Satin blinked, his eyes vacant, and Edward looked at him quizzically.
“Even though you’ve regained your memories, Mr. Satin, there are still many things you don’t know.”
“Ah, right……”
Even though he offered an awkward smile, Edward nodded without much suspicion.
“Anyway, don’t touch them. It’s said that the poison won’t transfer just by touching, but it’s still unsettling.”
“What if someone eats them……?”
“That would be terrible. Even a healthy person would suffer.”
“But they wouldn’t die, would they?”
“They could die. Elderly people or children would probably die for sure.”
At Edward’s firm answer, Satin said no more and closed his mouth. Fortunately, the sudden silence wasn’t noticeable. A junior priest crossed the garden towards them.
“Everything is ready. Please head to the dining hall.”
They had only talked for a short while, but it seemed quite some time had passed. The group followed the junior priest out of the garden.
While heading to the dining hall, Rita grumbled beforehand about how all the food at the temple was bland, and Edward scolded her, telling her to carry salt around.
Cain didn’t join their conversation. Instead, he looked intently at Satin’s face, as if something was bothering him, and asked,
“What have you been thinking about so intently since earlier?”
Cain instantly noticed Satin’s odd behavior. Satin inadvertently opened his mouth but didn’t speak.
‘Would Cain be happy if I told him I accidentally killed the teacher?’
Even so, it wasn’t a story to tell at the temple. He shook his head once and smiled faintly.
“I’ll tell you later.”
***
“I heard that Priest Edward plans to stay at The Grand Temple.”
Edward was slightly flustered by the High Priest’s words. However, he quickly replied with an indifferent expression.
“Yes, since I’ve come all the way here. I plan to stay for a while and receive teachings from the other priests.”
Having finished speaking calmly, Edward took a sip of water and added,
“And I will also receive many teachings from the High Priest.”
Perhaps his devout attitude looked commendable, as the High Priest nodded with a gentle smile. While the High Priest’s gaze turned to his plate, Edward glanced at Rita sitting across from him. Edward and Rita briefly exchanged glances.
‘Oh dear.’
Satin inwardly sighed. Engaging in romantic gestures in front of the High Priest.
There was no time to express his twisted feelings. The High Priest then asked Satin,
“It would be good if the Hero also stayed in the capital longer. There are many people who wish to meet the Hero, you see.”
“No, I have to return. I believe my role ends here.”
“That’s a shame.”
The High Priest didn’t urge him further, but his subtle gaze lingered until the end of the luncheon. It seemed his words of regret weren’t just a joke. Perhaps he held goodwill towards the person chosen by the god they served.
Satin was grateful for the kindness but also found it a bit burdensome. So, when it was time to return to the guest house after the luncheon, he involuntarily let out a sigh of relief.
‘Finally, I can breathe a little.’
He had even met a god, yet he was nervous about merely meeting people. It was a bit ridiculous, but what could he do? Unlike gods, people couldn’t be excluded at will.
Satin and Cain weren’t the only ones on the way to the carriage. A few junior priests leading the way, and Rita and Edward also accompanied them for a while. Rita was scheduled to return to the royal palace, and Edward, who was staying at The Grand Temple, was there to see them off.
Rita, who had been picking up the threads of a conversation they’d left unfinished at the luncheon, suddenly spoke, looking around at the group.
“Surely, this isn’t the last time we’ll all gather like this, is it?”
No one answered immediately.
‘What reason would there be for us to gather like this again in the future?’
Edward and Rita were highly likely to continue their relationship. Edward had said he would stay here because of Rita in the first place. Perhaps he would even settle down here permanently.
On the other hand, Satin and Cain had no particular attachment to the capital. Once they returned to the guest house, they planned to pack their bags immediately. It was their usual practice to return home after a trip, and their home was in Cloverland.
It would take several days by carriage to travel from the capital to Cloverland. If they didn’t rush, it would easily take over ten days. That meant a round trip would take nearly a month.
‘Spending a month just to see a friend is a bit much.’
He wasn’t sure about Princess Rita, but from Satin’s perspective, it was somewhat burdensome. He also had to make a living.
As Satin was thinking this, Rita looked extremely disappointed.
“I can understand the leech, but how could you be like that too?”
Rita pointedly expressed her disappointment towards Satin. Edward didn’t add anything, but his gaze was subtly critical, as if looking at a heartless, cold-blooded person.
Satin smiled awkwardly and opened his mouth.
“No, it’s just realistically difficult. Spending a month just to see a friend once is a bit…”
Satin rolled his eyes and then closed his mouth. Not only Rita and Edward, but even Cain was looking at him with accusatory eyes. He suddenly felt like a notorious villain. All he had done was talk about reality.
“Why, why are you all looking at me like that?”
