SOTBW - 128

Belshua placed the vial of holy water on the windowsill where the morning sunlight streamed in and fell into deep thought. The wisdom in the eyes, the pure water, and Aron’s unique incantation... Aron must have expected that Mahilen would need the magic stone. Therefore, he would not have hidden the magic stone with a difficult incantation. Belshua, sitting in a chair and gazing out the window, lowered her gaze.

She couldn’t even guess what Aron’s incantation might be. Were there any poems or songs that he liked? As Belshua sifted through her old memories, she frowned. The urgency of needing to find the magic stone before it was too late was clouding her thoughts.

Belshua closed her eyes and took a deep breath. She thought back to the last time she saw Aron. The scriptures recorded that on the day Aron passed away, a terrible rain had poured for four days, but that was not true. Aron’s disciples had written it that way to honor their hero and teacher’s final moments.

The weather that day had been very clear. Mahilen, knowing that Aron would soon pass, had secretly come to Noctis. Perhaps Aron knew that his life was nearing its end too. However, rather than solemnly preparing for death, Aron, on the brink of his final moments, had taken out the last oak barrel and drunk until sunset.

Mahilen had watched from a desk by the window. Aron had only spoken about trivial matters. He filled the air with senseless chatter, so much so that it was hard to believe this was a man who would soon die.

For instance, he mentioned that his dream had been to have a drink on the eternal snow, but now that was completely impossible. He asked if Mahilen had ever tasted desert wine, claiming it was like sunlight captured in a life-giving liquid. He also mentioned how he had lost a wine cup after carving out a minotaur’s horn and bemoaned how he couldn’t remember to whom he had given a conch shell filled with a siren’s song...

“Ah... I’ve gotten old, my memory is foggy, and I get drunk so quickly now. I’m too full to drink anymore, Mahilen... What a shame. You can have the remaining wine in the barrel. I think your song would be the price. Hmm, but a dragon’s song is rare, so it wouldn’t be worth it. But if you sing, I’ll be sure to repay you someday. Someday, that is...”

After finishing his speech, Aron closed his eyes, intoxicated by the wine. Mahilen had only sung lullabies to Sylin when he couldn’t sleep, but that day, she sang for Aron because it was special.

Opening her eyes, Belshua poured the holy water into a flat dish she had prepared in advance. As the bright sunlight poured into the dish, the holy water became transparent. Belshua stood still and gazed down at the holy water with the eyes of a dragon.

“Wherever the desolate wind blows, the dragon is always there. To those who loved and envied the fleeting life, watch the falling meteor shower. Ah, our name is the falling star from the heavens, star, star, star, star…”

But the holy water did not respond. After a moment of hesitation, Belshua decided to finish the song. Until the song came to an end, the wisdom in the eyes and the pure water remained calm without the slightest ripple. She briefly felt disheartened, thinking she had misjudged, but since it had been a long time since she last sang the song, she decided to finish it anyway.

“Ah, our name is the falling star from the heavens, star, star, star, star.”

It was a song sung after thousands of years since Astrun’s passing.

“Wherever something new is about to begin, the dragon is always there…”

At that moment, Belshua’s left eye sparkled, and the holy water rippled. Noticing the faint wave, Belshua reached her hand into the holy water. The bottom of the dish, which had seemed empty due to its transparency, caught something.

To make sure she had grasped what was in the water, Belshua cupped her hand. The left eye containing the holy relic shone gently, reflecting light onto her palm. There was something transparent in the shape of a stone.

Aron had hidden the magic stone in the safest place so that those with evil intentions could not abuse it.

No one could steal it, but if the time came when it was needed, it could always be retrieved.

Belshua, seeing the transparent magic stone, urgently uttered the incantation.

“Wherever something new is about to begin, the dragon is always there.”

If this was Aron’s incantation, the seal on the magic stone would break. But the magic stone maintained its transparent form without fully revealing its shape. Something was wrong. The lyrics of the song were not the incantation.

