STGB Episode 477

Men and Women (4)

We had moved to the living room on the first floor.

Auyen, who had been doing the dishes in the kitchen, was nowhere to be seen—perhaps he had already finished his tasks and gone upstairs.

Hmm, maybe Amelia had instructed him.

Anyway, it wasn’t something to worry about.

“…….”

“…….”

Ah, the atmosphere has become awkward again.

Seeing Misha with her fists on her knees, avoiding eye contact, I couldn’t help but feel awkward myself.

Now, How do I break the ice?

Just as I was thinking that, Misha suddenly spoke up.

“Han-soo…….”

That was my real name, known by only a few in this world.

Although I had turned on the voice control magic tool in advance, I instinctively flinched and glanced around.

Realizing her mistake, Misha quickly apologized.

“Ah… S-sorry! I didn’t mean to cause you trouble—”

“R-really?”

What’s with that reaction? She said she’d been working on her pronunciation, but now her speech seemed even more awkward.

“So you heard that name from Lee Baek-ho?”

Before we get into anything serious, I decided to confirm a few things first.

“Yes…….”

“So, you know I’m an evil spirit now.”

“……Yes.”

“And yet, you’re not disgusted or frightened by me?”

“Yes.”

“Why?”

“Because I… kind of knew for a while now. Something like that…”

What? She already knew?

“W-when did you figure it out?”

“T-that would be…”

Misha seemed flustered by my question and mumbled in a small voice, her face turning bright red.

“…On August 16th of the 154th year of the New Era. That’s when I was sure…”

Why would she give a specific date like that?

It was ridiculous, but as I slowly figured out the timing, I remembered.

That was the day I had confessed to him that I didn’t just see him as a colleague.

And then, various things… had happened.

‘I was rejected.’

Huh, was that the reason?

I had wondered endlessly why I had been rejected all this time.

I really wanted to ask directly, but somehow, I couldn’t bring myself to do it outright.

So, I circled around the topic.

“After it was rumored that I had died, why did Lee Baek-ho follow you?”

“…He said that if I helped him, he would use the Stone of Resurrection to bring you back.”

I already knew that.

But the reason I asked a question to which I already knew the answer was simple.

It was to naturally steer the conversation in that direction.

“But why? If what you’re saying is true, you already knew I was an evil spirit by then.”

“Even so… you were… an important comrade…”

An important comrade…

It was a happy thing to hear, but her answer felt a bit ambiguous.

If she doesn’t hate me for being an evil spirit, then why did she reject me?

Maybe spirits can be colleagues, but not lovers?

I wanted to dig deeper, but sadly, Misha changed the subject first.

“Anyway!”

Yeah, so she doesn’t want to talk about this part.

“Can I ask you something?”

“Go ahead.”

“Lee Baek-ho… he calls you ‘hyung.’ Are you two… close?”

“It’s hard to say we’re close. He’s obviously up to something.”

The word from my response seemed to strike Misha.

“Up to something….”

“So, is that all you’re curious about?”

“No, no! There’s one more! Back on Farune Island, why did you disappear like that?”

Ah, Lee Baek-ho didn’t tell her that.

Why? To drive a wedge between us?

Or maybe he just thought it wasn’t his place to say. Probably he left it to me to decide what to reveal.

“Did everyone else know the reason except for me—.”

But of course, I had already made my decision.

“Hold on.”

“…?”

“First, let’s clear up any misconceptions. The official story out there and the truth aren’t the same.”

I briefly explained to her about the incident on Farune Island that led to my trip into the past.

I didn’t feel uneasy about telling her.

After all, most of my closest allies already knew, except for Aynar. And since Misha even knows my real name, I didn’t see any reason to hide it from her.

‘Besides, Lee Baek-ho knows about it too.’

After hearing the whole story, Misha seemed somewhat relieved.

“So… it was an accident after all…… Your sudden disappearance……”

After that, Misha was curious about what happened after I returned, and I told her everything truthfully.

Meeting Erwin.

Meeting Amelia.

Meeting Raven, Aynar, Mr. Bear, the dwarf, and even Rotmiller again.

“I was… the last one……”

Misha muttered in a faint voice, then cautiously asked one more question.

“By any chance… does everyone know about your secret……?”

“Erwin, Amelia, Raven, and Lee Baek-ho—they all know about my secret.”

“…I see.”

“Anyway, do you have any idea how worried I was? Then I found out you’d teamed up with some weirdo. On top of that, you testified I was an evil spirit.”

Without realizing it, I continued talking, and Misha’s expression hardened.

“S-sorry! I really believed you were dead—”

“No need to apologize. I believe you honestly wanted to save me.”

