Chapter 92
Xenon’s icy blue eyes looked straight at me.
It contrasted with his blunt tone.
Seeing those blue eyes filled with warm concern made me feel strange.
My chest fluttered, and my face grew warm.
It felt different from the concern shown by the others.
And also—
‘He jumped into a place where he could’ve died… just to save me.’
He was lucky, thankfully.
Had anything gone wrong, he could’ve sunk right then and there.
Both of our lives could’ve been at risk.
Even after coming out of the water, Xenon had kept coughing up water.
Looking at him, still struggling, I said,
“That was reckless.”
At my words, Xenon glanced at me and gave a small nod.
“It was reckless—just like how you always are.”
I bit my lip, speechless at his response.
I talked big, only to return looking like a soaked rat…
Xenon’s reaction was understandable.
The rope had even snapped midway, so everyone’s anxiety must’ve doubled.
To companions who had already experienced my near-death multiple times—
I knew just how selfish what I did must’ve looked.
But I hadn’t meant for any of this to happen.
It just so happened that I was the only one who could dive.
That’s why I went in.
Who would’ve expected that the Root of Resentment would grab me?
To the others who didn’t know what happened underwater, I was just a criminal.
The events inside the lake could be explained later.
What mattered now was to express my sincerity to the companions who had trusted me and waited.
Lowering my head, I carefully spoke.
“I’m sorry, everyone. For making you worry.”
My voice trembled ever so slightly.
“Savior……”
Eden, looking at me pitifully, murmured quietly.
Even Yeriel, who normally would’ve encouraged me and said it was okay, said nothing.
‘Are they… really mad at me?’
In the suddenly quiet atmosphere, my fingers twitched.
Then Xenon sighed and spoke to me, looking at how dejected I was.
“We’re not blaming you. Emergencies can happen at any time. We just—”
He paused, turned, then continued slowly.
“Every time you overdo it, it feels like my lifespan shortens. Not just me—everyone feels the same.”
When I raised my head at his words, things I hadn’t noticed until now began to come into view.
“Really… I was so worried.”
Yeriel, who had been unusually silent, had actually been holding back tears.
“I even thought about… drinking the lake water myself to see what would happen.”
Darwin, speaking bluntly as always, seemed more shaken than expected. He rubbed his chapped lips as he spoke.
“Miyaang.”
Mew leapt from Lyria’s arms, gently brushing against me while wagging her tail.
“Sylvester, let’s try that thing you made last time again…”
“Right? I still think locking Wendy in a safe room is the best option…”
The twins spoke in serious tones.
“I should’ve gone instead…”
Nia, close to tears as if blaming herself, was just as worried as the rest.
‘Seriously, I’m such an idiot.’
To think I had even considered giving up on life with these people by my side…
My heartbeat echoed through my body.
A strange emotion wrapped gently around me, calming my once-turbulent heart.
The warmth spread from my toes to my fingertips,
Finally reaching my mind, which had been in a tangled mess.
And then, surprisingly—
“You’re crying again.”
Tears welled up.
One drop, then another.
As I quietly shed tears, Xenon walked over and silently offered me a handkerchief.
“Where… did you even get this?”
I took it without protest.
‘SY’
The light blue handkerchief had small initials embroidered into it.
Looking a little flustered, Xenon hesitated before answering.
“I don’t know. It’s just… been in my pocket since I got here.”
A delicate, sky-blue handkerchief with carefully embroidered initials…
This was kind of suspicious.
“Don’t tell me it’s from an ex or something—”
“No.”
“Huh?”
“No.”
Xenon cut me off coldly before I could even finish, staring at me with a startled expression.
“Anyway, it’s definitely not that.”
One more joke and it felt like we’d have a full-blown argument.
That firm tone of his…
“Okay.”
I nodded obediently, wiped my tears vigorously, and handed the handkerchief back.
“Here.”
“…It’s all wrinkled.”
It was—badly wrinkled at that.
I didn’t know why, but it annoyed me.
Maybe it was because Xenon, whom I had assumed lived far removed from romance, was unexpectedly showing another side?
‘He seems like the type who’d suggest a sword spar instead of a date while dating…’
And yet this was a handkerchief he kept so carefully?
‘It’s annoying.’
A fire kept rising inside me for no reason.
Even I didn’t understand why—so how could he?
Xenon stared at the wrinkled handkerchief for a moment before he spoke.
“If you want it, you can keep it.”
“…What?”
“If it bothers you, you can have it.”
Saying it like that just made me feel like some jealous girlfriend guarding her boyfriend from rivals!
My face flushed red as I frantically waved my hands and pushed the handkerchief back to him.
“It’s fine. Just take it back.”
“…”
“It’s something important to you.”
Even if he didn’t show it, the fact that Xenon had kept it folded so neatly…
Even if it wasn’t from an ex, it clearly held precious memories.
So, it felt right to return it.
Xenon hesitated for a moment, then nodded.
“Alright, if that’s what you want.”
So if I’d said I didn’t want it returned, he would’ve just crumpled it and tossed it aside?
I pursed my lips in irritation.
“…Anyway.”
This wasn’t what was important right now.
What mattered was the “lump of resentment” in the lake.
I needed to tell the others about it.
It wasn’t something I could resolve alone.
Now that my tangled emotions had mostly settled…
I rubbed my reddened eyes and turned toward the others.
“Everyone, could you gather for a moment?”
Soon after, the group—who had been chatting among themselves—approached with curious looks.
Yeriel was the first to speak.
“Wendy, did you see something strange down there? Your expression seemed really stiff when you came back…”
As a healer, Yeriel was always sensitive to life-related matters.
Most people would just assume, ‘She was probably delayed by some trouble.’
But Yeriel was different.
He must’ve been observing me since I surfaced, as he looked at me with a serious face.
“I didn’t want to interrupt while you were talking to Xenon, but I couldn’t stop thinking about it.”
He scanned me as if about to use a healing skill.
“…Luckily, there don’t seem to be any major issues.”
He let out a sigh of relief, apparently finding nothing serious.
I smiled gently in thanks.
When someone sets the stage like that, it makes it easier for me to speak.
If someone aligns with me beforehand, it adds credibility to what I say.
“Well, actually…”
I slowly opened my mouth.
And then I told them everything that had happened underwater.
How I encountered a mass of resentment down there—
How it tried to stop me from surfacing.
How Xenon had jumped in right before I sank.
Ah, of course.
I didn’t mention hearing the voice of the Calamitous Despairflower.
After all, I was the only one who could hear it.
If I said I did, they’d really think I’d lost my mind.
As I finished, the expressions of my companions gradually shifted to shock and disbelief.
The Crystals of the Bloody Sea are formed by the aggregation of “spiritual resentment.”
What I saw was indeed a form of spiritual resentment—but it was different in nature.
There’s a huge difference between resentment full of malice and normal spiritual remnants.
Like the difference between a honeybee and a hornet?
In any case, it was like being asked to bring back a mushroom and returning with a poisonous one.
I couldn’t bring it back like that…
And finding another one meant diving again, which was extremely risky—
Above all, we didn’t have much time left.
“So, we need someone who can release that grudge.”
As I said this, I looked at the companions who were sitting in a small circle.
“I don’t have any skills related to that…”
Yeriel drooped and shook his head.
“Me neither…”
Lyria and Eden also shook their heads.
“Then I guess I really do have to drink all the lake water.”
“I-I’m sorry I can’t be of help…”
Nia and Darwin were in the same boat.
Just as I looked toward Xenon, wondering what to do next—
“In that case, I think I can do it.”
Celestine, who had been quietly listening, suddenly stood up with determination.
—
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