[…She’s talking nonsense, that crazy woman.]
Rubia’s sharp insults made Ser pause for a moment, looking dazed, before quickly turning to a near-crying expression.
“I can’t believe you’d say I’M talking nonsense. Even for a genius like myself, such words are hurtful.”
[Why do you keep going like that??]
With a sulky frown and pretending to wipe away tears, Ser looked up as if something clicked.
“Remember when Noah didn’t wake up for a week?”
[Oh.]
“When I approached Noah, do you recall how Carpen’s blood aura bit into me?”
[Ah… right.]
“Y-Yes…? Really…?”
“Yes. At that time, the skin on my arm was completely torn off.”
Ser, rubbing their right arm, began to grimace once more.
“It hurt so much that tears streamed down my face. Boo hoo.”
“O-Oh… Are you okay now…?”
“It still stings. If only Noah could apply some ointment using those soft, cute little hands of theirs—”
“That’s all a lie, Noah! No tears, just a creepy smile!”
Interrupting from the side, Rubia frowned intensely, cutting off Ser’s words.
“Creepy? But the skin was definitely torn. Rubia treated me, so you must realize how serious it was. The nerves were ripped apart, and the muscles were all mangled… Boo hoo.”
“Well… that’s true.”
“Hmm. We should save the ointment for when it’s just the two of us. After being bitten like that, I felt something.”
Rubia’s expression, which had been slightly brightened, twisted again at the mention of “just the two of us.”
Regardless, Ser, with a shameless look, summoned a small spirit onto their palm.
“I don’t want to say this myself, but I’m a spirit master.”
As they rolled the spirit around in their hand…
“Therefore, I can feel the spirit’s energy and emotions.”
Woosh- The spirit looked back at me as it was unsummoned.
“And I felt that energy in Carpen’s teeth that bit into my flesh.”
[…What?]
“The longing emotions directed at Cartia, and feelings I couldn’t quite grasp. For someone like me, a genius, I rarely fail to understand emotions, but there are still some I can’t comprehend.”
[Then, that is.]
“One of the main ones is love.”
[No, damn.]
“Moreover, longing and love—don’t they go well together?”
[Crap.]
“So, I became curious about the relationship between Carpen and Cartia.”
[Shut it.]
“Unfortunately, it wasn’t there to shut. So, what kind of relationship do you two have? It feels like a connection that has lasted since the chaotic era, yet I can’t comprehend it at all.”
[Huh… the chaotic era… Ah.]
A mix of different feelings started creeping into Cartia’s previously annoyed expression.
Questions, longing, anger, confusion.
[I don’t remember the details. But… one thing for sure: that Carpen is a female. It looked like a humanoid beast.]
“Wow.”
Ser looked at Cartia with a genuinely surprised expression.
“Then, did it have a tail?”
[Stop with the dog-like nonsense and explain properly. So, is Carpen a spirit?]
“Um, that’s not it. The essence of this spirit is… um… ah ha.”
Tilting their head and touching their own body, Ser seemed to have an epiphany as they nodded and continued.
“I don’t know how to explain this, but the power of the spirit differs from the magical power humans use. It’s closer to its origin… that kind of feeling. And where does that come from?”
As Ser’s words trailed off, an unknown aura began to emanate from their body.
Thin threads of energy intertwined and thickened, forming a stalk.
“It comes from the World Tree, Yggdrasil.”
It transformed into a small tree shape.
[…Hey. This.]
“Yes. By now, Cartia must have felt it too. The energy that Carpen and Cartia hold is quite similar to that of Yggdrasil.”
Lifting an arm, Ser plucked a leaf from the Yggdrasil and handed it to Cartia.
“Isn’t that right?”
Flutter- The leaf that flew from Cartia’s hand swirled around in the air before swoosh- seeping into her body.
I had been quietly listening to the conversation when I finally went up to Rubia and cautiously asked,
“Uh… Rubia. So… Cartia is not a ghost, but a spirit…?”
“No, that’s not it. They say it’s a being similar to a spirit, but I’m not sure…”
With arms crossed and tapping her lips, Rubia swallowed hard as she looked at Ser.
“Ah, Ser. You don’t mean…?”
“Ha ha, did you remember everything I said before? What a good student you are.”
Ser waved their arm and dismissed the image of Yggdrasil, smiling at Rubia.
“I suspect it will serve a similar role to Yggdrasil.”
“Uhm…? What does that even mean, Rubia?”
“Ah, how should I explain this…”
Mumbling, Rubia finally couldn’t find the words and looked at Ser with a helpless expression.
As did Cartia and I, our eyes turned to Ser.
[For heaven’s sake, just say it as it is. What’s that tree role about?]
Feeling the gazes on them, Ser replied.
“…Nope.”
[What?]
“I… I don’t want to say it.”
With a rare, twisted expression.
[Are you two just messing with me?]
“No.”
[Then, damn. What? Why won’t you say it?]
“When I bring it up, it hurts me too much.”
[But you enjoy pain.]
“I do not! What do you think of me, Cartia?”
[Crazy woman.]
“Boo hoo. Ser, I’m hurt.”
[…No.]
“Please apologize. It feels like my heart is being ripped apart. Boo hoo.”
With their head bowed and shoulders trembling, Ser looked… genuinely hurt.
[…Okay, I’m sorry.]
“Yes. I felt the sincerity in your apology. Thank you. Anyway, I can’t tell you. Rubia, lend some weight to my words. It’s unfair at 2 to 1.”
Then, as if nothing had happened, Ser raised their head confidently and looked at Rubia.
“Um… how should I explain this?”
“Just say it as you saw it then.”
“Um…”
After glancing at me, Rubia cautiously began.
“From every hole, blood was pouring out, the skin was turned inside out, and the muscles and blood vessels were all twisted and tangled.”
“Ugh, gross…”
“The bones warped to the point they couldn’t even hold their shape, and the organs dissolved… It became hard to call it human.”
“Ugh, seriously?”
“…Yes.”
[But how are you still alive…?]
“Ha ha, because I’m a genius. Anyway, it was a problem if my body was ruined at such a crucial time before a major subjugation. While it’s been fifteen days since then, the aftereffects still linger. Please understand.”
[Hah… it’s annoying.]
Ser’s words lingered as Cartia slowly rose from her seat.
[So, you felt something from Carpen?]
“Yes. I’m certain.”
[Alright, that’s enough.]
Then, Cartia looked at me with a mix of complicated emotions before disappearing from sight.
“…Oh.”
“You seem to have many thoughts.”
“Uhm…”
Cartia, who usually wore expressions that were easy to read, wide and carefree, suddenly acting like that… made me feel strange.
“Come, Noah. Come here.”
“Yes…?”
“I need to finish what we started earlier. It’s urgent. Hurry.”
“Yikes…”
*
Time passed like that.
Two days before the subjugation.
Since talking with Ser, Cartia still hadn’t shown her face.
And Sirin still hadn’t returned either.
Leaving all of that behind, we went outside the cave and headed to Cartia.
And then we met.
“Wow! It’s been a long time!”
In a serious state of injury,
“Noah, and Lady Rubia.”
Smiling while bleeding was Hermila.
