Chapter 124: Consultation (3)

Arwin was sharing a hug with Sylphrien.

Sylphrien was the only person Arwin had relied on during her difficult times in the Celebrien territory.

Although they hadn’t spent much time together due to Sylphrien’s travels here and there... whenever Sylphrien returned to the territory, she brought Arwin objects from the outside world.

Thanks to that, Arwin was able to endure the tough moments, even if just a little.

“Have you been well, Arwin?”

Arwin was a noble of Celebrien, but Sylphrien did not speak formally to her.

Their friendship allowed them to easily overlook such formalities.

“Yeah. It’s been a long time, Unnie.”

Sylphrien smiled.

It was a smile loaded with many meanings.

It seemed to ask many questions with just that expression.

“...Are you okay?”

Sylphrien asked.

It was undoubtedly about her marriage.

“...”

Arwin nodded. Her married life had been smooth.

In fact, it was so smooth that other problems began to surface.

Like the issue of lifespan.

Sylphrien, while stroking Arwin’s hair, asked.

“Why do such difficult things happen only to you? With the World Tree and now marriage.”

Arwin smiled faintly.

“You’ve had your troubles too, Unnie. Being chosen as a hero... facing death...”

“That may be true for me... but it seems too much has happened to you, still so young.”

Sylphrien was around 280 years old. Arwin had forgotten her exact age.

“Let’s sit down and talk, Unnie.”

“Yes, let’s do that.”

They naturally took their seats at the dining table.

Beside them was a large window.

Looking through the glass-crafted window, they could see the front yard of the mansion.

Arwin’s eyes instinctively searched for Berg’s figure in the background.

“I never imagined we would be facing each other like this.”

Meanwhile, Sylphrien opened the conversation.

She poured tea into the cups laid before them.

Arwin smiled as she sipped the tea Sylphrien had poured.

“Yeah.”

“The atmosphere has changed a lot. It looks good.”

“...”

Then, Sylphrien asked with a hint of curiosity.

“But how did you end up here? I understand about the vice-captain, but why were you with the mercenaries?”

“I was traveling. Then I got your urgent message.”

“...Traveling?”

“Berg... he’s been taking me around. Trying to get close.”

“...I see.”

For some reason, Sylphrien listened with a complex expression on her face.

She commented, “He sounds like a good person.”

Arwin did not deny it.

“...He really is a good person.”

In Arwin’s long life, Berg was undeniably the most shining person she had met.

Of course, Arwin hadn’t met many people.

At best, it was just the elves within the territory and the guests visiting Celebrien’s lands.

But among them, Berg was the best.

The most special.

His kindness, sturdiness, gentleness... and more.

These were not traits of his race, but something uniquely Berg’s, a realization she was coming to.

Especially after hearing about the current situation of the Jackson family, these feelings had only intensified.

Sylphrien closely observed the expression on Arwin’s face.

“...”

Arwin felt somewhat embarrassed under Sylphrien’s gaze.

Showing her love-struck self to someone who had watched over her for so long was not something she was used to.

Sylphrien asked in a whisper.

“...Just wondering, Arwin.”

“...”

“...Do you perhaps like him, despite his short lifespan?”

“...............”

Sylphrien continued with a worried expression.

“...The differences are too vast. He’s a commoner, and short-lived...”

“...”

- Swoosh.

Sylphrien took Arwin’s hand.

“...It’s not like that, right? He’s just a friend?”

“...”

“He’ll be gone in 60 years, Arwin... I’ve said it many times, but...”

“...”

“As observers, we have to deal with short-lived races. If we give our hearts to everyone... it’ll be too painful later.”

Arwin felt a rebellious urge against that statement.

Even though she knew it wasn’t wrong.

“...But Unnie, you’re also fighting wars with the short-lived species.”

“...”

Sylphrien had no reply.

Seeing this, Arwin spoke.

“...I don’t know, Unnie.”

“...”

“What love is. Whether this is love. I... I don’t know either.”

As she spoke, memories with Berg flooded her mind.

There were too many unforgettable memories, even for a thousand years.

Sylphrien, after much contemplation, spoke.

She gripped Arwin’s hand tighter.

“...Short-lived should stick with short-lived, Arwin. It’s right to just watch over their stories.”

Arwin chuckled.

She laughed almost mockingly without realizing it.

“...Give Berg to Ner?”

When talking about short-lived with short-lived, it meant Ner and Berg.

Just the thought made her feel angry already.

Arwin still hadn’t forgotten what Ner had said a few days ago.

‘...Today, Berg kissed my cheek.’

And the discomfort she showed, unbefitting of her anger.

Without realizing, Arwin was projecting that anger onto Sylphrien.

“Ner doesn’t have feelings for Berg. She’s waiting for her destined partner because of a prophecy. She’s still waiting for that future.”

Sylphrien seemed to belatedly grasp Arwin’s point.

“Ah, I didn’t mean it that way. Just that short-lived should stay with short-lived.......”

Upon hearing Arwin’s words, Sylphrien blinked momentarily.

Then, she shifted the topic.

“...Does Lady Blackwood really not like that man Berg?”

