Chapter 91: Halo (2)

 

A night had passed at the meeting place.

 

From dawn, I woke to enjoy the morning air.

 

I wasn’t the only one like this.

 

Perhaps because of the tension, many members of the Red Flames were up, stretching their bodies.

 

Perhaps they were preparing for the fights that would start today.

 

I too stretched and roamed around the Red Flames camp.

 

Checking on the members and gauging the mood.

 

As I wandered, I encountered mercenaries from a distance.

 

Especially since Turo had provoked me, the mercenaries of the Arak group grew arrogant, attempting to lock eyes with me in a challenge.

 

“...”

 

I didn’t pay much attention.

 

It was just a bit annoying.

 

I ignored them and made another round of our camp.

 

As I walked along the border of the Arak group camp, I spotted a familiar face.

 

“Vice-captain Berg...!”

 

Upon seeing my face, she hurriedly spoke.

 

As if she had much to say.

 

“...”

 

Behind her stood Turo.

 

He tilted his chin up, looking down at me with arrogance.

 

I bowed my head in greeting to Captain Shifre.

 

And then proceeded on my way.

 

“Let’s talk...!”

 

But Shifre stopped me.

 

The members nearby began to pay attention.

 

I dryly said to her, “Speak.”

 

Shifre, in response to my comment, requested.

 

“There are many eyes here, can we find a more private place?”

 

I shook my head.

 

“Let’s talk here.”

 

Turo sneered at my response.

 

“Are you worried about facing us alone, Vice-captain Berg?”

 

Shifre frowned.

 

“...Turo.”

 

Turo, unphased, continued to provoke me.

 

“Since I will avoid the area, why not have a conversation with the captain without worries?”

 

“...”

 

I didn’t react to his words.

 

I stared at Shifre once more, reiterating the same statement.

 

“...Let’s talk here.”

 

Shifre went silent at my refusal.

 

She then glanced at the Red Flames members and her own troop, gauging their reactions.

 

She stood frozen for a while before finally letting out a sigh.

 

“...Ha.”

 

“...”

 

“Forget it.”

 

She then blurted out informally, her expression twisted in frustration.

 

“... This coward human prostitute. I was trying to be considerate.”

 

Afterwards, she turned her back and left, not hiding her anger.

 

Turo, even as Shifre turned away, lingered, glaring at me for a long time.

 

Eventually, he let out an exasperated sigh.

 

Then, he turned to follow Shifre.

 

****

 

Arwin had another nightmare last night.

 

The same recurring nightmare she had at regular intervals.

 

The World Tree approaches and stretches out its roots.

 

As soon as the roots touched her, she felt intense pain.

 

Feelings of helplessness and guilt overwhelm her.

 

In that moment, there was not a single person to help.

 

Yet at the end of this dream, a man always appears.

 

“....!”

 

Arwin groaned, waking from the dream.

 

Beside her, Berg was looking down at her with concern, though Arwin wasn’t sure when he’d arrived.

 

“...You’re awake?”

 

Whether Berg had shaken her awake from the nightmare or not, his hands were resting on Arwin’s shoulders.

 

Arwin no longer hid this familiar, yet embarrassing routine from Berg.

 

“...Yes.”

 

There was nothing left to hide, at least not from Berg.

 

Berg took a cloth he had brought and wiped the sweat from Arwin’s exhausted forehead.

 

Arwin, feeling the refreshing touch, didn’t even think to stop him.

 

Before she knew it, she had surrendered to the touch, feeling every move of those hands.

 

She tried to calm her racing heart and regulate her breathing.

 

Being by Berg’s side made her feel as if all her worries had flown away.

 

Being with him, Arwin was experiencing unique emotions.

 

Especially during this mercenary meeting, her thoughts were tumultuous.

 

She had lived longer than anyone else in this space.

 

Yet, she couldn’t comprehend why everyone was fighting so fiercely for their brief lives.

 

Did they not realize they might die in the process?

