Chapter 14

Linda paused for a moment and looked at each of us one by one. Her gaze was filled with a deep seriousness, neither playful nor mischievous. The dark shadow behind her slowly took shape, giving us a sense of pressure.

“Are you asking what that is?” Linda calmly opened her mouth. “To be honest, it’s the reason I’ve been able to survive in this world so far.”

“The reason you’ve survived?” Zion asked. “What do you mean by that?”

Linda sighed softly and brushed her hair back with her hand. “This thing, it appeared when I first came to this world. Maybe it started when I was chosen as a mage… no, when I was *selected* to be one.”

“Selected?” Claire furrowed her brow and asked. “What are you talking about?”

“Everyone has a reason for coming to this world,” Linda continued, looking into the void. “I… think I was chosen by some kind of entity. It wasn’t even my choice, but that thing grabbed me and said, ‘You are my contractor.’”

“Contractor…?” I narrowed my eyes and listened intently to Linda’s story. “So that shadow is because of the contract you made with that entity?”

Linda nodded. “That’s right. That thing is called ‘Ignia.’ A being with the attributes of darkness and fire… kind of like a demon, I guess. The power I need to use magic all comes from that thing.”

“Wait a second,” Claire raised her hand to stop her. “So that insane magic you just used was possible because of that thing?”

“Exactly,” Linda replied calmly. “But the problem is, that thing doesn’t just give me power.”

Linda’s voice gradually lowered, making all of us tense.

“That thing… demands a price,” she continued with a small laugh. “Every time I use magic, it takes a little bit of my emotions or memories. So… sometimes I don’t even know who I am anymore.”

“What?” Zion said with a shocked expression. “So you’re losing your memories?”

“It’s not just memories,” Linda pointed to her chest as she spoke. “My emotions, my very existence… it feels like they’re being eaten away by that thing. But in return, I do get stronger… Honestly, I don’t know if this is what I want or what Ignia wants.”

I looked at Linda and slowly asked, “Then why do you keep maintaining that contract? Isn’t there a way to break it?”

Linda sighed and shook her head. “If there was a way to break it, I would’ve done it already. And another problem is, without that thing, I wouldn’t be as strong as I am now, and surviving in this world would be difficult. A weak mage doesn’t last long here.”

Hearing that, everyone fell into silence for a moment. Claire quietly opened her mouth.

“So… you have to keep giving yourself to that thing?”

“In the current state, yes,” Linda nodded as she spoke. “But hey, doesn’t everyone carry their own burdens? I’m just holding on in my own way.”

She added one last thing. “But… honestly, it’s scary sometimes. I wonder if I’ll really remain myself in the end…”

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Linda’s confession left a heavy impact on all of us.

“Linda,” I said quietly. “We’ll stand by you. You don’t have to carry this alone.”

“Really?” Linda chuckled and shot back. “Then when I completely lose it later, you guys better stop me.”

“Don’t joke about that,” I said firmly. “We’ll protect you so that doesn’t happen.”

Linda looked at me and gave a somewhat sad smile. “Thank you. For saying that.”

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We were slowly making our way back to the merchant group with Linda, exiting the forest. Zion was walking ahead, holding Linda’s hand tightly. Linda was still holding Zion’s hand, but her face looked unusually troubled.

I walked behind them with Claire, whispering quietly.

“Ellie,” Claire quietly tapped my shoulder and said. “But don’t you think Zion is being unusually affectionate toward Linda? Why is that?”

I looked at Claire for a moment and then nodded. “Hmm, I think it’s okay to tell you now. The reason Zion started this game… it’s actually because of Linda.”

Claire’s eyes widened as she asked again. “What? Because of Linda? Why?”

I smiled slightly and continued explaining. “Zion wasn’t someone who took this game so seriously at first. But while playing, they got really into Linda’s character setting. Linda is a mage, but there was this line in her setting.”

I paused for a moment, looking at Claire. She was waiting with interest, her eyes shining.

