novelraw Chapter 80 – Panorama
Chapter 80 – Panorama
“Oh! By the way,” Selena said suddenly, her eyes gleaming like she was up to something. “There’s a place I usually visit around this time. Hold me tight.”
“Wha—!? H-Hold you wha—wait, what do you mean by—!?”
Too late.
She swept me clean off the ground before I could even process the warning, scooping me up into a full-on bridal carry like I was a delicate damsel in distress.
“W-Wait! Hey! Put me—WAAAAAH!!”
She bolted forward like a cannonball.
The wind screamed past my ears, the world blurred into green and brown streaks, and I swear I left my soul behind somewhere on the grassland earlier. My limbs flailed in sheer panic, gripping onto her like my life depended on it—which, frankly, it probably did.
“YOU’RE RUNNING!? YOU’RE ACTUALLY SPRINTING WHILE HOLDING ME!?”
“Yup!” she grinned, completely unfazed. “Don’t bite your tongue!”
“THAT’S YOUR CONCERN!?”
“Ready?”
I didn’t even get the chance to brace myself before—
“Wha—Selena, WAIT—!”
“Go!”
Not a hop. Not a jump.
She leapt.
Like a madwoman.
Like a lunatic kangaroo blessed by the gods of speed and chaos.
“WHAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!?”
I shrieked—yes, shrieked—as we soared through the air in a majestic arc that would’ve made birds jealous and physics cry.
This is ILLEGAL! This DEFIES ALL LAWS OF REALITY!
I screamed internally. My stomach lurched, and my heart might’ve flown out of my mouth if I hadn’t been too stunned to scream properly.
SHE’S INSANE!
TOTALLY INSANE!
Beautiful, graceful, elegant—yes—but completely, undeniably INSANE!
I thought she was a princess.
She moves like a wild beast!
We cleared the hill like it was a mere bump, landing at the top with a gentle tap of her feet—like nothing happened. She gently set me down, and I slumped onto the grass, panting like I’d just run a marathon on a roller coaster—blindfolded and upside-down.
“Haa… Haa… Haaa…”
My limbs were jelly. My pride, missing. My brain, rebooting.
Beside me, Selena sat down with the elegance of someone who hadn’t just made her passenger question reality.
She glanced at me, clearly trying not to laugh.
“Look over there,” she said, pointing toward the horizon.
I followed the direction of her slender finger, still catching my breath—and the moment my eyes landed on the view beyond the hilltop, everything inside me stilled.
“...Whoa.”
It was like the world had unfolded just for us.
From this height, the entire forest stretched endlessly beneath our feet—a sea of emerald treetops swaying gently in the breeze, their leaves catching the fading light like ripples of gold. Beyond the forest, a winding river shimmered like silver ribbon, leading the eye toward the distant coastline.
The beach lay quiet and untouched, its pale sands glowing under the warm embrace of the setting sun. Farther still, the ocean kissed the horizon in endless waves, painted in streaks of amber, rose, and deep violet. The sun hung low, a molten jewel in the sky, its light casting long shadows and glinting off the surface of the water like scattered stars.
The sky itself was a canvas in motion—layers of color blending into one another, clouds edged in fire, drifting slowly like pieces of a forgotten dream.
“It’s… stunning,” I murmured.
“Right?” she said beside me, her voice softer than before. “This is my favorite place.”
I glanced at her—and the world fell silent.
She sat beside me with calm grace, knees tucked slightly, arms relaxed as the wind teased strands of her silver hair, sending strands dancing like moonlight in the dusk. The sun’s fading rays kissed her skin, tracing the contours of her face with soft gold. Her golden eyes, gazing out at the horizon, held a quiet brilliance—like they carried the memory of every sunset she’d ever watched from this hill.
And somehow… the view before us, as breathtaking as it was, no longer seemed like the most beautiful thing here.
Not when the woman beside me looked like the embodiment of everything I thought I’d lost—freedom, strength, and a quiet kind of peace I didn’t know I was searching for.
She turned slightly, catching me staring.
A faint smile tugged at her lips.
“What? Is there something on my face?”
