Chapter 125

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Interlude, Dieta (2)

“So, what brings you here, Najin?” Dieta asked as she adjusted her hair.

Najin didn’t respond immediately. A moment of hesitation. A brief silence. He looked at Dieta without a word.

“W-what? Why are you staring like that?”

“I was just thinking for a moment.”

“About what?”

“To be honest, I don’t have any particular reason for coming. Since you’ve been visiting me so often, I thought it’d be nice to return the gesture.”

“That’s… rather considerate of you. How’s your body? Are you recovering well?”

“Thanks to you.” Najin tapped his shoulder lightly. “After chugging high-grade potions like water, I recovered in no time. I’m completely fine now.”

“The doctors said you’d need at least six months to rest… but of course, you shrugged it off like it was nothing.”

“Well, I do have a rather peculiar constitution.”

Half of Dieta’s heart was glad for his recovery. The other half felt reluctant. She smiled bitterly as she looked at him. News of Najin’s recovery meant it was almost time for him to leave again.

“Now that you’re better, you’ll be leaving soon, won’t you?” Her voice carried a hint of regret.

“There is something I’ve been meaning to tell you about that. I kept putting it off, thinking I’d say it later.”

“Are you going somewhere far away?”

“It seems that way.”

“How far?”

Najin turned to the window, staring outside.

After a moment of silence, he spoke. “Why don’t we take a walk?”

“I don’t mind, but won’t there be too many eyes watching? It might make it hard to talk. You’re a celebrity now.”

“There’s a place with fewer people.”

‘A place without people?’ Dieta tilted her head in confusion.

Seeing this, Najin gave her a hint by pointing out the window. “A place with a good view. Somewhere you can watch the sunset.”

Dieta blinked, realizing what he meant, and let out a short sigh of understanding.

By then, Najin had already opened the window and stepped outside to speak briefly with Pasion.

Outside, Pasion’s incredulous laughter carried back to the office, followed by a resigned, “Do as you please.”

Curious about their conversation, Dieta turned her head just as Najin strode back toward her.

“Shall we go?” Najin extended both arms toward her.

“Uh… what’s with the arms?”

“An excellent mode of transportation?”

Dieta blinked at his outstretched arms, then laughed. Without hesitation, she leaned into him. Najin lifted her effortlessly and kicked off the ground.

Whoosh—

Thud—

Stepping onto the window ledge, Najin leaped. His movements were light and swift, proving that his growing reputation was no exaggeration. Even while carrying another person, his footsteps were so quiet they were nearly inaudible.

Only the rattling sound of the window frame, stirred by the wind, hinted at their passing.

“So… should we do something about our charge being kidnapped, or…?”

“We could chase them all day and still not catch them, Romanoff,” Pasion replied dryly.

“Fair point. A sad one, but fair.”

“Honestly, if that guy made up his mind to kidnap someone, who could really stop him? Could you, Romanoff?”

“If I could, do you think I’d be standing here?”

Watching the two disappear into the distance, Klaus and Pasion exchanged a helpless chuckle.

“Youth. It’s youth, all right.”

The hill offered a wide, open view. From its peak, the City of Opportunities, Cambria, sprawled below in a breathtaking panorama.

Najin had once brought Dieta there when he’d been assigned as her escort. They had returned to the same place, and in the same manner as before.

As Dieta stood there, she couldn’t help but laugh softly. So much had changed in just a few months that her current self felt unfamiliar.

“Back then, I thought I was going to be sick.”

Time had passed, and she found being carried by Najin comfortable. During that desperate nighttime escape when they had fled together, she had spent days relying on Najin’s back and arms.

Being held by him brought back memories of that warmth.

She wished, if only for a moment, that she could stay in his arms a little longer.

Leaving behind that faint regret, Dieta stepped out of his arms and onto the hill. She adjusted her clothes, then turned her gaze to the city below.

The view of Cambria was as magnificent as ever.

