~Chapter 48~
…But wait.
Isn’t Brandon’s opinion different from Ailins’s?
Brandon clearly wants to keep Ailins’s seal intact, so why did he say the same thing as her?
Ailins pointed to the World Tree sprout that had grown.
“You made the World Tree grow again, right? That alone is perfect.”
“I don’t really get what’s so perfect…”
“Think about it. The World Tree that the temple is raising—that’s meant to strengthen my seal, right?”
I nodded quietly.
“But if two World Trees overlap their sealing powers, they’ll cancel each other out. The power will clash and break apart.”
Ah. So that’s why the priests told them to leave the decaying Dremokan alone.
“Pretty dumb, right? If they hadn’t tried to grow a new World Tree at the temple, the seal would’ve stayed strong.”
Ailins laughed.
“They got greedy.”
“…But what if the temple cuts down the sprout?”
“They can’t. Nothing can cut down a World Tree.”
…That’s strange.
I did cut the roots, didn’t I?
And Peril didn’t even hesitate when he asked me to.
My head started to spin.
Then one thing Ailins had said earlier hit me.
She told me not to do anything.
Did that mean if I touched the World Tree again, I might actually kill it—without meaning to?
I was lost in thought when I noticed Ailins standing closer than before.
“After the seal breaks, everything else has nothing to do with you. Got it?”
“……”
“There’s no place for your name in this world.”
A stranger with a name that doesn’t exist here.
She was telling me to stay out of it and just go back home.
“…Yeah. Thanks for the advice.”
What happens afterward isn’t my business anyway.
It never really was.
…But is that really the right thing to do?
I couldn’t tell anymore.
The moon that had once filled the sky had disappeared.
And just like that, Ailins’s form, which had been talking to me, began to fade with the moonlight.
“……”
And when the sun rose—She was sitting quietly, looking like the middle-aged woman I first remembered her as.
***
I don’t even know how I made it back to Peril.
“You have no idea how much I was worrying out here. You’ll never understand unless you’ve been in my shoes.”
When I came to my senses, he was scolding me while untying the vine from my arm.
“…What’s this?”
Then, Peril’s hands suddenly stopped.
Only then did I notice the deep bruise on my wrist.
It was the exact spot Ailins had grabbed.
Now that I looked closer, everywhere she had touched ached and was bruised.
“Who did this to you?”
Peril asked, but I couldn’t say anything.
I just bit my lip hard and hung my head low.
“……”
All this time, I thought there must be a valid reason I was thrown into this world. If not, at least something I could accept.
But there wasn’t.
There was only a ridiculous explanation.
“Bianca.”
Peril called me softly.
But I still couldn’t lift my head.
Because I didn’t even know who to blame anymore.
Surely I was the one who had been wronged.
So there should be someone who did the wrong—right?
But in the end, who should I even resent?
Ailins?
The original Bianca, who made the wish?
Ricardo, who suddenly changed his attitude?
‘…Or maybe me. The one who knew nothing.’
The truth was, no one had really done anything wrong.
But if I accept that—then what do I do with all this pain and frustration?
Peril’s eyes widened as he looked at me.
“You…”
“I’m not crying.”
“…Alright.”
“I mean it.”
“Alright then.”
Peril let out a small sigh and gently poked the bruise on my wrist with his finger.
Suddenly, a sharp pain shot through, and I winced without thinking.
“Now it hurts, huh?”
“If you press it like that…!”
Then Peril pressed down on it harder. The pain made my voice rise.
“That hurts!”
“…”
“It hurts so much!”
In that moment, all the tears I had been holding back suddenly burst out like a dam breaking.
I knew it! I knew I was going to cry!
I quickly bowed my head, not wanting him to see my face. That’s when Peril finally spoke.
“That face is way better than before.”
“…”
“Come on, look at me.”
I just shook my head, and he mumbled quietly,
“…No wonder I was so worried about you.”
“I—I’m not crying.”
“Sure, let’s say that.”
He didn’t believe me at all!
Of course, if I were him, I wouldn’t have believed it either.
I rubbed my eyes roughly with the back of my hand, but Peril caught my hand before I could continue.
“What are you doing?!”
Nothing was going my way.
The sorrow I’d kept inside suddenly welled up again.
Seeing myself, silently crying with my lips bitten, felt so pathetic.
Come on, this situation isn’t even worth crying over!
“Your eyes will swell. You’ll look ugly.”
I wanted to argue, but for some reason, I couldn’t stop crying.
…What’s wrong with me?
I may have lost it.
As Peril stared at me, he rested his chin on his hand.
“About that wish you were saving…”
“…”
“I’m ready to grant it whenever you are.”
I had wanted to ask him for something for a long time.
But not like this—not in such a ridiculous moment.
I wanted to be serious when I said it.
If I showed how much I meant it, he wouldn’t think I was being foolish.
Still… if I didn’t say it now, I felt like I never could.
“…There’s somewhere I want to go back to.”
“…”
“But I don’t think I can do it alone…”
I trimmed the words down as much as I could.
Even so, I was ready to explain more if he asked.
But Peril didn’t ask.
“Then let’s go right away.”
That’s all he said.
The hand I held with Peril began to glow with silver light. It was the power of his magic.
The light slowly surrounded me, and the bruise on the back of my hand completely disappeared.
But the emotional wreckage left behind by the tears still lingered.
Feeling embarrassed, I sniffled a little. Peril chuckled.
“You look really ugly right now.”
I had nothing to say.
Because I probably did look that bad.
Peril reached out his hand to me.
…How strange.
I had once been sure I’d never get along with him no matter what.
But now, he has even changed my clothes into something more comfortable with a flick of magic.
He was kinder than I thought.
And as we walked back to the village, I expected him to ask more questions—but Peril surprisingly said nothing at all.
Maybe it was his way of being considerate.
“Something was going on with that guy at the ball, wasn’t there?”
Never mind. So much for consideration.
“You mean Ricardo?”
“Was that his name?”
Peril furrowed his brow and stared at me.
“…What should I do?”
“W-What do you mean?”
“I’m thinking about it. Maybe I should mess with him a little.”
I had no idea what he was talking about.
While I tilted my head in confusion, Peril muttered seriously,
“You’re more firm than you look.”
“What are you even talking about?”
“From here on, go alone.”
“Huh?”
Weren’t we headed the same way?
Or was he going to fly off using magic or something…?
“Make sure to turn him down properly.”
The sly grin on his face made it seem like he was plotting something.
“…Take care then.”
Well, I guess I should be grateful he came this far with me.
Before Cedric got mad at me, I needed to hurry back.
I trudged forward—
But not long after I started walking, I ran into someone.
And in that instant, I realized Peril’s true intention.
Seriously, he’s the worst!
