Whether young Ruvlian realized that fact too, he glared at Ruvlian with eyes full of irritation. To think he hated himself. It felt strangely odd.
But why is he taking young Ruvlian along? A sudden question arose. Ruvlian wasn’t someone who would go to the temple together just because the child had begged to stay here. There was another reason for taking the child to the temple.
Furthermore, I had a premonition that coming to the past wasn’t purely to lift the curse. If that were the end, we would return as is; there would be no reason to bring up going to the temple.
Past, young Ruvlian, temple. I became absorbed in thought, tying together these seamlessly disconnected words in various ways.
When you go to the temple, you usually pray in the prayer room, make donations, or receive healing with Divine Power. Newborn babies also receive baptism, but young Ruvlian already seemed to be about eight or nine years old. He was already well past the age for baptism.
It wouldn’t be for such an ordinary reason. Something more different, special…. At that moment, one question that had originally been in my mind was brought to light again. I thought it unlikely, but if this were the truth, it would explain why God had tolerated Ruvlian crossing over to another world.
“Ihyun.”
“I told you to call me Hyun-ah. What’s wrong, Rian?”
“Have you ever met God?”
Ruvlian, who had been avoiding the child’s hand trying to grab his hair, smiled broadly. It was a smile that added certainty to my speculation.
Ruvlian had received God’s blessing and protection when he was young. I didn’t know how that was possible, but that’s why God had tolerated his crossing to another world. I had been anxious without even knowing this fact.
Since I had taken half of his strengthened power, I think God decided to watch further since the balance of the world hadn’t collapsed. Thinking about it, it was quite infuriating. Someone had felt their blood run cold worrying who might die. Ruvlian had obviously been enjoying that situation.
While holding the child with one arm, I struck down at Ruvlian’s abdomen with the elbow of my other arm. Having protected his stomach by containing Mana, he still didn’t seem to have any intention of letting go. As if responding to that, I wrapped myself in Divine Power and moved my arm once more, when one of the arms around my waist grabbed my arm. Having aimed for that, I quickly moved my legs. When I kicked as if rolling backward, I felt Ruvlian withdraw both arms and step back.
I finally escaped. I walked on without looking back even once. The destination was the cabin I had detected earlier with detection magic. The child’s teacher, Scalane, who had long since left his spot, would probably be there.
“Hmm. Are you angry?”
Ruvlian, who came to my side, gauged my reaction. His gorgeous face instantly transformed like a whimpering puppy. Knowing I was weak to faces and even weaker to his, he exploited it. He was quite cunning.
“I’m not.”
It was an answer that came out like a sigh, but Ruvlian didn’t agree. Rather, as if certain I was angry, he lowered his gaze. Accordingly, his golden eyelashes, which seemed like God had carefully crafted each strand, fluttered. The color became even lighter in the shattering sunlight.
I, who had been staring at Ruvlian as if entranced, turned my gaze away. Even knowing it was an act, the hateful feeling in my heart melted away in one go. Then my eyes met the child’s, who was making a face that said ‘serves you right’ while sticking his tongue out at Ruvlian. The child blinked his eyelashes—the same color as the one pretending to be sullen beside me—a couple times, then soon slyly drew his tongue back between his small lips.
“What.”
Then he came out with audacity. After saying it, pretending not to and gauging reactions was exactly like Ruvlian beside me. The only difference was in the skill of trying to improve my mood.
“Want to get down?”
I asked without much meaning to the eyes staring directly at me as if waiting for me to say something.
“No! ……Is it because I teased him?”
Then a more intense reaction than expected came back. It was clearly aggrieved. What on earth did this one see in me, whom he just met, to be like this? Even if young, he was Ruvlian. There was no way he’d have no guard up.
“It’s not that, so don’t cry again.”
I corrected the misunderstanding at this subtle and unfamiliar feeling rising again. To say get down because of Ruvlian. Young Ruvlian seemed to have his thoughts flowing in this direction after perceiving the fact that I liked Ruvlian.
“Then why?”
I put a bit more strength into the arm holding the still-suspicious child and lifted him up. The eye levels that had differed slightly now roughly matched. I looked clearly at the eyes of the color I loved most and opened my mouth.
“In case you wanted to walk. It didn’t mean much.”
As if this was really all. As if I hadn’t spat out even a speck of lies.
The suspicion in young Ruvlian’s eyes slowly disappeared. Eventually the child said he understood in a sulky tone. Without knowing the tips of his ears were red.
“Rian, look at me too.”
Ruvlian, who would normally have held hands, grabbed my clothes and gently shook them. Receiving my gaze, Ruvlian abandoned his forlorn face and smiled cheerfully. However, having seen his smile many times, I discovered a subtle misalignment.
This guy, he’s sensitive right now. Very much so.
The act of scratching the other party itself was no different from usual. I thought he treated his younger self the same way. But it seemed that wasn’t it. Being strangely sharp and sensitive, it only entered my eyes now after caring about young Ruvlian.
