Chapter 120
A loud noise suddenly erupted right after, and the door burst open as if someone was charging in. Turning around, I saw a boy standing there, panting heavily. His hair, a blend of yellow and green, was unfamiliar, but his face was one I knew well.
“Lord Kalph?”
“Sei…”
He stared at me wide-eyed, as if he couldn’t believe what he was seeing, and his voice trembled when he spoke. His eyes shook just as much as his voice.
‘He seems to be okay.’
The last time I saw him, he could barely move, so it was a relief to see him standing there. His health appeared to have improved significantly. Just then, he dropped to one knee and bent forward.
“I came as soon as I heard you had awakened. I congratulate you on your Awakening. Under the grace of Luaegel, the continuation of Acacia’s lineage has been safeguarded—this is a blessing upon this land.”
“…”
I wasn’t even sure what expression I had on my face. It was probably not a pleasant one. In the silence, I heard a clicking sound beside me.
“Quite the mood spoiler, isn’t he?”
Epethes looked at Kalph with a displeased expression and lightly flicked his finger towards me.
“Are you going to let him keep kneeling like that?!”
His words snapped me out of my daze.
“Please stand up. This is unnecessary.”
“Before that, I must atone for my failure to protect you properly.”
“What…?”
“My irresponsible actions endangered your life. Allowing an Aesang, without any Guardian or protector, to go out alone was akin to pushing you into a death trap. I was aware of this when I made that decision.”
“You had no choice. You were trying to save me.”
“Even so, the fact remains that I put you at risk. This would be true even if you were not an Acacia.”
“….”
“If it displeases you, I will never appear before you again. If you wish me to step down from my position as a knight, I will do so. Please handle this as you see fit.”
It seemed Kalph had been bearing a heavy burden of thoughts on his own all this time. Since it was his plan, the guilt must have weighed even more heavily on him.
“Thank you for surviving that perilous situation and reaching adulthood safely.”
As I listened to his choked voice, I also swallowed heavily. Realizing that words alone wouldn’t suffice, I walked over and helped him stand up. He seemed determined to remain motionless until I made a decision, but as I supported him, he had no choice but to rise.
“Lord Kalph, you did what needed to be done. No one would blame you for trying to protect others during an unforeseen disaster. Even if I had perished in that forest, it would not have been your fault.”
“….”
“I agree. Besides, the reason you couldn’t resist those people at the time was because of the hostage situation. So, are you saying that everything that happened is somehow Seirakia’s fault?”
Epethes stepped in at that moment, his words striking at the core. I saw Kalph’s face twist in anger as I swallowed hard.
“How can you say such nonsense!”
“Why is it nonsense? Your reasoning isn’t much different from what I just said, is it? Don’t you think so, Master?”
Stop calling me that, especially in front of others.
I glared at him, exasperated, but he just smiled slyly. I knew I had to say the obvious, so I sighed heavily.
“… He’s right. If you trace the cause, all the events happened because of me. If it weren’t for me, those people couldn’t have caused such chaos.”
“No, that’s not true! Absolutely not! You’re a victim! You shouldn’t think like that!”
“Then it’s settled. If it’s not my fault, it certainly isn’t Lord Kalph’s fault either.”
Kalph bit his lip, seemingly at a loss for words. I felt strange too. It was as though I was absolving myself of the guilt I had harbored. Perhaps now, I understood why Semeion’s expression twisted when I blamed myself for everyone’s capture.
‘So, this is how it sounds like sophistry.’
Epethes’ pleased look made me feel more embarrassed.
Despite what I said, kalph didn’t seem entirely convinced. His still dark expression mirrored my own feelings, making me give a bitter smile.
“If you want to do something for me, then please go back to talking to me the way you used to.”
“… What?”
“I preferred it when you treated me casually. You suddenly speaking formally makes me feel distant. Honestly, this upsets me more.”
“But I can’t speak casually to the King’s son…”
“Didn’t you say you’d accept whatever disposition I gave you just now? Your resolve seems lacking.”
He looked momentarily stunned before giving a helpless laugh.
“… Alright, as long as you don’t address me formally.”
“Hmm, I can compromise on that.”
His smile then was brighter, the dark shadow that had been over him lifted a bit. With a more relaxed expression, he looked at me with multiple emotions swirling in his eyes.
“May I… hold you for a moment?”
His request was unexpected, but I nodded, feeling it wasn’t something I could refuse. He hesitated briefly before carefully pulling me into a hug.
