Chapter 24
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 24
Chapter Title: The Boy and the Girl
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The next day.
Irene visited the Banus Marquis Family.
"You're here?"
"Yes. I came because I missed you, Yujin."
Hehe—
She flashed a captivating smile.
Watching her smile somehow made his heart feel healed.
At that moment, Silver Fang came panting up from behind and leaped into Yujin's arms.
"Oh my, how cute."
Pat pat—
Irene gently stroked Silver Fang's head.
Fortunately, Silver Fang didn't seem too displeased, as it neither growled nor bared its teeth.
On the contrary, it nestled into his arms, pushing its head forward as if asking for more pets.
Irene savored the soft fur against her hand and smiled faintly.
"Yujin."
"Hm?"
"Do you have some time before the martial tournament preliminaries start today?"
The martial tournament was an event where anyone with power—be they mages, knights, or regardless of status—could participate.
Normally held later in the year, the Emperor had decided to advance it to divert the empire's citizens' attention from the recent Fenrir incident.
And today was the day of the preliminaries.
Nod—
"I've got plenty of time. I'm not even participating in the tournament anyway."
That was Yujin's role.
Just standing sternly by the Emperor's side, watching the participants show off.
Honestly, from the position of a master like him, everyone below looked all the same.
'Frankly, showing up just once on the final day for a match with the winner would be fine.'
"Perfect. Then, want to go on a little date with me before the preliminaries begin?"
A date?
Date, huh...
Yujin nodded.
"Sure. But I don't have any pre-planned date course or anything."
"Hehe, that's fine. We can just wander wherever our feet take us, right?"
Snicker—
"True enough."
Bustle bustle—
The streets were unusually crowded.
Probably about half were people from across the empire gathered in the capital for the martial tournament.
"Everyone seems excited, huh, Yujin."
Yujin and Irene strolled the streets, disguised with hats.
"Looks like it. After all, it's the first festival since the war ended."
"Aren't you looking forward to it, Yujin?"
"Hmm... not really."
Irene, walking beside him, gave him a puzzled look.
"Not even a little?"
How to explain this...
'Ah.'
Right.
"Irene. Do you get excited watching ants fight each other?"
"Um... no?"
"That's exactly how this martial tournament feels to me."
Ordinary folk and other nobles might enjoy it, but not Yujin.
He'd already experienced enough fights to be sick of them, and the participants below him were all mediocre anyway—no spark of interest.
'Borrowing words from my past life...'
There was that saying about prelims being the most fun, but eh?
He wondered.
"Hmm... I think I get it but don't at the same time. Like watching first-circle chick mages peeping?"
Chick mages peeping...?
'Come to think of it, Irene's a genius too.'
A high mage who'd reached the sixth circle at a very young age.
The world considered it all but certain she'd reach archmage status given time.
"Something like that."
"Hehe, right?"
As they chatted amiably, Yujin's eyes caught a street vendor.
A stall selling fruit chunks skewered on long sticks, coated in hardened sugar.
'...Tanghulu?'
Tanghulu here?
'...Now that I think about it, this is a romance fantasy.'
A mass-produced one from South Korea, no less. Desserts like tanghulu floating around didn't feel out of place.
He led Irene to the stall.
"Two strawberry tanghulu, please."
The old vendor chuckled and quoted the price.
Yujin handed over the money without hesitation. The vendor gave him two strawberry tanghulu.
"Here you go."
Yujin handed one to Irene. She widened her eyes, not expecting him to give her something first.
'...Nice.'
Not an engagement ring, fancy dress, earrings, or necklace—nothing expensive—but Irene didn't mind.
What mattered was that Yujin had taken the initiative.
"...Thank you, Yujin."
Right now, the strawberry tanghulu in her hand felt more precious than anything. She almost wanted to keep it as a memento without eating it.
"Hm? Not gonna eat it?"
"It's just... such a shame. It's the first gift from you in so long..."
Yujin snickered at her demeanor.
She was kinda cute.
"Just eat it. I get the sentiment, but it's only tanghulu. I'll give you truly precious gifts from now on, so enjoy this one without worry."
At his words, Irene smiled softly.
"...Thank you, Yujin."
As they nibbled on their tanghulu bite by bite, the vendor owner spoke up.
"You two look like a married couple."
"...!!!!!!"
Irene's eyes widened at the word "married couple."
'Me and Yujin as husband and wife...!'
What a terrifying ring that had!
