1
To do battle is to court death and but a moment of oversight can come to cost lives. Awareness of this merciless reality alone was hardly enough to take one beyond mistakes, and our champion very nearly paid the ultimate price for hers.
Three fortunate conditions saved Izumi’s life that day.
One, that only this one group of assassins had been dispatched after them, and no more. Two, that the travelers found Nobuhiro right where they had left him, and the elves had neither freed the horse nor killed it. And three, the fact that Nobuhiro knew the way back without special guidance, seeing as the long-winded path with its many side branches and crossings couldn't well be memorized in the darkness of the night.
Still, it took closer to eight hours on the road before the women had the city in their sights again.
Izumi’s wound had not ceased bleeding in all this time. Having all but lost the ability to regulate the release of chemicals to induce coagulation, her degrading body stood incapable of restoring itself.
Millanueve had wrapped her napkin around Izumi’s arm, and Izumi had tightened a small belt over it, cutting off most of the circulation in the limb. Still, slowly but steadily, blood seeped through, dying the cloth fully red. Soon, the makeshift wrapping’s saturation limit was reached, and vermilion streaks began to trail down the woman’s bluish, thoroughly numbed arm. The blood loss, coupled with fatigue and hunger, left Izumi lightheaded and delirious, and forced her to depend on Millanueve to get them home.
Back home they did reach, eventually.
Instead of Erekhigan’s manor, Nobuhiro delivered the pair back to the suburbs, to Isa’s house, where it had picked them up in the first place. By this point, Izumi had turned eerily pale all over and her breathing was labored. Simple movements had become slow and difficult for her, and Millanueve had to lend her shoulder to help the woman down from the cart and across the front yard, into the house.
There, they were first greeted by the mistress of the house, who had sensed their coming and came to open the door, quietly urging them in.
“You’re back!” In the living room, the older Ludgwertan knight, Stefan, greeted the two with earnest surprise and delight in his voice. Then, seeing Izumi half-dyed in blood, he froze and fell pale himself. “Gods! W-what happened...?”
“You should see the other guy,” Izumi said.
“Don’t talk!” Millanueve berated the woman. “Save your strength!”
Then, anxiously turning to their host, the girl questioned Isa,
“Is there any way we can treat her here? She’s lost a lot of blood, I don’t think she can make it to the Sage anymore.”
“I’m not a healer or an arcanist,” Isa replied with a troubled look, rustling her hair. “I have some rudimentary herbs and there are a few spells I can try, but I won’t make any promises. Make her sit over there in the kitchen. And get a towel from the bathroom, to wipe off the blood.”
Millanueve helped Izumi on a chair by the kitchen table, and left to look for the towel. Meanwhile, Isa took Izumi’s arm and undid the crude bandage. Though her treatment was not very gentle, Izumi didn’t resist. The emiri examined the wound, twisting it, and blood continued to spill out at the slightest move.
“...What’s with this body of yours?” Isa narrowed her eyes in disgust. “You’re telling me you’ve been journeying across the world in such a condition?”
“More or less,” Izumi mumbled in response.
“I can’t help you. This is beyond me. Even if I close the wound, I know no way to replenish the blood you’ve lost. How you’ve not died yet is a wonder. I’m not sure if even the Sage can save you anymore. I’ll go see him right away, but it’s going to take time.”
“...Sorry to be a bother.”
——“Ah, would you like me to help?” A light voice suddenly interrupted the two.
“Ha...?”
Izumi was certain she was seeing things.
In her hazy vision had suddenly appeared the apparition of the elven child, Naliya, watching the woman with a gentle smile. Whereas all else appeared gray and dim to Izumi, Naliya’s white-clad figure glowed with a faint, golden luminescence, like a winter star.
Such an angelic vision was obviously impossible. Izumi judged it better to pretend she saw nothing, lest others would dismiss her as a lost cause.
“Is there something you can do?” Isa unexpectedly turned to question the delusion.
“Um, you can see her too?” Izumi cautiously asked.
“Yes, she’s not your fantasy,” Isa replied with a heavy sigh. “While you were away, the situation got a little...complicated.”
“Complicated?”
—“I can explain everything,” another voice joined the conversation.
Millanueve’s brother, Alexander, had appeared in the room and now stepped beside Naliya, with a look both courageous and a little anxious, as though poorly hiding his feelings of guilt.
