Published at 20th of November 2022 4:47 pm

Volume 11, Chapter 286: Those who Come and Go

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Filaret spoke beside me while flicking her long lashes. I was worried that her words were quivering strangely.

「Lugis, I can’t see Caria and the beast knight…what to do? If you want, I can go check on her myself.」

I heard her voice with some confusion. It showed even hesitation. It was an unusual voice for Filaret. For better or worse, she avoided showing her weaknesses to others.

She chewed and swallowed the anguish and whining that welled up in her skull. Filaret was such a person.

No, but that was a long time ago. How foolish I was. How long was I going to drag this on?

Her former self was already somewhere else. She was Filaret La Volgograd, and yet, she was a different person from the one I knew.

If that was the case, it would be disrespectful to compare the current Filaret with her former self. I breathed out from the corner of my lips.

The black mist of elven calamity floated below, trampling the Great Temple of Flimslat. The Cathedral Knights, who were proud of their name, fell down without fighting back. This scene was eerie rather than exhilarating.

I wondered if everything could go well like this. Still, was I missing something crucial? Such premonition appeared at the edge of my heart.

Of course, for Eldith, who was the one who created this spectacle, this kind of thing may be nothing more than the movement of a finger.

Even if the Cathedral Knights were swallowed by such a state, it was conceivable that Caria, as well as Garras Gargantia, the knight of honor, had fallen down by the black mist too. Rather than saying that the two of them suddenly fell into an unfamiliar place, the possibility of them collapsing was much greater.

It was just a normal assumption, however.

Those two could hardly be called normal. At the very least, I was sure about Caria. In that case, it was almost impossible for the two of them to be swallowed by the black mist.

It meant that the two of them got stuck and disappeared somewhere. I didn’t know if they went to a different location or if they just didn’t come into sight.

While I thought about that, Filaret turned her gaze to me as if to ask me what to do. I shrugged my shoulders and bent my fingers lightly in response.

My eyes were staring at the deepest part of the great corridor.

「…Caria told me to have faith in her and leave that matter to her, and I accepted it.」

I continued with my words as I made my lips ripple.

「Then, there’s no need to doubt those words. That’s what I think, and maybe you should think that way about her too.」

At least, the Caria I knew was that kind of person. So there was no need to doubt or worry.

Well, I had some concerns about her safety. However, if I was to openly make a fuss about it, it would only make things worse. And like always, my chest wouldn’t be settled until I calmed it down by interfering in it.

Therefore, I had to do the right thing.

At my words, Filaret opened her eyes for a moment and fell silent, but after a while she spilled some words.

「…I guess you’re right. Caria is your guardian, your shield. 」

She said guardian and shield. Those titles didn’t even cross my mind. Apparently, Caria was quite fond of those titles, especially the shield one.

That’s why I didn’t deny them either. Besides, she was the hero whom I once longed for, the hero who was now protecting me; although it was a bit scary to keep her by my side with that kind of devotion.

I noticed that Filaret tried to speak some more words. I could see her little lips open for a moment. However, as a result of trying desperately to choose her words carefully, she couldn’t seem to come up with anything else to say. Only a white breath swayed in the air.

What happened to her? Things had been weird since a while ago.

I thought about urging her to speak, but once you got stuck with words, it would be difficult to pull them out no matter how hard you tried. Especially in a place like this, it could be too difficult to even speak out.

Moreover, there was another thing.

Guessing the other person’s feelings, unraveling their mental distortions and calming them down was something that a calm and perfectly sane person should do.

Otherwise, the effect would go in a totally opposite direction, and the person would be cornered unnecessarily.

…And right now, I was neither calm nor sane.

My vision still captured the deepest part of the great corridor. I forcibly split my lips and said.

「Besides, Filaret…No, my companion. That’s not what matters right now. We must focus on our goal.」

Even while saying that, my lips trembled and my whole body lost its breath as if it was tied up.

The moment that person got in my sight, all the organs lurking in my body became just lumps of flesh and stopped moving. The blood energy receded in an instant, and it was as if my whole body had been robbed of heat. My exhaled breath even looked pale.

Even so, for some reason, there was no suffering that resembled pain anywhere on my body. Rather, there was something that touched the depths of my heart.

I fully opened my eyes. In my body, it was the only place that was truly functioning. It was enough for me to move.

Beyond my line of sight was the deepest part of the great corridor. The gold was there, as if it divinely repelled the black mist curse that the elven Queen Eldith had kneaded into it.

In other words, the hero I longed for and the childhood friend who became a saint.

Then, my eyes narrowed. I found that my cheeks were naturally numb.

Was it the joy of a reunion, or was it something else entirely dancing around in my brain? I couldn’t seem to understand that much.

But whatever it was, it would be a very crucial and significant encounter.

If I wanted to break away from the hideous past of just crawling around on the ground on my past journey, I had to do exactly the opposite of other people’s expectations, in order to avoid being a lifeless object again.

Naturally, I let out my voice to Eldith. Looking at the situation, it seemed that no matter who I was, I couldn’t walk around in this black mist.

In that case, it would be nice if Eldith changed the black mist’s destination a little.

Eldith opened her eyes for a moment as if she saw something unexpected, but after nodding firmly, she bent her fingertips.

I caught the black mist slightly changing its movement at the edge of my eyes.

Around this time, Filaret must have noticed the figures at the end of the great corridor. I could see her dark, beautiful eyes distorting.

「You can stay here, Filaret. It’s an old acquaintance of yours, so if it’s hard for you to do it, I will understand your choice.」

I tilted my treasured sword and spoke while standing up.

There was no lie in those words. To be honest, I also thought that it might be cruel to bring Filaret with me to see that glorious hero.

However, Filaret returned the words in a way that kicked my compassion vigorously.

「You must be joking. It will be harder and crueler if I just wait here alone. 」

I didn’t think Filaret was going to live a life that would be called lazy, but she emphasized this greatly and loudly while her black hair flown in the air. Her voice was as fresh as if she had come back to life.

Her eyes had acquired a dignified atmosphere. She had changed so much that I couldn’t help but ask her where the uneasiness and confusion she had until just now had gone.

Filaret’s lips moved with a bouncy momentum.

「That night. From the time I took your hand in the slums, I’ve decided that I don’t care about anything else…if you, as my companion, will be on my side forever. 」

Invoking such nostalgic words, Filaret smiled as if she was in ecstasy. Meanwhile, I felt like I heard some footsteps nearby.

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