Chapter 90
Chapter 90
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 90
Chapter Title: Back to the North (3)
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Anya glared at Ban the moment she entered the office, as if something about him rubbed her the wrong way. She scanned his shabby attire from head to toe, then asked as if she couldn't bear it any longer.
"What have you been up to all this time?"
"Oh, you know. Wandering here and there."
"...That's why I'm asking where you've been wandering."
Anya crossed her arms. Ban seemed so different from before, almost unfamiliar. Had he been through hardships? What had happened? Various worries pricked at her heart, making her voice quieter than usual.
Ban looked at her with a quiet smile. His serene expression, as if there was no need to worry, only made her more anxious.
"I traveled mostly through the south. Even went into the Eustaine forest."
"...The forest? Why there?"
"I took on a commission. It was a good one. Gave me a lot to think about."
As he spoke, Ban habitually stroked the bamboo sword at his waist. Anya stared at him intently.
"...Weren't you the one who said you could think about it later? You've grown up a lot."
"I was pretty young back then, too."
"Ugh, what are you? Are you really Ban? Why are you so calm now?"
"I'm just tired. Feed me properly, and I'll be full of energy in no time. Got anything to eat?"
"...You're probably the only one who'd come all the way to the lighthouse and ask for food first."
Even as she said it, Anya soon handed them apples and tangerines. Ban's eyes lingered a bit on one of the apples. Ever since meeting Ropo, apples had become more than just ordinary fruit to him.
"So why'd you come all the way here?"
"To see a friend."
"...Really?"
"Halfway, at least."
"And the other half?"
"I want to head north."
"...Ha."
Anya let out a hollow laugh. Honestly, what else could bring someone to this lighthouse but wanting to cross it? Still, it wasn't a story she wanted to hear.
"You know what the north is like... Why the sudden urge?"
"Should I call it a commission? Something like that."
"...You're not the type to listen if I try to talk you out of it."
Anya sighed.
"Rest for now. All I can offer is the communal room, but if you're really worn out, you can sleep soundly there. If not, well, sleep isn't that important."
"You're cold."
"We'll talk about the north tomorrow. We haven't seen each other in ages—those stiff topics can wait."
Hwan glanced around cautiously and left the room first. He didn't even know where the communal room was. But neither Ban nor Anya stopped him. Ban looked at Anya and smiled as he took in her white White Flame uniform.
"I heard the White Flame unit mainly patrols the north."
"I'm still a rookie. Being able to handle guard duty is lucky enough."
"Better that way. Thanks to it, we ran into each other like this."
"...You, not wearing a knight's cloak."
Anya paused for a moment before continuing.
"Is that something to think deeply about?"
"It could be, but I'd rather you didn't. I just realized something. I don't want to live as a knight—I want to live as a swordsman. There was a time I thought I could do both, but... I know now that's not possible."
"What's the difference in a swordsman's life?"
"Serving the sword instead of a lord."
"...Sounds dangerous, but also not."
Watching Anya's enigmatic expression, Ban felt an indescribable emotion. Thinking of the blood flowing beneath that sullen face and pale skin... this warm conversation felt profoundly ironic.
'Nahar.'
Ban pushed the thought away. Just as he was Ban before being Seonwoo, Anya was Anya before being Nahar. That made his heart feel lighter.
"Did you meet up well with Jeo?"
"...Hard to say it was 'well' when I couldn't even say a proper goodbye."
"You fought?"
"No, nothing like that. Just felt too embarrassed."
At the time, he couldn't face Jeo. Jeo must have known everything. How light his sword was—it felt like his most hidden secret had been exposed.
Anya frowned at him, a faint shadow crossing her white forehead. As she parted her lips, Ban's gaze was drawn to her tongue, glimpsed intermittently. She was all white, but her lips and tongue were red, and without realizing, his eyes would always drift there.
"Have you become an adult? Or just changed? Time is scary. I never imagined—just one year—that you'd feel like a different person. No, I couldn't imagine it."
"Have I changed that much?"
"You're kidding? No goofing around, no acting rash, no pretending to be tough. You're not like you at all."
"...Your impression of me was pretty cheap."
"But I didn't hate that. No, in some ways, I even miss that side of you."
Anya asked.
"You okay?"
It was a short question. But strangely, it felt so warm. In Anya's room, a place he'd never set foot in before, Ban felt like he was truly home.
"...I just started thinking about it. Why I took up the sword. Who I want to fight for."
"You were always like that. Always worrying about who you should fight for."