Belshua, flustered, looked down at the magic stone that had emerged from the holy water. The song was not an incantation to break the seal; it was merely a device showing that a magic stone was hidden in the single eye of the cursed one.

Belshua calmly thought with both hands still submerged in the holy water. Aron’s incantation... What words could Aron Noctis leave for Mahilen? But Aron had not left any final words.

In her confusion, Belshua desperately tried to grasp the magic stone, which was slowly fading away.

“Mahilen. Can I really erase your name from Astrun?”

“It’s just the history of humans. It has nothing to do with me.”

“I’ve already written your crest.”

“It’s not needed.”

“Hm, but you might change your mind. Just hear me out. This song is the work of the princess and me. Hmm, hmm. Ah, our name is the falling star from the heavens, star, star, star, star, star…”

As the faint shape of the magic stone seemed about to scatter in the holy water, Belshua muttered softly.

“One star is flame, one star is ice, one star is healing, one star is death... one star is eternity.”

At that moment, the holy water, which had been faintly floating with the magic stone, shone dazzlingly in golden light. The brilliance was so intense it seemed to blind her, and Belshua quickly raised her arm to shield her face. As a strong gust of wind swept through the room, the tightly shut window was roughly blown open, and the old curtains fluttered violently. Belshua, feeling the cold wind on her body, barely managed to look down at the dish containing the holy water.

A clear, rippling sound came from the dish.

Belshua, slowly exhaling, stared at the stone placed in the center of the dish. The stone was smaller than a child’s fist, but it contained enough magical power for Belshua, as Mahilen, to easily perform high-level magic. Belshua carefully lifted the magic stone and gazed at the gently swirling golden magic within it.

The purer the magic, the more it glows like gold.

Belshua knew whose magic it was.

“…Emaydis.”

With both hands gripping the magic stone, Belshua tightly shut her eyes.

When Mahilen’s song ended, Aron’s breathing had stopped. The small room was silent, and the empty wine cup Aron had left behind sparkled in the sunlight, blinding her. Mahilen emptied the half-full wine barrel and left the place.

Aron’s disciples recorded that their teacher had emptied about 200 oak barrels. However, Mahilen knew the truth. Aron Noctis had emptied 199 barrels and exactly half of another. And that was a story that no one would ever know, forever.

________________________________________

“Maintaining public order?”

Najane tilted her head as she listened to Maximón’s explanation. She couldn’t understand why the knights were taking on the duties of the watchmen. Maximón didn’t elaborate, simply saying that the request had come from the government office. Some of the knights, clearly baffled, voiced their complaints, but he ignored their voices and called them one by one, giving orders about where to go.

“You don’t need to be too serious. Just loiter around places that look isolated. When the sun sets, you’ll be allowed to roam freely. From tomorrow, we’ll be back on the field, so drink and have fun when the sun sets, but make sure to come back.”

At Maximón’s words, the knights, who had been filled with irritation, erupted in cheers. They left the dressing room, eager as if they had no complaints. As they stormed out, the hallway grew noisy for a moment, then quickly became quiet.

Maximón, reading a report from the mercenary group, gestured for Najane to approach him, standing near the door. Without a word, Najane moved closer. Standing by the desk, Maximón again motioned for her to sit beside him. She approached him with curiosity, and as she did, Maximón grabbed her wrist. Pushed, Najane sat on the desk and looked down at Maximón. His fingers lightly caressed the skin around her eyes.

“I came out early because of the mercenary group’s settlement issue…”

Maximón trailed off and clicked his tongue.

“Something must have happened while I was gone.”

Maximón’s dark expression made Najane quickly shake her head.

“I just had a nightmare, so my eyes are a bit swollen. Other than that, nothing happened. I apologize for causing concern.”

“A nightmare?”

Maximón asked as though wanting her to describe the dream.

However, Najane awkwardly smiled and changed the subject.

“It was nothing. Please don’t worry about it.”

“If you talk like that, I won’t worry, huh?”

