Ending Maker Chapter 109
Ending Maker Chapter 109
Chapter 39 - Encounter #3
At the same time, in the Skyroof Mountains.
Yuder and Cordelia flinched and opened their eyes at the same time.
It was because of a voice that had come with the sound of the wind.
"Did you hear that too?"
When Cordelia asked in a hushed voice, Yuder slowly nodded.
He spoke in a low voice, as if to confirm.
"It was 'Is someone there......' right?"
"Yeah."
Cordelia answered Yuder with a tense expression. No, rather than tense, she looked slightly frightened.
And at that very moment.
"You're there, right? You're there, aren't you?"
The voice came again.
A frail woman’s voice drifted plaintively on the harsh wind, as though being swept away by it.
"What? What is this?"
Cordelia hugged Yuder tightly and spoke quickly. Her face was clearly terrified to anyone watching.
"Cordelia? Are you okay?"
"Is it a g-ghost? They said there's no one here."
A land where not only people but even wild gods could not live.
And in such a place, a woman's voice had come. Eerily, riding the wind.
'The words are weird too!'
Are you there?
You're there, right?
Wasn't this exactly the pattern from scary stories?
"Uuuu......."
Cordelia did not particularly like scary stories.
Whenever someone suggested telling scary stories at a retreat or something, there was always at least one kid in the class who thrashed around saying they wouldn't listen and covered their ears. Cordelia was exactly that type.
'It keeps coming back to me!'
When going to the bathroom at night.
When riding the elevator alone at night.
When walking alone on a night road.
"You're...... there, right? You can hear...... my voice, right?"
The voice drew closer.
But the closer it came, the clearer it became that this was not a human voice.
A voice that tore along the wind.
A tone slightly different from an ordinary woman's—slow and eerie.
"Eep."
Even more frightened, Cordelia squeezed her eyes shut entirely and hugged Yuder tightly.
And Yuder thought.
'She's even cuter when she's scared.'
How could she be this pretty and cute?
But this was no time to be leisurely admiring her.
Cordelia's hugs were always welcome, but if she kept squeezing like this, something—his back or his waist—was going to break.
She was weaker than Yuder, but her level was still monstrous, and her physical ability easily surpassed that of an ordinary adult man.
"Cordelia, don't tell me you're scared of ghosts?"
At Yuder's question, Cordelia flinched, then glared—no, looked at Yuder with a face that seemed about to cry.
'What, so you're not scared?'
It's a ghost, you know?
Yuder, who understood her meaning through her eyes as always, smiled—as much as a wolf's face allowed—and said,
"No, I mean, this is that kind of world. Even if a ghost shows up, couldn't we just exterminate it? With holy power or magic."
Because this was that kind of (?) world.
Yuder reduced ghosts and supernatural phenomena to the everyday (?) occurrence of "Monster A has appeared," and Cordelia blinked. She answered in a small voice.
"Oh, right?"
"Exactly."
"That's right. Most problems can be solved with explosions."
If you blow up a ghost, it'll die too!
"Hmm...... I feel like that's not quite right, but let's go with that for now."
The important thing was that Cordelia had regained her energy.
Cordelia's blue eyes seemed to have taken on a slightly dangerous gleam, but Yuder was satisfied that she had recovered her spirit, and he turned his gaze toward the tent entrance.
"Answer me...... You're...... there."
The voice came again.
It was extremely vivid, as if it were right by the tent.
"Let's go out first. We're at a disadvantage inside."
The two of them were currently inside a rock crevice that had been forcibly widened.
In this state, they could not properly dodge, flee, or attack.
"Got it, let's go out."
She seemed frightened by the voice again, but Cordelia answered with a much better expression than before and released Yuder, whom she had been clutching in her arms.
"To human form."
When Yuder spoke quietly, the transformation was undone.
Yuder gathered up the black wolf pelt, then lifted Cordelia onto his back again and tightened the baby wrap securely.
"You wear the wolf pelt."
"Mm-hmm."
Cordelia had been low on mana to begin with, which was why they had sought a place to rest, and she was still drained.
Since she could not use shield magic, she had to maintain her body temperature with the wolf pelt at least.
"What about you, Yuder?"
"I'm fine. I have the Nine Heavens Nine Gates."
When Yuder said this with a grin, Cordelia blinked, then smiled brightly.
"Why?"
"No, I was just thinking how much you’ve changed. It feels like only yesterday you were using the Nine Yin Meridian Blockage as an excuse to dodge everything. Your big sis is very moved."
"I'm keeping my promise well, right?"
He had promised to carry her once the Nine Yin Meridian Blockage was cured, and these days he carried her almost every day.
"Yeah, yeah, you’re doing great. Our Yuder keeps his promises. Big sis is very proud of you."
Cordelia pulled her hand out of the wrap and tapped Yuder on the head, and Yuder laughed again.
And at that moment.
"Answer...... me. Answer...... You're...... there......."
Maybe it was his imagination, but the voice seemed to carry a hint of irritation compared to before.
As if it were shouting at them to stop flirting and come out already.
"Anyway, let's go."
