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Translated By Arcane Translations
Translator: Ruby
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“What kind of relationship do you have with the person who just left?”
She was probably asking about Bell.
Among the current party members, Bell was the only human.
“Bell, an inspector. A colleague.”
“I see.”
Selene continued speaking.
Woooong…
While focusing on engraving [Seal of Flash] onto Yuma.
“What kind of place is the Middle Realm?”
“It’s not much different from the Demon Realm. Various human groups and different non-humans living together.”
“Oh, is there harmony? In the Demon Realm, there are only demon tribes and demon beasts, yet wars break out every day.”
“The Middle Realm is the same. Humans fight among themselves to take each other’s territories. Wars between different races occur quite frequently too.”
“Hmm, I always wanted to visit before I died. Is my fantasy slowly shattering?”
Selene’s tone was becoming gentler than before.
Though Selene herself didn’t realize it, Yuma could clearly notice the change while listening.
“If you can come, visit someday. If you come down to the Astes Empire before I die, I could treat you as a state guest.”
Selene smiled faintly at Yuma’s words.
“Thank you… though the chances of me actually going seem non-existent.”
Selene continued the engraving process while speaking.
“The Demon King Berzet wasn’t as cruel as I expected. He never really showed clear cruelty like beating people or killing a few family members as examples.”
Yuma quietly listened to Selene’s words.
“He was cruel in a different way. He forced non-awakened members who weren’t Seal bloodline awakeners to marry people belonging to his Demon King’s castle. It was called marriage, but everything was forced. The fact that all his subordinates drew their swords and created a menacing atmosphere meant that if we didn’t follow his proposal, he would behead all family members.”
Berzet didn’t choose to rule through physical pain.
Mental pain.
He created situations where people had no choice but to be ruled, and simply made them submit to those situations.
“As part of that, I was monitored every day, but I never experienced violence. They monitored me with numerous personnel, but when I entered this house, they wouldn’t come in. They were creating a breathing space for me. So I wouldn’t die. A breathing space to properly perform my duty of Sealing. But still… hell is still hell.”
“Hobby.”
“Pardon?”
“Do you have a hobby?”
At Yuma’s question, Selene pursed her light pink lips for a moment, then spoke.
“Drawing.”
“Drawing?”
“All those notebooks on the bookshelf are filled with drawings.”
Yuma raised his head slightly, just enough to move without shifting his body.
He could see numerous notebooks on the bookshelf.
And on top of that bookshelf, he noticed a few chess pieces.
They appeared to be the queen and king.
“Do you play chess too?”
Selene slowly nodded.
“I used to play chess quite often with my father. Recently… I haven’t played. I have no opponent.”
Yuma had already felt a faint sense of familiarity with Selene.
Because she had the same name and appearance as the Selene he had seen in the game Loop Blood.
And now that familiarity had deepened a bit more.
Drawing and chess.
These were among the few hobbies he had enjoyed in the world he lived in before being summoned to this world.
Yuma slowly opened his mouth.
“You said the quickest manifestation time for the Seal ability is 3 hours?”
“Yes… before our family was dominated by Berzet. When I received the Seal from my father, it manifested in just 3 hours. It always manifested in that amount of time when I Sealed people within the family. In other cases, it usually took a week. Sometimes it took as long as a month if it was prolonged.”
Yuma thought for a moment.
It was awkward to leave immediately after receiving the Seal anyway. It was already quite dark.
It was better to move when the blood-red sun rose.
It didn’t seem bad to stay here for 3 more hours to observe the manifestation of the Seal awakening.
Although the possibility of experiencing the minimum awakening time, which seemed to apply only to family members, didn’t seem very high.
“I’m done.”
With those words, Selene removed her right hand from Yuma’s back.
It seemed the bestowal of Seal of Flash was complete.
‘Judging by the fact that no status window appeared.’ The Seal’s ability hadn’t manifested yet.
Yuma wasn’t particularly concerned.
He had already heard from Selene that the manifestation would be a bit delayed.
Yuma faced Selene who was looking at him.
“I’d like to see some drawings.”
