Kumo Desu ga, Nani ka? (LN) - Volume 11 - Chapter 9

JULIUS, AGE 15: PARTNER 

The strangely beautiful sight almost takes my breath away. 

If it wasn’t the very incarnation of disaster, I might have even wanted to keep watching it forever. 

I gaze up at the enormous, shimmering scarlet bird flying above us. 

Each flap of its wings produces a dazzling flame from its wing tips, creating a wondrous trail of light behind it. 

The legendary-class monster, the phoenix. 

As the name implies, it’s a monster that is thought to be immortal. 

It’s said that when someone succeeded in Appraising it long ago, it was found to have the Immortality skill. There are many people who doubt that legend, but no one has ever succeeded in bringing down the phoenix. 

The creature usually dwells on a volcano and doesn’t attack people. 

Thus, it’s not generally considered a threat to humanity, so any adventurers who challenge it seeking fame or rare materials do so at their own risk. 

Most people who go after it never return, proving that it deserves its rank as legendary. 

Legendary-class monsters are so dangerous that they’re assumed untouchable by humans. 

If one of them happens to turn their fangs on humans, we’d be destroyed without any way of fighting back. 

Just like the Nightmare of the Labyrinth… 

But the phoenix has never attacked us, with one sole exception, so it’s not usually considered much of a threat. 

Unfortunately, that one exception is happening right now. 

A huge crowd of humans runs after the flying bird, myself included. 

It’s the phoenix’s migration season. 

Once every few decades, the creature moves to a new nest. 

Its destination depends purely on the phoenix’s whims. 

Sometimes it will settle down right near its previous nest, while other times, it’s been known to wander for months. 

Some records even say that it’s moved between continents. 

The sight of the phoenix soaring through the sky in search of a new nest is truly fantastical and beautiful. 

But this is a legendary-class monster. 

Just by flying, it causes catastrophic damage to the area around it. 

The swirling flames created by each flap of its wings burn the ground. 

It leaves nothing but scorched earth behind it, devoid of a single blade of grass. 

This isn’t such a problem if it’s flying at a high elevation, but sometimes it flies low to the ground on a whim. 

If there should happen to be a human settlement below it, then disaster would be unavoidable. 

Thus, whenever the phoenix migrates, it’s customary for people to follow behind it and keep watch like this. 

And in a way, it’s sort of like a festival, too. 

“A feather!” 

“It’s mine! I called this one!” 

One of the phoenix’s feathers flutters down from the sky. 

Many in the group following the bird surge forward. 

The feather of the phoenix is an incredibly valuable item. 

It has the extraordinary one-use-only ability to protect the holder from death. 

Even if the person who possesses it is mortally wounded, it’s said that the feather can instantly restore them to health, though only once. 

For people like adventurers and knights, who are constantly at risk of death, it’s a highly sought-after item. 

But it comes from a legendary-class monster, so it’s not very easy to come by. 

Though it’s an item that helps the user avoid death, one would have to risk death to get it in the first place. 

Still, there’s a dubious legend that eating the phoenix’s heart would grant one eternal life, and selling a single feather fetches an exorbitant price, so that doesn’t stop overly ambitious adventurers from attempting to bring it down. 

The main takeaway is that during this rare migration, acquiring those valuable feathers can be done relatively safely. 

Thus, people come from all over to follow the migration in the hopes of acquiring a feather. 

Still, it’s not an easy job. The phoenix isn’t particularly fast for a legendary-class monster, but it’s still difficult to keep up without a horse or something like that. 

Indeed, most of us are currently riding mounts that excel in endurance. 

But even then, if it crosses through areas like mountains or forests where horses can’t easily pass, the only way to continue is on foot. 

Terrain doesn’t matter to the phoenix, since it’s flying in the air. 

Still, we have little choice but to chase this creature indefinitely, until it settles on its next nest. 

And if its path leads toward a human settlement, we have to run ahead of it and evacuate the area. 

It’s not just humans who are affected, either. 

At times, the phoenix’s path might cross the habitats of other monsters. If it destroys their nests, they sometimes become displaced and change the surrounding ecosystem. 

They could even affect nearby towns and villages when they relocate. 

Part of our job as we follow the phoenix is to mitigate damage like that by predicting the phoenix’s route and reporting to the adventurers’ guild. 

“They’re awfully energetic.” 

Hyrince sounds a little tired as he watches the group scrambling for the feather. 

“Well, that’s why most of them are here.” 

