“You wish the world would end?”
Seeing the look of disbelief on my face, Xenon protested with an expression of great grievance.
“It was you, Lady Anelli, who said you would eat sweets and watch the world end.”
“Ah, I suppose I did.”
I hadn’t realized he’d kept that in mind.
I nodded without much feeling and turned my gaze away. Of course, back then, I hated everything, found it all meaningless, and didn’t care what happened or how.
‘Not that I’ve now developed a righteous sense of mission to save the world.’
Certainly, my attitude now is slightly different from back then. It was something I, more than anyone else, felt most keenly.
I still hated all the humans who had made a spectacle of my death and never wanted to see them again. But I didn’t want to let go of everything because of that.
At the very least, I wanted to find the Dullahans’ heads.
Not to play the role of an unwanted proxy of the goddess, but purely for the Dullahans’ peace.
‘If the Dullahans, having regained their peace, were to leave my side…’
Of course, if such a situation arose, I would feel gloomy and sad.
Since meeting Nadav, I had never been completely separated from the Dullahans.
Even in situations where I couldn’t summon them, the Dullahans were always waiting inside the bracelet. I hadn’t realized how much of an unconscious comfort that was.
So, when I tried to imagine life without them anew, the sense of emptiness was the greatest.
Yet, the fact that I had grown so fond of them that I wanted to find their heads was what led to the current situation.
“Yes, it was you, Lady Anelli, who had no attachment to the world, not me.”
I pulled myself from my thoughts and looked beside me. Xenon was watching me with an ambiguous expression, his thoughts unreadable.
It seemed he had been watching me all along.
“Do you still not care if tomorrow never comes?”
That was something I had once said to Xenon.
‘We were camping like this back then too.’
Xenon had asked me if I wanted to die, and I had retorted, asking if I had to make an effort to die.
That’s what I had said. That I didn’t care if tomorrow never came.
“……Well.”
As I murmured softly, a frown appeared between Xenon’s brows.
“I will try harder.”
“At what?”
“To make you curious about tomorrow.”
“How?”
After a brief pause, he suddenly raised his hand.
The gesture of lightly stirring the air was unfamiliar, but I could guess what he intended to do.
Probably magic.
No sooner had I thought that than his fingertips glowed blue.
Following the light emanating from his fingertips, I let out an involuntary exclamation.
“Oh.”
The sparkling blue light formed a shape. It was a beautifully shimmering blue carp.
The carp swam through the air, moving its fins as if swimming. It circled in front of my eyes before gradually moving further, tracing a semicircle.
Its range of movement widened. Everywhere the carp passed looked like it was underwater.
“Once, while looking at the sky, I had a thought. That deep blue expanse looked just like a lake.”
Guiding the carp’s movement with his fingertip, Xenon began to speak.
“So I thought it would be nice if there were fish that suited that deep blue sky.”
“Is this the result?”
“Yes.”
Xenon nodded, and with a mischievous smile, he moved his hand grandly. A school of small fish appeared around the carp.
With each movement of Xenon’s fingers, various fish multiplied in the air.
“It’s a slightly modified illusion magic. A spell with no use other than being pleasant to look at, but I did quite a lot of research on such useless magic.”
Was the reason Xenon researched such magic because of his ailing mother? He said his mother had a chronic illness.
If his mother had been confined to her bed for a long time, he might have wanted to show her beautiful sights with his magic.
Xenon was that kind of man.
“I’ll show them to you one by one, not all at once.”
The fish swimming brilliantly around us began to disappear one by one.
Where the fish vanished, particles of magical power scattered like final traces, leaving afterimages.
“I hope this magic becomes a reason for tomorrow to come.”
I stared intently at Xenon. He was smiling quite innocently.
He was a truly strange man. Until just before my execution, I had never met anyone like Xenon.
Perhaps because of that, I sometimes felt confused about how to treat him.
The surroundings, which had brightened momentarily, began to sink back into darkness. Finally, the carp that had been circling above my head also disappeared, leaving only scattered blue particles of light.
Gazing at those shining afterimages, I slowly parted my lips.
“Xenon.”
“Yes?”
The distance between him and me wasn’t great. With my hand on the rock, I leaned in just enough for our lips to touch.
With a soft, cute sound, our lips met and parted. It was a very light kiss, but Xenon flinched as if touched by fire, his eyes widening in surprise.
Amused by his disbelieving expression and the way his fingers traced my lips, I faintly curved my lips.
