Chapter 15. To conclude (3)
It had been a long time since Emilia slept with Ludwig.
Recently, there were a lot of things to take care of each other, especially since Emilia herself wasn’t in a normal state until recently, so she couldn’t afford it.
Of the two lying side by side on the bed after the passionate time was over, Emilia was the first to speak.
“Ludwig, have you been worried about anything lately?”
“Are you worried?”
Ludwig’s head tilted to the side at the rather vague question.
I could never have imagined that the day would come so soon when she would ask herself this, rather than herself asking Emilia.
“Should I say worry… I was wondering if there was anything you wanted to tell me.”
“… ah.”
A low exclamation escaped from his mouth as he slightly lowered his head and met eyes with Emilia, who was cutting his arm.
Now I understand what she wants to say.
If you are worried, you will be worried.
I just hesitated for a moment because it wasn’t about myself.
Because the object of his worries and worries was none other than Emilia.
“If that’s the case, it’s not a concern for me. I just wanted to ask Emilia.”
“What you want to ask me… You mean?”
On the contrary, it was Emilia who expressed her doubts this time.
There wasn’t really anything to hide from him, but maybe there was something he didn’t like to see.
That’s why it didn’t look bad. What then?
“Emilia, are you still worried about those eyes?”
“If you are concerned… … ?”
“You’ve had many opportunities to catch a glimpse of Emilia talking to other people lately, haven’t you? There was a sense of incongruity that I often felt whenever that happened.”
On the way, I glanced over a person’s head.
Like being suddenly surprised by what the other person said and putting on a puzzled expression.
Then, on the way, there were often times when he stopped talking, and his face suddenly darkened noticeably.
If it was once or twice, you might think it was simply because of the tiredness of meeting a lot of people, but the frequency was too high to pass it on so casually.
When Ludwig organizes and conveys the memories that were bothering him, Emilia nods with a small smile upon hearing this.
It seems that nothing can be hidden in front of him.
As much as possible, I wanted to do it on my own somehow.
“I heard you.”
“I guess you were trying to hide it.”
“Huh, it seems that habits are hard to break right away. It seems like just yesterday that Ludwig asked me to lean on him, but I couldn’t stand the bird and started working.”
‘Are you very angry?’ Emilia asked in a calm tone.
However, Ludwig calmly shook his head and denied this.
The fact that there was no malice towards her could have been known unless you were an idiot.
“Actually, I also had a desire to try a little. I wonder if I can’t stand up on my own without Ludwig’s help. So I made up my mind to fix this somehow… It’s not going as well as I thought.”
“It would be unreasonable to suddenly fix it. But that’s not what I’m worried about, Emilia.”
It didn’t matter that she could tell the truth from falsehood in others, or that she could recognize emotions.
Ludwig’s only concern was that she denied this reality and somehow seemed to be trying to live as if the cursed eye didn’t exist.
It wasn’t an existence that didn’t exist in the first place, but now she is openly showing the feelings of others in shape.
Even so, denying this and trying to avert one’s eyes from reality was tantamount to averting one’s eyes from oneself.
“Emilia, what do you want? That’s all I want to ask.”
“I am… What do you want?”
“What if I could put those eyes back to normal?”
Is such a thing really possible?
Her eyes widened at Ludwig’s question, but she thought it was just a meaningless imagination.
He always pulled himself out of the pit and handled everything that came his way nicely, but this was out of the question.
This is not a human disaster, but a disaster sent by God.
It is not allowed to find a way out of this curse, nor to imagine a situation where it is freed from it.
It’s just a sweet dream called a delusion.
“If I could, I would. But Ludwig, even if this is you… … .”
“I know. It is something that is practically impossible to solve. But Emilia, I swore. I will find any way to make you happy.”
Even if she had relieved the burden on her heart, as long as this curse was with her, she was always spinning in place.
Besides, he didn’t bring up the subject to talk nonsense.
There was just one thing, an option that might be a gamble, but there was a corner to point out.
However, it was up to her to make the choice.
“Emilia, I am just curious about your answer.”
Will I live my life with eyes that can discern the truth of others?
Will you completely abandon yourself so far and live your life looking at the world with new eyes?
To his question, Emilia smiled and opened her mouth as if there was no need to answer.
“It has always been the same, Ludwig.”
Of course it’s scary.
