“Haa… I really don’t know how to lighten Noah’s mood.”
Thud, thud… She kicked the hard ground and sighed.
“Did something happen with Noah unnie?”
“Well, you see…”
Walking down the street as the sun set, I gave Hephaestus a rough rundown of what happened earlier.
“Anyway… seeing Noah squirming around trying to wash her face and turning her back to hide was so cute that… I couldn’t help but…”
Of course, I was a little… annoyed with Noah.
It was frustrating thinking about that teacher who didn’t even look like a person…
“Hmm… Noah unnie doesn’t get angry much, so you probably did it naturally, right?”
“Yeah, kind of. I think I went a bit overboard…”
“I get what you mean. Well, not from Rubia unnie’s perspective, but from Noah unnie’s.”
“Excuse me?”
What does it mean that she understands Noah’s feelings while talking to me…?
“I think the reason Noah unnie never got angry all this time is that she didn’t want to be abandoned by someone she wants to trust… like Rubia unnie.”
“Noah… would abandon me…?”
“Because that’s what happened to me. Hehe…”
Hephaestus wore a somewhat wistful smile on her face.
“Well, this is just my experience and opinion, so I don’t think Noah unnie would be exactly the same… but I think there’s some similarity.”
Taking a breath while looking at the sunset sky, I continued.
“Right now, I’m happy enough, so it’s not that I want to show off how unhappy I was. I’m not saying this to seek comfort either. I just… um, I want you and Noah unnie to get along, so… I’m saying this.”
“As I mentioned before, I was abandoned by my parents once. I was sold off and was beaten by the slave trader day in and day out, tormented and bullied by other slaves too. I hated the world… and people as well.”
“Then, Yuria-sensei came to find me. And… she said, ‘You’ll do.’ and bought me.”
“I still don’t know why it was me. There were plenty of other slaves. Stronger ones… prettier ones, sturdier ones… I felt like I was the worst among them. So why me?”
“Well… anyway, back then, I didn’t trust my sensei. I thought since she could buy a slave so easily, she might dump me once I became useless… and I struggled hard not to fall out of her favor.”
“Then… one day, I made a huge mistake. I broke the pot that my sensei valued the most. So… um, it’s embarrassing to say now, but… before I get sold back into slavery, I thought it would be better to just… die.”
Hephaestus smiled as she pulled down her scarf, revealing a grin.
“I cut my throat with a shard of the pot.”
A thick, jagged scar ran precisely across her carotid artery.
“But… it’s funny. She was outside, you know? She always went out around that time and came back around dinner… but somehow, as soon as I cut my throat, she rushed in.”
“And… heh heh… with an incredibly… angry face. Like, seriously… cursing up a storm. Right in front of a dying person, she cursed me out, can you believe it?”
“After that, she kept cursing… then she stomped on that cherished pot, smashed it, and threw it… kept cursing… and then, once she calmed down a bit, she started pouring a purple liquid down my throat. And as soon as I drank it, my neck wound healed completely!”
“She initially said it shouldn’t leave any scars, but since it was still incomplete, she said I’d have a bit of a scar left. After that, she cursed me again.”
“I’ll never forget… ‘You think a slave can try to die without his owner’s permission? I finally got something to use you for, and you’re getting scared and trying to die over a stupid pot. If you want to get punished like that, you can spend the rest of your life stuck in my house working!’ That’s what she said… telling me not to think about dying anymore…”
Hephaestus wiped away her tears and took a slow breath.
“Haa… Anyway, after that incident, I felt like I didn’t have to worry about being abandoned anymore… and I started getting angry at my sensei, sulking, and even running away…”
“Before trusting her, I was scared that she’d hate me and abandon me… I tried to act like it was no big deal no matter what.”
“When you start feeling a little safe, greed starts to arise. The desire to express my feelings. The desire to be acknowledged… wishing that she would like my true self and my inner thoughts…”
“Yeah! That’s the thing! Emotions can be so… erratic. I got way too long-winded, but I think Noah unnie feels something similar! The way she acts during hunts doesn’t seem normal, yet she walks around so cheerfully… there must be something there.”
“Hephaestus… you’ve been through a lot—”
“No. I don’t need any consolation. Really. I’m happy now… Right now, worrying about Noah unnie is my priority!”
I was left speechless seeing Hephaestus’ bright smile.
I wouldn’t engage in the foolish act of weighing my misfortunes against someone else’s.
I had long since given up on figuring out who had it worse.
But… when it comes to experience, and age, I should be more mature than Hephaestus.
So why do I feel like I’m the one becoming younger right now?
I don’t know Hephaestus completely, but the only thing she has that I haven’t is… love.
Of course, I loved my family.
But… the love Hephaestus is talking about is different.
What on earth is love that can make someone like that…?
“Haa…”
I pushed those thoughts aside.
Right now, I needed to focus on calming Noah down.
So…
“Hephaestus… I’m sorry, but shall we take our food to go? I think… BBQ would be good. Noah… likes it.”
A mysterious smile crept across Hephaestus’ face as she looked at me.
“How about we also get some sweet drinks and jelly? Noah unnie has probably eaten all the jelly by now.”
Given how angry she was, there’s no way she could’ve eaten it all…
“…No way.”
