The Scar That Should Have Been Mine
That scar should have been mine. Perhaps it still is, even now.
“Jeanie.”
“I’m sorry.”
It’s an unfortunate truth, but I don’t apologize often.
Especially not during a conversation this serious.
I swear this was an extremely rare occurrence.
“You may forget about something that happened when you were so young. If we’re keeping score of who owes whom, it’s clearly me.”
“Yeah, you were just a kid, right? It was my fault for dropping my guard like an idiot.”
“You were a child too! This is my burden. It has nothing to do with you… I consider this a medal. Since I don’t see it as a wound, you don’t need to feel even the slightest bit sorry. Not one bit.”
“I owe you a debt. That fact hasn’t changed.”
For some reason, it was Ash who sounded desperate in this moment, as if he were the one begging to be forgiven.
He didn’t know.
Back then, I hadn’t been younger than him. It was the same now, and it would stay that way.
Forever.
No matter how self-indulgent I am, no matter how rotten my personality is or how easily I can kill someone with a few words, I don’t kill children.
And I possess just enough conscience—tiny as a rat’s tail—to feel ashamed when a child gets hurt trying to protect me.
If Ash had been an adult back then, the same incident could have occurred and I still wouldn’t have felt this complicated tangle of emotions.
“I won’t say anything more.”
Because I had no idea when another chance like this might come, I poured everything out at once.
“Ash, I’ll support you.”
“……”
“I always do whatever I want. So I hope you do what you want, too. But I hope it’s something that makes you happy.”
The wind blew again, whipping my hair violently.
I really should just cut this annoying mess.
I caught the flying strands with one hand and looked at Ash through them. His face had turned noticeably red.
Was it the morning sun? No, that light was yellow.
Why was he suddenly like this?
“Your face is red.”
“…Pardon? Ah… it must be from exercising. Yes, I just finished exercising.”
After blurting out something strange, Ash began fidgeting restlessly, as if he suddenly wanted to go back down.
What was wrong with him?
Was he hungry?
Oh. Maybe he needed the bathroom urgently!
He’d be embarrassed, so I should pretend not to notice.
I sensibly stopped asking questions and called Undain, preparing to descend.
Anyway, I’ve always been quick on the uptake.
A beautiful afternoon.
Two men passed through the main gate of Daniz.
Having crossed the rugged mountain range alone, their attitudes were relaxed and their strides brimmed with the easy confidence of the powerful.
The handsome man with purple hair looked especially carefree.
Dressed in light armor that instantly marked him as a swordsman, he walked with squared shoulders, whistling, and flirted with passing women as naturally as breathing.
The other man, who watched this indifferently before walking ahead, was a taciturn figure with dark brown hair. He carried a spear far too long for his somewhat slight build.
“Gail, looks like it’s festival season here. There are tons of pretty girls!”
“What does that have to do with you?”
“One of them might fall in love with me!”
“Give me a break.”
“Sigh. You’re just jealous because I’m handsome, right? Right?”
“Keep dreaming, idiot.”
The man called Gail seemed used to Enk’s theatrics; his expression didn’t flicker as he delivered the jab.
“That’s why people call you frustrating! You’re supposed to enjoy festivals!”
“Don’t worry about my frustrating self. Go enjoy your worthless nonsense.”
“Ugh, you gloomy bastard.”
“Noisy bastard.”
They bickered back and forth, but their rapport seemed genuinely good.
“I wonder how long the festival lasts. Let’s head to the plaza first. We should look for the message Ash left.”
“Yeah, regrouping comes first.”
The central plaza of Daniz was vast, as expected of a city known for frequent festivals. Along one side stood more than ten bulletin boards for travelers.
They were covered with festival posters and personal memos people used for contact. Finding anything specific among the several hundred similar slips of paper—large and small—was a familiar but tedious chore for any traveler.
Enk and Gail split up and began checking from opposite ends to see if any notes had been left for them.
The contents were as varied as the numbers.
Job postings were standard, along with friends arranging meeting spots and lovers’ secret codes.
Information Guild advertisements appeared everywhere, as did notes searching for lost items or offering to buy things. Anything imaginable was there.
Memos seeking companions to cross the mountain range were common too. In a world with poor communication magic, the plaza boards served many useful purposes.