I blinked, my heart skipping a beat.
“N-No… It’s just… You really love this place, don’t you?”
She smiled again, gentler this time, and returned her gaze to the horizon.
But I didn’t.
Because in that moment, even with all the sky ablaze behind her…
I couldn’t take my eyes off her.
Sensing that my gaze hadn’t left her, she turned back to me with a smirk tugging at her lips.
“Hmm? What is it? You're looking at me like I'm the sunset.”
“N-No, it’s nothing.”
I quickly looked away, but her smirk only grew more mischievous.
“Ohh… I see now,” she teased, leaning a little closer. “Did you perhaps fall in love with me?”
“W-What!?” I recoiled, nearly choking on my own breath. “T-There’s no way I’d fall in love with someone I just met!”
My voice cracked halfway through that sentence, and I immediately regretted it. She chuckled.
“Hmm… Well, you’re still a kid now, but I bet you'll grow into a handsome man someday. If my curse is lifted, I could live for another hundred years or so. So maybe… living the rest of my life with you doesn’t sound so bad.”
“Stop it,” I muttered, flustered. “Saying stuff like that so casually… You sound like my sisters. They used to tease me the same way.”
“Oh my, how sweet,” she said with an exaggerated gasp. “So I’m not your first love? I thought I had that honor in this world. But if your sisters beat me to it, I guess I’ll settle for being your third wife—assuming the first two are them, of course.”
“Wha—!? I’m not marrying my sisters! And I never said I loved you either!”
I turned away again, flustered beyond belief, but then… I fell quiet.
“Besides, I told you they already—”
Before I could say more, I felt the light press of her finger against my lips.
I glanced back at her, and her expression had changed
No longer teasing.
But soft and understanding.
“I can see it,” she said quietly, “in your eyes. You’re still hoping they’re alive, aren’t you?”
My chest tightened.
My gaze dropped.
Was it that obvious?
“Shut up,” I muttered, brushing her hand away.
But I didn’t deny her words.
I couldn’t.
I found my eyes drifting back to the horizon—where the sun was slowly sinking into the edge of the ocean, painting the sky in hues of amber and blood.
And maybe it was the sunset.
Maybe it was her presence.
Or maybe it was the silence that followed—soft, safe, without pressure—that finally loosened the knot in my chest.
Without even realizing it, I spoke.
“I don’t know,” I said quietly. “I don’t know if they’re alive or not…”
She didn’t say anything. She just looked at me.
“The last time I saw them… my sisters were running toward the bandits. Their bodies were already bleeding… torn up. But they were still screaming. Still trying to save me.”
I clenched my fists.
“I passed out as I saw them getting attacked. I never saw what happened next.”
The words hung in the air, heavy and hollow. My voice faltered, but the memories kept coming—uninvited, unstoppable. The warmth of their voices, the feel of their embrace… and then the screams.
“My sisters… my parents…”
The words fell out of me like broken pieces.
What am I even saying?
I wasn’t even sure I was making sense.
I hadn’t told anyone this in two years—hadn’t let it out, hadn’t dared. No. In both lives, I never even talked about my life like this. Not to anyone, not even to Aza.
I didn’t know why I was saying them—why I couldn’t stop.
But here, under the burning sky, with her by my side… the memories poured out into my cracked voices.
Our little house.
My parents’ laughter.
The way my parents scold us.
The way my sisters bickered at the dinner table.
The way Sissy threw away vegetables secretly.
The way Sis Celes hid her money from Sissy, but always slipped some coins on my hand during my part-time job.
I told Selena every happy moment I had with my family that just became memories.
She said nothing—only listened.
A receptive listener to the echoes of my sorrow.
And I hadn’t even realized… my cheeks were wet.
“I.. I….”
“That’s enough, Freed.”
“Huh…?”
Before I could react, she pulled me into a gentle side hug, guiding my head nestled against her chest.
Her arms were soft.
Her heartbeat was steady.
She began to stroke my head, slowly, like calming a frightened child.
“That’s enough,” she whispered again. “You’ve been holding it in, haven’t you?”
