novelraw Chapter 122 : Chapter 122
Chapter 122 : Chapter 122
Chapter 122: Asylum Couple (4)
“He's a Sword Master….”
Ellen murmured softly, as if she still couldn't understand.
The fact that the Church was after Balbebron seemed to be that shocking to her.
It was probably because she had mistaken herself for having reached that level earlier.
“It's true that Sword Masters are incredible. And among them, there are even more incredible ones.”
The Elaine of my past life was the latter, but that didn't mean Balbebron was a nobody.
“If Balbebron had been alone, the Church would have surely suffered damage it couldn't ignore.”
It wasn't that Balbebron was weak.
His opponent was just too immense. An individual could not stand against a continent.
“There aren't many things in the world that can be solved with brute force.”
Unless it was the North.
If Balbebron had been a Northerner, he would have become a little more formidable.
There was no land as straightforward as the North.
“The North is the best, after all.”
“…….”
Harad couldn't deny it.
If it hadn't been for Serzila, his past life would have been even shorter.
“What do you think? About that couple.”
“It's not unheard of for a Mage and an ordinary person to marry. A very secret, happy occasion.”
“Really?”
Ellen's eyes sparkled.
For some reason, she seemed pleased.
“It's even rarer for them to come this far together. Especially while shaking off the Church's pursuit.”
Ellen looked somewhat dazed.
It seemed the couple had made quite an impression on her.
“We can probably trust them. Those with something more precious than their own lives are usually worth trusting.”
“You were going to kill them, you know.”
Harad had to maintain his stance.
Because the Elaine of this life had to live as she pleased.
The regressed Harad had to share the responsibility for the consequences.
“As I said last time, both were correct answers. Killing them, and saving them.”
“And among them, I'm the one who makes the choice I won't regret?”
“That's right.”
Harad nodded his head.
Few things were as important as that in his regression.
“If they wish, they can get a separate villa in the Inner Fortress. I've accumulated enough merits.”
“…….”
“Considering Balbebron's capabilities, His Highness the Grand Duke would gladly grant it.”
“Why go that far?”
Since when had it been? Ellen was staring intently at Harad.
“It's a secret.”
“It's a secret.”
Ellen repeated his words exactly, as if she had expected it.
She even mimicked his voice. At that, Harad let out a silly laugh.
“You know me well.”
“Don't I not know you? You always say it's a secret.”
“You'll come to know me gradually. Just as you have until now. Perhaps it will be even faster from now on.”
Harad smiled as mysteriously as he could.
“And I hope it's fast.”
At that, Ellen furrowed her brow.
Since some point, Ellen started making that face whenever he smiled like this.
‘Isn't she sleepy?’
Ellen looked wide awake.
Aroshu and Avery Aquins, and now this refugee couple. I thought it would be enough stimulation.
“We're finished.”
Balbebron's voice echoed from inside the cave.
Ellen had given the two of them time.
It was time to discuss their future, and it seemed to have just ended. Harad and Ellen stepped inside.
Alena's complexion was much more relaxed.
She gave Harad a slight bow.
Alena had noticed that Harad had sent warmth into the cave even while he was waiting outside.
Thanks to the steady warmth, she had been able to recover her magic.
“I'm Ellen. A collateral branch of Serzila.”
Ellen finally introduced herself.
She wanted to take Balbebron and Alena to Serzila.
“A collateral branch…… Indeed, this is Serzila.”
Balbebron expressed his admiration quietly.
It was because he knew that the Mage of the river who had made him feel powerless had been killed by Ellen and Harad.
Even a collateral branch of Serzila is incredible.
Balbebron was under that misunderstanding.
Hearing his admiration, Ellen's shoulders straightened with pride.
‘She's not even from a collateral branch.’
Harad followed Ellen's lead and introduced himself.
“I'm Harad, a hostage of Serzila.”
At that, the couple's eyes widened.
Looking to his side, so did Ellen's.
“Why are you surprised?”
“I forgot.”
He was a hostage in name only; Harad was free.
No one in the Inner Fortress regarded him as a hostage anymore.
“So you're a hostage in name only?”
Alena said with a faint smile.
For a hostage, Harad seemed too close to Ellen.
“As long as you have the ability. That's the kind of land the North is.”
Balbebron and Alena would become like that too.
That's what Ellen was saying.
“I'm Alena. A 3rd Rank, and my Origin is a small brook.”
Alena's Origin was water, which the Tower of the Deep Sea favored.
But Avery Aquins had ostracized Alena.
