Chapter 580: Opened Doors (1)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 580: Opened Doors (1)
Even one.
Was there a person out there who could say they had never committed a single wrongdoing in their life? Someone who was perfectly innocent?
Missha Karlstein believed that to be impossible. Even the holiest of saints made a mistake at least once in their lifetime. Even someone with genuinely good intentions could end up achieving the wrong outcome by accident. Could end up hurting someone else. It couldn't be helped.
If even great people like that can make mistakes, of course a loser like me is no exception—
"I..." Missha quietly mumbled to herself. "What am I doing...?"
She had been doing this on a loop for a few days now.
Things probably would have been better if she could at least fight monsters or something, but as it stood, there wasn't much else she could do while holed up in her room all day. She ached to be able to shut her brain off and sleepwalk through life, but not wanting to think didn't mean she didn't have to think.
And so, over several long days, she thought and thought. The thoughts were always different, and yet always so similar. She would start to feel resentful, then grow disgusted at herself, and sometimes, she had flashes of clarity that seemed to put everything in perspective. When those particular thoughts came and went, the conclusion they left her with was the same every time.
"Let's leave."
Let's leave Clan Anabada.
No, it wasn't like she'd been an official member of the clan to begin with. That should make it even easier for her to leave. So, after this expedition was over and they were back in the city, she would disappear. She would remove herself from Bjorn Yandel's life and not show her face in front of him ever again.
He...he probably wants that too.
That was the conclusion she had reached hundreds and hundreds of times now. The second she reached it again, it sent her curling inward as her hands grasped for her chest.
"Agh..."
It hurt. Beyond a suffocating shortness of breath, her chest just hurt. It hurt so much that she thought it might hurt less if she got something sharp, closed her eyes, and stabbed at it.
However, Missha couldn't translate those thoughts into reality. It wasn't for lack of desire or resolve. It was just that she knew.
That's not right...
He wouldn't want that kind of ending for her. It would taint all the memories they shared in pitch-black hues and torment him for the rest of his life.
Dwalkie...
Without warning, the memory of him came to her—the noble wizard who gave his life to save all of theirs in the Labyrinth of Larcaz. Missha knew about the feelings that he had had for her.
Well, she hadn't known while he was alive. But one day, many months after Dwalkie's passing, the dwarven warrior Hikurod Murad had told her. That he had always had feelings for her...
At first, she couldn't believe it. If that were really the case, why did Dwalkie hide his affections from her even as he was breathing his last?
She couldn't wrap her head around it. If it were her, she would have used the final opportunity she'd been given to share her feelings.
However, when she voiced this aloud, Hikurod answered like he thought the question a bit silly.
"Isn't it obvious what he was thinking? He probably didn't want to leave a dark shadow behind."
She found this a vague, unclear explanation. Yet despite that, she had accepted it, if only because she thought that was what Dwalkie would have wanted. But even then, she had never been able to fully understand his logic. Not, at least, until today.
"So... this is what you were feeling..."
Strictly speaking, she and Dwalkie were nothing alike. He had sacrificed his life to save everyone, while she was floundering in the wake of her own mistakes—her own failures—and trying to find a way out. If she weren't in the labyrinth right now...
If she didn't still cling to the smallest of hopes that she might be forgiven one day, she would've run a long time ago—
Knock, knock, knock.
At that moment, she heard a voice from beyond her locked door.
"It's me, Missha. Let's talk."
It was Bjorn.
His visit sent both joy and fear swirling through her. However, she forced herself to calm down and do what she needed to do.
First things first: she couldn't let him see her like this. She washed her hair and gave her face a quick rinse. She then rushed to tidy up her messy room. Thankfully, she had spent most of her time in here doing nothing, so there wasn't much to clean.
"May I enter?"
She opened the door to reveal the man she hadn't seen in far too long, and he walked in. Inexplicably, her heart began to pound.
Ba-dump.
Why is Bjorn here? Is he worried about me? I hope the room doesn't smell...
While she had been withering away like a picked flower until just moments ago, for some reason, life returned to her body the second she was in his presence.
"I want to turn this on so we can have a talk. May I?"
Part of her wished he had started with some idle conversation, but the second he was past the threshold, Bjorn immediately got to the point. In his large hand, he was holding an item she immediately recognized.
Misplaced Trust.
That name... She couldn't shake the sinking feeling that the name of that item seemed to describe her relationship with him perfectly right now.
