For now, we move to the kitchen on the first floor. Auyen had been washing the dishes before, but he was no longer there, apparently he had finished all his work. Or maybe Amelia had just told him to go somewhere else. In any case, it wasn't something that worried me.
We sat in silence.
Ha, things between us have gotten weird again.
The sight of Missha with her eyes glued to the ground, unable to look up, made me feel uncomfortable. While he was busy trying to figure out how to start another conversation, Missha suddenly broke the ice.
«Hansu ... Lee ... »
That was my real name, one that only a few people in this world knew. Even though I had set up the Voice Control element beforehand, I instinctively looked around in panic, making Missha notice his slip immediately. «A-Ah... P-Sorry! I did not want to...»
«Don't worry. No one outside a two meter radius can hear us».
«...Is that so?»
What was happening to him? He said he had fixed the way he spoke, and yet he seemed to speak stranger than ever.
«Did you hear that name Baekho Lee?» I decided to ignore that for now and focus on asking him where he had heard my name.
«Sí...»
«Then you must also know that I am an evil spirit».
«...Sí.»
«But aren't you afraid or suspicious of me?».
«Sí.»
"¿Por qué?"
«Because I've known it for a long time...»
That? That you already knew?
«What...? Since when?»
«B-Well...» Missha seemed disturbed by the question. With a bright red face, he answered in a low voice: «...on August 16, 154. Y-Yes, that was the day I was sure of it...»
Why would he say a random date like he expected me to know exactly which one he was talking about? At first I was perplexed by his response, but when I started to think, I slowly realized what day he was referring to.
On August 16, 154. That was the day I confessed to her that I saw her as more than just a teammate. So we... well...
And then they rejected me.
Was this the real reason? I had been wondering for some time why he had rejected me like that. I wanted to ask him, but I never dared to do it.
With a big sigh, I turned to her. «So why did you start traveling with Baekho Lee after thinking I had died?».
«...He said that if I helped him, he would use the Renaissance Stone on you».
I already knew that. The real reason I asked was so I could move on to my next question as naturally as possible. «But why were you willing to go so far for me? From what you said, you already knew that I was an evil spirit».
«Still, you were my colleague... close...»
A close colleague... I was glad to hear that, but another question quickly replaced the first. If I didn't hate evil spirits, why did he reject me that day? Or did he agree with them, but refuse to have a romantic relationship with you?
I wanted to dig a little deeper, but unfortunately, Missha changed the subject this time. «By the way!»
Yeah, I guess she wouldn't want to talk about it, huh?
«Can I... ask you a question too?»
«Forward.»
«Baekho Lee... He kept calling you 'Big Brother'... Are you... close?»
«I wouldn't say we're particularly close since I know that guy is definitely up to something behind my back».
Missha seemed surprised by my response. «Plot something...»
«Was that all you wanted to ask?»
«No! There is one more thing. Back then... why did you suddenly disappear on Farune Island?»
Huh, hadn't Baekho told you anything about that? I was wondering why. Was he purposely trying to drive a wedge between us? Or maybe he thought it would be rude or exaggerated to explain it to him himself?
«By any chance... everyone else knew the truth... except me?».
He had long ago decided what he would say here. «For. First of all, let me clear up the misunderstanding: what people say and what actually happened are two completely different things».
I was brief and explained my trip to the past from Farune Island. I wasn't too worried about telling him the secret. Apart from Ainar, she had always been one of my closest comrades. There was no reason to hide the truth from him, especially when he already knew my real name.
And more importantly, Baekho Lee also knows the truth.
Missha listened to my story silently and, in the end, seemed almost relieved. «So your sudden disappearance... really was an accident...»
He asked me what I had been doing since my return, and I told him the whole truth, including how I met Erwen again, how I met Amelia again, and how I met Raven, Ainar, Mr. Bear, the Dwarf, and Rotmiller again.
«So... I was the last one...» Missha murmured, her voice weak, before carefully asking me another question. «So... does everyone else know your secret?».
«Erwen and Amelia, as well as Raven and Baekho Lee, know everything. Although they are the only ones who know».
«...ya veo.»
«Anyway, do you know how worried I was? When did I find out you were out there on that creep's team?»
Missha's face fell as she quickly apologized. «I-I'm sorry. I really p-I thought you were dead, and...»
