12. clever fool (1)
“Are you hurt?”
Sylvia’s words made the atmosphere grim.
It wasn’t intentional, but without even realizing it, she showed signs of pathetic.
It wasn’t just for Arya.
It meant what the hell did the other two do while their colleague got hurt.
In the middle of a war of nerves between Kylie and Beatrice, with their expressions wrinkled.
Arya said calmly.
“It was my mistake.”
It was a lonely admission.
Not seriously injured.
The scratch marks were left, but that was no reason to make excuses.
That’s how the first hero’s party got hurt in an A-class dungeon.
Beatrice laughed from the side.
“Okay, is it you or whose fault is it? It wouldn’t have happened if I had been straight from the start. Where are you leaving your soul? Are you trying to get soggy like those two frail heroines?”
I said it to Arya, but it was Kylie and Sylvia who were angry.
But it was just hot.
There was nothing to refute.
“Please, please. Did you kick Ian out for this? huh? Wasn’t it like saying let’s all do better together?”
Sylvia answered.
“You didn’t know it would turn out like this.”
“Yeah, I didn’t know. by the way? What’s the difference just because you’re so tired right now? You shouldn’t have to find another way.”
“I need Ian… .”
“Sylvia, please! Are you kidding me? You kicked him out because you don’t need us all. What are you talking about now?”
“I need it now. You know, Beatrice. We are weak.”
Sylvia stared at Aria and said.
At first, I thought it was pathetic, but there was no law telling me not to do that at any time.
Same goes for the other two.
“Why do you think it must be Ian’s fault? There may be other reasons. Yeah, I know Ian is good. But, it’s not just because of Ian that we became like this. If it wasn’t for us, who would have come this far?”
“… … .”
Sylvia couldn’t answer.
That’s what everyone acknowledged when they kicked Ian out.
Emotional discrepancies aside, the first hero’s party has grown to the point where Ian is not needed.
So, it was reasonably dismissed.
That was arrogance, Sylvia finally realized.
“Yeah, I admit Ian might have a solution. That’s why you two went. But there was no harvest. Ian also said he had no will to speak. How long are you going to hang on to him?”
As if she had a lot to say, Beatrice kept pouring out.
“It was Ian. The state of mind also affects the body. In the first place, if you guys were straight, wouldn’t something like today would have happened.”
“So, did you feel better because you came to your senses?”
Kylie interrupted.
“What?”
“I don’t think you are too different from us. That you feel uncomfortable with mana management.”
“right. But I’m not fooling around like you.”
“Aha, so you left your seat too? At that time, if you stayed in a position where you could support Arya, you wouldn’t get hurt.”
“Did you forget what Ian said? We are strong enough when we are individuals, and we must be stronger when we are together. Why is it my fault that Arya got hurt?”
“It’s been a long talk today.”
Kylie sneered, and Beatrice glared at her, biting her molars.
“It’s the same thing every time you just make fun of me and don’t come up with any alternatives.”
“You, Kylie, do you have any other method?”
“Well?”
“But why are you being mean?”
“At least I wasn’t sarcastic like you.”
Sylvia burst into laughter at the two’s argument.
It was disgustingly funny and childish.
They argue over the place where Ian was kicked out, and even the solution is Ian’s teaching.
‘It’s a mess… .’
Now it’s a mess that can’t be undone.
There was no Ian who always mediated the friction or conflict between the party members.
That won’t happen, but even if Ian comes back, they can’t go back to the past.
We’ve already come too far.
“Anything? Do I look like I’m just being sarcastic?”
“Oh, I wonder what great purpose He had?”
“You’re doing sarcastic things right now! Since you guys don’t speak straight, I’m not even doing it! And, Kylie, are you in a position to blame me?”
“Hmm?”
“If you had read the war situation correctly, you would have been able to support Arya, right?”
“I said something. I am the vanguard of this composition. It is said that it is the role of breaking through the bow from the front or marking and interrupting the opponent’s front row. The vanguard has no choice but to have a narrow field of view. Naturally, it is right for the people behind us to help each other. Did you forget what Ian said?”
Her last words were echoes of what Beatrice had said earlier.
Biting her molars, Beatrice glared straight at Kylie.
Kylie, who received that gaze, grinned.
“It’s a look worth seeing now.”
Kylie immediately put her hand on the sword, and Beatrice drew her bow and was ready to lift it.
Sylvia looked around as she saw the two of them on the verge of confrontation.
Even if you put aside the skills that are hard to distinguish between superiority and inferiority.
If these two fight here, the entire area will disappear.
In addition to the first party, there are a number of people in the camp now, such as a cooking team, scouting team, camp guards, etc., to help them.
If you get caught up in a fight between the two, they will both die.
Sylvia caught sight of the weak, who could neither walk away nor stop them in fear.