After a brief silence, she spoke. “You know, it’s already been nearly a year. We first met in the spring, didn’t we? Winter’s almost over, so I guess spring is coming again soon.”

“It would’ve been nice to see snow before the winter ended. Does it not snow in Cambria?”

“It’s warm here—it’s the south.”

“Have you ever seen snow before, Dieta?”

“Of course. Plenty of times. They’re not exactly fond memories, though.”

Back in the Arbenia Ducal House, from the cold villa’s window, the snow hadn’t been a source of happy memories. Unlike children who thought of snowball fights and sledding, Dieta had only seen bare thorny trees through the frost.

“And you? I suppose you’ve never seen snow?” she asked.

“Unfortunately, no.” Najin was from the Underground City and had left it less than a year prior. Sometimes, it felt strange to him. Even after everything he’d experienced, less than a year had passed since his escape. The enormity of it all made time feel odd.

Day by day, time moved slowly. For someone like Najin, living a dense, eventful life, every day felt long. Looking back on the events, time seemed to have flown by.

Slow yet fast. Long yet short—in that unpredictable flow of time, Najin had met many people. Among them, Merlin and Dieta stood out the most. They were the precious connections he had made since leaving the Underground City.

“Dieta…”

“Yes, Najin?”

Najin had never had a friend before. For someone like him, Dieta held a significant place in his heart. Perhaps that was why he felt she deserved to hear it first—where he was going and how difficult the journey would be.

“I’ll be leaving for the Outlands soon.”

“You’ve been there before, haven’t you? Before the dragon hunt…”

“That was brief. This time, it’s different.” Najin was a Sword Seeker. He had hunted a dragon and claimed a constellation. That meant he had accomplished what he’d come to do in Cambria. “I’m leaving Cambria.”

That simple statement carried profound weight. It marked the time for Najin to move on to the next stage.

Dieta held her breath for a moment. “Well, that makes sense. Your goal is to hang your star higher than anyone else’s, and…”

“To do that, I have to go to the Battlefield of Stars. I’ll need to claim more stars there.”

Dieta nodded as Najin spoke. She knew his ambitions. She had always known that he would leave Cambria eventually.

Still, she hadn’t expected the day to come so soon. “When you go to the Outlands, you won’t visit the continent often, will you?”

“Not often. It’s far, both physically and conceptually.”

The Outlands, and the land beyond, the Battlefield of Stars, wasn’t just distant in terms of geography. It was a place far removed in concept—a realm of the extraordinary. Known as a realm where the stars’ transcendent beings resided, it was often described in religious texts and legends as a world apart.

It was a place ordinary humans couldn’t tread. Even Sword Seekers, considered the strongest of mortals, couldn’t guarantee their survival there. It was a domain of transcendent beings.

“It’ll be dangerous,” Dieta bluntly stated.

“It will.”

“You’ll get hurt even more than you have now.”

“Probably.”

“I’d like to tell you not to go, but I’m sure you won’t listen, will you?”

Najin’s silence was answer enough.

Dieta let out a long sigh. ‘How did I fall for someone like this?’ She’d lost count of how many times she’d asked herself that.

She looked into Najin’s sunset-colored eyes, nearing platinum in hue.

Those eyes weren’t looking at her. Instead, they were always fixed on something far away—something distant, perilous, and impossibly high. Najin’s determination to reach that place was admirable, but it sometimes left Dieta feeling lonely.

To him, she must’ve been nothing.

If only he’d glance to the side. If only he’d see her.

Instead, she found herself alone in her feelings—her heart racing at his every small action, hoping, yearning. It felt like she was the only fool in that one-sided connection.

To love without being loved in return was exhausting.

While Dieta often found herself blushing, unable to meet his gaze, Najin didn’t seem to care. That duality made her both resentful and ashamed of her own childishness.

‘I should be cheering him on, not feeling resentful.’

Hadn’t they promised each other to pursue their goals? To meet again at the peak? Yet there she was, sulking because he was too focused on his dreams.

She wasn’t like that before.