However, the sight of it also lifted her spirits. This was an opportunity. After turning his back on her that day with cold finality, he was giving her another chance. A golden opportunity to fix things, to make up for all the mistakes she had made...
And maybe that meant Bjorn wanted things to go back to how they used to be too.
"Then... you may. Let's talk."
That was why Missha couldn't let this opportunity pass her by. She had been in limbo for far too long.
Okay. With hands gripped into fists, she steeled her resolve. Whatever Bjorn asks, I'll answer honestly.
And so, Bjorn began his investigation.
"After I disappeared from Farune Island, how did you end up following Baekho Lee?"
Starting with some longer questions she had answered before, many yes or no questions followed, and Missha answered all of them truthfully.
Right now, Bjorn was a lot like a clockmaker she'd once seen at work. Just as they had methodically taken every little piece of the clock out to find out what was wrong with it, Bjorn was asking her even the smallest of questions and inspecting every part.
She found this a vague, unclear explanation. Yet despite that, she had accepted it, if only because she thought that was what Dwalkie would have wanted. But even then, she had never been able to fully understand his logic. Not, at least, until today.
"So... this is what you were feeling..."
Strictly speaking, she and Dwalkie were nothing alike. He had sacrificed his life to save everyone, while she was floundering in the wake of her own mistakes—her own failures—and trying to find a way out. If she weren't in the labyrinth right now...
If she didn't still cling to the smallest of hopes that she might be forgiven one day, she would've run a long time ago—
Knock, knock, knock.
At that moment, she heard a voice from beyond her locked door.
"It's me, Missha. Let's talk."
It was Bjorn.
His visit sent both joy and fear swirling through her. However, she forced herself to calm down and do what she needed to do.
First things first: she couldn't let him see her like this. She washed her hair and gave her face a quick rinse. She then rushed to tidy up her messy room. Thankfully, she had spent most of her time in here doing nothing, so there wasn't much to clean.
"May I enter?"
She opened the door to reveal the man she hadn't seen in far too long, and he walked in. Inexplicably, her heart began to pound.
Ba-dump.
Why is Bjorn here? Is he worried about me? I hope the room doesn't smell...
While she had been withering away like a picked flower until just moments ago, for some reason, life returned to her body the second she was in his presence.
"I want to turn this on so we can have a talk. May I?"
Part of her wished he had started with some idle conversation, but the second he was past the threshold, Bjorn immediately got to the point. In his large hand, he was holding an item she immediately recognized.
Misplaced Trust.
That name... She couldn't shake the sinking feeling that the name of that item seemed to describe her relationship with him perfectly right now.
However, the sight of it also lifted her spirits. This was an opportunity. After turning his back on her that day with cold finality, he was giving her another chance. A golden opportunity to fix things, to make up for all the mistakes she had made...
And maybe that meant Bjorn wanted things to go back to how they used to be too.
"Then... you may. Let's talk."
That was why Missha couldn't let this opportunity pass her by. She had been in limbo for far too long.
Okay. With hands gripped into fists, she steeled her resolve. Whatever Bjorn asks, I'll answer honestly.
And so, Bjorn began his investigation.
"After I disappeared from Farune Island, how did you end up following Baekho Lee?"
Starting with some longer questions she had answered before, many yes or no questions followed, and Missha answered all of them truthfully.
Right now, Bjorn was a lot like a clockmaker she'd once seen at work. Just as they had methodically taken every little piece of the clock out to find out what was wrong with it, Bjorn was asking her even the smallest of questions and inspecting every part.
"Baekho Lee... did he do anything bad to you?"
"Anything bad...?"
"Like... put his hands on you..."
"N-No! Nothing like that! I swear!"
There were some questions that both pained and warmed her, but they weren't the important ones.
"Did you really not know that the Stone of Revival makes the target lose all their memories?"
"I didn't..."
"Then why did you hide it from me?"
"Like I told you back then... I thought something bad would happen to you if you found out..."
This was the part that had set Bjorn off that day. She could still recall how stony his face had gone as he asked her if she'd hidden it from him simply because she'd taken Baekho Lee at his word.
The memory of their last conversation was fresh in her mind, and before Bjorn could say anything else, Missha quickly shouted, "And I-I thought it was worth the risk!"
"...Worth the risk?"
"I-I didn't know back then that you would lose your memories... No, even if I did, I would've done the same...! Because that's still better than you dying..."