“They were keeping Naliya imprisoned in the Palace,” the youth explained. “She’s been locked up every since she was born! When I learned of her terrible fate, I knew I had to do something for her. So we escaped together, and—well, you can probably guess the rest.”
“You’re an idiot,” Izumi told the young man with a groan. “They’ll make carpets out of us when they find us. Carpets for bears.”
“Why would bears need carpets?” Alexander asked. “Though you’re probably right.”
“If you knew you shouldn't have, then why did you do it?”
“Because—” the boy tensed as he answered. “Because I’m in love with her.”
“Come again?” Izumi thought she was going to faint.
“I love Naliya,” Alexander repeated. “From the bottom of my heart. Which is why I’m going to take her with me to Ludgwert, so that we may get married.”
“I see,” Izumi slowly said. Then, taking support of her knees, she exerted her remaining strength and stood up. “Then—prepare to die.”
Izumi reached for her sword, forgetting that she had left it in the cart.
“Why!?” the young man recoiled in horror, nevertheless.
“No! You can’t kill him, Izumi!” Naliya stood in front of Alexander, spreading her arms to shield the youth. “I have only just learned of the existence of ‘marriage’! If you kill this man, I may never find out what it means!”
“My, I really want to kill someone now,” Izumi growled.
—“Goodness and heavens, my throat is parched.”
Another voice interrupted the conversation at that moment.
There was bard Waramoti, stepping into the house with a content but weary grin on his rough face. “I’ve learned sounds the existence of which were a mystery to me before this day! But it has left my vocal cords a tad...Hm? What is this gathering about? Have I missed something thrilling in my absence?”
The tall warrior paused in the living room and eyed the people at the kitchen’s edge.
While everyone else remained silent, Izumi took the chance to fill him in.
“The kid here scored a cutie elf girlfriend while no one was looking.”
“I see,” Waramoti nodded in understanding. “Then—prepare to die.”
The bard instinctively reached for his sword, forgetting he had left it in Carmelia’s carriage for safekeeping.
“No, really, why!?” Alexander retorted again, in obvious terror.
Before things could escalate further, Millanueve hurriedly returned, a cobalt-blue towel in her hands. Sensing the highly awkward atmosphere in the room, she paused mid-step and blinked.
“W-what is it? What happened?”
While everyone else remained silent, Izumi took the chance to explain.
“Your brother’s planning to marry an elf teen he just met, and I’m pretty sure that’s illegal.”
Millanueve turned to Alexander and Naliya.
“I see,” she commented with a soft, a bit frightening smile. “I’m going to tell papa.”
“I’m serious!” Alexander retorted, then to continue in a resolute tone, “I’ve never been this serious about anything in my life, okay? I want to protect Naliya and make her happy. I will, no matter what it takes! It could well be the reason why I was born, that is how I feel. And...and it is also my duty. My responsibility, as a man. Since—since we’re going to have a child. Probably.”
A stunned silence spread in the room.
—““Prepare to die,”” Izumi and Waramoti announced at the same time, reaching for their non-existent weapons, blinded by jealous rage.
“You mustn’t!” Naliya shielded the young man. “No one has yet explained to me where children come from!”
No one could educate her either at that moment, for most people nearby had their brains critically overheated, and became altogether incapable of speech.
In the human guests’ stead, Isa let out a long, heavy sigh.
“You’ve got guts, kid, I’ll give you that,” she told Alexander. “But you probably shouldn’t expect much out of this romance of yours.”
“Hm?” Alexander frowned. “What’s that supposed to mean?”
“More importantly,” Izumi said, regaining her composure with great effort. “We should probably keep your marital plans under the wraps for now. I have a feeling that certain someone wouldn’t take the news so well—”
——“Why, is it someone I know?” a new voice commented in the background.
While no one was paying attention, a gateway of shadows had opened directly in the living room, and through that ominous portal stepped the gloomy figure of the Court Wizard of Tratovia.
The restless air surrounding Carmelia gave everyone a start, as she scanned the people present with her golden eyes. Her gaze finally came to rest on Naliya, the Dawnstar, and the young man beside her. No separate summary of events was required for the sorceress to put two and two together. After all, she had followed chapters of their tale from a close distance.
“What folly, at a time like this,” Carmelia sighed and shook her head.
Alexander didn’t take well to the off-handed reaction, stepping defiantly forward.
“It’s not folly, all right,” he insisted. “I’ve made my choice. And I will do anything to see it through.”