Husband and wife...!
"Yes, we are, Grandma."
The vendor owner looked at Irene, who was grinning with her hand on her chin, and the expressionless Yujin.
"Ho ho, you make a fine pair."
"Thank you, Grandma. Hope business booms for you."
"Aye, thank you."
After that, Irene, in high spirits, linked arms with Yujin, humming as they wandered the streets.
"Look at this, Yujin."
They watched a street magic show,
"Shall we try that too?"
tried dart-throwing at balloons,
"Hehe, this stray cat is so chubby."
and petted the belly of a plump stray cat lounging near a stall.
As they enjoyed these little things with Irene, Yujin suddenly noticed himself smiling.
He stopped and touched his mouth.
Sure enough, the corners were upturned.
As if he were utterly happy.
"Yujin?"
Irene turned back, sensing his sudden stop.
Meeting her puzzled gaze, Yujin snickered and approached her.
"Let's go."
Yujin took Irene's hand and resumed walking.
The crowd was thick, so they wouldn't lose each other. Of course, experts like Yujin and Irene could sense each other's presence even in a throng...
But they decided to forget that for now.
Wandering aimlessly, they arrived at an alley.
A narrow, eerie one.
Yujin narrowed his eyes at it.
'Hmm...'
This alley felt familiar.
Standing side by side, peering into the alley, Irene spoke softly.
"...Yujin, do you know this alley?"
"...What do you mean?"
"This alley has more meaning than you might think."
She murmured as if lost in thought.
Her gaze fixed on a spot deep inside. Following it, Yujin saw walls and floors stained black as if with dried blood.
'...That's.'
As Yujin realized something, Irene spoke.
"This alley is."
Her mind was stuck in the past at that moment.
"...where a lonely, fragile boy saved a naive, helpless girl who knew nothing of the world."
There was a boy with black hair and black eyes.
And a girl with purple hair and blue eyes.
"With trembling hands, he picked up a brick scattered on the ground."
Her gaze settled on a blackened brick at the end.
"The boy forced a stoic expression and charged at the men trying to kidnap the foolish girl."
Thud—
Thud—
The boy and men swung fists at each other.
"But since it was his first fight, he took hits from all sides."
Wounds accumulated on the boy's body.
Cuts from daggers, bruises from fists turning black and blue.
"Yet the boy wielded the brick to protect a girl he didn't even know, knocking the men down one by one."
Her gaze shifted to knife marks etched in the floor.
"Then, he drew a dagger from one of the men and slashed to end their lives. But since it was his first time killing, he didn't know vital spots and hacked wildly. Their bodies were mangled beyond recognition."
Stab—
Stab—
Stab—
Flesh and red blood splattered everywhere.
In that moment, the boy committed his first murder to save a stranger girl.
"That foolish girl was saved by the fragile boy's courage. An unforgettable experience. She realized someone could risk their life for a stranger because of her, and how badly they could get hurt."
Yujin understood what Irene was talking about.
Yes, this was...
"...That girl back then was you, Irene."
Irene, who'd been staring into the alley, turned to Yujin with a captivating smile.
"Yes, Yujin."
In his childhood, Yujin had been out with his fiancée Sena.
The mood wasn't sweet due to her realizing the rumors around him, but as fiancés, there was some thrill.
But it vanished quickly.
Yujin heard a girl's scream from a narrow alley. Drawn by the perilous voice, he left Sena and headed there.
'...That's where our relationship completely fell apart.'
And to save the naive girl, Irene, he committed murder.
Afterward, Sena arrived late, saw Yujin holding a dagger amid mutilated corpses, and fled.
Thereafter, Sena avoided his eyes.
As if repulsed by the blood smell from his body, unable to comprehend him slaughtering people.
Out of fear, she never heard him out.
No matter what Yujin said, Sena wouldn't believe him.
The malicious rumors already surrounded him, and the scene only confirmed them.
Grip—
'...'
As his consciousness sank toward sleep, Irene suddenly grabbed both his cheeks.
"I can't forget the blood smell on you back then. The blood you shed, the blood they made you shed—it was my life."
Irene's blue eyes reflected Yujin's childhood self. She breathed excitedly, recalling that blood scent.
A strange silence enveloped the alley.
The two facing each other. Irene's blue eyes to Yujin looked like a deep ocean.
And slowly, Yujin's head tilted. As if drowning in the sea, slowly.
Very, deeply.
Their lips met.