Episode 67. Chewing, Chewing Again
The lips clinging so earnestly to each other left him with a thirst, as if no amount of kissing would ever be enough.
Every time he initiated a kiss, Bercheria approached him first, and there was a unique satisfaction that came from it.
Lacrahan ran his fingers through her hair.
He loved the feeling of her soft blond hair enveloping his skin.
He pulled her small head closer, pressing her lips deep into his. Bercheria's scent always reminded Lacrahan of spring.
He had lived in the north, where winter was the only thing, but he had once followed his father to Der'Ansis.
On the other side of the wealthy empire was a beautiful country that preserved the four seasons.
Spring to summer, summer to fall, and fall to winter.
Just imagining the weather back then sometimes filled his heart with excitement.
It reminded him of the feeling of that soft, warm weather enveloping his skin.
Bercheria's scent resembled spring: the freshness of flowers blooming and the bursting fruit within.
It was a feeling he wanted to savor for a very long time, if only he could.
Lacrahan slowly pulled his lips away from hers. Bercheria, who had closed her eyes, lifted them, and dreamy golden eyes stared at him, half-closed.
Lacrahan brushed his thumb across her saliva-stained lips.
He didn't believe everything the book said, and that wasn't the only reason he was taking her to the border region.
"They say there's no rain in one village."
He didn’t want to disappoint Bercheria, but he didn’t want to hide the possibility just to make himself feel better.
“There’s a herb that can completely break down the drug and stabilize your powers. It’s just a possibility. I think we can look for the records when we get back to the castle after work is done.”
“Yes.”
The two of them started walking again.
They didn’t know who they would encounter in the forest.
A being they couldn’t even imagine.
The lips clinging so earnestly to each other left him with a thirst, as if no amount of kissing would ever be enough.
Every time he initiated a kiss, Bercheria approached him first, and there was a unique satisfaction that came from it.
Lacrahan ran his fingers through her hair.
He loved the feeling of her soft blond hair enveloping his skin.
He pulled her small head closer, pressing her lips deep into his. Bercheria's scent always reminded Lacrahan of spring.
He had lived in the north, where winter was the only thing, but he had once followed his father to Der'Ansis.
On the other side of the wealthy empire was a beautiful country that preserved the four seasons.
Spring to summer, summer to fall, and fall to winter.
Just imagining the weather back then sometimes filled his heart with excitement.
It reminded him of the feeling of that soft, warm weather enveloping his skin.
Bercheria's scent resembled spring: the freshness of flowers blooming and the bursting fruit within.
It was a feeling he wanted to savor for a very long time, if only he could.
Lacrahan slowly pulled his lips away from hers. Bercheria, who had closed her eyes, lifted them, and dreamy golden eyes stared at him, half-closed.
Lacrahan brushed his thumb across her saliva-stained lips.
He didn't believe everything the book said, and that wasn't the only reason he was taking her to the border region.
"They say there's no rain in one village."
"Only one village?"
"Yes. They say the people are suffering greatly because of the drought."
Bercheria had only heard stories of the north's recent prosperity, so she was puzzled.
"Why only that village?"
"I don't know. I think we'll get a feel for it when we go."
Lacrahan was determined to experience everything he could by accompanying Bercheria.
"Yes, let's go. We'll understand when we get there."
Bercheria, too, wanted to use Lacrahan as a guide and look after the people she had previously neglected.
If she went with him, all her merits would go to Lacrahan.
The two, each with their own goals, descended the tree and began walking toward the border region.
The Emperor's carriage entered Lacrahan's castle.
Following the carriage, Dylan's horses crossed the bridge that Lacrahan had set down.
"Huk, huk."
In the distance, Groovy was running late.
Groovy had usually traveled with Dylan's horse, but today, he didn't ride because he was herding wild dogs.
However, since the operation had failed, the dogs were all sent back to their respective places.
Meanwhile, the group had finished preparing and set off for Lacrahan's castle.
Surprised, Groovy belatedly followed them, but it was too difficult to keep pace with the carriage and the horse.
He thought he had eaten a lot of good food since leaving the dungeon, but it seemed his stamina couldn't keep up.
Still, he had to join the group, so he ran hard.
He had run and run to get here.
In the end, the door closed in front of him.
Groovy didn't even know how to ask for it to open again.
"Ugh, this is driving me crazy. What should I do?"
Groovy collapsed to the floor. He'd been using up a lot of mana since morning to keep the dogs busy, running around, and hadn't even had breakfast.
