Shadowless Night

Rosaline felt like she had to make an excuse: ‘she was already dying' and ‘the other ‘It' hadn't even touched her.' 

Calyx just smiled faintly and rubbed the back of her hand.

“Is that so?”

"Yes.”

Calyx had already noticed that Rosaline was slowly recovering the memories of his older sister. Minor actions he didn't teach, speech patterns Rosaline had had in the past, and information no one had taught her. She had become aware of such things as if they were natural.

So he had a gut feeling that everything she said now must have come from the memories of Rosaline as if it had happened to her herself. Calyx’s whole body shook like a sick person. Rosaline noticed the trembling, and she called his name.

“Calyx…”

The small voice was soft like a gentle breeze. Rosaline. It was his sister. Calyx closed his eyes and buried his face in her hands. His body was still trembling.

“Sister…”

“Are you okay? Do you want some medicine?”

A friendly voice poured over his darkened vision. Tears were about to leak out, so Calyx bit his lip. Rosaline gently brushed the back of Calyx's head, which had fallen in her lap. His nape gleamed white in the candlelight.

“Were you scared?”

“Mm-hmm. My heart was pounding.”

Rosaline beat her chest. Calyx had his face buried in Rosaline’s hands so he couldn't see her actions, but he could feel the vibrations.

Based on Rosaline's words, Calyx imagined the dark forest, the chase, the fear-fueled run, and the cliff. Just imagining it was scary. The vibrations from Rosaline beating her chest shook Calyx wildly. Thud. Thud. As if he was being hit all over the body.

"Did it hurt a lot?"

“Ah, my back was torn and bleeding, my bones were breaking…”

Screeech. Macaron’s voice rang out. Rosaline hummed. Bewildered, she changed her words quickly.

“It didn’t hurt that much.”

It was not a credible statement. Macaron must have said something. Macaron was more enlightened about human common sense and emotions than Rosaline.

"Really,” Rosaline stressed.

The words added were kind and lovely. Calyx cried, sorry that he could not fully comprehend his sister’s fear of running through that dark forest path and the pain of breaking bones. He pitied his sister, who must have trembled in fear alone.

He only hoped that his hand stroking her head would convey tenderness to his sister.

***

When Calyx opened his eyes, it was morning. Calyx looked around. Rosaline's bed was empty, and there was no sound coming from the bathroom. As Calyx was about to get up from the bed while rubbing his swollen eyes, he jumped in surprise. There was something soft on the floor next to the bed. He was fortunate to have noticed it before he completely stepped on it.

Rosaline had rolled off the bed and slept on the floor, hugging the blanket tightly. Come to think of it, while they traveled through the wilderness these last few days, Calyx hadn't seen her sleeping. Perhaps her fatigue had reached its limit yesterday. Rosaline kept sleeping with deep and even breaths.

Calyx carefully grabbed her and carried her into the bed. Of course, it didn't go unnoticed by Rosaline, but she knew it was Calyx, so she didn't react.

Calyx slowly retraced what happened last night in his mind. He'd always thought that his sister's death was suspicious. Why on that cliff? Why alone on the other side of the barracks where the battle took place? Calyx knew Rosaline was not someone who ran away from the enemy.

‘It.’ With the hand of a beast for its arm, the creature would look bizarre. But it was hard to explain his sister’s behavior with that fact alone. There must be something more.

Click.

The door to the room opened, and a stranger entered the room calmly. Calyx quickly grabbed the sword placed on the chair. Shring. Instantly, the blade was revealed and shone sharply in the morning sun.

“Good morning.”

The man calmly approached and even sat down on the small stool. Calyx frowned as his severe expression became even more ferocious thanks to the atmosphere. The man took out some bread and fruit while rustling the paper bag he was holding in one hand.

Calyx couldn't casually think that this man had invaded with bad intentions, but he couldn't simply say the man had mistaken the room for his. 

‘Wait, what if?’ Calyx thought of another member of their party that was not in this room.

“… Miss Macaron…?”

The man took a bite of the apple and frowned.

“Oh, it’s not very tasty. You can eat this.”

Then the man threw away the bitten apple… 

‘It’s Macaron. Yup, this man is Macaron.’

“Where have you been?”