The others wondered if the sorceress would turn him into a frog for his insolence, but instead of wrath, there was mostly only pity in Carmelia’s answer.
“I would not grow too attached if I were you. Our kind does not perceive relationships quite the way you humans do. Remaining faithful to a single spouse for all time is as unnatural a condition as it is unreasonable, when one can live on for thousands of years. At the age Naliya is now, everything is new and wonderful to her, and her curiosity without limit. But in time, it will pass.”
“Why must you say such cruel things?” It was Naliya’s turn to be offended. “What I feel at this moment is genuine, and no passage of time will lessen the beauty of it! Not even eternity would!”
“Said every teenager that ever lived,” the sorceress replied.
“I see now that the elders were right to distrust you,” Naliya haughtily argued. “When her grace left us, she cast aside her own heart. And with it, the ability to know love.”
Carmelia narrowed her eyes, and the people around shuddered at her expression.
“Well, thankfully nobody died today,” Izumi said, trying to see the upsides of the situation.
And then collapsed where she stood.
2
Several highly specialized schools of healing existed once. There were purists, who viewed any tampering of organic forms as sacrilege, and pursued less intrusive methods of restoration. They made spells which enhanced and accelerated the regenerative systems naturally available in a being’s body.
There were also seclusive mystery schools which forsook the material world altogether. They directed their efforts into nourishing the soul, thereby allowing the body, the house of the spirit, to become indirectly healed through the radiance of the animus.
And then there were those revered masters, who infused the body with their special mana and employed intricate biological knowledge to craft a solution to any ailment with surgical precision.
All methods required great talent and natural aptitude.
From the beginning, the gift of healing had been rare and valued.
It was never easy for a mind oriented to power and violence to aid others. Worse yet, in today’s world, following the rise and fall of civilizations, wars, and natural upheavals, a great deal of past magical knowledge had been lost, and those well-versed in the art of healing were fewer than ever before.
Even among those special people, Naliya stood out.
Her gift was abnormal in intensity by any measure, and the ease with which she used her magic appeared to make light of the very Art. Not even a seasoned arcane master like Carmelia could watch the girl’s work without experiencing unease and disbelief. No, it was surely because she was an accomplished adept herself, that she could see the absurdity of Naliya’s ability clearer than the rest.
Either way, it was the second time now that Izumi’s life was saved by the gift of the Dawnstar. By only a light touch, as before, the child restored her body back to its regular condition, and it took her only a few minutes to do so. A faint, barely visible line remained on the woman’s arm, as a memento of the near-fateful wound.
Naliya showed no signs of depletion even after the tremendous feat. Though the child claimed to have learned all that she knew from the elder arcanists at the Court, Carmelia took her claims with a grain of salt. Not even a genius could have reached such a level of proficiency in the craft before her hundredth birthday, regardless of the teacher—and Naliya was but an infant by her people’s standards.
It was as if she had been blessed with a strong tendency towards healing from birth.
Or else…
The Court Wizard gave voice to none of her personal theories, however. Once Izumi was back up and awake, the reunited crew dined together, and everyone was made to share their respective accounts on the past two days’ events.
The others were most interested in Izumi and Millanueve’s adventure, and so they had to take the starting turn.
Izumi, lacking the patience and eloquence of a bard, proved a rather poor and unwilling storyteller, so most of the report was conveyed by Millanueve. For a soldier, coming up with precise, succinct reports was second nature, though due to her young age, Millanueve yet retained the tendency to get wordier than needed. Indeed, she missed nothing, recounting the entire journey from its start to finish. Erekhigan’s request to Izumi; the plague threatening the Alderian kingdom; the task to retrieve samples for the development of the vaccine; the quarantined settlements devoid of life; and the assassins dispatched in an apparent effort to silence the investigators.
The others listened intently to the end, only commenting after the knight maiden had concluded.
“The town you saw was Ambron,” Isa informed them with a grim face. “It was where the latest epidemic first broke out, some forty-odd years ago. I heard the plague was spread by the apes in the jungle. It turned the animals aggressive and caused them to attack people out of nowhere. Any contact with the blood or fluids of the infected could transmit the disease. Nine out of ten to contract the plague died within days. It was not the first time it happened either. Before Ambron, four other towns further in the west were deserted. And Selemn, the town near Ambron, was evacuated last as a safety measure, the inhabitants transferred to the main city..”
“A plague...” Carmelia repeated. “I’d not heard of such a thing.”