“...Even if she likes him, it’s probably just at the level of friendship. She’s told me several times she doesn’t have romantic feelings for him. She’s also not inclined to show more affection.”

“But they seem close?”

“Berg asked her to act that way.”

“...........”

Sylphrien fell silent for a moment at this revelation.

She seemed deep in thought, motionless.

Then, she murmured.

“...So, Lady Blackwood is just a close friend to him, and you don’t love Berg either...?”

Arwin didn’t specifically answer that question.

Instead, she decided to ask Sylphrien something that had been on her mind.

Arwin had always asked Sylphrien whenever she was curious.

“.......What exactly is love?”

“...”

A question that hadn’t needed asking in her 170 years.

But now, she was curious about it.

She wondered if she could even recognize love, an emotion that was supposed to come naturally, having never felt it before.

All she knew was that she felt warm and happy when she was with Berg. And sometimes, she felt a frustrating heat rise within her when she saw him with Ner.

Sylphrien then spoke to Arwin.

“...Hard to say.”

After a pause, as if recalling someone, she absentmindedly stared at her teacup.

Sylphrien explained.

“...Maybe it’s love if you can’t imagine being without that person?”

“...”

“Calling them with a cute nickname... and even in the most despairing situations, thinking of them, that might be love.”

“...”

“Willing to drag yourself through the mud and sacrifice yourself for them... that could be love too.”

“...”

Sylphrien concluded her words with a smile.

She took a heavy sigh and sipped her tea.

Meanwhile, Arwin’s heart started to flutter upon hearing Sylphrien’s words.

She imagined in her mind.

A life without Berg.

Picturing herself from now on being free, wandering the world alone.

It had always been her dream.

It was all she imagined while trapped in the Celebrien territory.

‘...Huh?’

But now, she couldn’t envision any situation like that.

Even if she did, Berg was always there by her side.

Always there, smiling at her.

“.........”

Had she already missed the moment to leave Berg’s side?

She was suddenly and quite naturally realizing that reality.

****

I looked down at the numerous soldiers running through the Jackson family’s territory.

The soldiers infiltrated every alley, spreading like wildfire.

Sounds of battle and screams echoed from various places, but mostly, the soldiers seemed to be laying down their weapons and surrendering.

The situation seemed to be nearing its conclusion.

Everyone in our party could feel it.

Even Prin beside me had a complex expression.

It was hard to tell if he was troubled or happy.

Maybe he was fearful. Though he was on the side of the hero party, the fact that a civil conflict had erupted remained unchanged.

As the suppression unfolded, the hero party approached me.

Likely a dragonian man of the dragon race.

A centaur.

...And then Sien.

Sylphrien, the elf, had said she was going to meet Arwin.

Everyone was cautiously observing me.

It felt like they somehow knew about Sien’s and my relationship to some extent.

Thankfully, my wives had taken refuge inside the mansion.

It could have created an unnecessary atmosphere.

I pretended not to notice the mood of the hero party.

I looked ahead, ignoring Sien completely.

It wasn’t easy.

It felt like at any moment, my head might involuntarily turn towards her.

Especially when memories of her came to mind.

So, instead, I thought only of my wives, Ner and Arwin, trying to relegate Sien to the past.

And then the hero walked up to me.

-Thunk.

He placed his hand on my shoulder and spoke.

“...Sorry for the late introduction. My name is Felix.”

“...I’m Berg.”

He extended his hand to me after I responded.

“Do people of your race greet like this?”

I shook his hand, accepting the handshake.

His gaze briefly fell on my ring and then moved away.

“Thanks to you, we survived. Really... it was a close call.”

“...”

After the handshake, I looked down at the city.

Observing the approaching figures of the Red Flames group.

Meanwhile, Felix asked me.

“...I hear you’re a candidate for Lynn’s warrior?”

“...”

At those words, Sien swallowed hard.

“...Yes?”

I could feel her gaze piercingly fixed on me.

I looked at Felix with a brief sigh.

“...”

I didn’t bother to give a specific answer.

It felt like a waste of time to say anything at this point.

The topic was one where a common ground could never be reached.

But Sien couldn’t hold back and asked me.

“...Are you... the Warrior of Solitude?”

“...”

She struggled between formal and informal speech, the conflict evident.

Finally, she chose to speak informally.

As if pretending not to know me was too difficult.

“...No.”

So, I drew the line instead.

We were strangers now.

“...........”

At those words, Sien clutched her heart.

I saw her at the edge of my vision.

“...Haa... Haah...”

She breathed heavily and finally turned away.

Walking off into the distance.

As if that rigid tone of mine was too painful.

As if she couldn’t bear even that small difference.

“...”

I watched her retreating figure only after she had turned away.

Felix and the centaur also watched Sien leave.

Felix then spoke to me.

“...It might be overstepping to say this upon first meeting.”

“...”

“I don’t have a reason to intervene, but it’s a habit of mine to meddle.”

He spoke with a sense of pity.

“...She missed you a lot. The Saintess-nim did.”

“...”

I stood there, frozen in place, and thought to myself.

‘...So did I.’

– – – The End of The Chapter – – –

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