99 – The Terrifying Person
How can I make Mireya less scary?
The most common method, “smiling,” completely failed.
I firmly warned her not to force a smile again.
I feel a little sorry, but I couldn’t help it.
“Smiling has a good effect of creating intimacy with people. So I’ll continue to make an effort to smile.”
“No, no!”
If Mireya always smiles that terrifying smile, even I can’t handle it.
Fortunately, Mireya decided to stop smiling, but the shock of it remained vividly in my mind.
“Mireya realized that she couldn’t get rid of her scary atmosphere with the method proposed by Yunoa, and became gloomy,” the narrator represents Mireya’s emotions.
But her expression remained as stoic as ever.
Even in that stoic expression, strangely, I could sense a subtle gloomy emotion.
“Let’s try to find another way.”
Feeling sorry for Milaia, I immediately decided to find another way.
* * *
What do we need first to solve the problem?
It’s observation and investigation.
I sent Milaia somewhere else for a while and asked my acquaintances why Milaia was uncomfortable.
“Well, um… Somehow, I feel like it would be a big problem if I made a slip of the tongue. Like, we can’t make eye contact.”
Sylphy pondered my question for a moment and answered like this.
“Milaia isn’t such a scary person.”
“Even if you say that… She looks scary when you actually see her.”
“If Milaia promises that she won’t get angry no matter what she says, can we have a conversation?”
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“Well…”
“In fact, Milaia has been worrying a lot lately. She can’t get along with people because everyone is scared of her.”
“Wow, that’s unexpected. She doesn’t seem like that at all… Is it really true?”
Sylphy was amazed with round eyes.
At that moment, Milaia suddenly appeared behind me.
Sylphy’s face turned pale immediately.
Milaia stared at Sylphy and then at me with an expressionless face, and she said to me,
“Yunoa, are you trying to embarrass me?”
“I-I’m sorry!!”
With that, Sylphi bowed deeply and apologized.
No, why on earth are you apologizing?
“If I want to solve Milaea’s worries, I need to listen to the opinions of those who are afraid of her.”
“Is that so?”
『Milaea felt extremely embarrassed that her concerns about wanting to get along with people were known to someone other than Unoa.』
Contrary to the narration, she maintained a blank expression and opened her sharp eyes wide.
Is that Milaea’s ’embarrassed expression’…?
Her eyes are intimidating.
With just her gaze, she could stop the heart of even a lower demon.
Why is she so inexperienced in expressing emotions? This woman.
“I-I’m sorry…”
In the end, Sylphi couldn’t bear the pressure, bowed her head, greeted, and hurriedly went somewhere.
Milaea’s gaze watching that sight seemed like a ‘predatory gaze targeting prey’.
『Milaea felt bitterness as she watched Sylphi running away from her.』
Is that what bitterness looks like, that gaze?
If you look closely, even though it’s expressionless, it has various feelings in its gaze.
To others, it would probably all seem like the same intimidating gaze.
“Yunoa, do you get along well with Sylphi?”
At that moment, Milaea suddenly asked me.
“I’m on good terms with her.”
“Can’t you treat me the way you did with Sylphy?”
“What?”
Mireya asked, unable to grasp the meaning of Sylphy’s treatment. What did she mean by treating her like Sylphy?
“…To me.”
When Mireya didn’t understand, she tried to say something else but closed her mouth again.
“Mireya expected Yunoa to address her in a casual tone, just like Sylphy did, without the formalities. She felt a closer bond with Yunoa when she saw her using informal language with Sylphy.”
As the narration spoke, my mind froze for a moment.
So, Mireya wants me to use informal language with her.
Is that true…?
“Well… How should I treat you like Sylphy? Sylphy calls me ‘senior’ and she’s also my fellow adventurer in the Silver Rank… I’ve taught her a lot of things too…”
“Senior.”
“What?”
“Should I call you ‘senior’?”
Did Mireya just call me ‘senior’?
It feels like my brain is being bleached.
Something… Something isn’t right…
“No, it feels more distant, so please don’t.”
“What’s the difference?”
“That…”
Different, anyway, different.
I couldn’t tell what it was, but it was definitely different.
Mireia was staring at me intently.
Even though I didn’t know what strange thoughts she was having behind that expressionless face, I felt a little scared.
Based on the state she had shown me so far, she might still be feeling gloomy inside.
“Mireia was doing her best for change in her own way.
But she felt even more gloomy, thinking that Yunoa didn’t appreciate her efforts.”
I guess that’s true.
There were actually many emotions swirling within her expressionless face.
But people can only judge based on what they see on the surface.
After all, she hadn’t been as close to anyone as she was to me, so if she looked like this, it would unintentionally lead to misunderstandings.
She was rumored to be a formidable woman with skills but no mercy or tears, and honestly, I had nothing to say about that.
But I could definitely feel that she was making an effort this time.
She imitated the way Silphy and I talked, saying that it looked friendly, to the point where she would call me “senpai.”
Considering Mireia’s usual demeanor, it was something that could never happen.
That’s probably evidence that she’s also making an effort to change herself.
If other people see me talking comfortably to Mireia, wouldn’t the image of her being feared decrease a little?
