DSFL | Chapter 40

{ Chapter 40 }

Still, the cake Idette brought was really delicious.

 Honestly, I felt awkward joining in the conversation between Peril and Idette—I was kind of interrupting their private talk. So, I just focused on eating cake.

“You were reckless to go to Dians on your own,” Peril said.

“I had no choice. You know why I came to the capital…”

Idette’s face turned red. I looked at her instinctively, and she tried to cool her cheeks, clearly embarrassed.

“I came because I wanted to experience more things.”

“Yes, you can definitely have more experiences in the capital than in the countryside,” I replied.

She nodded eagerly.

“Exactly! If I get more experiences, I’ll meet new people and maybe…”

She whispered shyly, face fully red, “…maybe even fall in love.”

That’s so romantic.

Clenching her fists, she exclaimed, “That’s why I went to Dians! Love is all about timing! I wanted to go on a date with Lord Erkishian, but I didn’t think it would turn into such a big deal…”

…It felt like I really shouldn’t act like I knew anything about this.

Still, if someone was targeting Idette, the reason would definitely be her bloodline.

In the original story, there were people who feared her power.

“But now, Ailins is a forgotten great magician.”

Someone had intentionally erased the name of Ailins from history.

And now that Idette had shown up, they probably didn’t want the name to reappear.

Peril ran a tired hand down his face.

“Sigh… I can’t believe the one who woke me up turned out like this.”

“I didn’t wake you up on purpose, okay?”

…Wait, was I even supposed to be listening to this conversation?

I mean, I already knew most of it from the original story, but still.

They were both being way too careless.

Afraid I’d get dragged into something, I just kept eating cake.

Seeing that, Idette smiled proudly and even brought me more slices.

Peril poured tea into my empty cup.

All this attention was starting to feel a little overwhelming.

“Um… I’m fine, really. Please continue your conversation.”

“Hmm… I don’t know. I just feel like we shouldn’t leave you alone,” Idette said.

Idette, shouldn’t you be the one saying that to yourself?

“I agree,” Peril added. “You almost died jumping into save someone.”
He sighed deeply.

Ugh, come on! I did my best, you know?

* * *

⟪You’ll be coming to the ball, right? I’ll be looking forward to it so much. I’m seriously counting down the days.⟫

 Idette repeated that line over and over before leaving, like she was trying to brainwash me.

I let out a deep breath and leaned back in the chair.

All I did was eat in Peril’s shop, but it wasn’t a bad visit.

“You said you sent your students to Dremokhan before, right?”

“I did.”

“How did they cross the wall?”

Peril frowned. But he turned to me with a look that said he understood why I was asking.

“Forget it. There’s no way you can use that method.”

“So it’s something only mages can do?”

He didn’t answer, but that silence said “yes.”

“Last time you asked about memories, and now you want to know how to get past the wall…”

Peril tilted his head, suspicious.

“You… something happened to you in Dremokhan, didn’t it?”

Whew. His intuition was scary sharp.

Well, I was being pretty obvious.

“I just felt a strong sense of familiarity when I was there. It made me wonder if I had forgotten something.”

 …I didn’t mention meeting Ailins.

Deep inside, I felt like someone was shouting at me.

It was just a gut feeling—but too strong to ignore. And I had a feeling I shouldn’t tell Peril about it.

Maybe he was thinking over what I’d said, because after a moment of silence, Peril spoke.

“I thought the World Tree had completely rotted.”

“……”

“But after seeing the root you brought… it didn’t seem that way.”

Come to think of it… the moment I touched the World Tree, it had started to sprout a leaf.

I still had no idea how that even worked.

“If I tell you how to get into Dremokhan, what will you give me in return?”

I clenched my fists at his words.

“I’ll get you whatever you want. But first… I have a question.”

“Go ahead.”

“Is this really about finding a cure for the Dremokan disease?”

He had hesitated earlier when I asked. It was still suspicious.

“No one has found any clues about Dremokan for a long time. It’s not like a solution would suddenly appear, right?”

“You’re right. But the way I see it… it feels like you’re just using how desperate I am to satisfy your own curiosity.”

“Let me ask you something. Why are you so desperate to save him?”

Was he trying to tease me?

But his eyes were serious. There wasn’t even a trace of a smile.

“You said it was your grandfather. But even if he gets better… he doesn’t have much time left anyway, does he?”

…That was a bold thing to say.

But oddly enough, it didn’t make me angry. I just felt… curious.

“It’s a waste of time,” he added, playing with a strand of my hair. He was waiting for an answer.

It was something I’d never really thought about before. So it took me a moment to reply.

“I want my grandfather to pass peacefully. Not in pain.”

“He could still die anytime. Even if he’s cured, he might die in a carriage accident, or catch another disease.”

“That’s a useless assumption. Right now, he’s suffering—and I don’t want to see that.”

I looked at Peril straight in the eye.

“You probably don’t understand someone like me, with your endless lifespan.”

“Haha!”

Suddenly, Peril burst into laughter.

Honestly, I thought I’d crossed the line a few times in this conversation.

But instead of getting angry, he laughed.

“Someone once asked me what I hoped to gain by choosing immortality.”

“…”

“Why don’t you try answering that? What do you think I wanted from immortality?”

…How would I know?

He didn’t look like he even knew the answer.

He chuckled softly and threw an arm over my shoulders.

I flinched hard, and he pulled me closer with a mischievous grin.

“You seem like someone who’d know.”

“…If I answer wrong, are you going to disappear and never see me again?”

“Don’t worry. I like bold people.”

If you like me so much, why do you always look at me like that?

Peril hadn’t scared me in a while, and I must’ve gotten too relaxed.

How could I have spoken so casually to someone like him?

With a heavy sigh, I gave my answer.

“You were probably afraid of dying.”

Never aging, never dying —It was definitely tempting. But to me right now, it didn’t seem all that appealing.

Maybe I’d only change my mind if I ever came face-to-face with death myself.

“…Maybe you’re right.”

Peril muttered quietly.

…Wait, did he forget his own reason for choosing immortality?

Seeing him like this… I felt a little sorry for him.

After hesitating, I said carefully, “About earlier… I’m sorry. I know you’ve been thinking hard about the disease. I wasn’t trying to pressure you.”

Looking back, everything Peril had shown me was out of kindness.

What he wanted… was for his immortality to end.

That alone was probably enough to fill his mind with conflict.

And here I was, bothering him with my own problems.

…Ugh. Now that I think about it, I was being a huge burden.

“I-I don’t know if I’ll be of any real help… but if there’s something you want, I’ll do my best to help.”

Peril’s eyes slowly widened. Then he let out a small laugh.

“Oh, you have no idea what you’re offering. If you knew, you’d faint.”

‘I do know. You want help dying, don’t you?’

Even so, Peril looked genuinely happy.

Why does he wish for his own death so badly?