Chapter 173: The Flow of Time (5)

A festival had unfolded after a long time.

The people of Stockpin were gradually overcoming their pain of loss.

Laughter was now more common than cries, and there were more jokes than consolations.

Everyone was starting to think about their future.

They still wielded swords, but everyone seemed to understand that they would need to hold farming tools more frequently.

In the end, these were the members who had joined the Red Flames to survive.

Some of them had even started families, so they needed to find their next livelihood.

No one regretted putting down their swords.

I wasn’t the only one who was tired.

Experiencing the death of comrades who felt like family... even a couple of times was enough.

We, who had gone through it for years, clearly understood the horrors of war.

Moreover, everyone seemed reassured when I became the head of the new family.

Just having a reliable backer seemed to bring them peace of mind.

As was often the case with humans, many of the members were from the slums... This might have been the greatest success they could hope for.

The burden on my shoulders grew heavier because of this.

I didn’t know if I could lead them as wisely as Adam Hyung did.

I was just making choices based on what Hyung might have done.

“Captain!”

Shawn, who was preparing for the festival, spotted me.

He was standing beside a well-stacked pile of firewood.

It seemed he was about to light a large bonfire.

Holding a torch, he looked at me.

Then, Shawn noticed Sien standing beside me.

The senior members knew Sien’s face well.

We had once rescued her in front of Jackson’s territory.

They knew better than anyone that Sien was a saint.

The rest of Stockpin’s residents didn’t know Sien was a saint.

Sien hadn’t tried to hide it, but she hadn’t exactly announced it either.

So, members like Shawn were left in an awkward position.

Shawn bowed slightly towards Sien.

Sien waved off his polite gesture, murmuring, “Ah, this... it’s nothing now...”

I was aware of the rumors surrounding Sien and me.

Especially in Stockpin, these rumors were rampant.

After the war, divorcing wives and bringing in a new woman.

The members who knew Sien’s identity also knew I had a past relationship with her.

Of course, rumors were bound to spread.

Anyway, Shawn approached, holding out the torch to me.

“Captain, light the fire. Let’s start the festival.”

“And the drinks and meat?”

“All ready. Not from the storeroom, but from today’s hunt with Vice-captain Baran.”

I nodded and took the torch from Shawn.

“...”

I looked up at the piled firewood.

...Our festival that Adam Hyung and I started together.

It was a feast Hyung created to honor the fallen members.

And now, Hyung, who had started this festival, was gone, and I was finishing the preparations to honor him.

This was the first festival without Adam Hyung.

Suddenly, emotions surged within me at that reality.

“...”

As I remained silent, the surrounding members seemed to understand why.

They all fell silent, each remembering Hyung in their own way.

-Tap.

At that moment, someone placed their hand on the back of mine.

It was Sien.

“...”

“...”

She looked at me and slowly nodded.

I exhaled deeply, looking at her, and then threw the torch onto the pile of wood.

A large fire erupted.

.

.

.

.

As the fire roared and night fell, the villagers enjoyed the feast together.

Some competed in drinking contests, others tore into meat, and some sang songs.

I watched from afar, drinking a glass of alcohol.

Seeing the happy people even lightened my own heart.

“...”

My emotions wavered.

Taking a breather like this... but when I thought of the recent farewells, my heart sank.

The hole left by those who had departed could not be filled with a brief respite.

I had even developed a new habit.

I found myself fiddling with the empty ring fingers on both hands.

And every time I confirmed those empty fingers, an overwhelming sadness made it hard to breathe.

“...Bell, aren’t you going to join the fun?”

Sien was standing beside me, looking at the festival.

It had been over ten days since she started staying with me.

By now, her presence by my side felt completely natural.

I nodded and replied to her.

“This is enough.”

“...”

Sien nodded and watched the fire with me.

Silence flowed between us.

I knew that this silence was Sien giving me time.

Our relationship might have always been like this from the start.

A bond that couldn’t be severed, no matter how much we tried.

I turned to look at Sien.

She didn’t seem to notice that I was watching her as she stared at the fire.

...It really hit me that we had aged a lot.

She had matured... become more grown-up.

The Sien I used to tease was no longer there.

Her eyes eventually turned to meet mine.