I never thought there would come a day when I would speak to her like this, but now I have to try every possible method.
“Okay, Mireia. From now on, let’s think of each other as friends and speak comfortably. Is that alright?”
“Please.”
“Mille… Mille….”
I looked at Milleia and parted my lips to call her name.
But for some reason, when it came time to speak, the words didn’t come out easily, as if a thorn was stuck in my throat.
Be strong, Yunoa. She’s also making an effort.
“Milleia.”
“Yes.”
“Are you okay? How do you feel when I say it like this?”
“Hmm.”
“Milleia.”
“Yes.”
“Milleia, Milleia, Milleia, Milleia.”
As a playful act, I repeated her name like a parrot.
Milleia didn’t react at all.
No, it would be more accurate to say that her reaction didn’t show on the surface.
Surprisingly, it wasn’t difficult the first time, and after speaking comfortably to Milleia, it became easier.
Moreover, speaking like this made Milleia seem a little less intimidating than before.
I hope others feel the same way I do.
While thinking that, Milleia continued to stare at empty space.
“Oh! You! Have you come to donate your magical power?”
Bellafork Mansion. As soon as Mariel saw me, she blurted out with a delighted expression, saying something absurd.
I wish she would stop treating people like portable magic boxes.
She was someone who naturally entangled others with her own pace, but today, I had a means to stand up against Mariel as well.
“Mileia, do you remember the person we saw last time? The mage who used teleportation magic, Miss Mariel.”
“……”
Mileia looked at Mariel with an expressionless face.
Mariel, who had been itching to take away my magical power, instantly crumpled up at the thought.
“Oh! You… are….”
“Mariel, Mileia has come to express her gratitude.”
“Oh… is that so… well, well, well, that’s fine then.”
“You don’t have to feel so uncomfortable. Look, I also talk to Mileia like this. It’s just because I’m awkward, but she’s a good person.”
I guess I can’t erase Mileia’s aura of terror when it comes to talking comfortably alone.
Still, Mariel seems to be better at talking in front of Mileia than other people.
Perhaps because she’s so eccentric, she seems to have an extraordinary resistance to fear.
But it can’t be helped that she stumbles over her words and doesn’t know what to do like a mouse in front of a cat when she’s with Mileia.
“So… were you two really that close?”
“Is there a problem?”
Mariel asked, and Mileia responded briefly.
Then, Mariel started speaking at an incredibly fast pace as if she were starting a race.
“Hee hee! I’m sorry! This is Mariel! I guess I lack the ability to read human relationships other than magic! If I made you feel bad, I apologize! Oh! Come to think of it, I think I have some urgent magic research work left to do, so I’ll go in now!”
And with that, Mariel rolled her eyes in all directions, laughing, and disappeared into the mansion.
I wanted to ask Mariel why she was afraid of Milaeya, but it seemed unnecessary to ask.
It seems like Milaeya’s way of speaking is also an issue.
* * *
After that, I made various efforts to help Milaeya and the people get along, but none of them were effective.
I found several problems, but they were not things that could be solved.
In the end, the only achievement was that I could speak more comfortably with Milaeya.
But I was never someone who made her so uncomfortable in the first place, so ultimately, nothing had changed.
“You’ve worked hard. It’s okay, you don’t have to push yourself because of me. Anyway, I’m used to this kind of situation.”
“It’s impossible to change the image that has been built up for years in an instant.”
“Yes.”
“Still, I think it’s important that you have the intention to get along with people.”
I offered words of comfort to Milaeya.
Since I started speaking more comfortably, I felt like I could better sense her hidden emotions without narration.
I felt like I could continue speaking like this, but I stopped because I thought it would hurt her if I went back to keeping my distance like before, failing to dispel the aura of fear ingrained in her.
Even though she may seem expressionless, she still feels depressed and worried inside.
Just because she doesn’t show emotions doesn’t mean she’s emotionless.
I learned that for sure this time.
“Nevertheless, Milaeya felt grateful to Unoa, who had helped her discover various things for herself.
In truth, she never thought she would suddenly find a way to get along with people.
People don’t change so easily.
I never thought that the loner Milaeya would suddenly become familiar with people.
But I sincerely believed that the fact that she made such an attempt was important.
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There are many people who live without being aware of their own problems and without making an effort to change.
So, Milaeya’s “getting along with people” project was abandoned.
You can’t force something like this.
But if she still has the desire to change herself, someday someone who doesn’t make her uncomfortable like me might appear.
Thinking this way, I walked through the evening streets and headed home when suddenly the narration came.
“The demon king’s power has grown stronger once again.
The fate of the kingdom was slowly heading towards destruction.
The bishops of the seven dioceses, who were unaware of the seriousness of the situation, began to search for new heroes according to the kingdom’s orders.”
The demon king’s power has grown stronger again…
It seems that the letter Milaeya sent to the capital has arrived safely.
It’s not bad to be informed about the state of the kingdom like this.
It feels like listening to the news.
But at the next words of the narration, I stopped in my tracks.
“But they all didn’t know.
The long-standing connection between the demon king and the heroes was severed by the hero’s death.
The new hero will never appear.”