“…Drawings?”
“Yes.”
Selene, who hadn’t shown her drawings to anyone for several hundred years, got up with a subtle expression, picked up a notebook, and walked over to Yuma.
Yuma understood well.
His own feelings.
While there was definitely a purpose in waiting for the Seal to manifest, fundamentally this was just terribly impolite meddling.
It was merely miserable sympathy.
The misguided meddling of wanting to comfort Selene’s worn-out heart even just a little.
“What do you think?”
Selene opened the drawing notebook and asked shyly.
Yuma carefully looked at the drawing Selene showed him.
The drawing depicted the blood-red scenery of the Demon Realm.
The characteristic deep red sky of the Demon Realm.
And the black sun setting in the center of that sky.
Pure white stars were shining around that black sun.
Bats and birds gliding along the ridges of mountains.
It was a terribly dark yet beautiful drawing.
“Bats and birds, even with perspective expressed.”
At Yuma’s words, Selene’s eyes widened.
“That’s right.”
What’s needed for praise is detail.
“You’ve used various shades of red here too.”
Not simply saying it was well-drawn.
“Yes…! Do you draw by any chance?”
He knew that well because he was someone who drew pictures himself.
Yuma picked up a pen and drew a sketch.
The picture Yuma drew was of the Middle Realm.
Specifically, it was the Glory Crossroads where Brigette had been appointed as emperor.
The capital of the Astes Empire.
And at the center of that capital.
At the Glory Crossroads, four different views converged in one place.
To the east was a structure of sophisticated style.
To the west was a garden filled with numerous flowers.
To the south was a fountain.
To the north was a huge bridge.
It was named the Glory Crossroads because one could see the greatness of the empire in one place.
Swish…
After completing the sketch, Yuma picked up a brush.
He dipped the brush in paint and began coloring.
Yuma picked up another brush and handed it to Selene.
“Let’s color it together.”
Selene’s eyes sparkled at Yuma’s words.
“Is that okay? But I don’t know any of the colors of this place.”
Yuma smiled faintly.
“Don’t you know? Color itself isn’t that important when coloring.”
Yuma pointed to Selene’s drawing with his right hand.
It was Selene who had given beautiful colors to the terribly dark landscape of the Demon Realm.
“That’s true.”
Selene smiled brightly and colored the Glory Crossroads that Yuma had drawn.
Side by side.
That’s how the two completed one whole picture.
“It’s pretty.”
Selene said after painting the blue sky last.
Yuma and Selene played chess second.
Tak— Selene couldn’t help but smile.
“Unlike drawing, you seem to be a beginner at chess?”
“…You just seem to be good at it.”
Yuma surrendered to the move that cut off his breathing in one go.
Selene continued smiling as she organized the chess board.
“-You should arrange it like this, Selene”.
The memory of her father, which she had forgotten for a very long time, came to mind.
Right after Selene placed the organized chess board on the table.
A silver light flowed from Yuma’s back. Words appeared before Yuma’s eyes.
The teleportation ability was completely engraved on Yuma’s body.
“Already… the Seal…”
Selene, who realized the Seal had manifested from the light spreading like a halo from Yuma’s back, widened her eyes.
Only now did Selene recall what her father had said about the Seal manifestation time.
“-The quick manifestation time of Seals on family members isn’t because they are family members. -It’s because the empathy between the caster and the target is high. Because they are family.”
“Seems like I’m lucky, the Seal appears to have been properly engraved.”
Step Yuma approached Selene, who was sitting still with a blank expression.
“If we kill Berzet, it will surely free you, Selene, and your entire family… right?”
Selene slowly nodded.
“Yes, that’s correct.”
Yuma nodded once.
“Take a rest for now. I’ll go talk to the people outside for a bit.”
“Okay.”
Yuma left the house.
“…”
Selene, left alone, looked at the drawing notebook that was still open.
It was the picture of the Glory Crossroads they had drawn together.
“Father.”
Selene looked out the window.
“It seems like our family might be free again. This must be it.”
After staring at the picture for a long time, Selene slowly closed the drawing notebook.