Well, even so, I wonder what they were planning to do after I came back…

But I was grateful for the effort itself.

Anyway, it’s better to be in this world, even if it’s a mess.

“Anyway, I think I’ve said enough about myself. Now, it’s your turn to talk.”

“Me, my story……?”

“Yeah. How have you been all this time? Why are you so thin?”

“I’m not thin……”

Not skinny? She’s practically skin and bones.

“Anyway, go on. Tell me what happened to you all this time.”

Misha hesitated for a while, not sure where to start, then began to speak somewhat randomly.

***
Everyone dies someday.

Just as the Immortal King, the absolute ruler of this kingdom, ultimately couldn’t escape death. It’s a natural law that cannot be changed, no matter what.

But even so.

[So, Bjorn is dead.]

That farewell was too sudden.

No matter how many times she fell asleep and woke up as if fainting, it still felt like she was in a dream.

That’s why she couldn’t refuse.

[If there was a way to bring Bjorn Jandel back to life, what would you do?

It was the only way to retrieve what she had lost.

[The Resurrection Stone can bring back two people. If you help me, I’ll leave one of those slots for your husband.]

In the end, she accepted the offer.

She spread the rumour that Bjorn Jandel was an evil spirit, just like Lee Baek-ho directed, and helped him with various tasks while going in and out of the labyrinth.

Still, life wasn’t all that bad.

There were times when it was hard and she cried herself to sleep, but there was still hope.

[Oh, so you’re dropping the cutesy nyang-nyang way of talking now?]

She fixed the manner of speaking that everyone had teased her about. 

 She wanted to see Bjorn’s surprised reaction later, when they met again.

…Though that wasn’t her only reason.

Anyway—

[Hey, kitty, what are you reading alone again?]

She began studying by reading books. Doing that made her feel as though Bjorn was right beside her.

[Stop reading and come on out. Let’s go to the training grounds. I’ve trained plenty of newbies in my time, and sparring is the best way to improve skills.]

It was almost like a beating, every day.

One month, two months, three months passed like that.

Time flowed endlessly, and she too changed a lot in the face of that passing time.

Even now, she sometimes slips into her old speech pattern when excited, but she can speak normally if she pays attention, and she’s become incomparably stronger than before.

And…….

[…When are you going to use the Stone of Resurrection?]

Gradually, her patience wore thin.

[Ah, I’ll use it when the time comes. Why are you so pushy lately?]

The same answer with no clear timeline.

Finally, she asked.

[……Do you even plan to use it?]

The Stone of Resurrection Baekho has is real.

But does Baekho really intend to keep his promise?

She had been avoiding that question, holding it in all this time.

If the truth inside the box was different from her expectations, she didn’t think she could bear it.

But…….

[Baekho, tell me straight. When are you going to use the Stone of Resurrection? Tell me right here, right now. If not—.]

Finally, she overcame her fear and reached for the truth.

The answer she got was far from the truth.

[If not, what are you going to do about it?]

[…….]

[You’re really annoying. Why can’t you trust people? What have you even done to properly help me so far?]

[…….]

[You were pretty useless, so I had to level you up first. Just when you were starting to become somewhat useful, you’re getting all cocky. Hey, if you want to make demands, show me some results. Then I’ll answer you.]

From that day on, her relationship with Baekho reached its worst.

Of course, even so, she couldn’t leave Baekho’s side.

At least the Stone of Resurrection was real.

[Haha! You’re quite the feisty one, unlike what I heard!]

She drew a line with Baekho and his comrades, acting strictly professionally, and didn’t hesitate to take on dangerous tasks to build up her achievements.

Then one day.

Good news and bad news.

Both came at once.

[He’s… alive…? Bjorn…?]

Bjorn was alive.

But…….

[Or else Bjorn Jandel will die, right?]

A new shackle was placed on her.

Of course, she couldn’t tell the whole truth to Bjorn.

“Heh… that’s about it for my story… it’s not much, right……?”

She’s used to enduring.

 

***

Misha’s story was quite interesting.

After all, it gave me a glimpse into how Baekho had been living for the past few years.

‘He’s really been grinding levels hard.’

Thanks to that, I got a rough idea of Baekho’s skills.

I didn’t see all of his combinations, but I got a clear sense of his character concept.

If I were to classify his job, it would be a ‘melee-type ability user.’

‘He can use all kinds of weapons depending on the situation.’

He’s more troublesome than I thought.

Still, the essence of his combinations was hard to appreciate.

‘But why should he have no room to grow? I can’t figure it out… Maybe he’s just bluffing?’