"Yeah, yeah."
Cordelia tucked her hand back into the wrap and swallowed dryly, and Yuder carefully opened the tent flap.
He sharpened his senses to prepare for any possible attack and kicked off the ground.
WHOOSH!
Yuder shot up nearly five meters from inside the tent.
He scanned the surroundings from that position, and Cordelia said,
"Over there!"
Near the rock where the two of them had been.
As if she really were a ghost, a translucent woman's figure was wavering along the wind.
'She's not a wild god.'
No matter what anyone said, Yuder and Cordelia were the official guardians of the Wild Lands.
Any Wild God under the Golden Dragon King should have been recognizable as a Wild God regardless of form.
But the woman was not one.
Then what was she?
Really a ghost?
Or—
"A spirit."
The moment Cordelia spoke, the woman raised her head and looked at Yuder.
Her face with its distinct features was certainly beautiful, but it was obvious at a glance that she was not human.
Despite the bone-cutting cold, the woman was completely naked without a single thread on her, and her eyes had no whites. Her large eyes were entirely one color.
'A snow spirit?'
Or was she a wind spirit?
Instead of launching an attack, Yuder approached the woman, and the woman with long white hair spoke again from within the wind.
"So you...... were here. I waited...... so long. I kept...... waiting. For someone...... to come......."
At the woman's words, Yuder furrowed his brow.
Even assuming the woman before him was a spirit, how had she found Yuder and Cordelia?
And what did she mean by saying she had waited?
"Ah! I get it."
Just then, Cordelia's voice came from behind him.
Because she was covered by the wolf pelt, her voice was muffled as she continued.
"The phoenix feather."
"Ah."
Yuder understood too.
A byproduct obtained in the process of capturing the phoenix.
He had briefly forgotten about it after putting it in Cordelia's hair, but Cordelia had been treasuring it in her own way.
'It has the aura of a powerful spirit...... so it makes sense she'd recognize it.'
Moreover, given the circumstances, the woman was likely a snow or wind spirit, so she was the natural opposite of the phoenix, a fire spirit.
To the woman, the phoenix feather must have stood out as clearly as a sliver of light in the darkness.
'Which makes it even stranger.'
Why would she come to them when they were natural opposites?
Judging by how she said she had waited, she must have something to ask of them.
"Come here, come here. Before...... General Winter comes."
The woman took a step closer and reached out both arms, and Yuder reflexively stepped back, narrowing his eyes.
General Winter.
A woman telling them to go somewhere with her.
"Let's follow her."
"Cordelia?"
"We can't just ignore her anyway. And a quest came in, so we should at least check it out."
At that rotten-fossil answer, Yuder furrowed his brow, but soon accepted it.
And although he had mentioned the Nine Heavens Nine Gates, the cold of the Skyroof Mountains was still murderous.
If they stayed outside like this, Cordelia's body would suffer, never mind Yuder himself.
"We will go with you. Please lead the way."
When Yuder packed up the One-Pyeong Coziness and spoke politely, the spirit woman smiled brightly and turned around.
"Follow...... me."
The woman moved forward, and Yuder began to run after her.
And Cordelia said in a small voice.
"Don't look at anything weird. Got it?"
"Yep."
Hmm, should he consider this jealousy?
He hoped so.
Yuder laughed quietly, then turned his gaze forward again, and after a moment of deliberation, fixed his eyes on the back of the woman's head as her hair fluttered.
And after about five minutes.
Whether she trusted Yuder's mobility or simply had no thoughts at all, the woman, who had been moving at a fairly fast pace, stopped in front of a large natural cave.
"It's...... here. Come...... inside."
Having said that much, the woman scattered away with the wind.
It was like a flame dying out.
"Y-Yuder?"
"I think we've arrived. Hang in there a little longer."
It had only been about five minutes, but Cordelia's voice had grown very weak, as if she had lost a lot of body heat.
Yuder hurriedly threw himself into the cave, and at that moment, his eyes went wide.
The cave had a wide-open entrance, yet the temperature changed the moment he stepped inside.
'It's warm?'
Yuder was momentarily flustered, but soon stopped worrying about it. The important thing was that the cold had disappeared.
"Cordelia, are you okay?"
"Mm-hmm...... I'm okay. What about you?"
"Me? I'm sturdy."
Yuder answered with deliberate exaggeration and looked around again.
The inside of the cave was quite spacious, and no matter how he looked at it, it was an artificial structure.
'Did they expand a natural cave?'
Like the dwarves' underground cities.
"This...... way."
The woman's voice came again.
It was in front of a structure located at the very back of the cave.
"No matter how I look at it, it looks like an elevator...... right?"
At Yuder's question, Cordelia, who had barely opened her eyes, nodded.
"I think so."
A large cylindrical structure with a door in the middle.
From here, they would move underground.
In this land where even Yuder and Cordelia, who had winter's blessing, had to worry about freezing to death, those who could construct a structure of this scale.......
'Magellan?'
The magic kingdom built by the ancient elves.
Perhaps their city had been hidden beneath the Skyroof Mountains all along.