It seemed that unconditionally favoring those with the same Origin was a policy unique to the Red Tower.
It was probably because those with fire-related Origins were rare.
“A genius.”
Alena was in the same class as Kubel.
A genius from the perspective of the continent, not the Otherworld.
3rd Ranks on the continent are rare.
Because it's not an environment where one can practice magic.
“Is that so? It was hard just to stay still.”
Alena smiled bitterly.
“It's a much scarier land than the rumors say.”
“It's a land that most Mages can't even dare to challenge.”
Just enduring in the Boundary was an incredible feat.
Seeking asylum wasn't something you could do just because you wanted to.
“The Otherworld is worse than such a Boundary.”
Alena nodded slightly.
From what the couple experienced, the Otherworld was not a paradise for Mages, but a paradise only for Mages.
“I guess we thought of it too lightly.”
“It's not your fault.”
At least in Harad's eyes, the couple was not at fault.
“I probably would have done the same. I understand.”
If it hadn't been for Serzila.
The Harad of my past life had sometimes made such assumptions.
It wouldn't have been much different.
If I had luckily survived while fleeing the Church, I would have made the same choice as Alena.
However, since that Harad would have been alone, the Otherworld would have welcomed him.
‘So I've weakened the Otherworld's forces and strengthened Serzila's.’
Even if Harad did nothing but freeload, it was a gain for Serzila.
‘Was this intentional?’
Grand Duke Aratus knew the circumstances of the Otherworld.
It was likely thanks to the Mage known as the Elder of the Otherworld.
‘How much of this did he intend?’
Did he even know I was the sun?
Harad shook his head. That was impossible.
“We're going back now. It would be great if you came with us.”
Ellen said.
The couple had a bewildered look on their faces.
The words 'going back' seemed unfamiliar. But soon, they both gave a small nod.
* * *
Ellen took off Avery Aquins's robe and gave it to Alena.
No, she tried to. Alena refused. It was because she had noticed that Ellen's attire hidden under the robe was a mess.
“It's okay, Ellen. I'm warm enough as it is.”
Alena called Ellen by her name.
It was because Ellen had asked her to.
“Tell me anytime if it's hard. There are plenty of people to carry you.”
As Ellen and Alena walked side by side, talking, Harad was walking ahead of them.
Balbebron was with them, half a step behind.
“I'm surprised. I was under the impression that Serzila could not enter the Second Stage Boundary.”
Grand Duke Aratus's sabbatical year was still a famous piece of gossip.
The fact that he had attacked the Imperial Castle alone was still a surprising enough event even after 20 years.
As a result, the punishment Serzila received was also famous.
“It's classified. If the Empire found out, they would march their army.”
“……Really?”
Did he get his hands on another secret?
Balbebron was startled.
“Only the part about it being classified is true. We came here in secret.”
“……What incredible nerve. Indeed, this is Serzila.”
Balbebron was startled, yet he admired it.
He was that kind of knight. He fit in the North.
Every time Harad set a direction, Balbebron would nod his head and mutter something quietly.
If Alena wasn't involved, he was fundamentally a taciturn knight.
“As long as one has the ability, does Serzila accept Mages too?”
Alena was not.
She was very curious. And wise.
“Actually, you need a sponsor too. For now.”
“It seems it's not Ellen's guarantee, but that man's.”
Ellen said, looking at Harad's back.
Alena understood the meaning behind that gaze.
“That's right. That man is Serzila's first Mage.”
“He must be an incredible person.”
“……He is incredible, but not that incredible.”
Ellen said bluntly.
Alena smiled slightly. An undeniable look of pride was showing on Ellen's face.
“It must be difficult if one's ability is lacking.”
“Someone can do it for you.”
Ellen spoke about Kubel and Shura.
She seemed to have taken a liking to Balbebron and Alena.
It might be because they reminded her of Kubel and Shura. Looking at the couple, she felt a similar fondness.
“We love children. No matter what kind of child.”
Harad overheard that and let out a dry laugh.
Indeed, having a child was one way to do it. For Ellen, it would be a good excuse to appeal to Grand Duke Aratus.
Of course, it wasn't a particularly meaningful excuse.
Alena was a 3rd Rank, and Balbebron was a Sword Master. Either way, their value was clear.
“It sounds like a lovely land. But I don't know.”
Alena showed her reluctance.
It was the hesitation that any Mage from the continent would feel.
“…….”
Ellen, noticing the hidden meaning, sealed her lips.
