Mask-3
A man named Robert doesn’t always consider himself important.
If it helps others rather than yourself, even if it hurts yourself.
He was always the one who would choose that direction. It was like that before.
One of the feelings he understood as he knew Robert’s life was,
It was that Robert, for the most part, gave himself little priority.
“are you okay?”
It’s a bit out of context, but Robert nodded with a small smile as if he understood what he was saying.
The expression on his face that said he was fine was the same as usual.
Maybe it’s really okay, or maybe it’s not okay, but it’s hiding it.
If Robert, who usually doesn’t lie well, is the only moment when he tells a lie. It was also a time when I tried to hide the fact that I was sick.
Didn’t you have memories of a previous life where you tried to be okay even after being poisoned?
After checking Robert’s body once, confirming that there is nothing wrong,
I couldn’t erase this subtle discomfort left in a corner of my chest.
…Sometimes, I think it’s okay to lean on someone.
Because Robert wasn’t alone. There was a grand duke here, and he was there too.
It would be okay if you leaned a little more on yourself.
Trying to solve everything alone is sometimes dissatisfying,
It was only because he knew what kind of life Robert had lived that he would not say anything about it.
“Wouldn’t it be over soon anyway? There is no need to rush your mind.”
“Haha, how do you feel when you hear me say that?”
“You don’t have to struggle. In the end, it’s something I have to deal with, so for now… it’s better to focus on the evil dragon.”
Are you carefree or don’t want yourself to worry?
Having understood Robert’s solitude, I couldn’t help but notice that what he was saying now was to wear another mask after all.
It would be better to talk separately later.
Even if I try to talk here, I will eventually keep my mouth shut.
Adrian let out a small sigh and slowly turned his back.
It was something you couldn’t blame anyone for. If you try to blame this on someone,
The artifact that led to the return must be blamed.
Why did the evil dragon that created the false relic make it repeat itself?
For what?
It was clear that if one person repeated the same fate over and over again, it would be ruined.
What do you plan to do by dwelling in an impoverished and broken mind?
Resurrection, even assuming such a possibility, Adrian was denying such a possibility in his heart.
If the dead dragon tries to resurrect using Robert’s body,
And how should he face the body of Robert who accepted the spirit of the dragon?
Adrian didn’t know yet.
#
“Let’s talk.”
When I returned from the ruins, Adrian grabbed my wrist and headed to another room.
I thought of Adele for a moment, but the reason I didn’t ask was because her expression wasn’t serious.
I didn’t know what kind of serious topic I was talking about, so I followed it. Adrian arrived in the room, closed the door and looked at me.
Being blind didn’t seem to bother her anymore.
Even if he didn’t memorize the topography, he sensed it with divine power and walked. Was the experience of going to the south helpful?
Around the time I was thinking about such nonsensical thoughts, Adrian, who had been staring at me, cautiously moved his lips.
“What have you been doing?”
“…I do not know.”
He had a serious expression on his face, so I thought he would say something to me, but the words that came back were surprisingly ordinary, so he gave an ambiguous answer.
If you ask what I’ve been doing… I don’t know either.
I came to the north and spent a few days without meeting anyone in order to rest a little comfortably.
Wasn’t it time to take a break here in less than a day?
“I just came to rest, but things got a little messy.”
Despite the awkward laugh, Adrian was still speechless.
It’s hard to know what he’s thinking when he sees me, even when he sees his eyes that are always closed.
I just waited quietly for Adrian to open his mouth.
When some time passed again, Adrian suddenly smiled and said.
“…Robert tends to struggle with buying things. You came to the North this time to meet the Grand Duke, right? Isn’t it?”
“There were other things, but yes.”
If Adele hadn’t called, she wouldn’t have come.
I don’t think I would have thought of coming to the North if I hadn’t felt the sadness that was filled with the letter that had been delivered for a very long time.
Maybe he went back to the imperial palace and did something else with Keitel.
I came to the North because I wanted to have a little bit of time for the busy days ahead.
As much as I couldn’t rest now even though I wanted to rest, I came to see Adele, whom I hadn’t seen for the longest time, for the last break.
Perhaps I had forgotten its original purpose, the thought that suddenly came to my mind made me feel as if thorns had sprouted in my mouth.
I don’t know why I was in such a hurry.
I came to rest, but I didn’t bother to make my hair complicated, and I set it up saying that I would investigate those who wore masks because of hastily postponed the schedule.