“Yeah, but it’s been ten days now…” 

Hyrince groans in exhaustion, and I answer with a dry smile. 

That’s right: We’ve already been following the phoenix for ten days. 

The legendary monster can fly indefinitely during its migration, and we have to follow it for as long as it takes. 

Since that leaves little time for sleeping and eating, a staggering exhaustion has overtaken most of us. 

“Dammit. Must be nice to get some rest.” 

Hyrince glowers at Yaana, who’s sound asleep—in my arms. 

We’re currently riding a horse together so I can hold up Yaana while she sleeps. 

This is the only way anyone can get any rest. 

We have to eat handheld foods while riding on our horse, too. 

The biggest inconvenience is when someone has to do their business, in which case the only choice is to stop the horse, dismount, take care of it quickly, then catch up to the rest of the group. 

Of course, there aren’t any toilets or anything, so you have to do it right out in the open. 

As a result, Yaana is the only female in the group. 

This grueling march would be especially tough on a woman in many ways, so it’s understandable. 

I suggested before we left that maybe Yaana should sit this one out, but she refused, insisting that it’s the duty of the saint to be at the hero’s side at all times. 

As I expected, she’s already run out of strength partway through. I can’t blame her, since even Hyrince is becoming both physically and mentally exhausted. 

“Yaana should really be more cautious anyway. A girl her age shouldn’t be jumping in with a big band of men like this.” 

“I’m sure that’s just how much she trusts Julius. He’d never do anything to her, and he wouldn’t let anyone else take advantage of her, either.” 

Jeskan tries to smooth things over, but Hyrince is being grouchier than usual. 

“Well, I think she’s too dependent on him. It’s the saint’s job to support the hero, but Julius is literally supporting her instead.” 

“You say that, but you’re really worried about her, right?” 

I wish he would just admit that he’s worried that she might be in danger. 

Hyrince is always so contrary. 

“Y’know, I’ve been wondering,” Jeskan says bluntly. “Are you in love with Yaana, Hyrince?” 

“’Scuse me?” 

To be honest, I’ve been wondering the same thing. 

Hyrince is always hiding his emotions, so it’s occurred to me that maybe he teases and insults Yaana so much because he’s actually interested in her. 

But Yaana very obviously has feelings for me. 

So I’ve been worried for a while that Hyrince is holding off and keeping his distance out of consideration for that. I couldn’t bring myself to ask, but I worried that he was suppressing his feelings for Yaana because of me—but he promptly denies it. 

“Yeah, no, not a chance. I swear to the gods, I’m definitely not in love with that one.” 

“Wait, really?” 

“Yeah. To be honest, there’s a different girl I like.” 

This is news to me. 

I’ve never seen him show feelings toward anyone before, so I assumed he might be interested in Yaana, since she’s so close to us. 

“Who is it?” 

Jeskan grins as he presses Hyrince further. 

Some say that women love to talk about romance, but the truth is that men love it just as much. 

I’m very interested to know who this apparent childhood love of Hyrince’s is, too. 

“It’s a secret.” 

“C’mon, you can tell us. Please? It must be a childhood friend, right?” 

I join in with Jeskan on interrogating Hyrince. 

“I’m not telling… We can’t be together anyway.” 

When I see Hyrince’s expression, I regret asking him so lightly. 

We’ve known each other for a long time, but I’ve never seen him make a face like this before. 

His expression is a complex mixture of love, sorrow, and regret. 

As soon as I see it, I get the sense that this person is someone he can never meet again. 

Maybe she only exists in his memories now. 

“Sorry.” 

“Forgive us.” 

“It’s fine.” 

Jeskan and I apologize, but Hyrince smiles gently as if in forgiveness. 

In that moment, though not for the first time, Hyrince seems mature beyond his years. 

“Forget about me, though. What about you, Julius? You gonna respond to Yaana’s feelings or what?” 

Hyrince changes the subject by turning it toward me, and Jeskan jumps on board. 

“Good point. Little Miss Yaana’s interest is pretty obvious, eh?” 

I don’t really want to talk about this, but we just forced a painful confession out of Hyrince, so it wouldn’t be fair for me to refuse to answer. 

“I’m planning on being single for my entire life.” 

In other words…I don’t intend to respond to Yaana’s feelings. 

“And why is that?” 

At Jeskan’s question, I take a moment to close my eyes and get my thoughts in order. 

“I doubt I’m going to live a long life,” I say at last, opening my eyes. “My master once told me that if you can’t discern between what you can and can’t do, you’ll just hasten your death. So I’m sure I’ll die while trying to achieve my reckless goals.” 

