53. Each's Concerns
After the cathedral tour guide ended somewhat, the three took a short break in the cathedral's cafe, drinking beverages. Those affiliated with the cathedral, like holy knights or priests, got half price. So Peco bought it for them.
“Ryly, what did you order?”
“Orangeade. Don't be greedy.”
Envious, Sugar sucked her strawberry latte long. Peco smiled softly at the cute sight.
“Is there anything else you're curious about? About the cathedral or anything else. I'll tell you as much as I can.”
A holy knight with a face you don't know or a stiff priest would be better than an unknown one, and Cedric was the one assigned to the kids. Responding to that thought, he's been taking good care of them.
Sugar asked while drinking, pulling the straw from her mouth.
“What will happen to us from now on?”
“Umm…”
Where to start explaining.
“Depending on your testimony, it might go one way or another… But probably, unless something changes, you won't be able to stay here. Since you've become a target of heresy once. I saw kids around your age wandering around. They're all kids who lost their families because of heresy. You can think of yourselves as the same.”
“… Will we be educated like those kids?”
The kids in front of the restaurant earlier. If only those kids, it seemed like some strange cult.
Peco, surprised by Sugar's hesitant reaction, let out an 'Ah!'
“Were you perhaps seeing the kids in the heresy interrogation process? The ones who were smiling brightly?”
“Yes… Do they do that to the kids here?”
“It's support. Mainly for kids with talent and enthusiasm. It's like an elite course. Did they do anything to you?”
“It wasn't that. They were welcoming… but it was a bit eerie.”
“Ahaha… They're not bad kids. Coming here is like experiencing a sad thing anyway. When they see a new face, they welcome with all their might. Maybe it was a bit burdensome.”
“Yes… well…”
“… It's their way of living. Smiling brightly is better.”
Peco swallowed the rest.
The kids who survived while adults were being nailed alive. Kids who witnessed their mother and unborn sibling being killed right in front of their eyes. Kids who endured experiments that couldn't be put into words.
Kids who, to survive, wrapped their already broken minds in revenge and hatred with smiles.
For adults, there's nothing to do. It's too late to save them. How can you tell someone breathing with only revenge to give up those feelings.
And these contents don't need to be told to the kids in front of you.
“Anyway… There's also a general education curriculum. You can choose freely. Is there anything else you want to ask?”
“I'm curious too. Can I go out freely?”
“Ah…”
Expression of difficulty in telling. Such reaction. Sugar clicked her tongue inwardly.
“Um… Well, of course! But you're still young, so when you get a bit older–”
“I know about my own constitution too. Please tell me the truth.”
Ryly, who had been listening quietly, also removed his mouth from the drink. Now is the time to concentrate.
Today's kids are quick to notice. Peco sighed and opened her mouth.
“… Yeah. The result of investigating your body was that you have a special constitution that adapts to the Dark God's power. So, given the circumstances, it's likely that the Shadow Cult is trying to worship you as a god. In the meantime, even if Ryly doesn't know, if Sugar goes out, they'll definitely use numbers…”
“Then, can I never leave here for the rest of my life?”
“Ah, no! That's not it. If you think about yourself and the world, you should save your body…”
“…”
Ryly, listening, opened his axe eyes. In contrast, Sugar just drank her orangeade peacefully with an unreadable expression.
“You don't like it? He's always saying only the right thing and it's annoying.”
Amid this, a heavy voice came from behind. Cedric.
“Commander!”
“Kid… Was your name Sugar? Whether you leave or not is your choice. I won't force you. Of course you don't want to leave here. If it weren't for the Ascension Festival, I wouldn't have come back to this boring place.”
“Commander!”
Such words from the Guardian's mouth. Peco, startled, jumped up.
“How much more of this world is there to see. You have to go to such places at least once. I want to play with my friends too. Right?”
“Ah, I want to go somewhere.”
“Where?”
“I want to enter Stille. With this friend. It's my dream.”
“A firm dream. Stille. Good.”