Najane remained silent, giving an awkward smile. Maximón didn’t like the fact that she wasn’t fully depending on him, but since he didn’t want to pressure her, he decided not to ask about the nightmare anymore. Instead, he hoped her mood would improve and pulled a small bouquet of flowers from a drawer. It was camellias.

The flowers he had gathered from the forest the previous day had withered almost immediately after a day, so before dawn, he went out to the market to inquire if anyone had seen camellias blooming. Fortunately, a girl who sold flowers to noblewomen promised to reveal where camellias could be found if he gave her ten lirangs, so he was able to get fresh ones.

Rather than going into detail about how he obtained the flowers, Maximón had climbed the highest mountain near the Noctis fortress to get them.

He carefully handed the bouquet to Najane, unsure if she would truly like them. Contrary to his worries, Najane was visibly surprised when she saw the camellias. Even though she had been in the Noctis fortress for some time, she had never seen flowers around here. This place was mostly filled with weeds.

Najane received the bouquet with a smile, her face brightening from its previously somber state. She shyly inhaled the fragrance of the camellias, and as the sweet scent filled the air, her dark mood seemed to lift little by little.

“I’ve never seen camellias around here... where did you get them?”

Embracing the bouquet, Najane tucked her lips inward to hide her wide smile. Her expression was quite endearing. Maximón, thinking the effort had been worth it, gently stroked her cheek.

“I visited the mercenary group and found a girl selling flowers nearby, so I bought a bouquet from her. Do you like the flowers?”

Najane buried her face in the lively petals and slowly nodded. Maximón never mentioned that he had climbed the mountain. If Najane was happy, that was enough.

However, on the other hand, he felt uncomfortable with the fact that Belshua knew so much about Najane. He thought he only needed to be wary of Daniel and Amelia, but when had Belshua become so close to her? The fact that they seemed to know each other so well, even discussing their likes and dislikes, made him feel a pang of jealousy.

Had she ever shared anything personal with him? He had never heard her talk about what she liked or disliked.

Just as he was about to frown in childish jealousy, Najane lowered her head and kissed Maximón’s forehead. Maximón was momentarily surprised, but then calmly looked up at her. Perhaps feeling a bit embarrassed by her own actions, Najane averted her gaze and murmured quietly.

“…Thank you for the flowers. I should put them in the bedroom vase. Maybe I’ll make a bookmark out of one of them…”

Before Najane could finish her sentence, Maximón stood up from his chair and kissed her. The chair, pushed roughly backward, fell to the ground with a loud crash. The tongue that entered her mouth was hot. Maximón pulled her waist to prevent her from losing her balance, sucking her lips audibly. Najane, overwhelmed by the force of his kiss, timidly met his tongue while closing her eyes.

He mixed their tongues together until he was out of breath, then let her go, his chest heaving. Her lips, glistening with saliva, were incredibly beautiful. Maximón, unable to resist the pounding in his chest, kissed her again. As their lips made smacking sounds, Najane, as if to stop him, covered her face with the bouquet.

“…I think it’s better to be restrained at the workplace.”

“If that’s the case, it’s fine.”

Maximón, holding the bouquet, pulled Najane’s arms down, which were firmly holding the bouquet in place.

“Did you forget that I had permission from the god of labor back then?”

“That was a lie you told, Captain…!”

As Najane, overcome by the force, lowered her hand holding the bouquet, Maximón came close to her face. He tilted his head as if to kiss her deeply again but then grinned and stepped back.

“I’d love to hold you like I did yesterday, but it’s about time to work.”

Expecting a second kiss, Najane widened her eyes in surprise at his unexpected words. Maximón grinned and, without warning, kissed the space between her eyebrows. Startled, Najane covered her forehead and eyebrows with her palm and watched as Maximón walked toward the door.

“Have you ever seen the northern ramparts of the Noctis fortress? It’s where ordinary people live, so it feels completely different from here.”

“Weren’t we supposed to be going to maintain public order?”

“The watchmen will handle that themselves.”

As Maximón opened the door, he gave a quick nod and smiled.

“It’s always most fun to play while others are working.”