I’ve been thinking about this for a long time. 

My goal is a peaceful world where everyone can live with smiles on their faces. 

But I’m fully aware that it’s realistically impossible. 

My strength can only go so far. 

Hero or not, I can’t even beat Master in a fight, and I’m sure I couldn’t defeat this flying legendary-class monster, either. 

There’s so little I can actually do. 

But I’ve decided to keep moving forward toward my ideals anyway. 

I want to keep aiming for that goal, even though I know it’s impossible. 

It’s the very recklessness that Master warned me against. 

So I’m bound to die sooner rather than later. 

“Master said that there’s no point living the way you wish if you don’t live long…but I can’t give up on chasing my ideals, even if it means running up against obstacles I’m not strong enough to overcome. I’ll keep fighting until I truly can’t take another step.” 

But I don’t intend to bring anyone else down with me. 

“I do want Yaana to be happy. So I can’t take her hand knowing that I’m going to die young.” 

Hyrince heaves a sigh at my answer, while Jeskan nods quietly. 

“If that’s the answer you’ve chosen, I won’t try to meddle with it,” says Jeskan. 

But Hyrince seems to object. 

“Well, if you ask me, you should grab her hand anyway. It’s not like you dislike her, right? In fact, you love her, don’t you?” 

“…I guess so. But I think that’s exactly why it has to be this way.” 

I want her to be happy because I love her, I think. 

“Then why don’t you just be with her already?” 

“If only it were that easy.” 

“Okay, look. If you die, Yaana’s gonna be sad either way. Your death will weigh her down for the rest of her life.” 

“But she’ll still have the possibility of a happy future with someone else. I can’t let her whole life go to waste just because of my short-lived feelings.” 

“Why would being close with you mean her life goes to waste? She’s gonna be miserable when you die either way, but at least you could leave her some happy memories if you’re together in the meantime, right?” 

Hyrince’s words remind me of what my master said to me and how Mr. Tiva lived. 

“Besides, I’ve got a bone to pick with the assumption that you’re gonna die young in the first place.” 

Hyrince glares at me but then heaves an exaggerated sigh. 

“Ugh… I can’t believe the hero of all people has a death wish. Talk about a letdown. I’m sooo disappointed.” 

“What’s that supposed to mean?” 

“You really think a coward who’s already resigned himself to dying can accomplish anything? You can fight like your life’s on the line and get into life-and-death battles, but you still gotta try to live.” 

At first, I can’t tell if Hyrince is joking around or not. 

But I think he must be expressing his true feelings. 

“Yeah. You’re right. It’s not like I intend to die.” 

“That’s the spirit. If you die, it’ll be after I go down first. ’Cause I’m always gonna protect the lot of you.” 

“I’m sure you will.” 

“Ah, to be young again,” Jeskan murmurs with a smile as he observes our exchange. 

Just then—Hawkin, who was running ahead, speeds back toward us on his horse. 

“Bad news. There’s a village coming up!” 

“All right. Everyone! Did you hear that?! We have to get in front of the phoenix and evacuate the people from the village!” 

When I shout orders at the group, they respond with a chorus of affirmations. 

“Yaana, wake up.” 

“Mm…nnngh.” 

Yaana groans in her sleep in a strangely sexy way. 

I’m probably overthinking it because of the conversation we just had. 

“Yaana…,” I prompt her a little more loudly. 

“Ah! The Eyeball King!” 

Yaana sits up with a start, shouting nonsensically. 

What kind of dream was she having? 

“Huh? The Eyeball King found out about the Ear Queen’s affair with the Lip Knight? Wha—?” 

Seriously, what was that dream about?! 

I’m a little intrigued, but now isn’t the time. 

As soon as Yaana wakes up completely, we hurry to pass the flying immortal and reach the village first. 

“What? You want us to evacuate?! What will happen to our homes?!” 

Once we explain to the villagers that the phoenix is coming, and we shout at them to evacuate, one of the men starts complaining. 

This isn’t our first time calling for an evacuation in a settlement, and we’ve encountered similar reactions before. 

Usually, repeating the explanation a few times gets them to give in, but this time is different. 

“If my house burns down, I won’t be able to live anymore, dammit! I’mma stay here and protect my house!” 

The man refuses to listen or budge an inch. 

“Mister, staying here’ll only put you in danger. How’re you gonna protect your house? You’ll just go up in flames along with it!” 

