2 – farewell

I leaned against a pillar in the corridor across the manor and waited for Liza.

At the end of the corridor, Liza could be seen walking. I was on my way home from class. She came slowly to me.

and hugged me We hugged each other like a habit from sometime. After sharing body temperature for so long, she said.

“Ha, I think I will live.”

“Are you going to take the class?”

“yes… .”

She then stayed still for a while.

“… … I love you.”

My heart became hot as if it were on fire at the sudden confession. But soon, I accepted the words as naturally as the flow of the season. We could feel it through our time together, and it was already proven through our actions.

“yes. I love you too.”

Being able to communicate with Lisa was the greatest blessing in my life.

Sadly, we didn’t have much time left.

Among the high-ranking priests and retainers of the Pascal family, discussions were underway about Liza’s admission to the Eternia Academy. Liza had to go to the academy whether she liked it or not. Eternia Academy was in a distant country, and if Liza left there, we would have to say goodbye.

I couldn’t go to the academy. He had no talent for magic, and even if he had talent, he couldn’t afford the academy’s enormous tuition.

We put our heads together and struggled to find a way to be together even apart from the temple. No matter how hard I tried, I couldn’t find a plausible solution.

Liza hugged me and often cried. I could understand why he was crying without even asking.

One morning at dawn, Liza entered my room to escape the nun’s watch. Then, I woke up from my sleep with a voice that reminded me of it.

“I saw the stars fall.”

“Why?

“Star fragments have tremendous energy. And there are herbs that feed on the energy and grow around the fragments of stars that have fallen to the ground. If you eat that herb, you can see the future. It was written that way in the book of the great sage Lutavis.”

“The future… You see?”

“If I could see the future, I might be able to solve the problems that have been bothering me. And if we sell the pieces of the star, we can earn money to live together for the rest of our lives.”

“It is impossible for us to find it.”

“it’s not like that. I saw it very close. I’ve drawn the predicted location on the map. It’s only a week’s walk and you’ll be there… .”

Liza unfolded the map in front of me. A circle was drawn in one corner of the map. It was known as unexplored land. There were unknown dangers lurking in the unexplored land. Among them, the most dangerous was by far the ‘Magic Beast’.

“It is too dangerous.”

“It doesn’t matter if it’s dangerous. I have no other choice. You know.”

Liza had already made up her mind. She said something possessed. No matter what he said, there was little chance that she would change her mind.

We prepared to leave. I took all the money I saved while working in the studio. Among the items needed for camping and the tools used for work, I also packed one that looked menacing.

It seemed like it would be a long journey. I wondered what to say to the nun. Liza said that there was no time for that and urged her to leave immediately.

“You can’t be late. Let’s leave today.”

We packed our backpacks full of beef jerky and biscuits from the temple food pantry and sneaked out.

And immediately set out on the road to find a piece of the star.

On the first day, I just walked from dawn to evening. The sun had set as we came out of the city. In order to save food, meals were solved with money.

The next day, we entered the grassland area. Liza picked up some herbs that might be helpful in restoring her energy. I checked Lisa’s condition from time to time. If something goes wrong with her body, she intends to return without any regrets.

The next day it rained. A thunderstorm accompanied by strong winds poured in steadily. We got lost a few times and were drenched in the rain even though we were wearing our robes. Liza showed symptoms of hypothermia, so we ended the schedule earlier than expected.

We took refuge in a cave under a cliff to avoid the rain and wind.

Liza was exhausted physically and mentally, so she couldn’t concentrate, and in addition, everything that could be used as firewood was wet in the rain and could not catch fire even with magic.

We spent the night wrapped in tarpaulins, wrapped in only our underpants, and sharing our body heat.

In the morning, Liza’s body was as hot as a ball of fire. Liza showed symptoms of high fever. Last night, I set fire to a tree branch that had drained water, and I picked a fever-reducing herb from the forest and fed it to Liza.

Then I said to Lisa.

“I can’t. Let’s go back.”

“… no.”

“It’s impossible to keep going as you are now.”

“No, I can go.”

Lisa stubbornly persisted.

We had breakfast, got some rest, and left again. The momentum of the wind and rain had broken down, but it was still a foggy rain. Liza often collapsed and collapsed while walking down the street. Whenever that happened, I carried Liza on my back for several hours and went out on the road.

We walked vaguely along the way. I wasn’t sure if I was going in the right direction, but I got a strange feeling that the more I went, the closer I got to the fragment of the star.

Liza fell asleep on my back and asked me in a sleepy voice.

“Are we on the right track…?”

“I memorized the map. Don’t worry too much.”

Lisa hugged my shoulders tighter, as if the uneasiness was not going away.

As the sun set, we camped in an abandoned cabin. We lit a fire in the dusty fireplace and ate beef jerky.

Because Liza was cold, she hugged me again and slept. Even though my body was sweating and my clothes were damp, she wouldn’t let me go.

The next day and the next day, we continued to move.

We hadn’t even had a proper bath for days, and the food was running low. The clothes were torn here and there, and the stitches came loose, so there were few healthy places.

Liza didn’t care if she smelled like sweat because she couldn’t take a bath or if her body was dirty. Every night, he hugged me and fell asleep. Liza’s body always smelled good. I asked her why, but Liza herself didn’t seem to know.

Waking up, we climbed a hill from which we could see the surrounding view. I could see a large, deep blue lake in the distance.

Liza said in a raised voice.

“We came to the right place. It must be near that lake.”

I had more anxiety than anticipation. It was questionable whether the mysterious herb that could see the future really existed, and since we were in an unexplored land, we could be attacked by wild animals or monsters at any time.

And my anxiety was rightly hit, and we were attacked by the Witchbeast shortly after.

