“If words were enough, why suddenly bow so deeply? Such a weirdo…”
Juyun couldn’t help but laugh at the absurdity of the situation she had just been in.
Rohan, who was about to head back to the dormitory, suddenly pulled off such a bizarre act that it honestly left her flustered. She used to think Gilbert Carnate was the weirdest cadet in class, but the more she saw of Rohan, the more she felt he might actually take the crown for being the most eccentric.
And so.
After seeing Rohan off, Juyun turned around at the entrance.
The long, stretched-out hallway. The path to the living room seemed oddly distant.
“Hmm.”
She took a step forward. Arriving at the living room, she sat on the sofa as usual.
Before picking up the book with the bookmark, she found herself looking up at the ceiling again.
“Has the house… always been this quiet?”
The time Rohan spent at Juyun’s house was laughably short—barely a day, and even that was mostly spent sleeping.
Yet, the silence felt overwhelming.
While living in the academy city, there hadn’t been much to smile about, but maybe it was because of Rohan’s chatter that her lips curled slightly.
“…”
Juyun, her mind in disarray, stopped reaching for the book and gave up on reading.
She moved her steps to the kitchen, which still needed tidying up.
*Splish-splash—!!!*
Juyun turned on the water and grabbed the scrubber. She thought about playing some music to chase away the loneliness, but the sound of the water was soothing enough, so she decided to stick with it.
She picked up the clattering dishes and scrubbed them until they squeaked.
A strange feeling.
There was one more rice bowl and one more spoon than usual.
And it was obvious who had used them.
The bowl Rohan ate from didn’t have a single grain of rice left—it looked like he had scraped it clean with his spoon.
“Pfft.”
A clear laugh escaped Juyun’s lips.
It seemed he hadn’t forced himself to eat her cooking, and that made her genuinely happy.
*****
“Sion?”
*— …!*
Before she could even speak, hearing her name called seemed to startle her. Her breath faltered, revealing her emotions.
“Are you in the academy city right now? Where are you?”
*— Rohan…*
“Yeah. Tell me.”
Rohan focused as much as he could on the call while walking down the street.
She was definitely a princess, but the reason for her call was completely unpredictable.
*— I want to ask you something.*
“What are you curious about?”
Rohan noticed pedestrians passing by and walked into a quieter alley.
Leaning against the cold wall.
He waited for Sion to gather her thoughts and finally speak.
*— Last time… you told me not to act rashly, even if I was so angry I felt like my head would explode.*
“Yeah, I did.”
Sion takes a deep breath over the phone.
Then, in a lowered voice, she asks:
─ Am I really… supposed to just wait like this…?
“Yeah. Wait.”
It might be a frustrating answer for Sion, but Rohan has a reason for waiting, just like with Abyss City.
Unless you have overwhelming power, it’s best to avoid big variables, even if small things pass by.
Being able to predict and read even a little of the thick stems is directly tied to Sion’s safety.
At the same time, Rohan understood why Sion called.
She probably remembered his words to contact him when she’s struggling or craving something to eat.
It also means she’s reached a point where she’d call someone like Rohan, who’s practically still a stranger.
─ I thought… if I just hunted monsters and followed orders in battles, I could financially help my fellow countrymen who settled abroad…
“…”
He didn’t need to hear the rest. She must have concluded that wasn’t the case.
It seems she figured out a lot on her own, though he doesn’t know how.
─ I… I just…
“Yeah. I’m listening.”
Rohan briefly responded to Sion’s rambling voice and focused.
‘This feels a bit unsettling.’
Because the emotions in Sion’s voice were vividly clear.
The emotions in the girl’s voice leaned more toward anger than sadness. It was like a volcano about to erupt or thunderclouds ready to burst.
─ To Rohan, I must seem frustrating and pitiful, right? Being swayed by the elders’ full of loopholes…
“That’s not it. I don’t think that way.”
─ …
Rohan cut her off and asserted.
The girl, who had lived without proper exposure to others’ malice, had a body that grew but a mind that didn’t.
Maintaining her humanity and character under such恶劣 conditions was something to be praised.
“The circumstances around you made it that way. This kind of sympathy might upset you, but… I think it’s unfortunate.”
─ …
It went quiet. The turbulent waves of Sion’s emotions seemed to have calmed down.
So Rohan asked:
“Sion. Are you having a hard time?”
─ …
“Here’s the really amazing part. Being honest about your feelings makes you feel a bit better than swallowing them. Think of it as sharing your gloom with me.”
