Still, it was a question she asked with great care, but Kyrie answered Iris with an impudent expression.
“I am merely pruning it as the guardian of the World Tree. And since I represent the will of the World Tree, who would dare to speak against my actions?”
“…..”
At this point, the existence of the World Tree only deepened the doubts about why such a mad elf had been chosen as its guardian. However, it wasn’t a bad development for Iris, so she sighed softly and thanked Kyrie.
“Thank you. I will never forget this favor, Kyrie el Denaris.”
At Iris’s thanks, Kyrie merely sneered and snorted.
“Don’t get me wrong, Iris. I’m not helping you because you’re pretty. I just want you to remember that I helped you for her.”
Kyrie said this while glancing at Aria, who was holding the branch of the World Tree as if it were a treasure.
Certainly, they weren’t on terms close enough for such a thing.
“…Kyrie, there is one last thing I want to ask you. Can you answer me?”
“If it’s a question I can answer.”
When Kyrie nodded once in agreement, Iris slowly opened her mouth to ask the question.
“After returning to the past, why did you remain here? People like Ariel Thier and Bianca del Castana did all kinds of tricks to see Cain’s face, but you, who claim to be his true companion, just stay calm. I wonder what the reason is.”
To Iris’s question, Kyrie responded with an incomprehensible expression.
“It is to prepare for winter.”
“…Winter?”
“When everyone is drunk on the faint nostalgia of spring, someone has to prepare for winter. Especially…”
Kyrie glanced at Aria standing in the distance and muttered in a low voice.
“If you don’t want to repeat the terrible tragedy that will happen 10 years in the future, that’s the case.”
***
[Cain POV]
Before I realized it, a month and ten days had passed since I started living with Bianca in this earthly paradise. Counting the days, it would have been about 40. During that time, I managed to lead a truly adequate life.
Certainly, although the meals were bland and tasteless, they arrived on time. Warm water was provided by Bianca, and a cozy, comfortable bed awaited me each night.
I sat quietly, staring at the sun sinking below the horizon, musing that if I continued like this for a year, I would become utterly useless. I scoured my surroundings so intently that my eyes nearly fell out, hoping to spot even a single crack in the space around me.
But there was nothing—only silence and peace.
In short, I was eating luxurious meals and living in idleness every day.
“…Really, you’re late. At this rate, I’ll be an old man before anything happens.”
I had held onto hope until the very last moment, but reality had turned out to be starkly different from any novel. No timely savior had appeared. All I had were my bare fists, stained red with blood.
“If I’d known this was going to happen, I wouldn’t have brought up the word honeymoon.”
Carrying this lesson deep in my heart—that overcomplicated settings can backfire—I walked toward the cabin.
Kiik—
“Heh, hehe.”
As I opened the door and stepped inside, I saw Bianca sitting in a rocking chair near the fireplace, engrossed in her knitting. Recently, she had been battling thread and needles, working on a scarf for me. Winter was still far off, but she remained deeply focused on her task.
‘…Well, if it makes her happy, so be it.’
With that thought, I pulled up a nearby chair and sat down beside her. Today, I had resolved to have an honest conversation with Bianca.
“…Yes? Cain, you’re back? Did you have a good walk? You’ve returned early today, haven’t you?”
Bianca no longer followed me like a puppy on my walks, perhaps because she had calmed down of late.
“Yeah, I’ve walked enough for today. Bianca, there’s something I want to talk about.”
“…Talk to me? About what?”
Bianca tilted her head slightly, her curious expression endearing.
As I looked at her, I found myself thinking how lovely she was. Why did I feel this way about Bianca? Was it lingering affection? Or had she truly started to occupy a place in my heart?
“Bianca, how have you been feeling lately?”
“How have I been feeling? What do you mean?”
Bianca blinked in confusion, not understanding my question.
Gently, I brushed her hair to the side and rephrased, “So, have you been happy with me lately?”
At my words, Bianca’s face flushed slightly. She looked like the moon retreating behind clouds out of shyness.
“…Yes. Happy. So happy that I sometimes wonder if I deserve it.”
Hearing her dreamy, content response, I let out a quiet sigh of relief.
“…I see. That’s really good, Bianca.”
I had wished for her happiness, even in fleeting moments. I prayed that the terrible misfortunes I had caused her over the years could be washed away in this way.
“But… why are you suddenly asking such a thing, Cain?”
Bianca’s innocent curiosity tugged at my heart. Once again, I gently brushed her hair, feeling a pang of guilt. Everything was my fault. If this kind, tragic woman had made any mistakes, it was only in loving a foolish man like me.
This make-believe happiness had to end here. Beyond this point, Bianca might begin desiring more than the simple joy she had found. And if that happened, her suffering would only grow.
After all, dreams were beautiful only as long as they remained dreams.
“Bianca, I have one more question for you.”
“…Hmm? What is it?”
And with that, I cast a spell to break us out of this dreamlike illusion.
“It was a lie to say that we were lovers, wasn’t it?”
Get More Chapters on Patreon: From now on, FSM Level 2 will become the CN WN Bundle. The price will remain the same which is $10. Also, the price for the KR WN Bundle will also be decreased to $10 to match this bundle.
With this I have gotten rid of the level system. The reason I am doing this, is because I plan to add more chapters to the $5 Patron tiers. Currently the readers get 2 advance chapters when they become a $5 Patron, but I want to increase the chapters they get to at least 5 chapters and more. So the current updated tier system will work like this:
The Individual Tiers ($5) will give you access to 5 chapters or more.
The Bundle Tiers ($10) will give you access to all the chapters of CN or KR webnovels.
The Supreme Patron ($30) will give you access to all the webnovel chapters on Goblinslate.