“Tehehe… I swear it could happen.”
Hephaestus pointed subtly toward a distant window.
The lights were on inside the room, and shadows were faintly visible behind the curtain.
A shadow of Noah seemed to be putting something in her mouth.
“…I just don’t have an appetite right now. Haa… Okay. Let’s buy a bunch and see if she can choke on jelly while trying to eat it too.”
“Four!”
Hephaestus smiled and walked ahead.
I followed behind her, mulling over what I had just heard.
Is it really true, that Noah is scared of being abandoned by me?
There’s absolutely no way that would happen.
Even after arriving in Cartia, I’d do everything I could to hold onto her…
Plus, I told her about my past.
But Noah hasn’t… said a word.
It’s an immature thought, but I can’t help but think it’s unfair…
Of course, I wasn’t expecting her to open up just because I shared my story.
Still, if she heard that, she could have opened her heart a little…
I thought our relationship had deepened during our time together, but was it still lacking?
But then again…
Her getting that angry could mean we’ve become closer, right?
The corners of my lips slowly began to rise.
On one hand, I felt foolish about how I was feeling.
“Haa…”
A deep sigh escaped me without me noticing.
“Rubia unnie.”
“Yeah?”
When I looked up, Hephaestus was staring at me with a sly expression.
“What’s up…?”
“Hmm…”
She rested her chin on her hand, tilting her head.
“What do you think of Noah unnie?”
She dropped a question that seemed to have a hidden motive.
“What do you mean by how I think of her… I just consider her a friend. Although… a younger sister I need to take care of.”
Of course, Noah takes care of me when things are dangerous.
“Hmm… that’s kind of vague…”
It was frustrating that Hephaestus kept tilting her head, so I spoke up first.
“What’s vague about that?”
“Sometimes, it seems like you like Noah unnie.”
“Of course, I do. If I didn’t, I wouldn’t be spending time with her.”
“No, not like that… I mean love.”
“Wha, what?!”
Hephaestus’ ridiculous statement caught me off guard, and I couldn’t help but reply in a casual tone.
“But then other times, it feels like you don’t. Hmm… what is it?”
“W-why are you asking me that?”
“I’m just talking to myself.”
With a smile, Hephaestus turned away and continued walking.
“Let’s hurry and buy it! Noah unnie must be hungry!”
What… what is with her insane boldness…?
“Oh, and unnie, maybe try talking casually like before? It feels nice being close…”
“I might not be able to stop using polite speech since it’s a habit, but… let’s do that… from now on, Hephaestus, you can talk casually too. Don’t think of me as a shaman.”
“Really? Then I’ll go ahead and joke around and stuff?”
“Sure. That’s fine. Just think of me as a close unnie.”
Hephaestus’ expression turned sentimental.
“Got it!”
With a grin on her face, Hephaestus moved forward, and I followed with my heavy steps.
*
“Did you really eat all that jelly…?”
“Told ya, didn’t I?”
What is this…?
I thought it’d at least take an hour for them to come back.
So why… why did they return so soon…?
I had my senses open wide…
Just in case this situation occurred, I had been keeping my senses heightened.
And just when I stuffed my mouth with jelly…
I sensed Rubia and Hephaestus approaching.
I desperately tried to chew and swallow as quickly as possible…
But I had stuffed my mouth too full, and I was unable to chew properly.
So… even now, my mouth was packed full of jelly…
“Chew slowly and swallow. You might choke…”
Rubia spoke as if she was genuinely worried.
How embarrassing…
After chewing on the jelly for a while, I finally swallowed and cautiously opened my mouth.
I decided not to talk to Rubia, so I spoke to Hephaestus instead.
“Y-you came back… fast…?”
“Ah, yeah! Rubia unnie asked to eat at the inn! The menu was also chosen by Rubia unnie.”
Hephaestus shook the paper bag in her hands.
The smell wafting towards me was…
“B-bbq…?”
“Yep, she said you’d like it!”
I didn’t turn my head but used my senses to gauge Rubia’s expression.
She still wore a look reminiscent of an abandoned cat.
I shouldn’t let my heart soften…
Hmm…
“Let’s eat quickly, unnie!”
Just then, Hephaestus grabbed my arm and pulled me to a table.
It seemed like I had no choice but to sit down.
I guess it would look like I was sitting there because of Hephaestus, right?
That’s right.
I didn’t sit here on my own accord.
As a kind… um, adult, I was granting a request from my younger sister.
I furrowed my brows and turned my head away, acting displeased.
But even while turning my head, I continued to observe Rubia with my senses.
She was clearly showing signs of sadness.
“Noah…”
The voice laden with remorse stirred my heart.
Today… I intended to remain silent.
But since she got BBQ for me… I figured I should at least respond.
“W-what is it…?”
“We… should talk a bit tonight before sleeping—”
“Ah, today I’ll be sleeping in Hephaestus’ room. R-Rubia, you can sleep alone—”
Thud—
Something crashing interrupted my words.
“Uh, unnie…?”
It was Rubia.
She sat down in her chair as if she had lost her will to live.
“Y-you’re saying… you’ll be sleeping in Hephaestus’ room… just the two of you? At night, and… sleep?”
I was left trembling, dumbfounded, as she mulled over the implications of what I had said.
