6. Liyue Branch (3)
The day was cool. In Mond, which has a mild climate all year round, strong winds would sometimes blow. Some argue that it is because the god Barbatos is the god who presides over the wind element, while others analyzed that the climate of Mond, which used to be a cold place, is still having an effect. Either way, only the drunkard bard knew the truth.
I was climbing a hill. The slope, which was gentle at first, gradually became steeper as it continued endlessly. Mond’s famous ‘Cecilia flower’, which only grows in highlands, was seen everywhere. Pure white flower petals were fluttering in the breeze. Needless to say, the reason I’m climbing the hill now was because of Lumine’s suggestion.
‘Why don’t we go on a trip just the two of us after a long time?’
I guess that’s what Lumine meant by ‘date’. To be honest, I had a little bit of expectation, but this wasn’t too bad. However, I was dissatisfied with the fact that another being had intervened in our trip, contrary to the original plan.
The noisy, unwanted guest was sitting on my shoulder and chattering non-stop.
“Wow, Siu! Look at that, lots of sweet flowers are blooming. “Wouldn’t you be able to make something delicious with that?”
I cast a confused gaze over my right shoulder. Sitting there was something the size of a child with silver hair. The name of this unidentified guide was ‘Paimon’, and he was, after all, one of my precious companions.
Paimon was looking at the colony where ‘sweet and sweet flowers’ were blooming with sparkling eyes. Heh, it was obvious what the open mouth was thinking even without looking into its head. I sighed and hit Paimon’s head with a thud.
“Hey!”
Paimon raised his hands to his head with a cute squeal. A light moisture formed in her eyes. Her paymon looked at me with her resentful eyes, but I just scolded her in her nonchalant voice.
“Are you always thinking about eating? And, why are you sitting on my shoulder when you can fly? It’s already so hard that I’m dying…….”
“Huh, that’s too much…” “That’s why you hit someone, Siu, it’s bad!”
Despite my grumbling, Paimon did not come down from my shoulder. Paimon responded to my grumbling by whining. Rather, when you say ‘human’, is Paimon actually a human being? He was about to take a step while thinking such useless thoughts.
A laughing sound was heard. When I turned my gaze, my partner today was standing there. Light golden hair with a gentle glow in the warm sunlight, and scarlet eyes. Her name was ‘Lumine’, which everyone could not help but say was beautiful.
She was laughing under her breath, as if watching Paimon and I bickering was quite amusing. Seeing that smile made my body feel a little tired, but my heart felt proud.
Yes, as long as Lumine is fun, that’s fine. That’s what I thought last night, remembering her lonely face. I couldn’t bear to see Lumine making that face. That’s why, even though I was busy today, I gave up work and went out with Lumine.
Going on a ‘trip’ alone with Lumine like before would probably be something in the distant future. However, an outing was possible.
Lumine, who was smiling for a moment, soon looked sorry. She asked with concern in her voice.
“Siwoo, are you having a hard time? Oh my god… “Shall we take a little rest?”
There was no way I could tell Lumine that it was of course difficult. Instead, I smiled a little playfully.
“Well, I think it might get better if someone holds my hand.”
“…… Yes?”
Rumine stuttered, seeming a little embarrassed by those words. As if he didn’t know I would say something like this.
Anyway, I held out my left hand to Lumine. A cool breeze passed through my spine. It was a cool breeze.
“It’s a ‘date,’ so you’re not going to do something like this?”
Lumine, who was hesitant about those words, eventually approached me. And with a little blush on his face, he gently took my hand. I felt his soft and delicate fingers. He was the one who held hands yesterday as well, but Lumine was very shy.
Paimon’s eyes narrowed when he saw that. “Hmm,” Paimon whispered to me and Lumine as if he had discovered the teasing.
“Siwoo and the traveler… “Aren’t we really good friends?”
“Paymon!”
Lumine softly called Paimon’s name, and with the hand that was not holding my hand, she raised her index finger and placed it on her lips. Shhh, Paimon immediately closed his mouth, lifted himself up from my shoulder, and started flying away.
“Then I’ll go first and take a look~”
You’re smart, Paymon. I am proud of you. While I was feeling proud of Paimon, Lumine looked a little worried.
“Paimon, are you okay…? “I can’t even defeat slime.”
“…… Well, I guess it’s okay. “Because it’s Paymon.”
Rumine laughed as if she couldn’t stop me from saying it. And for a while, we walked with Rumine holding her hand, talking about Doran Doran.
As we walked together, it reminded me of the old days. In the past, I used to travel alone like this with Lumine. Then she added one more noisy guide, and she thought it would continue like that until she arrived in Mond.
