Chapter 170

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After leaving the banquet hall with Delia…

Ulan arrived at a small hill beyond the North Tower. As he climbed the somewhat steep path, he finally reached the top.

“We’re here.”

Delia, who had been walking ahead, stopped as if she had finally arrived at her destination.

Ulan, caught off guard, glanced around the hill, bewildered.

“Where is this place?”

“A hill of stars, flowing.”

After that short answer, Delia turned with a faint smile.

“It’s my favorite place.”

She tugged at Ulan’s arm, and after a few more steps through the lush bushes, realization struck him.

He understood why Delia called this her favorite place.

“Stars…”

“Aren’t there a ton?”

The vast night sky, filled with countless starlights, was a sight to behold.

And even shooting stars streaked across the sky.

It was the moment he understood why this place was called ‘the hill of flowing stars.’ As he stood there, mesmerized by the night sky…

“……”

Suddenly, he saw Delia’s face.

Her expression was the brightest he’d seen all day.

Her eyes, usually as calm as a lake, sparkled with starlight, and her usually expressionless face was now beaming with a joyful smile.

As he quietly took it all in, memories of his past started flooding back. He remembered why Delia loved the stars.

“The night sky is always the same.”

When the seven heroes gathered together, each sharing their favorite things, Delia immediately pointed to the stars.

The reason was simple.

“Even if the world changes, the night sky does not. It’s a good friend for someone like me who has to live for hundreds of years, don’t you think?”

She was half-human, half-fairy.

Unlike the other heroes who would live less than a hundred years, she had to endure centuries.

‘That’s why…’

She said she couldn’t help but love the stars.

While lost in those old memories, a sudden voice interrupted his thoughts.

“What was the prairie you lived in like, Ulan?”

“Huh? What do you mean?”

“Did it have a lot of stars too?”

Delia asked back, seemingly curious.

Of course, there were plenty.

The prairie wasn’t surrounded by mountains like this place. He nodded silently.

“It was no different from here.”

“I knew it!”

Delia flashed a bright smile.

For a while, they looked up at the night sky when she suddenly pulled out a water bottle. It looked cool, possibly because it was filled with ice.

“Want a drink?”

“Thanks, I’ll take it.”

His throat was parched, so he gulped down the water.

But the taste was a bit odd.

It was a gritty and bitter flavor. So, he asked curiously:

“What is this? It tastes peculiar.”

“It’s tea made from dried spiders.”

“…….”

Ulan’s expression subtly changed.

Never did he think he’d be drinking spider tea. But surprisingly, it wasn’t bad, so he didn’t complain and drank it all.

“Is it good?”

“It’s not bad.”

Just as he gave a simple reply, Delia muttered softly.

“Ulan is an interesting person.”

“What?”

“It’s not just the spider dish, but you also don’t mind my way of speaking.”

Her sparkling eyes were filled with curiosity.

Then, Delia asked in a subtle tone:

“Aren’t you curious?”

About why she spoke so choppily.

But Ulan shook his head. At his negative response, Delia looked puzzled.

“Why not?”

“Everyone has their own way of speaking.”

Ulan’s words weren’t a lie.

He had one clear reason.

Light of pure white shined from his body like the stars.

‘After inheriting the knowledge of the stars…’

She gained a certain ability.

When conversing with someone, she could see the light emanating from them.

‘At first, I didn’t know what it was.’

But with time, she discovered its true nature.

This was the power to discern if someone spoke the truth or lies.

If it was the truth, pure white light glowed; if it was a lie, black smoke flowed out. She could affirm its accuracy because she had tested it multiple times.

‘And Ulan…’

Had never emitted black smoke.

From the very beginning until now.

This meant he had never lied at all. The moment she realized this, Delia had one burning question for him.

‘But before that…’

There was a topic to bring up first.

Stopping her thoughts, Delia took a deep breath and looked at Ulan again.

“Have you ever heard this?”

“……?”

“The being loved by mana can never be loved by people.”

“I’ve heard that.”

“Really? Where did you hear it?”

Delia asked with a surprised face.

But Ulan couldn’t answer.

Because the one who shared that story with him was no one other than Delia from his past life.

“Do you know the reason?”

“I don’t know that part.”

Ulan shook his head.

He only knew that such a superstition existed. Meanwhile, Delia responded as if it was no big deal.

“The reason is simple. They can use magic automatically from the moment they are born.”

Those loved by mana.

They could see, touch, and even manipulate magic power from birth.

So, it was possible to create desired spells using the flow and reactions of magic without needing to learn magic separately.

“But that was the problem.”

When Delia was young.

Just learning to speak.

She accidentally created a magic formula by simply speaking a sentence.

It stopped being fine right there because the moment the formula was created, the magic activated.

And as a result…

Five buildings turned to ashes, and there were numerous injuries. Remembering that time, Delia muttered with a gloomy face.

“It was incredibly scary.”

As soon as her voice took form, magic would activate without her knowing. Thinking about how it could hurt people, she found it hard to speak.

But she couldn’t stay silent forever, so the royal family brought in a special tutor at great expense.

