Chapter 54
Chapter 54
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 54
Chapter Title: The Boy with True Sight
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"Still going through that stormy adolescent phase, huh."
I could tell he was angry from his sarcastic tone. But I noticed Darsi's gaze lingering on the boy until the end.
It's different from the anger he directs at Ryan. His contemplative expression revealed deeper emotions toward the child than mere fury.
"You want to save him, don't you?"
"As if."
"Then why are you staring like that?"
At my words, Darsi turned to look at me. His eyes clouded over for a moment.
"He knows what I did. Even if I save him, he won't be happy about it."
Darsi confessed the reason he wasn't stepping forward easily.
For some reason, Darsi's magic doesn't work on that boy. And he knows his true identity.
If he knows what Darsi did, it's only natural he wouldn't welcome him, since he's the enemy who kept fighting the mages.
But that didn't mean we could just pretend we hadn't seen it.
His face looked more anxious than mine, which felt unfamiliar. Darsi, who had been furrowing his brow, bit his lip.
"Let's just go."
But his feet had stopped moving long ago. Despite his words, he didn't budge.
He had been excited at the thought of escaping his guilt and having fun with me, but now it was like he'd woken from a dream.
Darsi, who was usually fearless, was one of the few people who shrank in front of anyone other than me. This was a fragment of guilt we'd encountered in a completely unexpected place.
I felt raw emotions.
The anxiety in his eyes was far deeper than I'd imagined. It was like staring into an endless abyss.
I caught a glimpse of the emotions we'd have to face someday, and a distant feeling overtook me.
Maybe I should step forward first.
'This might even be an opportunity.'
I gripped his hand tightly.
"Darsi."
"Yeah."
"Let's save him and take him back to the hideout."
"...What?"
"It's a chance to earn their trust."
"Why?"
"Because I don't want to let it slip away."
I stepped in for Darsi, who couldn't bring himself to say he wanted to save him.
I held Darsi's hand firmly and met his gaze.
"You have to do it."
I grinned broadly at Darsi, who looked startled with his eyes wide open.
"It's part of the process for me to be happy."
I didn't add the explanation that if I could build trust with the mages and see them happy, I'd be happy too.
Even so, he understood my intent fully.
But in that moment, I finally realized it.
For me to be happy...
You have to be happy first.
"Got it."
His face relaxed as he nodded reluctantly at my words, making my heart race again.
Because it made me feel alive.
Darsi paused for a moment and stared at me intently. Meeting his gaze always thrilled me, but it also made me tense.
I stood stiff with tension when Darsi gently brushed my hair behind my ear and whispered.
"First, let's figure out why they were captured."
In truth, the place Darsi and I had come to was an island far from our empire.
It was a closed-off island with minimal exchange with the empire, so it didn't welcome outsiders easily.
But its eternally beautiful weather and fertile land made it hard not to covet.
'It was a place the empire originally coveted.'
However, the empire couldn't conquer it.
The treacherous currents made ships vanish like in the Bermuda Triangle, and it was too far away to manage even as a colony.
In the end, the empire cleanly gave up on it.
Those who found it hard to live in the empire often fled to the island.
The islanders took great pride in their home and dealt harshly with unauthorized intruders.
Those who sneaked in ignoring the island's laws and procedures or refused to leave were captured and turned into slaves.
Magic wasn't common on the island. Instead, they branded the skin.
Of course, such uncertainties didn't faze Darsi.
That was why he'd chosen this place as his residence.
Following Darsi's teleportation, we'd arrived with forged documents and IDs he'd prepared in advance. Legitimate... no, since they'd falsified our identities and names, we were illegal travelers.
The boy, who had been vigorously shaking the bars, turned toward me. He froze, as if he could break through them at any moment.
"You're acting like you don't know who I am?"
We'd changed our hair and eye colors before leaving the beach.
"That kid could tell."
Darsi muttered. Someone who could recognize us instantly despite the changes—someone who knew Darsi's true identity.
"The kid's specialized ability is 'True Sight'."
Hearing Darsi's explanation made it click. True Sight was the ability to pierce through a person's essence.
