novelraw Chapter 82
Chapter 82
Chapter 82
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Seeing off Shara, who said she was going home because it felt like sugar was stuffed in her ears, Erika was drinking tea at the living room table.
It was because she felt somewhat reluctant to return to her own room.
Perhaps because she was spacing out, she ended up sipping from a cup with no tea left.
It was a rather unacceptable mistake for a lady.
She transformed the sigh that almost escaped into a deep breath with an iron will and placed the empty cup back on the table.
As soon as her hand was free from holding the cup, her fingers began to dance meaninglessly on the table.
The moment she realized her fingers were spelling out Shin Longdagger's name.
Erika finally gave up.
She clasped her cunning hands together and placed them on her lap.
Even so, the sigh that escaped her throat like a thin thread was probably because the face of her hometown friend flashed through her mind.
She was a bit flustered at first because it started with strong words like "let's part ways," but in essence, it meant they would act separately for a while.
She was a little shaken at first, but she would be fine once she calmed down.
Starting conversations with strong words from time to time was his bad habit, she thought.
Erika recalled Shin's face and let out a wry smile.
Shin had said that he had been taking for granted the presence of fantasy (ideal) by his side.
His ideal—meaning his goal—was to stay by her side for one year, finish the farce, and then gain acquaintance with the Priestess of Light, who was his close friend.
No, that's not it; even that was merely a starting point for him.
Hadn't he said that he hadn't even taken the first step yet?
"Please allow me to leave your side for a while to be by the side of fantasy... is that it?"
She recalled Shin's face when he said that.
He had the same face she saw in the carriage.
If he said it with that face, then it must be essential for him.
She didn't have the words to stop him in the first place, nor was she in a position to have them.
If Shin said he would leave her side to take the first step for the sake of fulfilling the ideal (promise for one year), then...
It would be dishonorable for her to stop him.
At first, she was indeed a bit flustered, but upon hearing it was only for about a week, she realized...
It wasn't a big deal.
That was a complete lie.
The nights spent alone in this house felt long.
Every time the magic tool for intruder prevention reacted to a stray cat nearby, even though she knew it was that, she still fidgeted, wondering if he had come back.
It had only been half a day since Shin was no longer by her side, and she was already like this—Erika wondered what was wrong with her.
This isn't good, this is bad, she thought as she calmed her heart.
For Erika Solnzari, Shin Longdagger was a truly rare existence.
It was her first experience having a human who was neither family nor of the same gender stay by her side without leaving.
She had only recently become clearly aware that she seemed to be the kind of person who imposed a strange tension on men.
Since she had been like that since childhood, she was used to it, and she had even come to accept it as just the way things were.
That was why Shin Longdagger could become special to Erika Solnzari.
He stayed by her side so naturally.
And yet, he had a face that seemed as if, whether blown by a storm or dragged by chains, he wouldn't move a single step unless it was by his own will.
That's unfair, Erika thought.
Surely, no matter if he was in the middle of a storm or being dragged by chains, he would walk calmly in the direction he desired, probably without even running.
A person who lived like that should go straight to their close friend.
She thought he shouldn't take a detour to someone like her.
Because of that, her chest hurt so much.
Oops, this isn't good, not good at all.
Erika closed the lid that was about to open.
She recalled the exchange before they parted yesterday.
Is that something you must do alone?
To her question, Shin answered clearly, yes, that's how it is.
If that was the case, there was nothing more she could say.
Ah, no, that's a lie too.
Didn't she swallow her words?
What are you saying? If you are trying to achieve something, then that is precisely something I should help with all my strength. So please, don't hesitate to rely on me—didn't she swallow those words?
If Shin failed—wouldn't this one year be extended even a little—didn't she think that?
So, didn't she make an excuse about not having the words, pretend to understand his intentions, and swallow her words?
Ah, this isn't good, this is really bad.
Erika Solnzari put a lid on her chest.
If it was going to be like this, she wished she had looked at his face more.
Her chest ached for every time she looked away out of embarrassment.
"Ouch."
She murmured, pressing her chest lightly, thinking she had closed it a bit too tightly.