As Rohan raised his voice slightly, showing some energy, Sion responded.
─ It’s… hard.
“Really hard?”
─ Yeah. I don’t even know where to start unraveling it all…
“Keep observing the situation and stay calm. It’ll be tough, but just a little longer.”
─ …
“Don’t worry. You’ll be laughing and living freely soon.”
How can you be so sure…?
It’s different from now, but in Abyss City, there comes a moment when Sion, in a much more difficult state than the current situation, realizes the truth.
Rohan recalled the texts he had seen at that time. The sense of helplessness he felt towards himself, the doubts about himself, the anger and sorrow over the elder’s betrayal.
For now, planting hope in the girl is the top priority.
Only then does it make sense to deliver information while ignoring variables.
“I don’t fail when I take on a task.”
…
Seems like there’s no room to even add a word about such great confidence.
Rohan felt a bitter taste in the different atmosphere Sion had compared to their last meeting.
It’s very late, but can’t I solve the current situation with my own strength…?
“Do you dislike receiving help from others?”
“I know I’ve already received enough help from Rohan. But still… relying solely on someone else’s help like this…”
I think I understand how you feel. There are people who, the more they’re cornered, the more they think like that.
Of course, it’s not wrong. I think it’s a rare, strong spirit.
But Rohan’s experience tells him.
They eventually realize it in the end.
“Sion.”
“I’m listening.”
“There’s no one who can stand alone without anyone’s help.”
…
“It’s not shameful to receive help when you need strength. Let’s just make sure of that and move on.”
Rohan didn’t even think about hearing a response to this.
He changes the subject before Sion can say anything.
“Since we’re on the phone, how about we have a little chat? There’s nothing better than a good talk to lighten the mood.”
…A chat?
Not just subtly, but openly, a flustered voice.
Seeing something other than negative emotions in the girl, Rohan raised the corner of his mouth.
“Even back then, I wanted to have a personal conversation with Sion. But most of it was about work.”
“Ah!”
“Hmm?”
Sion seemed to have remembered something, so Rohan waited quietly.
The feeling of Sion fidgeting and twisting on the other end of the phone. After such an itchy time, Sion whispered.
“The hamburger you gave me last time… was delicious. Thank you.”
Rohan, feeling that Sion was cute, changed his posture.
He crouched in the alley, not hiding his delight, and smiled.
“Pretty good, right? I’ll buy you another one next time you come. It’s even more delicious when it’s warm.”
“Now that you mention it…”
“Yeah?”
“The elders said that humans outside have rigid stereotypes and think that elves are strictly vegetarians. Was that also wrong?”
“Image is…”
“It’s not like it doesn’t exist, but it’s rare for people to think it’s always the case. Plus, the elves of Tigroba are quite different from those over there.”
─ …You seem to know quite a bit about the characteristics of Tigroba’s elves.
“Sort of?”
Tigroba is a country with vast snowy fields and coniferous forests.
The elves who live there are different from the ones typically imagined in green forests.
While many elves from warmer climates enjoy vegetarianism, the harsh environment with blizzards doesn’t even give them the option to choose vegetarianism.
After all that random chatter, we had already been on the phone for 30 minutes.
Every now and then, I could hear the clinking sound of Sion inserting coins into the payphone.
We started with a gloomy atmosphere and drifted far off-topic, so I hope the chit-chat helped lighten the mood a bit.
“Sion.”
─ …
The weight in my voice seemed to give the impression that a different topic was coming.
Even without a response, I could feel that she was listening.
“If something’s bothering you or you need to talk, you can call me like today. Remember the dormitory? You can come there.”
─ Mhm…
“But on weekdays when I’m not there, someone will be──.”
Beep. Beep. Beep.
Perhaps just before the most important point, the call got cut off.
“Sion? Hello?”
Rohan looked at his smartphone screen. The battery was half full, and the call duration was exactly 35 minutes.
He scratched his chin, feeling flustered.
‘Did she run out of coins?’
Rohan sighed, took a deep breath, stood up, and looked at the sky.
“…This is really troublesome.”
What if Clara, who’s guarding the dormitory alone, runs into Sion?
Would it be okay if I told Clara first? Rohan’s head was already throbbing.
It would be a problem if they started fighting the moment they saw each other.
Just in case another call came through, Rohan slowly moved while continuously checking his phone.
But that day, no call from Sion came again.
