Chapter 96

Chapter 096.

Kwaah-!

The place where the waterfall dropped.

A bit further downstream from the cliff where the water plummeted was where Kalen and Laris had arrived.

In other words, they had reached as close as they possibly could.

Just standing there already sent massive vibrations through their bodies, making their legs tremble involuntarily and causing an uneasy sensation.

It became so difficult for Laris to maintain her balance that she was practically pressed against Kalen. With their hands clasped together, Laris leaned against Kalen as if hugging his arm.

Laris, who had appeared shy when they first held hands and when she had leaned against his arm like that, now seemed to have adapted to their proximity during the climb towards the waterfall. Now, at least, she could manage to speak.

“…Are we burying the memento here?”

Kalen glanced around as he spoke.

There was not much to see. The water pressure from the waterfall was so great that it pushed away all the mist nearby. Alternatively, it indicated how fierce the waterfall was from where the water splashed.

Looking around again, it seemed there was no suitable ground to bury Laris’s mother, or rather, what was left of her — the necklace. Even though it wasn’t a body but a keepsake, it still required a proper place. However, this area had very little ground to speak of, so if they buried the necklace here, it would surely be washed away in no time.

Kwaah-!!

Even though the sound of the falling waterfall was loud, as they were so close, there was no trouble conversing.

Upon hearing Kalen’s words, Laris shook her head as she glanced upward, having to tilt it significantly due to the difference in their heights.

“There should be a suitable place upstream.”

“Upstream?”

“Yes…”

Kalen and Laris gazed upwards at the enormous waterfall.

Even from this close vantage point, the top of the waterfall couldn’t be seen as it had appeared so grand from afar.

“…I didn’t know Latia Waterfall was such a dangerous place. I don’t quite understand how Mother came to know this place or why she wished to be buried here.”

Winter Island and Latia Waterfall weren’t much different.

It wasn’t as simple as saying, “this is dangerous,” as there were many things one couldn’t grasp unless they had actually come here.

It was very much like the oppressive presence of this waterfall.

To Kalen, it didn’t seem like somewhere a commoner could easily come alone. That much was evident just by looking at Laris. It was difficult enough navigating through the spray to find a way. Even reaching this point was tough, and maintaining her balance here required tightly holding onto Kalen, making movement arduous.

An impenetrable curtain of mist made it hard to see. The vibrations and the oppressive presence made every move uncomfortable, and there seemed to be no clear path leading up the steep cliff wrapped around the waterfall.

Laris’s mother had been a former slave.

The idea that a woman like her had managed to come here alone and ascend the cliff was hard to believe.

“…Mother-”

“Did the noblewoman perhaps-”

After a brief silence,

Kalen hesitantly started speaking, only to overlap with Laris.

“Ah…”

“You speak first.”

When Kalen yielded, the two who had been looking at the cliff above now turned their gazes towards each other.

Laris slightly bowed her head, accepting the gesture.

“Mother… was she just enchanted by the beauty of this place, which made her say so?”

“…”

“I have trouble believing that Mother came here alone and saw the cliff above. We didn’t know how perilous this place was, did we?”

Kalen nodded in agreement at Laris’s words. She had unintentionally asked precisely what Kalen had been trying to inquire about.

“It was Mother who taught me the basics of third-rate theater.”

With this, Kalen stayed silent, prompting Laris to continue.

“Too obvious, too childish, stories that could easily be dismissed as mere dreams.”

Her turbid, gray eyes were tinged with sadness.

“Perhaps… the Latia Waterfall story Mother told me was just another one of those dreams.”

Realizing that it wasn’t a place where a former slave like her mother could have reached alone,

It suggested her stories were merely the dreams tied to beautiful places she had only ever imagined.

Kalen silently stared into Laris’s eyes, and in the moment he tried to console her sadness,

Laris buried her face in his shoulder, muttering,

“Still… I like them. Those third-rate theater-like stories. More accurately, I like Mother’s dreams, but… would that be so wrong?”

Kalen’s shoulder started to feel damp.

Whether it was from the water droplets splashing fiercely all around or something else, he quietly waited for Laris to continue.

“If you could just indulge me once in my blind preferences.”

The words she waited so long to say aligned closely with what Kalen had expected.

The picturesque image of the top of the cliff had become uncertain now. Laris’s mother had never been there, so her request to be buried in such a beautiful place felt like an untruth.

But Kalen shook his head and offered her his shoulder again so she could rest her face, then quietly began.

“I won’t think of it as a lie.”

“…”

“You mentioned dreams, didn’t you?”

There was no sense of exhaustion or wasted effort. Something about it felt familiar.

“You also asked me, didn’t you? To help fulfill an ‘old wish.'”

“Ahh…”

“In my view, miss, you like the third-rate theater more than your mother’s dreams.”

Kalen remembered Laris’s small room.