The academic city that the Saint's disciples floated, the Floating Island. The magic education institution Stille below it. Seongdo and Stille have very different personalities and atmospheres, but they are not bad relationships and they argue well.
“Do you want to become a mage?”
“Yes. I want to.”
“Good. Good.”
Cedric, who recalled such a place, stroked his beard and nodded, but soon put on a solemn expression.
“But remember that choices come with responsibility.”
He looked at Sugar slightly.
“If you get caught by them, it's not someone else's life that gets ruined, but your own. Leaving aside the possibility that your power could be misused and bring a crisis to the continent, of course. Of course, making sure that doesn't happen is our holy knights' job, but unfortunately, our power is terribly insufficient. There are many rescued, but there are too many who couldn't be saved.”
He muttered while sipping the coffee he brought, can't follow you all day– It's honest to speak calmly while seeming cold. Given the position of the speaker, it felt more weighty.
Peco, Cedric's direct subordinate, made a sad face. It's good to be honest, but don't speak too vaguely.
“… Well, you're still a kid. Too young to have such worries. For a while, forget everything and live here without worry. It's a blessed land protected by the Saintess. The safest place in the world.”
“It's boring again?”
“Yeah.”
He shook his bear-like body and laughed heartily.
“Bring the report today or tomorrow. As I said earlier, if there's something you want to say, come find me separately.”
He finished while mixing words with Sugar, glancing at Ryly, then walked in the direction he came from.
Watching that back, Ryly turned his head again, and there was Sugar gulping down orangeade like a storm.
“You're drinking that?!”
Instead of answering, from the mouth sticking out the tongue, a sweet orange scent came. Ryly twitched and snatched the drink. The drink wasn't even half left. The straw was full of Sugar's traces.
It's already gloomy. To give this kid true freedom, it's far, so the heart is stuffy. Such pranks. To contain that anger, he stretched Sugar's cheeks long.
“Gyaah,” Sugar's cry echoed.
***
Sugar, touching her tingling cheeks, entered the room alone.
Ryly said he had something to think about in his room for a while, so they parted for now and would meet again later.
“…Hah.”
Alone, Sugar finally exhaled. She erased the smile and made a serious expression.
Because of the holy knights' words earlier. It's a true word, so no mind to argue. To hide that feeling, she smiled brightly, but when alone, she can't help but feel down.
She is already marked by the cult. Who knows when they will reach out again.
Actually, there are precedents in some world. Life ruined, continent in crisis. Of course, for her in that world, no choice but to endure.
But now, she can choose.
To live her whole life in Seongdo for her own and the world's peace.
To find freedom and go out beyond the dangerous Seongdo.
What to do. She thought to boldly grasp freedom, but without uprooting the cult, it's hard.
Of course, if she becomes strong enough to confront the cult directly.
Accumulate power in the safe Seongdo, become as strong as the protagonist holding the Saint's staff, become New Super Sugar, and wipe out the cult!
“But how many years until then…”
She lay on the bed melting.
Anxiety. And guilt. Guilt towards friends. Because of this powerless self, they got marked by the cult too.
If it were the original Ryly, with a grimoire full of pages at adult age, the cult would be easy, but now Sugar's childhood friend is too young. In the meantime, the existence of the grimoire was revealed to the cult, so it's just sorry.
There are too many things to be sorry for to that kid. Many things to be grateful for.
Taught magic. Raised not to be crooked. Came to save when kidnapped, even while body was being tortured.
Thinking of that day, the chest still swells. The small-page grimoire. The voice calling by name saying came to save you. The hand leading while grabbing. The appearance protecting until covered in wounds.
And, without a word, holding each other's hands, exchanging hearts as if knowing the meaning, using magic.
It's a strange feeling. Using such huge magic still doesn't feel real. But the feeling of the hand grabbed that day is still clear, so it knows it's reality.
Lying on the bed looking at that left hand, a corner of the heart is strange.
Instant memory.
The appearance of stroking head, touching cheek, slightly smiling. The boy's blue gem-like eyes folded finely came to mind clearly.
