Carriage Driver (3)

In the southwest of Zelver, an unmoving mass of dark clouds hovered.

The ceaseless flickering of purple lightning brightened the color of the clouds.

Beneath the clouds was a hellish land, the ground rapidly and relentlessly lashed by numerous thunderbolts. If observed from a distance, one could appreciate the streaks of purple lightning perpetually etched into the sky.

The cloud was a nest born of the Thunderbird's immense mana.

A long time ago, the Great Witch of Heaven's Wrath had made her way through that endless thunderstorm in search of the Thunderbird. She had then proposed it to become her familiar and traverse the world alongside her. What an interesting woman, the Thunderbird had thought.

They embarked on a long journey together.

But in the end, the Thunderbird fell victim to a curse from Evil Dragon Orchis, a black dragon formed of rotting human corpses.

To suppress the extreme destructive impulses inflicted by the curse, the Thunderbird had engaged in a fierce internal battle that felt as though his very existence was being shredded.

If it hadn't been for the constant suppression of the Thunderbird with an immense amount of lightning mana by his new master, Luce Eltania, he would not have been able to keep fighting for years.

And while the Thunderbird was able to regain his freedom thanks to Isaac, his fight… had not yet ended.

"You still can't remember your fight against Greung. Wasn't it Isaac?"

Within the Märchen Academy's top dormitory, Charles Hall, a question had been repeatedly asked for weeks.

The source of said question, Luce Eltania, asked with a voice as smooth as moonlight. She was a female student with long, rose-gold hair cascading down her shoulders.

Luce was sitting in front of a mirror, adorned with a lilac butterfly-shaped hair ornament. Her silky and elegant hair was well maintained, and her makeup was impeccable.

It was thanks to the Eltania family's maid that had been sent to assist her in the academy.

Her refusal to open her heart to others, not even her maids, had created clear boundaries in the relationship between the two. Perhaps it could be said that she was extremely 'professional'.

Perched on the mirror was a small crow-shaped familiar. It was her 8-star familiar, Thunderbird Galia, who was currently in a compressed form.

Luce was a level 150 prodigy that possessed an exceptional innate mana capacity, so Galia was perfectly attuned to her.

After successfully summoning Galia in front of the academy's staff and attuning herself to his senses, she was able to shrink Galia without much trial and error.

[Ahem…]

His sweat wasn't visible to the naked eye due to his black body, but Galia continued to perspire without pause.

After being liberated from the curse, Galia had reunited with Luce and shared untold stories about their respective journeys. Laughing together, they felt a heartwarming emotion deep in their hearts.

Galia's current dilemma was caused by their conversation, specifically, the one about Greung.

[No matter how many times you ask me… I can't remember.]

The deep voice of Galia repeated the same answer he had given for weeks.

There was an obvious reason for Isaac to hide his true identity, and he was his benefactor.

Thus, Galia believed it necessary to prevent any issues from arising.

Even if Luce commanded him, saying, 'confess everything you know', Galia planned to endure the pain that came with disobeying a direct order. It would hurt like hell, but for the one who had liberated him from that damned curse, he would endure it.

Still, she had never given Galia a direct order, only making requests or asking questions. Should he be thankful?

Truthfully, it saddened him that Luce was suffering because of the Greung incident, as she was quite a precious existence to him.

[What will you do if Isaac and Greung are one and the same?]

Galia asked her the question he had been harboring within himself.

"…"

Luce lowered her aquamarine eyes.

Her cheeks flushed while the corners of her lips trembled slightly. It was a stark contrast to her usual poker face.

"I'm always ready to confess. No matter how I think about it, I can only see Isaac as Greung… so I hope there will be convincing evidence soon."

Luce's feelings for Isaac were wavering between friendship and love.

She was almost certain that he was Greung, but because it hadn't been fully proven, she forcibly suppressed the emotions welling within her.

What is friendship?

Her current emotions were so tangled and complex that she couldn't even give a proper response to that question, leaving her immensely troubled.

Galia wanted to support his master's love, and to happily watch Luce date the man she liked.

He felt like all of the emotional restraints binding her would unravel if he simply said 'Isaac is Greung'.

However, the sense of duty to his benefactor was like a shackle gripping his ankle, refusing to let go. If Isaac had wanted to reveal his identity to Luce, he would have done so himself.

[Hmm…]

"…You really don't remember anything, right?"

[No matter how many times you ask, my answer is the same.]

Galia's cold sweat seemed never-ending as he languished in his deep inner conflict.

The fierce internal battle within pushed him to the brink.