She was weak at comforting others. Especially on subjects she was ignorant about.
In the end, Ellen threw a small stone at Harad. It was a sign for him to say something.
“Just because it's a Mage's child doesn't mean the probability of being born with an Origin increases.”
Harad added as he continued down the path.
“It's the same as how a knight's child doesn't necessarily become a knight. Mages are fundamentally human, after all.”
“You really know a lot.”
Alena was impressed.
She was smiling, her hesitation seemingly much relieved.
“Do you think I'm Serzila's first Mage for nothing?”
Harad shrugged his shoulders.
“I've already placed three, no, four Mages in the North.”
Ppiik! The Fireball cried softly from the sky above.
Four Mages and one Magical Beast.
“There will be more in the future, as I intend to make it so.”
More Mages were needed.
At least, that's what Harad thought.
The more dreams she had, the more Ellen would come to agree.
“That's right.”
Turning back at the sound of her voice, I saw Ellen smiling.
“There will be more Mages in the North.”
She seemed to be recalling her promise to Shura.
She was already in agreement.
This too must be a reward of my regression.
“……What a great ambition.”
It was then.
Balbebron, who had been walking in silence, was moved.
For some reason, the rims of his eyes were slightly red.
“You're different from me, who first thought of running away.”
“It's a difference in position. Serzila is here, after all.”
Harad pointed at Ellen.
She possessed an overflowing amount of power that Balbebron lacked.
Of course, that didn't mean it was an easy task.
If the number of Mages in the North increased, friction with the Church would be inevitable.
“Isn't she from a collateral branch? It surely won't be an easy task.”
However, Balbebron was thinking it was even more difficult.
Harad didn't correct him. He couldn't.
“You can ignore him, Ellen. Unlike how he looks, he's very sensitive.”
Alena said from behind.
If she hadn't cut him off, Balbebron would have even shed tears.
* * *
“When you fight, who usually wins?”
Ellen asked out of the blue.
Balbebron flinched. Who wins, she asks.
“Of course, I…….”
“Bev, that's not what she means.”
Alena said firmly.
At that, Balbebron stopped like a large dog.
“Alena wins.”
“Winning and losing aren't important, Ellen.”
“Then what is?”
“What's important is that even if we fight, we remain within a distance where we can fight again. The fact that we're right next to each other.”
Ellen slowly nodded her head.
“Although we rarely fight.”
“Why?”
“Usually, Bev lets me win. Look at him. Don't you think he has no other choice?”
Ellen nodded her head.
He was built in a way that big trouble would follow if he didn't let her win.
“What do you do if the man doesn't let you win?”
Ellen whispered quietly, lest anyone hear.
“Do you tend to lose, Ellen?”
“……I think it's half and half. But we're not like you and your husband, Alena. Not at all.”
Alena smiled silently.
“Do you want to win, Ellen?”
“Yes.”
Ellen nodded as if it were obvious.
“You're a strong person, Ellen.”
“……But my opponent is a strong person too.”
Anyone could see that Harad was a strong person.
It wasn't pointing to his magical skills.
Harad was much stronger on the inside than on the outside. At least, that's what Ellen thought.
“Then you'll have to fight more.”
“Isn't it better not to fight?”
“Why do you think that?”
“……You said you don't fight, Alena.”
Loving a Mage, and the Mage giving her heart.
Furthermore, how many couples in the world would go into asylum together?
Alena and Balbebron were a very special couple.
“Not fighting isn't always the best solution. It's different for everyone. They say some relationships mix and become stickier the more they fight.”
Become stickier.
Ellen's face turned slightly red.
“Some days, you fight all night, until the sun comes up.”
“…….”
“I'm kidding.”
Alena smiled mischievously.
Despite the coldness of the Boundary, Ellen's face was hot.
“But I'm serious when I say that you get closer the more you fight.”
“…….”
“Are you not satisfied with your current relationship?”
“……I don't know.”
Ellen shook her head.
Just as Seria had affirmed, the answer 'I don't know' was sufficient. Alena continued to speak.
“Then just do as you've been doing. There's no need to imitate someone or force yourself to fit in. Because Ellen is Ellen.”
“…….”
“As you fight, you'll naturally find your rhythm. Like, ah, this is the kind of person he is. And it'll be the same for him.”
“But it seems like he already knows me well.”
And he's already adjusting to me.
Ellen knew that fact better than anyone.
“……I'm the only one who doesn't know.”
The woman named Imja, the identity of the dream, Harad's secrets—Ellen knew none of them.