Even if transformed by magic into someone else, it allowed you to know who they really were.
"That makes sense."
If the boy's ability was True Sight, and he knew Darsi was the one who'd been capturing and dragging away the mages, it was understandable why he wouldn't like him.
That's why we needed to talk. It was a chance to clear up the misunderstanding.
'Though conversation doesn't always resolve every misunderstanding.'
To those already overly caught in preconceptions, even that could come off as hostile.
Before I knew it, I scanned the group of people who'd passed us.
Six people surrounding the prison cart. And two riding horses ahead. Eight in total.
"Shouldn't we check where they're heading?"
"I know. Today, they'll lock them up in the prison near the sea."
"Yeah?"
"Then tomorrow, there'll be a trial. If they can't prove their innocence there, they'll get branded as slaves right away."
As someone who'd planned to live here, Darsi knew the island's affairs inside out.
If he'd come here, he probably would have blended in naturally, like a native.
Darsi stared silently at the boy, who was pointing accusingly at him.
"Is he normally that hot-blooded?"
"...Pretty much."
I didn't mention how the boy's sharp demeanor reminded me of Darsi when we first met.
Even the silver hair and blue eyes were strangely similar.
"When do we go?"
Darsi turned from the boy, checked the sun's position in the sky, and answered.
"The guards loosen up around evening, so until then, let's enjoy our vacation like normal."
Considering Darsi's abilities, this leisure made sense. He believed he could just take them all down later anyway.
"Yeah, let's eat."
When you're hungry, even doable things become impossible. And we could plan over a meal.
Regardless of Darsi's abilities, I didn't want to rely on him too much. Depending solely on his power would make me no different from Emperor Kies.
As the soldiers moved away, the people hurried back to their own paths.
"Alright, let's eat and prepare."
We entered a restaurant. The seaside spot had a fantastic view.
Being by the ocean, the seafood was rich and fresh.
I snapped photos eagerly while eating, hoping to bring others here someday.
The thought that my experiences could become knowledge for others was more moving than I'd expected.
After the meal, I packed a sandwich stuffed with lobster whole. It seemed perfect to give to that boy later.
He'd looked starved earlier—nothing's more important than feeding the hungry. Food matters.
The sun began to set.
We sat watching the sea connected to the restaurant.
"See that lighthouse over there?"
Darsi pointed at the lighthouse while pretending to admire the scenery.
"There's an underground prison beneath it. That's where they'll be."
They didn't kill every intruder outright.
"If you go there, it'll say why the prisoners were arrested."
"...Could the others have been thrown in unjustly too?"
"Doesn't seem likely. Some had brands already... and the rest had a rough vibe."
I'd felt guilty about only saving the boy, but that vanished at his words.
But Darsi could be wrong.
"Still, let's check."
"We will. But..."
Darsi trailed off, then casually offered me the dessert that had just arrived.
"How about you wait here?"
"Am I a burden?"
"No way. But it could be dangerous."
It was a suggestion out of concern for me. But after thinking it over, I shook my head.
I couldn't leave him and the boy alone when they faced each other.
I knew even if I wasn't there, Darsi could handle it. I knew he had greater strength and ability than me.
But that didn't erase the wounds.
Thinking ahead, it was good for me too. Since I'd meet the mages eventually.
"Then we'll go together."
"Got it. But..."
Under the table, Darsi handed me something. I discreetly picked up the thing nudging my dress and gasped.
"It's a gun."
"Shoot if you need to. It's loaded with a Magic Crystal."
...I'd never fired a gun in my life?
But Darsi's expression was more serious than I'd expected. And situations could turn dangerous.
It's different from a real gun. Recalling games from the world before becoming Marso, I took a deep breath.
I couldn't let Darsi bear all the risk alone.
As much as he took risks, I needed to help him. Beyond using my wealth and influence.
This was the time to unleash some hidden potential.
This gun was made based on the knowledge I'd shared, after all.
'It's for subduing, not killing.'
Reviving the modern morals still left in me, I slipped the gun into my bag.
Evening was approaching.