"That's why you were willing to put your faith in him?"
"...Baekho Lee is really strong. And something inside of him is broken beyond repair."
That was the real reason she had accepted Baekho Lee's offer: she didn't know what he would have done to her if she refused. Maybe it would have even been 'something bad.' That was why she had accepted the Stone of Revival and returned to Bjorn's side. It was an item that could save the life of someone she loved. In her mind, she had nothing to lose by taking it.
However...
"Huh, so that's all?"
There was one thing she hadn't mentioned yet.
She didn't know how to tell him. Saying it out loud could ruin everything. But despite the risk, Missha screwed her eyes shut and forced the words through her teeth anyway.
"I-in exchange for taking the Stone of Revival, I agreed to give him information."
"...Information?"
"He told me to stay and keep an eye on you..." Missha opened an eye to peek at Bjorn's face. For now, he looked more shocked than angry. "D-Don't worry, though! I haven't given him any information yet. After leaving that day, I haven't met up with him since."
"And if he came looking for you? What were you going to do then?"
"...I don't know. At the time, I wanted to just get out of there and figure out the rest later." Yet the second the answer left her lips, Missha felt like she was making excuses, so she quickly added, "But...I think I would've given him the information. O-Of course, it would've been random little things that everyone already knows—!"
"Hmm..." Taking in Missha's not-excuses, Bjorn let out a long breath and rubbed his chin. Thankfully, he didn't seem too mad. He just nodded, acknowledging her response, before proceeding to the next question.
And then...
"Final question." Bjorn looked directly into Missha's eyes and spoke, every word deliberate. "Is there anything else you're hiding from me?"
An open-ended question that covered the rest.
Nothing. She had answered everything he asked honestly. That was what she wanted to say, but for some reason, her mouth opened and closed without a sound.
"Baekho Lee... did he do anything bad to you?"
"Anything bad...?"
"Like... put his hands on you..."
"N-No! Nothing like that! I swear!"
There were some questions that both pained and warmed her, but they weren't the important ones.
"Did you really not know that the Stone of Revival makes the target lose all their memories?"
"I didn't..."
"Then why did you hide it from me?"
"Like I told you back then... I thought something bad would happen to you if you found out..."
This was the part that had set Bjorn off that day. She could still recall how stony his face had gone as he asked her if she'd hidden it from him simply because she'd taken Baekho Lee at his word.
The memory of their last conversation was fresh in her mind, and before Bjorn could say anything else, Missha quickly shouted, "And I-I thought it was worth the risk!"
"...Worth the risk?"
"I-I didn't know back then that you would lose your memories... No, even if I did, I would've done the same...! Because that's still better than you dying..."
"That's why you were willing to put your faith in him?"
"...Baekho Lee is really strong. And something inside of him is broken beyond repair."
That was the real reason she had accepted Baekho Lee's offer: she didn't know what he would have done to her if she refused. Maybe it would have even been 'something bad.' That was why she had accepted the Stone of Revival and returned to Bjorn's side. It was an item that could save the life of someone she loved. In her mind, she had nothing to lose by taking it.
However...
"Huh, so that's all?"
There was one thing she hadn't mentioned yet.
She didn't know how to tell him. Saying it out loud could ruin everything. But despite the risk, Missha screwed her eyes shut and forced the words through her teeth anyway.
"I-in exchange for taking the Stone of Revival, I agreed to give him information."
"...Information?"
"He told me to stay and keep an eye on you..." Missha opened an eye to peek at Bjorn's face. For now, he looked more shocked than angry. "D-Don't worry, though! I haven't given him any information yet. After leaving that day, I haven't met up with him since."
"And if he came looking for you? What were you going to do then?"
"...I don't know. At the time, I wanted to just get out of there and figure out the rest later." Yet the second the answer left her lips, Missha felt like she was making excuses, so she quickly added, "But...I think I would've given him the information. O-Of course, it would've been random little things that everyone already knows—!"
"Hmm..." Taking in Missha's not-excuses, Bjorn let out a long breath and rubbed his chin. Thankfully, he didn't seem too mad. He just nodded, acknowledging her response, before proceeding to the next question.
And then...
"Final question." Bjorn looked directly into Missha's eyes and spoke, every word deliberate. "Is there anything else you're hiding from me?"
An open-ended question that covered the rest.
Nothing. She had answered everything he asked honestly. That was what she wanted to say, but for some reason, her mouth opened and closed without a sound.