She found it frustrating.
“You're very different from a Serzila, Ellen.”
Serzila is a name harsher than the harsh North.
But in Alena's eyes, Ellen didn't look like a Serzila.
“Because I'm me.”
“I've heard something like this before.”
Alena was looking up at the sky.
Her gaze was slanted.
Ellen realized she was looking towards the North.
“I don't know if I should say this in front of you, Ellen…….”
“It's okay.”
Nevertheless, Alena hesitated for a moment before opening her mouth.
“I've heard that the North is one giant Honey Badger.”
“……?”
It was an animal Ellen was hearing about for the first time.
“What's a Honey Badger?”
“It's an animal that lives in arid regions. It's fearless, fierce, and aggressive. They say it will fight anyone, no matter the opponent.”
“That sounds like a compliment.”
“……?”
Alena thought she was being sarcastic.
She tried to smooth things over with an awkward laugh.
“Of course, no one would actually think of that animal when they think of the North. The North has been the North for a long time.”
It wasn't just empty flattery.
Some may laugh at the North, but no one only laughs.
Behind that laughter, fear is surely hidden.
The North is that kind of land.
“Why not?”
“…….”
Realizing she wasn't being sarcastic, Alena relaxed.
“I hope you act like a Honey Badger, Ellen. If you don't know something, you just keep clashing until you do. With him.”
Seria had said that even if she didn't know, it was enough.
Alena, before her now, was telling her to clash until she knew.
The two had said it with different meanings, but Ellen didn't think it was all that different. In the end, Harad was at the end of it all.
“Honey Badger…….”
The name doesn't sound like much… but it must be very scary and strong, just like the North. Maybe it even looks similar to a Magical Beast.
Like that incredible animal, Ellen had to keep clashing with Harad.
Then she would find out about Imja, the identity of the dream, and Harad's secrets. And she would come to know. Ah, so this is the kind of person Harad is.
Getting closer like that, mixing, becoming stickier, and some days, until the sun comes up…….
Gulp.
“Okay.”
“Yes?”
“I'll try it. Being a Honey Badger.”
“…….”
Alena laughed awkwardly.
* * *
Unlike Ellen and Balbebron, Alena was frail. Her steps were slow, and she needed to rest along the way.
It was two days later when they arrived in front of the tunnel.
“To think there was a path like this.”
As Balbebron was expressing his disbelief, Ellen suddenly approached and spoke.
“Harad. Do you happen to know of a Honey Badger?”
“……?”
Suddenly?
“It's an animal that lives in arid regions. In the southern Empire or below.”
“I know of it.”
I've never actually seen one.
But I knew it wasn't a particularly impressive animal.
And that despite that, it was needlessly fearless.
“They say it's an animal like the North.”
I know.
They said the North was one giant Honey Badger, didn't they.
It was a derogatory term mocking the ignorance of the North, a phrase not used in the North.
Because there was no one in the North brave enough to use such a derogatory term.
‘Why that, all of a sudden?’
The Honey Badger is an animal that lives far to the south.
There was no way Ellen, who had lived her entire life in the North, would know of it.
“Ah.”
Harad finally got it.
Alena, smiling awkwardly behind Ellen, was the deciding factor.
“That's right. It's a very scary and strong animal, just like the North.”
At that, Ellen made a proud face.
As expected, it was the face of someone who knew nothing about Honey Badgers.
“I've decided to become a Honey Badger.”
“That won't be an easy path. I'll be cheering for you.”
Ellen became as triumphant as a general who had declared war.
Harad turned his head.
‘Of all things?’ Balbebron, who was muttering and tilting his head, and the awkwardly smiling Alena linked arms.
“We will be returning now.”
At the end of that tunnel lies Serzila.
On the way here, Harad had already finished explaining about the tunnel to some extent.
“Have you made up your minds?”
“Made up our minds about what? Aren't we obviously going together?”
Ellen tilted her head, then turned her gaze.
Alena was smiling bitterly. She couldn't easily open her mouth. It seemed Ellen wasn't the only one who had grown fond of them in that time.
“I'm sorr…….”
“It's okay, Bev. I'll say it. Since I was the one who decided.”
Soon, Alena firmly grabbed the arm of Balbebron, who had been about to speak for her.
“Alena?”
“I'm sorry, Ellen. We can't go.”
“What?”
Ellen had a look of incomprehension.
“It's not that we don't trust you, Ellen, or Serzila. Or Harad. We…….”
Alena trailed off.
