Chapter 74

I worried that Father, once he came to his senses, might search the village for me. But unexpectedly, he left quietly. Enoch said the Marquis would never do something that would shame his dignity. He knew my father better than I did.

“When you work as a subordinate for a long time, you learn these things. Among the servants, his reputation wasn’t very good.”

“I… didn’t know.”

“It’s not something a child could notice.”

Now I understood that what I knew wasn’t everything.

The Marquis Seymour’s reputation was mostly self-made. He meticulously and obsessively managed both his own and his family’s image. If any bad rumors arose, he would pay to shut them down. Enoch said even he hadn’t known the full extent until after he left the Seymour mansion.

After confirming Father had left, we departed Dagrave too.

Our destination was the Kelligrian Plains. The plains were vast, so my memories were crucial for finding clues.

“If you’re not going to make a pact with the Great Spirit of Wind, you need ‘Ramsa.’”

‘Ramsa’ was one of the ancient relics, so famous it was even mentioned in Yulia’s founding myths. It was known to every child, but because no trace of it had ever been found, the common belief was that it had already been lost. Jang Hyunji didn’t care much about how powerful ‘Ramsa’ was, but Laila was different.

“A magical tool that can block any attack? Honestly, that’s unfair.”

“Though you can only use it once a day.”

Still, it would block anything once. Whether it was a child’s attack or a grand mage’s meteor spell, ‘Ramsa’ would withstand it. Its versatility depended on the wielder.

The plains were Yulia’s largest breadbasket, but there were even more places untouched by human hands. Dangerous monsters and beasts roamed freely, and although it was within Yulia’s territory, the land was essentially unmanaged.

We rode for four days to reach the edge of the plains, then relied on my memories to guide us on foot.

Even Enoch, who usually complained, kept quiet in the wilderness.

“I only complain when people choose not to do something they could. This is unavoidable, so why would I?”

“I thought you’d complain…”

“What do you think I am?”

“…Good question…”

I realized I probably didn’t know Enoch very well either.

As we walked deeper into the plains, we had to camp out for nearly three days. Sleeping outside was uncomfortable, tiring, and cold. We were exhausted from walking all day, and we had no comfortable place to rest. On top of that, goblins or wolf packs attacked us constantly, and I was the one who had to deal with them.

Laila insisted that I face them using magic only, without summoning spirits.

“Magic in close combat? I’ve never even heard of that!”

“No one said you have to fight close-range. If you don’t want to kill directly, use a 3rd-class spell or higher.”

Spells up to 3rd-class weren’t particularly dangerous. First-class spells like fireball, waterball, and lightning could only be controlled within arm’s reach and weren’t very deadly. But starting from 4th-class, long-range attacks became possible, and their power increased greatly. Mercenaries and royal mages were usually 4th-class or higher.

Originally, Jang Hyunji had used my body to easily cast 6th-class magic. She ignored principles and theory, simply imagining the results and making them real. But the fact that it was possible meant I could do it too.

However, because I had a clumsy grasp of theory, 4th-class spells and higher felt tangled and difficult. I was too afraid to even attempt advanced magic like teleportation; I might lose an arm, a leg, or even my head mid-cast.

In the end, I had no choice but to kill most goblins in close combat. By the time I had grown accustomed to the sensation of a blade cutting through flesh, my hands were covered in scars and calluses from endless battles and healing. It was thanks to Keith’s healing magic that I could continue.

“You never skip training, even at a time like this. Always singing about Ramsa, Ramsa…”

Keith grumbled.

“Well, you and Enoch and Laila are the ones actually doing the research… This is just a way to make use of my time, I guess.”

Enoch and Laila scoured the plains thoroughly with the help of spirits. There were no tall trees, just waist-high tough grasses, but we never knew what might jump out at us. Sometimes Laila and Enoch went together, or Keith and Enoch did.

Right now, Enoch and Laila had paired up. According to the clues in my memories of the novel, the ancient relic was buried deep underground, and they had to search the underbrush for cracks in the earth. It was grueling work. At this rate, we might never get to the Mariv River to retrieve the “Blessing of the Archangel.”

“Enoch is acting strange.”

“He’s always a little strange.”

Keith replied nonchalantly to my comment. These two cousins called each other strange so casually. I shook my head.

“No, I mean his attitude feels cold. He doesn’t even talk to me.”

“…Did he… see it, by any chance…?”

“See what?”

“When I was comforting you?”

“…”

“Comforting you with my body—ow! Hey, that hurts!”

Keith had a way of making everything sound disgusting. Irritated, I kicked his shin as hard as I could. He looked at me with an unfair expression.

“I’m not even saying anything wrong.”

“Just the idea of ‘comforting with your body’ is disgusting.”

“But it actually comforted you. You stopped crying immediately.”

“Why did you even kiss me…?”

“You were crying so hard, I wanted to soothe you. You know how people kiss babies’ cheeks or eyes when they cry to calm them down?”

“I wouldn’t know. I’ve never calmed a baby.”

“Imagine Mari crying. What would you do to calm her?”

“…I’d hug her, kiss her, and tell her it’s okay.”

“Exactly. That’s all it was.”

Keith shrugged. It wasn’t really an explanation. He hadn’t forced himself on me, and even though I’d been crying, I’d been in my right mind. The warmth and comfort he gave me as he told me I had done nothing wrong was all there was to it.

I was sure Keith would’ve comforted anyone the same way. The method might differ slightly, but he wouldn’t have ignored them.

“He should just ask me instead of sulking.”

“He’s probably jealous. He probably thinks you and I like each other. He likes both of us.”

“Enoch… I don’t think he likes you that much.”

Enoch’s demeanor was cold, and his tone was frosty. I didn’t think he hated Keith, but I didn’t get the feeling he especially liked him either, even if they were close cousins. Keith shook his head like I didn’t know what I was talking about.

“You don’t get it. He likes me a lot.”

“…Where does your confidence come from…”

“If there’s a misunderstanding, we should clear it up. You’re cute, but I’m too loved by everyone to love only you.”

“I like Mari more than I like you.”

“Hey, then I like Enoch more than I like you.”

“I like Mari more than you like Enoch.”

“Ha, I guess I’ll have to tell you how much I like Enoch…”

Why was he competing with me about this? I shook my head, feeling exhausted. I understood now that to him, that kiss was just comfort and healing. To me too, it had only been warmth, affection, and pity—not desire.

Just then, I heard Laila laughing. Keith and I both looked up at the same time to see Enoch, his face scrunched up in irritation, and Laila clutching her stomach with laughter at his side.