 

...In that regard, the hardest to understand was Berg.

 

After all, it was Berg who never avoided the fiercest battles.

 

Arwin couldn’t forget the way Berg had challenged Gallias.

 

They had talked about it before, but Arwin still couldn’t understand the reason Berg became a mercenary.

 

As Arwin felt Berg’s touch, she suddenly asked, “Berg.”

 

“Hmm?”

 

Perhaps because it was morning, or perhaps because of the nightmare.

 

It was a moment where she felt she could be candid.

 

She revealed her innermost thoughts, perhaps out of place with the mood.

 

“...I don’t understand why everyone is fighting like this.”

 

“You don’t have to understand.”

 

Accepting his words, Arwin spoke again.

 

“...Berg?”

 

“Tell me.”

 

“The thing Ner said... I want to say it too.”

 

Arwin knew how Ner felt about Berg, but she found herself agreeing with her sentiment.

 

“Even if provoked, is it necessary to fight?”

 

“...”

 

“Choosing not to fight that Minotaur yesterday seemed wise.”

 

Would Berg lose if he were to fight the Minotaur?

 

A battle between a human and a Minotaur.

 

On paper, the odds didn’t seem in favor.

 

Yet, with Berg... it felt like he wouldn’t lose.

 

But the realm of possibilities was vast.

 

Hadn’t Berg defeated Gallias?

 

She wished he wouldn’t take risks where the outcome was uncertain.

 

She hoped the comforting touch on her wouldn’t disappear.

 

After wiping away all the sweat, Berg gazed at Arwin for a long time.

 

Then, using his bare hand to brush her hair off her forehead, he whispered.

 

“...I’ll see.”

 

****

 

Berg left for the meeting hall with Adam.

 

Ner took a deep breath and spent her time at the shelter in the middle of the camp.

 

Arwin was by her side, and other members were there, guarding them.

 

“...”

 

Perhaps it was because it was the second day, but the atmosphere felt even more ominous than yesterday.

 

Ner’s anxious eyes scanned the camp’s periphery.

 

Numerous mercenaries were looking at them.

 

The Dalsaseum group, with its many members, and the Arak group, where Turo who provoked Berg belonged.

 

Baran, guarding them, spoke.

 

“...If you need anything, just let me know.”

 

Ner nodded.

 

In truth, there was only one thing she wished for.

 

...She wished Berg was by her side.

 

Amidst the myriad mercenaries, she felt an overwhelming sense of dread and unease.

 

Berg’s presence was more palpable than ever.

 

“Hey, white-tail!”

 

Then someone shouted.

 

“.....”

 

At those words, Ner’s heart dropped.

 

Her tail involuntarily coiled.

 

A side glance revealed a fierce altercation erupting between the members of Red Flames and the Dalsaseum group.

 

“Hey! Saw that? You bastard, come out!”

 

“I was minding my own business, assh*le! Still, try me if you dare!”

 

In an instant, a fight broke out between Red Flames and Dalsaseum members.

 

Seeing this, Ner’s heart raced uncontrollably.

 

It was the first time she’d witnessed a fight erupt because of her.

 

Gradually, she became acutely aware that she was among the mercenaries.

 

Things she hadn’t noticed before, primarily because Berg was so different.

 

Shawn, beside her, expressed his concern.

 

“...Ner-nim, ignore them.”

 

To which Ner responded,

 

“...Yes. I’m trying to.”

 

But she felt like she was lying to herself.

 

She was mustering the strength Berg had told her to harness, but it wasn’t easy.

 

Soon, a Red Flames member fighting on her behalf was overpowered and defeated by a Dalsaseum member.

 

Their shouts grew louder, their momentum increased, and the defeated Red Flames member groaned in pain.

 

From the start, there had been inherent disparities among the group.

 

This only made Ner’s heart shrink further.

 

At the same time, she gritted her teeth. She loathed the reality of being humiliated by commoners in this place.