"Should I just wait for the door to open?"
The people who had gone in first hadn't even noticed Groovy's absence, as there was no reaction from inside.
Groovy collapsed to the floor.
He sat there with his legs dangling, dazed, when he heard a rustling sound behind him.
He turned around in surprise and saw one of the dogs that had been with him just moments ago baring its teeth at him.
Groovy growled.
Groovy let out a small snarl at the dog.
"Why did you chase me and growl at me? Why didn't you just not come?"
The dog, which had been growling, shut its mouth at Groovy's voice.
Then, it sat down on its butt and washed its hands.
"That's funny."
Groovy turned his head to the other side, gazing at the natural scenery visible from the castle.
Then, a sudden thought struck him, and he stood up without realizing it.
"But if I can't get in like this, doesn't that mean you don't need me?"
Honestly, that's what he was saying.
If people hadn't followed him this far, someone would have noticed and come out by now.
But no one was looking for Groovy.
"Hmm."
Groovy hesitated for a moment, then began walking slowly, very slowly, in the opposite direction.
Just in case someone from the castle appeared, they could catch him right away.
But no matter how long he walked, no one came looking for him.
Bercheria was walking through the forest with Lacrahan, as if taking a stroll.
Lacrahan wasn't a man of many words, so he was a great partner for gathering her thoughts and walking together. Bercheria felt the need to mentally organize everything that had happened so far.
Everything was so tangled up like a skein of thread; it seemed as if she just tied one knot, everything would unravel.
A special situation that hadn't even occurred in the memories of the Awakened.
Bercheria was now mulling over the Beloveye she had last encountered.
At the time, she was too flustered to think about it, but now that she looked, the Beloveye, with the head of a man and the body of a lizard, and Laurent's Owl had identical back and tail patterns.
Bercheria, who had been walking briskly, slowly came to a halt.
Having lived only in the tower, Bercheria, especially vulnerable to cute things, had shown extreme affection whenever she saw Owl.
Owl, in turn, had been particularly fond of Bercheria.
But what if that Owl was Beloveye?
“Huh?”
Bercheria frowned, and Lacrahan approached her again.
“Why?”
Bercheria shook her head.
“No.”
The story of Laurent and Dipper was too long to explain to Lacrahan.
If that were true, then Laurent and Beloveye had traveled to Periat long before.
Why?
She started moving again.
Even searching through the memories of the Awakened, there was almost no information about Beloveye or Dipper.
Their names would only come up accidentally in conversation with others.
She had no memory of contacting or conversing with them.
Since they governed completely different countries, perhaps it was natural that they wouldn’t meet.
But why were all the gods gathered in Periat now, and in the north at that?
Why?
What do they want to find out?
“Bercheria.”
Lost in thought, Bercheria didn’t hear Lacrahan.
“Bercheria. Wait!”
A sudden pull caused her vision to shift.
The scenery spun dizzyingly, stopping right in front of Lacrahan’s face.
“What’s wrong? You almost got in trouble.”
“...”
Bercheria scanned Lacrahan’s face with renewed interest.
His straight forehead was rounded without a hint of flatness, slightly neutralizing his fierce gaze. His sharp nose perfectly defined the center of his face, and his crimson lips, prettier than a woman’s, made them seem less human than they were.
Come to think of it, Lacrahan’s face was far too perfect to be considered human.
Why hadn’t she considered from the beginning that it was due to the blood of a god?
“Have you seen everything?”
“Yes?”
“I’m asking if you’ve fully appreciated my face.”
“Ah. Yes.”
Strictly speaking, Bercheria couldn’t be called a complete god.
She was an Awakened One, a being temporarily employed by a god.
Strictly speaking, a being like Beloveye, who cared for humans entirely on her own, without the need for an Awakened One, was much closer to the name of a god.
What would change if she went to the border village? What if she discovered Lacrahan was a god, and that determined her fate and the people she would meet in this life?
What if he had to part ways with Bercheria?
What if the Supreme God opposed her relationship with him?
If Lacrahan were a god, he might be incredibly precious to her.
She clenched her fist, holding the ring.
Just thinking about Lacrahan with another woman made her heart pound.
“Bercheria. Won’t you stop now and tell me why you’re doing this?”
Lacrahan endured the embarrassment of Bercheria’s stare.
Still, he knew he liked it, not hated it, so he endured it.
But the fact that she kept staring without answering was actually problematic.
