Viola POV
I saw Ezekiel looking at me worriedly.
"Viola, is something wrong? Are you hurt? Did the fall hurt you? Where does it hurt? Talk to me if there's a problem, please. Maybe we should head back for today and get you checked. I'm sorry I couldn't protect you better."
I blinked in surprise.
I had never seen Ezekiel talk like this before. Normally, his speech only consisted of one, two, maybe three short sentences.
"Ah, no need for that. I'm alright!" I quickly said. "I was just surprised."
I hurriedly pulled my hands back to my sides and sat up properly, breaking the awkward position we had been in.
Ezekiel's expression only grew more uneasy.
"Did I perhaps make you uncomfortable by touching you without permission earlier?" he asked quietly. "I'm really sorry. I won't do that again. I—"
"No, no, no, it's not your fault!" I waved my hands quickly. "I should be the one thanking you for protecting me like that."
I stretched my hands out again, trying to convince him that none of it had been his fault. He had only been trying to protect me.
It was my own problem.
I was so weak that a little bit of closeness made my brain stop working.
I really needed to train myself not to freeze like that in front of Ezekiel again.
I quickly bowed my head toward him, partly to show my gratitude and partly to hide my burning face.
"Thank you for saving me."
"…It was nothing."
Ezekiel finally seemed to calm down after that.
I straightened up and looked around the area.
"We should start moving," I said. "Let's explore and see if we can find anything. Maybe even the treasure of this dungeon."
Ezekiel nodded silently.
We began walking together through the unfamiliar area.
But the silence between us felt strange.
And my mind kept drifting back to what had happened earlier.
I'm such an embarrassment.
I wondered what Ezekiel thought of me now.
Maybe he thinks I'm some weird woman…
I slumped slightly as we walked, imagining the worst possibilities.
---
Ezekiel POV
Earlier… why was she—
Kind of cute?
I shouldn't be thinking about something like that. For all I knew, she could have been hurt.
But when she was on top of me earlier, her face had been so close to mine, and the way she stood there afterward with her hands tucked together made her look like a small animal that had gotten lost somewhere.
And she's so small that I almost wanted to pat her head.
…Wait.
What am I thinking?
/Viola isn't even short. Her height is actually above average for most girls, which is one of the reasons she was such a good idol model.
Ezekiel was just ridiculously tall./
She smells like spring.
Like flowers.
Right.
I remember my mother once calling her a fairy.
But I'm such an idiot.
I probably made her uncomfortable by grabbing her like that.
What if she thinks I'm some kind of creep now?
The thought made my chest feel strangely heavy.
/Alright, that's enough of this ridiculous, flowery narration from these two idiots./
---
The two of them walked quietly through the dungeon.
The place looked surprisingly peaceful, almost like a hidden paradise. Tall trees stretched toward the bright sky while colorful flowers bloomed along the ground, and the grass beneath their feet looked healthy and untouched.
It was bright here.
Strangely bright.
Outside, it had already been night when they entered the gate, yet inside the dungeon the sky looked as if it were the middle of the day.
Viola glanced around, remembering how difficult this place had been to raid in the past.
Still, she wasn't too worried.
She had the Veil skill.
If things became dangerous, she could simply activate it and make both of them invisible to the monsters. After that, they could sneak past everything, grab the dungeon treasure, and escape through the exit.
Simple.
Easy.
Mission accomplished.
At least…
That was what she thought.
Because very soon, Viola would realize that entering this dungeon would not be nearly as easy as she had imagined.
---
After walking for a while, they reached a high area where the entire forest spread out below them.
"Look there!" Viola exclaimed.
In the middle of the wide forest stood a massive tree unlike any other. Its leaves glimmered like shards of glass, reflecting light across the clearing, making the tree seem almost magical.
"The forbidden fruit must be there. I can just feel it," Viola whispered.
"Should we go there?" Ezekiel asked.
"Yes. We should definitely check it out," she replied.
Ezekiel nodded, and together they headed toward the giant tree, their footsteps quiet on the soft grass.
While walking, Viola hesitated, struggling to break the silence. She finally spoke, her voice soft but firm.
"I'm sorry for asking this out of place, but… after we finally find the evidence to prove your innocence, what will you do to your former party?"
Ezekiel froze, staring ahead without answering for a long moment. Viola's gaze never left him. She had wanted to ask this for a long time, and whatever his answer, she would not let those people get away with what they had done.
"I don't know…" he said finally, his voice low, almost a whisper. "But… to be honest, I loathe them more than anything. I never did anything worthy of their wrath, yet they… they—"
His hand clenched into a fist, gripping his own arm as memories of every betrayal, every wound, every moment of pain flooded through him. Viola watched him closely, her eyes sharp, piercing.
"Do you want to make them go through what they did to you?" she asked, her tone colder than the wind that brushed past them.
Ezekiel blinked, taken aback. Viola had just spoken aloud what he had been thinking but could never say in front of her. A lump rose in his throat. He had been terrified that if he admitted his true thoughts, she would see him as cruel, as someone unworthy of trust.
"If I were in your shoes, I would do the same," she continued, her voice steady now. "I'm no saint who can just let those people who hurt you run free. So if you want to make them pay, I'll help you however I can."
Ezekiel couldn't believe what she was saying. He stared at her, words catching in his throat.
"If I do… would you think I'm some kind of awful person?" he asked cautiously, unsure if he deserved her support.
"No. I would never view you like that," Viola replied firmly. "Besides… they aren't people in my eyes. If they took something precious from you forever, do you think I could ever forgive them? I have too many regrets from my past to let trash like that escape justice, and I won't let it happen this time."
Ezekiel's mind raced, trying to digest her words. "Precious… someone has to be precious to you for you to go to such lengths, to willingly stand by me. Who is that person?"
Her words lingered, and a bitter taste came to his mouth. He realized how lucky that person must have been to inspire such loyalty and courage in her. Something inside him ached, a desperate wish that it could be him—but he knew, deep down, that it wasn't.
And yet, even knowing that, he felt a flicker of hope, a small warmth that had nothing to do with the trees, the sky, or the magical glow of the that giant tree. It had everything to do with Viola.