[CHAPTER 108]
“Even if you have no appetite, eat a little.”
There was a rustling sound behind her.
Lying on her side and staring at the pitch-dark window, Meyna quietly closed her eyes with a tormented heart.
As soon as they arrived at the hotel, she had bathed over and over, scrubbing her entire body raw, yet it still felt as though grains of sand clung stubbornly to her hair, between her fingers and toes, and even to her eyelashes.
Every time she closed and opened her eyes, her whole body felt prickly.
“We have to leave at first light tomorrow.
The closer we get to the Thales Mountains, the higher the dungeon grade will be.”
“……”
“Weren’t you trying not to be a burden?”
Caliph, who knew Meynaâs weak points all too well, struck right at the mark.
“At least pretend to eat.”
In the end, Meyna could not hold out any longer and pushed herself upright.
On the table was a fairly abundant dinner, properly grilled beef, bread, and even fresh vegetables.
“Thank you.
For looking after me.”
With that formal remark, a quiet meal began.
Each time Meynaâs plate began to empty, Caliph placed an appropriate amount of food onto it.
It was clearly a considerate gesture, yet he did not bring up a single word about what had happened in the dungeon.
Was it consideration?
Or indifference?
Either way, because he did not go out of his way to comfort her, Meyna actually felt more at ease.
“Are you done?”
Caliph asked casually as Meyna set down her fork and knife.
“Yes.”
When Meyna nodded, Caliph did not clear the table and instead led her toward the bed.
Pulling back the blanket, he sat on one side of the bed and tapped the empty spot across from him.
“……”
“Iâll teach you.”
He did not say what he intended to teach, but she could guess.
Is he going to teach me how to use mana?
Even if it was not that, he seemed intent on teaching her something that would be helpful.
Leaning back against the headboard in a relaxed posture, Caliph quietly looked up at Meyna.
There was no trace of any personal emotion or intention in his eyes.
“Okay.”
Meyna nodded obediently.
Facing Caliph, she sat at an angle near the edge of the bed, hesitated briefly, then lowered both feet to the floor.
Under their combined weight, one side of the bed sank slightly.
Because of that, Meynaâs knees tilted forward just a little.
Just as their knees were about to touch, Caliph asked,
“Can you feel the blood circulating?”
It was a question whose meaning was unclear.
When Meyna blinked and stared blankly at Caliph, he added,
“Itâs the same kind of question as asking whether youâre constantly aware that your organs are moving and working, or that different parts of your brain are activating as you live.”
After thinking for a moment, Meyna shook her head.
“No.”
“Right.”
As if it were the correct answer, Caliph replied simply and nodded.
“You donât live thinking that you need to make your heart pump blood.
You donât think you need to move your lungs to breathe.
You donât think you need to stimulate your brain to feel heat.”
At the simpler explanation, Meyna nodded vigorously.
“It just happens.”
“Yes.”
“Youâre simply existing.”
“Yes, thatâs right.”
“Mana is the same.”
The subject of his previously puzzling words became much clearer.
“Thinking that you have to handle mana is the same as thinking that you have to make your blood circulate.”
Caliph spoke in a calm yet unmistakably clear tone, like a teacher.
The more Meyna understood his explanation, the more stifled she began to feel.
“……”
* * *
The entrance of the gate emitted a dim light.
Following the B-rank dungeon of the Hiskarn Trade Port, âDesert of the Starving Ones,â this was their second dungeon in Hiskarn.
The interior resembled a quiet rural village.
“Something feels strange.”
“This kind of dungeon is a first for me too.”
At the front, Rob and Gamri exchanged remarks side by side.
As they followed behind the two and were just passing a signboard with nothing written on it,
“Wow! Itâs really true!”
“It really is!”
Several children who had appeared out of nowhere gathered around the guild members with faces full of excitement.
“They said a huge prince and a super pretty princess were coming!”
The youngest-looking girl shouted as she pointed at Caliph and Meyna standing side by side.
“But there arenât just two of them?”
“Hey, you dummy!
When itâs adults, you say âtwo peopleâ!”
Children who looked about six or seven years old bickered and chirped like sparrows.
The guild members stopped walking.
After quickly exchanging glances with Caliph, Meyna bent her knees and crouched down.
“Hello.
Whatâs your name?”
When she asked the girl with bright red hair braided into twin plaits, a small hand suddenly grabbed onto Meynaâs clothes.
Plump pink lips parted.
“Niniel!
Iâm Niniel!”
“Thatâs a pretty name.
Hello, Niniel.”
When Meyna gently patted her small head, Niniel rubbed her face against Meynaâs palm like a puppy.
“Hey!
You come say hello too!”
Niniel gestured toward a brown-haired boy standing some distance away.
The boy, who seemed especially shy, scurried off, prompting Niniel to snort.
“Thatâs my big brother,
but heâs way more scared than me.”
“Haha.
Really?
Whatâs your brotherâs name?”
At some point, Meyna had taken Ninielâs hand and bent at the waist, chatting with her for quite a while.
Caliph glanced around quietly.
Indeed, before them stretched the scenery of a tranquil and peaceful village.
