Chapter 62
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 62
Chapter Title: Plan
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Like most people, Tae-jin had always enjoyed comics and novels.
He had one lingering question that nagged at him, just like anyone else. A common trope in stories: the glint in one's eyes.
'Do eyes really sparkle like that?'
Of course, eyes could convey a wealth of emotions.
But to be precise, Tae-jin thought it wasn't so much the pupils themselves, but the expressions formed around them.
For instance, using the eyebrows, eyelids, or muscles around the eyes to show feeling.
However, as he watched Ariete now, Tae-jin realized this must be what they meant by a glint in the eyes.
Behind her sparkling green pupils, fierce emotions were exploding.
'I need to be careful.'
No matter what Tae-jin was thinking, Richer was deep in conversation with Ariete.
"Don't worry. I just got back—there's no reason for me to leave so soon."
"But that man earlier asked when you were going."
"He must have mixed it up with someone else's story. My master is so old that his memory isn't what it used to be."
Richer explained patiently, but she couldn't shake off her anxiety so easily.
The word "leave" had pulled the trigger, unleashing a long-pent-up stress that had built up over time.
"No, Master is going to leave. I'll be left alone again."
"I don't abandon my disciples so easily."
"When I'm burning people alive on the battlefield, I remember the times I spent with you, Master. It's warm. Did you think of me too?"
"Ariete. Calm down."
"That's why I couldn't leave the battlefield. I can't burn people wherever I want elsewhere. I love the blazing sun so much. How wonderful it would be if I could burn like the sun too. If flames enveloped me, could I live forever in those memories?"
"Calm down, Ariete. Ariete."
"On nights when it rains and thunder roars, I run outside. Seeing lightning makes me think of you, Master. It doesn't matter if there's a battle the next day. I sneak away, climb the tallest hill, scramble up a tree. From there, I stare at the pitch-black sky all night. And when the lightning strikes, I dance alone. Hoping the bolt sees me. Praying it strikes me. Wishing you'd embrace me."
"I told you again: I don't abandon my disciples easily. You know that better than anyone. If I were as heartless as that, I would have killed you that day. But I couldn't let you go."
"When I look back over that long time, even hazy memories sharpen into focus. Master, has my sin become clear enough now? If you're going to leave me behind, just kill me instead."
It didn't take psychiatric knowledge to realize something was wrong with her.
Ariete would listen to Richer, then trail off into monologues or ramble incoherently about unrelated things.
But Richer handled her with endless patience. He repeated explanations three times over if needed, or simply held her in silence. His face was etched with sorrow.
The only time Ariete truly calmed was when Richer embraced her.
She looked like a cat settling onto a warm cushion, basking quietly in his body heat. She'd bury her nose in his chest, inhale his scent deeply, and wear an expression of bliss.
"Ariete. Do you have any painkillers?"
"Yes. Yesss. Yesss."
She rummaged through her clothes and pulled out a medicine bottle.
"Can you give me just one?"
"Take them all. Not just the pills—take me too. Take everything I have. Just say the word. I'll give you everything I own. If I don't have it, I'll steal it for you."
"No, that's not necessary."
Ariete finally insisted, thrusting the entire bottle at Richer. It was pitiful, the way she writhed to give him even a little more.
"Ariete. I'll tuck you in tonight. Come on, to your place."
Ariete clung to Richer with a face full of ecstasy.
And before leaving, Richer handed the medicine bottle to Tae-jin.
"Keep these safe. I'll be right back."
Richer half-carried Ariete away.
Not much time passed before Richer returned. It felt like less than an hour.
"Her condition is worse than I thought. How'd you get back?"
"Gave her a sleeping pill and put her to bed. She's out cold."
Richer looked utterly drained.
"Bring me the medicine I gave you earlier."
Tae-jin fetched it, and Richer rummaged through a cabinet, pulling out a small mortar. With careful movements, he ground the pills into a fine powder.
He examined the tiny grains mixed in with the white pills, tasted them on his tongue, sniffed them.
Renata, sensing something interesting, prowled around the two men. But nothing exciting happened.
"Oh dear."
"What? What's wrong?"
"I suspected as much, but it looks like even the Empire thinks Ariete's condition is severe. There are dangerous ingredients mixed in."