At that time, I had no idea that Lumine’s obsession was so severe. Of course, I had seen this tendency to some degree before, but it seemed like Lumine’s obsession had gotten worse since she and I had separated. When we traveled alone, Lumine would listen to me with a mysterious and beautiful smile like she does now. And then sometimes they make fun of me.
As I was recalling memories, I couldn’t help but talk about old times. I asked Lumine to cut out a corner of her memory.
“Do you remember when you were chased by an ice slime before?”
“Um… “In a lake with falling stars?”
I nodded. There was a time when several slimes appeared out of nowhere in a lake where stars were falling. I was setting up the tent at the time, and I don’t know what would have happened if Lumine, who had gone to wash up, hadn’t heard me yelling and came running.
“At that time, I was able to have a pretty cool time thanks to the water frozen by the ice slime. Now that I think about it, isn’t this also a good business item?”
“Well… ….”
Lumine smiled meaningfully while talking about my farmland. She smiled her eyes. It was the most attractive line I’ve seen in a long time that came out when he was teasing me.
“…… “At that time, all I remember is Si-woo peeking at my body.”
I was speechless at those words. Rumine was in the middle of washing up at the time and ran over so quickly that she couldn’t put on her clothes properly. Of course, that didn’t mean he showed his naked body, but there was a glimpse of skin that was visible while he was fighting.
The nape of the neck, those white shoulders, places like that. Maybe that’s why those memories were even more memorable. I cleared my throat and blushed.
It was like digging my own grave. There was no way Lumine would miss this opportunity.
“Yeah, really? I’m so out of my mind…….”
“You saw it, right?”
Lumine asked politely in response to my lame excuse. At the same time, Lumine pulled his joined hand and gently pressed his body against my arm. I felt a soft texture. Lumine whispered in my ear.
“…… For a while, whenever he saw me, he would blush, and if he felt eyes on me, he would only look at my chest. “I thought you wouldn’t know?”
In the end, I had no choice but to sigh and declare surrender during Lumine’s interrogation. But what can I do, I’m a guy too, so of course I couldn’t help but stare.
“Joe, I saw a little bit. “Somehow, yeah.”
After hearing those words, Lumine chuckled as if she was satisfied and walked away. For me, it felt a little unfair.
I wasn’t the only one who felt that way at that time. For a while, Lumine would blush and avoid looking at me whenever he saw me, and he would tidy up his clothes for no reason. Then, I remembered that it was awkward because the conversation was hesitant for a while.
But to come out so proudly after some time has passed. Of course, I was the one who benefited unilaterally, so I was in a position where I had nothing to say, but my mind wasn’t as rational as reason.
Lumine teasingly traced the corners of his eyes with her fingers. He seemed to be wiping away tears, although of course he couldn’t hide the mischievous look in his eyes.
“Well, at first I was going to show it to someone special…….”
It was a line that would make anyone think they had seen the entire naked body. All I saw was the nape of the neck, shoulders, and a pure white curve falling down to the chest. Although it was rude enough, I still felt the emotions that had been building up over the past few days suddenly rear their head.
Recently, I’ve been suffering too much. To Mona and Lumine. Even Fissle, who had a taste for teasing me and soothed my heart, was away for a while. I couldn’t just live with it.
I grabbed our joined hands and pulled them together. The moment Lumine said, “Hey,” She hesitated and gently leaned her body into my arms.
“…… I am?”
It was a slightly playful voice, but Lumine was looking up at me with her eyes wide open due to the sudden situation.
“Aren’t I a precious person?”
Lumine flinched and trembled at those words. And she looked visibly embarrassed. She jumped out of my arms in surprise and threw up her hands with her red face.
“It’s not that Si-Woo isn’t precious… ….”
“Then you can take a look.”
Rumi took her breath away at my words. I couldn’t hear her breathing for a while. I swallowed her laughter when I saw that. Just a moment ago, it was as if he showed his entire naked body, so if you twist that phrase literally, it would be like this.
From Noble mtl dot com
You can show your naked body to me, a precious person. Lumine, who guessed what he meant, immediately lowered her head with even her ears turning bright red.
“Well, that’s…” Yes, but… ….”
At that point, I burst out laughing. And then he held Lumine’s hand again. Lumine flinched and trembled as if she was a little surprised, but soon put on a calm expression as if she realized that I was teasing her.
“…… “Then I’ll be looking forward to it, Lumine.”
I was so intoxicated with victory that I giggled and teased Lumine until the end. Then, Lumine’s expression became pouty, and her hand that was holding my hand loosened. It was a moment when I wondered if I was angry. Her Lumine fingers suddenly pinched my side.
Exhilarating pain, followed by a tingling sensation. Rumi You only applied a little force, but she let out a scream.
“Ouch!”