“Because you weren’t here,” Isa told the magician. “The first epidemic took place shortly after the Divide. The situation on the island remained still chaotic, all the scattered settlements far from organized. A lot of lives were lost. But after a great deal of planning and hard work, the disease was finally contained. The outbreaks since have been of a much lesser scale.”
“Curious thing, that such a deadly pathogen should emerge only after six hundred years of peaceful life on the island.”
This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road. If you spot it on Amazon, please report it.
Isa narrowed her eyes at the sorceress’s remark. “...What are you trying to say?”
“Why, I was merely thinking aloud,” Carmelia replied. “Please pay it no heed.”
“But, are you two going to be all right?” Millanueve suddenly asked the elves. “You don’t think there’s a chance we could have brought this disease back with us? It’s been a long time and I avoided any contact with the bodies, but...I don’t know how these things are supposed to work.”
“I don’t recall any mummies spitting on me,” Izumi said. “And I was extra careful with the samples. Trust me, I’m a specialist by this world’s standards; I had chemistry class in high school.”
Everyone ignored her.
“We’ll be fine, won’t we?” Isa asked Carmelia, not sounding too sure.
“Eh?” Carmelia stirred from her thoughts. It was quite unusual for the Court Wizard to be so lost in thought, that she would lose track of the conversation. “Ah, yes. There is no danger.”
It seemed a little strange for her to make the claim with such certainty, while knowing so little about the subject, but everyone decided to trust in her opinion.
“Well, it sounds like you worked hard for your reward,” Isa then said to Izumi. “Suppose you’re going to see the Sage next?”
“It’s gotten dark,” Izumi noted, glancing out of the kitchen window. “I think I’ll save it till morning. Wouldn’t wanna catch him in the bath or anything.”
“Do you have the samples with you?” Carmelia unexpectedly asked her. “Could you let me have a look at them? I won’t do anything to contaminate them, rest assured.”
“Is this the time to be playing mad scientist?” Izumi replied with a sigh. “Do whatever you like. Ah, I also brought a whole ton of notes I found in somebody’s house. It looked like the house of a doctor, so I figured they could be of use. Not that I can tell what's written, since they’re all in elvish.”
“In Ambron? Could it be, you went to Tirnael’s house?” Isa asked with an astonished look.
“Someone you know?”
“Everyone knows her!” the emiri exclaimed. “Tirnael Dan Qixa Linhoa was one of our greatest healing masters! And quite possibly the kindest, gentlest soul I’ve ever met. She worked closely together with Erekhigan to develop a cure for the plague. When the epidemic broke out in Ambron and the colony was quarantined, Tirnael sent all her assistants away and alone stayed behind. She wished to keep treating the dying patients and ease their suffering for as long as she could. Ah, so she did succumb as well! That is sad news. I was secretly hoping that she was still holding on out there, somehow...”
“I see,” Carmelia’s expression darkened as well. “So Tirnael has passed? What a shame, I was hoping to see her. At any rate, thank you for bringing back her notes. I shall look through them later.”
“Eh, sorry for your loss,” Izumi said, slightly remorseful over her poor behavior at Tirnael’s house. Fortunately, Millanueve had been tactful enough not to mention the looting.
3
Following Izumi and Millanueve’s part, the conversation turned next to Alexander and Naliya. The young knight followed his sister’s example and gave an orderly—and mostly briefer—summary of his exploits, starting from his trip to seek Erekhigan’s counsel at Isa’s behest. He described their concerns over the possible conspiracy under the elf kingdom’s surface, and the apparent threat against the King. He told how the Sage had presented him with a request as well, and what an absurd request it had been—to infiltrate the Royal Palace undetected and uncover incriminating evidence on the internal plotting and the human kidnappings.
Alexander had found precisely what he had been looking for too. Evidence in the shape of mixed human and elven offsprings stored in the deep underground levels of the Palace, no doubt the fruits of loathsome, immoral experiments that violated natural order and all that was holy. He told everyone how he was led to discover the elven King murdered, and made his desperate escape along the tunnels, to then meet Naliya in the secluded garden. Moved by the poor girl’s innocent wish for liberty, he had taken Naliya with him, and the young man spared no words in describing the great affection that had blossomed between the two in their peril.
However, in his excitement, he omitted his meeting with Koolon of the ptoleans, thinking it was only an irrelevant distraction in the main course of events and took away from his own heroism.
