Her right hand twitched and her cheek tightened. Feeling a strange ache in her joints, Kalia strapped her body to the ground with all her might, as if she was about to start moving.

　It's a good idea to have a good idea of what you're looking for. My heart raced as if it would tear itself apart, and my sharp canine teeth bit my lip unconsciously.

　Oh, no. It's almost unbearable. If I could, I'd turn away right now and pretend I never saw this scene. But unable to do so, Kalia could only see Lugis.

　Look at that warm expression on his face. You can even see a hint of adoration in his eyes. It's just like what I see in my own eyes when I look in the mirror.

　A look of longing, of wanting something, of wanting to reach for it even if you have to give up everything else. There is nothing wrong with that emotion alone. In fact, when it is directed at you, how full and joyful your heart will be. Happiness is not a cheap word to describe it.

　But, but... What he sees now is not himself. Kalia knew this all too well. Lugis crawled his eyes over the map, and in his mind he was thinking of his childhood friend, whom he had never seen before.

　--Alueno the Witch.

　When the words spilled from Largd-Anne's lips, Lugis was the first to react. You can clearly see that her eyebrows, which are usually lowered, were jumping up and down at that moment.

　The other people here would not know the reason for this. In the first place, they wouldn't even know. That Lugis harbored no small feelings for the witch.

　But now I know. I've found out.

　Kalia shook her silver hair, trying to keep her expression from becoming distorted. She bent her fingers one by one and clenched her fists tightly.

　It makes me proud and even strangely elated to know a side of Lugis that others do not know. But because of this, a mad desire pierced my heart to no end.

　Not much time has passed since I first met him at Garleist. But he, Lugis, has not even bent his mind to this day, and has only kept his eyes on his childhood friend.

　Even if he occasionally turns to look at you as if on a whim, he will immediately turn his face to the other direction again. What a selfish, horrible person. If he had never turned his head, he could have lied to himself.

"...... There's no point in chasing a witch whose whereabouts are unknown. You can't hold the sky without your feet on the ground.

　Kalia said as if to cut off the subject without thinking. She tried her best to keep her lips from trembling. Otherwise, she would have sounded like a weak girl. There was no way I could expose myself in such a disgraceful manner.

　As if in agreement with her words, Anne also nodded lightly. The topic of the witch Alueno must have originally been added as a supplement. She didn't even seem to pay attention to Kalia's words.

　I'm grateful for your help, thinks Kalia honestly. She didn't want to see the face of Lugis thinking about his childhood friend any longer, and she didn't think she could stand it.

　If it were possible, I'd even reprimand him for how long he's been dwelling in the past. Kalia's organs went numb as if she were fighting. Her silver eyes were still fixed on Lugis, who was still looking at the map. Is the face of his childhood friend still haunting his mind? Her lips twisted.

　What did that childhood friend do for you? Wasn't it me who followed you on your journey and fought alongside you? I took your hand, I wielded your sword, I knelt and swore to be your shield. Is that still not enough for you? Then what should I do?

　I wish I could say that while clinging to Lugis. If I could do that without shame or anything, how much easier it would be on my heart. But Kalia's lips closed tightly without uttering a single word. It was a scene he had imagined over and over again since he had first thought of it in Gazalia. But for the life of her, she can't do that.

　It was partly because of her natural nobility that she couldn't do such a thing, and partly because of the emotion that lay dormant in her heart.

　--What if, what if...? Forget everything and look at me. What if she rejects me?

　As soon as she thought of this, Kalia felt her brain go cold, as if it had frozen over. The lights flickered before her eyes, and something cold crawled down her spine.

　He folded his hands and hugged himself. There was a sudden uncomfortable feeling in the tent. There was the same feeling of dread at her fingertips as at other times.

"And now for the last time, Master Lugis. About the settlement in the Dead Snow Room...

　Anne said with a slight nervousness in her voice. Her gaze wandered around as if she was lost.

