WOSE Chapter 8

He seemed not to have anticipated this awkward situation either—he looked quite flustered. Narrowing his brow uncomfortably, he stammered an apology.

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to intrude..."

"..."

"You might misunderstand, but this really is coincidence."

It would be.

He'd knocked on her door regularly, but when she ended her seclusion, he'd stopped visiting as if by magic. As if his only intention all along had been purely to reassure and calm her.

Someone like him wouldn't have staged such a crude meeting now. More importantly, it seemed he'd been here first, not them.

Kalix apparently recalled this fact too—he gradually erased his bewilderment and soon recovered his usual leisurely attitude.

"Strictly speaking, you came to where I was resting, Savior, so please forgive me."

Having spoken cheekily, he jumped lightly down from the tree. Under the sunlight, meeting her at roughly the same level now, he smiled like a boy.

Iyu averted her gaze as if burned. Witnessing that fresh smile she'd caressed so many times made her heart drop heavily, as if she'd been in an accident.

Hadn't her emotions all burned away in hatred? She'd thought she was fine because no tender feelings bloomed at his voice beyond the door, because no tears came...

She despised herself for being moved more than she despised Kalix for causing that emotion.

Iyu chewed over that day she'd fled miserably, again and again. Then, like magic, the turbulence settled and her head cooled.

Enough to begin the plan she'd carefully constructed.

Even though the tea had completely lost its flavor, Iyu made her proposal as if nothing was wrong.

"I don't misunderstand. If you have time, would you like a cup of tea?"

"I appreciate the offer, but I don't want to disturb your rest."

"You've been concerned about me all this time, but my attitude hasn't been very good. Please think of this as small thanks."

"Then... I won't refuse further."

Instead of squeezing onto the small blanket, he sat down roughly on the meadow and accepted the teacup.

"It smells wonderful."

Having savored the tea like a prince from a fairy tale, he struck up conversation with his fluid manner.

"This was my secret place that the celestials don't know about—how exactly did you find it?"

"Tami showed me."

Tami? His questioning gaze soon turned toward the child at her side.

"The gift seems to have pleased you."

The beast tribe representative and Freya had selected Tamia, but regardless, it must have been Kalix who judged that Iyu needed an attendant and proposed it to them.

Stroking the child's head, Iyu replied with rare sincerity.

"Yes. I'm pleased."

"I'm even happier that you're so delighted. Iyu, ah, Savior..."

"You can speak comfortably."

She'd meant he could use informal titles, but—

"Should I?"

He dropped formality immediately, as if he'd been waiting.

"Can I really call you 'Iyu,' no, use informal speech?"

The familiar casual speech lowered her mood a bit more. But instead of frowning, Iyu set down her teacup with a small sound.

Then, without avoiding his gaze, she slowly reached her hand toward him.

"Kalix."

Calling his name like a lover, just as she had in the past.

Soon her pale hand brushed against his hair and fell away. A single leaf caught on her fingertips.

It must have stuck when he'd been napping in the tree. Conveniently useful.

"...Can I call you that?"

When she added the question casually, his tense broad shoulders finally relaxed.

"Please."

She felt small waves within that brief answer. Such a small size that no sound could be heard, but the existence alone was enough for now. Iyu smiled with genuine satisfaction.

Though he was merely a fake lover meant to make her willingly choose sacrifice, they'd still spent a long time together as lovers.

She knew perfectly well what actions pleased him, what kind of person interested him, what aspects he liked. So...

Iyu poured tea into his cup until it nearly overflowed, hoping desperately.

Even if it's not as much as I loved you, please—in this life, come to love me even a little.

Because only then can I return the despair and betrayal I tasted exactly as it was.

Iyu received another invitation to Brimund a month and a half after emerging from her secluded life.

Though she'd pretended to follow classes without difficulty unlike her previous life, for some reason the timing was two weeks later than before.

Finally able to attend the regular meeting, Iyu walked briskly, even brushing aside Tamia who'd recommended more formal attire.

Her response wasn't excessive.

