15 – Lone Wolf (3)

It’s a late night when only the sound of bugs echoes.

Ner was looking up at the moon through the window.

The moon was a means to talk to the man in the grandmother’s prophecy, but also a means to stabilize Ner.

It was natural because I had a habit of always organizing Haru’s mind by looking at the moon.

Also, even if you don’t speak, if you look at the shining moon in a quiet peace, you will be fascinated by its beauty and will be able to throw away all miscellaneous thoughts.

It was like that even now.

I forgot about the marriage that would tear me away from my fateful partner, and I could feel peace.

Is it because I cried for several days? No more tears came out.

Blinking slowly in a daze, I looked up at the moon alone.

– Smart smart.

At that moment, her quiet knocking awakens her from her thoughts.

A door that does not open straight away, unlike the one her brother, Gidin, did during the day.

There have been few such cautious approaches.

With that alone, I could immediately tell who the opponent was.

“…Come in.”

Ner said without taking his eyes off the moon.

The door opens soon.

The calm, heavy footsteps enter the room.

“…What is it?”

Ner asked without looking back.

“…Have you calmed down?”

Ner’s father, Gibson, asked.

“…”

Ner did not answer.

There is silence for a while.

Gibson walked slowly and took a seat next to Nere, who was sitting on the bed.

For Ner, his father’s behavior was quite unfamiliar.

The distance between the two was not like this.

“…”

Ner could not say that he had calmed down even with empty words.

If you take your eyes off the moon, you might shed tears again.

I’ve been waiting for my side all my life, but even that dream has collapsed.

“Ner. Take a look here.”

Ner blinked, took a deep breath, and turned his head.

I could see my father’s stern expression, which could only be described as cold.

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He always looked at himself like that.

I didn’t show it, but it was a different look from when I saw my older sisters or older brothers.

There was always a resentment toward Ner who took the life of Shilin Blackwood, his companion.

Ner could read that subtle difference.

I’ve gotten used to it by now.

Even so, there were times when I was envious when I saw those eyes.

Ner also thought that someday he would like to fall in love like that.

To the extent that I resent a child born with my own blood, how deeply I loved my partner.

Ner, who had never tasted that emotion, was always puzzled.

She is said to have longed for her destined partner while gazing at the moon for a long time, but she has never felt her love for someone she has not met for granted.

“The wedding will be held in two days.”

Gibson said slowly.

“…”

“…Now I have to prepare. The meal with the other party is ready tomorrow. I can’t just cry like today.”

As he realized that the inevitable reality was gradually approaching, Ner’s heart fluttered again.

As a result, words that seemed impossible for her to say came naturally.

“…Why me?”

“…”

“Father, why me?”

There are older sisters who are not married, so why should they be themselves?

Actually, it wasn’t Nere who didn’t know why.

But I wanted to hear what came out of his mouth.

I wanted you to spit out at least some excuse.

“…It is a sacrifice for the territory, Ner.”

Gibson Blackwood turned around.

Ner was not surprised by that fact. It wasn’t even that it wasn’t painful.

Strength and pulse are released in an instant.

I want to give up everything.

Suddenly, Ner wondered why he had to be so unhappy.

It felt like I was born with countless curses on my back.

I didn’t receive mother’s love, father’s love, or brothers’ love.

The only kindness she ever received was the love of her departed grandmother, the kindness of her attendants, and the courtesy of the other nobles she met at her tea party.

Wanting to form a group, she always had to feel lonely.

I wondered if maybe her grandmother had lied.

The opponent of fate may not exist.

It may have been her grandmother’s mercy for her, who had nothing but to do with her misfortune.

Because if you have a dream, you can look to the future.

Of course, even that has disappeared recently.

Ner carefully grabbed Gibson’s arm.

It’s been a while since I felt like I was getting in touch with my father.

Tears that seemed dry flowed from Ner’s eyes again.

“…Father…”

“…”

“I…I don’t really want to…Huh…Please…”

“…”

“You’ve never begged me like this… Please…”

Gibson’s expression gradually darkened.

He didn’t change his words.

“…Sorry.”

Just handing over an apology.

Ner finally killed his emotions.

The tears gradually stopped. With a dazed face, she lets go of her father’s arm.

Then she turned her head back to her window and looked at her moon.

“Please leave.”

Ner notified me. But Gibson did not move for a long time.

Ner came as a small consolation that her father had a slight sense of guilt toward her.

She changed her mind and wanted to eat.

Someone had to sacrifice. That he, who had nothing to be happy with, would have to take on all the bad luck.

“…Ner.”

In an instant, Gibson grabbed Nere’s arm.

Ner was slightly surprised by the unfamiliar touch.

A long sigh escaped Gibson’s mouth.

He pondered for a while, then whispered quietly in a low voice.

“…If you’ve ever felt that this father doesn’t love you…It’s a misunderstanding.”

“…”

“It’s just… It hurt more than that, so I couldn’t show it for a while.”

“…”

“The seeds made with Shilin…How could I hate them…”

Ner felt mixed emotions when he heard those words.

A few days ago, this father’s confession would have been moving.

But now, it seemed like nothing more than an excuse.

“…So what I’m saying from now on is a secret.”

But at Gibson’s next words, the atmosphere suddenly changes.

Change comes from his father’s hand holding his arm.

“It’s a throwaway of honor… But for the sake of the children…”

“…Father?”

Ner, who was looking at the moon, turned to Gibson.

He whispered.

“Can you accept…Betrayal…?”

“……Yes……?”

The moment he heard Ner, he doubted his ears.

“…Find the information that can destroy the Red Flame Team. As the vice-captain’s wife, you will be able to access such information someday.”