After the young knight stopped—or was made to stop, at audience’s united demand—it was finally Carmelia’s turn.
“Much of your story is already familiar to me, young man,” she told Alexander. “As I was there to witness its consequences firsthand. My role is then merely to fill in the blank spots, which does not make for a particularly riveting narrative, but should nevertheless be known to you all, for the sake of consistency.”
And so the Court Wizard explained her own difficult position at the Court, the ptolean emissaries’ appearance and their threat to the city, as well as the following disappearance of the ptoleans at the Palace and the King. She covered the main points of her detective work, leading to the uncovering of King Quaran’s corpse, and the disorder caused by Alexander’s intrusion.
Everyone at the kitchen table felt quite overloaded with information as she finished.
“The only stroke of good luck in this chaos is that the Palace sentries did not directly see the boy,” Carmelia finally told them. “Because of this, they have been convinced that the ptoleans were responsible for both the death of the King, as well as Naliya’s disappearance. Even if your involvement is suspected, it is believed to ultimately connect with our ancient adversaries, rather than being your own work. And it is entirely thanks to this misapprehension that dear Isa’s house still remains standing and you have not all been beheaded in retribution.”
“What a tale indeed,” Isa sighed.
“So, what will happen to us now?” Millanueve asked the sorceress.
“The Court presently faces a stalemate,” Carmelia answered. “The Royal Guard cannot apprehend the ptoleans yet, with the threat of the blood rituals present. The fear of the emissaries taking their own lives, rendering extensive damage onto the city, prevents the emiri from taking action. But, sooner or later, they will come up with a solution, and once they do, they will find that the ptoleans have not Naliya, and turn the accusing finger back to our side. Before they reach there, I suggest we make ourselves scarce. Leaving the island is now your topmost priority.”
“I can agree with that,” Alexander said.
“Me three,” Stefan voiced his opinion.
“What about the ships?” Izumi asked Carmelia. “Don’t you want one anymore?”
The cirelo shook her head.
“You would continue to reach for the moon while the flames of the underworld lick your feet? By this point, acquiring a ship would be extremely difficult. Nay, impossible.”
“I’d hate to label this mission a failure after coming all this way,” the summoned champion argued. “Rather, couldn’t we use a ship to escape? That’d be killing two birds with one stone.”
“Hm?” The sorceress answered Izumi’s excellent—in her own opinion—question with a mysterious look. “You mean to say that even after all this time, you have yet to realize the nature of the Sihlruén?”
“...What do you mean?”
So far as she could tell, Izumi had yet to see a single ship. Wouldn’t such vessels be normally stored at a harbor, anyway? She hadn’t been anywhere close to the sea on her trip, so there was naturally no way she could have seen what the legendary fleet looked like.
However, Carmelia wouldn’t elaborate on her remark.
“Either way, taking a ship by force is not feasible. Our only option was ever to make our host surrender one of their own accord, and the window of opportunity for that has passed. The road of diplomacy comes to an end. We have done a thorough job at rustling the beehive, and its residents are out for blood. Escaping with our lives should be considered a major success of its own. Mark me, it will not be easy. If the emiri learn Naliya is with us, death will be among the best options we shall have.”
“I am sorry,” Naliya made a dejected face at her name being brought up in such a context.
“It’s not your fault,” Alexander told the girl. “We’re going to make it, all of us. We’ll find a way.”
Only his sister and perhaps Stefan could note the change in the boy’s tone, the quiet resolve he was now brimming with, as though he had matured years in the span of just a day.
“But how will we?” Stefan asked. “We still haven’t come up with a solid plan.”
“Give me a day,” Carmelia requested. “We should have as much. It is doubtful our hosts will rush into action, angry as they are, not unless something critical changes. There are still things I will need to look into. Preparations to make. Hopefully, we will be ready by tomorrow.”
“I, for one, can’t wait to hear what you come up with,” Isa said, with a morbid sort of humor in her tone.
“I’m not going anywhere until I get the rune, though,” Izumi declared.
“My lessons with Master Lyrion are still not over,” Waramoti added.
“That Lyrion actually took you for an apprentice?” Isa asked the man with surprise.
“Not quite,” the bard modestly replied. “But in the insults he hands me through his window are sometimes hidden worthwhile tips and assignments. And the frequency with which he does so can probably be called lecturing by this point.”
“Well, that’s something.”
“Yeah, real nice, good for you,” Izumi interjected, “but I’m still completely empty-handed here!”
