……But don't Brandon and Eileens have different opinions?
Brandon would want to maintain Eileens's seal no matter what, so why did he say the same thing as her?
She pointed at the World Tree that had sprouted.
“You made the World Tree grow again, didn’t you? That alone is perfect.”
“I don’t really get what’s perfect…….”
“Think about it. The World Tree being raised at the temple is to strengthen my seal, right?”
I nodded quietly.
“But if the World Tree's seals overlap, they’ll break because they can’t withstand each other’s power.”
Ah, so that’s why the priest told me to leave Drimokan rotting.
“Isn’t it stupid? If they hadn’t made the World Tree bloom at the temple, the seal would’ve been perfect.”
Eileens burst out laughing.
“They were too greedy.”
“But what if the temple cuts off the sprout?”
“They can’t. Nothing can cut down the World Tree.”
……Isn’t that strange?
I’m pretty sure I cut the roots.
Peril also asked me to do it like it was nothing.
My mind grew confused.
And there was something that bothered me from what Eileens said a moment ago.
When she told me not to do anything.
Didn’t that mean that if I touched the World Tree again, I might end up killing it against my will?
While I was lost in thought, I came to my senses at the sight of Eileens, who had come close before I knew it.
“After the seal is broken, it’s none of your business. Got it?”
“…….”
“There’s no place for your name here.”
A stranger with a name that doesn’t exist in this world.
It seemed to mean that from now on, I should do nothing and just go back home as I was.
“Alright, thanks for the advice.”
What happens to the world afterward isn’t really my concern.
It’s always been that way.
……But is this really right?
I couldn’t see the answer at all.
At some point, the moon that had filled the sky disappeared. The image of Eileens, who had kept talking to me, also faded with the moon.
“…….”
And so, as dawn broke.
She was sitting in place in the form of the middle-aged woman I knew.
* * *
I really didn’t know what I was thinking when I came back to Peril.
“You’ll probably never know how much I worried outside.”
When I came to my senses, he was nagging as he untied the vine he had wrapped around my arm.
“……What is this now?”
At that moment, Peril’s hand froze. Only then did I come to myself and check my wrist, where I saw a bruised mark.
It was the spot where Eileens had grabbed me earlier. Now that I looked, every place she had touched was throbbing as if bruised.
“Who did that to you?”
Peril asked, but no words came out. So I just bit my lip and bowed my head deeply.
“…….”
I thought there must be a justifiable reason for me to have been dropped into this place alone. If not, then surely there had to be a reason I could accept.
But there was no such thing.
Only an absurd reason existed.
“Bianca.”
Peril called my name. Even then, I still couldn’t lift my head.
And I didn’t even know who to vent this resentment to.
I was clearly harmed. Shouldn’t there be someone at fault?
If things turned out like this, who was I supposed to hate?
Eileens?
Bianca from the original story who made the wish?
Ricardo, who suddenly changed his attitude……?
‘Was it me, who knew nothing?’
In truth, it wasn’t anyone’s fault. But if I thought that way, then what happened to my sense of injustice?
Peril’s eyes, which had been watching me, gradually widened.
“You…….”
“I’m not crying.”
“Alright.”
“I really mean it.”
“Okay.”
Peril let out a small sigh and fiddled with the bruise on my wrist with his fingers. The pain flared up suddenly, and I couldn’t help but grimace.
“Now it hurts, huh?”
“If you press like that……!”
At that moment, Peril pressed down on my wrist with force. The pain made me raise my voice.
“It hurts!”
“…….”
“It hurts so much……!”
At that moment, the tears I had been holding back burst out like a dam breaking.
I knew this would happen!
I lowered my head so he couldn’t see my face, and only then did Peril speak.
“Your expression looks much better than before.”
“…….”
“Show me your face.”
I shook my head, and he muttered softly.
“……How can I not worry when you’re like this.”
“I’m not crying.”
“Sure, let’s go with that.”
You don’t believe me at all right now!
Of course, if I were him, I wouldn’t have believed it either.
When I roughly wiped my eyes with the back of my hand, he grabbed my hand to stop me.
“Why are you acting like this since earlier……!”
Nothing was going my way, and suddenly, a wave of sorrow surged up. I felt so stupid, just biting my lip and letting tears fall.
Think about it, there’s no reason to cry in this situation at all!
“Your eyes will swell. You’ll look ugly.”
I wanted to argue, but for some reason, the tears wouldn’t stop.
……What’s wrong with me?
Did I finally go crazy?
Peril, who had been staring at me, rested his chin on his hand.
“That wish you’ve been saving.”
“…….”
“I’m ready to grant it whenever.”
There was something I’d wanted to ask of him for a long time.
But I didn’t want to say it in such a ridiculous situation. I wanted to ask him more seriously.
If I told him how desperate I was, he wouldn’t brush it off as nonsense.
But if not now, I felt like I’d never be able to say it.
“……There’s a place I need to return to.”
“…….”
“But I don’t think I can do it alone……”
I trimmed it down and trimmed it again. Still, I was ready to explain more if Peril asked.
But Peril didn’t ask.
“Then let’s go quickly.”
That was all he said.
The hand I held with Peril’s gradually began to glow silver. The light was his magical power.
The magic surrounding me neatly erased the bruises that had remained on the back of my hand.
But the emotional wreckage swept in by the tears still lingered.
Feeling embarrassed by the situation, I just sniffled. Then Peril chuckled.
“You look really ugly.”
I had nothing to say.
Because I really did look like that now.
Peril reached out his hand to me.
……How strange.
I had firmly believed that we’d never get along no matter what happened.
But now he was even using magic to swiftly change my dress into something more comfortable, showing more kindness than I expected.
And I thought he would ask me for more details as we descended to the village, but surprisingly, Peril didn’t ask anything.
It actually seemed like he was being considerate.
“There must’ve been something going on between you and that man at the venue.”
Never mind the consideration.
“Are you talking about Ricardo?”
“Was that the name?”
Peril furrowed his brows. Then he quietly observed me.
“……What should I do?”
“What, what is it?”
“I’m debating. Whether to act a little petty.”
I couldn’t understand what he was saying at all. While I tilted my head in confusion, Peril murmured with a serious look.
“You’re more resolute than you look.”
“What have you been talking about since earlier?”
“From here on, go alone.”
“What?”
Weren’t we going the same way?
Or is he planning to use magic and fly off alone……?
“Go and refuse him properly.”
His unpleasant smile made it seem like he was hiding some sneaky scheme.
“Take care on your way…….”
Yeah, I should just be thankful that he came with me this far.
The priority was getting back before Cedric got mad.
It was when I trudged on.
“…….”
The moment I encountered someone not far ahead, I finally realized Peril’s intention.
He’s seriously too much!