episode_0091

“You wanted to be part of my family?”

No. 25’s fingertips are shaking. With equally trembling gaze, No. 25 stared at Law with difficulty and continued speaking again.

“Do you think I will believe you just because you say that now?”

He didn’t even think about getting up from his seat and moving away from Law, who was approaching him.

“I don’t ask you to trust me. I just wanted to convey my sincerity, even if it was belated, and it is up to you to accept it. Whatever you choose, I am ready to accept it.”

After leaving the tower, I met her eyes for the first time. The purple eyes, resembling jewels, contained the life of a person who had walked straight down the path of loneliness.

She never told a lie even for a moment. Because he didn’t want to admit that fact, he irritated himself and refused to talk to her.

Law’s hand cautiously went towards No. 25, and he calmly accepted her touch without even thinking about avoiding it like before.

Law, who was gently stroking No. 25’s head with a relieved expression, quietly opened his mouth.

“You grew up wonderfully, Ryu. Yeah, I’ve always wanted to say this… .”

Why did those words, “You grew up wonderfully”, pierce my heart so painfully?

Doesn’t this make you feel like you’re meeting your real parents?

No. 25 had already let go of all the negative emotions that had been bothering him, feeling a pain that was quite different from the emotions that had repeatedly pierced his heart.

A familiar touch, a familiar voice, a familiar warmth.

No, the touch I missed, the voice I missed, the warmth I missed.

Sadly, what No. 25 had been hoping for his whole life was right in front of his eyes. It is the one and only truth that he unconsciously turned his eyes to and ignored for two years.

I clenched my fists, but soon they began to tremble and lost strength.

No. 25, feeling all the strength in his body, let out a long breath.

Law, who felt a change in mood, slightly spread his arms and spoke in a cautious tone.

“Come here.”

A voice that cannot be rejected.

Number 25 entered her arms as if possessed by something. All the clothes that had been soaked in the warmth of the bonfire were dry, and her skin was softer than usual.

As Number 25 approached, Law held him in his arms as if he had been waiting, and gave strength to his hands.

No. 25 completely surrendered himself to her and quietly closed his eyes as she wrapped his body just right.

Occasionally rub your back, pat your head, etc.

Perhaps because he kept making gestures that parents would make to their children, No. 25’s back in Rowe’s arms began to tremble slightly, and eventually tears flowed from his eyes and fell to the floor.

Law wiped No. 25’s tears that had fallen from his arms with his hands and hugged him tightly again.

As she hugged him even tighter than before, No. 25’s face was buried in her soft, affectionate chest.

“I’m sorry, I made you suffer with my selfishness. Perhaps even if I could atone to you for the rest of my life, it wouldn’t be enough.”

Number 25 quietly wrapped his hands around her waist and pressed their bodies close to each other.

The warmth of her body, felt close to me, slowly eases my mind.

The feelings of resentment towards Rowe had long since flowed away, contained in the flowing rain and tears.

Law asked, sweeping his rain-soaked hair one last time.

“Still, I’m like this… . This may sound really selfish, but can you forgive me for telling you nothing but lies?”

The trembling of Law’s hand asking for forgiveness is transmitted through No. 25’s back. This is probably the first atonement for her, who has never offered a proper apology to others due to her unrivaled power and high position that everyone must look up to.

Those who can hold everything bow their heads towards those who have nothing. The meaning was on a different level from the apologies others usually gave, and No. 25 also vaguely felt the meaning.

There was no reason to be stubborn anymore. Number 25 still buried his face in Law’s chest and mumbled his answer in a low voice.

“… Let’s go back.”

Finally, a pure, bright smile without any trace of worry appeared on Law’s face.

She again applied strength to the hand holding No. 25 and quietly copied what No. 25 had said.

“Okay, let’s go back.”

Before we knew it, the heavy rain that had covered the sky had hidden its traces, and a small but bright ray of sunlight was shyly revealing itself between the ink-colored clouds.

●

After taking a quick shower and changing into comfortable pajamas, Law sat down on the bed and immediately spoke.

This is because he promised to tell No. 25 all the truth that he had kept hidden and not even written down in his diary.

“Your mother was my friend. An old friend, probably the first friend in my life.”

