A long time ago.
In elven years, 23 years can be considered quite a long time.
After such a long period, I thought I’d be able to forget.
I never expected I’d become so obsessed with it.
Eventually, I started again as the Forest Keeper of Luke Forest, where most encounters were with monsters, and regained stability in my life.
Yet, I still couldn’t watch TV.
Whenever I was alone watching TV, I felt as if those broadcasts from that time would come flooding back.
Yes, that must be why.
The first time I saw Luke, I instantly thought of Karen and Iren.
Those children were also Hyuns.
At first, I thought it would be enough to simply hand them over to a facility.
Before getting too attached, I wished to hand them over to a very reputable and good facility where they could live happily in a good home.
However, even if that was the case, I might have visited the orphanage every time I got off work. No, I definitely would have.
But every time I brought up the topic of Hyun transformation procedures, the only responses I received were “Our facility doesn’t want such children.”
Thanks to that, I had to give up on the exceedingly few facilities that met Yerna’s standards (near me, quality facilities, inclusion in educational programs, management integrity, among other criteria).
In the end, through my own partial will and partial coercion, I ended up taking care of Luke, and over time, I came to realize that I was obsessed with that child.
Luke is cute, brave, shy, kind, smart, well-behaved, and always smiles.
Surely, I could take care of him well.
I might have felt reassured.
Even a woman like me still had useful parts left; I could still be of help to someone.
But it seemed that wasn’t actually the case.
“The story is over.”
Thus, Karina’s and Yerna’s story came to an end.
What kind of impact will this story have on Luke?
As I spoke, I continually pondered whether it was right to say this.
Therefore, I omitted a lot of parts with thoughts like, “Let’s not mention this, there’s no need to know that much.”
Because of that, it might have turned into a vague consolation that the child couldn’t properly understand.
With that thought, I formed a bittersweet smile, but Luke easily deduced the omitted parts.
“Is that so?”
To Luke, it was practically the same as confessing all hidden circumstances.
Having finally discovered her inner thoughts, Luke spoke seriously.
“Yerna.”
“…….”
Yerna stiffened at the gentle voice calling her name.
Luke, who had been quietly listening to her without uttering a word, finally opened his mouth.
She couldn’t bring herself to meet his gaze.
It was as if she had spoken in a trance, but in reality, she didn’t want to say it.
If this conversation made Luke recall unpleasant memories…
Yerna closed her eyes tightly.
Would he resent her? Why was she saying such things?
What was it she wanted to hear that prompted her to speak so long?
Initially, when she opened up, she felt relieved, but now that she thought back on it, she felt regret.
But having already said everything, regretting it now…
Perhaps she had just been exhausted and a little out of her mind.
The touch soothing her was so pleasant that she couldn’t resist spilling her thoughts.
Luke, on one knee before her, gazed at Yerna’s hand.
It was a warrior’s hand, calloused and rough.
“Yerna, how did you see me?”
At Luke’s serious question, Yerna’s heart sank.
How had she seen him?
Wasn’t she consumed with spending money on and caring for this child?
Could that be declared a healthy guardian-protector relationship?
She didn’t know.
Once doubts arose, she questioned whether she even had affection for Luke.
Yerna spoke as if casting a spell.
“Luke, I was wrong. I used you like a tool to alleviate my guilt. I… I’m sorry.”
Yerna apologized.
She felt that was all she could do.
She hadn’t even been able to apologize to Karen and Iren…
She might have been seeking atonement by spending money on, caring for, and treating Luke well.
To think that she had such a terrible selfishness, acting in place of the deceased.
Tears streamed from her tightly shut eyes.
“If you want, you’re free to leave me. I can help with that. I could live in a completely different place, with an entirely different identity. Then you wouldn’t have to see me again.”
The witness protection program had already been applied for.
If he wanted, he could disappear at any time and obtain a new identity. Then he might very well enjoy a good life in a state facility.
Even thinking about the freedom and happiness Luke would obtain by leaving her reassured her that it was the right thing to do.
Luke didn’t belong with someone like her.
Moments later, she felt a gentle hand brushing away the tears from her eyes.
After wiping the tears, he took her hand in his.
Luke understood very well what this feeling was.
Hadn’t he experienced something similar?
War always entailed terrible choices.
Which side to sacrifice, which side to save.
In countless dilemmas, it was essentially impossible for no one to die.
And those who perished in those choices were undoubtedly pillars and roots of some family.
The lives of such people become most trivial at the battlefield.
Thus, someone dies regardless of the choice made.
There was even a time when those terrible decisions drove him into self-loathing, rendering him unable to wield magic.
“Yerna…”
Luke felt sorry for Yerna.
Unlike himself, she hadn’t directly caused death; it had been closer to an accident.
There was no need for her to suffer alone.
“It’s not your fault.”
How many times had she heard this phrase? Once? Twice? Or perhaps more times than she could count?
Or perhaps no one had ever told her.
“……”
Luke’s gentle touch was comforting.
His small and soft hands pressed down firmly on her calloused fingers, stimulating her constricted heart.