“That’s where Diplyn comes in.”

The empire’s High Mage, Diplyn Cernio.

She recognized Delia’s problem and immediately began to teach her how to solve it.

What was born from that process was the habit of splitting her sentences.

The training was successful, and the issue was resolved.

“And that’s how I ended up speaking like this.”

“I see.”

Ulan nodded.

It seemed like he finally understood the situation.

But an unresolved question remained.

“Isn’t it fine now, though?”

She was just an inexperienced child overwhelmed by talent and power back then.

Now was different.

Delia currently wielded magic freely and had reached the mastery of a High Mage. There was no need to cling to her childhood speaking style.

“Yeah, it’s fine now.”

Delia agreed with Ulan’s words.

Then, with an awkward smile, she added:

“But it’s become a habit, so it’s hard to fix…”

It wasn’t an unexpected answer.

It’s not strange for something to become a speech pattern after repeated use over many years.

“But there’s an exception.”

“An exception?”

“When I have a wish I really want to fulfill, I tend to speak continuously without breaking my sentences.”

Just like now.

The words flowed naturally, like water.

Delia seemed somewhat out of breath, not used to speaking this way.

“For example, when I prayed to make Rudine feel better, I spoke just like that.”

Just like the uncontrolled magic that activated in her childhood, she wished for her desires to come true as she spoke.

“And even though it was a bit late…”

Her wish came true.

Thanks to Ulan and Noa, a miracle occurred, and Rudine opened her eyes. Listening quietly to these stories, Ulan suddenly asked with curiosity:

“So has all your wishes been fulfilled now?”

“Yeah, except for one.”

“What’s that?”

Was there something else she wished for aside from Rudine?

Ulan tilted his head.

Meanwhile, Delia remained silent, fidgeting with her fingers. Then she cautiously asked:

“Do you remember when we first met?”

“Are you talking about the entrance exam?”

“That’s right. That time.”

Of course, he remembered.

Ulan had a good memory.

“I remember.”

“Do you remember what you said?”

“I said we’d be together in the future.”

During the attack of the rampaging magic golem, she had asked him why he saved her.

At that time, Ulan had answered:

‘You are an important person, and I saved you because we will be together even after thirty years.’

After reminiscing about that moment, Delia asked earnestly:

“Was that answer still the same?”

“Of course.”

“Good. Then I’ll add a condition to my question.”

“Huh? A condition?”

He asked, puzzled, but no answer came. Delia just took another deep breath in silence.

Not long after, her tightly closed lips began to move.

“The promise to be together, was it said as friends? Or as something else…?”

“It was definitely meant as friends.”

The reply came back before she could even finish her question.

Delia lightly bit her lips.

At least this time, she wished for a puff of black smoke to emerge, but the pure white light still shone from Ulan’s body.

‘…Truth.’

The moment she realized this, her heart ached. It felt like a knife stabbing her.

But she didn’t show it.

‘In truth, I suspected it all along.’

That her relationship with Ulan was a misunderstanding born from her one-sided delusion.

It was simple to realize why she understood that.

‘If it weren’t a delusion…’

The likes of Ivella or Laurea would never have dared to make a move.

From the very beginning, Ulan had always called her a friend since their first meeting.

That’s why she vaguely understood.

She just didn’t want to admit it.

‘But…’

It wasn’t over yet.

Even if the beginning of their relationship was born from a misunderstanding, the feelings Delia now held for Ulan were definitely not a delusion.

Shaking off all her gloomy emotions,

Delia clenched her fist tightly.

Meanwhile, at that moment.

In response to Delia’s sudden question, Ulan continued the story he had started earlier.

“I can’t tell you exactly why I said that back then, but it remains a fact that you are a precious colleague.”

He knew it was the truth.

Ulan still shone brightly.

Meanwhile, Delia shook her head.

“I’m not.”

“…What?”

“I prefer something other than a colleague.”

“Something else?”

“When I said I want to be by your side, it wasn’t as a colleague.”

Delia said with a serious face.

But Ulan’s expression showed he was confused.

“I don’t understand what you’re saying.”

“Ugh, you really have no sense.”

Delia sighed.

As if expressing her frustration.

“But it’s okay now.”

Being a bit clueless didn’t matter anymore.

She wasn’t going to beat around the bush now.

“So I’ll say it clearly.”

What she wanted to convey.

After finishing her response, Delia’s eyes sparkled brightly.

At the same time, Ulan realized.

That Delia’s speech had changed from the usual.

Just when he recognized that late, a sudden fierce wind blew.

Swishhhhh!

Petals danced in the air.

Her silver hair that had calmed down was swept by the wind. Meanwhile, Delia’s eyes remained fixed on Ulan.

And in that moment…

Her tightly closed lips began to part.

“I like you, Ulan.”

While gazing at her dramatically wide eyes,

Delia quietly reached out her hand.

As if asking him to hold her hand.

“A whole lot.”

Her cheeks blushed shyly.

Her smile brighter than any star.

In that moment, it was the brightest smile Ulan had ever remembered.

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