Vivian (16)

The sun sets exceptionally faster in a rural village compared to a city.

After eating dinner, the night sky would already be dark, forcing them to rely on moonlight.

Because of this, there isn’t much to do at night.

Instead, they naturally go to bed early and wake up early in the morning.

There’s a reason why country folk tend to be diligent.

“Sleep well.”

“Yes, Helix.”

In the early days of their escape, everything was lacking.

Blankets, food, medicine-nothing was plentiful, and Excellia was very anxious.

For that reason, Excellia asked me to share a room with her.

But not anymore.

Now that everything had settled down somewhat, it was natural for them to use separate rooms.

“I can’t sleep.”

Even though I had a lot to do during the day and was quite tired, sleep wouldn’t come.

It wasn’t as if the villagers were lurking around here.

Nor were the Empire’s Wyverns flying around, monitoring us.

Yet, my mind was uneasy.

“I wonder if Vivian is doing well.”

That’s right.

Lately, Vivian had started coming to mind again.

Though I had once hated her so much, even that feeling was gradually diluted by longing, fading away.

Staring blankly at the sky also became more frequent.

When immersed in old memories with Vivian, I would lose track of time.

“Excellia shouldn’t notice.”

The moment she realized I was missing Vivian, Excellia would become anxious.

Whether I wanted it or not, we were already in the same boat.

Moreover, I was the only person Excellia could rely on.

I didn’t want to make things difficult for her.

Knock, knock!

Just as I was about to close my eyes, a knock sounded.

What could it be? Had a wild animal suddenly appeared?

But there’s no way Excellia couldn’t handle something like that on her own.

Harboring a small doubt, I cautiously opened the door.

“Helix.”

“What’s wrong?”

“Can I sleep with you tonight?”

Excellia, who seemed to have made up her mind, came to me, hugging her own pillow.

Meanwhile, she was wearing a thin slip dress that the old homeowner used, leaving me nowhere to look.

Now that I think about it, it’s funny.

Why would such an expensive item be in a shabby place like this?

“It’s okay, right?”

“Did you have a scary dream?”

“Not exactly…”

Before I even gave my permission, Excellia abruptly walked into the room.

Then, she placed her pillow next to mine and, to my surprise, slowly crawled under the blanket.

“You’re not a child…”

“Even if I’m not a child, there are days like this sometimes.”

“Didn’t the World Tree tell you not to carelessly enter a man’s sleeping quarters?”

“There’s no way Mother would say something like that, is there?”

“True.”

The World Tree, in her own way, tried to act dignified in front of her daughter.

Naturally, she wouldn’t have nagged her in a way that would make her seem like a doting parent.

“Don’t you miss the World Tree?”

“Of course, I miss her. It’s been too long since I’ve been able to enter Mother’s tree root cave.”

“…”

“But if I have to leave Helix to do that, I won’t.”

I looked at Excellia in silence.

For better or worse, Vivian was my partner.

Therefore, letting Excellia into my bedroom like this was an unforgivable act.

Naturally, the thought that this shouldn’t be happening kept popping into my head.

But…

“You’re thinking about that woman, aren’t you?”

“You’re only quick-witted at times like this.”

“Don’t think about that woman. At least not while I’m in front of you.”

“So you knew.”

“Of course, I knew. Do you think I wouldn’t notice when you spend so much time staring blankly?”

With a sulky expression, Excellia burrowed into my arms.

Then, she buried her face in my chest and lightly rubbed her cheek against it.

“Hey, hey, even so, this is too close.”

“Honestly, who said I was going to eat you?”

“…”

“I won’t eat you, not yet…”

She unnecessarily added another word.

Whether she knew my complicated feelings or not, Excellia was even more annoying today.

I subtly raised my hand, thinking of flicking her forehead…

But in that instant, as if she had good intuition, Excellia subtly grabbed my finger.

“You were going to hit me just now, weren’t you?”

“No, I wasn’t?”

“Then what’s this?”

Excellia stared intently at my index finger, then opened her mouth…

“Waaang.”

“Hey, what are you doing?!”

She actually swallowed my finger whole into her mouth.

Of course, she didn’t bite it.

She merely tickled my finger gently with the tip of her tongue.

I was so flustered that my body froze.

“Flustered by just this much?”

“…”

“Helix, you still have an innocent side to you.”

Excellia, who was usually expressionless, wore a rare, mischievous expression this time.

The atmosphere clearly showed that she was thrilled to have gotten one over on me.

“Haa, I shouldn’t have let her in.”

“Even if you regret it now, I’m not leaving.”

As if to stake her claim right there, Excellia rolled herself tightly in the blanket, trying to get even closer to me.

“You’ve really changed a lot.”

“What do you mean?”

“At first, you’d get serious if I played a prank, but now you even play them first.”

“I guess I learned it from watching Helix.”

Excellia reached out a hand towards me.

At a distance where our lips almost brushed, our breaths intertwined.

Her deep green eyes shimmered, reflecting only me.

