episode_0151

It was the day we were alone. Now there was no such thing as a party or anyone to coordinate things with.

Now, they have become strangers and have gone their separate ways.

Since I also have responsibility, I just hoped that breaking up was the best choice without leaving any hurt on either side.

I should have brought you the horse the gunman left the day before yesterday. Even though I had small regrets, I arranged for a carriage and went up there.

After passing through the eighth village like this for a day, all I had to do was look for the Pope in the ninth village and get the sixth reinforcement stone.

The task to do was clear. However, since Veronica was the only one who could respond to the crisis ahead due to the reduced number of people, there was nothing I could do to feel a little nervous.

If they pushed in right away, it would be difficult to protect Veronica, and it was clear that Veronica would use her power again.

However, if I were to face a strong enemy, I might find myself in a situation where I would have no choice but to watch Veronica suffer because it would be too much for me to stand on my own like before.

So in the end I had to admit it. My own weakness.

In the worst case scenario, I felt like I might have to open my hands to Veronica, which made me feel bad about myself.

I glanced at Veronica, who was sitting across from me in the rickety carriage.

Her black hair was partly covered with a veil, but the hair that could not be covered was shiny. It seemed to indicate healthy hair.

The pale skin and golden eyes were a fascinating combination.

Now that we were alone, I was feeling subtle emotions again when I looked at her face. Veronica asked me a question first, probably because she was concerned about my gaze.

“Why are you glancing at me like that?”

“No, … I was wondering if it was okay since it was just the two of us. It will become more difficult in the future… ”

“It’s okay. I just need to work hard together.”

Veronica says she’s doing her best, but my shortcomings only seem bigger.

no. At this moment, you have already given up the heroines as characters for Veronica as a person. But what if Veronica uses her power again?

I shook my head.

I just freaked out and tried to get her to talk.

“No, Veronica is just resting, you shouldn’t use your strength… ”

“… I’m okay. Kailon won’t have anything to worry about.”

“… … .”

He certainly didn’t shed blood and only used up his mental power when using his strength. Conversely, it would mean that no such signs were seen when blood was shed and the torch was lit.

I could see that she was hurting herself, but even so, I felt so helpless that I couldn’t refuse, so I just let out a sigh.

I desperately needed her.

“… I’m sorry, please, I’ll do it… ”

A trembling breath came out. In the end, it became like attempting self-harm.

I felt like I had placed too much of a burden on her, and it weighed heavily on my heart.

“It’s really okay. Now that only the two of us are left, we have to work hard together.”

“Thank you for thinking that way… ”

“Yes.”

She didn’t hold me accountable. He said he would protect me, but then he scolded me for what he was doing, and he kept silent about the fact that he told me to take care of the heroine, but I didn’t listen and ended up falling to my death.

They just said that it was painful because they were there, that I couldn’t travel with them anymore, and that’s all they said, and they didn’t hold me responsible for anything.

That’s why my heart felt even more constricted.

Time passes, the wheels roll.

*

It was evening. I felt like time was passing quickly as I was in a daze.

Even though we were alone, the amount of conversation seemed to have decreased little by little. No, was it because we met occasionally to begin with that we had a lot to say?

Looking around the surrounding scenery at the eighth village close to the stopover, there was one village left to find the Pope, two villages to reach the final Ganghwa, and three turns to reach the Demon King.

I felt that it was time to truly feel that the story was reaching its end.

As we were sharing food in the restaurant attached to the inn, she was nodding her head little by little, smelling the scent, and savoring the taste.

Still, maybe it was because it was my first leisurely meal in a long time.

If there had been others, they would have just observed the atmosphere, said a prayer, and nibbled on it, but they didn’t have to do that now.

“Is it delicious?”

“Yes.”

I smiled bitterly. While I was cutting meat, a thought occurred to me and I carefully opened my mouth to ask a question.

“… If you catch the Demon King and go back, what do you want to do first? If you are at home, I will pick you up.”

Veronica was silent for a while, then sliced the meat in front of her, took a bite, and began chewing it intently.

After it had completely disintegrated and flowed down her throat, her mouth was carefully opened.

“You don’t have to.”

I wondered what was going on. I thought it would be okay, but she just gave a different answer than I expected and reacted calmly, so my thoughts seemed to stop.

What’s wrong with that?

Ah, now that I think about it, there were times when I thought I didn’t want to go back.

If that’s the case, does that mean I have no intention of going back now, no matter what happens?

So close. Still, I thought she would say it was okay to go back with me, but in the end, she probably thought that she was loved because she was Veronica’s face and cut me off.

Thinking like that made me sad. I think I’m the kind of person who chooses people based on their looks.

“… Do you think this is better?”

“Yeah, if I’m with Kylon, it’s just better here… ”

Veronica’s words faded away, and then she lowered her head and her words became effective.

It turned into silence without any further words, but I couldn’t help but smile at those words.

It looked cute.

Still, I’d like you no matter what, so I still don’t know why you’re so worried.

But even if you don’t know, you can still try to understand, so I tried my best to think from her perspective.

Maybe you’re not sure. In the end, no matter how much I say nice things to her and comfort her, will things get better than they are now? That question will never go away.

When I think about the repeated weighing of being loved with Veronica’s face and being loved with my original face, all I can think of is how unfortunate it must be.

“Have you thought about what you will do to the king when you find the Pope?”

“No, I don’t know.”

“Even something like revenge is good. If you find the Pope, you can still get revenge here.”

“… No, it’s okay. As long as I’m with Kylon, I don’t mind anything.”

I’m getting a lot of hugs today.

Still, I felt anxious, so I thought it was possible.

I was immediately shunned by others and fell to my death. It wouldn’t be strange if other traumas occurred, but I thought I was lucky that it didn’t and it was just me.

Yes, it’s much better to lean on me than to have your heart broken.

“Then I’m glad… So, are you here with Veronica?”

“Yes, I like it.”

“… So what do you want to do here? I don’t know what I am here.”

“I want to go out to the Holy Kingdom. Since I was always looking at Seongguk, I want to see other worlds too… I want to eat delicious food and see things in person.”

There was a lot to hope for. It was a good thing.

Veronica didn’t always want anything, so every time she asks, she says she doesn’t want anything anymore. I just answered,

As I looked at Veronica with a dreamy expression, I couldn’t help but smile.

At the end, Veronica moaned, “Hmm,” and then spoke softly.

“What about Kylon?”

I was also happy because I thought my opinion was being asked.

“Did you want to go back?”

I always thought that I was in the position to ask questions and Veronica was in the position to answer.

Naturally, I was in a position where I had enjoyed it and did not lack anything, so I thought it was a good thing to be considerate of her who was in need without being able to enjoy it.

But at this moment, what came back was a question.

A question asking for my opinion.

Even if it doesn’t come true, the question was a good one.

“Yes, I wanted to go back and meet you.”

“… I see I just want to stay here with Kailon forever.”

It seemed like I had a strong desire to escape.

It could have been so. If I went back, it would be a life where I had to rely only on myself, and it would be a world where I would not have to face any good things.

I nodded.

Even if I don’t go back, I will understand her.

Because I thought there was a good reason for that.

“But for life? What is it, a confession?”

“It’s not like that… ”

He smiled and said to Veronica.

I wanted to let her off the hook a little bit in the same way as usual.

Still, I knew that the joke shouldn’t go too far, so I waved my hand at Veronica, who reacted shakily. Smile like that and say:

“It’s a joke, but I still love you.”

“I love you too.”

The answer came back.

Pop. And the accident seemed to stop.

Did Veronica ever say she loved me?

It raises a question.