Just a moment ago, it had felt like their relationship was slowly on the mend, but her hesitation was a bucket of ice water that froze the healing process in its tracks. A silence too heavy to be described as a mere absence of sound settled between the two.
Bjorn only said two things.
"Right... So there is something."
He sounded resigned, like he had already assumed this would be the case.
Chest tight, Missha tried once again to speak.
To say that he was wrong. That she had told him everything there was to know. That there wasn't anything she was hiding from him. Even though she wanted to say all that, the words refused to come.
Why? Was Misplaced Trust broken? Missha, who truly had nothing to hide anymore, was utterly baffled, but then...
Ah...
She finally came to a realization. Misplaced Trust was working fine. It wasn't broken, and even now, it was operating exactly as it was meant to. Which meant that there was only one reason it'd prevent her from speaking.
There was something she was hiding from him.
"Is it..." Bjorn's voice cut through the suffocating silence. "Is it... something you can't tell me?"
She felt it instinctively. If she stayed quiet here, it was all over for her.
"...I-I'm not hiding anything related to Baekho Lee from you."
"Then?" As she met Bjorn's eyes, struck by the hope he still held for her despite everything, she sucked in a breath. "Then you're hiding something else from me?"
"Yeah..." Even as she nodded, almost as if possessed, hesitation flooded her system.
Could she really say it?
While she'd been gone, he had filled his family with much better people than her. He'd made new promises with them. Maybe... Maybe it would be better for Bjorn if she just disappeared.
"I..."
But even as she thought that, her mouth moved without her say-so.
As her frozen lips slowly parted, the sad, bitter truth she had been holding back all these years came spilling out. "I lied to you back then, Bjorn."
Bjorn's eyebrows furrowed at the word "lie."
Come to think of it, he had always been this way. Being lied to was the thing he hated most in the world, yet she was now in the position of having to tell him what she'd been hiding from him.
I can't shrink back from this.
She let go of the final thing holding her back and spoke. This was something she had intended to tell him back on Farune Island. She'd tried to kill her feelings for his sake, but driven by the fear that he might die at any moment, she'd decided to reveal that they still ran strong.
"When I told you that it would be best if we just stay teammates..."
Well, it had taken longer than expected, but she finally had the chance to tell him.
"That was a lie."
It was best to start even when you thought it was too late. Hadn't they had a conversation like that once?
"In hindsight... I don't think I gave you a proper response back then..."
With that, Missha lifted her head to meet his eyes, making sure to carefully enunciate each word.
Just a moment ago, it had felt like their relationship was slowly on the mend, but her hesitation was a bucket of ice water that froze the healing process in its tracks. A silence too heavy to be described as a mere absence of sound settled between the two.
Bjorn only said two things.
"Right... So there is something."
He sounded resigned, like he had already assumed this would be the case.
Chest tight, Missha tried once again to speak.
To say that he was wrong. That she had told him everything there was to know. That there wasn't anything she was hiding from him. Even though she wanted to say all that, the words refused to come.
Why? Was Misplaced Trust broken? Missha, who truly had nothing to hide anymore, was utterly baffled, but then...
Ah...
She finally came to a realization. Misplaced Trust was working fine. It wasn't broken, and even now, it was operating exactly as it was meant to. Which meant that there was only one reason it'd prevent her from speaking.
There was something she was hiding from him.
"Is it..." Bjorn's voice cut through the suffocating silence. "Is it... something you can't tell me?"
She felt it instinctively. If she stayed quiet here, it was all over for her.
"...I-I'm not hiding anything related to Baekho Lee from you."
"Then?" As she met Bjorn's eyes, struck by the hope he still held for her despite everything, she sucked in a breath. "Then you're hiding something else from me?"
"Yeah..." Even as she nodded, almost as if possessed, hesitation flooded her system.
Could she really say it?
While she'd been gone, he had filled his family with much better people than her. He'd made new promises with them. Maybe... Maybe it would be better for Bjorn if she just disappeared.
"I..."
But even as she thought that, her mouth moved without her say-so.
As her frozen lips slowly parted, the sad, bitter truth she had been holding back all these years came spilling out. "I lied to you back then, Bjorn."
Bjorn's eyebrows furrowed at the word "lie."
Come to think of it, he had always been this way. Being lied to was the thing he hated most in the world, yet she was now in the position of having to tell him what she'd been hiding from him.