"Was I? Wasn't I the one without thoughts? You guys seemed to have more. Sometimes I envied you. You knew exactly which path to take."
"No."
Anya shook her head firmly.
"We didn't choose our path. It was just there. So justice didn't matter in the end. Instead of pondering it, we compromised. And you... you turned away because you were tired of not finding answers."
"...So turning away is better than compromising?"
"I don't know. I'm not a philosopher. But..."
Anya snatched the apple from Ban's hand—now just a core—and burned it with White Flame. She dumped the ashes in the trash and turned her back to him naturally.
"Still, at least you didn't compromise... I thought that was kinda cool."
Her back as she said it was so white.
And her ears were so red.
§
"...Feels weird, bro."
Hwan grumbled. Truth be told, he wasn't thrilled about stepping into the Nahar clan's lair at the lighthouse. Ban quietly turned to look at him. Hwan whispered with a gloomy expression.
"Always saw them in a bad light or whatever... but now they're just nice and normal..."
"That's how it usually is. If enemies were always scum who deserved to die, the world wouldn't be this chaotic."
"You and that girl... seem pretty close."
"Old friend."
Ban answered curtly. He didn't seem keen on elaborating, so Hwan shut his mouth. But he was the type who didn't suit silence. Soon, he opened his mouth again with a different topic.
"By the way, how does this 'test' thing work?"
"Why? Worried?"
"Ahem, w-why would I be worried? I'm the world's greatest spear master..."
Hwan couldn't finish. Just then, a man who was unmistakably from the Nahar Clan entered. Ban knew him.
'.......Dein.'
The man who had saved him from the wraiths during the training camp. Unlike then, a scar now ran from his right forehead across to his left jaw. On his pale skin, it seemed almost alive, drawing the eye.
Dein grinned, the scar twisting with it.
"Familiar face. The guy who protected Anya back then, right?"
"Good to see you again, Dein."
Ban bowed quietly. From the moment Dein entered, Hwan had clenched his fists, unable to speak. He could tell at a glance. The terrifying power hidden within Dein.
'Is this the White Flame captain of the Nahar?'
A hundred fights, a hundred deaths before he could even thrust his spear once. Hwan marveled at how Ban could remain so composed before this man. Could Ban's sword even reach him?
"...Time is a fearsome thing. Turning that young boy... into such a fine swordsman."
Dein's lip curled up. His power was immeasurable. That alone proved Ban's worth—no outcome without real combat.
'Was he always like this? Back then, he seemed more fiery... Now, like water. Yes, a lake.'
Ban showed no sign of his own power. Even against Dein's deliberate pressure, he remained utterly serene, like someone feeling nothing. A trait expected from a seasoned elder, yet here in a young swordsman.
"Heard you're heading north."
"Yes."
"Reason?"
"I took a commission."
"..A commission?"
"Someone lost an item in the old northern lands. I promised to retrieve it."
"Risking the north for one item... Must be valuable. Too dangerous for that. You know that, right?"
"Honestly, I don't know much. That's why I'm going to find out myself."
"People who say they're going north are usually two types: crazy or desperate. You don't seem crazy... Is that commission making you desperate? Whatever the reward, it's not worth it."
Ban didn't answer. Dein smiled.
"Fair enough. You don't seem like the type to listen to nagging. Looks like you have your own reasons... But I can't just let you go recklessly. Anya would nag me otherwise."
"What do you want from me?"
"Show me your skills."
Dein bared his teeth in a grin.
"Show me you have skills worth worrying about."
Ban stared at Dein silently. Again? Another situation where he had to draw his sword? Ban thought. And thought some more. How to convince this stubborn man peacefully?
"...I thought everyone in the Nahar Clan was like Anya—listless slackers."
"Every clan has its oddballs."
Dein laughed.
"And the White Flame captain has always been the oddest."
Of course, no position reached without effort. Ban looked at Dein. A spar? Dein was strong. Pure power-wise, stronger than Ban. Natural for the White Flame captain—top-tier in the clan, barring the family head.
But why? Not that scary.
"...I wanted to avoid drawing my sword needlessly."
"A swordsman shying from his blade. Interesting."
"You're right. Expecting peace in a place that seeks fights is odd."
Ban sighed. But at the end of that sigh, he infused his smile with unyielding spirit.
"Can I win?"
"If you can."
Ban placed his hand on his bamboo sword.
Dein's White Flame could burn anything desired. But what about this sword?
Not just fast— a sword that transcended time.
Could Dein's White Flame even chase his blade?