“You know you can’t figure something out even if you move quickly.”
“In case you don’t know-”
“Robert, are you stupid?”
Adrian wrinkled his brow with a bitter laugh. It was hard to even refute the word stupid. It’s spring.
There was still time before summer arrived, and even autumn, when something was about to begin, was still far away.
Winter to promote something, and next spring. Doesn’t a whopping 1 year remain for me?
But why are you in such a hurry?
Maybe the problem was that so many things had changed, and I was trying to shoulder all of them by myself.
I didn’t like to see someone die. It’ll be okay if I get hurt.
But if someone I care about gets hurt, I’ll blame myself for not stopping it.
Some might think it would be convenient to be able to prevent what they already know through regression, but that wasn’t the case at all.
If you block it, is that the end? The underlying problem remains.
There were still things I didn’t know about, and this return initiated by the damn dragon would surely lead me to death.
Of course, the number of important people increased, and that made my head complicated.
everything has to be done quickly. It must be because of the thought that everything would be distorted if I didn’t move even a little faster.
“The last time we met, I thought it was fortunate that he seemed to have changed a bit. Maybe it’s because I knew Robert’s past, but my emotions, which were always dark, brightened a little bit.”
“Then what about now?”
“look tired. As if it would collapse any minute.”
When I was told that I looked tired, I brushed my cheeks and turned my gaze to the mirror next to me.
The man whose eyes met in the mirror was showing wide eyes.
There was a smile on his lips, but even that was not natural.
It had only been the other day that I had laughed at Adele, but since when did that face become like this?
When I touched the corner of my eyes where the dark shadows had fallen, Adrian, who gently stroked my hand, began to speak slowly.
His voice was very soft.
Like the voice you hear before sleeping, the tension in your body slowly dissolves. It was like listening to a lullaby.
“I’m moving too fast right now.”
“…However-“
“I know, Robert. What are you worried about and what are you working so hard for?”
I knew what Adrian was talking about.
She was the only woman in the world who knew everything about my previous episode and sympathized with it.
Unlike Adele, Adrian knows that all my values lie with ‘others’ rather than ‘me’.
“You’re afraid we’ll die?”
“……”
“You’ve been doing well so far. It will be okay if you think a little more positively. You stopped Miragen when it was dangerous, and this time too. Even when the Archduke dies, you will stop him.”
Everything would be fine if that were the case. It was a clear fact that the name Seryong made me anxious.
What I didn’t know all along, no. The truth that I knew but tried to move on without excluding it.
That it came as a direct threat became quite a big anxiety.
It seemed that the first night I slept with Adele was the end of my comfortable sleep after coming to the North.
After that, I couldn’t bear to shake the thought of the dragon.
I just lived with my ears covered with pillows, barely falling asleep and waking up at dawn over and over again.
Of course it wasn’t normal. But…just.
I thought I had to move like this.
I can move only after I get a call from Arwen, but I tried to deal with other things at that time.
I couldn’t find any news about the masked men,
I believed that if I went near the unexplored area, I would be able to catch any clue.
What if I can’t find anything? Who is to blame for the wasted time?
As I grabbed my head, Adrian, who was sitting there, heard my moans and came over and hugged me.
As soon as the pain subsided a little from the warm body temperature, I heard Adrian’s voice hugging me.
“I think it’s okay to take a break sometimes. There is no reason to move in a hurry. Even if you move quickly now, not much will change.”
“I know. I know…”
“You must be anxious, I know. Have you forgotten who knows your heart?”
did not forget However, I thought I lacked the qualifications to lean on someone.
What I’ve done yet is only part of my goal.
It was not enough to protect all those who were precious. He had not recovered all of his powers, and the identities of the masked men were still unknown.
I tried to run, but I knew that in fact I was just struggling in a place where there was nothing.
Adrian hugged me and patted my back without saying anything. He whispered that it was okay, that it was okay to take a break sometimes.
The hesitation was still there. Would it be okay if I stopped here and looked around, if I stopped like this.
Wouldn’t all the time pass me by in an instant?
Still…if it’s really good. As his lips moved hesitantly, a small voice leaked out between them.
“Will it be all right for a moment?”
“Which one?”
“…is it okay if I lean on it?”
At that, Adrian replied with a small smile.
“Absolutely. As long as it’s you, anytime is fine.”