kscans

Chapter 139 - Two in the Tower, Secrets and Tears

Ariel was troubled.

"The bed, it’s too small..."

There was a small bed on the second floor. She wanted to sleep with Darius, but he looked so cramped.

"This is a problem..."

Alright, I’ll make a bed on the fourth floor!

The fourth floor was a storage room. She didn’t remember a place like this being here before, but oh well. The problem was the recognition-inhibiting magic. The fourth floor was pitch black. If she broke through a window, a window would appear in the empty sky where there was no building.

"This is a problem..."

It seemed the magic had been cast to hide something. There were several wooden boxes. Was... this what someone wanted to hide?

I don’t have anything I want to hide, though...

I have nothing to hide. But I do need a big bed. I’ll just make one in a flash with a Demonic Tree. The bedding will be phoenix feathers, and the cloth to cover it... what should I use?

She was getting excited.

The wooden boxes were in the way. Ariel gently opened a lid.

---

Meanwhile, Darius was back at the base, giving instructions to the unit members. Thanks to Ariel’s cooperation, even the regular members could now hunt monsters safely.

As always, though Ariel would cling to me, she showed no interest in me and remained expressionless. It couldn’t be helped, but... it was a little lonely. Still, just being able to be by her side was happiness enough.

The matter of having my name removed from the ducal register had been stopped by Adrian. (To be honest, I have no idea what Adrian is thinking.)

I should get back soon and help Ariel with her tea service practice.

Terrifyingly, Ariel became a flawless noble lady only during practice. She was expressionless, but her movements were frighteningly beautiful.

We would simulate various scenarios. When she encountered a conversation she didn’t understand, she would tilt her head and turn to the person next to her, asking, "What are your thoughts on the matter?"... It was cute. Beyond that, the way she brewed tea, her etiquette, every movement of her fingertips was like something out of a textbook.

The problem was her expressionless face.

"I’m going to hunt influential nobles. But, since I am unmarried, I must also avoid being hunted," she would say flatly. What kind of battlefield did she think this was? And please, don’t get hunted, since I’m here.

The smile I saw at the base before was a super rare occurrence. And the time she was so frantic she wouldn’t leave my side... that was even rarer than rare. Normally, there wasn’t a shred of emotion on her face.

But whenever she saw me, she would often hug me and fall asleep. In those moments, a hint of innocence would peek through her blank expression.

"Well then, I’ll be heading home early today."

He had the unit members take the magic cores to the Magic Furnace. The ring Ariel had made for him would return him to the tower in an instant. Yes, Ariel had made another ring for going to the tower.

That alone brought a smile to his face.

---

When he returned, Ariel was having a bonfire in the garden. Did she get some monster meat? No, she was burning papers, one after another. They seemed to be the magic-related documents from the second floor. The Magic Core Stove had been completely filled with magic-related papers. He had wanted her to clean it up to avoid a fire... well, being bad at cleaning was also very Ariel-like. Had she finally gotten around to it?

"I’m home. What are you burning?"

"Cleaning up the second floor. I want to make the bed bigger."

And... she had brought a giant Demonic Tree, pulled up by the roots... How did she carry that? Did she use a burst of mana again...

"How are you feeling? You don’t feel sick?"

"I don’t."

But... something was off.

"Ariel?"

She didn’t hug him. She was expressionless, but clearly dejected.

"Ariel? What’s wrong?"

"I, I’m okay... I’m okay."

She wasn’t expressionless. Her face was stiff, like she was about to cry. It hit Darius like a bolt of lightning. He reacted to those words. "I’m okay."

He hugged Ariel with all his might.

"You’re not okay. I know that when you say you’re okay, it means you’re not."

Ariel looked at Darius and burst out crying. This time, he absolutely wouldn’t miss it.

"I’m with you." Darius held her tight as he spoke.

---

On the fourth floor. In front of her old diary, in front of the wooden box filled with memories of Mireille, Ariel was sobbing.

He had almost never seen her cry, not in the past, not now.

"You’re not okay. You’re in pain right now, Ariel. It’s painful for me, too, when secrets are kept from me. Please tell me everything that happened."

Darius repeated himself over and over. He had no intention of letting Ariel go until she talked.

Then, Ariel told him she had found her old diaries and mementos. Darius was stunned. That diary was still here.

Ariel cried out in a confused voice.

"Darius... I can’t remember. I can’t remember..."

She was in turmoil, unable to remember the past after reading the diary.

"If you don’t want to remember, you don’t have to. There’s no need to force it." Darius rubbed her back, calming her down.

"If you truly want to remember, then I’ll tell you everything, right from when we first met."

"I want to remember... I loved Darius, and Darius loved me too. My memories with Mireille... I can’t remember them..."

Ariel clutched her head.

Darius gently stroked her hair.

"It’s okay. Let’s retrace the past together, one more time."

He wiped away her tears, and Ariel looked up at Darius, her expression softening with a hint of relief.

Darius smiled and gently took her hand.

"Let’s remember everything, together. I’ll always, always be by your side."