‘If you do a good job, Ian will praise you…’ .’
After completing her judgment, Sylvia developed a thick wall of ice around the four of them.
A multi-layered wall of ice rose up and wrapped around the four like a dome.
“Are you both sane?”
At the same time, Arya also put on protection that wrapped around the four like clothes.
She was in a mixed mood.
Having only been injured in an A-class dungeon, he realized how much his functional value had fallen.
Therefore, no matter how bad the situation is, Arya hoped that these four would not disintegrate.
“I’ll be careful next time. So, let’s not fight among ourselves.”
“Hmm… .”
Kylie and Beatrice removed their hands from their weapons.
Both of them were excited, but they didn’t really intend to kill each other.
I don’t know what would happen if Sylvia and Aria didn’t stop it.
Sylvia let out a small sigh as she saw Kylie and Beatrice still glaring at each other despite their murderous intent.
‘The center is gone, it’s collapsing… .’
I laughed out loud at the thought.
center.
Those were the words Kylie used when kicking Ian out.
That ‘we’, the center of this party, decided to banish him.
Arya, who slowly took up protection, spoke abruptly.
“Is there any way to convince Ian?”
All three eyes focused on her.
“Didn’t you come back because there was no way?”
“It was like that then… . I wonder if we can go and threaten them with force.”
He couldn’t do it because of Sylvia, but he said it as if he had just remembered it.
Sylvia, who had heard the words but was slow to understand, opened her mouth slowly.
“now… what… .”
A chill roared around Sylvia.
The grass around her froze and then broke and scattered across the floor.
The ice wall that rises as if enveloping it bends and slowly begins to point toward Arya.
“aria… . You say you love Ian? But how can you say that… .”
At Sylvia’s words, Kylie and Beatrice looked at each other in amazement.
He didn’t know everything that happened between Sylvia and Ian, but he did know that Sylvia loved Ian.
And that love is very sticky.
However, it was the first time I heard that Arya loved Ian.
Arya, who was suddenly informed of this, was not taken aback.
I just replied with a relaxed smile.
“Right. I love you so much, I want to keep you by my side.”
Since he was already caught by Sylvia, there was no point in hiding it.
He was just trying to keep Sylvia from digging into her true feelings.
“… … .”
Sylvia shut her mouth.
It was because there was a time when I felt similar to Aria now.
And, it was too unpleasant to hear from someone else’s mouth that they loved Ian.
Even if I knew the truth, hearing it myself was different.
The ice wall that had been bending down came to a standstill and collapsed as it were.
“You, Ian now… . you?”
Beatrice asked as the ice wall noisily collapsed.
“Can’t we?”
“It’s not that I can’t, but… .”
She looked into Sylvia’s eyes.
Fortunately, Sylvia seemed to focus on other thoughts.
‘Since when did Sylvia know this? Maybe Sylvia ran amok… .’
Beatrice continued her thoughts, looking back and forth between Aria and Kylie before letting out a deep sigh.
It’s a very dangerous group.
‘What to do with them? Should I rather create my own forces? I don’t think there will be another superman like them… . Henry the other day… what was your name There was a guy who offered me a business or something… .’
Beatrice put away thoughts that could not be reached immediately.
First of all, think about Arya’s threat.
Will he open his mouth just because he threatens him, even putting that possibility aside… .
“Do I really need to do that?”
“is that so?”
“I’m not even sure if Ian has a solution. You don’t even know where it is.”
“It’s hard to find, isn’t it?”
“That too… . Why? I think first. For now, let’s wait for Penny.”
“Sylvia and I couldn’t do it either. Is there a way to do it with a penny?”
“There should be. that’s his job Could you come up with any solution? Unless you have no idea… .”
“What if you have no idea?”
“yes?”
“If I have no idea, what should I do then?”
“… … .”
awkward silence.
In particular, Beatrice, who had sympathized with Penny’s words from the beginning, had no answer to think of.
Kylie, who had been quiet at this, laughed.
“You will pay for it.”
What price are you talking about?
Even though Penny encouraged it, didn’t everyone think of kicking Ian out early on?
Sylvia was dumbfounded.
In the end, no clear answer came out.
It’s just a conversation in place.
Kylie left as if she was fed up.
Beatrice also glared at Kylie before returning to her tent.
Sylvia brushed her bangs up in frustration and looked up at the sky.
‘I wonder if Penny will bring any answers.’
Probably not.
Then, what should I do then?
Should I go see Ian again?
can i meet you
Shall we meet
‘… I miss Ian.’
I felt a sense of incongruity as I drew Ian’s image in my empty mind.
‘Why am I here?’
A journey to kill the Demon King.
Does that mean that Ian isn’t around?
But what about Ian’s curse if he doesn’t kill the Demon King?
‘Why am I here… .’