“The hell if I care! This house is my whole life! If it burns down, there ain’t no point in me survivin’ anyway!” 

Even Hyrince can’t persuade him. 

“Sir Hero, what should we do?” one of the members of the troop asks. 

I’m at a loss, too. 

“Wait, you’re the hero?” 

The man turns to me. 

“Yes, that’s right.” 

Hoping this might give me a chance to convince him, I decide to try talking to him. 

“If you’re the hero, then protect my house! You can do that much, can’t you?!” 

“Well…” 

“Listen, Mister. Give it up already. If we could do that, we wouldn’t be evacuating you, would we?” 

“Why the hell not?! You’re the hero, aren’t you?! Then you oughta save me! Right?!” 

The man clings to the walls of his house and breaks down in tears. 

He must have a deep attachment to the house. At this rate, he really will go down in flames with it. 

“…All right.” 

“Oi!” Hyrince grabs my shoulder. 

The rest of the group stirs up in alarm, too. 

“Really?!” 

“Yes. I’ll take responsibility for protecting this house. So in exchange, please evacuate somewhere safe.” 

“You ain’t just gonna abandon it once I leave?” 

“No. I promise.” 

I look the man straight in the eye. 

“Thank you.” 

Apparently believing my words, the man lets go of his house, grabs my hand, and bows his head deeply. 

Then he joins the rest of the villagers in evacuating, led by our group. 

“Well? What’re you going to do now?” 

“I don’t know. What should I do?” 

“You didn’t even have a plan, huh…?” Hyrince shakes his head and groans. “I don’t suppose you’d be willing to give up on it?” 

“I promised I wouldn’t.” 

Hyrince heaves a long sigh, then looks at the rest of our party as if for help. 

“If Julius says he’s going to protect it, then it’s my job as the saint to support him!” 

“We’ve got no choice but to do it at this point, I suppose.” 

“Pshhh. S’not like we gotta beat that thing, right? There has to be a way to keep the house intact, I reckon.” 

Hyrince’s shoulders slump at their responses. 

“You’ll protect us, right?” I prod him jokingly. 

“Aaargh! Fine, fine!” Hyrince sighs again and gives in, then looks to Hawkin. “So how exactly are we gonna do this?” 

“The phoenix’s a legendary-class monster, y’know? No sense fighting it when we wouldn’t stand a chance in hell.” 

Hawkin is the most knowledgeable of anyone in our group. 

And it’s always been his job to come up with strategies for us based on that knowledge. 

“So we just gotta get it to go around this village without fightin’ it, eh?” 

And so we set about putting Hawkin’s plan into action. 

Smoke rises ahead on the phoenix’s flight path. 

The monster changes directions to go around it, as if repulsed by the smoke. 

How did we do it? It’s simple. 

We created a bonfire that produces smoke with a scent that repels the phoenix and used Wind Magic to control it. 

Thus, we guided the monster into changing its course to avoid the smoke. 

The phoenix shows itself to people relatively easily compared with other legendary-class monsters, so there is a fair amount of research on it. 

In other words, there is information about what the phoenix avoids, and we were able to use it to drive the phoenix away. 

However, there is a downside to this method. The source of the smell that the phoenix dislikes so much is a very valuable material. 

Namely: fire dragon dung. 

The phoenix is a fire monster, too, but apparently, they get along very poorly, so it will never make its nest in a place where fire dragons dwell. 

That’s why we burned fire dragon dung to produce the scent of fire dragons, causing the phoenix to avoid it. 

But the fire dragon is at minimum an S-rank monster. 

Some particularly strong fire dragons have even been deemed legendary-class, the same as the phoenix itself. 

On top of that, fire dragons usually travel in flocks and live in treacherous areas like active volcanos. 

Harvesting their dung is at least as dangerous as collecting a phoenix feather, maybe even more so. 

This valuable dung is used when the phoenix travels toward a large population center. If there’s too many people to evacuate quickly, it’s safer to change the phoenix’s course instead. 

It’s common knowledge that large towns often keep fire dragon dung on hand in case of such an emergency. 

That’s where we were able to borrow a very small amount of that dragon dung, which we burned to produce this smoke. 

Normally, it’s the kind of valuable material that should be preserved, but using a tiny amount of it like this isn’t enough to be a problem. 

Of course, this tiny amount alone wouldn’t produce enough smoke to ward off the phoenix, so we used Wind Magic to gather it all up and focus it close to the phoenix’s nose. 

“I guess I’d expect no less of the number one apprentice of the world’s strongest mage.” 