I can't shrink back from this.
She let go of the final thing holding her back and spoke. This was something she had intended to tell him back on Farune Island. She'd tried to kill her feelings for his sake, but driven by the fear that he might die at any moment, she'd decided to reveal that they still ran strong.
"When I told you that it would be best if we just stay teammates..."
Well, it had taken longer than expected, but she finally had the chance to tell him.
"That was a lie."
It was best to start even when you thought it was too late. Hadn't they had a conversation like that once?
"In hindsight... I don't think I gave you a proper response back then..."
With that, Missha lifted her head to meet his eyes, making sure to carefully enunciate each word.
"Bjorn Yandel, I... like you too."
These were the words she hadn't been able to say back when she first learned about his feelings for her, too caught up in her own head to tell the truth.
Bjorn didn't say a thing.
She continued on regardless. "I did on the day you said those words to me. And the days before you said them. And..." Missha's voice was as small as a mouse, yet crystal-clear in the silence. "Even now..."
This was the one secret she had still been keeping from him.
***
There were some days you woke up with a weird feeling in your gut. Days when, even when the sky above was bright and sunny, you could somehow sense that there were storm clouds on the horizon, just waiting to drench you with rain.
For Erwen, today was one of those days.
"Mister! Are you a... wake?"
She had excitedly run over to his room at dawn, only to find it empty.
The sight of his empty bed left Erwen with an inexplicable sense of unease. She searched the entire house for him, but Bjorn wasn't anywhere to be found.
"The captain? Who knows... He didn't tell me he was going out... Is he not inside the building?"
"...Really? I went looking in all the rooms, but I didn't see him."
"Hmm, then maybe he headed out on some business..."
Anabada's navigator, Auyen Rockrobe, assured her it was probably nothing, but for some reason, Erwen's mouth went dry as sand.
In truth, there was one room she hadn't checked yet.
Missha Karlstein's.
The reason Erwen hadn't checked her room was because she simply didn't think there was any chance Bjorn would be in there. It also seemed like something had happened between the two recently. Missha had been spending most of her time in her room alone, and in the rare moments she came out for clan meetings, she'd looked upset.
However, that posed an interesting question.
Step, step.
Why, even as she was thinking that there was no way Bjorn would be there, was she moving toward Missha's room?
She knew that it was far more likely that he was out on business, just as their navigator claimed. So why did she feel so uneasy, so worried that she might be wrong?
Step.
Despite the negative emotions battering her from all sides, Erwen reached her destination.
The room was located in the corner of the townhouse's third floor. The door was firmly shut.
She considered knocking, but she didn't because she figured it would be awkward if he wasn't in there.
I can't sense any magic.
There was no sound isolation magic or any sort of barrier around the room. Meaning, if she wanted to, she could hear everything that was happening inside.
Erwen usually made an effort to rein in her keen sense of hearing in her day-to-day life, but now she focused on it. The second she did, she heard a familiar voice.
"Bjorn Yandel, I... like you too."
She immediately recognized the voice, but she couldn't understand what it was saying.
Just... what the hell was that woman saying?
Convinced she might have misheard, she pricked her ears and leaned in.
"I did on the day you said those words to me. And even before you said them. And..."
Her brain refused to process it.
Because it was a love confession, wasn't it? Something Erwen had never once in all her life been capable of voicing aloud. And yet...
Know your place, you—
It was unbelievable. It was infuriating.
Wasn't this the same woman who had vanished without a trace instead of trying to avenge Mister after they thought he died? The innocent, kind Bjorn had been willing to take her back, probably blinded by lingering feelings of friendship, but Erwen had never forgotten.
Yet the words continued to echo through her mind.
"Bjorn Yandel, I... like you too."
Only then did Erwen notice something odd.
Too...?
That Red Cat beastwoman had definitely said "too."
And "too" was used to reciprocate a sentiment previously declared.
Which meant...
...Mister said it first?
The thought was so unbelievable that the fire burning in her mind suddenly went cold. And as the heat subsided, she could finally see the situation for what it was.
She couldn't help but laugh.
The poor woman was clearly delusional. She was hallucinating an entire conversation with Mister. Backing up Erwen's deduction was the fact that she hadn't heard anything else from inside the room after that bombshell.
Still... I feel a bit bad for her.
It was the sort of bizarre behavior that would be difficult for most to understand, but Erwen had done something similar while in a delicate emotional state, so she could sympathize.