The sensation of another’s warmth against me felt stranger than I anticipated. I hadn’t given it much thought when I agreed, but once embraced, I felt extremely awkward. Despite my effort to stay relaxed, my body stiffened involuntarily.
Kalph must have noticed my discomfort. He took a deep breath and then hugged me tighter.
“You’ve endured so much hardship because of incompetent adults. You’ve done really well.”
“…”
The slight tremor in his voice, as if holding back anger, was unmistakable. I patted his back, not wanting him to fall into unnecessary guilt. Only then did the tension in his shoulders begin to ease.
“Sei has woken up!”
“Where is Sei!”
“..!”
Just then, people burst into the room. As soon as we made eye contact, their eyes went wide with astonishment.
“Sei!”
“It’s really Sei!”
“You’ve finally woken up!”
“Hey, that’s not fair! Kalph gets to keep him all to himself!”
The ominous feeling I had from their sudden flashes of excitement wasn’t just in my head. Before I knew it, I was swarmed by a barrage of people hugging me tightly. Kalph, who had been pulled into the group hug as well, protested angrily, but no one paid him any attention.
“Are you guys not leaving?”
“No way! We want to hug Sei too!”
“Did you think we’d just let you have him all to yourself?”
“Are you guys insane?”
Normally, I didn’t like noisy environments or being touched by others. But despite the deafening noise and the tight squeezes making it hard to breathe, I felt okay. It may have been because I realized this could have never happened if things had gone differently.
“… I’m glad everyone’s safe.”
It seemed they heard my muttered words. Eyes went wide again, and tears began to fall as if on cue.
“Uuuhhh, sei!”
“Seiiiii!”
From that point on, it was an all-out crying fest. I could feel the dampness spreading where their tears soaked into my clothes, but I didn’t mind it at all this time.
* * *
I learned later that the place I was in was a sort of medical treatment center and special management area, separate from the residential zones. Normally, it was a restricted area only for Hwains, so everyone else had been sent out after recovering.
‘No wonder I didn’t see anyone around.’
Talis, Irei, and the other two Knights were nowhere to be found. It was actually a relief that they had left after recovering. I was particularly worried about Reta and Syran, both of whom had been coughing up blood, but it seemed they had recovered well.
On the other hand, this meant that those still here had more severe conditions. However, they all laughed brightly, assuring me they were well enough for daily activities.
“What exactly were they injecting into you?”
“I’m not sure about the purpose, but they said it’s something like a curse.”
“A liquid form of a curse? Is that possible?”
“As long as you mix impure substances, nearly any form is possible. It seems they used this method to ensure the curse had a more potent effect by injecting it directly. The thing is, there aren’t many curses that actually work on us.”
“It seemed like it had all sorts of things in it, like tainted holy water and the blood of heretics. Even getting those materials would be hard to do. Anyway, they’re annoyingly diligent when it comes to doing bad things.”
Luckily, due to their naturally strong recovery abilities, everyone had been steadily improving after the injections stopped. Hwains had the ability to purify curses, which had also significantly helped.
“Oh, but it was Epethes who identified the nature and ingredients of the drugs.”
“… Is that so?”
Turning to look at Epethes, he stood there casually with his arms crossed, giving a slight smile.
“Impressive, isn’t it? Given all my Guardian’s abilities?”
“…”
To make even a compliment sound annoying must be a talent in itself. Ignoring him, I noticed the sudden quietness around me. Everyone seemed to have a dazed expression, and whenever our eyes met, they quickly averted their gaze. Guessing the reason, I smiled wryly, which seemed to make them all feel awkward.
“Well, it suddenly hit us that you’re really an Acacia.”
“We thought you were extraordinary even before, but now that you’re awakened, your presence is just…”
Realizing what they had said, they quickly swallowed and seemed nervous.
“Thinking about it, aren’t we being too rude right now? Can we really talk so casually to the King’s son?”
“Uh, I guess?”
“Of course not, you idiots!”
Kalph, who had a boiling expression, crossed his arms and glared ferociously. It looked like he was about to unleash his anger, so I quickly intervened to calm the situation.
“No, it’s alright. Please continue to treat me as you always have.”
“Really? Can we?”
“Yes, I prefer it that way.”
Only then did the tense atmosphere ease (though Kalph still seemed displeased). I had a feeling that this was something that would repeat for a while. In the past, I had to explain my father’s absence wherever I went. This, too, felt like a peculiar fate.