The Period at the End of Today
Luina took my hand and led me to a street stall that was selling ordinary potatoes. It was the kind of stall that sliced steamed potatoes with crisscross cuts and topped them with sugar and cream. Even though it was clearly a slightly luxurious yet delicious treat that should have fit perfectly with a festival day, for some reason there wasn’t a single customer. It felt a little strange… but in the end, we didn’t have to wait at all to buy the potatoes, so it was a good thing. A very good thing.
“Here you are, sir.”
I took the paper bag filled with freshly made, piping-hot potatoes and followed Luina’s guiding hand as she continued to pull me along. Step. Step. The already thinning crowd grew even sparser until, eventually, we reached the outskirts of Hagen Village where not a single person could be seen. There, Luina took the lead and began climbing the path that led up to the hill behind the village.
“Hurry up, Kael!”
“Yeah. But… there really isn’t anyone around here, is there? It looks like a pretty nice spot for scenery, though…”
“Hmm… Maybe everyone’s gathered in the center of the village? It is a noisy festival day, after all. Maybe people just don’t feel like coming to a quiet place like this.”
“Hmm… I suppose that makes sense?”
I thought there would be quite a few people who’d prefer to watch the festival from a quiet spot like this, but I couldn’t exactly dismiss Luina’s words either. Since it was the first festival in a long time hosted by the Magic Tower, it made sense that people would want to enjoy the lively atmosphere together with everyone else. Shrugging off the minor question, I finally reached the top of the hill with her. We sat down side by side on the bench there.
With a soft thump, I settled onto the bench. A cool summer night breeze swept across my face. I let out a breath heavy with exhaustion as the refreshing wind cooled the faint sweat on the back of my neck. In the distance, laughter rippled outward like waves, mingling with the chirping of summer insects. That was when Luina’s voice reached me through the air.
“Kael… Do you remember the first time we met?”
“The first time… That would’ve been at the northwestern frontline, right?”
The day I first met Luina. I remembered it so clearly there was no need to dig through my memories. It was about a month after the war had begun. I’d gone to support the northwestern frontline, which was being pushed back the hardest, and that was where I first encountered her at the forward base.
“I was quite on edge back then. I’d killed so many demons, but even more of the soldiers fighting alongside me had died. Every time I closed my eyes, I heard their resentful screams in my dreams. I couldn’t even sleep properly… and I was in despair, wondering how long this war would have to continue.”
“It really was a war on an enormous scale.”
Luina’s words were exactly right. No matter how many demons we killed, even more of our allies fell. Watching people you’d shared meals and conversations with die right before your eyes was never a pleasant experience. On top of that, there had been no sign that the war would end anytime soon, so falling into despair had been perfectly natural. And that was exactly when I met her—when she had been walking that very path of despair.
“At first, I thought you wouldn’t be any different from the others. The reinforcements sent to the hardest-pressed northwestern front never lasted more than three days, and the vicious cycle of the front line constantly being pushed back just kept repeating.”
“So you thought I’d die in three days too?”
“Mmm… At first? You looked strong, but I figured if you could hold out for even three days, that would be lucky.”
Boom…
In the distance, another firework burst open, once again dyeing the twilight sky in brilliant color. The glow of the fireworks and the setting sun illuminated Luina’s face as she gazed into the past with misty eyes, as if retracing an unforgettable memory from that day.
Soon, as if she had finished reminiscing, Luina turned her head back toward me and spoke.
“But that day… the day the demons sent their trump card to completely wipe out the northwestern front… you saved me when I was about to die.”
“That demon king’s executive, right? I remember. You were in danger, so I ran like a madman and saved you.”
When one of the demon king’s executives had appeared on the front line, most of the soldiers had already met their deaths, and many others had fled in terror. In the midst of all that, I couldn’t just let Luina—who had stayed until the very end and fought alongside me—die. Ignoring the wounds tearing open across my body, I squeezed out every last ounce of strength I had, rushed forward, and saved her. I carried her, badly injured, back to the forward base in my arms. From that moment on, we began pushing the northwestern front line forward again.
And that day. That very moment.
“That must have been when it started. When I fell in love with you.”
