Chapter 61
“…Me?”
I was crying?
I thought Sienna’s death was sad, but I never imagined I would actually shed tears.
Opening my eyes wide, I rubbed at them with a dazed expression.
‘It’s damp.’
Something cold and transparent touched my fingertips.
It didn’t seem like a lie.
Xenon stared intently at me as I rubbed my eyes and slowly opened his mouth.
“Everyone dies.”
Looking at the grave where Sienna’s ribbon was buried, he continued.
“No matter how great someone’s achievements, no matter how much wealth a tycoon amasses, no one can prevent death from coming.”
“……”
“What happened was inevitable. No one can stop a predestined event.”
His words implied that everything born into the world eventually follows its destined path to naturally live and fade away.
After saying that, Xenon turned his gaze again.
Past my face, to the flower field blooming with wildflowers, and further, to the blue waves rippling across the sky.
“So, you don’t have to blame yourself.”
With those words, Xenon walked ahead decisively.
“Don’t be foolish and cry alone, blaming yourself.”
Compared to when I first met him, his voice had softened significantly.
Even though he called me foolish, I knew these words were meant to comfort me.
Even this fortress-like guy is slowly changing.
With a satisfied smile, I started walking slowly, but my head began to spin.
Ah, I guess I wasn’t completely better.
Wobbling as I lost my balance, Xenon caught me.
“You.”
Stopping me in my tracks, Xenon wore a stern expression.
That look again.
The furrowed brow and distorted eyes that seemed annoyed by something.
Just when I thought he was being a bit gentler after what had happened earlier, it turned out I was mistaken.
“Overexerted yourself again.”
Xenon’s voice, as cold and rigid as his expression, made the surrounding temperature feel like it dropped several degrees.
“…You’re imagining things.”
Hurriedly, I turned back and drank the top-grade recovery potion I had bought earlier.
[Wendy Porcelain]
<HP: 15/15 / Strength: 13/13 / Agility: 18/18 / Magic: 14/14>
Feeling my stats recover immediately, I wiped my mouth and looked back at Xenon.
It was just a moment of dizziness.
Though Yeriel’s healing restored my physical health, it didn’t address the mental toll.
Moreover, I couldn’t let this guy coddle me too much.
As it stands, Lyria, Eden, and Sylvester are already watching for a chance to tie me down.
I can’t add to my list of overprotective guardians.
“See? I’m really fine n—”
Just as I opened my mouth to protest.
“Xenon! Wendy!”
Yeriel’s voice rang out from the distance.
‘Perfect timing, Yeriel!’
Looking around, he spotted Xenon and me standing side by side and waved enthusiastically.
“Team B and Team C are here too!”
Team B and Team C meant Nia and Caltain’s groups.
The scouting and base teams gathering here made it feel real that we were heading for the Wind’s stronghold.
“We’ll be right there!”
I called back, letting out a sigh of relief, and glanced at Xenon.
Judging by his usual indifferent expression, it seemed like he was letting the earlier incident slide.
“If I see you like that again, I’ll force you to rest, no matter what.”
“……”
Did I… forget?
***
“This way.”
Following Yeriel’s guidance, we soon arrived at the Wind’s Stronghold.
Under the cool breeze and clear sky stood a pristine, white shimmering altar.
It was a stark contrast to the blazing red altar of Fire, which seemed ready to burn everything to ashes.
As we approached the altar, I spotted several familiar faces nearby.
“I’m glad you’re safe.”
Winfred greeted me with his usual gentle expression. And then—
“Why is it so hard to see the captain’s face?”
Chrissy knelt to match my eye level and extended a hand for a handshake.
“Show up more often, okay?”
Her red hair, reminiscent of the sun, sparkled brightly in front of me.
Feeling a bit embarrassed at Chrissy’s words, I nodded slightly with an awkward smile.
If anyone heard her, they might think I was a lover she hadn’t seen in ages.
As I hesitated and reluctantly reached out my hand, someone suddenly slung an arm over my shoulder.
“Captain!”
It was Darwin.
With a beaming expression, he looked at me and spoke.
“I heard you made a big splash at the Fire’s Stronghold! That’s my girl!”
Darwin laughed heartily, as usual, joking around.
“A big splash…?”
Immediately, Xenon took the bait and turned his gaze to me.
Normally, he would’ve been up in arms about the absurd phrase “my girl.”
“What exactly is this ‘big splash’?”
Judging by his reaction, the term “big splash” seemed to matter more to him right now.
“Ha-ha, where do people even come up with such wild rumors…”
This was bad. I had already downplayed my actions when explaining things to Xenon earlier.
If he found out about the crazy strategy I pulled off, I’d be stuck resting indefinitely.
If I were lucky, that is. He might even lock me up or tie me down somewhere.
“A comrade told me! They said the captain threw herself into Fire’s boss room and saved everyone…”
Oh no. This clueless guy!
‘The story’s already spread to other teams?!’
If I let this go on, everything would be revealed.
Though I knew I couldn’t hide it forever, I had to stop it now!
To avert the impending disaster, I quickly scanned my surroundings and spotted Nia hiding behind a tree. I shouted loudly.
“Look! A giant cotton candy over there!”
“What? Something that delicious is rolling around here?”
Thankfully, it worked.
Darwin’s gaze quickly shifted to the tree I had pointed at.
But his face soon filled with disappointment.
“What? It’s just a kid with fluffy hair.”
After confirming it was Nia, Darwin mumbled with a bored expression.
Darwin often got overly excited about trivial things, but if it wasn’t what he wanted, he’d lose interest just as quickly.
This time, too, he seemed to have lost interest. I let out a sigh of relief as I watched Darwin wander back to his group.
“Hello?”
I greeted the spot where Nia was hiding.
At my cautious greeting, Nia hesitated for a moment behind the tree before stepping out slowly.
“H-hello…”
Her red eyes blinked like a rabbit’s.
Every time I saw Nia, I couldn’t help but think—
“D-did I do something wrong…?”
She reminded me of a frightened lamb.
As I stared at her, she nervously smoothed down her fluffy white curls, trying to hide her face.
There was something so… endearing about her timid demeanor.
It was a charm distinct from Lyria’s ever-bright and lively presence.
Even in the original story, her shy, adorable behavior often stood out…
‘Excuse me, s-sorry for the inconvenience. I-I hope you’d just go away…’
And yet, with that same shy demeanor, she would mercilessly obliterate Agatha’s enemies—quite literally.
An illegitimate child of a rural noble family.
Born an albino, she endured a lifetime of abuse and neglect…
That kind of timid and dejected behavior might have been inevitable.
Perhaps that’s why Agatha found it so easy to manipulate her.
It’s always easier to sway a desperate person than it is to control someone content.
“No, Nia. I was just happy to see you.”
Honestly, I still felt a twinge of fear because of the original story’s brutal depiction of Nia.
“Have you been doing well?”
But this time, Nia wouldn’t turn out that way.
I found her before Agatha did.
There would be no more Bloodstorm of Agatha.
I had already twisted that future.
I would turn her from a blood-soaked tempest into a soft, fluffy cotton candy cloud!
“I’m glad to see you again.”
I carefully patted her fluffy curls, and her red eyes, which had flinched at first, began to sparkle like rubies.
“I’m glad, too.”
—
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