Calculative, methodical, rational… That was the real Dieta: emotionally detached, never impulsive. For some reason, whenever she stood in front of Najin, she became a fool.

Though she felt hurt, she had no intention of letting it show. Najin had invited her on a rare outing, and she wouldn’t waste it on negative emotions.

Smiling faintly, Dieta looked up at Najin. Just as she was about to steer the conversation forward…

“You said earlier that I’d never seen snow.” Najin, who had been gazing at the sky, lowered his eyes to meet hers. “That’s true, but it’s not just snow. I’ve never seen the ocean either. What is it, exactly? I’ve read about it in books, but it sounds almost unreal.”

Najin shrugged, his tone lighthearted. “Snow, the ocean, mountains… countless things. There are so many things I don’t know. Everything I’ve encountered since leaving the Underground City is unfamiliar. Every day feels new, and sometimes… scary.”

“Scared? You?”

“Why not? The joy of learning outweighs the fear of the unknown, but I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t afraid.”

Dieta gave him a skeptical look.

Najin chuckled and leaned against the fence atop the hill, the wind tousling his hair. “By the way…” It was something he’d meant to say for a while. “I’ve always wanted to thank you.”

“…What?”

“For being my first.”

“First…?”

Najin smiled. “You’re my first friend, after all.” His silver-gray hair danced in the wind. Between the shifting strands, Dieta glimpsed a smile on his face—one she had never seen before. “Yes, to be honest, I enjoy talking to you. I don’t know what it is, but seeing you laugh so openly at everything I say makes me feel… at ease. It’s hard to put into words.”

Playful, teasing, and sincere, his smile perfectly suited a boy his age. Seeing it, Dieta found herself unconsciously parting her lips.

“I enjoy it. Being with you,” he said.

“…”

“Leaving for the Outlands feels a bit… sad, and I think it’s because of you. I won’t be able to talk to you as often once I’m there. Oh, that doesn’t mean I won’t visit! Even if it’s not often, I’ll come back to the continent occasionally, and when I do—”

Najin kept talking, but his words stopped registering for Dieta. His earlier statement, “I think it’s because of you,” had struck her like a thunderclap.

Everything he said after that felt like a distant hum.

‘Being with me makes him happy. Leaving is hard for him… because of me?’ Her lips twitched involuntarily. Raising a trembling hand to her mouth, Dieta tried to suppress her reaction.

Her eyes gleamed, sharp as a predator’s. ‘Friends forever, huh…?’

“Najin,” she cut him off mid-sentence. Taking a step forward, she closed the distance between them until their breaths mingled.

Staring straight into his eyes, she moved her lips deliberately. “Could you repeat what you just said?”

Her eyes looked as though they were under a spell.

“What? Which part?”

“‘I enjoy being with you.’ The wind’s a bit strong, so I didn’t catch it properly. Could you say it again?”

It was, of course, a blatant lie.

‘Was the wind really blowing that hard?’ Najin tilted his head quizzically but obliged her request. “I enjoy being with you.”

Thump.

Dieta’s heart raced wildly.

She stumbled backward, covering her mouth with her hand. She was glad—relieved, even—that she’d managed to cover her mouth in time.

Her lips had curled uncontrollably upward. No matter how hard she tried to maintain composure, her expression refused to cooperate. Surely, she carried a ridiculous, lopsided grin.

‘Who could blame me?’

Blushing furiously, Dieta stared at Najin. Did he even realize what he’d just said? Did he understand that his words were practically a confession? Should she… confess as well? Was that the moment?

Her mind was spinning, overwhelmed by the emotional blow. If her usual self were there, she’d have screamed, “Get a grip, you fool!”

“Should I just go for it? Confess right now?” Of course, Dieta couldn’t hear that voice of reason.

She had her excuses, after all.

Najin wasn’t someone who responded to overt displays of affection. No matter how obvious her feelings were, he’d never batted an eye—a stoic to the core. At best, he’d offer an occasional charming smile, never revealing his own emotions.