“‘A mage struggling not to fall. Sacrificing everything but still trying not to lose their will.’” I whispered quietly.

Claire sighed and tilted her head. “What? I had no idea Zion was into such tragic settings.”

“It’s not that they’re into it, but… I think they felt a sense of kinship.”

I think I felt it. Zion always used to say this, “It’s just a game, but I want to respect her will.” That’s why he always made sure to bring Linda along in the party.

Claire nodded with a smile. “But looking at it now, it doesn’t seem like he’s just caught up in the character setting, right? Look, he’s holding Linda’s hand tightly right now.”

I looked at Linda and Zion and smiled slightly. “Yeah, maybe now, beyond the setting or whatever, he’s genuinely worried about Linda.”

“Zion, you’re really full of surprises,” Claire muttered softly, shaking her head.

Then Zion turned around and said, “What are you guys whispering and laughing about? Something seems suspicious.”

Claire and I spoke at the same time, “Nothing~.”

Zion looked puzzled but continued his conversation with Linda and walked ahead. Claire burst into a small laugh beside me.

“Anyway, it’s an interesting combination. Zion and Linda… I wonder how far this will go.”

I nodded and got lost in thought. By the end of this journey, I wondered what Zion and Linda would mean to each other.

After a long journey through the forest, we rejoined the merchant group and gathered around the carriage in a relieved atmosphere. The merchants welcomed us warmly, but a couple of them approached with surprised looks when they saw Linda.

“Eh??? Isn’t that Miss Linda?” An older merchant approached and said, “How come we meet you here? What brought you all the way here?”

Linda paused for a moment and smiled softly as if she recognized him. “Oh, it’s Mr. Bae. I thought you might have forgotten my face.”

“What are you talking about, miss? How could I forget your face? But I wish we hadn’t met in such a dangerous place,” Mr. Bae said, shaking his head with a pitiful look.

Another merchant chimed in, “But didn’t you say something tough happened in the forest earlier? Wasn’t Miss Linda supposed to be on her way to the village?”

Linda looked slightly flustered but managed a sheepish smile. “Well, thanks to everyone, it’s good that we all met safely.”

Hearing this, a young man from the merchant group smirked and added, “But miss, you seemed really close with Mr. Zion. Just asking out of curiosity… are you two… you know, like that?”

Linda’s face turned bright red in an instant. “W-what, no! Why would you say that!”

At this, the merchants burst into laughter, and the atmosphere softened.

“No, no, it’s just that seeing you two together gave off that vibe,” one merchant teased. “Mr. Zion is not like any ordinary man, after all!”

“That’s right. Seeing how he protected you so firmly in the forest, what a man!” another merchant joined in.

Zion finally realized the conversation was about him and looked flustered. “What are you guys talking about all of a sudden? Linda and I are just comrades.”

“Really? But aren’t you too close for just comrades?” Mr. Bae added slyly. “If it were me, I’d have already made a move.”

“Mr. Bae!” Linda protested, but her face was getting redder. She glanced at Zion and muttered, “Really, why are you all like this… it’s nothing…”

Claire enjoyed the scene and burst out laughing. “If it’s nothing, then what was that about holding Zion’s hand earlier?”

“T-that was…!” Linda stumbled over her words and lowered her head.

Zion also frowned slightly and said, “Cut it out. Don’t say things that could cause misunderstandings.”

But Linda’s soft muttering reached his ears, “But… I was still grateful. I felt a lot more at ease thanks to Mr. Zion.”

“What?” Zion turned his head and looked at Linda. “What did you say?”

“Nothing!” Linda quickly changed the subject and walked straight ahead.

Watching the scene, I smiled slightly and said to Claire, “Aren’t they both really cute?”

“Yeah. But Zion, whether he’s pretending not to notice or really doesn’t know, I can’t tell,” Claire giggled and replied.

“Maybe both,” I chuckled and said.