We made our way back to the lake as our destination. It was just a matter of moving in a straight line towards the direction we had identified in advance, but the dense forest obscured our sense of direction, and we got lost twice.

While I was wandering like that, Liza suddenly stopped by holding my wrist.

“Strange. I can feel the magic.”

“What do you mean, weird?”

“It’s definitely magic, but it’s not human.”

At that moment, the wind blew. The trees swayed with a strange chill and the leaves fluttered here and there. It was as if the forest was shaking with fear. The surroundings grew darker.

A strange cry was heard from the edge of the forest. I was able to intuitively sense that it was not a human being, nor was it an animal or beast.

Soon after, something in the shape of a black man flew towards us from a place where the shadows were deeply cast in the forest.

Lisa shouted.

“race… It’s a race!”

I’ve only heard about races in books or adventure stories. An adventurer who slashed a giant beast. A knight who swept the continent. The head of a mercenary group that threatened the empire. It was a being from another dimension who killed those great humans helplessly and futilely.

Liza immediately took a stance and raised her magic power for casting magic.

I took out the hammer I used in the workshop in front of him. There was no chance this would work, but I had to somehow delay time so Liza could cast her magic from behind.

The race flew at high speed and stopped a few meters from us and floated away.

shhhhh-

The hairs all over her body stood up at the sound of a horrifying cry.

Wraith wore a black robe and had long, ugly fingers like a mummy’s arms and spider legs. It was three times the length of a normal person.

There was only darkness and emptiness within the floating hem of the lace, and black smoke spewed out where the feet were supposed to be.

My whole body trembled just by looking at it. I had no way of knowing why such a terrifying being was in such a place.

Liza, who raised her magical power, cast a spell. Immediately, fireballs the size of pumpkins rushed toward Wraith.

However, the fireball went right through the body of the race and stuck into the tree behind it. Kwajik, with a sound, the tree split in two.

“saturday… Did you pass?”

Liza hurriedly chanted the spell again, showing a puzzled expression.

This time, the magic attack passed through Reis’s body.

Reis showed no movement in Liza’s attack. Then he stretched out his ugly fingers towards me.

I stepped back and swung the hammer.

“Damn it, get out of here!”

The race did not respond to my threats. We shrank like cornered mice.

As Reis’s fingers were about to reach mine, I swung the hammer with all my might.

Kwajik, with a dull sound, Race’s hand was hit by the swing and was thrown out. Reis stepped back as if taken aback by the unexpected attack.

“Run away!”

I immediately grabbed Liza’s hand and ran. In order to run as fast as possible, I threw away my luggage and provisions.

Soon after, the wind blew behind us and the forest shook. Lacy’s cries spread out in all directions.

All I could think of was the need to save Liza. Even if it’s at the cost of my life.

Looking back, the race was chasing at a frightening speed.

While Liza was running, she cast an incantation and shot an orb of light behind her back. The sphere of light had no effect on Wraith.

“How did you beat the race?”

“do not know! Now is not the time to think about that!”

Liza gasped for breath.

“No, you need to know. Then do something!”

“I was right because I just hit you!”

“Lace doesn’t work with physical attacks at all, so how did you do it!”

“I don’t know either!”

After running without hesitation, the uphill road came out. Behind us, Wraith was chasing us fast. We ran uphill without a moment to think. When we reached the top of the climb, we had no choice but to stop. In front of it, a cliff greeted us.

I bit my lip. We were driven to a dead end.

The race stopped and checked us and came in front of us spewing black smoke.

The race was making a grotesque, creepy noise.

I took the hammer and took the lead and faced the race. As the race reached back into me, I swung the hammer. This time, Reis also flinched and reacted to the threat as if on guard.

I hit the hand of the race that was close to my body with a hammer.

shhhhh, ssssss

Black smoke billowed from the lower part of Reis’s body. And the black smoke enveloped me and enveloped me. I wielded a hammer to create wind, but it was not enough.

As the smoke enveloped my body, I couldn’t move as if I was being chained.

“I can’t move, damn, damn!”

“Hold on for a little while, I will use my magic… !”

As my body was bound, Reiss reached out her arms toward me. And his long fingers pierced my stomach. He didn’t even give me a chance to resist.

The biggest pain I’ve ever felt in my life spread through my back and intestines.

“Ke-heo-eok!”

Blood gushed out of his throat.

The race lightly lifted my body. I soared limply into the air as if impaled on a skewer.

Reis placed my body on top of her head. My blood spilled over Reis’ pitch-black face. Then he twisted the finger that had pierced me. Blood gushed from my body as if I was squeezing flesh.

I screamed.

Wraith was savoring all of my blood.

Even in this situation, I had no choice but to save Liza. I turned my head. His vision was blurry, so he couldn’t see Liza well. Liza seemed to be screaming something, but I couldn’t hear it.

I shouted with all my might.

run away

But no voice came out, only the opening of the mouth.

The race suddenly stopped moving. Lacy’s gestures were strange. The arm that stabbed me vibrated slightly. Soon after, Reis’s body shook greatly, and then she shrank.

Kiehek-

Blood gushed from Reis’s dark face. Once or twice, blood gushed out like a sneeze, and soon after, I started to vomit all the blood I had eaten so far, as if I had eaten rotten wine.

Something seemed to be bothering the race.

Reis writhed in pain. Soon after, I swung my arms wide and threw my body over the cliff.

My body drew a parabola and plummeted over the cliff.

Time seemed to pass slowly.

Then, silver hair came into my sight

I saw Liza reaching down the cliff. I reached out for her too, but we were too far apart to reach.

I kept Liza’s figure in my eyes until the end.