“Then I’ll ask this time.”
“...?”
“What have you been thinking about all this time? Is something wrong?”
“No. It’s not like that...”
Lacrahan nodded at the path she had just walked.
There was a steep downhill slope there.
If she had even misstepped, it could have been a disaster.
The angle was dizzying even for Bercheria.
“It seems a bit harsh not to be able to see this, but were you thinking of another man?”
“Huh? There’s no way.”
“Then what are you really thinking about?”
Bercheria bit the flesh inside her mouth painfully.
“I still don’t get it. I just can’t quite wrap my head around all of this.”
“What? But wouldn’t it be better if we thought about it together?”
Bercheria eventually confessed to meeting Beloveye.
That he had been a lizard, then a lizard with a human head, and then eventually became human.
“The poison you ate was a potion made by a fire magician?”
“Yes.”
Lacrahan nodded, as if finally understanding.
“So that’s why I had a fever this morning.”
“Beloveye also talked about side effects.”
“I remember reading about it in the library. The person who first created the portal kept a diary of everything. I read it.”
“Ah.”
“Now I understand why my powers came back.”
Lacrahan was lost in thought.
“But Bercheria, if that’s true, your powers might be temporary.”
“Temporary?”
“Yes. As far as I know...”
"Yes. They say the people are suffering greatly because of the drought."
Bercheria had only heard stories of the north's recent prosperity, so she was puzzled.
"Why only that village?"
"I don't know. I think we'll get a feel for it when we go."
Lacrahan was determined to experience everything he could by accompanying Bercheria.
"Yes, let's go. We'll understand when we get there."
Bercheria, too, wanted to use Lacrahan as a guide and look after the people she had previously neglected.
If she went with him, all her merits would go to Lacrahan.
The two, each with their own goals, descended the tree and began walking toward the border region.
***
The Emperor's carriage entered Lacrahan's castle.
Following the carriage, Dylan's horses crossed the bridge that Lacrahan had set down.
"Huk, huk."
In the distance, Groovy was running late.
Groovy had usually traveled with Dylan's horse, but today, he didn't ride because he was herding wild dogs.
However, since the operation had failed, the dogs were all sent back to their respective places.
Meanwhile, the group had finished preparing and set off for Lacrahan's castle.
Surprised, Groovy belatedly followed them, but it was too difficult to keep pace with the carriage and the horse.
He thought he had eaten a lot of good food since leaving the dungeon, but it seemed his stamina couldn't keep up.
Still, he had to join the group, so he ran hard.
He had run and run to get here.
In the end, the door closed in front of him.
Groovy didn't even know how to ask for it to open again.
"Ugh, this is driving me crazy. What should I do?"
Groovy collapsed to the floor. He'd been using up a lot of mana since morning to keep the dogs busy, running around, and hadn't even had breakfast.
"Should I just wait for the door to open?"
The people who had gone in first hadn't even noticed Groovy's absence, as there was no reaction from inside.
Groovy collapsed to the floor.
He sat there with his legs dangling, dazed, when he heard a rustling sound behind him.
He turned around in surprise and saw one of the dogs that had been with him just moments ago baring its teeth at him.
Groovy growled.
Groovy let out a small snarl at the dog.
"Why did you chase me and growl at me? Why didn't you just not come?"
The dog, which had been growling, shut its mouth at Groovy's voice.
Then, it sat down on its butt and washed its hands.
"That's funny."
Groovy turned his head to the other side, gazing at the natural scenery visible from the castle.
Then, a sudden thought struck him, and he stood up without realizing it.
"But if I can't get in like this, doesn't that mean you don't need me?"
Honestly, that's what he was saying.
If people hadn't followed him this far, someone would have noticed and come out by now.
But no one was looking for Groovy.
"Hmm."
Groovy hesitated for a moment, then began walking slowly, very slowly, in the opposite direction.
Just in case someone from the castle appeared, they could catch him right away.
But no matter how long he walked, no one came looking for him.
***
Bercheria was walking through the forest with Lacrahan, as if taking a stroll.
Lacrahan wasn't a man of many words, so he was a great partner for gathering her thoughts and walking together. Bercheria felt the need to mentally organize everything that had happened so far.
Everything was so tangled up like a skein of thread; it seemed as if she just tied one knot, everything would unravel.
A special situation that hadn't even occurred in the memories of the Awakened.
Bercheria was now mulling over the Beloveye she had last encountered.