With a somber expression, Luce let out a quiet sigh.

[Are you going to see Isaac?]

"He's been busy with his work lately, so now isn't a good time… I might be able to meet him at the training grounds in the evening, though."

[…]

"…Should I go see him now?"

[Didn't you just say that now wasn't a good time?]

"What else am I supposed to do? I can't take it anymore, I…"

As the holidays approached, Luce was glad that she could spend more time with Isaac, but due to his work, their time together had noticeably diminished.

She had managed to hold on until now, but her patience was at its limits.

"I've already had a taste of being his friend. So I can't turn back now…"

Her manner of speaking was rather depraved, but the wholesome nature of her statement made Galia feel all the more uncomfortable.

* * *

The Lightning Sovereign, that damned dine and dasher, returned home after discussing investment with Principal Elena at the Bartos Hall.

I still wondered why he came in person, but because it wasn't to provide aid to the demons or hinder me, I decided not to complicate things by overthinking it.

If something unexpected occurred in the future, I would withhold judgment and use this incident as a puzzle piece to deduce the cause.

On a side note, I felt more relief than anger when the Lightning Sovereign left my carriage.

From the start, he had come to find me because I had used [Clairvoyance], so if the payment he had skimped on was in exchange for my life, it felt like I had benefited.

…Am I just being a pushover?

Regardless, I was glad that everything went smoothly… If he had just flicked his finger, I would've been on my way to the afterlife.

"…?"

Today, I was once again working as a carriage driver.

While passing through a stone road, I noticed a girl by the roadside extending her arm towards me as if she was hitchhiking.

Was it to conceal her identity? She was covering her hair with the hood of her robe and perception-distorting glasses to obscure her face, but I could clearly tell that it was Luce.

[Luce Eltania] Lv: 150

Race: Human

Elements: Water, Lightning

Danger: X

Psychology: [Wants to be with you.]

It didn't take me long to guess why she hid her identity.

She knew that I was currently working as a carriage driver, as I had told her when we were chatting the other day.

So on this occasion, she had wanted to spend more time with me by becoming my customer.

However, she might have been worried that I would be burdened if she used the carriage and paid me, choosing to hide her identity instead.

'How admirable.'

It was difficult for me to ignore her feelings, so I decided that I should give her a ride.

Naturally, I would still take payment. Maybe I would give her a 10% friend discount.

Parking the carriage, I invited Luce inside. Hearing my greeting, she silently nodded.

"Where to?"

"Anywhere… I can get an ocean view."

I tried my best to work with her, but I wished she would have come up with a more concrete plan, and not be so vague about her destination.

"Um, customer. You need to be more specific about which ocean you would like to see…"

"Just anywhere I can see the ocean."

"…Then we'll head to the Castri coast."

As she only repeated her previous answer, I responded with a location I vaguely remembered and started driving the carriage.

Luce snuck a glance at me.

[Luce Eltania] Psychology: [Thrilled that she has successfully hidden her identity from you.]

Due to her perception-distorting glasses, her face was blurred. However, I could still catch glimpses of her mouth twitching.

Soon after, water mana condensed in the air.

[My master! You've completely succeeded in fooling Isaac!]

Bello, the little orca, cried out in joy.

But was immediately unsummoned.

[Luce Eltania] Psychology: [Currently feeling despair for failing to hide her identity.]

…I should have pretended that I didn't hear that.

Bello's appearance was far too obvious to continue acting unaware. As if I had only just realized her identity, I quietly called out her name.

"Luce?"

"…Ugh."

With a slight whimper, she took off her perception-distorting glasses and pulled down her hood.

I could see Luce's rose gold-hair gracefully cascading down her shoulders. Bowing her head, she covered her face with her hands, exuding an air of despondence.

...

"We've arrived~"

We were heading to the Akins sea.

It was at the Castri coast where Luce had summoned Galia in front of the academy staff. The grains of sand and golden sea were shimmering beautifully from the setting sun.

In an attempt to cheer her up, I told her all sorts of stories.

Fortunately, she was happy just being with me, as she quickly perked up and became cheerful. We had fun talking together.

Along the way, Bello, her small orca familiar, reappeared and joined the conversation. As Eden continued responding with 'Kyuu', the cute familiars added to the pleasant atmosphere while I drove the carriage.

My entire body felt stiff after operating the carriage with mana all day, so I decided to rest at the shore for a while.

We had come at a good time, the setting sun was casting vermilion rays across the earth.

Luce and I, accompanied by our familiars, slowly walked along the sandy beach as we enjoyed the sea breeze.

