The Magician’s Memorial - Chapter 40



Only Krnovel

Episode 40

It was surprisingly comfortable.

Quilbian looked at Twella walking beside him.

Before I passed out, I was in the middle of hell where goblins were running wild and people were dying.

But when I opened my eyes, it felt like the world had changed.

The sound of the wind blowing through the leaves and the fresh scent of wet grass.

It was a comfort I hadn’t felt in a long time.

Was that why?

Quillbian didn’t say anything. It felt like everything would fall apart the moment he opened his mouth to reveal the truth.

“Drich, right? The one who was dead.”

It was Twella who broke the comfortable silence.

“uh.”

“Why didn’t you let go?”

The steps stopped.

I wondered what he was talking about, and soon I understood what he meant. But it didn’t make sense.

“Were you watching?”

“Yeah, since a long time ago.”

Only then did Quilbian realize that he had intentionally avoided looking into Twella’s eyes.

Twella’s eyes, which he had looked straight into, held an inexplicable light. Even with his gaze trained through the study of eye-study, he could not read at all what Twella was feeling or what he was thinking.

no.

There was an even bigger problem.

Where is that girl I’ve seen countless times, with whom I’ve shared my worries and brainstormed?

When I looked into your eyes, it became clear.

The one in front is Twella, but it is not Twella.

“You know.”

It was when I finally opened my mouth to speak.

Twella clenched her hands. Then she looked straight ahead and said.

“Can we change the subject for a moment?”

“Something else?”

“I’d rather talk about outside things. You’ve never told me about yourself, have you?”

“That’s true.”

Regardless of the psychological distance, warmth was conveyed through the touching hands.

Is the Twella I’m holding hands with the Twella I know, or is it someone else entirely?

“Have you ever heard of the Orcs?”

“Yes, it is. It’s just a rumor.”

“What was the rumor?”

Twella turned her head and asked.

The corners of the mouth that were smiling came into view first, and then the gently curved eyes captured my vision.

ah!

This is the Twellada I know.

“Mysterious ones. The divination of the Orcs is said to be close to prophecy, and their sacrifices bring about miracles. Is that all?”

“I know you well.”

“Why the orc all of a sudden?”

“I inherited a little bit of that blood.”

“really?”

Quilbian blinked and stared at Twella’s face.

“Why are you looking at me like that?”

“When you say orc, it sounds like something is different, but it also doesn’t seem like something is different.”

Twella chuckled.

“My blood is thin, so I’m no different from other people. My mother said it’s been a long time since I left my clan.”

“okay?”

“They say there are several factions of orcs. Since there is little interaction, it is not known who lives where.”

“I guess we’re not very close.”

“It’s not that they’re not close, but it seems like there are a lot of people who would be in trouble if the Orcs got together. That’s why they decided to reveal themselves to the world and communicate with human society as one ‘shaman’.”

Orc shaman.

I’ve heard of it, but I don’t know the details.

“The place I lived was really quiet. It was so quiet that you could hear birds flapping their wings.”

“It’s the opposite of where I was.”

“Really? Quill, what was it like where you lived?”

Quilbian touched the tip of his nose.

“It was bustling. It was a town on the way to the big city. Hundreds of carts passed through the town every day. Horses, cows, and people. They moved everything, no matter what. Even machine dolls.”

“It must have been a bustling neighborhood.”

“Nonsense. When I was busy, I climbed up the chimney and looked down at the village. It was dizzying. Man, where on earth did all those people come from?”

Even now, the image is vivid before my eyes. The procession of wagons crossing the city center and the workers standing close together.

“Just hearing it makes me feel exhausted.”

“It was a bit noisy, but it wasn’t an unlivable place.”

Quilbian shook Twella’s hand gently.

“What was the place you lived in like? It must have had other characteristics besides being quiet.”

“Silence. That was it. There was absolutely no communication with the outside world. When the sun rose, everyone gathered in front of the zelkova tree. And each of them prayed quietly.”

“Everyone in the village?”

“You can’t even call it a village. It’s embarrassing to even call it a hamlet. There were only fourteen people in total.”

“There are fewer of them.”

How can fourteen people survive without any contact with the outside world?

“Oh, but what about the zelkova tree… …”

“It’s a very old tree. I don’t know why it’s called a zelkova tree. Everyone calls it that, so I just thought, ‘Oh, that’s it.’”

“Is it really that big? If it’s old.”

“No. Just my height.”

“It’s really small.”

Twella smiled brightly.

“Anyway, after we all gathered together and prayed, we dispersed. Most of us went into the mountains to gather food. I was the same. I went to look for vegetables with my best friend, Mae.”

“And then?”

“When we return home, we divide the food we have gathered equally among ourselves. The day we catch rabbits or deer is a day we can eat meat, and the day we only pick fruit is a day we don’t have meat.”

“Then what about in winter?”

“Eat whatever you want. Peel off the bark of a tree and eat it. Boil the roots of an unknown plant and eat them.”

It was a tough life. Even slaves could eat their meals on time.

“It must have been hard.”

“Not really. Even if your blood has thinned, the orc’s constitution of longevity remains. You can endure whatever you put in your mouth. Isn’t that fun?”

“I’m a little jealous. Wait a minute, so you could live here just eating grass?”

“Why? Do you feel like you helped me for nothing?”