"Hurry...... quickly......."
Yuder nodded at the woman's urging, adjusted Cordelia on his back once more, and stepped forward.
* * *
Gale and Adelia looked at each other.
At first Gale had been standing with Adelia in his arms. Now they were still embracing, but facing each other.
Gale supported Adelia's back and waist with one arm, and Adelia, with both hands clasped over her chest, let out a heated breath.
A close distance.
Gale stroked Adelia's cheek with his remaining hand, and Adelia let out another breath. She looked at Gale with slightly hazy eyes and said,
"O-one more time."
Gale was momentarily flustered, but soon smiled. He pressed his lips to Adelia's once more.
It was a kiss so innocent—just lips touching lips—that it was hard to believe it was between a man nearing thirty and a woman entering her mid-twenties, but it was enough.
Their lips parted again.
They put distance between themselves, and Adelia thought.
That it was a little different from what she had seen in storybooks.
That it was also different from Samantha's stories, which she had pretended not to want to hear while listening intently.
They said there would be a tingling thrill, but there was nothing like that at all.
There was no sudden overwhelming sensation when their lips touched, either.
But still, she felt a truly strange feeling.
A truly strange feeling—a feeling she could only describe as strange.
A feeling that made laughter spill out oddly.
Adelia pursed her lips with a reddened face, and Gale caressed her cheek. He kissed her once more.
'Three times.'
Adelia, whose blood had begun rushing to her head again, flinched but did not avoid it, and parted her lips slightly.
But that was as far as it went. Gale slowly pulled his lips away. Adelia opened her eyes in disappointment, but there was nothing to be done.
"Father..."
Not “the Count,” but “Father.”
The subtle shift in address was a change in itself, but at the content, Adelia's mind snapped awake.
She asked in a very small voice.
"Is he watching?"
"It's not exactly that...... but he does seem to be timing his entrance."
Gale, who had reached the realm of a master, could tell.
No, he could tell with just his imagination.
The image of Count Chase hiding behind a rock, fidgeting as he agonized over whether to come out now or not.
"Ugh."
Adelia covered her face with both hands and let out a groan.
Because it had suddenly come back to her.
That she had been the one to kiss his cheek first, and that she had pestered him for one more.
And the embarrassment added on top of that.
'Dad!'
Count Chase had not exactly done anything wrong on purpose, but she resented him anyway.
And Gale brought his face close to Adelia's ear.
It was to leave behind the words he absolutely had to say before facing Count Chase.
"Adelia."
"Yes?"
"I like you."
At those plain words, Adelia's heart stopped. No, it began to race madly.
"I-I...... I also......."
I like you too.
The last words were spoken so quietly that even Adelia herself did not know whether she had actually said them or not, but it was enough.
Gale hugged Adelia tightly once more, then steadied his breathing.
In truth, Adelia's face was so flushed that it was less noticeable, but Gale's face was also bright red.
'I have a newfound respect for them.'
For Yuder and Cordelia.
How had they gone around saying such things in public?
Gale swallowed the words that would have made Cordelia writhe in embarrassment if she heard them—and would have made Yuder grin wickedly and say "just as planned"—then stood Adelia upright and raised his voice.
"Count Chase! It's Gale! Lady Adelia is with me as well!"
"Ahem, ahem!"
A cough answered his booming call.
After a moment's wait, Count Chase emerged from behind the rock. He looked around as if searching for the source of the voice, then opened his eyes wide as if he had only just spotted Gale and said,
"What a coincidence."
With his usual dignified expression.
As if he had just arrived.
'Ah, please. Dad, please. Dad, don't do this.'
As Adelia screamed silently, Gale simply smiled good-naturedly and stepped forward. He still held Adelia with one arm.
"Hm."
And Count Chase, who had been quietly watching Gale, narrowed his eyes.
In a normal situation, he should have asked the usual questions—what had happened, who they had fought, whether they were hurt, and so on—but instead he brought up something entirely different.
"You've gotten quite scrawny since I last saw you."
"Pardon?"
At the unexpected remark, Gale's eyes went round, and Adelia covered her face with both hands. Count Chase struggled to hide a satisfied smile.
He lifted a spatial-expansion bag stuffed with other bags and said,
"I happened to obtain this on the way here. Take it."
Then he opened the bag.
He took a bag out of the bag, then took out an item that was clearly wrapped with great care and held it out to Gale.
"It's nothing much."
"Ah...... yes. Thank...... you."
'Dad...... please.......'
Right after Gale spoke awkwardly and Adelia answered in her heart—
Count Chase sealed the bag with restrained emotion, then put on a dignified expression again.
"What happened?"
An ambiguous question whose meaning could change depending on interpretation.
Gale and Adelia turned to each other and exchanged a still-clumsy, wordless conversation with their eyes.
'I'll do it.'
'Yes, then I will.'
'Leave it to me.'
'Trust me.'
Was it still too much for them after all?
The two, who had exchanged a perfect misunderstanding, smiled at each other and turned back to Count Chase.
As if they had made a promise, they opened their mouths at the same time.