Hmm... so where has Mister run off to...?
With that, Erwen turned away and returned her heightened hearing back to its normal levels, feeling like she had heard something she wasn't supposed to.
Or, well, she'd been about to do all that.
"...I see."
But then a familiar voice spoke from inside the room.
"Bjorn Yandel, I... like you too."
These were the words she hadn't been able to say back when she first learned about his feelings for her, too caught up in her own head to tell the truth.
Bjorn didn't say a thing.
She continued on regardless. "I did on the day you said those words to me. And the days before you said them. And..." Missha's voice was as small as a mouse, yet crystal-clear in the silence. "Even now..."
This was the one secret she had still been keeping from him.
***
There were some days you woke up with a weird feeling in your gut. Days when, even when the sky above was bright and sunny, you could somehow sense that there were storm clouds on the horizon, just waiting to drench you with rain.
For Erwen, today was one of those days.
"Mister! Are you a... wake?"
She had excitedly run over to his room at dawn, only to find it empty.
The sight of his empty bed left Erwen with an inexplicable sense of unease. She searched the entire house for him, but Bjorn wasn't anywhere to be found.
"The captain? Who knows... He didn't tell me he was going out... Is he not inside the building?"
"...Really? I went looking in all the rooms, but I didn't see him."
"Hmm, then maybe he headed out on some business..."
Anabada's navigator, Auyen Rockrobe, assured her it was probably nothing, but for some reason, Erwen's mouth went dry as sand.
In truth, there was one room she hadn't checked yet.
Missha Karlstein's.
The reason Erwen hadn't checked her room was because she simply didn't think there was any chance Bjorn would be in there. It also seemed like something had happened between the two recently. Missha had been spending most of her time in her room alone, and in the rare moments she came out for clan meetings, she'd looked upset.
However, that posed an interesting question.
Step, step.
Why, even as she was thinking that there was no way Bjorn would be there, was she moving toward Missha's room?
She knew that it was far more likely that he was out on business, just as their navigator claimed. So why did she feel so uneasy, so worried that she might be wrong?
Step.
Despite the negative emotions battering her from all sides, Erwen reached her destination.
The room was located in the corner of the townhouse's third floor. The door was firmly shut.
She considered knocking, but she didn't because she figured it would be awkward if he wasn't in there.
I can't sense any magic.
There was no sound isolation magic or any sort of barrier around the room. Meaning, if she wanted to, she could hear everything that was happening inside.
Erwen usually made an effort to rein in her keen sense of hearing in her day-to-day life, but now she focused on it. The second she did, she heard a familiar voice.
"Bjorn Yandel, I... like you too."
She immediately recognized the voice, but she couldn't understand what it was saying.
Just... what the hell was that woman saying?
Convinced she might have misheard, she pricked her ears and leaned in.
"I did on the day you said those words to me. And even before you said them. And..."
Her brain refused to process it.
Because it was a love confession, wasn't it? Something Erwen had never once in all her life been capable of voicing aloud. And yet...
Know your place, you—
It was unbelievable. It was infuriating.
Wasn't this the same woman who had vanished without a trace instead of trying to avenge Mister after they thought he died? The innocent, kind Bjorn had been willing to take her back, probably blinded by lingering feelings of friendship, but Erwen had never forgotten.
Yet the words continued to echo through her mind.
"Bjorn Yandel, I... like you too."
Only then did Erwen notice something odd.
Too...?
That Red Cat beastwoman had definitely said "too."
And "too" was used to reciprocate a sentiment previously declared.
Which meant...
...Mister said it first?
The thought was so unbelievable that the fire burning in her mind suddenly went cold. And as the heat subsided, she could finally see the situation for what it was.
She couldn't help but laugh.
The poor woman was clearly delusional. She was hallucinating an entire conversation with Mister. Backing up Erwen's deduction was the fact that she hadn't heard anything else from inside the room after that bombshell.
Still... I feel a bit bad for her.
It was the sort of bizarre behavior that would be difficult for most to understand, but Erwen had done something similar while in a delicate emotional state, so she could sympathize.
Hmm... so where has Mister run off to...?
With that, Erwen turned away and returned her heightened hearing back to its normal levels, feeling like she had heard something she wasn't supposed to.
Or, well, she'd been about to do all that.
"...I see."
But then a familiar voice spoke from inside the room.