“That’s not it.”

I accepted the words with a giggle.

“It was the same every year. Gather, eat, pray. Oh, right. You should call me sister.”

Twella looked at Quilbian with a dull expression.

“You’re suddenly talking about your older sister. You look a lot like me.”

“Nineteen. That’s my age.”

“That’s funny.”

Quillvian placed the blade of his hand on his forehead and then extended it forward. The blade of his hand touched the bridge of Twella’s nose.

“Kiya, you’re a little taller than me, but girls are usually taller when they’re young. And you’re nineteen? You’re much older than me? Don’t lie too much.”

“It’s true.”

“But why is she so small? The adults I’ve seen in the village didn’t look like this. Especially that older sister of Kestin… … .”

Quilbian swallowed his words.

“Kestin’s older sister? What’s that older sister?”

“Yes. The kids don’t know.”

“I’m more of an adult than you.”

“I only believe what I see. If you’re going to call me your older sister, you better be bigger.”

“You easily believe that I’m an orc, but you don’t believe my age, which has no real meaning. It’s funny.”

“Is it funny? If it’s funny, that’s fine.”

They stared at each other blankly for a while and then, without saying who would start, they started laughing.

After that, small talk continued.

What kind of weather is good, what food is your favorite, and what do you dislike?

It was definitely a pleasant conversation.

But Quillvian knew.

That I’m wandering around.

The point is that you are avoiding the main point and only putting in your mouth things that are pleasant to hear.

Even though he knew, he didn’t change his attitude.

I liked it this way.

Just like this, continue on.

“I’m talking about pigs.”

Twella has started to run wild.

“pig?”

“You said you raised pigs.”

“Oh, that. Should I say I raised them? Even though I took care of them, the owner was the one who provided them with the food they ate.”

Quilbian narrowed his eyes and said.

“I was a slave. My father sold me. My mother must have agreed. A few days before I was sold, my father suddenly said he was sorry. It was strange. He slapped me many times to make me work, but he never said sorry.”

“I see.”

“Oh, I forgot to mention this. This is not a fun story at all. Isn’t it?”

“No. It was good to hear it from your own mouth.”

The atmosphere has changed.

A fact that he didn’t want to notice was unfolding before his eyes. Quilbian examined Twella’s pupils.

Those were not the friendly eyes.

The eyes that seem so far away, right in front of you but just out of reach.

“Twella.”

“huh.”

“What are you looking at?”

“Everything, everything.”

“… … Aren’t you in pain?”

“I don’t know. What it means to be in pain.”

He tightened his grip. He gripped Twella’s hand tightly.

It seemed like it would disappear at any moment.

No, it might already be gone.

“I mean, there’s something I didn’t tell you.”

“What is it?”

“The landlord’s daughter. I liked her. She gave me food. She spoke to me first.”

“I see.”

“But that wasn’t a kindness you show to people. It was like throwing food to a cute dog. It ate the food, barked, and fetched things you threw. That’s when I realized. Ah! This is what slavery is.”

“okay.”

Twella’s voice was calm.

Quilbian raised his voice even more, feeling uneasy about this.

“That’s why I hated people. The kids I hung out with were either slaves or orphans. They weren’t treated like people in the village either. We just hung out with the same people and had fun.”

“So you were sad?”

“No, not at all. It was fun. I was quite good at taking care of pigs. I could laugh and laugh in front of the owner and his family, and then they would have plenty to eat, so it wasn’t a big deal. I would eat well, grow up well, and have fun beating up the owner’s kids. That was my goal.”

“For something like that, your body is in really bad shape.”

“You’ll grow up quickly. Boys grow up a little slower.”

Although he was listening to the conversation, Twella’s gaze was focused on a distant place.

The child who used to talk affectionately while exchanging glances disappeared without a trace.

Impatience soaked through my whole body.

Quilbian grabbed Twella’s hand, but Twella’s body did not move.

Instead, Quilbian was dragged away.

“Twella, Twella!”

He tried to stop by scraping the ground with both legs, but it was no use. Twella moved forward, and Quilbian’s body was dragged along without resistance.

“I mean, I enjoyed talking to you. Do you remember when I was groaning and worrying in front of the warehouse? It was painful, but it was still good. It was awkward and happy to have someone I could talk to, someone who could rely on me.”

There was no answer from Twella.

I just kept walking forward.

“At first, I just wanted to help. I also thought that it would be better for two people to be together than to worry alone. But it gradually changed. I didn’t want to help, I wanted to protect. I honestly didn’t know what the difference was!”

Out of the forest.

A disgusting living environment appeared before my eyes.

The cadets were gathered in a large open space surrounded by four dormitories.

It could be felt even from afar.

Something was strange.

The cadets were looking up at the sky, including those who appeared to be ascetics.

Just staring at the sky, without any rest.

“Twella, listen to me!”

“I’ve heard it all. So much.”

“No, I haven’t said anything yet… … .”

Twella turned her head.

I met eyes that seemed at times to contain everything, but at other times to be empty.

“I know. I know everything. So… … .”

Her lips twitched.

Words carried by the faint wind passed Quilbian’s ears.

No, no.

Quillian denied it, but the words she spoke were clear.

“I’m sorry, Quill.”

and.

The sky split open.

(Continued in next episode)