169 – Return (4)
This is the restaurant that Silverine used to go to when she was young. I imagined an interior with marble tables and high-ranking nobles sprawled out.
But when I looked out the window, I didn’t see a building that could be the location of the luxurious restaurant I had imagined. The sun doesn’t shine well, and the clothes of passers-by walking around are shabby. It was a remote area where only the lower class lived.
“Get down, we have to eat now.”
Silverine got down first and put on her robe to block the rain. It was impossible to recognize who she was just by looking at her appearance, as she hid her long hair and outfit. For some reason it seemed like she was trying to hide her identity. She started walking as Silverine sent her carriage into the distance.
As she walked along the streets for a while, I was able to understand why she was trying to hide herself.
This is because the street vagabonds and hoodlums were looking closely at Sylverine and her appearance. Even though she wore her robes pressed down, the off-white color of her face seemed to draw attention to her.
She held out her hand.
“Catch it.”
“….”
“If you just walk, you might get kidnapped. Catch.”
“I’m past that age.”
Do I even have to say this? When I see Sylverin sometimes, she has a strong tendency to treat me like a child.
“No, you really look like I want to kidnap you now. “Hurry and catch it.”
Because she was so demanding, he slapped her hand countless times, and she walked away with her clasped hands tightly together. Since Sylverin was so tall and wore high-heeled shoes, I suddenly felt like a child being dragged by her adult hands.
Still, the strange distance between them all disappeared as they held hands.
I passed through the alleys and entered the main street that could be said to be sunny. Then she walked towards a tavern where the lights inside were bright and there was a lot of noise.
When we entered there, we sat down at an empty table.
Pingles the ears of drunkards shouting. Looking at the attire of the guests who were eating first, no one seemed to be of noble status.
There were strange bits of grass and sawdust rolling around on the table, and there were numerous knife marks. Ever since she was young, Sylverine had been going to places where only her toughest men would come.
“Teacher… “I didn’t know she was from the Principality.”
“She spent most of her childhood in the principality.”
“Did you live in a place like this?”
“Yes, it reminds me of the old days. I know that? “People here call me Siren.”
“Why?”
“When I screamed, people covered their ears and fell over.”
“… “Is it magic?”
“I didn’t know how to use magic back then. “It’s just that people couldn’t withstand the magical pressure that comes from my natural magical power.”
“You were a heavenly wizard, sir.”
Contrary to my guess that she would have been raised in honor, Sylverin also seemed to have lived a rather rough life.
“That’s right. “Thanks to that, I survived here just fine.”
I wanted to ask her in detail about how she was doing with her younger brother, but I couldn’t for fear that the mood she had released at best would freeze again.
When the waiter approached our table, Sylverin seemed to have thought ahead and placed her order right away.
Goat’s milk cheese, cured fish, pumpkin pie, venison.
A dish that was plentiful for a commoner’s meal but slightly lacking for a nobleman’s meal was brought to the table.
“Hurry up and eat.”
“Teacher, please eat too.”
She cupped her chin with both hands and waited for me to eat with her bright eyes.
I each put food on our plates and started eating. Silverine’s gaze was still fixed on me.
The taste itself was excellent beyond reproach.
“What do you think? Are you fine.”
“It’s very delicious.”
“It was worth the risk to come here.”
Did you also want to show me the place that was a place of memories for Sylverin? It may seem like a small and insignificant thing, but it felt like something was stabbing me deep in my heart. I wondered if this was what it felt like to go on a trip with my family.
“Teacher.”
“Huh?”
“Why is the teacher so nice to me?”
“Suddenly?”
Although this question came up suddenly, I have been thinking about it for quite some time.
“Yes. “I’m curious.”
“Because you have something the teacher doesn’t have?”
“Is there something you don’t have?”
He seems like he can get anything he wants.
Silverine laughs easily.
“I’m human too.”
I don’t know exactly what it means to have something that I have but Silverine doesn’t, but for a moment I was thankful to God for giving me that precious thing.
“When will you leave, teacher?”
“I’m leaving tomorrow morning.”
From Noble mtl dot com
“….”
“Leaving too early? I think so too. “It’s a shame.”
“What else is holding you back, teacher?”
“They say a prisoner escaped from the dungeon of the principality. A person who is not a dangerous person but has important information… No, there is such a thing walking around.”
“What if I catch that?”
“Then we should leave for the north.”
“Can’t I help?”
Sylverine shook her head resolutely.
“You still have to grow more. “My work is mine, and you must follow your own path.”
I thought she had grown a lot in a short period of time, but is it still not enough for Sylverin?
***
We traveled on foot instead of riding a carriage. After passing the old buildings, we entered a forest with a small path. The sun had already set, the moon rose, and the stars twinkled. Sylverin held my hand tightly, fearing that she might lose me, and she summoned something like a will-o’-the-wisp and lighted the way ahead.
“Do you go here every day?”
“Yes. “There aren’t too many people around, so now it’s full of grass.”
We were going to Silverine’s old house.
After following her guidance, we arrived at a log house with a yard full of grass. Even though there were no people, it seemed to be managed quite well.
As soon as we entered the yard, a Plantera walked out from behind the house.
“… !”
“It’s my villa, so it would be troublesome if someone took over it without permission.”
When I looked closely, I saw that he was holding weeds in his hand. It seems that Plantera was assigned to take care of the house.
Silverine opened the door and went inside. The inside of the house had a living room and two bedrooms. Even though she didn’t say anything, the candles and oil lamps in the room caught fire.
One was Sylverin’s room, and the other was her brother’s room.
She calmly took off her robe and hung it on her chair and said.
“Can you throw some firewood into the fireplace?”
“Yes.”