There is a purpose, but it is difficult to realize the value of that purpose.
Will it get better if I look at this?
The thought of wanting to see Ian expands.
Ian will definitely not meet him, or even if he does, he won’t be happy.
I am afraid to see such a reaction.
But, what if it’s not just meeting Sylvia, but seeing Sylvia alone from afar?
Would that be enough?
‘It must be in Superbia… ?’
Sylvia thought quietly.
The option of leaving the first party altogether is still difficult to choose.
There is no resentment or affection left to them.
‘Because it’s true that the power required to kill the demon lord… .’
Even though their skills had rusted, they were still irreplaceable figures.
‘Wouldn’t it be possible to take a moment and watch it… .’
I have already given up thinking about being praised for today’s work.
Because I know he won’t listen or meet me.
However, hope arose that it would be possible to see it alone from a distance.
*
The villagers took Ian’s party to the village and treated them very kindly.
Because the level of the village was high, it could not be called luxurious.
But since I could feel their sincerity, no one complained.
Everyone praised and appreciated Vivien and Helena, but they didn’t bother them more than enough.
They were all good people.
Ian’s party returned after dinner.
A funny situation unfolded in which Ian served the villagers rather than trying to match the two’s diet.
It was somehow inconvenient to feed the two of them alone.
Ian didn’t care because it was worth it for the two of them to achieve a sense of accomplishment.
Even after clearing the two dungeons in one day and receiving thanks from the villagers, Vivian’s heart did not calm down.
‘Something… I think it will work.’
It’s been the same feeling ever since I wrote the coordinated fireball.
Flame Strike and Ice Bloom that I have never used before.
Now, it seems like I can do it in just a few tries.
The excitement of battle, a sense of accomplishment, a sense of elation, and various emotions were mixed.
Vivian made a secret request to Katie.
“Kati, I… . I’m going to train alone until late today. Could you please not tell Ian? Oh, to Mercy and Helena… .”
It’s not something anyone should see.
However, if possible, I wanted to do it alone.
‘If I secretly succeed and show it to Ian, he’ll be surprised, right? Hi-Hi.’
There was also a bit of such a mischievous mind.
On the other hand, hasn’t Helena grown greatly since she trained alone until she was exhausted?
I wondered if it would be possible for me to do that too.
“My master said that resting is also a form of training.”
“Yes. I know. I know, but still… . I want to do something by myself. Oh, it won’t be enough to make Ian worry, it could end unexpectedly quickly… .”
Kati thought briefly.
It was impossible to convince Vivian, who had already made up her mind.
Since he is not Ian’s agent, he has no right to interfere with Vivian.
“All right.”
“Hee hee, thank you.”
late night.
When the time came for Vivian to come, she did not come.
‘master.’
[Why cat?]
‘… … .’
Kati was silent for a moment, then continued.
‘Vivian today… .’
You have no right to interfere, but you do have a duty to report.
*
Ian looked at Vivian practicing alone in the distance.
I thought I knew how Vivian felt, so I didn’t approach her in advance.
‘I must have wanted to do it alone.’
Whatever I was doing was under Ian’s supervision.
Even if you get help from others, sometimes you need a sense of accomplishment to do it yourself.
‘I must have realized a lot while clearing dungeons in a row today.’
You can say that you have grown only when you apply what you have learned through training in practice.
In that sense, Vivian and Helena have grown to a great extent this time around.
He didn’t even get tired of clearing two dungeons in a row.
‘Since I’ve obtained artifacts and holy relics, I can take a break for a few days and speed up my growth.’
As I was organizing my thoughts, a large ice flower bloomed in the distance.
ice bloom.
Compared to Flame Strike, it was a quiet magic.
It seemed to be Vivien’s choice considering the late night time.
Aside from that, the ice flower that bloomed in the middle of the training ground and emitted a soft light made a noise just by its size.
‘You’re gorgeous from the first success.’
A magic in which multiple ice sheets rise like unfolded petals.
It is a magic that makes the target slip and trap, or cut and tear with a sharp cross section.
Sylvia can combine and transform with other compositions to make it bloom beautifully and splendidly like a real flower, but Vivian was not at that level yet.
Vivian, who had finally succeeded in the magic, let out a joyful scream as she hopped in place.
“Kiyaat-!”
Ian now steps off to take him away.
‘… What are they?’
I saw some men in the dark corner.
They were whispering to Vivian.
It’s far away, but Ian can hear it.
‘Wow, that’s fucking sexy… .’
‘You’re out alone at this hour and doing that? Aren’t you asking me to kidnap you?’
‘Look at the milk carton shaking when you fucking run, I can’t stand it.’
The group approached Vivian with sinister expressions on their faces.
Knowing the situation, Ian wiped his bangs and wrinkled his face.
“… … .”
Ian closed his mouth and strode toward Vivian.