Jeskan sounds impressed. 

Unfortunately, I can’t even respond to him right now. 

Magic spells normally have a set form and amount of power. 

Master is the first person in the world to change that. 

Instead of simply “producing” magic, you have to “control” it. 

Considering that no one else in history had ever accomplished such a feat, it’s obviously not easy. 

Normally, the most a Wind Magic spell can do is push wind in a particular direction. 

Using it to collect smoke, and then carry it to the phoenix’s nose, is incredibly difficult. 

If I lose focus for even a second, the spell will collapse, and the smoke will likely disperse. 

It’s not a flashy spell by any means, yet in a way, it’s more difficult than even invoking massive magic. 

“Great! The phoenix is changing its course. A little more to the right.” 

Following Hyrince’s instructions, I manipulate the smoke to guide the phoenix farther from us. 

At this rate, we should be able to keep it away entirely. 

But just as I think we’ve succeeded, the wind suddenly blows. 

“Ah?!” 

It’s not magic—just a natural gust of wind. 

But it pushes the smoke right into the phoenix’s face. 

“SKREEEEE!” 

The phoenix lets out a high-pitched shriek. 

“Oh no!” 

The phoenix doesn’t attack humans unprovoked and is said to have a gentler temperament than most legendary-class monsters. 

But still, you can’t let your guard down around it. 

Using smoke to guide it away wasn’t enough to provoke it to attack us, but it looks like throwing the smoke right into its face is another story. 

The phoenix is coming this way—with obvious anger in its eyes. 

“Jeskan! Take Yaana and Hawkin and run!” I shout immediately. 

Jeskan obeys at once, scooping up Yaana and Hawkin under his arms and sprinting away. 

“Wait! No!” 

Yaana tries to resist, but Jeskan doesn’t slow down. 

He knows perfectly well what happens if you try to fight a legendary-class monster. 

The phoenix spreads its wings, and I run out in front of it. 

I have to buy time for the others to get away. 

It’s me the monster is after. 

I dragged the others into this stupid plan, so I have to make sure I’m the only one who suffers the consequences! 

The phoenix flaps its wings, sending a whirl of flames toward me. 

I produce my Light Magic barrier. 

But even with as much magic power as I could put into it, it burns away like paper. 

“Shield!” 

In the last moment before my barrier dissipates completely, Hyrince jumps in front of me with his shield at the ready. 

“Hyrince!” 

My shout is drowned out by the roar of flames. 

The attack lasts only a second. 

But in that second, I can clearly see the flames burning through Hyrince’s shield and searing his body. 

Since Hyrince protected me, I suffered only light burns from the attack. 

The flames whirl away, and my vision clears. 

Before my eyes, I see Hyrince—his entire body covered in burns yet still standing with his shield raised. 

The single attack seems to have satisfied the phoenix; it gives us one last look, then flaps away. 

A moment later, Hyrince slumps over and falls to the ground. 

“Hyrince!” 

I sprint up to my fallen friend, quickly beating away the flames still licking his body. 

“Hyrince?!” I hear Yaana cry out behind me. 

Jeskan is running back toward us with her over his shoulder. 

“Yaana! Please heal him!” 

“Right away!” 

Yaana uses Healing Magic. 

I follow suit, trying to soothe the wounds that cover Hyrince’s body. 

“Hyrince! Don’t you die on me!” 

I keep using Healing Magic with every last ounce of my strength. 

Hawkin produces a vial from his pocket and pours the liquid over Hyrince: a healing potion. 

“Nnngh!” 

“Hyrince!” 

Finally, Hyrince coughs and groans. 

“…I’m not gonna die. ’Cause if I do, it’d be your turn next, right?” 

His voice is faint but steady. 

“That was so reckless…” 

“You’re one to talk.” 

Hyrince narrowly escaped death. 

As if to reward his efforts, a single phoenix feather flutters down from the sky, landing right next to him. 

Although Hyrince survived, we determined that we couldn’t keep following the phoenix any longer, so we decided to leave it to the others to take care of things. 

When they saw Hyrince’s condition, the villagers allowed us to stay the night. 

We laid Hyrince down to get some rest in the room they gave us. 

Before long, the man who’d prompted us to stay and deal with the phoenix by refusing to evacuate unless we protected his house comes to check on us. 

When he sees Hyrince’s battered state, his face turns pale. 

“I-is this…because of me?” 

“…Your house is safe, just like we promised.” 

“I…I—I built that house with my wife, who passed away, so…” 

“Well, we protected it,” Hyrince grunts curtly. 

