“Um… Hello.”
“Oh, hello? It’s been a while, right?”
Naturally, the two exchanged greetings. A slightly awkward atmosphere hung in the air.
Abrisius pretended otherwise and moved his body to widen the distance from Cairens. He was quite flustered that he had suddenly sat down beside him. He wondered if he should just leave this place, but stayed still instead, feeling like he’d be running away.
“But were you here alone? What about Seianes-nim? Weren’t you with him?”
“He went to take care of something briefly. There was a festival for him in another region.”
“Ha, a festival.”
Cairens let out a hollow laugh, finding it absurd. Without even knowing what feelings people held when performing such ceremonies, he personally attended. He certainly seemed to have nothing better to do.
“But what brings you here?”
At Cairens’s ambiguous response, Abrisius tilted his head and asked. If he had something to say to him, he wanted to hear it and finish it as quickly as possible.
“No particular purpose. It was too stifling being only inside the contaminated zone.”
“I see.”
While agreeing with his words, Abrisius subtly observed his expression. Looking at his face, it didn’t particularly seem like he was lying.
Then should he move on? Just as he thought that, the curiosity he’d been holding back suddenly surged up. Of course, the one Seianes loved most would be himself, but Abrisius was still anxious.
The original story. And Cairens’s feelings, and even their current relationship. Perhaps an ambiguous, precarious current was flowing between the two without him knowing.
Now that Seianes wasn’t here, it was the perfect opportunity to grasp Cairens’s feelings toward Seianes and their relationship.
“Seianes told me. That the contaminated earth has changed a lot. That the land that was silent with death has gradually filled with vitality.”
While gauging Cairens’s reaction, Abrisius continued.
“I couldn’t even imagine that the land could change this much. It’s only been about a month since you came here. He was so amazed at how much it had grown that he was really curious about where your limits might be…”
Though there was some exaggeration mixed in, it was true. Seianes had highly valued Cairens’s growth.
He had said that in a short period, Cairens had fixed land that was so permeated with Underground Energy that it was even difficult to breathe. His destiny of being able to defeat Ircadeon someday felt newly real.
‘Is that why Seianes in the original story liked him more?’
From Seianes’s perspective as the God of the Earth, it wasn’t strange that he would like Cairens, who had mastered the Power of the Earth in a short period.
“Um, you know.”
That’s why he hated Cairens even more.
“Did you really restore that land all by yourself?”
Cairens, who accomplished things on his own that he himself couldn’t do.
“Yeah, it was difficult at first. But now I’m getting somewhat skilled at it. I need to work harder.”
Seeing him with his talents blooming like this, along with terrible inferiority, a thousand fires boiled inside him.
“Yeah, work hard. The land that was a mess has become much cleaner thanks to you. I’m cheering for you too.”
Nevertheless, unable to curse at him, he fabricated words he didn’t mean and cheered him on.
He wanted to shout right here and now for him to leave. He terribly hated Cairens, who could do things he couldn’t do as if it were nothing.
The words to work hard, the encouragement—all lies.
‘Actually, I wish you would fail.’
Hiding his true feelings that he couldn’t dare speak, Abrisius smiled ambiguously. For now, that wasn’t what was important.
“I think the land you restored will really get better.”
“…Really?”
“Yeah, it’s land you worked hard to restore.”
To grasp Cairens’s feelings, he needed to plant a harmless impression.
Perhaps embarrassed by the continued praise, Cairens was silent. After hesitating and choosing his words for a moment, he smiled ambiguously.
“Thanks.”
“I mean it. That place was really somewhere even breathing was difficult. But thanks to you, I heard it’s becoming lively with new life these days.”
It was the only truth among the praise full of lies.
Since Cairens had been restoring it, new breath was being breathed into the land where even breathing had been difficult. New sprouts were emerging, flowers were blooming, and birds even flew near this area.
“So this is a gift from me.”
Without hesitation, Abrisius plucked a small wildflower that had bloomed nearby and lightly stuck it in Cairens’s hair. The unnamed white wildflower tickled his red hair and fluttered.
“Cute, right?”
“…What are you doing?”
Even by his own judgment, it was ridiculous behavior. But even though it was disgusting, he needed to build rapport with Cairens like before.
“Just for fun. Don’t you remember the old days? When we used to run around playing as kids, flower petals from the garden would settle on our heads. Of course, I was a deer back then.”
“Ah, yeah. That’s right.”
At those words, Cairens laughed with a deflated sound, as if dumbfounded.
Come to think of it, there had been such times. Times when he was happy just playing with a deer. Back then, his pleasure was playing every day with the deer—no, Abrisius. Of course, he had long abandoned that version of himself.
‘He’s the same as when he was a deer.’
Unlike himself, Abrisius still felt as innocent as back then. That characteristic naivety of his seemed to remain, which strangely reassured him.
When he first arrived here, he was silent and blunt, so he thought he didn’t want to remember his memories with him very much.
‘So I thought he was avoiding me. And Seianes told me not to approach Abrisius either.’
Back then, the incident of almost being killed by people must have been a great trauma for Abrisius. That point was understandable enough, so though he was somewhat disappointed, he thought it best not to approach him.
To him, they might have been pitiful and pathetic people, but to Abrisius they wouldn’t be.
“…Is it okay for you to be with me?”
So he thought it would be better not to be with him, and had been avoiding him as much as possible…
“What is?”
At Cairens’s question, Abrisius tilted his head.
“Ah, it’s nothing.”
“How dull.”
After confirming Abrisius’s reaction, Cairens shook his head. Right, if that’s not it, then it’s fine. There was no need to bring up past stories and stimulate trauma.
Was it because of childhood memories? His heart strangely beat faster. The reason his ear tips were turning red was surely because of worry that he might have stimulated his silly past self and his trauma.
Burying the inexplicable emotions, Cairens turned his gaze toward Abrisius.
Right now, he just…
He thought to be grateful that he could meet this child before him again and talk with him.
“How have you been all this time?”
“Hm?”
“You’ve been with Seianes-nim, haven’t you?”
“Ah…”
After waiting like that, he was finally able to meet him again. Toward Abrisius, Cairens asked about his life after that day, which he had been curious about for 13 years. At Cairens’s words, Abrisius paused for a moment and looked into the distance.
“Just, lived. Why? Are you curious about Seianes?”
“Ah, it’s not that… Just. Seianes-nim seems a bit strict. So I was curious how you’ve been.”
“Ah… Really? Seianes treats me well. His expectations of you are high, so that’s probably why. Please understand.”
“Really?”
As if it were no big deal, Abrisius patted Cairens’s back. Unable to smile, Cairens turned his head slightly and looked down at the ground.
Because his expectations were too burdensome. Seianes, who had to raise the hero Cairens, was cold and strict and excluded emotions.
To the point of even trampling on his desire to become a hero for humans.
“I’m glad he’s kind to you.”
Ah, was that natural? Because he was a child he raised himself.
Well, even when they first met, Seianes was caring toward Abrisius. The cold attitude he showed him couldn’t be found no matter how much he looked.
“Um, you know.”
It was when Abrisius was about to say something.
“Abrisius.”
At the familiar voice heard from behind, Cairens’s nerves stood on edge. It was the same for Abrisius. A shadow stretched long in the sunset light surrounded them both.
“Seianes.”
He was standing behind them. The mocking appearance he had shown toward him was nowhere to be found; he was looking back and forth between him and Abrisius with a slightly anxious face.