I patted the pinched spot with slightly teary eyes. And he looked at Lumine with some resentment, but Lumine only snorted her laughter.
“Hmph, do whatever you want.”
Then Lumine began to take her steps alone. I thought he was upset at first, but it didn’t look that way. Lumine’s reddened ears, visible from behind, were proof of this. Lumine is a shame.
When I saw that, I eventually smiled. Even the shy Lumine was cute in her own way. I walked after her.
“Lumine, come with me!”
There were many incidents, but in the end, Lumine and I were able to safely reach our destination. The place Lumine and I arrived at was the cape. The sharp cliffs gave the impression that the path to the sun had accidentally collapsed.
High cliffs and a wind with the scent of the sea. The open view toward the sea presented a spectacular view that could not be recreated even by an artist with amazing skills. A masterpiece that only nature can create over a long period of time.
‘Star-picking cliff’, as its name suggests, there were many people standing on this path leading to the sky at night and stretching out their hands. This place, where the stars in the night sky were so close that you could see them, was one of the highest places in Mond, excluding alpine areas such as ‘Dragon Spine.’
The wide field of view even gave a kind of sense of omnipotence. I saw Chuchu people dancing on the shore in the distance. And the birds flying in the sky and the waves breaking. It was a trip that left in the morning and arrived in the early afternoon, but it was worth it.
I looked down at the world without saying a word. At that time, I felt like I knew why Lumine was wandering the world aimlessly. A person like me who only pursues safety and profit would never have been able to find a place like this.
The two of us remained silent for a while. Paimon flew in from somewhere and sat on my head, looking down at the sea.
I wanted to complain, “Why are you sitting on my head?”, But I didn’t want to disturb Lumine’s enjoyment, so I decided to hold back.
It was some time later that Lumine opened her mouth.
“…… “I’ve thought about this since I first stood here.”
Then, Lumine glanced back at me. The wind blew. Her light golden hair was flowing, and Lumine had me in her field of vision as she brushed the side of her head.
The sight was like a painting, so I remained silent. At that moment, my world completely changed from landscape painting to portrait painting.
“I want to come here with Siwoo someday. Siwoo, because he works hard for me every day, he won’t have time to look around the world.”
At the same time, Lumine smiled. It felt like her heart was shaking. I heard a chattering sound above my head.
“That’s right, Siwoo is always working.”
The voice sometimes felt like it was criticizing me, and at times it felt like it was comforting me. Without saying a word, I turned my gaze back to the scenery.
It was a wonderful place. When dusk falls, the horizon is colored with such enchanting light. And when you come at night, how close the stars in the sky will feel. It was Lumine’s voice that penetrated my thoughts.
“I thought about it for a long time. Siwoo does a lot for me, so what can I do for him? So, he fights against strong enemies, and also helps others out of fear of helping Si-woo. But no matter how much I worry, all I can do is show the world.”
At the same time, Lumine smiled bitterly. Until then, I only glanced at Lumine and said nothing.
“…… Sorry, Siwoo? “Because I’m a bad colleague.”
‘Ugly colleague’, I stayed silent for a moment after hearing those words. Contrary to Lumine’s words, her gift was buried deep somewhere in my heart. It felt like something was filling up, like water was leaking. Okay, why didn’t I think of that?
Just as the place where I lived was a reality, the continent of Tivat was also another reality. At least that’s how it is for me now. It’s such a wide world, but the road I walked around was so narrow and short. So I had no choice but to engrave this scenery in my eyes.
Because this was the world. Only then did I open my mouth.
“…… Lumine.”
This was the first connection I had on the Tivat continent. She taught me how to survive on the continent of Tivat. She protected me and became my friend. So, for me, the center of the Tivat continent has always been Lumine.
So I had no choice but to smile bitterly. ‘Ugly colleague’ was not a suitable epithet for Lumine.
“You travel the world. And find her brother.”
That’s what Lumine should do.
“I will do the rest. So that no one can touch you, so that you can travel freely wherever you go.”
And the rest was what I had to do.
Lumine just looked at me without saying anything. As if I was a little surprised, I giggled. And then I stretched out my arms and lifted up the trespasser who was occupying my head. Paimon looked a little surprised, but stopped resisting as soon as I placed him on my shoulder.
“Thank you, Lumine. “It was the best gift I’ve ever received.”
At those words, vague emotions began to pass across Lumine’s face. She dropped her gaze to the floor, then turned to me, and then she chewed her lip for a moment. And eventually, as if she couldn’t help it, she smiled her smile too.
“…… Yes, I’m glad that happened.”
I smiled at Lumine and then took out the things she had prepared from her ‘her backpack’. Mat, lunch box, and even drinks.