"Dangerous ingredients?"
"Plenty I don't recognize, and even more I have no way to identify. But I know two for sure. First, these dark green flecks. Definitely narcotic. Used when War Mages get hard to control."
Richer sniffed again before continuing.
"And this thick, bitter scent with a faint metallic tang—can you smell it?"
"Not really, but now that you mention it, yeah, kinda."
"That's an anti-anxiety and antidepressant. After unleashing magic on the battlefield, they feed you this, so eventually you start seeing war as comfortable. The Empire's secret to squeezing every last drop out of their War Mages."
It was a cynical assessment, a cruel prescription.
To forget your depression, you had to kill. How did the Empire view its War Mages?
"Did you live on stuff like this too, old man?"
"Nah. Got my own from back alleys. Weaker effect, but kept my head clear."
"Then why is Ariete taking this junk?"
"Used to share mine with her, but she killed the pharmacist."
No sooner had the topic shifted than talk of Ariete's killings came up. How many had she slain?
Richer slumped onto the sofa and pulled Renata, who had been wandering aimlessly, onto his lap. A small peace settled in.
Tae-jin sat beside him and spoke up.
"So, what's the plan now?"
"First, get out of the capital. Out of the Empire entirely if we can."
"Possible?"
"There's a chance, and it's something we have to do. Don't let your guard down just because the Empire isn't grabbing you yet. By the time they move, it's too late. We need to boost our odds of slipping away."
"What about Ariete?"
"Pondered it until this morning. A bit risky, but traveling together might be best for her if I could control it. But now? No way. Her state is too far gone."
"That bad?"
"Roughly speaking... yeah."
Richer paused, organizing his thoughts. So much to say, he seemed unsure where to start.
"The Empire gave Ariete leave. That's why we met her in Mercia City. And they haven't sent her back to the front yet."
Tae-jin tried thinking like a veteran, but couldn't spot the issue.
"So? People get leave sometimes."
"The problem is they forced her on leave. They can't be sure whether she'd do more damage to the enemy or her own side. Not sending her back confirms it."
"That serious?"
"Yeah. They don't grant leave easily, and when it's ending, they send someone to tag along early. Drag you back right on schedule."
"Why? Wouldn't decent leave make them fight harder?"
"Too many War Mages suicide on return day or the day before. No leave, no return."
"What the hell?"
"That's the place. And... if we traveled with Ariete, I'd put your odds of dying before summer at fifty percent."
"Her health an issue? She didn't look sick earlier."
"Not her. You. Fifty percent chance she kills you."
Tae-jin yelped in shock. Why me all of a sudden?
"You said it'd be fine next to you!"
Renata grimaced at the shout right by her ear.
A fluffy rabbit punch flew, but Tae-jin blocked it easily with his palm.
"I said it before: her condition is dire. High chance she'd kill you even playing blind man's bluff. Say, stand watch pretending to sleep, then blame it on a werewolf."
"Who'd fall for that?"
"That's what 'dangerous mental state' means. Don't judge by common sense. This isn't mild neurosis."
"Even so. She said she'd avoid your wrath."
"True. But she's smart too. She knows I won't fully abandon her, no matter what."
The story skipped steps, but the meaning was clear.
"So, kill me and beg forgiveness after?"
"Entirely possible. Or not. Fifty-fifty."
Richer burst out laughing as he said it.
"Come to think of it, you're lucky she didn't kill you when she came home. Whatever she tried wouldn't have been surprising."
Tae-jin shot Richer a glare, annoyed at the joke about his life.
"Anyway, we're leaving Ariete behind and bailing on the Empire?"
"Yeah. Before they grab you to create variables."
"Tch. Got it. Plan hasn't changed much. No new companion, just grab the intel and go."
"Right. Tonight, let's map a route. Head toward the border without raising suspicion, then slip out when the time's right."
"Okay. Let me know when it's done. Gotta sync with Garam too."
As Tae-jin started to rise, Richer stopped him.
"Where do you think you're going?"
"What? I don't know geography. Can't plan routes or schedules. You handle it."
"No. You have your own job."
Richer handed Tae-jin the thick book and scrolls from Hilario.
"Memorize this."