It wasn't because she was wary of Ellen.
“They're scared. Of the continent.”
Harad said it for them.
Coming this far, he had half-expected it.
Alena had talked a lot with Ellen, but she had never asked about life in Serzila.
Balbebron was mapping out the path Harad had walked in his mind.
“……That's right. We don't want to go back.”
“There's no Church in Serzila.”
“I know. But Ellen, the Church isn't the problem.”
Alena continued to speak.
“The continent knows me as a demon. This man has become a fallen person who protects a demon.”
“We don't care about things like that. As proof, Harad is living well. So are Kubel and Shura.”
“They must be strong people. That child, Shura, too.”
Alena smiled bitterly.
“I'm not. I care.”
“…….”
“You're an amazing person, Ellen. If we go, we'll be safe, I'm sure. Because Serzila is a great land. But I don't think I'll feel safe inside.”
The North is a land beyond the reach of the Church's power.
But that power had already dug deep into Alena's heart.
“I'm grateful for the sentiment, but I don't have the confidence to live in Serzila.”
Even in the North, her heart would not be at ease for a single moment.
That was the fate of a continental Mage discovered by the Church.
“This place is harsh, but it's not harsh on the heart. There's no one here who thinks of me as a demon. I don't have to worry about who might report me, or when the Church might come.”
Alena was finding stability in the Boundary.
Her body may suffer, but her heart was at peace.
“…….”
That heart, Ellen could not sympathize with.
They had the same heart, but what was inside it was different.
She could never sympathize with the life of a human who harbored an Origin.
“……Then why did you come all this way with us?”
“We only received help from you. We didn't want to just send you off. This man was concerned too.”
In the cave, the couple must have had that conversation.
To escort Harad and Ellen back.
If a fight broke out, Balbebron would have intended to fight alongside them.
He was a foolish knight who had come all the way to the Boundary.
“……You'll die soon.”
“That's better.”
Alena said with a smile.
“But we don't plan on just dying.”
That smile was not pitiful.
Balbebron was extremely resolute. Harad noticed that the two still had hope left.
“We heard a rumor like that. From the Mage who told us the direction of the Otherworld.”
There was a Mage who told them about the sea route.
That Mage likely meant for them to take a smuggler's ship, but Balbebron swam here.
“He said not to despair even if we fail to gain asylum. That there are villages in the Boundary where such people gather and live.”
As she spoke, Alena looked at Harad.
It was a look that asked if it was true. The wise woman knew just how much Harad knew.
“This is the first I'm hearing of it.”
Harad shook his head.
He hadn't heard such a rumor even in his past life.
“But the possibility is high enough. The Boundary is a land where nothing would be surprising if it happened.”
“Harad, what is your opinion?”
“I believe it exists.”
Harad answered immediately.
It wasn't to give them hope or comfort.
It was a land that should be free of prejudice. He had often felt the possibility that people might be living there.
“However, if Ellen refuses, you two can't go.”
Harad respected the couple's choice.
But the person who could make the choice here was neither Harad nor the couple.
“You really don't let her win, do you.”
Alena said something incomprehensible and smiled.
“Ellen.”
Everyone's gaze turned to Ellen.
But even after a long while, Ellen didn't open her mouth.
She answered with her actions.
She took off Avery Aquins's robe and put it on Alena.
She even crouched down to fasten the robe snugly, looking like a parent sending off a child on a long journey.
“I was happy that the last person I saw was you, Ellen.”
“……It was nice to meet you too.”
Ellen's farewell was gruff.
Even the dull Balbebron seemed to realize she was hoping it wouldn't be their last farewell. He was shedding tears.
Ellen didn't cry like Balbebron.
She was a strong person.
“If we meet again, I'll capture you. I'll cover your mouth so you can't even speak, just like today.”
“I'll hide deep within the village.”
Alena hugged Ellen, who had just finished fastening the front of her robe.
“You should wear this too. It's better than nothing.”
Harad handed Aroshu's robe to Balbebron.
An item possessed by a Mage changes.
Aroshu's robe, which had no function, was now imbued with Harad's heat.
Although the time it was exposed to magic was short, meaning its duration would also be short, even that was precious time in the Boundary.
“I'll also give you a rough idea of the zones in the Boundary. Some of the information is old, but it should be helpful.”
“Thank you. I will listen intently.”
“…….”
Harad looked at the sniffling Balbebron.
“Not to you, but to your wife.”
“Why?”
“You don't seem like you'd be able to memorize it.”
“…….”