A room entirely out of place for someone from the grand Plache family — a small, modest room belonging to a young girl.

Inside that room, the bookshelf was filled with scripts from overly simple and childish third-rate theater plays, too many to believe she didn’t enjoy them.

Looking up with an expression of surprise, Laris watched as Kalen carefully disengaged from her and knelt down in a crouching position.

“I’ve grown curious.”

An obvious invitation to climb onto his back. Laris hesitated, and Kalen continued,

“The finale of that third-rate theater—what does it look like?”

“…”

It took a while, but eventually, the young girl climbed onto the young boy’s back.

*

PWARR.

Deep grooves were carved into the steep cliff.

“Haa… Haa…”

PWARR.

The one carrying the young girl on his back, Kalen, barely managed to place his foot on the edge of the cliff.

Though he had used the third-tier combat attribute magic Ice Spear, the results were modest at best.

In other words, it was so difficult he could hardly manage anything more.

“Kalen…”

Even using second-tier nature magic to ensure Laris stayed safe while riding him, Laris couldn’t bring herself to apologize to Kalen for accommodating to her stubborn request.

Third-tier magic was no small feat each time it was used.

Kalen was employing it to create footholds one step at a time. Meanwhile, he maintained the second-tier magic in the background, the weight of Laris, and the strain of climbing the cliff constantly weighing on him.

PWARR.

The cliff gouged again as Kalen climbed higher, step by step.

Kalen, who had previously ascended walls of fourth-tier difficulty with the help of Felicious and Tia-se, was confident he could reach the top of the cliff. However, the process was by no means easy.

Laris tightly clung to the rigid body of Kalen, closing her eyes. A glance downward would certainly make her heart drop. Even without looking down, the situation was precarious enough to induce vertigo. The only thing she could rely on was Kalen.

Mixed feelings of gratitude and apology swirled inside her. Somewhere along the line, her thoughts had become occupied by this one young man alone.

While leaning on him, she began to understand something.

Why did this young man show such conviction? Why was he so calm in choosing to oppose Rielle Caravan and her father?

It wasn’t about strength.

She was impressed by his strong will.

To be honest.

Laris, just a moment ago, didn’t blame Kalen if he had decided to turn back and give up. In fact, she thought that would’ve been the natural thing to do.

Her mother’s tales had become no more than countless dreams she’d heard as a child. The way up the cliff seemed hopelessly impassable. Besides, a stubborn noble girl like herself was merely adding dead weight.

But Kalen’s response was unexpected.

He simply carried her on his back and climbed the cliff with all his might.

Laris opened her eyes slightly.

Instead of looking down, she tilted her head up towards the top.

They had almost reached the end of the cliff.

PWARR.

A waterfall that towered so high and steeply that it couldn’t be compared to any ordinary mountain.

At its peak, one hand left its mark.

That hand turned into an arm, and the young boy carrying the girl appeared above the edge.

“…Haa…”

“…Kalen.”

Before she could even think that they had reached the summit, Laris quickly slid off Kalen’s back and examined him.

His entire body was covered in dirt and sweat.

Even his nails were torn and broken, his fingertips stained with blood.

Laris quietly bit her lips, gripping the hem of her skirt.

She brought it to Kalen, paying no heed to the dirt and sweat, and gently wiped his face.

“Hmm…”

Perhaps it helped. After breathing heavily for a prolonged period, Kalen’s breathing stabilized.

A grueling ascent.

An unstable physical state.

Kalen, who consistently followed Blamia’s advice to not miss his exercises, though confident in physical tasks, this time had to intricately control magic while simultaneously taking care of Laris. And climbing Latia Waterfall wasn’t an easy feat by itself.

As his breathing returned, Kalen grasped Laris’s wrist that was wiping his face.

“Kalen…?”

“…What do you think?”

“Huh?”

“Isn’t it as beautiful as they say?”

Only then did Laris realize what Kalen was asking about—the view from atop Latia Waterfall.

Laris slowly turned her head to look around.

SHHHH…

The deafening sound from below had turned into mere quiet whispers. Now, all she could hear was the distant mist rising from the base below.

The breeze was refreshing, and there was ample soft earth suitable for burying the necklace.

If one asked, “Is it beautiful?”, it would certainly be a scene that would make everyone nod their heads in agreement. Laris did not deny it.

But why, her eyes kept returning to Kalen.

All she could think about was whether the boy who had climbed the cliff had sustained any major injuries, or if his fingers hurt at all. The thought crossed her mind that it wasn’t quite as beautiful as she had imagined when her mother had told her about Latia Waterfall.

Laris alternated her gaze between Kalen and the view, finally fixing her eyes on him and said

“…Yes. It’s beautiful.”

Kalen, with his head bowed, took an extra moment to adjust his breathing before nodding.

The brief hesitation was subtle enough that Laris barely noticed it.

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