A few questions arose, but they were the kind that couldn’t be resolved immediately.

As I was organizing the newly acquired information in my head, Misha cautiously opened her mouth.

“By the way… what did you mean earlier?”

“Huh? About what?”

When I tilted my head, Misha spoke in an even smaller voice.

“You said to me earlier……. Ah, you’re not going… anywhere.”

Ah, that…….

“What did you… mean by that?”

I answered immediately, trying not to sound flustered.

Just as Misha had said to me earlier.

“……Aren’t we precious comrades? Comrades should stay together.”

Words that came out before I could think.

Misha also chimed in with an affirmative tone.

“……Is, is that so?”

“Yeah, that’s it.”

“…….”

I quickly changed the subject.

“By the way, what was that about earlier? On Farune Island. You said you had something to tell me, right?”

“Ah… that… did I say that? I, I don’t remember…….”

From the way her words slurred, it was clearly a lie…….

For some reason, I felt like pushing further would make things awkward again, so I decided to ask later when the opportunity arose.

So I asked my next question instead.

“Ah! Do you still have the necklace? Raven said you took it…….”

No. 7777, Garfas’ Necklace.

As I mentioned it, Misha unbuttoned her neck, revealing the necklace hidden inside her clothes.

Luckily, she hadn’t sold it and had kept it safe…

“But… do I really have to give it back?”

What’s she saying?

“Give it to me.”

“……Okay.”

Yeah, finally got it back.

The conversation with Misha, which started in the afternoon, continued until the sun set and night fell.

Since it had been a long time since we last met, there were plenty of topics to discuss, and as time went on, the awkwardness of the reunion gradually faded.

But…….

“It’s already this late. Aren’t you hungry? Let’s all have a meal together—.”

At my suggestion, Misha quietly shook her head.

She said she’d go back to her lodgings to eat.

“Why bother with lodgings? There are plenty of empty rooms here. You can just live here.”

“Bjorn. I appreciate the thought, but you don’t have to go out of your way for me.”

Her stubborn refusal made it hard to persuade her.

Was she trying to draw a line with me?

“Ah, is that so? Alright. Do whatever makes you comfortable.”

“Thanks for understanding. And… about the offer to rejoin the clan… can I have some more time to think about it?”

“…Think? Ah, of course! Think? Y-yeah, you should definitely think about it. But… how long do you think it’ll take?”

“A week… that should be enough. I’ll come back when I’m done, so don’t wait around too much, okay?”

With that, our reunion came to an end, and I slowly made my way upstairs. Since I’d left the two alone for a while, I thought I should give them some explanation of the situation.

Surprisingly, the two of them were in the same room.

They were in the middle of an intense conversation when…

Knock.

I didn’t even need to knock. As soon as I approached the door, they both fell silent, sensing my presence.

Geez, this is why stealthy types are so…

I’d always been a little curious about what the two of them talked about when they were alone.

“Can I come in?”

“Y-yes, come in!”

A slightly startled voice.

This part was unexpected too.

“W-what brings you to my room?”

I thought Erwin would be depressed or show some aggression, but she seemed to be quite alright.

I glanced over at Amelia.

Amelia, meeting my gaze, shrugged and chuckled. It seemed that Erwin’s calm demeanour was entirely due to Amelia’s efforts to calm her down…

‘Really reliable, isn’t she.’

I nodded in gratitude and then turned back to Erwen.

“Do, do you have something… to say?”

That’s when I felt something was off.

Were they hiding something?

‘I thought they would ask about Misha as soon as I arrived…’

As I focused more intently and looked around the room, something particularly caught my eye.

A thick book placed on the desk.

‘That book… I think it was originally in Amelia’s room.’

It was titled Between Men and Women.

Was it some kind of romance novel?

I’ll have to find it and read it later.

“So, what happened to Karlstein? Did she leave?”

“Ah, that…”

I gave a brief explanation and mentioned that Misha had decided to think about whether or not to rejoin the clan.

And so, the day came to an end.

“Sigh…”

I laid down on the bed, but sleep did not come.

What if Misha decides not to come back?

No, why did I even think that persuading Baekho would be enough to bring Misha back?

Does she… really only see me as a comrade?

But if she only saw me as a comrade, there’d be no reason for her to go so far to save me.

What exactly is Misha’s true feelings?

“…Let’s just sleep.”

Since no amount of thinking would give me an answer, I decided to clear my mind.

And so, time passed…

“Congratulations! Young warriors! From today onward, you will leave the sanctuary and be reborn as true warriors!”

The day of the Barbarian’s coming-of-age ceremony.