It felt like the blood, once stagnant, melting and being pumped anew.
She focused on that feeling for a while.
Surprisingly, as the suffocation faded, tears flowed down.
Like water running from melted ice.
What flowed from Yerna’s eyes was the water from the ice of her heart melting.
Luke finally released her hand, standing up, and embraced Yerna’s head.
Yerna, enveloped in the small child’s arms, cried like a child.
——–
As the crying stopped, Yerna sniffled and straightened her chest.
“This is a bit embarrassing.”
It had been a long time since she had opened her heart like this, and now, being genuinely comforted by a child made her feel embarrassed.
And while she thought that, she couldn’t help but wonder why Luke could be so composed.
The child’s expression, beaming a small smile in her direction, was truly clear and pure.
Did he truly understand the things she had said?
“Hahaha! Was I really seen that way until now?”
His hearty laugh left Yerna in a daze.
As Luke gently stroked Yerna’s hair while she lay on the bed, he said:
“From now on, don’t worry about me. Even if you blame yourself, all you gain is the fatigue resting on your eyes. That’s hardly a productive activity, is it?”
“Luke…”
Yerna felt slightly troubled by Luke’s words.
She wanted him to treat her normally, but he was different from any child she had encountered.
Talent, personality, behavior, speech…
There wasn’t a single commonality with peers; how could she think of Luke as a simple child?
“How can this be? You are not like other children.”
It wasn’t just his unfortunate past.
Luke didn’t even try to blend in with other children.
Didn’t he still stubbornly maintain that way of speaking?
Wearing the shell of Luke Irushi, he was still acting the part of a grand mage.
“Is that so? I differ from ordinary children…”
Luke nodded, understanding.
Of course, he was different from ordinary children.
To be alike would be strange, as he had never corrected his own behavior.
Until now, Luke believed that if he changed, the Luke Irushi within him would certainly disappear.
Because of that, he had resisted the change of his identity, but it would seem it had brought Yerna trouble and worry.
Luke resolved and opened his mouth.
“Yerna.”
“Yes, Luke.”
Luke placed his hands over his heart and spoke brightly.
In a cheerful tone, contrasting with his usual solemn manner.
“From now on, don’t worry about me. See? I’m living happily even now!”
“…Huh?”
Yerna’s eyes widened in surprise as she looked at Luke.
Did that just come out of his mouth?
Luke continued, still smiling broadly.
“So, there’s no need for you to feel guilty about me. I’m always grateful, sister.”
Oh my.
Yerna felt a spark in her brain.
‘Did he just call me sister?’
Sister, what a wonderful ring that has…!
It was the first time someone had voluntarily called her sister of their own will, not because someone told them to!
The voice of the child, shedding the shell of Luke Irushi, suited him incredibly well…
Yerna ultimately lost herself in that angelic voice.
The exhaustion, happiness, and relief intertwined, and she could no longer endure it with a clear mind.
——–
Mimicking a child, it wasn’t impossible if he set his mind to it.
If his not being like other children caused worry…
Then it was right for him to correct it. The fact that Yerna was his benefactor wouldn’t change.
He was always grateful and sorry to her.
So, he decided to give it a try.
“Sister.”
He spoke directly, of his own will.
…The reaction was disastrous.
“Huh…?”
Yerna let out a strange sound and seemed to faint from surprise and fall asleep.
Luke scratched his head, feeling a bit embarrassed.
“I guess I’m not really suited for this.”
Yerna fainting from hearing him imitate her…
Was it that bad?
Regardless, since Yerna had fallen asleep, Luke left the room.
He had things to think about as well.
“Speaking of which, it’s quite interesting. Even just hearing the story feels credible.”
It seemed that misunderstanding could occur when seeing things through colored glasses.
If he were in Yerna’s position, he might have had that illusion as well.
“Perhaps it’s not too different… but it doesn’t need to be revealed now.”
Human experimentation might have actually occurred.
Though he had initiated it himself.
Speaking of it now would likely yield only backlash.
This body was certainly affected by the “immortality research.”
“Haha, then who am I supposed to blame for this?”
The change was self-inflicted.
Yet, thinking that way again brought him some comfort.
Maybe he hadn’t failed at all?
“Having surpassed a mere 5000 years…”
Was this body the immortal form he desired to create?
If so, how on earth had it been achieved?
Though he didn’t yet know the principle, he was certain that he had a significant connection to the change of this body.
And when he recalled the memories as Luke Irushi, the location from the dream had clearly been the Demon Realm’s forest.
“The Demon Realm, huh?”
Luke nodded.
A cat living in the Demon Realm would hardly be an ordinary cat.
And recalling the sensations from the dream, the forest itself exuded a calm and cozy feeling, almost as if it were being kind to him, supporting that possibility.
For ordinary wild animals, the wild is a battlefield for survival, not a leisurely playground.
“Now that I have the clue of the Demon Realm, I should search for resources related to it.”
I wonder how the Demon Realm is documented in this current era?
Curiosity stirred within him.