Number 25 next to her immediately asked the next question.

“What kind of person were you?”

When asked by No. 25, Rowe looked at the ceiling and appeared to be recalling memories of that time.

Her profile, wet with moisture that had not even dried yet, had a beauty that could not be put into words.

Eventually, Law’s lips slowly opened like flower petals.

“She was the last remaining dragon, so beautiful that you couldn’t take your eyes off her, and at times ferocious enough to make the world cry, but she was nobler than anyone else. She was such an attractive woman that no one would lose their senses if they saw her in person even just once.”

She took a breath and spoke about No. 25’s father.

“And I liked the man who was your father. Even though I know he’s my friend’s guy.”

The fact that Rowe likes No. 25’s father was also mentioned in his diary.

That’s not what No. 25 wanted to know.

When No. 25 did not get the answer he wanted, he chewed his lip in nervousness, and Law smiled at the corner of his mouth as he looked at No. 25.

She already knew what questions No. 25 wanted to ask, and gave answers to his questions.

“Are you curious about your father this time?”

No. 25 immediately blushed at the thought that his true feelings had been revealed, and nodded his head twice.

“Let’s see… . He was an ordinary person with no abilities, but he was a good person. Even though you knew that your mother was a dragon, you didn’t tell people about it and always treated her with the same attitude. When it came to dragons, he had a completely different attitude from other people who always looked up to him. When we fight over trivial issues, we fight, when we share love, we share love, and when we share joy, we share joy. I was facing her properly as a person, not as a species. Maybe that’s what you fell in love with?”

“How did you two meet?”

Rowe put his hand to his chin.

A sighing sound came out of her mouth.

As No. 25 held his breath and swallowed, Law began the next story as if he had been waiting.

“It started with saving your father, who was attacked by a monster in the mountains and was in immediate danger of death. Treating an injured person is a simple task, so it wasn’t that difficult. He came to his senses not long after and was not scared when he saw us. He quickly came down the mountain after thanking us with a bright smile on his face. At the time, we thought that was the end of it, and neither of us really cared. Because rescuing the injured was a common task.”

As the story became longer, Law paused for a moment and lifted the teacup on the table next to the bed.

“But the next day, the man came to see us again. In his hands, he held various gifts that we didn’t really need, and with that characteristic smile on his face, he continued to say thank you again for a long time. After saying thank you, he had a short conversation with your mother, and then went back down the mountain. This time it’s over. Among humans, there are people who know how to say thank you properly, and who have a well-established concept. That’s what I was thinking at the moment when his back was disappearing.”

For a moment, I had the illusion of sadness in Law’s eyes as he tipped the teacup.

“But the frequency with which the man visited us, my friend to be exact, increased. Sometimes they would appear with flowers, sometimes human food, sometimes human clothes, and they would talk for a while before disappearing before the sun set.”

Number 25 listened to her. The truth I wanted to hear so much, I couldn’t miss a single word.

Law responded with a faint smile to Number 25’s gaze staring at him and continued his next words.

“As we continued to meet, we both developed a liking for him. But his eyes weren’t on me. It’s not that I don’t like it, but… . Just a close friend. Yeah, it felt like that. But I was satisfied with that. Her happiness was my happiness, and it was nice just to see her.”

Law sighed deeply.

“One day she said to me. I said I was pregnant… . I was shocked at first, but the birth of life is always something that should be celebrated, so I congratulated her with all my heart. And soon after, she gave birth to a small egg. If it’s a boy, we’ll name it ‘Ryu’, and if it’s a girl, we’ll name it ‘Yeon’.”

“Ryu… .”

Number 25 repeated the name of the person he had lost and did not have.

Although I couldn’t say it properly yet, every time I whispered that name, a part of my heart felt strangely tickled.

“In proportion to the growing egg, their love also gradually matured. The two of them, completely forgetting that they had me in front of them, would often whisper about their love in a strange way, or secretly disappear into the forest and then show up with disheveled clothes and sweaty bodies. Every time, I would pretend like nothing was wrong by making boring jokes, but my insides were burning by the minute.”

Law was smiling with a bitter expression.

“I wanted the blessings of both of them, but at the same time, I hated myself for feeling jealous, so I unilaterally cut off contact with them. I shouldn’t have done that… .”

