The Empty Woman
Frizzy, unkempt hair.
Dark circles that looked even deeper against her snow-white skin.
Worn-down nails and lifeless eyes.
This was... clearly not normal, at first glance.
She was an essential figure in my quest, so I'd planned to at least strike up a conversation.
'Talking to a human in that state is gonna be rough.'
I had no idea what to even say first.
"Hi"?
She'd ignore that for sure.
Hell, she'd probably think I was some creep hitting on her out of nowhere….
Compliment her looks or ask about her favorite food? Yeah, that'd scream pickup line.
Hmm, okay.
…Best to just stay quiet in situations like this.
I'll just pretend to look at the flowers too.
If I sit right next to her, maybe she'll say something first out of annoyance?
At the edge of the marble flower bed, a silver-haired woman crouched, staring blankly at the blades of grass with those dead eyes.
I knelt down beside her, mimicking her pose.
Our shoulders nearly brushing.
Honestly… this was awkward as hell.
But what could I do?
Quests don't complete themselves.
With that in mind, I scooted as close as possible to at least get her attention.
No dice, though. The silver-haired woman didn't twitch an inch, just kept staring at the flower.
No sign of discomfort at my uncomfortably close proximity, either.
What the hell's so special about that flower?
Now I was curious.
What could possibly be worth staring at like that?
To satisfy my curiosity, I sat there quietly for 10 minutes, 20… before I knew it, an hour had passed.
No movement from either of us the whole time.
The flower I'd been staring at for that hour wasn't anything special. Not breathtakingly beautiful, not fragrant.
Just an ordinary flower.
A slightly long green stem without a single thorn.
Petals in a golden hue close to orange.
"Looks like a sunflower."
That's all it was. Similar, anyway.
Of course, aside from the longer stem, it didn't resemble one at all.
But… it just reminded me, you know?
The orange petals made me think of the sun without realizing it…?
Just a casual mutter to myself.
But that offhand comment turned out to be a jackpot.
"…Who are you?"
Those vacant eyes that had been fixed on the flower now turned to me.
Pretty voice.
A bit raspy, like she hadn't had water in a while.
But a clean, elegant mid-low tone.
Anyway, to answer her question.
"A person…?"
Don't get me wrong.
I'm not picking a fight.
I'm just as clueless about what I am.
For real.
"You don't know me?"
Of course not.
How would I?
And honestly… if it weren't for the quest, I wouldn't care to.
"No clue."
"…Hah."
A short, hollow laugh, and those empty green eyes turned back to the flower.
Then silence again.
…Shit.
I'd wasted an hour trying to break the ice.
Now I realized it: I sucked at talking.
Blame it on most of my memories being gone.
I wasn't always like this.
I used to be good with words.
Probably…?
Anyway, chatting more today seemed impossible….
The conversation had fizzled out awkwardly.
Too vague to continue or wait for her to speak.
Wasting more time here? Better to explore somewhere new….
Not wanting to squander time, I carefully started to stand.
Or tried to.
"…Huh?"
My body wouldn't move.
Not psychological freeze—physical restraint.
Like someone had force-fitted me into a mold.
Magic.
The culprit? Obviously the woman next to me.
Why, though?
Did she just want company?
Yeah, right.
Probably pissed at my rude mouth.
Damn… shoulda worded it nicer.
Petty as hell to trap me over clumsy talk….
I was on a tight schedule, every minute precious.
But time slipped away helplessly.
Precious time wasted without a care.
The sun climbed highest.
Then dipped, turning to sunset.
Still, the silver-haired woman and I held our positions.
If others were around, time might've flown faster….
Where the hell were all the popular kids? Not a soul in sight.
Hours on the same flower.
Staring at it that long, thoughts about it started piling up.
What's its name?
Does Earth have it too?
Flower language?
Questions spawned delusions to kill the boredom.
Until sunset faded.
And a bit more time passed.
When even the sunset grew dim.
"Your name?"
The tedious silence broke.
"Shin Iheon."
"…I know."
Then why ask?
What the hell.
Yusiel, this girl—Hero party members were all nuts.
Silence again.
Time ticking away, killing me….
I tried to speak first, but my mouth wouldn't open.
…Atmosphere's heavy as lead.
"Know this flower's name?"
Flower name, huh.
No idea.
"Nope."
"Hah…."
Hey, sighing won't make me know it.
"Sunflower."
"Its name is Sunflower…?"
She ignored my question, offering no answer or interest.
…She needs conversation lessons.
Whoever named it was lazy as hell.
Whatever, names aside.
Had to keep this rare dialogue going.
"What's its flower language?"
"…."
Hey, answer me.
Let's talk, please.
Driving me insane.
Time flowed once more.
Until the crimson sky turned black.
My mind blank, just letting time pass.
Sellin El Soladion—who was she?
The fourth princess of the Soladion Empire.
A beauty to topple nations.
And now, a fallen sun—a deposed princess.
She showed interest in nothing, as usual.
Her only fixation: occasionally gazing at the sunflowers in the dormitory flower bed when thoughts of that person surfaced.
That person who vanished alone without warning.
Who abandoned us all and left by himself.
Gazing at this flower always brought back memories of him.
Allowing her to relive the anger and hatred buried in her heart, moment by moment.
Today's reason for staring at the sunflower was no different.
As always, thoughts of him—who'd given her sudden hope then fled alone—had arisen, drawing her to confirm her feelings toward him, just as before.
Yes, today should have been the same as always… it was supposed to be.
'…Annoying.'
A man sitting right beside her, at an irritatingly close distance.
The academy's infamous parachute trash.
Nothing more, nothing less.
She'd given him a glance at first because his name format resembled that person's, just in case.
But in the end, he was just trash.
The kind who'd normally hole up in his room, never venturing out.
So why today, of all days, was he pulling this irritating stunt?
'…Hah.'
Sellin El Soladion didn't show it outwardly, but negative emotions churned inside….
Still, her emotions were too precious to waste on something like this.
They were already worn thin, drying up.
Worthless to spend on trash like him… Sellin El Soladion was quite worn down herself.
In a life of repetition, people grow numb, crumble.
She had. Her comrades had.
As her life piled up, emotions wore away, withered.
But one person.
Only he had faintly refilled her emotions.
…And he'd abandoned them alone.
'…Sunflower.'
Among the memories sparked by the sunflower, the story he'd told Sellin El Soladion.
A world with a flower like the sunflower—one this world lacked.
Its name: sunflower.
The memory of learning that name was etched into Sellin El Soladion.
Like a dragon's reverse scale—touch it, and who knew how it'd erupt.
But it didn't matter.
No one would touch that scale anyway.
He'd left them, and no one in this world knew the name "sunflower."
With those thoughts, Sellin El Soladion had lived.
Cramming mounting rage into that one untouchable scale.
Believing it would never burst.
Forcing in the ever-growing fury….
"…Looks like a sunflower."
The trash right beside her.
The academy parachute with a name like his.
Had touched Sellin El Soladion's reverse scale.
His actions today—so unlike his usual trash self.
And he knew that name, known only to him and her.
Just those two facts let Sellin El Soladion grasp the situation perfectly.
'…You've come back. Again.'
That person had returned.
The one who'd abandoned them.
More than anyone in the world.
More than this repulsive quest that had become their leash.
The one she hated most had returned.