater was replaced by my hot love. Cheshire Cat full of love♡

When I took out the stone, it was carved into the shape of a heart.

‘What a fucking bastard.’

I threw a rock roughly and it split.

There was nothing hidden inside or anything like that.

It’s so fucking cold that I’m dying, but you’re stealing my heating system.

Even Satan will cry and leave.

To quickly warm up, I took out a thermos filled with a warm drink.

‘…Why is this light?’

I have an ominous feeling.

Perhaps this premonition will not be wrong.

I opened the thermos.

As expected, there is a note inside.

– Umnyami~ I enjoyed Zeke’s love. The Cheshire Cat who was thirsty for love♡

“Fuck you..”

“Zeek? What’s going on?”

Azta seemed surprised by my swearing.

“After… . That damn cat stole my heater and hot drinks.”

“Cat? Are you talking about Cheshire you mentioned earlier?”

“Haha, fuck life.”

My legs lost strength and I collapsed to the floor.

My butt was sore, but I didn’t have time to worry about that.

While I was hitting the ground and lamenting inwardly, I heard an alien voice in my head.

– … Give it to me.

“Huh? Azta, what did you say?”

“No? I didn’t say anything?”

What was it?

Is it because of my mood?

“…Zeek. I think it would be a good idea to go back early today.”

Azta’s sudden suggestion.

It’s a very happy offer, but there’s something strange about Azta, who always catches me trying to go back.

“What kind of wind is blowing that makes you let me go so obediently?”

“That’s right, if Zeke gets sick, it’s only me who loses. Because Zeke needs to stay healthy and talk to me for a long time.”

“Hmm… .”

It’s not an unreasonable reason, but no matter how you look at it, it sounds like a ploy to just gloss over it.

‘Should I dig deeper?’

Suddenly, the thought that came to mind was drowned out by the chill running down my spine.

“Then, I will accept your favor and leave.”

“Yes. See you later Zeke. Do I have to bring a lot of interesting stories again?”

I was about to leave the sanctuary after seeing Azta off.

– Take it out… .

I heard a voice again.

And very clearly.

‘under… .’

There are more things to worry about.

[Azta’s strategy progress has increased. (44 -> 48%) Acquire 400 strategy points]