«You don't have to apologize. I know you were just trying to save me». Well, I still had questions about what his plan was after he managed to bring me back to life. In any case, I was touched that she was willing to go this far for me in the first place. «Enough talking about me. I want to know how it goes».
«About me...?»
«Yeah. How have you been? And why do you look so skinny?»
«No estoy flaca...»
His appearance said otherwise. It was practically skin and bones. «Okay. But tell me, what have you been doing all this time?»
Missha thought about it a lot, probably debating where to start. Then, after a moment, he began to wander.
***
Everyone dies over time. Even the Immortal King, who once ruled this vast kingdom, had not been able to escape death in the end. Death was a law of nature that could never be broken.
«So, Bjorn is dead.»
However, his death had been too sudden. It felt like a nightmare, one she was desperately trying to wake up from. That's why he couldn't refuse that fateful offer.
«What if I told you there was a way to resurrect Bjorn Yandel?»
There was only one way to recover what had been lost.
«The Renaissance Stone can revive two people. If you help me, I'll let you relive it».
In the end, she accepted his offer. He did everything Baekho Lee asked of him, from spreading rumors that Bjorn Yandel was an evil spirit to entering the maze with his group to complete various missions. Still, it wasn't that bad. Even on days when he lay crying on his pillow, he could at least hold on to hope.
«Oh, aren't you going to act like a kitten anymore?»
She struggled to fix the way she spoke, which he often made fun of her for. She wanted to show Bjorn how much she had grown when they finally got together.
But that was not his only motivation.
«Kitty, what are you reading there alone?»
She began studying reading books. When he did, it almost seemed like Bjorn was there, sitting next to him.
«Stop reading and go outside. Let's go to training camp. I've trained several newbies before, and the best way to improve your skills is by fighting».
She was forced to duel him every day, although those «duels» were much more like unilateral beatings. Still, he wanted to get stronger, so he kept going.
One month, two months, three months...
Time flew by, and she changed a lot with her passing. As long as he didn't get too excited, he was able to speak normally. And he had become stronger, much stronger than before.
«...When are you going to use the Renaissance Stone?»
She was also slowly starting to lose patience.
«Oh, I'll use it when the time is right, you know? Why are you so irritable these days?».
As always, he rejected her with vague answers. One day, she couldn't contain herself anymore.
«...Did you ever plan to use it?»
The Renaissance Stone that Baekho Lee had in his possession was authentic. However, would he keep his promise? He tried to ignore the doubts and persevere. If he really had no intention of helping her and all his hard work over the past two years had been in vain, he would no longer be able to endure any of this.
«Baekho Lee. Tell me right now, when do you plan to use it? If you don't tell me now...»
One day, having overcome her fears enough to finally demand the truth, she got an answer that was far from what she wanted.
«What if I don't? What are you going to do about it?».
She remained silent.
«How heavy you are. Why can't you trust me? Actually, what have you done to help me in the first place?»
The words didn't come out.
«You were absolutely useless when we met, so I spent my precious time training you. And now, just when I thought you'd finally be useful, you go and start nagging me non-stop. Hey, if you want me to help you, you better do a good job for me. Maybe then I'll give you the answer you want to hear».
Since that day, her relationship with him had hit rock bottom. And it wasn't like he could leave her side either because, if nothing else, the Renaissance Stone was real.
«Hahaha! I had heard otherwise, but you're surprisingly tough!».
So he continued working under him despite keeping his distance from his new colleagues. He never hesitated to do dangerous things or help Baekho Lee when the situation - or Baekho himself - required it.
Until one day he received good news and bad news in a complicated package.
«¿Bjorn… is he alive…?»
Bjorn was alive, but...
«If I don't, Bjorn Yandel will die?»
New shackles had been chained around his ankles. And there was no way she could tell him about them.
«Haha... So that's all I've been through... Nothing special, right?»
But that was fine. I was used to keeping things locked up.
***
Missha's story was quite interesting because she told me what Baekho Lee had been doing over the past few years.
They really focused on leveling up as much as they could.
It also allowed me to get to know Baekho's skills better. I couldn't learn everything about him, but at least the concept of his character became clear to me. From what he heard, he seemed to be a special melee skill user.
He is even capable of using any weapon in the sun if the situation requires it.
He was stronger than I thought, although his essence combo didn't score as high on my part.