　The settlement of Lugis. In short, the walled city of Galuamaria, a key location for heraldry, or the Hanging Gardens of Ghazalia, a kingdom of elves. The question is, which will you choose? That's what I'm talking about.

　Kalia managed to keep her breathing under control as she listened to Anne's voice. She could see the gaze between the saint Mattia and the queen Erdis becoming more and more firm.

　They're not very serious. So, unbeknownst to her, Kalia has found out. Just as I have a burning obsession with Lugis, they must have something else in their guts as well. It's hard for me to say that it's something bad, but...



　I wonder what the man I once was would say if he saw the man I am now. It was about this time that Kalia let out a small sigh. Just as Mattia and Elddis were about to speak. As Lugis stomped out of the room, he said.

I made up my mind a long time ago. I'm going to stretch my legs to the north, to the Flimsulat Mountains. I've been literally burned. It wouldn't hurt to cool off a bit.

　Karia had a hunch at that moment. It was more than just her innate sharpness. It was as if the things she had built up over the years had clicked into place.

　Lugis is not Kalia or Fialaat now. It was as if he was calling out to someone beyond the map.

　I don't know the logic behind it, but I think it's possible. I don't know what the logic is, but Lugis is now...

　--She's saying she's heading north to get her childhood friend's hand.

　In that instant. In the event that you have any questions concerning where and how to use the internet, you can call us at the web site.


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　The northern mountains of Flimsulat. This is not a place where people can easily come and go. There are no roads, and the maps are probably only roughly drawn. This is not surprising, since it is not a place that people should have entered in the first place.

　At any rate, it is not yet a human territory, nor is it even the territory of Hexenbiests. It is a place where there are no people, no monsters, and of course no elves.

　So who in the world would be willing to take up residence in the vast northern mountains?

　The answer is simple: it's neither man nor demon... it's the primeval giants who claim it for themselves. The Flimsulat Mountains are known as the bed of giants. Everyone calls it the place where the relics left behind by the gods sleep.

　But of course, it doesn't mean that giants are walking around there every day. Besides, rumor has it that the Founder's Giants are bigger than the mountain range itself. If such a thing walked around, a human kingdom would be blown away in a night.

　The giants just close their eyes comfortably in their beds. And so they dream long, long dreams. A dream that will last until the end of time.

　So as not to incur the wrath of that giant and thus end this world, he stays away from the north. That is the bedtime story that children are often told.

　In truth, we don't know if there really are any primordial giants sleeping around, and it is said that many of the giant races died out after intermingling with humans.

　However, it is a fact that magical beasts do not approach the Flimsulat Mountains, and even though there are no magical beasts, humans do not want to touch the mountains that are difficult to live in and have no blessings from the earth. As a result, the primeval giants have been able to keep their beds undisturbed.

　Well, if these giants really existed, they would be able to repel intruders with a simple turn of their heads. Even in the past, I had never seen such a being, only heard rumors about it.

　Normally, no one would take the trouble to approach such a place, and I'm not so covetous as to turn my back on it for no reason. But now, I have a clear reason. More importantly, a reason.

　Yes, the Flimsulat Mountains here are familiar to me. How nostalgic. It seems to come to mind. The days when we would trudge to Flimsulat in the snowfields, our cheeks pierced by the blizzard. Those days when there was nothing in our hands but humiliation and resignation.

　Alueno's journey, etched on the map, seemed to depict those horrible days as they were. And if it was the same as before, then the next step was undoubtedly the land of Flimsulat.

　Without realizing it, my brow furrows. I felt my breath, which should have been cold, take on a strange heat. I thought I'd come a long way, but... I thought I'd come a long way, but it seems that I still haven't escaped from that day.

　--So let's retrace our steps, shall we? The journey of salvation.

　Yes, the past will ooze out like mud even if you keep running from it. Then perhaps it's time for me to go directly to them.