I brought firewood from the yard and threw it, and a fire started on its own. By starting a fire in the fireplace, the house, which had been neglected for a long time, instantly became warm.
“Try sitting down.”
She brought a kettle from somewhere, put tea leaves in it, and placed it in front of the fireplace.
While the water was boiling, I turned my neck around and looked at the house. There were deep traces of life there.
A small checkered dress that doesn’t seem to fit Silverine’s body is hanging on the wall. On another wall, there was a hatched mark to check height growth. It seemed like traces of her childhood remained intact.
Soon after, Silverine handed me a teacup.
“Drink.”
I took the teacup and said.
“Is this how you spend every day with your younger brother?”
“No.”
She paused for a moment, sipping her tea, and spoke.
“My younger brother had more days when he was sick than when he was fine. So she has very few memories of doing anything together.”
“….”
She smiles brightly.
I think I brought up the story about my younger brother for no reason. I quickly changed the subject.
“Teacher, what is that?”
I pointed to the silver box on the shelf with my hand.
“Oh, that one?”
Sylverine raised her body and held out her purse in front of me.
“Open it.”
When I opened the box, a soft sound of music came out from inside. About three or four instruments were coming together to create a harmony. I couldn’t understand how such a small thing could produce such diverse and rich sounds.
“It’s a magic music box.”
“How did you get this?”
“This is what the judges brought to put me in Eternia.”
“Why this?”
“To show that there is a new world. I was annoyed by all the magic shows, but when I saw this music box, I was blown away.”
“I think I’ll just leave alone.”
“The day will come when I will hear this music again soon. This is the representative song of the Eternia Ball, ‘Bella and Abel’.”
“….”
When the story of the prom comes up, I suddenly feel uncomfortable. Silverine must have sensed the subtle change in my expression with her keen senses, and she opened her eyes and looked at me.
“You’ll be experiencing your first prom next month. Have you decided on a partner?”
It’s a big deal that the prom is almost over. I have never danced before, let alone with a partner.
“I don’t like dancing.”
Silverine does not withdraw his suspicious gaze. No, what on earth is she suspecting?
“But shouldn’t you at least learn to dance?”
“…I plan to learn it someday when the time comes.”
“Ugh, how long are you going to wait until then? Wake up.”
“Yes?”
“The teacher will teach you.”
“Now?”
“You said you’ll learn it when the time comes? Now is the perfect time. Who can tell you if not the teacher?”
No, I am not ready. I was planning to learn it in about ten years.
Silverin, who was worse than me, grabbed my arm and forced me to stand up.
“Sun, teacher?”
Then he put the music box in my hand and pushed me out the door.
“Take off your shoes!”
After shouting like that, she took off her shoes and threw them next to her.
I suddenly took off her shoes and stood barefoot on her grass.
The moonlight was shining on the yard in the sky.
“Open the music box.”
Following the instructions, I opened the music box and placed it some distance away.
Calm music sounds and insects add harmony.
I was so nervous that my body stiffened. Although she didn’t want to show it, it was clear that she wouldn’t be able to avoid Silverine’s keen attention.
Sylverine brought her body closer to me, leaving only a hand’s length away.
“Teacher, put your hands on your waist.”
“…Yes.”
I placed my hand on her slender waist. I can feel my body moving with my breathing.
She also put her hand on my shoulder and said.
“Looking at it like this, it’s clearly grown a long time. When I first saw it, it fit perfectly against her chest.”
“…Will there ever come a day when we will be at the same eye level as the teacher?”
“It will come. What I’m worried about is whether that day will come too soon.”
“….”
I want to stand side by side with Silverine. And she wanted to be of her help to her.
“Are you ready?”
“Yes.”
“To the rhythm, take one step to the right at first.”
I moved my stiff body to the side. Silverine followed my movements gliding.
“One step to the left.”
While dancing and moving according to the instructions, he stepped on Silverine’s foot. It was very embarrassing to see her mistake exposed so clearly.
“It’s okay.”
“I’m sorry… I’m sorry.”
I was worried that Sylverin’s pretty feet might get bruised. She said as if trying to comfort me.
“There is a saying in a famous play: The steps have to be tangled to make it a dance.”
“…It’s the exact opposite of swordsmanship.”
“Yeah, I think that’s the charm of dancing.”
When I first started, I couldn’t make eye contact with Silverine, but as time went by, I got used to it and found it no longer difficult to make eye contact with her.
Although she was not good at dancing, she was able to move with the music.
I looked up at her face.
The soft moonlight illuminates Silverine’s face. A faint smile. And there was a red blush on her cheeks.
It was a night she would remember for the rest of her life.
***
The morning dawned and we moved again.
The time of separation came quickly.
Silverine gave me her carriage and decided to get her horse from her office and ride.
We stopped the carriage at the point where we decided to split and left.
Sylverine stood facing me and spread her arms.
We hugged each other without even thinking about who came first. After spending some time in such an affectionate manner, I was the first to open my mouth.
“When can I see you again?”
“I’ll come back when the vacation is over.”
“Okay.”
“But… Can’t I give you a kiss now?”
“…Yes?”
Silverine tightens my waist. Even if she moves her body, it doesn’t loosen up at all. Her breathing began to become difficult.
She said as she looked down at me.
“Kiss.”
“I… teacher….”
I urged her, showing signs of distress.
Then Sylverin suggested in her slightly cold tone.
“I’m starting to feel a little sad.”
As I averted my gaze, Sylverin tilted her neck in the direction her eyes had turned. There was no escape for her.
“Come on.”
I was seriously worried.
It’s a little too much to say it’s an expression of intimacy between a teacher and a student, but it’s not enough to say it’s anything more than that. It is an act that straddles an ambiguous point. This did not mean that the relationship between teacher and student would be strained, but it would definitely cross an irreversible line.