“They say you become like the person you love, don’t they?”

“Where did you learn a saying like that?”

“It was in a book over there?”

This house had a small study left behind by its previous owner.

She must have been bored and picked up a few books to read from there.

“Helix.”

“Hm.”

A brief silence fell.

Excellia tightly gripped my arm.

A faint tremor was conveyed from her small hand.

“Do you miss that woman?”

“No.”

“Tell me honestly.”

“I don’t miss her.”

“Liar.”

Excellia hugged me tightly.

The tremor from before was conveyed to me even more strongly.

“There’s no way you wouldn’t miss her, she was your wife.”

“…”

“Every time I see Helix thinking of that woman, so many thoughts run through my mind.”

“Does it hurt?”

“Yes, it hurts. I know it’s only natural, but even knowing that, my chest aches with jealousy…”

Excellia must have known.

Even if she used such methods to separate Vivian from me, she couldn’t fill that empty space herself.

But despite that, she chose this path.

She abandoned her parents, her community, her beliefs, and chose me.

She truly is a cowardly woman.

Because she had burned her bridges, ensuring I could never abandon her.

“Excellia.”

“Yes, Helix.”

“As you said, it’s true that I miss Vivian.”

“…”

“But apart from that, I will never abandon you.”

“Is that out of pity?”

“Until recently, I thought so, but lately, it doesn’t seem to be just that.”

Perhaps it was already too late.

The sprout named Excellia in my heart might have already taken root.

Whether it was compassion for her.

Or a sense of debt.

It had already taken root and settled down once.

“Why can’t I push you away?”

“Helix.”

“I really don’t know either.”

To call this love would be too weak.

But to dismiss it as mere pity would also be inappropriate.

Just like my current unruly feelings…

Excellia was a woman I couldn’t define.

******

An Empire military camp located in the eastern territory of the Empire.

Normally a terribly boring place, but at this moment, everyone was on high alert.

“So you found Helix?”

“More precisely, we found traces. Evidence from two abandoned houses where the Dragon stayed.”

Although she had a change of heart once in the middle, Vivian’s objective still hadn’t changed.

That was to find Helix.

To this end, astronomical manpower and funds had been expended, and results were finally starting to emerge.

“Isn’t this place abandoned anyway?”

“That’s correct, but by analyzing the geography of these two locations, we can predict why the Dragon moved.”

“Hmm, go on and tell me.”

Haruon, the Director of the Empire’s Secret Intelligence Department.

He was originally the type to speak as little as possible until concrete results emerged.

But this case was different.

Finding the Dragon was something he could do with his own power, but anything beyond that was impossible.

Therefore, he made a bold gamble.

A perilous gamble, to directly borrow the Empress’s power.

“There were two main things lacking in the old residences where the Dragon stayed.

One was clean drinking water, and the other was firewood.”

“…”

“Surprisingly, food could have been obtained somehow. There were villages nearby, and they could have hunted wild animals.”

“Alright. So what does needing water mean?”

The Director briefly spread a map on the ground.

A massive industrial complex was marked on the northern part of the map.

“There’s a Magic industrial complex in this vicinity, and the wastewater from it cannot be drunk.”

“Elves have spirits. They can use them to purify water, can’t they?”

“Your Majesty’s words are correct, but… our investigation showed that purification requires at least the power of a high-ranking spirit.”

“That Elf treats the power of high-ranking spirits as nothing. She is, after all, the Daughter of the World Tree.”

Despite Vivian’s rebuttal, the Director remained unfazed.

“As Your Majesty says. However, Your Majesty, what do you believe was the biggest reason the Dragon and the Elf were able to evade our surveillance net?”

Vivian answered the question immediately.

“Magic. They didn’t use Magic, so that’s why.”

“That’s right. They minimize their use of Magic as much as possible to avoid our pursuit.”

The Empire’s army mounts Magic surveillance equipment on Wyverns, conducting extensive observations from the sky.

The moment intense Magic use was detected in a remote area like this, the Dragon’s location would be immediately exposed.

“If they can’t use Magic, then every single resource becomes precious. Furthermore, this region is extremely cold. Without firewood, they would freeze to death. This is especially fatal for an Elf accustomed to the warm climate of Daesurim.”

“Heeh…”

“Therefore, we have concluded that this is the only place in the vicinity that satisfies all these conditions.”

Vivian wore a rare, satisfied smile.

She might soon be able to meet her Dragon.

That fervent desire blazed like a flame, radiating vitality.

“You’re quite useful, aren’t you?”

“I am honored, Your Majesty.”

“Good. From now on, I will entrust the entire task of finding Helix to you.”

Vivian extended the Imperial scepter to the Director.

It was a symbol that he could now act on behalf of the Empress’s authority and carry out all commands.

“My expectations for you are high. Do not disappoint me.”

“Yes, Your Majesty. I will fulfill Your Majesty’s expectations with my life.”

The end was approaching.

The final moment of this long journey.