Flustered, he even stammered. Rita came over and put her arm around his shoulder. When their eyes met, she spoke as if looking at someone pitiful.
“Satin, who doesn’t know that? It would just be nice if you said something positive, even just as words. Like, ‘Let’s definitely see each other once a year,’ you know?”
“Ah……”
“You weren’t like this before, you’ve become so cold. Isn’t it because you regained your memories?”
“That’s not it. I’m just the same as before.”
As Satin struggled to find words, Rita burst into laughter.
“Oh, it was a joke, why are you denying it so desperately?”
As soon as Rita lowered her arm, Satin unnecessarily fluttered his collar. He wasn’t hot, but he was sweating.
“Let’s definitely see each other next time.”
The group arrived at the place where the carriage was waiting just as those words came out of Rita’s mouth. Satin replied before getting into the carriage.
“Okay.”
The carriage carrying Satin and Cain left The Grand Temple before the royal carriage, much to their embarrassment.
The area in front of The Grand Temple was crowded as always. The carriage’s speed naturally slowed down. As they passed through the people craning their necks to catch a glimpse of the Hero, Satin unknowingly chuckled. Cain tilted his head and asked,
“What are you laughing at?”
“I called Rita a friend.”
“So what?”
Cain might not know, but Satin had never had a true friend before coming to this world.
In his childhood, due to his gloomy disposition, he was always on the fringes of his peers. As he got older, he couldn’t bring himself to approach his classmates for fear of making a mistake. After he started living with his sister, he no longer thought about wanting friends.
It was only after coming to this world that Satin made friends. Not Rita, but Cain, Rogers, and the children in the small school were his first friends. Satin finally learned what a friend was.
A friend wasn’t necessarily someone you had to trust completely, nor someone you had to share secrets with. There was no obligation to sacrifice oneself for each other, nor any reason to plan the future together.
Nevertheless, they spent time together. Amidst countless differences, they held onto each other with just one or two matching aspects and passed the time. As they did so, some children became special relationships before they knew it. Just like Satin and Cain.
‘Like leveling up.’
Until today, Satin hadn’t called Rita or Edward friends. He thought they had just gathered in one place due to the unavoidable flow of the story. All along, Satin had been considering the progression of the Dark Age.
However, as he regained his memories, Satin became an ordinary person. The Satin who had risked danger to save his friends redefined the time he had spent with Rita, Edward, and Cain. Their past journey was the process of them becoming friends.
“I forgot what a friend was, so I didn’t even realize Rita was my friend.”
Every time Rita used the word ‘friend,’ Satin felt awkward by himself. Now, he regretted those moments.
“Actually, she was a friend.”
Seeing Satin smile faintly with his head bowed, Cain simply nodded. After his laughter subsided, Satin raised his head. When their eyes met, Cain stared intently at Satin. Satin also looked quietly at Cain and said,
“A long time ago, you and I were friends, right?”
“That’s right.”
“What do you think now?”
“About what?”
“Do you still think we’re friends like we were back then?”
Cain narrowed his eyes and pondered for a moment before answering.
“Yeah.”
Satin unknowingly reached out and touched Cain’s bangs. Cain’s eyes widened. Amused by his expression, Satin gave a slight smile.
“There are times when I’m ahead of others too.”
“What are you talking about?”
“No, it’s nothing.”
Ignoring Cain’s confused expression, Satin turned his gaze out the window. The people who had gathered were no longer visible. The street scenery whizzed by.
‘They said I would never be unhappy.’
That statement was indeed correct. Just imagining what kind of name would be given to their new relationship made Satin’s heart flutter.
***
As they arrived at the guest house and were preparing to leave, a messenger came from the royal palace. He didn’t come empty-handed. He arrived pulling a gold-leafed carriage. It was a grand gesture of goodwill, but Cain frowned as soon as he saw the carriage.
‘If we ride something like that, even crows will flock to it.’
It seemed Satin had the same thought as Cain.
“It’s alright. Really, it’s alright. This kind of carriage is too… conspicuous.”
Satin refused, his face turning pale.
Until now, Satin had ridden whatever carriage was available without complaint. Even if they attracted attention, he didn’t mind. Since he wasn’t going to stay in the capital forever, he endured the temporary inconvenience. However, it seemed he couldn’t ride such a flashy carriage on the way back home.
‘If people in Cloverland all flock to see Satin, it would be a disaster.’
Satin wouldn’t be able to tend his beloved garden. His interactions with neighbors would naturally be ruined. He might even have to leave to find another place to live. But what if the same situation repeated itself wherever he went?
Cain only knew one way to resolve such a situation.
‘There’s no choice but to set it on fire…….’
Ah, typical arsonist.
Cain is the ultimate arsonist and Satin is his 100% impulse control.
😂