“Enk!”
“Did you find something?”
“There’s one from Lox.”
Gail had found it first.
The memo was stuck near the middle of the third board from the right. Even the handwriting screamed Lox.
To Enk and Gail,
I’ll be waiting at the Stag Horn Inn.
When they flipped the note over, a simple map showing the inn’s location was drawn on the back.
Without needing to check anything else, the pair headed straight for the inn listed on the memo.
The two reached their destination without trouble.
However, the inn was so large and luxurious that they hesitated outside the entrance, whispering to each other.
“Hey, you don’t think we grabbed the wrong note, do you?”
“Right? There’s no way Lox would pick a place like this.”
“Maybe there’s another pair named Enk and Gail?”
“No way… Our names aren’t as common as Ash’s…”
“Aha! It’s festival season, so maybe this was the only place with rooms left.”
“That actually makes sense.”
They were seriously debating whether they’d come to the wrong place when a loud voice called out to them.
“Hey! Enk! Gail!”
The owner of that booming voice was obvious even before they turned around.
It was a comrade they hadn’t seen in two months. The pair spun toward him with bright expressions and called his name.
“Chad!”
“Cha… huh?”
“You’re finally here! I was starting to worry you were running late.”
It was Chad and Ash, returning from the market.
Both were carrying armfuls of supplies as they came down the alley.
Enk and Gail froze strangely as they watched the group approach.
“What’s wrong? Why are you two just standing there?”
“Enk? Gail?”
What had thrown the pair off balance was the mysterious golden-haired young woman standing between Ash and Chad.
It was like finding a shining pearl necklace nestled between two dried squid.
She blinked her sharp eyes and stood naturally among the two shabby-looking men. No matter how you looked at it, she didn’t belong—yet no matter how you looked at it, she clearly did.
This was the first time Enk and Gail had seen her.
“Uh… um… who is this beauty…?”
“What? There’s a beauty? Where?”
The beauty in question immediately kicked Chad, who was dramatically scanning the area, then smiled sweetly as if nothing had happened.
“Hello, you two.”
Her voice was thin, supple, and smooth enough to stand out sharply among the men.
For some reason it was so lovely it made a person want to drop to their knees.
“H-hello…”
“I’ve heard a lot about you. This must be Enk… and that would make you Gail.”
Of course, the voice alone couldn’t create such dizziness.
The blonde woman’s eyelashes were a brilliant gold, like captured sunlight.
Those long, lush lashes were utterly breathtaking, and the white hand she offered for a handshake was so fair it seemed one ought to wipe their palm first.
They were hands that had never known labor.
Just watching her golden hair—melted like liquid sunlight—slide over her shoulders was enough to make one’s throat go dry.
Her eyes curved softly like falling stars; how beautiful and kind they were.
And those eyes—sapphire blue like the tiara jewel I’d seen once—were even more striking. Enk shoved Gail aside and seized her hand first.
Gail, suddenly body-checked, looked ready to grind his teeth, but this wasn’t the first time Enk had pulled something like this.
“Yes! I’m Enk!”
“Nice to meet you.”
Just from her tone, it was obvious.
This woman was no commoner. Her voice carried unmistakable authority.
Confidence bordering on arrogance and the distinct aura of the ruling class.
Despite being the shortest, her gaze looked down on everyone equally, proving the point.
“You can call me Jeanie.”
“It’s an honor to meet you, Lady Jeanie.”
“I prefer Miss Jeanie to Lady Jeanie. Actually, just Jeanie is best.”
“I like that too. I like it very much.”
Among the party, the best-looking member was naturally the most familiar with women, and Enk was the smooth-talking type.
Of course he went crazy for beauties. Even now he was holding the handshake far longer than necessary, and Ash had begun subtly furrowing his brow as he watched.
“Ha, Jeanie. Even your name tugs at my heartstrings. It’s an honor to meet you, beautiful lady.”
Enk didn’t stop at holding the soft white hand; he lifted it and kissed the fingertips.
The woman accepted it with familiar grace, which only reinforced the impression that she was nobility.
The one who flinched at the touch of Enk’s lips on her fingertips was, strangely, Ash.
And the one who noticed was Gail.
He found the whole thing very amusing.
Huh, this…