“And save your magic. Why have you been using skills since earlier?”
Rohan said with a laugh, but Clara, who was holding Sion, clearly felt her heart pounding thump! thump! as if it was about to burst.
Being so close, she could tell.
Sion hadn’t used any magic at all.
‘W-wait… Sion unnie…?’
Clara lifted her head from Sion’s embrace, pushing aside the chest blocking her view and looking up.
When she saw Sion’s expression.
Clara knew instantly.
That wasn’t a skill or anything. It was a face so blatantly in love that it could’ve been straight out of a textbook.
It looked like something you’d see in a manga or anime.
‘…’
Thanks to that, Clara’s thoughts came to a halt. Her mind went blank.
While it was joyful and welcoming that Sion had broken free from her gloom and was tasting pure freedom, this situation itself was choking Clara’s breath.
She had expected it someday… but had a powerful rival, with no sign of victory in sight, really appeared?
And then, a memory surfaced in the girl’s mind.
A book she had read while sitting at the Flowering Chrysanthemum Bookstore.
‘W-what if… that book was true…?’
The reason the population of pure-blooded elves was so low, almost endangered compared to other races, was because of an absurd, almost superstitious condition that actually existed.
Elves, in their lifetime, only fall in love once.
Only once, and only with someone outside their family. If they don’t find that person, it’s common for them to never know love until they die.
This was an inherent trait of pure-blooded elves.
Some even recorded it as a curse bestowed by the Creator alongside their beauty.
And on top of that.
One of the peculiar issues elves have is that it takes them an extremely long time to open their hearts to others. Clara remembered the bold text in the bookstore book.
Even if they open up, it usually ends at friendship. Developing romantic feelings for someone is an exceedingly rare phenomenon.
As mentioned, it requires the long lifespan only granted to long-lived species, which is why elves mostly end up with other elves.
But.
There are always exceptions in the world.
The book even mentioned that if an exceptional individual were to pierce through that needle-thin gap and an elf were to develop feelings, that love would never change for their entire life.
‘If it doesn’t work out, they often wither away and… die…’
Clara, recalling the unsettling final lines of the book, moved her head.
And saw Rohan standing right behind her.
When their eyes met, he smiled at her as usual.
Then, he reaches out and carefully fixes his bangs.
“Clara, it’s the same for you. Just think about living happily. Got it?”
“Oh, oppa…”
Now, Clara didn’t even question why Rohan was taking such good care of her.
The girl was too busy savoring this sweet moment.
Her heart was probably pounding as if it was about to burst, just like Sion’s.
With that embarrassment, she returned her head to its original position.
Clara’s eyes met Sion’s.
“…”
Sion saw in Clara, who was clinging to her, emotions similar to her own.
Because of this, she had a blank, bewildered expression.
Perhaps it was because she hadn’t lived a normal life or received proper education.
To Clara, it seemed like Sion wasn’t fully aware of her own feelings. Her eyes were filled with questions, as if she was wondering what this was all about.
Clara, with her complicated emotions, chewed on her lip and hid her face.
She hugged Sion tightly and buried her head.
“…Rohan.”
“Huh?”
Sion, gently stroking Clara’s head in her arms, spoke up.
She looked like an older sister affectionately embracing her younger sister.
“You once said you’d target monsters and criminals in the past.”
“That’s right.”
“Is that what you’re preparing with Clara? And was it the condition that you’d ask for my help at least once when our promise was over?”
Rohan paused and looked down at the girl in Sion’s arms.
Seeing Rohan’s content smile as he looked at Clara, as if he was looking at a beloved creature,
Sion felt strangely warm inside.
“That’s right. But if there’s something you want to do, Sion, don’t feel tied down. Don’t worry about it.”
“I thought you’d say that. Knowing your personality, Clara must be here voluntarily.”
That question wasn’t something Rohan could argue about.
Clara’s silence alone was enough of an answer.
“Rohan. Can I ask one more thing?”
“Go ahead.”
“Are the people involved in this incident also included in the category of criminals you’re targeting?”
“Of course they are.”
Sion started organizing her thoughts to avoid getting tangled up in her words later.
She chose her sentences carefully, slightly lowered her gaze, and whispered softly.
