Chapter 36 (2/2)
The two of us, roasting those white things in the crackling blaze.
Time pa.s.sed, mysterious and wonderful. The white things emitted a sweet smell. I swallowed, salivating. It started to burn, bubbles popping on its surface, so I pulled it from the fire and gave it a good look-over.
…Its fragrance tickled my nose. But can I eat it?
When I looked to my side, Regnum was already eating up his second one. Seeing him, I steeled myself and put it in my mouth.
“Iff hawh–!”
As soon as I bit through the crisp exterior, something hot stuck onto the inside of my mouth.
Tearing up a little, I huffed desperately to cool off the stuff in my mouth. As I did, a sweetness I’d never tasted before spread over my tongue.
“Fwahh–”
Okay, even I thought I sounded stupid just now.
But it was just that sweet and delicious. I chewed before swallowing it down.
I sighed. A light feeling of satisfaction, followed by regret that I’d gulped it down so quickly.
“Wh–What is this?”
“A kind of sweet known as a marshmallow. It tastes great roasted. Though even I don’t know how it’s made.”
As he spoke, he stuck another one on the end of the small stick I held.
Mystified by this somehow casually nice man, I thanked him and held my stick over the fire again.
Beside me, with a rustling sound, Regnum pulled out a plain, slightly dirty cup — also from G.o.d-knows-where — and handed it to me. It was filled with some kind of steaming blackish liquid.
“Be careful, it’s hot.”
Watching my marshmallow out of the corner of my eye, I took a sip.
…Sweet. This was sweet too.
Still, I recognized this slightly bitter drink.
Chocolate. My face unconsciously relaxed as I felt its warmth. Because of the cold, the sensation of the liquid gradually spreading through my body gave me an indescribable feeling of happiness. I let out a great sigh.
“Haah–…”
A river of stars glittering in the clear sky overhead.
The incredible bliss of drinking something warm and sweet below. It was an irresistible happiness. Even the words themselves seemed stale in comparison.
The stars in my sight, the peace I can hear, the sweetness on my tongue, the sense of indulgence in my heart grew by a thousand-fold.
…I’d been lulled into relaxing, but honestly, what this guy was doing here in the first place, how he ended up on watch, and why he had these kinds of sweets on him — those were all quite a mystery.
It did make me wonder, but overwhelmed by a sense of contentment, I couldn’t bring myself to care all that much.
Though once I calmed down, I still wanted to know. Besides, from what Leon said yesterday, this guy should be out investigating all sorts of things. Should being the operative word here.
“Hey, what’re you doing here anyway?”
I looked to my side to see Regnum tilting a similar steaming cup.
Looking more closely, I found a rather grimy kettle sitting next to the bonfire. Ahh, so that’s what he used to heat it up…?
“Well, it was cold.”
Gazing at the fire, he answered me absentmindedly.
No, that’s not what I meant.
But somehow I expected that answer out of him. So I changed tacks.
“Hmm, then, what are you doing here on night watch? Leon didn’t ask you to do anything later?”
“As for the night watch, anyone will do. In this company, at least. I’m a nocturnal creature myself, so when I dropped by, I was asked to take the sentry’s post. In exchange, I’m allowed to sleep during the day. Later, certainly, I will receive my orders from Lord Leon, but as the reason for my presence is a separate matter, I will forego the details. Oh, and I love sweets.”
He just said all of that in one breath!
And his gaze, which had been dreamily watching the flames until now, turned to me.
And yet, I felt like he sidestepped the important parts.
Plus, out of everything he just said, the only part that stuck with me was that little tidbit about his sweet tooth. It didn’t really matter, but its impact was subject to discussion.2 And I wasn’t even asking about it, to boot.
“Um, what does he want you to do?”
“That’s a secret. To hear about it in detail, I recommend asking directly.”
Although I’d worked my hardest to dig up what I wanted to know, I was ignored so easily.
In summary: If you want to know, ask the man himself.
I felt a bit huffy, being refused so bluntly, but it made sense: Regnum was an officer of the intelligence service. Generally speaking, he’d never let that kind of information slip. Even though the contents of that request had to do with me.
From that perspective, asking directly might still be the best option.
And speaking of which, I think I get the gist of it already.
“Leaving that aside, there is something I want to give you.”
“–!”
I unconsciously accepted it from Regnum’s outstretched hand.
— An invocation stone.
Never thought I’d see one of those again, not here. Surprised, I nearly dropped it.
I managed to keep my composure, but even so, I didn’t grip it too tightly. It half-slid off my palm before I brought it back to my chest.
It was about the size of a chicken egg. Quite a bit bigger than the one Irene had.
That just made me even more uneasy.
I mean, sure, these things have saved me before. But that’s not all they did. Every time, the invocation stones are proof that I’m something that defies human logic. Or rather, my body is.
I know if I don’t say the magic word, I’ll be alright. But even now, I can’t help but feel repulsed by the invocation stone before me, like it would be absorbed into my palm.
If I could simply dismiss it as just magic, maybe I’d feel more at ease.
But at least what I can say is, the magic that Irene and Guibenague used is very different in form from what I have.
I don’t think it’s just a difference in type, either. My intuition is telling me that there’s a crucial difference between them.
“Hey, what are invocation stones… Uh–”
If I asked like that, Regnum would give me the same answer as Arc. [Magic activators].
That wasn’t what I wanted to ask. I was after something more fundamental. Just what in the world sank into my body and became a part of me?
How would I get him to tell me that?
I wracked my brains, but I came up empty. Casually, I looked over at Regnum. Staring at me without moving, he said,
“In a manner of speaking, [life].”
Footnotes
1. いっそそれが耳に痛いほどだ ↵
2. どうでもいいのに、インパクトがあるのが問題のような気がする ↵
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