 

Yet, paradoxically, she longed for Berg more than ever.

 

She yearned for his scent and the warmth of his embrace.

 

The fights weren’t only breaking out where she stood.

 

Even among the Arak group, who had provoked Berg, fights erupted.

 

All the while, the insults persisted.

 

“Not sure whose wife she is, but she’s a looker and I love it!”

 

“Look over here! Acting pricey in a place where she was sold.”

 

Nearby mercenaries seemed to have coordinated their insults, hurling derogatory comments in their direction.

 

Berg had warned it would be tough, but this was beyond what she’d imagined.

 

Not only Ner, but Arwin also seemed to be struggling.

 

Despite her defiant stares and rebellious attitude, Arwin’s efforts continuously fell flat against the harsh gazes of the rough mercenaries.

 

Having grown up as nobility, neither could handle the raw vulgarity surrounding them.

 

Suddenly, someone shouted,

 

“Red Flames sure is dumb. They’ve taken in Paelyun-a as their reward!”

 

Ner felt tears welling up.

 

She knew that they referred to her when they said ‘Paelyun-a’.

 

It was a phrase she had heard countless times from her siblings.

 

There was a time when she believed it was her name.

 

“....”

 

Unable to hold back her tears, she rose from her seat.

 

Baran and Shawn were taken aback by her actions.

 

“White Tail! Where are you going?”

 

“Running away like your coward husband?!”

 

The mercenaries, emboldened by her reaction, threw even sharper insults.

 

More than any words, the comment about a ‘coward husband’ deeply shook Ner.

 

But she couldn’t retort, fearing her tears would spill.

 

Quickly, she dashed into the tent.

 

Cheers grew louder as they watched her flee.

 

****

 

The meeting went on late into the night.

 

Yet, nothing had been decided.

 

It couldn’t be helped. This was a moment to simply ascertain everyone’s goals.

 

Everyone cautiously observed each other, assessing what they could gain.

 

True negotiations would commence either tomorrow or the day after, once the full scope of the confrontations had unfolded.

 

It was a slow dance, gauging each other’s scale and negotiating accordingly.

 

Rather than negotiating out of fear from rumors, it was more accurate to directly assess and judge the opponent.

 

This was all the more reason the mercenaries engaged so fiercely in confrontations.

 

“Shall we wrap it up here?”

 

As the night grew late, Adam Hyung suggested.

 

I too felt it was a good idea.

 

I was exhausted from the constant scrutinizing stares of other mercenary group’s vice-captains.

 

Not just the vice-captains, the captains were the same.

 

Clearly, I stood at the center of the negotiations.

 

In particular, Shifre continued to glare at me with a displeased look.

 

At Adam Hyung’s words, people began to rise from their seats.

 

“Let’s continue our discussion tomorrow.”

 

The leader of the Dragonian group, Kan, spoke.

 

He was the first to leave his seat.

 

Accompanying him was his younger brother, a dragonian, whom I heard was the vice-captain.

 

Following them, the captain of the Dalsaseum group, Icahn, and his vice-captain.

 

After that, Shifre rose from her seat.

 

Just as Adam Hyung was about to leave, Shifre said to me,

 

“...You’ll regret not choosing me.”

 

“...”

 

Caught off guard by her comment, I paused to look at her.

 

My eyes met with Turo, who stood behind her.

 

“...”

 

Without responding, I followed Adam Hyung.

 

****

 

After the meeting ended, we returned to the campsite where the moon hung high in the sky.

 

However, the atmosphere felt off.

 

A tense mood had already set in.

 

I knew we’d be challenged, but I saw several members battered and bruised.

 

Just by looking at their faces, I could tell how fierce the confrontations had been.

 

From afar, Baran, along with Shawn and Jackson, approached.

 

I couldn’t help but smirk seeing the approaching Shawn’s face.

 

He was covered in bruises.

 

“...What happened to your face?”