She still had nightmares three or four times a week. Woke up trembling with vindictiveness. Her patience had thinned to about the width of a single sheet of paper.

She passed several unnecessarily long corridors and antique marble pillars carved with ancient letters she hadn't yet learned, finally reaching the familiar door.

But she couldn't rashly enter—she stopped briefly. Through the slightly open door gap, she saw familiar faces in a familiar arrangement.

Given that she'd eavesdropped on cruel truths from exactly this position, it was a deeply unpleasant coincidence.

Don't be shaken by such trivial things like a child.

The moment she irritably mocked herself and touched the door—

A beast's roaring growl struck her ears.

"Ridiculous! You're finding creative ways to say you want to be torn apart and killed!"

Tigrevald, the beast tribe leader, seemed to be raging. She could roughly guess the reason without hearing it.

He must be furious that the first destination of the pilgrimage they'd decided by vote wasn't his world.

"Don't you know where the new darkness appeared? That's the only passage connecting Yotunheim and Midgard!"

"As if there's any unimportant location in this world."

At Kelgrida's mocking response, something shattered with a crash.

Ridiculous.

She hadn't even said she'd absorb the darkness yet, that she'd help them. Her sacrifice had already become a natural premise.

Iyu clicked her tongue and pushed the door wide open. When the savior appeared through the opening, the room fell silent instantly.

Iyu glanced briefly at the man still unable to calm his anger, breathing heavily. His humanization had half-dissolved—black stripes stood out prominently around his neck and arms, his claws and fingernails sharp as awls.

His vertical pupils flashed toward her for an instant. Even in the tension that felt like he might snatch her throat and flee any moment, Iyu trudged toward Freya without reaction.

What actually disturbed her came after. Her prepared seat was, coincidentally, between Kalix and Freya.

Of all things.

She was merely displeased with the seating arrangement. But they misinterpreted the cause of her stiffened expression and hurried to add excuses.

"It was just a minor argument, so there's nothing to worry about."

That didn't explain Tigrevald's shattered stone seat scattered across the room.

The clumsy excuse was absurd, but whether they fought each other or someone died didn't matter to her at all, so she nodded vaguely.

"Now that the Savior has arrived, everyone calm down and take your seats."

Once the standing Tigrevald sat roughly in his half-remaining stone seat, Freya began speaking as if she'd been waiting.

"The reason we called you today, Savior, is because of the 'pilgrimage.'"

As expected.

Though the reason wasn't different from what she'd guessed, Iyu blinked as if she didn't understand. Freya kindly added explanation.

"The pilgrimage is a noble and symbolic journey where you visit the nine worlds and plant seeds of hope in those suffering from darkness."

Though packaged like a worthy act, Iyu knew the reality. The pilgrimage was merely a means to incite the savior's guilt and sense of responsibility, voluntarily inducing sacrifice.

Indeed, she'd willingly chosen sacrifice in every world she'd visited. Of course, this time she didn't intend to let things flow according to their plan.

That's why she'd been waiting for the pilgrimage.

Unaware of this inner truth, Freya seemed worried that the timid savior might seclude herself again or whine that she couldn't go.

She reassured Iyu with an attitude like soothing a young student.

"You don't need to worry about your safety. Kalix, the human race leader here, and Kelgrida of the dwarven race over there will accompany you."

The same companions as her previous life.

Including Tamia who would accompany her as her attendant, beast tribe, dwarven race, and human race were evenly distributed—not a bad combination that could travel any world without much difficulty, but...

It still fell slightly short of the composition she had in mind.

After pretending to agonize and hesitate, Iyu opened her mouth.

"Of course, if I can be helpful to anyone, I'll gladly do it. However, I have one request—would that be alright?"

"Of course, anything!"

"Having Kalix and Kelgrida accompany me is truly reassuring, but as you can see, I have no power and will clearly just be a burden. It seems too unfair to make only those two shoulder it... Since elves, beast tribe, and humans have gathered, wouldn't it be good if one more celestial accompanied us? For instance, that holy knight."

"A holy knight, you mean..."

"Yes, the one you introduced to me, Freya."