To find the reason why, I traced my memory from the point Ruvlian appeared here. Especially seeing how he was more sensitive when dealing with young Ruvlian, I had a hunch. Since I had gone to Parallel World Ruvlian of my own volition, despite being his own childhood, he seemed to be conscious of the single fact of being ‘Ruvlian.’
Don’t you know I’m being good because it’s you, because it’s your childhood? You notice the feelings I hide like a ghost. I was dumbfounded. I also wondered how he could be like this if he had so little composure.
“Hyun-ah.”
Like when I had put Ruvlian to sleep, I rolled his name as gently as possible. As if surprised, Ruvlian’s eyes widened roundly. I felt the child’s body flinch, but my priority was clear.
“You’re stretching my clothes.”
“Is that so? Then what should I do?”
The eyes that had been fully revealed and round became half-hidden by his eyelids. His pleasantly curved eyes were drawing a gentle arc. A blush rose on his unburnt white cheeks.
Even knowing, he asks me to answer. His intention to hear it from my mouth was clear. After letting out a sigh once, I touched the thick, straight fingers holding my clothes.
“……Hold my hand, not my clothes.”
“Yees.”
His words dragged out. Soon, hot warmth filled between each finger. It breathed warmth into my cool hand.
“Damn. Making a spectacle of yourself.”
Scalane was standing in front of the cabin we had arrived at. When I got close, the cabin was smaller than I had estimated with detection magic. However, from expansion magic to confusion magic that prevented people from being detected when entering the cabin, multiple magics were layered.
“Isn’t expansion magic illegal?”
While examining the magic, a mutter came out naturally. To this, Scalane spoke with a face full of pride.
“With Master of the Magic Tower authority, anything goes.”
Ah. I wondered where I’d seen Scalane, and I’d seen him in the genealogy where the names of successive Masters of the Magic Tower were engraved. There was also an explanation written below the name.
From memory, below the name Scalane Celton, it was written that he was an eccentric Master of the Magic Tower who prioritized health among mages, the only one who wasn’t frail, and who dealt with things with his staff first. It was also a unique description unlike other Masters of the Magic Tower, and because my memory was exceptionally good, I couldn’t forget it.
“So what did you come here for, Celton?”
“The mark saying a curse is cast still hasn’t disappeared. I want to lift the curse you cast on me and borrow the kid?”
“You bastard! How have you not changed even at that age! My insides are bursting, bursting. I left the curse alone because you were being damn annoying! And to take away someone’s disciple without rhyme or reason. I don’t know where you sold your reason!”
Scalane, who snapped his thumb and middle finger, grabbed a staff as if pulling it from subspace and struck down from top to bottom. Clang. Ruvlian, who quickly pulled out his staff, held the shaft horizontally and naturally blocked the attack. Then he put strength into his arms and pushed back Scalane’s staff.
The moment Scalane, pushed back, tried to leap once more, it was me who stopped them. I controlled their movements with petrification magic that stiffens the body. For me, who mainly uses swords rather than magic, to stop mages fighting with staves. It couldn’t be anything but an odd picture.
“You, what are you doing!”
Scalane, whose only face wasn’t stiffened, shouted. To avoid the wildly flying spit, I also cast magic to prevent sound from coming out. More than that, since I was a higher-level mage, dispelling would be difficult. Unlike Ruvlian, who immediately dispelled the magic and came to hold my hand.
“Did you lift the curse?”
I could only see him snap his fingers and immediately rush over, so I couldn’t know. Since magic was usually cast by snapping fingers or stomping feet, I thought he might have lifted the curse. However, I was worried because I wasn’t certain. In case I might become a burden to Ruvlian.
“Yes, you don’t need to worry. Despite appearances, there’s no one who can follow him in curses. Because he researched and trained in curses as much as magic.”
It was a definite answer with no room for doubt. Soon I abandoned thoughts about curses and turned my head to resolve the next matter. Blonde hair sparkling in the sunlight was pushed by the wind like waves. The moment my gaze met clear eyes, I moved my mouth.
“Want to come with us?”
I couldn’t take him arbitrarily. The party’s opinion had to be certain. Of course, since the current Ruvlian had received God’s blessing and protection, I was also confident he would naturally come along.
Since I didn’t know when Parallel World Ruvlian would find me, it was right to finish things as quickly as possible and leave here. Since I still hadn’t even properly grasped how to deal with him.
“Yeah!”
An optical illusion occurred as if brilliant flowers bloomed behind young Ruvlian’s back. The child’s smile was that beautiful. It showed that he was happy I had proposed. He also didn’t know that it would be farewell after returning from the temple.
It would be a lie to say I wasn’t sorry, but there was nothing I could do. I wasn’t a person of this timeline, and I had to stay moderately before returning to my timeline to finish things.
“Since he says so, please permit it.”
However, no answer came. Since I’d cast magic, it was natural. After looking at Scalane, who only moved his mouth wordlessly, I arbitrarily made my own answer.
“They say silence is affirmation. Then I’ll take it as permission.”
It was a scam, but Scalane, under the magic, couldn’t say anything.
Thus the trip to the temple was decided.