 

When I asked, Shawn smiled lightly and replied,

 

“If you saw the face of my opponent, you wouldn’t be asking that, vice-captain.”

 

However, despite his words, there was a heavy undertone to Shawn’s demeanor.

 

“...What happened?”

 

As I asked in the midst of that atmosphere, Baran clenched his teeth.

 

He said,

 

“...I apologize.”

 

.

.

.

 

I quickly returned to my quarters.

 

And the scene before me made my heart sink.

 

“...Sniff...sob...”

 

Ner was shedding tears, her eyes covered.

 

Beside her, Arwin looked up at me with concern.

 

Arwin too, seemed deeply distressed.

 

“...What happened?”

 

I asked, but neither Arwin nor Ner replied.

 

Ner was clutching her tail.

 

Her hands were trembling.

 

Even without asking, I could feel the situation.

 

There were already many members sneering at us as we entered the quarters.

 

“...Arwin.”

 

Instead of Ner, who seemed unable to answer, I asked Arwin for an explanation.

 

Hesitating for a moment, Arwin finally spoke.

 

“...They relentlessly insulted Ner.”

 

“...”

 

At that, anger boiled within me. I could roughly imagine what Ner might have heard.

 

“I’m okay, but... Ner is...”

 

“Who did it?”

 

After a brief silence, Arwin replied.

 

“The Arak group and... the Dalsaseum group. Sometimes members from the Dragonian group would also mock...”

 

Before she could say more, Ner wiped her tears with her forearm.

 

With reddened eyes, she looked up at me and said,

 

“Sniff... I... I’m fine, Berg.”

 

“...”

 

“I-I’m Sorry, Crying is a little embarrassing but I’m used to it. It’s the same thing I’ve always heard.”

 

“...”

 

“...It’s not like they were wrong. My tail is ugly, and I did take my mother’s life...”

 

I slowly bent down.

 

-Thump.

 

And then, I gently placed both my hands on Ner’s cheeks.

 

I felt the cold sensation of her chilled cheeks...

 

Wiping away the flowing tears with my thumb.

 

“...”

 

Arwin silently observed from the side.

 

My heart grew heavy.

 

“...You always struggle with this issue, don’t you?”

 

I muttered that undeniable truth.

 

At those words, Ner’s lips began to quiver violently.

 

As if emotions she had been holding back erupted, she whispered,

 

“I can’t help it...”

 

“...”

 

“...Sob... It’s my curse.”

 

Ner gripped the hands I had placed on her cheeks.

 

But she didn’t push them away.

 

“Sob... I hate it too, Berg... Do you think I wanted to kill my mother? Is it my fault? Who would want this ugly worthless tail?”

 

“...”

 

“...I want to cut off this damned tail...”

 

I bit my lip.

 

No matter what comforting words I offered, it seemed impossible to heal this pain.

 

Moreover, just by comforting her now, it didn’t mean the problem would completely vanish.

 

Eventually, Ner would shed tears over this issue again, suffering just the same.

 

I had already witnessed her in this state twice.

 

“...Ner.”

 

I softly caressed Ner’s cheek and called her name.

 

Ner’s eyes met mine.

 

Our gazes felt connected.

 

“Don’t talk about cutting off your tail.”

 

“But-”

 

“I said I liked it.”

 

“............”

 

Ner’s tears momentarily froze.

 

And as her tears ceased, I made my decision.

 

If that tail continues to be her weakness,

 

A source of her pain,

 

It was better to wear that vulnerability as a weapon.

 

To ensure no one could belittle her.

 

“...I’ll make sure no one ever looks down on you again.”

 

I had experienced this before.

 

I knew better than anyone how to handle such situations.

 

“...What?”

 

As if not understanding, Ner blinked slowly.

 

She lightly grasped my hand that covered her face.

 

I gave her a reassuring smile.

 

“Didn’t I promise to protect you?”

 

Ner couldn’t respond to those words.

 

She just stared deeply into my eyes.

– – – The End of The Chapter – – –

 

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