“Rohan. You’ll definitely catch them. I have no doubt about that.”
“You seem to believe in me more than I do. Thank you.”
With just a word of thanks, Sion almost lowered her goggles to cover her eyes.
Her heartbeat was so loud she was afraid it might be heard outside.
“But I can’t just lie down and wait, even if I know what’s coming.”
“Huh?”
Rohan showed an attentive attitude.
Sion stuck out her tongue slightly, moistening her dry lips from nervousness.
“If it’s okay, I… I want to move together too.”
I was ready to speak up when the situation called for it, but now that I’m trying to say it, why is it so hard?
Sion, unusually, stumbled over her words as she conveyed her thoughts.
Rohan blinked in surprise and then smiled brightly.
“Of course, I welcome valuable help like you. What about Clara?”
The girl in his arms shrugged her shoulders and showed her face.
She looked utterly flustered.
“Oh, oppa, aren’t you the boss…?”
“But we still need to hear your opinion.”
Clara looked at Sion, who was holding her and not letting go.
Her gentle gaze, as if looking at family, and her mouth shape asking to speak her mind freely.
In that very brief moment.
Dozens of different thoughts flashed through Clara’s mind.
She came up with the ideal answer.
“I like Sion unnie…”
Her words about liking Sion were sincere. Compared to her desire to keep traveling with Rohan, it was a close call, hard to decide.
But Clara knew.
Setting aside personal desires, if she truly cared for Rohan, this was the right path.
“Thank you. I like you too, Clara.”
Sion hugged Clara’s slender body even tighter.
The moment she had dreamed of was within reach. Sion felt it deeply and painted a thick smile on her lips.
··
··
[Quest completed.]
[Acquiring rewards.]
Rohan dismissed the notification window and hurriedly prepared.
He had to move quickly to return to the academy city on time.
Rohan brought the car hidden at the entrance of the ruins and opened the trunk.
He scattered the large quantities of incendiary bombs, explosives, flammable liquids, firearms, ammunition, etc., stolen by the criminals from the gun shop, all over the building.
Even as he made the final check, there was nothing that Sion and Clara would want to take.
“Sion, did you get all the important stuff? Just in case, check again.”
“Got it.”
Without a word, Sion headed to her room at Rohan’s request.
After looking at the room that had nothing to take in the first place, she checked the small items in her vest pocket.
When she returned, Rohan continued his explanation.
“There should be a lot of valuable stuff inside. But…”
“The robe the elder was wearing is now useless, but stuff like the staff is all covered in gems.”
“Are you taking everything?”
In response to Sion’s question, Rohan shook his head. Just the silver coins of Judah that the Grand Elder had would be enough.
Honestly, it’s tempting. Selling them would bring in enough money to live comfortably.
But it’s just greed blinding us.
If this place disappears, it’s uncertain how much attention the Reverse Praise Society will pay to Sion.
They might ignore her completely, just like with Abyss City, and focus on other vessels instead.
But he didn’t want to leave any traces.
“Tracking sold items would be a piece of cake, even for someone other than the Reverse Praise Society.”
With that, Rohan stepped outside.
He picked up a stick-shaped cluster grenade and led the two away.
Sion and Clara moved away from the building.
Rohan nodded, thinking it should be fine by now, and checked the time.
“It’s dawn… Hmm, when we get back, I’ll head straight to work out. You two can sleep in my dorm.”
At the same time, with a powerful shoulder throw, he hurled the cluster grenade!
Watching the grenade spin through the air toward the building filled with explosives.
Rohan casually laid out his plans.
“To celebrate Sion joining us, I’ll treat you to something delicious for dinner. Let’s all go eat together.”
Before the two girls could even respond, the grenade hit its target.
A deafening explosion shook the air.
**BOOM──!!! KABOOM──!!!**
The shabby building swayed from the explosion and then collapsed in a heap.
A massive flame rose, engulfing the pile of rubble.
Satisfied with the firepower, Rohan turned around without hesitation and took the lead.
“Let’s go back. The dust is flying.”
“Sister…! Hurry up!”
Sion, looking at the two waiting for her.
Couldn’t hide her smile.