At the time, she was too flustered to think about it, but now that she looked, the Beloveye, with the head of a man and the body of a lizard, and Laurent's Owl had identical back and tail patterns.
Bercheria, who had been walking briskly, slowly came to a halt.
Having lived only in the tower, Bercheria, especially vulnerable to cute things, had shown extreme affection whenever she saw Owl.
Owl, in turn, had been particularly fond of Bercheria.
But what if that Owl was Beloveye?
“Huh?”
Bercheria frowned, and Lacrahan approached her again.
“Why?”
Bercheria shook her head.
“No.”
The story of Laurent and Dipper was too long to explain to Lacrahan.
If that were true, then Laurent and Beloveye had traveled to Periat long before.
Why?
She started moving again.
Even searching through the memories of the Awakened, there was almost no information about Beloveye or Dipper.
Their names would only come up accidentally in conversation with others.
She had no memory of contacting or conversing with them.
Since they governed completely different countries, perhaps it was natural that they wouldn’t meet.
But why were all the gods gathered in Periat now, and in the north at that?
Why?
What do they want to find out?
“Bercheria.”
Lost in thought, Bercheria didn’t hear Lacrahan.
“Bercheria. Wait!”
A sudden pull caused her vision to shift.
The scenery spun dizzyingly, stopping right in front of Lacrahan’s face.
“What’s wrong? You almost got in trouble.”
“...”
Bercheria scanned Lacrahan’s face with renewed interest.
His straight forehead was rounded without a hint of flatness, slightly neutralizing his fierce gaze. His sharp nose perfectly defined the center of his face, and his crimson lips, prettier than a woman’s, made them seem less human than they were.
Come to think of it, Lacrahan’s face was far too perfect to be considered human.
Why hadn’t she considered from the beginning that it was due to the blood of a god?
“Have you seen everything?”
“Yes?”
“I’m asking if you’ve fully appreciated my face.”
“Ah. Yes.”
Strictly speaking, Bercheria couldn’t be called a complete god.
She was an Awakened One, a being temporarily employed by a god.
Strictly speaking, a being like Beloveye, who cared for humans entirely on her own, without the need for an Awakened One, was much closer to the name of a god.
What would change if she went to the border village? What if she discovered Lacrahan was a god, and that determined her fate and the people she would meet in this life?
What if he had to part ways with Bercheria?
What if the Supreme God opposed her relationship with him?
If Lacrahan were a god, he might be incredibly precious to her.
She clenched her fist, holding the ring.
Just thinking about Lacrahan with another woman made her heart pound.
“Bercheria. Won’t you stop now and tell me why you’re doing this?”
Lacrahan endured the embarrassment of Bercheria’s stare.
Still, he knew he liked it, not hated it, so he endured it.
But the fact that she kept staring without answering was actually problematic.
“Then I’ll ask this time.”
“...?”
“What have you been thinking about all this time? Is something wrong?”
“No. It’s not like that...”
Lacrahan nodded at the path she had just walked.
There was a steep downhill slope there.
If she had even misstepped, it could have been a disaster.
The angle was dizzying even for Bercheria.
“It seems a bit harsh not to be able to see this, but were you thinking of another man?”
“Huh? There’s no way.”
“Then what are you really thinking about?”
Bercheria bit the flesh inside her mouth painfully.
“I still don’t get it. I just can’t quite wrap my head around all of this.”
“What? But wouldn’t it be better if we thought about it together?”
Bercheria eventually confessed to meeting Beloveye.
That he had been a lizard, then a lizard with a human head, and then eventually became human.
“The poison you ate was a potion made by a fire magician?”
“Yes.”
Lacrahan nodded, as if finally understanding.
“So that’s why I had a fever this morning.”
“Beloveye also talked about side effects.”
“I remember reading about it in the library. The person who first created the portal kept a diary of everything. I read it.”
“Ah.”
“Now I understand why my powers came back.”
Lacrahan was lost in thought.
“But Bercheria, if that’s true, your powers might be temporary.”
“Temporary?”
“Yes. As far as I know...”
He didn’t want to disappoint Bercheria, but he didn’t want to hide the possibility just to make himself feel better.
“There’s a herb that can completely break down the drug and stabilize your powers. It’s just a possibility. I think we can look for the records when we get back to the castle after work is done.”
“Yes.”
The two of them started walking again.
They didn’t know who they would encounter in the forest.
A being they couldn’t even imagine.
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