“I wanted to eat stew with fatty venison, so I strolled around for some time. Do you mind that I’ve spent some of your money?”

“Ah… No, but…”

Come to think of it, the clothes the man wore were not unfamiliar to him… Perhaps feeling Calyx's gaze, Macaron, lying flat on the bed, spoke again while chewing the bread.

"Do you mind that I've borrowed your clothes?"

"Ah… Well… Not really… But why do you have to be a man…?"

“When a woman travels alone, things become more troublesome.”

Calyx nodded. ‘See? Macaron knows humans better than my sister. Down to the smallest detail.’

"One time, this man came to play with his friend, and he fell into the lake and died after his friend pushed him on the back.”

“That’s not right. We don’t usually call those relationships ‘friends’.”

Calyx mourned the man's death inwardly for a moment while Macaron ate a cherry and exclaimed. 

"Oooh. These are delicious. I have to give it to Rosaline.”

“…”

These days, Calyx felt like Macaron's treatment of him was getting worse, but maybe he wasn't imagining things.

“Mister Macaron.”

“Don’t call me. I won’t give any to you.”

The man spat the cherry seeds on the floor like a rogue. However, despite his indifferent attitude, his eyes firmly locked onto Calyx’s.

"I don't know if that person knows your sister is different from before, but we can't deny that he is dangerous. He may be trying to get rid of her since she has returned alive."

Macaron raised one corner of his lips and smiled.

“It will be difficult.”

‘This tribe… they are overflowing with confidence.’ Calyx shook his head softly.

“…We don’t need to add to our troubles. We’ll be more vigilant now that Sister has remembered those things. There may be times when it will be difficult for us to act due to circumstances, so Sir Macaron, investigate this well. If you ever find out who it is, please let me know.”

“You’re entrusting this to me?”

“Please, it will be my pleasure!”

At Calyx's exclamation, Macaron giggled. Macaron rummaged through the paper bag, pulled out some more bread, and began to tear it apart.

“Well, basically, it’s none of my business whether the guy kills other humans or not. But, that…”

The ‘that’ Macaron was talking about was Rosaline, who was fitfully waking up at the smell of bread. Her hair was a mess, and her nose was sniffing the air. Macaron looked at her sweetly.

“I don’t have a lot…”

Rosaline reached out her hand for the loaf of fragrant bread. Macaron slapped her hand.

“Go clean yourself first and wash your hands!” The man shouted in a harsh voice. 

Rosaline seemed to know that the stranger was Macaron, even when she was not yet fully awake. Rosaline raised her body up to wash her face, following Macaron’s instructions.

Macaron, looking at her, turned his head to meet Calyx’s gaze. The man's eyes were savage like a beast.

“If you touch that, you won’t die an easy death.”

Although his tone was light, as if it was a joke, it was also chilly enough to make it creepy.

“But I think there’s one thing you don’t know, so I’ll tell you…”

“Sure.”

“Even if she’s a little too ditzy… She’s also a badass.”

Calyx became sullen that this guy crudely called someone else’s sister a ‘badass’. Macaron grinned and pinched Calyx’s cheek.

“It’s because her magic power is quite high. No one can easily beat her no matter where she goes, so rest assured.”

Calyx already knew that Rosaline was strong. But what Macaron meant now seemed to be a different story from that. 

“She has strangely powerful magic…” Macaron murmured.

“You mean she’s better than you?”

"No~”

‘Oh, is Macaron even stronger?’ As soon as Calyx thought that, Macaron laughed playfully.

“She has the greatest amount of magic power of all the things I’ve ever met, including myself.”

Calyx pondered over Macaron’s words. ‘Of all things with magic power, which one is the strongest?’ Not knowing anything, Calyx could only believe Macaron’s words…

Calyx looked at Rosaline, who had washed her sleepy face. Her eyes were puffy, and her hair was wild. Every time Macaron treats Rosaline like a blind child, Calyx shudders, but he also treats his sister like a child.

She only likes eating, pretty things, and playing. Calyx couldn't believe that she had such monstrously strong magic.

As Macaron weaved Rosaline’s hair into a single braid, Rosaline grabbed her cherries while Calyx ate the tasteless apple thrown by Macaron. Soon, Rosaline put a cherry in his mouth. It was sweet and delicious.