The familiars were giggling as they played together. Somehow, it had turned into a wrestling match, and the stronger Bello was dominating Eden.

Try winning for a change, Eden.

Luce's fluttering rose-gold hair gleamed with the colors of sunset. As the sea breeze swept past, she tucked her hair behind her ears while gazing at the setting sun.

Then, she snuck a glance at me before turning away, lowering her head and smiling softly.

[Luce Eltania] Psychology: [Extremely happy to be at the beach with you.]

A fatherly smile naturally spread across my face.

Would I feel like this if my daughter said, 'I'm so happy to be at the beach with Dad!'? Of course, I didn't have a daughter, so I couldn't be sure.

"I'm happy. I can be with Isaac without worrying about other people."

Her ticklish whisper cut through the sea breeze, stimulating my ears.

"Do you like it that much?"

Luce smiled brightly as she nodded.

We continued talking about trivial things, like how cute we found the spotted cat wandering the academy grounds, or how the quality of the school food decreased during the vacation.

Sitting side by side on the sandy beach, we quietly gazed at the setting sun as it slowly fell below the horizon.

"Isaac, you might feel cold. Take this…"

As Luce attempted to take off the robe she was wearing to cover me, I quickly stopped her by waving my hands.

It may have been summer, but it was already evening, the surroundings growing chilly from the sea breeze. She would suffer from the cold if she took off her robe.

I pulled out two blankets from my magic pouch that resembled Doraemon's 4D pocket as if it were a matter of course. They were items I had brought when exploring the underground Tantak Cave.

I draped one of the blankets over Luce's shoulders.

"Hehe."

She wrapped herself in the blanket without hesitation, smiling. Somehow, her smile seemed to have become more natural as time went on. It felt like my second favorite character was growing. The thought alone made me very happy.

We saw the last rays of the setting sun as it disappeared over the horizon.

The blankets covering our bodies provided just the right amount of warmth amidst the chilly sea breeze, creating a cozy atmosphere.

"Isaac."

"Hmm?"

"You know, I always thought people were like hedgehogs."

Luce began sharing her emotions with a calm voice.

"The closer I got to someone, the more it felt like I was being pricked by thorns. I hated everyone. But the closer I get to you, the better I feel."

Each word she spoke lingered in my ears.

"Even now, I'm really happy. That's how I feel."

Her gentle whisper tickled my eardrums like cotton.

With the arrival of the summer holidays, I had begun spending more time with her. Perhaps that was why she seemed so excited lately.

Using [Psychological Insight], it seemed that Luce only felt happiness or joy when she was with me. It often made me, the other party, feel a lot better. This time was no exception.

However, she still maintained a cold attitude towards other people. Whenever that happened, I would be scared speechless.

"I'm glad."

I responded with a smile, as I was also happy.

Silently, we immersed ourselves in the afterglow of the setting sun.

I glanced over at Luce, who was deep in thought.

By reading her thoughts, I realized she was experiencing sadness, likely due to recalling her childhood.

According to ❰Magic Knight of Märchen❱, after she lost the Great Witch of Heaven's Wrath and Hansel, Luce would climb on the roof of the Eltania family's manor to watch the sunset almost every day.

I couldn't even imagine the heaviness of her thoughts in those moments.

Following her loss, I was likely the only person Luce, who was always alone, had opened her heart to.

After thinking that far, I realized the significance of watching the sunset alongside Luce.

She was no longer alone. Although I had initially regretted becoming her friend, I still felt nothing but deep affection for her. I didn't want her to be lonely.

So, I was very happy to be by her side now.

Luce, perhaps noticing my gaze, turned to stare at me, before laughing to the point of blushing.

I followed suit.

The sounds of Bello and Eden's cries.

The sound of the sea breeze, and the sound of crashing waves.

I thought it was a pretty romantic way to spend a midsummer day.

"Hey."

Afterwards, Luce, seemingly recalling something, pulled out a small bundle and held it out to me.

I could hear a jingle, clearly signifying that it contained a lot of gel.

She had an embarrassed expression.

"Including my ride…there's a lot of additional gel. So can I monopolize your carriage for the time being?"

"…?"

Feeling a strong discomfort, I looked between Luce and the bundle.

Is this…?

"No?

"It's fine. Just give me what you owe me. Since you're my friend, I'll give you 10% off, but make sure you calculate properly."

"Huh?"

Luce appeared flustered when I declined.

Even though she was paying me for a different reason, I couldn't conscientiously accept a friendship fee.