“It’s okay now.”
“It must’ve been so hard… pretending it didn’t hurt. Trying to keep it all buried.”
Her voice was so soft. Like a lullaby.
“So stop talking,” she murmured. “And just cry.”
“You have worked so hard.”
My breath hitched.
“I…”
I didn’t even realize my voice cracked again.
“I… No… I can’t—hic—hic… why…”
“Hwaaaaaa… Hic… Hwaaahhhh…!”
The sobs broke free like a dam finally giving way after years of pressure—raw, ragged, and unrestrained.
I clutched at her clothes as if they were the only thing anchoring me to the world, burying my face in her chest where her heartbeat was steady, unshaken.
It had been two years… two long years since that day. Since I watched them bleed, since I saw my sisters fall with their sword and staff still drawn—since I passed out, too weak to protect the family I loved.
Not once had I cried.
Not a single tear escaped me that day.
Not until now.
And now they came like a storm.
Under the golden sky, as the sun kissed the horizon, casting long shadows over the forest and the endless sea beyond.
I wept.
The wind whispered gently across the hillside, rustling the grass, and carrying my cries into the silence of the world.
“Hwaaaaaahhhhhh…!”
I cried for them.
For the time lost.
For the dreams shattered.
For the memories that still burned bright, even as they tore me apart.
Selena said nothing.
She just held me—soft, warm, steady.
Like the world hadn’t ended.
Like maybe, just maybe, I could still keep going.
As the sun dipped beyond the horizon and twilight settled over the hill, I gently pulled away from Selena’s embrace, using the sleeve of my shirt to wipe the lingering tears from my cheeks. The wind had grown cooler now, brushing softly against our skin like a lullaby easing the pain.
“Feeling better now?” she asked, her voice warm—gently teasing, but careful not to disturb the fragile calm that had settled over me.
“Yeah,” I nodded slowly, managing a small smile. “Thank you, Selena. Really.”
But she didn’t stop there.
“There’s one more thing that’ll help even more,” she said, standing and offering her hand with a glint in her eye. “Come on, stand up.”
I let her pull me to my feet, brushing the grass from my pants. “What now?”
Her expression turned suddenly serious.
Then—
“WOOOOOAAAAHHHHH!!! I WANT TO RECOVERRRRR! I WANT TO THROW AWAY THIS DAMN CURSEEEEEE!!”
Her voice exploded through the quiet hilltop like a war cry, echoing across the trees, startling a few birds into flight. I jumped in surprise, practically stumbling backward.
“S-Selena!?” I gawked. “What was that for!?”
She turned to me with a serene smile, one hand over her heart. “Fiuh… That felt good. Now it’s your turn. Tell the world what’s been weighing on you.”
I blinked. “You want me to… yell?”
She nodded. “From your gut. Say what you never could before.”
I hesitated.
Back in my past life, I’d seen it in movies—characters screaming their hearts out from mountain peaks or rooftops. But I’d never done it. Cities were always too crowded. People too close.
But here… it was just the trees, the sea, the sky…
and her.
So I inhaled, cupped my hands around my mouth, and shouted with everything I had:
“MOM! DAD! SIS CELESS! SISSYYY! I LOVE YOUUUUUUUU!!!”
The words tore from my lungs and flew into the wind, carried across the forest and sky like a song written in grief and longing.
“Feels great, doesn’t it?” she beamed.
“Haa… Ha… Ha… Hahahahaha!”
Selena burst out laughing, and I couldn’t help but join her, the sound rising up from deep within my chest.
“Yeah… it really does,” I said between breaths, laughing until my knees gave out and I collapsed into the grass again. She joined me, sitting with her legs tucked to the side, her silver hair glowing under the first light of the moon.
I turned to look at her, eyes soft. “Thank you, Selena. I promise—I’ll heal you. This time… I won’t break my promise.”
Her reply came instantly, paired with a teasing grin. “Of course you must. Otherwise, how else can you make me your third wife?”
I gave her a deadpan look. “Again with that? So now saving your life comes with a marriage proposal clause? You should just say that you are looking forward to it instead of making a one-sided clause. Besides, why third?”
