Chapter 69 - The Sixth Evolution (1) (2/2)
“Yes, extremely.” Mireina looked at me, a serious expression across her face as the rain pounded down onto the shield above us. I stepped back a bit, feeling somewhat embarrassed.
“Don’t tell anyone about me or…my abilities.”
“Why?”
“It’s something that I want to keep secret.”
“…Okay.” She peered into my eyes and then nodded. She pulled two rings off of her hand and handed one of them to me.
[Covenant Ring [290/290] – Unique Rarity. Two rings paired together, they are activated by swearing an oath by two people wearing them. If the oath is broken, the wearer will lose all of their magic, and the other will know.]
“Here… Promises between friends are important. I mean, these aren’t originally for that but…” Mireina blushed as she informed me of what they did, making me think they had some other purpose. Still, I accepted them. It was an easy way to ensure that she kept her promise instead of just taking her at her word. Mireina swore not to tell anyone about me and then turned to me with eyes full of light.
“If I’m still here the next time you return… will you spend time with me again?”
“Are you asking me to swear to that?”
“Yes!”
I agreed, seeing nothing to lose by doing so. I bid my farewells to Mireina, who was jumping about in glee as I opened the door to the dungeon. Thus, I began the short and empty crossing back to the Black Palace, as thoughts ran through my head. “Are the elves really as bad I was led to believe?’ Out of the countless elves, was the one I had met just coincidentally the only one with a clear mind? There was so much I didn’t know, and I didn’t think that what Rain had said was wrong. All I could do was wait to gather more information.
Making my way back to the dungeon, I checked in on Lee Chan-yu, who seemed to be doing fine. Once I had confirmed he was alright, I went ahead and opened a new door. To the dedicated store? No, it was too early to drink, and I didn’t want to talk to Rain yet. Not to Jinma’s Tower either, even though I had begun to understand how to fight with my soul, I didn’t know if I was ready to challenge the third floor yet. There was no telling what awaited me there, so it was best to deal with that for last.
No. Instead, I opened the door to the Garden of Nak.
“You’ve arrived.” L was sitting on a chair near the table. Her head raised to greet me as soon as I stepped through the door. Mireina was considerably beautiful, but next to L, it was like comparing a candle to a bonfire. She was radiant, a violence to her beauty that refused to change or adapt. I sat across from her, shaking my head to clear myself of the fluttering sensation in my stomach- equal parts fear and anticipation welling inside of me.
“I wasn’t waiting.” L said shamelessly. I wanted to bring up the traces she had left of her presence in the store, but doing so might welcome retaliation. ‘Best not to mention it.’ L frowned, raising her eyebrows slightly at me. She seemed to be considering something for a brief moment before she nodded at me.
“I can serve tea, if you would like.”
“No, I’m okay. I had been thinking of coming a bit later. I figured it would be too early for me to challenge the second game, but now things have changed. My tolerance for abnormal statuses has risen, and I even learned how to use my soul as a weapon. Even if I fail, it’ll be a good chance for me to get used to these new skills.”
“…So.” L’s voice turned to ice, and I realized my mistake too late.
“You didn’t show up because you wanted to see me. You’re only here to train.” The room had felt so warm and cozy before, but currently, the temperature had plummeted. Cold energy emanated out from L, threatening to crush me. What bothered me most about the situation, however, were the small teardrops forming in her eyes. It was enough to send countless emotions raging inside of me. Guilt, disappointment, anger- They all intermingled inside and drained me. The power of a soul, which I thought I was gaining control of, was useless to me now. ‘Is this really her power?’
“You look silly right now.” It ended as quickly as it had started, her hands moving up to cover her face. When her hands lowered, her face was once again expressionless. A little bit of red around the eyes, but best not to mention that.
“Fate, remember this. It is not an easy task to be forgiven for embarrassing a woman. No matter how much I mean to you, or you to me…”
“Alright. I will remember.” I felt a need not to leave it like this, so I nodded quickly to her words before she could continue. She looked a bit disheveled by my reaction but kept her mouth shut tight and instead just nodded. ‘I have no choice but to remember.’ Her every word and action were burned into my mind.
“Let’s go ahead and begin. The second game is about building walls.” L had finally succeeded in suppressing her emotions; her face was blank as she said this.
And so, time began to pass.
By the end, I had spent 3,600 gold as the entrance fee to the Garden of Nak, finally winning a victory over L. Two days later, Lee Chan-yu and I stood in front of the boss room on the 4th of the Black Palace District 7.