“I don’t think you two quite realize the gravity of the situation,” Carmelia told the bard apprentice and Izumi. Waiting for everyone to quiet down, she soon continued in an unusually stern tone,
“Ladies and gentlemen, Alderia is presently undergoing a coup d’etat. We all came here for our respective reasons. We all had something we sought to accomplish. But unbeknownst to us, someone else has already made this island the stage of their greed and ambition. In their picture, our appearance has been entirely undesired. We’ve caused quite the stir and this power has retaliated against us. We have been made into pawns, our intentions exploited to forward the nefarious plans in the shadows. Now, a new age is about to begin, not only for the Alderian elves, but the world as a whole. Naliya was to be its herald. Taking her has stalled the enemy, but I cannot predict for how long. This is not about what we want anymore. It has become a matter of what has to be done, to save our way of life. You need to escape, not only for your own sakes, but in order to warn the rest of the world of what’s about to come. Yes, it is your responsibility, as I will likely not be among you.”
“Caalan?” Isa raised a brow, looking disturbed. “What are you talking about?”
“If you still cannot connect the dots after the stories you’ve heard, then there is little use in me spelling it out for you.” Having said all that she intended, as though thoroughly fed up with the denseness of her listeners, Carmelia stood. “Enjoy your last night in Alderia, everyone. By tomorrow night, we will not be here anymore. Whatever you plan to do, keep this in mind.”
Following the Court Wizard’s suggestion, everyone went their separate ways from the kitchen, to reflect on her words, their own resolve, as well as their plans for the future. The men retired to their room. Isa began to wash the dishes left from the dinner, and Carmelia took to reading the notes Izumi had brought from Ambron. Only Izumi remained seated at the kitchen table, savoring Isa’s fruit tee, glad to be alive.
“Are you really all right now?” Millanueve approached the woman, some concern still visible on her face. “Does it hurt anywhere?”
“Ah, no, I got all the HP back, so I’m fine,” Izumi casually replied. “You should get some rest. It was a rough ride.”
“Yes, I suppose I will. I’m dead tired, to be honest,” the girl said with a smile. “Don’t keep up too late, you hear me? You should take better care of yourself.”
Millanueve turned to head upstairs, but paused after a few steps. She looked back with a bit awkward air and muttered,
“And...well, thank you, Izumi. For saving my life. And everything else...”
“You’re the one who saved me, really,” Izumi replied. “Don’t worry about it.”
“Mm. I’ll be upstairs then.”
Carmelia followed the tender exchange from her armchair in the living room. Looking like she had turned into a statue, she didn’t even blink for a very long while. Passing by, Isa was about to ask if the sorceress was quite all right, when the latter suddenly spoke to her.
“Do you still have the Cintardhia sapling you planted after moving? Did it ever bloom?”
“Eh, it did,” Isa answered after a pause. “I dried a jar of last year’s berries too. Why, you looking for a boost in the bedroom?”
“I recently learned that the tree’s sap has a highly unusual effect on the human physiology,” Carmelia responded. “I was wondering what manner of a reaction the berries would cause.”
“...You’re awfully free-spirited, even after that doomsday speech.”
“Not at all. But if tomorrow’s to be my last day in this world, then I’d like to leave it with no regrets.”
“Hm?”
4
The eventful day came to a close and the darkness of the night enveloped the island once more in its seamless, gradual embrace.
The elves didn’t require much rest by nature and kept busy late into the night, while the humans gladly accepted the break. By the time Izumi got up to the attic, Millanueve was already deep asleep, having gone with little adequate rest for the past two days.
Izumi, on the other hand, was revitalized by Naliya’s magic and had trouble keeping still. Carmelia’s words haunted her, and so did the promise of her glorious reward from the Sage. She kept tossing and turning, anxiously waiting for the morning to come.
Then, in the small hours of the new day, something else disturbed her respite.
Out of nowhere, a sudden weight fell on Izumi, nearly making her shriek out of surprise.
However, the cause became quickly apparent, as the glowing, smiling face of the elven child filled her field of vision.
“...What are you doing?” Izumi asked Naliya with a sigh.
“I missed you, Izumi,” the girl replied with a giggle. “I already thought you went back to the human land.”
“Easier said than done.”
“My heart could barely keep in my chest, as I listened to everyone and their stories. Is every day outside as exciting as this?”
“Not really, thank goodness. My own heart wouldn’t handle that, for sure.”