“A reward for the spectacle.”
“……This is it?”
“I think it’s a definite reward.”
Xenon’s face was flushed bright red. He was certainly wide awake now, looking utterly disoriented with embarrassment and surprise.
It was definitely not a negative reaction. I hadn’t thought he would dislike my kiss, but his reaction was more intense than I had anticipated.
What was certain was that Xenon was now beside himself with joy. Even without checking, it was obvious his heart was racing.
“If this is how it is, then I’ll be the one looking forward to tomorrow more than you, Lady Anelli.”
Xenon, who had frozen with his hand over his mouth, mumbled with a twisted expression. It was a small voice, but clear enough to understand.
I chuckled and replied.
“Let it be so.”
I straightened my body, which had been leaning toward him, and looked up at the sky nonchalantly.
“I do not wish to harm your tomorrow.”
Do I not care if tomorrow never comes? Honestly, I’m not sure.
I want to fulfill the Dullahans’ wishes, and I enjoy this time with Xenon.
But if asked whether these things have made me dream of a hopeful future, I only find myself unsure.
My own tomorrow… still didn’t matter much. What moves me now are not embarrassing words like dreams or hopes for the future.
‘Deiris said the final authority would grant me peace as well.’
If I complete the final authority with this state of mind, what will become of me?
“So, you look forward to tomorrow.”
Will my peace be death? Would the goddess leave a proxy who has served her purpose alone?
I couldn’t be sure. I couldn’t even die as I wished before; even if I now wanted to live, could I live as I wished?
Even though I’ve become aware of my feelings for Xenon, the reason I don’t envision a specific future is because I cannot ignore these points.
“I will look forward to the reward you will give me tomorrow, Lady Anelli.”
Xenon, who had been silent for a moment, spoke in a calmer voice, as if he had finally gathered his wits.
I kept my gaze on the sky and nodded.
“Alright.”
“Do you understand what I mean?”
His voice held a certain intensity. Glancing at him, I saw his face still hadn’t lost its redness.
Though a blush still lingered on his cheeks, there was no sign of shyness in his tightly pressed lips or his subdued golden eyes.
“I am saying that you must be part of my tomorrow.”
I didn’t answer. Xenon didn’t press for a reply either.
We quietly looked up at the sky for a while before returning to our respective tents.
I lay down to sleep again, wrapped in the cold air. As I covered myself with the blanket, an incredibly strong drowsiness washed over me.
In my fading consciousness, I faintly realized.
Even if all the Dullahans leave, I will not be left entirely alone.
* * *
On the way to the Lizardmen habitat, we passed through several villages.
There, I heard news of Maxel. It seemed there was a group systematically moving to deliberately spread word of the Crown Prince’s exploits.
However, despite their efforts, it appeared unlikely that Maxel would become a hero among the imperial citizens.
Because when it came to heroes who slay Monsters, there was already someone else widely talked about among the people.
Namely, me.
“It seems ordinary subjugation won’t be enough to win their favor.”
Xenon, who had returned after visiting several shops to replenish supplies in the village, clicked his tongue as he relayed the news.
According to him, while the Resurrected One subdues Monsters single-handedly, the Crown Prince leading hundreds of soldiers to hunt Monsters is seen as somewhat laughable by the imperial citizens.
“I also heard a bit about the Monster hunters.”
The current atmosphere was that Monsters were running more rampant than before, and relying solely on the Temple made it difficult to handle each case individually.
Since the number of holy knights the Temple could dispatch was limited, villages in harsh environments ultimately needed other solutions.
“They say they hunt Monsters for quite a cheap price. Apparently, they’re mainly hired by small villages.”
“It can’t be charity work. Has their affiliation been revealed?”
“They’re said to be freelance mercenaries who take requests without affiliation, but among merchants, the name of the Yusgel Merchant Group is being whispered.”
Merchants are sensitive to the flow of money. So, they seemed to be eyeing the business potential of the suddenly emerging Monster hunting venture.
Before the Yusgel Merchant Group stepped in, Monster hunting was the domain of the Temple, the imperial army, or private soldiers of territories. They alone were sufficient to deal with Monsters.
The Temple, in particular, almost exclusively handled Monster hunting.
“Does this mean Monsters have increased enough to warrant mercenaries stepping in?”
Muttering to myself, Samuel interjected with a sigh-laden voice.
“It’s true that reports to the Temple have increased. But the High Priest does not wish for the problem to be resolved in this manner.”