He said that the day might come when he, who has always lived knowing only the truth of others, is afraid of someone’s lies.
However, the man in front of him proved this.
It doesn’t matter what I’m about to see isn’t real.
It’s okay if the road I’m going to walk is shrouded in fog.
It’s okay if the words I’m about to hear are lies.
It’s just that the truth and lies of others are useless for me to live as myself.
“All I want is eyes that can see the world as it is.”
Even if the radiance around you disappears, you will be forever precious to me.
Even if these eyes change, the lies and truth of the world will not change.
Then what is the problem? It’s just that I, who can’t look at it straight, has to change.
“Then it’s decided.”
Ludwig smiled satisfactorily at the bold reply of the lover in his arms.
Now he had to tell her the secret he had been hiding.
Because the starting point is from there.
After taking a breath, Ludwig took a deep breath and calmed down, then recited to Emilia one by one what had happened that day in Astepor.
The story of meeting Goddess Hypresia, and the words she gave to himself.
Emilia’s eyes, which had been silently listening to this, widened gradually, and then she nodded her head slightly as if she understood.
In two days, the old moon will rise.
Then, at least early tomorrow morning, I had to leave here.
In order to head to a place where perhaps the root of everything lies asleep.
* * * * * * *
The next day, the two of them woke up early and told the Bayemurn couple that they were going to Astepor.
The eyes of the two people who were in the middle of a meal widened to the size of a lantern at the sudden message.
Right now, there must be a lot of customers coming in, but suddenly, what’s the business in Astepor?
“I will tell you about it.”
“Okay, don’t worry, just tell me.”
I had no intention of stopping him from going.
I was just curious as to why.
I couldn’t just blindly tell him not to go, even though he said he would come back with a good reason.
When Yulia sighed, the two exchanged glances, nodded, and Ludwig opened his mouth first.
“I think you two already know enough about the eyes Emilia has.”
“… Yes, how could we not know?”
Yulia expresses her affirmation with a complicated expression.
The curse that had been bothering her precious daughter’s inner thoughts was the curse that dwelled in those eyes.
After that, I searched for all kinds of ways to do it, but there was no way to do it, so the thing I left unattended was still in my heart, so how could I forget it.
“actually… I met Goddess Hypresia while on a trip to Astepor with Emilia not too long ago.”
“Did you hear the oracle?”
“no. He borrowed Emilia’s body and incarnated himself.”
Oh oh.
Even in the midst of this serious situation, the fact that it was the embodiment of a god must have been very surprising, so exclamations burst out of the couple’s mouths at the same time.
Many people had heard of the voice of Goddess Hypresia, but it was the first time I had heard of her speaking directly to someone.
“It’s the first time I’ve even heard of it. Is it true?”
“I can’t believe it either, but… It’s true. And then he gave me these words.”
If there is anything you want to ask yourself, on the night of the old moon, visit this place again.
Upon hearing this, the Bayemurn couple nodded as if they understood it to some extent.
“It’s the old moon. Well, I guess so. It is said that the day when the old moon rises is when the power that separates gods and humans, and the living and the dead is at its weakest.”
“Yes, I guess that is true.”
Otherwise, Hypresia would not have bothered to mention the night of the old moon.
Words that were simply regarded as superstitions among the people were actually useful.
Stefan’s face was once again surprised.
“But I’m just wondering why Goddess Hypresia appeared in front of you.”
“Me too. So tomorrow I want to ask you everything there.”
“… … .”
Everything.
That would mean that he could understand why the terrible flower called the curse that bloomed in the eyes of his golden jade-like daughter.
Maybe even a solution to it.
“… go carefully Also, take good care of your daughter.”
“Don’t worry too much and go. Even if you don’t get to see Goddess Hypresia, there must be another way.”
“Yes, I will keep it in mind and come back.”
At least this was the only way he thought, but it must have been the advice he gave in the hope that they wouldn’t feel burdened.
Ludwig chewed on those words and buried them deep in his heart, then quietly stood up with Emilia.
It was around the time we left the mansion that I realized that the hand she held as usual was shaking especially today.
When I patted the back of her hand with the other hand saying it was okay, Emilia only smiled as if she was not worried.
That’s right, because it was just a trembling from joy.
The joy of knowing that you may finally be able to face your loved one on the same line.
The joy that comes from the fact that the world you and I see can finally become the same.