Chapter 15
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 15
Chapter Title: Oz Eldis
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I hadn't expected to run into her here of all places, so I was caught completely off guard.
"Hello..."
It was weird enough that I was greeting her in this wistful way, like some ex from years ago, but her reaction was even stranger.
"Y-Yeah... what are you doing here?"
Oz halted mid-stride as she burst in.
Her startled eyes darted back and forth between me and Parovian, who lay in the bed.
"How do you know my grandfather...?"
Just then, Parovian's low voice came from behind her.
"I didn't say a word."
What? He was awake?
Or maybe he'd woken up again because Oz had come in so noisily.
More importantly, what did he mean by not saying anything?
As I mulled over his words, I noticed Oz's shoulders trembling slightly.
"...Don't even say that."
"Anyway... I'm the one who's hurt here. Why are you just standing there in front of some stranger?"
At Parovian's teasing remark, Oz didn't snap back. Instead, she approached her grandfather with a voice thick with emotion.
"Grandfather..."
I'd never seen that look on her face before.
She always had this cold, rigid image.
Whatever the case, it finally got her eyes off me.
Truth be told, I hadn't done anything wrong to Oz.
If I had to pick something, maybe that one time I used her as an excuse with Raistel?
We weren't even particularly close to begin with.
But she had this habit of glaring at me to avoid eye contact.
Every time our eyes met, it felt like I'd done something wrong.
Still, I hadn't expected familiarity to outweigh the awkwardness after all this time.
"I'll... come back later."
"Leaving already?"
"Yes. Spend some time with your family, and I'll visit afterward. Thank you sincerely for saving my life."
I bowed deeply.
Parovian waved it off with a chuckle.
"It was only natural to protect you after you got caught up helping with my mission."
He caught his breath a bit before continuing.
"And I heard about the instructions you gave Raistel."
"Is that so?"
"You handled it well. A Transcendent will come to see you soon. Best to prepare yourself."
"Understood. Even so, I wanted to give my proper thanks."
As I offered my final goodbye, Parovian brushed it off with a casual laugh.
"Even showing that kind of courtesy to my granddaught—... urk."
He cut off mid-sentence, about to say something about Oz.
Oz had grabbed his arm to stop him.
"No. You should go now."
"Uh, alright."
I nodded in a daze.
...But was it okay to grab an injured man's arm like that?
As the sun began to set, someone knocked on the door of my inn room.
I wondered if it might be the Transcendent, but when I opened the door, there was a familiar mop of indigo hair.
...Oz?
Why had she come to see me?
Was she here to assassinate me, blaming me for her grandfather's condition?
"Long time no see?"
"Yeah."
"Let's talk for a bit."
"Uh... want to step outside?"
"Why? Come inside. It's hot out there."
"Hm..."
As I hesitated, Oz let out an incredulous scoff.
But to me, this was a life-or-death matter.
Considering her talent as a kid, she could kill me without a trace.
"What, you think I'm gonna eat you or something?"
She saw right through me.
I fumbled for a lame excuse to cover my fluster.
"N-No, it's just... no good place to chat. Come in if you want."
"..."
In the end, I had no choice but to let her in.
I turned with the door open, showing her the plainly visible room.
There was just a bed and some artifacts scattered on the floor.
Oz paused at the sight.
"Ah, hold on. Let me clean up a bit."
Maybe she was shocked by the mess, like some duke's daughter walking into a pigsty. I hurriedly gathered the artifacts.
"Come on in."
"...Huh? Oh, yeah."
Once inside, Oz hesitated, her feet tense as if ready to bolt.
She wasn't disgusted by stepping on the floor, was she?
I couldn't worry about that much.
I plopped down on the bed.
"So? What do you want to talk about?"
"..."
Unlike her usual bold self, she approached cautiously and perched carefully on the edge beside me.
With no words forthcoming, I naturally turned to look at her. Our eyes met.
"What is it?"
"Huh?"
The moment our gazes locked, she suddenly shoved my shoulder.
"D-Don't sit so close."
...Had I been that close?
I'd just looked at her.
But since she said not to, I leaned my upper body back further.
Only then did her expression soften a bit. She looked like her familiar self again.
"Grandfather told me. You're helping him on Sir Raistel's recommendation."
"Yeah. It's like a commission. I'm getting paid for it."
"Grandfather... don't worry too much. A lot of people misunderstand because of his age, but he's incredibly tough. The injury isn't that serious."
I hadn't misunderstood. Anyone could see he was sturdy.
"I heard you dropped out of the Graduate Academy..."
"Yeah. ...Yeah?"
How did she know that?
I was surprised for a moment but quickly composed myself.
...Well, sure. Someone from a duke's family could find that out with a word. What surprised me was that she'd bothered to mention my name for it.
I'd thought the vibe wasn't awkward, but apparently it was.
Our exchange felt superficial, skimming the surface.
But that was right. We never had much in common to begin with.
What had she come here to say?
Sensing the awkwardness too, she hesitated before speaking again.
"Grandfather didn't say anything else?"
"Anything else?"
My head tilted naturally.
The question was too vague.
What "else" did she mean?
Realizing her slip, she bit her lip slightly.
She was acting weird today.
Had time mellowed her out this much?
Come to think of it... back then, she disliked me because of Academy scores.
I'd thought even then that it'd be nothing once we left the Academy.
I'd never taken top spot after the first exam anyway.
"No, I mean... anything about me."
"With Grandfather? Never once. I only knew he was your grandfather from seeing your name."
"Really?"
Relief washed over her face.
She even relaxed like a weight had lifted, reverting to her old expression.
"Well, looks like you're doing fine anyway."
Back to her poking, prodding tone.
She shot to her feet.
"Guess I should head out."
Her voice was nonchalantly matter-of-fact.
She looked relieved, like she'd accomplished her goal.
"That's it?"
"What else?"
Oz scowled.
"You didn't think anything weird, did you?"
"..."
I had. Weird thoughts.
I'd thought she came to assassinate me.
To take my life.
Seriously.
"W-Wait, you actually did?"
Her face hardened.
I had no idea why it was turning red, but I frantically shook my head side to side.
"No, I didn't."
"...For real?"
"Yeah, for real."
"Your face shows it when you lie."
"That was years ago."
"...Was it?"
Oz nodded a few times to herself, then strode out without hesitation.
Unlike coming in, she left without a second thought. That seemed like her real personality, but as I'd said, years had passed.
Her mellowing out was only natural.
But it ended without much substance.
More precisely, it felt like we'd just traded empty words.
Should I be grateful she hadn't lunged at me to kill me?
'Feels like I just spouted nonsense.'
Truth be told, I'd been genuinely wary of her. Now that I knew it was nothing, I felt deflated.
Maybe I should've at least asked what she'd been up to lately.
I watched her back as she disappeared down the hall.
The next morning, someone knocked on my inn door again.
Thinking it might be Oz, I opened it to find a stranger—a handsome man with long golden hair.
I knew it instinctively the moment I saw him.
'A Transcendent.'
His appearance was extraordinary.
His golden locks were perfectly still, as if untouched by the breeze, and his skin gleamed pale, like it had never seen the sun.
He looked perfectly human, yet somehow unreal.
Like a statue. Or something stepped out of a masterpiece painting.
But those green eyes held a depth no ordinary person could possess—as if they'd witnessed thousands of years, piercing through everything.
He exuded an otherworldly aura, subtly detached from this world.
"You're Ivan Vieirn... right?"
His voice was languid, sending chills down my spine.
"Yes."
I nodded calmly.
My instincts screamed danger just looking at him, but there was no need to tense up.
I was the one who'd called for him, after all. And the one waiting.