“...”

“...”

These silent moments had become more frequent lately.

As if we were having conversations with our eyes that words couldn’t convey.

I looked at her for a long while... then raised my glass and asked,

“Have a drink.”

“...”

She froze in surprise at my suggestion.

Then, shyly, she replied,

“I’ve never really drunk alcohol before.”

“Really?”

“Ah... I’ve only sipped the liquor that Sylphrien occasionally gave me.”

“...Elven liquor?”

“What? How did you know?”

I had just guessed, since Elven liquor was a traditional elven beverage.

I hadn’t shared with Sien the stories of my past marriages.

I hadn’t told her why I divorced or what caused it.

She didn’t know that Elven liquor played a significant role in that process.

I looked down at my glass.

Even after all that, I couldn’t quit drinking Elven liquor.

I didn’t even know why.

I hadn’t touched it for a long time, but after parting with Arwin, I started drinking it again.

It was like an unspoken regret left behind with Arwin.

I looked at my glass, then asked Sien again.

“...So. Want to try it?”

She looked into my eyes and answered.

“Yeah. I’ll give it a try.”

I stood up and brought a glass of liquor for Sien.

As I handed it to her, our hands briefly touched.

Sien flinched slightly at the contact.

“Ah. It’s okay to touch now...”

She explained her odd reaction with a smile.

Just as she could guess my past from the scars on my body, I could see her difficult times through her habits.

With a heavy heart, I sat down beside her.

Sien leaned her shoulder against mine.

“...Cheers.”

With a bit of cuteness, Sien tried to lighten the stiff atmosphere.

I chuckled and clinked glasses with her.

After taking a sip, I looked back at the roaring fire.

“Ugh! Cough, cough...!”

Then, Sien started coughing beside me.

“...Are you okay?”

I instinctively patted her back.

She nodded while coughing.

“I’m...cough...I’m okay...”

Her appearance made me smile.

...For some reason, it reminded me of someone.

The bittersweet feeling filled my chest.

I let out a long sigh.

A moment of silence fell again.

Now that everything was over, there was something I needed to say to Sien.

Something I had to say.

“......Sien.”

She was startled by the call.

“...Yes?”

“...Why are you so surprised?”

“Ah. It’s... been a long time since someone called my name.”

“...”

Her answer was so poignant that I fell silent for a moment before speaking.

“...................I’m sorry.”

After my words, the sounds of the festival filled the air.

The crackling and twisting of burning firewood.

The laughter of the members and villagers.

The songs.

The cheers.

“...About what?”

After a long silence, Sien asked.

I tipped my glass and replied.

“...Everything.”

Sien turned her head forward as if contemplating my words.

Her large eyes blinked momentarily.

With her lips touching the rim of her glass, she gradually hid her expression.

Sometimes, before she cried, she would act this way.

It was a result of me teasing her for being a crybaby so often in the past.

Then, she whispered.

“...What do you have to be sorry for...? It was all my fault for leaving you.”

“Sien. I...”

“Then, Bell.”

Sien looked back at me.

With tears welling up in her eyes, she slowly placed her hand on my thigh.

“...Just hold me once more.”

“...”

“...You didn’t hug me back then.... remember?”

She seemed to be referring to what happened at Jackson’s territory.

At that time, I hadn’t hugged her because of Ner and Arwin.

Now, those wives were no longer by my side.

“...Just like before... hold me like that.”

At the same time, as if she couldn’t wait any longer, she buried her head into my chest and pressed her body against mine.

She slipped her arms under mine.

Positioned between my legs, she knelt and embraced me.

“...I’ve missed you so much.”

Sien whispered as if talking about the seven years we were apart.

I could feel the tremor in her voice.

How many years had I swum through pain after parting with Sien?

Becoming a mercenary, not having any woman by my side for seven years until I met Ner and Arwin, hesitating to marry—all of it was because of that pain.

And behind that pain, there was always one lingering voice.

“...I’ve missed you so much, Bell.”

Sien repeated.

Now, once again, only the two of us remained by each other’s side.

A moment when we could be more honest than ever.

So, I too, let out the words I had hidden for so long.

“........I missed you too.”

– – – The End of The Chapter – – –

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