At first glance, you could tell what Gibson was thinking.

“…We are in a situation where we just need to put an end to our complaints. The war with the demon king will end soon. If we get over this last hurdle, we can gradually regain the power of the past. Not only us, but many other nobles as well.”

“…Ah…Father…”

“Of course, the position of the mercenaries will decrease accordingly. Knowing this fact, the red yeomdan is also taking you. They too are looking for a way to live. Carry us on their backs.”

“…”

“Keep quiet until the war is over. Just wait until Blackwood builds his strength again. Afterwards, if you find the weakness of the red flames and send me the information… I’ll do anything. Whether it is to destroy the Red Flames with another mercenary group, or join forces with other families to disintegrate and eliminate it… I will defeat it somehow and come to rescue you.”

A serious father’s proposal.

For the first time, Ner felt as if his own voice had reached him.

The emotions I tried to suppress run rampant again.

Even if it gets ugly, I ask you one more time.

“…Really…Is there no way not to get married…?”

“…”

Gibson showed no reaction.

Marriage was now inevitable.

With tears in his eyes, Ner asks about his next best solution.

“…Huh…Really…Will you save me later…?”

Ner’s voice was sinking, and he had no choice but to hold on to the rope. There was no other way.

Gibson slowly hugged Nere’s head.

It was the first time Ner felt the warmth of his father.

“…To say I’m sorry for making you go through this is sincere. I didn’t want to… Sell you.”

Even though he was emotional, Ner pointed out a problem that still won’t change.

There was a way out and hope was born, but there were also things that didn’t change.

“……Meanwhile, how about my chastity?”

“……”

“Huh… Father… My dignity…?”

Even if somehow things worked out and she escaped the Red Flames, her virginity would not return.

I couldn’t have hoped for that from a savage, lustful human race.

During the war’s end, while Blackwood regained his powers, it was clear that he would be humiliated as he himself would be.

Can the person you are destined to meet one day accept that you are not innocent?

Ner was not confident.

“…Trick me somehow. They can’t treat you badly either. The moment you go wrong there, all of Blackwood’s allies are enemies, that is, the nobles… I will respect your opinion.”

“How do you know that? The opponent…Is a human…”

Gibson did not answer.

Nerdo’s answer was enough.

It was time to prepare the mind.

Ner squeezed through his tears and asked for concrete information.

“…Huh…When…How long do we have to wait?”

“One year…Or two years…”

“When the time comes… Will you let me know that you are ready?”

Even in the midst of this, Nere doubted Gibson’s words. Maybe it was a lie to make him obedient and abandon him.

“Of course. I promise you on your mother’s honor.”

But there was no lie in Gibson’s promise.

“…Uhhhhh…”

Ner wept at his father’s side as he promised his sure end.

Gibson continued patting Ner and explained.

“But more than anything… I hope you find happiness there. That way no one gets hurt…”

Ner shook his head.

“My opponent…My opponent…Isn’t that kind of mercenary…”

Even if you look at just one thing, the deputy leader of the Red Flame Team was not the opponent of his destiny.

He wasn’t a nobleman.

Gibson seemed to reassure himself at Nere’s answer.

“…Then find out the information.”

Ner lost all his strength.

It was the moment when she finally accepted her marriage.

If it was a hell that would end someday, I was thinking of enduring it this time too.

Her grandmother said her destiny opponent cherishes herself.

Even if she met him without her virginity, she would definitely, she would treat him with respect… She would believe.

She had no choice but to believe her grandmother’s prophecy once again and persevere.

Once again she had no choice but to believe in the prophecy and put up with it.

Anyway, she was used to waiting.

****

“Berg. Can we become nobles too?”

Deep in the night.

I was looking at the moon in the room I was shown to.

He passed the light liquor the members brought down his throat, and this time he matched Adam hyung’s sudden words.

“Why all of a sudden?”

He spreads his arms and points around.

“This kind of life is good.”

A huge mansion that doubles as our home.

Adam continued to look around the room overflowing with sophistication.

I shook my head and asked again.

“…So, why?”

The question about nobility probably wasn’t because of a good house.

Having known Adam for a long time, that was clear.

Brother Adam, who was hit hard, sighed, clicked his tongue, and whispered.

“…No. Looking around the Blackwood estate…Everyone looks happy.”

“You look happy. He called us because he was about to die.”

“The soldiers are dead, not their families.”

“…So what does that have to do with us becoming nobles?”

“I wonder if we can live a stable life if we have our own strength.”

“…”

“All of the Red Flames are good… But they are mercenaries, so there are too many people dying.”

“…”

Compared to other mercenaries, the number of casualties was very low… But as sticky as it was, the death of one person was a great shock.

I sympathized with his words a hundred times.

I continued to listen to Adam’s words.

“It would be nice if we had a land that we could rule over.”

I snorted.

Within my ridicule, there was also respect for him. He always seems to think only of the members.

“Since I am not a noble, I have no land. I can’t even farm. That’s why you keep working as a mercenary like this.”

“Sounds like you want to live on a farm one day, right?”

“If you can, that’s the best, Berg. I said, but when the war is over, we have to find a new way out.”

I sensed the sincerity of his words.

I didn’t spit out any jokes I was about to throw, nor any insincere replies.

Instead, I give the best answer I can squeeze out of my stiff head.

“…My brother should marry a nobleman, so maybe there will be hope.”

“Don’t do that, dude. Even if you are lucky enough to become a nobleman like that, you won’t get land.”

“Then what should I do?”

Brother Adam shrugs his shoulders.

“I don’t know, me too. I just want to be reborn.”

I was seriously thinking about it, but I couldn’t stand it and laughed at my older brother who was talking nonsense.

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