“…Thank you so much!” 

The man bows his head and hurries out of the room. 

“See? This is what we get for putting our lives on the line for selfish people like that guy. Are you satisfied, Julius?” 

Hyrince looks at me seriously. 

I’m sure he’s trying to tell me that I should stop blindly offering to help anyone and everyone I meet. 

And in a way, he’s saying that this is my fault, too. 

We agreed to that man’s request because of my own selfish insistence. 

If we’d dragged him away from the house and made him evacuate by force, we wouldn’t have been put in such danger, and Hyrince wouldn’t have nearly died. 

So Hyrince is right to be angry. 

I think he’s especially angry with me for being reckless, too. 

And yet…even so, if I was put in the same situation again, I think I would make the same choice. 

“I’m sorry, Hyrince. But I still want to keep reaching out my hand to people in need. I feel bad for making you go along with my selfishness, though.” 

“Selfishness, huh? Listen. I don’t think you can call that selfishness. It’s people like that guy who are selfish. I’d call you softhearted, that’s what.” 

Hyrince sighs irritably. 

“He was selfish, I know. But he did thank us, and he seemed to feel guilty that you got hurt. I think this incident must have made him realize how selfish he was. So I think the gratitude he feels toward us today will be passed on in the form of kindness to someone else tomorrow. I really do believe that.” 

“…Seriously, how soft can you get?” 

Hyrince closes his eyes, as if to say he’s given up. 

“Hyrince, I’m sorry.” 

“…It’s fine. I knew what I was getting into.” He smiles wanly. “But I just want to say that people aren’t as good as you want them to be. For all we know, helping that guy today might just make him assume that he’ll always get help whenever he wants it. There are people who are grateful when you save them, and some of them might try to learn from your example and pay it forward. But that’s not gonna apply to everyone. At least remember that much.” 

“…Okay.” 

I’m sure Hyrince is right. 

Some people won’t change, no matter how hard I try. 

Just like the criminals from the human-trafficking organization. 

And there are probably people who will consider my help convenient and nothing more. 

As sad as it is, I don’t have the power to change everyone’s hearts. 

I softly touch my scarf. 

My sadness must be evident in my expression, because Hyrince offers me some comfort. 

“Don’t make that face. I’m following you because I like that soft side of yours. And that’s never gonna change.” 

His words are an indirect promise that he’ll always stay by my side. 

To be honest, part of me feared that after making him do something so reckless, Hyrince wouldn’t want to follow me anymore. 

So I’m thrilled, and relieved, to know that he’s going to stay with me. 

“You being reckless isn’t anything new, right? These injuries just prove that I couldn’t keep up with your craziness.” 

“That’s not true.” 

The phoenix’s flames might have easily killed even me if they’d hit me directly. 

The only reason I’m practically unharmed is because Hyrince covered me with his own body. 

If anything, I’m the one who couldn’t keep up with Hyrince, since he had to protect me. 

“Hyrince, I really am sorry. And thank you.” 

“Sure.” 

I’m sorry for making you do something so crazy. 

And thank you for staying by my side anyway. 

“Oh, I know. Here.” 

I hold out to Hyrince the phoenix feather I picked up. 

“What’s this?” 

“You should carry it.” 

Hyrince doesn’t seem to understand why I’m offering him the feather. 

“Huh? Why should I be the one to take it? You hold on to it.” 

Hyrince tries to push it away, but I force it into his hand and close his fingers around it. 

“Hey!” 

“You keep it, Hyrince.” 

“Seriously, why?! Do you even understand how important you are?! It’s way more important that you stay alive than me! You should be the one to take it!” 

Hyrince tries to shove it back to me, but I refuse to take it. 

“Don’t worry. I won’t die.” 

“What are you talking about?!” 

“You said so yourself, right? If I die, it’ll be after you do.” 

When I use his own words against him, Hyrince is stunned into silence. 

He’s the one who swore that he would protect me as long as he’s alive, after all. 

“I’m not going to die. Since you’re our shield user, your chances of dying are much higher, right? So it’s better if you take it, Hyrince.” 

“You’re unbelievable…” Still lying down, Hyrince clutches his forehead and groans. “But that’s got nothing to do with this. You take the damn thing already.” 

“No! I! Won’t!” 

“You damn idiot!” 

We continue to argue back and forth until Hyrince finally passes out from exhaustion. 

You know, Hyrince… 

Like I said about Yaana, I want you to be happy, too.