Chapter 205
Now that I think about it, Edel mentioned something during our last trip to Demoninus.
She said I’ve softened up quite a bit.
That probably wasn’t her exact wording, but it was something along those lines.
At the time, I didn’t give it much thought.
‘Looks like Edel was right, after all.’
I never thought Da-eun would think that way.
‘….’
No, wait.
Thinking about it, Da-eun seems like the type to worry no matter what I do.
Even if I were cutting tofu with a kitchen knife, she’d probably panic about me slicing my hand.
So maybe the worries I’m having right now are pretty pointless.
But still, I couldn’t just brush them aside entirely.
If I’ve softened, that means I’ve grown weak.
That must be why Da-eun feels uneasy about me.
If I know something is wrong, shouldn’t I fix it?
“So, no more head pats for the time being.”
“…Why?!”
Da-eun looked utterly devastated by my words.
Her expression was akin to someone who had just lost their entire fortune to gambling.
The face of someone whose world had just crumbled.
“…I can’t accept this kind of future!”
Da-eun rose indignantly, yelling as if she were a lone warrior standing against all the injustices in the world.
“No head pats from Kana?! You might as well tell me to just die!”
“You’re overreacting.”
“I’m not exaggerating—I’m dead serious! …Wait, just to clarify, this doesn’t include hugs or cheek pinching, right?”
“…What kind of ridiculous question is that?”
It was absurd that she even asked, and even more absurd that I was answering.
“Of course not. Those are banned too.”
Da-eun’s expression immediately shifted back to that devastated look.
Like the world had just ended.
“This is tyranny!”
“…How is it?”
“You’re saying I can’t feel Kana’s soft hair, or her squishy cheeks, or her warm presence anymore! If this isn’t tyranny, then what is it?”
“Rights.”
It wasn’t like I’d ever offered those things in the first place. She was just taking them as she pleased.
“To be precise, I’m simply reclaiming what a rogue has been unlawfully occupying.”
“This is why sharp-witted kids are the worst….”
Tch.
Da-eun clicked her tongue.
“At least give me a reason. Why did you suddenly decide this?”
“Do I need to give a reason for exercising my rights?”
“…Are you planning to become a lawyer? Where do you even learn these legal terms?”
“The internet.”
“Well, of course. Where else would you? Seriously, the internet is the problem.”
“…Is that so?”
If anything, hasn’t it been helpful?
That thought crossed my mind, but I didn’t voice it.
I could already guess what Da-eun would say.
“Of course it’s a problem! You took Kana away from me, so it is a problem!”—something along those lines, surely.
Instead of debating her, I told Da-eun what I had been thinking earlier.
Not the whole thing, just a heavily condensed version.
“Hmm.”
Da-eun listened quietly as I spoke, and when I finished, she fell deep into thought.
By the time the second hand had made two full rotations, she finally spoke.
“I see things differently.”
Da-eun finally opened her mouth, her tone suddenly serious, as if she hadn’t been joking around just moments ago.
“Is becoming softer the same thing as becoming weaker?”
“Aren’t they the same? Both mean something that isn’t firm or strong.”
“Well, that’s true, but the way they’re used is different. Especially when it’s about people.”
“Hmm…”
I didn’t quite understand what she was getting at.
I tilted my head in confusion, prompting Da-eun to add an explanation.
“When someone says, ‘That person is soft,’ what comes to mind?”
“…A kind person?”
“Kind, gentle, compassionate—something like that, right? Then, what about when someone says, ‘That person is spineless’?”
“…Oh.”
Da-eun nodded in understanding.
“It makes them seem fragile and indecisive, doesn’t it?”
“Yeah.”
“That’s why I don’t think Edel meant it that way when she said you’ve softened. Did she say anything else?”
“Hmm… Oh, right.”
As I deliberately tried to recall the memory, fragments I had forgotten began to surface.
“She said it was a relief that you’ve softened, not dulled.”
“See? Edel already clarified it. Why were you worrying about this in the first place?”
“Well…”
Da-eun’s remark, which sounded like a complaint, had a simple answer.
Why couldn’t I remember properly in the first place?
“Because Edel said it.”
My first encounter with Edel was in the Sedeth Kingdom, but I only got to know her in detail after arriving on Earth.
During the few days I spent recovering my battered body in Demoninus, I had numerous conversations with Edel.
We talked about many important topics, like plans for the future, but we also discussed plenty of trivial matters.
And one thing I learned from that experience was this:
Even gods talk about nonsense a lot.
Not to Da-eun’s level, of course.
So, the reason I half-ignored Edel’s words and didn’t remember them clearly wasn’t entirely my fault—it was Edel’s fault.
“Wow, that’s harsh criticism…”
“If you lived with Edel, you’d understand why I’m saying this. Or… maybe not?”
Since both of them are good at chatting endlessly about inconsequential topics, they might actually get along well.
As I entertained this thought, Da-eun squinted at me suspiciously.
“You’re giving me a rather insolent look… like you’re secretly slandering me in your head.”
“Of course not.”
“Yeah, sure. Anyway, let’s set that aside for now… I have something else I want to say.”
Da-eun approached me subtly and placed her hand on my head.
Her touch was so light that it barely felt heavy at all.
As she softly stroked my hair, I muttered in protest.
“I told you it’s banned.”
“Wait, that ban was already in effect? I didn’t know! You didn’t specify the start date, so it doesn’t count!”