“…”
Sugar quietly dove into the blanket. Something, every time recalling that memory, the heart doesn't calm.
“It’s nothing… it’s nothing…”
Just because it's refreshing. Because the precious younger brother opened his heart enough to do such things to her. It's refreshing.
So, isn't it evidence that he grew up properly? It's not pleasant to overstep one's place, but as the older brother, one must be happy for the younger brother's growth.
“Right, as a sister, as a friend, as an adult once, I must wish for that kid's happiness.”
Because I said I'll become family. Repeating such things, calming the heart.
Then, a cold thought lingers in the head.
“If alone… if that kid alone who removed the book's power…”
Even Rubshi with special eyes couldn't notice the book. If Ryly alone, perhaps hide identity and live freely outside Seongdo?
A friend with lots of curiosity. Full of desire to learn magic properly. Things to experiment, to see with own eyes, overflowing.
So, even if alone, go to Stille leaving me–
“…”
Ah.
Strange.
Thinking of the grace given to that kid, shouldn't I wish for that kid to achieve what he wants and be happy.
But why, when thinking of leaving his side, something keeps bothering me.
“Too selfish…”
Squatting on the bed, Sugar was devoured by her emotions.
She fiddled with her head, took off the headband and held it up.
A luxurious ribbon-made accessory. Precious gift from a friend. Not taste. It's something girls wear anyway.
Ambiguous about gender. Living as a woman, memories of a different gender life flowed in. This body properly recognizes being a 'girl'. Uses it well, but just that.
Still, it's a thing worn every day. Because the heart of the one who gave it is good, wears it.
Ryly sometimes looks at it. This headband, this white hair that matches the headband. Remembers the appearance when asked if cutting long hair is okay, immediately said no.
Then, a slight smile comes. The one who stroked it for a long time, soon got up from the seat. Can't be doing this, it's not like Sugar.
No time to be gloomy. Soon become strong and think about going to Stille 'together'.
Even if can't wipe out the cult, at least not to hold down the friend's ankle. Even alone, can fight.
Sugar, having decided, wore the headband and kicked the door open. She wanted to share this resolve with the friend. I made up my mind, so don't worry. I'll show that I can overcome boldly.
Immediately went to Ryly's room and knocked.
“Ryly? Are you there?”
[ … ]
“Can I come in?”
[ … ]
Quiet is strange. Slightly turning the door handle, the door opens.
“… Ryly?”
Pushed head in to check inside.
No one in the room.
Strange. He said he would go back to the room to think, but.
Strange, just tilting head, noise from far away.
“Wait!”
“Why are you always running away!”
In this quiet land, what is this. The Saint would jump out of the sarcophagus. Sugar turned head to the sound direction.
Several holy knights, in front of them one kid with face covered by hood. Sugar, entering the corridor where she stood, started a chase chase. Oh. Watching with interest, Sugar closed the door and relaxed her body.
And naturally jumped in, starting to run beside the kid.
Natural participation!
“You, who are you! Why are you following me!”
“Were you perhaps seeing a blond boy with blue eyes? Just from appearance, it looks like it would make several girls cry.”
“How would I know!”
Looking at this Sugar's head a bit strange, the kid, adding more power to the leg, ran with 'tang, tang' sounds. This action shows intent to fall.
“The kid who calls himself Ryly… really don't know?”
“No! Who the hell are you!”
“I'm Sugar.”
“Who asked for your name!”
Still, the kid who was shouting at the following Sugar.
.
.
.
At similar time.
A boy knocking on the door like Sugar.
Of course, the owner of that room is different. The owner of the gaze that kept looking at the boy. The office of Guardian Cedric.
Ryly was also noticing. Remembered saying if there is something to say, come anytime.
And, he vaguely noticed that he saw the grimoire that day.
[Come in.]
Calming the tense heart, soon response came. Opening the door, a bear-like man is standing.
“I was waiting.”
Ryly swallowed saliva.