She giggled, resting her cheek against her palm. “Because that’s the limit. You can marry as many women as you like, but I don’t plan on losing to the others. Of course, if your sisters really are gone… I’d happily take the spot as your first.”
I flinched. “Wait—why are we talking about marrying my sisters again?”
Suddenly, I paused, staring at her.
She said it so lightly, with a teasing smile and a casual air, like it was just another joke. But beneath those golden eyes, I could see something else—something deeper.
She wasn’t just being playful.
She was laying her pride down at my feet.
Not because she wanted to flirt.
Not because she saw herself as a prize to be won.
But because she wanted to be saved.
How desperate must she be… to say something like that with a smile?
To talk about becoming my third wife—my first, even—just to secure a future without that curse.
To not mind if the man she ends up with has others.
To be willing to accept anything, as long as it meant freedom.
She wasn’t joking.
This was how far she’d come.
How far she was willing to go.
For her, this wasn’t about love or romance.
It was about hope.
About clinging to whatever chance remained—even if that meant throwing away everything else.
And I suddenly understood. She just didn’t want to die cursed.
Selena looked at me with mock innocence and broke my inner thoughts. “What? In my past life, it was perfectly normal for siblings to marry. Royals often did it to keep bloodlines pure. And here, in this world, it’s no different. Nobles, even commoners—it’s all about who you love.”
“Wha—Seriously!?”
“Yup. Across all races, not just humans. Love is love. Political marriage is different, though.”
<“Aza… is that true?”>
【Yes. It is your world, Earth, that places strange moral codes on love between siblings. In this world, there are no such taboos.】
I was taken aback by this revelation about a completely different culture. To me, it's strange for siblings to transition from familial to spousal relationships. However, in their eyes, I was the one who seemed peculiar.
I slumped slightly, dazed. “So… my old world was the weird one?”
She leaned forward, smiling. “Congratulations. You’re free now.”
“Haa… I don’t know. I thought there were reasons behind that—like, something about the children being sick or something.”
“Ah, that.” She waved a hand. “In Zela, they had medicine to fix that. I don’t think there are such medicines in this world though… Perhaps people in this world are fine because this is a fantasy world?”
No, even if it’s possible in this world, and if my sisters were still alive, I wouldn’t marry them.
【She is right. Just by living in an environment with an abundance of mana is enough to prevent such a case.】
“Haa…” I exhaled again, resting a hand over my eyes.
Just when I thought I understood how this world worked…
Selena chuckled and leaned back on her hands, her golden eyes glinting in the moonlight.
“Anyway, you’d better work hard if you want me as your wife,” she said with a playful smirk. “I won’t accept anything less.”
“Yes, yes, Princess,” I sighed. “I never said I wanted to marry you, but as you wish—”
“Good,” she cut in gently, her tone suddenly quieter. “Because that means you’ll work harder.”
I blinked, surprised by the shift.
She looked at me—not teasing now, but sincere.
“You're the only one who can save me, Freed,” she said, voice softer, more fragile. “I joke around, but… I really do want to be free of this curse. No matter the cost.”
Her fingers curled into the grass.
“If calling myself your future wife makes you try harder, then I’ll say it as many times as I have to.”
She turned to me with a small, brave smile—just a little sad at the edges.
“I don’t care if it sounds ridiculous. I’ll cling to whatever hope I can. Because you… are the only hope I have left.”
My heart tightened at her words.
She wasn’t teasing to fluster me.
She was clinging to a future that might not even come.
And giving me something real to fight for.
“…I understand,” I said quietly, meeting her gaze. “Then I’ll keep working hard. Not because you might be my wife—but because I want you to live.”
Her eyes widened just a little.
Then she smiled again, and this time it was real.
She laughed, rising to her feet with a playful twirl.
As the moon rose higher, casting a gentle silver glow over the hill and the ocean beyond, we walked back toward the house. Side by side. No longer just strangers.
But something more.
And in the soft footsteps we left behind in the moonlit grass, I realized something.
This wasn’t the end of my grief.
It was the beginning of healing.