After finishing speaking, Law took several deep breaths, as if to calm down the sadness of the past, before he could continue speaking.

Unlike when she first started, her horse’s tail gradually became blurred, showing her feelings.

But what she said next had a very different tone from before. Law’s eyebrows furrowed, and he even made a grim expression that he rarely made.

“Right before you hatched, the attack by the ‘alien spirits’ began.”

Number 25 asked back, hearing the word for the first time.

“A foreign spirit?”

“I’ll talk about them slowly later, so just listen for now.”

No. 25 just nodded his head calmly at Law’s coercive appearance, which he saw for the first time.

“They appeared after tearing down the layered barrier of District 1 with their powerful magical power, instantly driving District 1 into chaos, and as District 1, the center of the demon world, began to shake, no district could be safe from the embers of war. I couldn’t do it. District 1 requested help from other districts, and your mother decided to head to the battlefield to protect the people dying in vain, and your father followed her, saying he couldn’t let her go alone. I should have stuck by their side and stopped them somehow… .”

Law muttered as if he was blaming himself.

Number 25 tried to say that it wasn’t your fault, but swallowed it back.

Even if I said that to her now that it had already happened, there was no way it would comfort her.

Law opened his mouth again in a slow tone.

“The war was won thanks to your mother’s participation, but the price was not small. Your parents, my only close friend, the first person I ever loved, has crossed a river I can never return to.”

Law’s fingertips trembled slightly as he announced that his parents were dead, and his voice was steeped in sadness.

“ He found out too late that the two people who went to the battlefield had died, and he was so lost in regret that he lived a life worse than death. I even completely forgot about your existence. This is definitely my fault… . Meanwhile, I remembered you, so I belatedly headed to the cave we lived in together, but it seemed like other people had gone there in the meantime, so I couldn’t find any traces of you. In their eyes, it was just a dragon’s egg, so they probably took it without thinking because they thought it would make money.”

I could tell by instinct that there was not the slightest lie in what she said.

Since No. 25 had been led by a slave trader ever since she was able to think properly, her words were given even more credibility.

“After that, there was no difference from what was written in the diary. I found you by chance in District 6, and now I’ve gotten you back.”

After finishing the long story completely, Law stared into No. 25’s eyes.

Before she knew it, her eyes were turning red, and beautiful tears like jewels were sparkling underneath them.

“This is the truth I hid from you all this time… . How are you? Are you satisfied now?”

Number 25 nodded.

It wasn’t something big enough to be hidden in the first place.

If you had told me earlier, this wouldn’t have happened.

It’s true that I was picturing family, but I had no intention of just chasing after the shadows of those who had already left.

What was their ending like, what kind of life did they live, how did they laugh, what did they usually say?

Just knowing that fact was enough.

“Even if I know the truth, I won’t run away. So please don’t hide anything from me in the future. And I promise. you are… No, Mr. Law won’t leave me without saying a word.”

Rowe kissed the forehead of No. 25, who was sitting next to him, and revealed a small, beautiful smile that was both sadness and joy.

“Where can I go, leaving behind the person I love?”

It was the sound that signaled the end of this long conflict. No. 25 thought he was at peace, but it seemed like he wasn’t.

She stared at No. 25 and opened her mouth in a worried tone.

“But there is one thing I haven’t solved yet.”

“What is that?”

As soon as No. 25’s words are finished, Law’s naked body is revealed in the blink of an eye along with the sound of clothes being taken off.

A sweet scent filled the room, but I couldn’t afford to worry about that right now.

Isn’t now a time to share our emotions with each other? After mustering up the courage to tell the whole truth about your past, you suddenly take off your clothes?

I didn’t understand what the intention was.

Before No. 25 could make a sound of embarrassment upon seeing Rowe suddenly naked, she opened her mouth first with a rather serious expression.

“The day I lost everything, the things that support me even now, even though I am virtually dead, are the memories and memories of the past they left behind. But we can’t live with the past in our hands forever, so maybe the time has come to let them go… . So that I can be myself, so that I can live without their memories, even if I erase them from my mind for a moment, so that I can live without feeling guilty about them anymore… Please give me unforgettable memories.”