Out of nowhere, he’d said something like that?

She knew the truth, of course. His words weren’t meant romantically. Najin was still too naive on such things. His statement was sincere but purely platonic—one friend expressing their joy at being with another.

Even knowing that, calming herself was easier said than done. Raising a hand to stop him, Dieta turned her face away. She couldn’t look at him directly—not while she was in that state.

“W-wait a moment.” Dieta took a deep breath—long and slow.

As she steadied her breathing, she worked to calm her racing heart. ‘Get a grip, Dieta. Take it slow. Didn’t you promise yourself you’d build this relationship gradually? Slowly but surely, win Najin over. Acting rashly isn’t like you.’

The Snake that Swallows Gold was an exceptional merchant, and an exceptional merchant always acted with rationality.

After a full three minutes of breathing exercises, Dieta looked up. With a practiced smile, she prepared to respond with something lighthearted, something like, “You’re quite bold to say that, but I don’t mind.”

“I’m, um… glad to hear that.” She tried to speak. “I mean, I…”

The moment she met Najin’s gaze, her mind went blank. The Snake that Swallows Gold, it seemed, turned into nothing more than an ordinary girl in front of him.

All her usual charms—her silver tongue, her calculated gestures, her plans, her pretense—became meaningless.

Everything fell away, leaving only Dieta: a flustered, vulnerable girl, unsure of what to say or do.

It was embarrassing, and yet, she didn’t entirely dislike it.

“…” With her mind a blank slate and her lips unable to form words, Dieta would normally have turned away in embarrassment. She would have muttered something like, “It’s nothing…” and fled.

Not that day.

Why? Was it because of the rare smile Najin had shown her? Because his words, awkward as they were, had been so genuine? Because she didn’t want to respond to his sincerity with anything less than her own?

Perhaps it was the knowledge that he would soon leave and that they wouldn’t see each other often. She wanted, needed, to take one step closer to him. She was greedy for more.

She couldn’t pinpoint the reason, but all those feelings pushed her forward, moving her lips.

“Najin.”

“Yes, Dieta? What is it?”

Every word Dieta spoke was usually calculated. She carefully considered how her words would sound, how they would be received, and how they might serve her goals. That was who she was.

That fell away; she simply said what came to mind. “You said earlier that you’re grateful for me, that you’re happy to have me as a friend.”

Najin nodded.

Dieta looked up at him. She wasn’t sure what expression she wore, but she didn’t care. All she cared about was speaking her mind. “That’s nice. Friends are nice, but, um…”

She knew she was being hasty. She knew she was letting her emotions take over, and she knew she didn’t have to rush.

Still, she didn’t stop.

Rationally, she knew it was a mistake. It was reckless, unnecessary. If another merchant made a decision like that, Dieta would mock them as a third-rate amateur.

‘So what?’ Dieta’s lips twitched upward.

So what if she wasn’t acting rationally? So what if she was being emotional? So what if she was impulsive? Who said she couldn’t be?

Being calculating was for the Snake that Swallows Gold. When she was with Najin, she just wanted to be a girl.

“Being friends isn’t enough for me.” A mischievous smile spread across her face. “I want to be something more.”

The boy destined to move onto greater stages, the boy who would face countless trials and meet countless people… Dieta didn’t want to become just a fleeting memory to him. She wanted to be someone unforgettable—etched into his heart and soul.

She took one step closer, and then another.

She ignored the logical voice in her head telling her to stop, that it wasn’t too late to turn back, that she could still salvage things.

She silenced that voice as she approached Najin, step by step, until she was close enough to feel his breath.

Tap—

She stopped at a distance where she filled his gaze, and then, deliberately and firmly, she said, “I like you, Najin.”

It was a confession so direct that even someone as dense as Najin couldn’t misunderstand. Dieta left no room for ambiguity, confronting him head-on.

Simple yet sincere…

If her confession were a sword technique, it would be a Knight of Atanga’s blade.