Luina said it calmly, almost in a whisper. Because the sunset light was falling across her face, I couldn’t tell whether her cheeks had flushed red or had simply been dyed by the glow. But at the very least, whatever emotion she was feeling right now, the feeling contained in those words she had just spoken was crystal clear. The fact that she had laid those words out so plainly made it obvious she was confessing her feelings to me. For a moment, I completely forgot what I had been about to say.
“…….”
I had sensed the atmosphere and had clumsily tried to organize some kind of answer in my head. But the moment I actually received her feelings, my mind went completely blank. The half-baked answers I had prepared refused to surface, and I couldn’t recall a single word I’d rehearsed.
Even though I didn’t react at all, Luina continued speaking as if she still had more to say.
“I don’t know much about love. I never had many chances to see it, and I never once had the chance to feel it. But I now know better than anyone that this emotion I felt for the first time that day—and still feel even now—is love.”
“…….”
“At first, I wondered if I had simply mistaken my feelings in that life-or-death moment. But the more I thought about it, the more I realized I could only think of you.”
“……Luina.”
The words that finally slipped from my lips were only her name, spoken with great effort. It was the same three syllables I had always called her, yet this time it was different. Unlike the emotionless way I had usually said her name, this time it carried feelings I couldn’t put into any other words.
Perhaps she had roughly sensed what those feelings were. Luina let out a short breath, as if she believed I was finally ready to give her a proper answer.
“Haa……”
Unlike her previously calm tone, tension was now clearly visible on her face. Since there was no one else around, I felt like I could even hear her heart beating faster and faster. And then, within that heartbeat, Luina opened her mouth with firm resolve. A single streak of light fell from the sky.
“I love you, Kael. Will you marry me?”
A storm of flower petals burst into bloom around us, turning the summer night into a vast flower garden. The wind swirled, carrying countless blossoms that painted the sky in vibrant color.
Bang!
Luina’s words pierced my ears. The streak of light that had fallen created a massive flower garden around us. At the same time, a gust of wind whipped up a storm of petals that dyed the sky. Even without looking up, it was obvious who had cast this magical blessing. Inside that clear blessing, I opened my mouth with the same resolve Luina had shown.
“I’m sorry. I should have noticed sooner. I made you suffer through all of this alone.”
At my first words of apology, Luina flinched. But as she listened to what followed, her face began to fill with happiness. I looked at her and nodded, giving her the exact answer she had been hoping for.
“……I love you too, Luina. Please… marry me.”
“Ah… aah……”
Perhaps because she had finally heard the answer she had longed for so deeply, Luina closed her glistening eyes and let her tears fall. No matter how many times she wiped them away, the tears kept flowing endlessly. Sniffling, she spoke through her sobs, her voice filled with overwhelming relief.
“Hic… I was so, so scared. I was terrified you might reject me… Even though Zenle kept reassuring me, I was afraid my confession would fail and I’d never be able to see you again……”
“That would never happen. Honestly, I thought I wasn’t worthy of receiving your love, Luina.”
I truly meant it. I had believed I was unworthy of Luina’s love. No matter how much the world praised me as a war hero, I felt I was far too lacking to receive the love of someone as perfect as her. I hadn’t even allowed myself to consider the possibility. That was why I felt so incredibly grateful—and so sorry—to Luina, who had found the courage to confess first.
“Don’t cry so much. Today is a happy day. For both you and me.”
I reached out, gently removed the mask from her face, and wiped away the tears streaming from her eyes. Slowly, Luina’s tears began to subside. Once they had finally stopped, she looked at me with slightly swollen, reddened eyes.
“…….”
Then she slowly closed her eyes. Her eyelids fluttered with nervous tension as she gazed at me through her closed lashes. Even though I couldn’t see her pupils, I could clearly feel her gaze beyond those eyelids. After receiving her confession today—something I had completely overlooked until now—I was no longer blind to her feelings. I knew exactly what her action meant right now.
If that was the case, then all I had to do was give her what she wanted.
“…….”
Click.
I removed the mask I had been wearing as well. Since there was no one around to see us, I felt no hesitation. The moment the stifling mask came off, the nearly set sun cast its final rays, dazzling my eyes. And within that sunset light, I leaned my face closer to Luina’s.
───.
Shorter than any other, this was the period that marked the end of today.