I don't understand what he meant when he said there was no way he was going to get stronger. Why did he say that? Was it a bluff?
There were some things that seemed strange to me, but there was no way to get answers right now.
As she carefully filed away all the new information she had learned today, Missha tiptoed over to a new topic. «So... what did you mean before?».
"¿Hey? ¿What? ⁇
I tilted my head as Missha's voice grew even smaller. «You told me before... you know... that I wasn't going anywhere».
Oh, eso...
«What did you mean by that?»
My response was blunt, without any hint of shame. As she said before... «Are we not close comrades? Of course we must stay together». The words came out before I had time to think about them.
Judging by Missha's expression, he seemed to understand what she meant. «...Is that so?»
«Yes, of course it is». I quickly changed the subject. «But then, on Farune Island. What did you want to tell me?».
«Ah... that... I-I wanted to tell you something? I do not remember...».
He was going back to his old habits, which meant he was lying. However, I was worried that things would get more awkward if I pushed her harder, so I decided I'd have to ask her again later. It was time to move on to the next question.
«Oh! Do you have my necklace? Raven told me you were the one who took it...»
Missha unbuttoned the button on her neck, revealing No. 7777: Garphas Necklace, hidden under her clothes. Luckily, he hadn't sold it and was taking good care of it.
«U-Um... T-Do I have to return it?».
What kind of question was that? «Give it to me.»
"...Good."
Things finally returned to their place.
***
My conversation with Missha lasted from noon until night. Since we hadn't seen each other in so long, there was a lot to discuss. As time passed, the discomfort of our long-awaited meeting slowly dissipated.
«Is it too late already? You're hungry? How about we all eat...?»
Missha shook her head at my offer. Did you want to go back to your inn and eat there?
«Where are you going to sleep tonight? We have a lot of empty rooms, so how about you live here now?»
«Bjorn. I appreciate the thought, but you don't have to go that far for me».
The stubborn look in her eyes told me that it would be difficult to change her mind. Was he planning to distance himself from me?
«Is that so? I see. Then do what you want».
«Thanks for understanding. And about joining your clan... Can I have some time to think about it?».
«...Time? Oh of course! But... how much time do you think you will need?
«A week... I think will be enough. I'll be back here when I have my answer. I promise not to make you wait too long».
With that, our meeting came to an end. I went back upstairs, feeling the need to give an explanation to the other ladies in the house. Surprisingly, it seemed like they were together in the same room talking quietly and seriously...
Step.
Before I even knocked on the door, I could already hear them stirring, which implied that they had felt me go up the stairs. When I entered, the two closed their mouths in unison. I was kind of curious to know what kind of conversation these two might have been having alone.
«Can we talk?»
«Of course! Pass.» However, even as she said yes, Erwen sounded slightly scared. That was unusual. «What brings you here to my room?
I thought she would be angry, but she seemed strangely fine. I looked at Amelia, but she just shrugged as our gazes met. Now he must handle Erwen's emotions much better...
It really is spinning.
After shaking my head at him, I turned to Erwen.
«Was there... anything you wanted to talk about?».
There was something suspicious here. It was like he was hiding something.
I was sure I would be bombarded with questions about Missha as soon as I walked in...
When I glanced around the room, something on his desk caught my attention. It was a thick and familiar book.
That book... I think I had seen it before in Amelia's room.
The title of the book was Man and Woman. Was it a romantic novel? Maybe I should try reading it later myself.
«So what happened to Karlstein? Is he already gone?»
«Oh, sure...»
I gave them a brief summary of what we had talked about and how Missha was taking some time to decide whether or not to join our clan. With that, the day finally came to an end.
Alone, I let out a sigh and stared at the ceiling. He was lying in bed, but sleep did not come.
What if Missha didn't come back? No, why did I have to convince Baekho Lee to give me Missha back? Was he really just thinking of me as a former comrade? But then, if that were the case, why would I do everything I could to revive myself?
What were Missha's true intentions?
«...I should sleep».
I decided to put these thoughts aside for now. I wouldn't be able to answer all these questions myself.
From there, time flew by.
«Congratulations, young warriors! From today, you will leave the sacred land and be reborn as true warriors.»
Another coming-of-age ceremony was being held for the young barbarians. In other words, today was the day the labyrinth opened.