Thanks to the power of my ‘backpack’ function, the lunch box was as hot as if it had been freshly made. As soon as the fragrant smell wafted out, Paimon’s body, which was sitting on my shoulder, immediately rose into the air.
And then Paimon started circling around the lunch box.
“Delicious smell! Siwoo, what’s on the menu today?!”
I shook my head as if I couldn’t stop her from showing such greed, and Lumine let out a small laugh.
That day, the three of us had a meal for the first time in a long time. It’s been such a long time that I don’t even know how long it’s been.
**
It was some time later that we arrived in Liyue. The road that had been paved through regular uphill travel had now been maintained to some extent. Nevertheless, the cargo was often attacked, but it was bearable because it was something I had prepared for. And actually, there were no raids when I headed to Liyue.
First of all, it was a business that I participated in, as I am the owner of a business. There were more convoys than usual, and more than anything, the entire Mond was standing behind me. If the Knights of Pebonius and the cathedral were turned into enemies, no one could escape safely. Even the Wooindan were reluctant to touch me.
Of course, the experience of Wooindan accidentally touching me last time and seeing blood had an impact. Anyway, thanks to that, my third trip to Liewol was very pleasant. There was no need to even bring Fiesle.
However, since I was the one in charge of the convoy who brought Fisl and put him through all the trouble, I decided to express my gratitude to Fissle.
“Good job, Fissle. Thanks to that, there were no problems.”
“Wow, the princess’s wisdom and abilities are endless. “No matter how blinded the beasts are by desire, they are helpless before the thunderbolt of judgment.”
I was about to point out that ‘condemnation’ and ‘judgment’ may be tautological in meaning, but stopped. Even so, it wasn’t a piece worth listening to.
Fissle was in good spirits recently. She was happy because she didn’t have Mona or Lumine. Because she didn’t have people bothering her. She had my full support, and as cute as she was, the people at the top loved her a lot.
The proud Piseul was cute as is. A girl with golden hair and emerald eyes, who was just becoming an adult, had a youthful charm. But since being too bossy can get in the way of her top job, I decided to tease her a little.
“Yes, yes. She did well. So what should we do… “Should we sleep together like we wanted last time?”
Fisle’s body flinched and stiffened at those words. Of course, what I’m pointing out was what happened when I got drunk after drinking Venti’s dandelion wine. She was so proud that her arm, which was posing in a pretentious pose, began to slowly fall.
Her eyes began to shake violently. Fissle fluttered the corners of her eyes.
“Well, back then…… !”
“I had no idea that Fissle liked me so much. Are you feeling lonely because I usually hang out with Mona and Lumine?”
As my words continued, Fissle’s body became stiff and began to tremble. Her face began to turn bright red. She soon started making noises over and over again as if she was having a breakdown.
“Ah, ah… oh… ah… ….”
Piseul’s eyes began to widen due to the overwhelming sense of shame. It was as if she never imagined that she would bring up such dark history at this point. In fact, she was very embarrassed at the time, but soon people who wanted to see her embarrassed would often mischievously tease her with me.
Because Fissle had a taste for teasing. She was cute more than anything. I giggled and laughed.
“Now that I think about it, I didn’t wake up much last time either… ….”
“S-stop it… ….”
At about that point, Fissle eventually sank. Fisle clung to me as she cried out of shame for going too far. I couldn’t help but laugh at her and stroked her Fissle’s head. Fissle puffed out her cheeks, but the more she did, the cuter she looked.
As I was playing around with Fissle for a while, one of the top employees approached me. She was the deputy head of commercial affairs and a person in charge of practical work.
“Sangdan lord, shall we prepare a room for you in the lodgings? Recently, there have been a lot of commercial flights to Liyue, so there is plenty of accommodation… ….”
“Um, no.”
I said while stroking Fissle’s sulking head. Fissle let out a haughty snort, but his anger seemed to have calmed down a bit. Still, it wasn’t time for her to let down her guard yet, so I continued stroking Fissle to comfort her.
“Today I was invited by a friend. “I will stay here starting tomorrow.”
“…… Okay, I hope you have a good time with your friend.”
The deputy manager resigned without a word. However, it was not Fissle who was listening to me in silence. She asked in a dissatisfied voice, as if asking if he was staying out again.
“My servant, what do you mean ‘close friend’?”
When I heard those words, I cast my gaze onto the streets of Liyue. As for my friends in Liyue, there were only three of them. And of course, if they were to be accommodated, they would be of the same s*x, so there were only two candidates left. And there was no point in distinguishing between the two because they always met together.
“…… There is.”
And then I sighed deeply. How painful will tomorrow morning be?
“It’s called ‘Wooindan.'”
I am going to ‘Bukguk Bank’ today.