“Ahaha!” Naliya laughed and snuggled against Izumi’s bosom.
“H-hey...”
“I knew not what a joy it is to be close to another before.”
“Aren’t I happy for you,” the woman said. “But it’s just a little awkward for me, to be honest.”
“I have learned so many things since I met you and Alexander, and the others,” Naliya carried on, oblivious to Izumi’s unease. “About life, about the world outside the island. About my own self. How there can be beauty in being seen as ‘special’. How it feels so very good to be touched.”
“Eh?” Izumi tensed at the girl’s affectionate tone. “I do think you should leave that sort of lessons for when you’re older...”
“Why?” Naliya asked her. “Is this not well? To love and be loved is a wonderful thing. I never realized it before, but love is probably the source of all my power. I want to feel it more and more.”
The girl leaned quickly in and lightly kissed Izumi’s lips.
“Oi! T-t-t-t-that’s really going a little too far...!” The woman recoiled in panic, holding Naliya back. If Millanueve were to wake up now, total chaos was guaranteed to ensue. “I thought you already tied the knot with somebody! Give it a rest!”
“What do you mean?” Naliya asked, tilting her head. “Tie the knot? Where is the thread?”
“It’s a phrase,” Izumi explained, trying to calm her heart. “A way of saying. It means, you...get in a special, romantic relationship with someone. You’ve done that, haven’t you. You and the young man.”
“I see. That is true, I suppose, though I am not quite sure what it all means.” The girl blinked her eyes. “What of it?”
“It’s—well, it’s like this,” Izumi tried to find the right words. “When two people get together that way, there’s this mutual, wordless understanding. You’re with the person you love, and don’t fool around with other people. Because that’s called cheating. Think of the poor guy’s feelings!”
“Why?” Naliya asked in return. “Why are you only allowed to love one?”
“Because...Because, human hearts are small, I guess. We’ve only got enough room for one person’s share of love. Or maybe it’s more like, we give everybody else’s share to that one person too. That’s what it means to truly 'love' someone.”
“But, is not every being special and precious on their own, and worthy of love?” the emiri asked. “Choosing only one above all the others, denying everyone else the pleasure and joy they could have with you, holding your affection from them—is it not many times more lonely and cruel, than hurting only one? How can such imbalance be right?”
“Well, got me there,” Izumi shrugged. “I’m not a love doctor. Maybe it’s meant to be cruel, in a sense. Maybe love is about making a tough choice. And it’s your decision, the sacrifice you make for another, that makes him or her more special than all the others, for you.”
“Special…” Naliya repeated, falling quiet.
“Yes. Everyone wants to be special, I think. But we people can’t be like you, Naliya. Most of us aren’t really good at anything, let alone better than others. Even then, it’s in being chosen by another person that we can feel like our being here actually mattered. Like our lives had meaning.”
“I see,” the girl mumbled with a thoughtful face, before looking up. “Does Izumi have someone like that? Someone special to you? Someone you’d give up all the others for, who makes you feel special in kind?”
“Me?” Izumi hesitated. “I...I don’t know. I haven’t made that choice yet, I suppose...”
And even more than choosing, I fear being chosen.
“Then how should I choose?” Naliya asked. “What is the right thing for me to do, by your ways?”
“I really can’t say,” Izumi admitted. “You have to ask yourself that. What do you want to do?”
Naliya sat up with a downcast look.
Then, after a moment of contemplation, she finally replied,
“I wish to stay with Alexander. I know that I do not want to hurt him. The love he has for me is fierce.”
“...”
What about you? Is that love? Or is it just pity?
Izumi couldn’t bring herself to voice her thoughts. She glanced at the knight maiden slumbering nearby.
Really, what am I doing, talking like a sage? When I really know nothing and understand even less.
Naliya slowly got off Izumi and lay down beside her, leaving a gap in between them.
“Human love is a sad thing,” she spoke with a solemn look.
“Eh, it is what it is,” Izumi replied.
For a moment neither spoke.
Naliya continued to stare at Izumi, an unreadable look in her large eyes, and Izumi waited quietly for the girl to go to sleep. But then, Naliya suddenly parted her lips again, making a timid request with a whisper,
“Then, if I may not be closer with you...Would it be all right, if I only hold your hand as I sleep?”
Izumi forced herself to smile, though the pain rending her heart made her want to cry instead, and held out her palm.
“Ah. Of course.”