“Ugh.”
To be honest, I didn’t expect Da-eun to resist the temptation.
But still, wasn’t this too soon to break the rule?
…Well, if I really hated it, I could have pushed her away.
“Honestly, it was more unsettling before.”
“Before?”
“When we were in Silia. Especially before we went to the Sedeth Kingdom. You seemed really uneasy back then.”
“Maybe that’s just because we weren’t as close back then?”
“Hehe, does that mean we’re close now?”
“We’ve definitely gotten closer than we were back then.”
“I thought Kana would get flustered hearing that. This is no fun.”
“That’s dopamine addiction.”
Since we already live together, what’s the point of denying it?
In moments like this, staying calm and collected is the best strategy.
Acting as if it’s no big deal.
“For someone acting so indifferent, your ears are bright red. Anyway, that’s not the real reason. Back then, you seemed… fragile. Like you’d collapse with just a little push.”
“…You think I was like that?”
“You totally were. That’s why I like how you are now much better. Even if you’re a little annoying sometimes, that’s just how kids grow.”
Da-eun chuckled mischievously.
“So, what do you think? Are you touched?”
“…Are you serious?”
If she hadn’t added those unnecessary remarks, I might have been a little moved.
Just a little.
But asking me if I was touched after tacking on that patronizing comment about kids growing up? The audacity was unbelievable.
“Fine.”
Still, it helped me sort out my thoughts.
In the end, wasn’t my worry pointless?
Seriously, since when did I care about what others thought?
When did I start believing that “what others think of me” was more accurate than “what I think of myself”?
As my thoughts settled, my mind naturally felt at ease.
“I won’t listen to you anymore, Da-eun.”
“…What? How did you even come to that conclusion from our conversation just now?”
Da-eun mumbled in disbelief, but I didn’t bother responding.
What Da-eun had just said was exactly the same as the thoughts I often had while talking to her.
Now it was her turn to experience what it felt like.
***
“Aah… I’m overflowing with power…!”
A blue light shimmered like a heat haze, flowing up my arm.
Even though it had no clear shape, the blue light rising from my hand crawled along my arm as if it would engulf it completely.
“That power of yours…”
A voice spoke, awkwardly laced with unease.
At that voice, Da-eun smirked and lifted the corners of her mouth.
“With this power, I can do anything.”
“Ugh, how unfair.”
“Unfair? Hah… How naive. There are only victors and losers in a fight. I can’t believe someone still utters such childish ideals in this cruel world. How pathetic.”
By the time she finished speaking, the unstable blue light had completely settled.
Now it was so faint that you wouldn’t notice it unless you focused.
However, the person standing in front of Da-eun knew she was more dangerous now than she had been moments ago.
“We both know neither of us will back down. Stop rambling and disappear already.”
With a swift leap, Da-eun launched herself forward, the corner of her mouth twisting up.
She moved with remarkable speed.
In an instant, she was in her opponent’s face, swinging her fist.
Thud!
A sharp impact echoed, followed by the sound of someone tumbling to the ground.
“Gah!”
Of course, the one rolling on the ground was Da-eun.
“What a performance,” I muttered while watching Da-eun’s antics.
I wasn’t sure if my voice reached her, lying facedown on the floor.
If I didn’t say something, all I’d have left to express myself would be a deep sigh from the depths of my soul.
As I watched Da-eun lying motionless, I turned my gaze to the one who had slammed her to the ground—Yuki.
“Why are you even humoring her? You don’t have to play along.”
“I wasn’t humoring her. It was kind of fun, actually.”
“…Really?”
Her tone sounded like she was reluctantly playing along, but that wasn’t the case?
Yuki’s acting skills never failed to amaze me.
“Ugh…”
While I was processing my shock, Da-eun started to stagger to her feet.
“I thought I could win…”
“Yeah, sure,” I shot back at her pitiful comment as soon as she stood up.
“Body enhancement isn’t some kind of cure-all. Charging straight in like that makes it harder not to get hit.”
“Ugh…”
It had only been a few days since Da-eun gained the ability to manipulate mana.
She’d just learned basic body enhancement.
After practicing on a punching bag and feeling her increased strength, she’d confidently challenged Yuki to a duel.
And, as you can see, she lost miserably.
“It wasn’t that bad!”
“You didn’t even touch her, and you were knocked out in one hit. How’s that not bad?”
On top of that, Da-eun’s primary weapon was a sword, so why did she charge in barehanded?
The more I thought about it, the less I understood.
“If physical stats were everything, why do you think swordsmanship even exists?”
“Argh! Stop lecturing me!”
Da-eun clutched her ears and rolled on the ground.
“I know! I know, okay? But I still wanted to try! I don’t want to hear things like, ‘That guy was the weakest of the Three Kings’ anymore!”
“Da-eun.”
Yuki squatted in front of Da-eun, who was still rolling around.
“It’s not the Three Kings; it’s the Two Kings. Canaria is the Demon King, so she doesn’t count.”
“That’s even worse. Two Kings? That’s so lame…”
Da-eun grumbled.
Looking down at her with pity, I poked her in the side.
“Stop rolling around and get up, weakest of the lot. Your clothes are getting filthy.”
It was as if she intended to absorb all the dust in the gymnasium.
That was when I heard it.
Thump. Thump.
“…?”
A strange sound echoed through the gymnasium.
—
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