Her name was Mirien, wasn’t it?
Yujin was well aware that the elf scout of the party had been paying subtle attention to him.
His heightened senses clearly revealed her gaze and the wariness hidden within it.
He had somewhat expected that she might confront him when they were alone.
But…
I didn’t think she’d come at me with a blade right off the bat.
Even with the rest of the party still in the tents behind them, she pointed a dagger at him without a hint of hesitation.
Of course, he wasn’t particularly startled. From the very beginning, such a dagger was no more threatening to Yujin than a child’s toy.
Even when she reached for the dagger at her side, Yujin hadn’t restrained her despite noticing her intent. After all, who would overreact to a child waving around a toy?
So, he willingly offered his neck to her blade. And, for good measure, he lured her into an isolated space so that the other party members wouldn’t see her threatening him.
Now, whatever happened between Yujin and Mirien would remain known only to the two of them.
He sealed them both in a perfectly isolated space created by his Dragon Words and decided to turn the tables on her, adding a touch of “playfulness” in response to her aggression.
“Tell me who I am. You already know the answer, don’t you?”
One of a dragon’s many powers. Fear.
When a being at the pinnacle of all creatures like a dragon revealed their existence, the mere recognition of it could plunge those nearby into terror and strip them of reason and thought.
The effects of Fear were immediate on Mirien. Her body trembled uncontrollably like a leaf in the wind and her complexion drained to a pale, almost ghostly hue.
Tears streamed from her eyes, and foam began to gather at her lips, as though she was on the verge of fainting.
But even in the midst of all this, she unconsciously opened her mouth as if she was trying to answer Yujin’s question.
“Y-You, you …”
“Yes. I am…?”
As if compelled to respond to a question from an unfathomable existence, she struggled to force out an answer.
“You… are…!”
Her eyes rolled back as though she were about to succumb to shock.
“Oh dear, did I overdo it a bit?”
At that moment, Yujin withdrew his Fear. The energy suffusing the space dispersed, and the suffocating pressure that had seemed capable of crushing her completely vanished.
“…Cough! Hahk! Ugh!”
Finally freed from the overwhelming force constricting her lungs, Mirien gasped for air and started coughing violently.
She sat on the ground for a long while, coughing and wheezing, before finally looking up at Yujin. Her breath was still ragged and uneven.
Yujin spoke to her with a smile.
“I apologize. It seems I went a little overboard with my joke. But… since you also pointed your sword at me, shall we call it even?”
“…….”
Mirien looked at him with trembling eyes before lowering her head deeply, as if she no longer had the courage to meet his gaze.
Yujin observed her quietly for a moment. Then, kneeling on one knee to match her eye level, he gently lifted her chin with one hand.
“…….!”
“Miss Mirien, but before that…”
Forcing her to meet his eyes, he looked directly into her trembling gaze and asked,
“Can you tell me who I am?”
“Hic…!”
“Hahaha, I’m joking. It seems I ended up scaring you too much.”
Yujin gave a faintly apologetic smile as he noticed her pale complexion. Then, raising his other hand, he pressed a finger to his lips.
“But make sure not to show that side of yourself in front of others, all right? Let’s keep today’s events just between the two of us.”
“……..”
“Do you understand?”
Mirien who was still trembling nodded her head shakily. Yujin smiled warmly at her response and gave a small nod of his own.
“Good. Now, let’s return to standing watch.”
With those words, Yujin snapped his fingers.
Pop!
In an instant, the dark space surrounding them vanished, and the two returned to the campsite where their party was stationed.
Yujin stood up and walked to a folding chair near the campfire, where he took a seat.
Mirien who was still sitting on the ground hesitated for a long moment before flinching slightly and forcing herself to stand. She eventually sat down beside him.
For the rest of their watch, the two didn’t exchange a single word. Of course, the silence was only between Yujin and Mirien.
[Perhaps you overdid it. There really wasn’t a need to press her that hard.]
Tiamat said those words to Yujin. Unlike other transcendents who typically viewed mortals as insignificant creatures, her compassionate nature made it seem like she thought Yujin had gone a bit too far.
Is that so?
[That child will likely never forget what happened today. You may think you controlled the release of your “Fear” to some degree, but the power of a dragon is not so easily controlled. That child will carry this trauma for the rest of her life.]
Hmm…
Yujin turned his head slightly to glance at her. The moment his gaze fell upon Mirien, she flinched and drooped her long ears in distress.
Her eyes were filled with unmistakable terror, and her trembling body betrayed her struggle to suppress her fear.
[Even so, it’s a sign of her inner strength. Of course, much of it is due to the fact that you held back. Normally, when mortals are exposed to a direct blast of pure Fear, they either lose their minds or die from shock.]
I see.
[…Is that all you have to say?]
She’s the one who drew her sword on me, after all.
To Yujin, the situation might have been little more than a joke or a prank, but she had genuinely threatened him.
She had pressed a blade to his neck and acted as though she would slit his throat at the slightest provocation, whether or not she truly meant it. That fact alone made her responsible for what followed.
If Yujin had harbored ill will toward this party or had any intention of causing harm, it might have been a different matter. But that wasn’t the case. She had threatened him purely out of her own deeply personal suspicion.
And so, she had to face the consequences. It was only natural.
[..….…]
You might think I lack the magnanimity befitting a transcendent, Lady Tiamat. But I bear no personal grudge against Miss Mirien.
He was sincere. Even when Mirien had pointed her blade at him, he had felt no particular emotion toward her.
[No personal grudge, and yet you still acted this way?]
Yes. That’s why I stopped at simply scaring her.
[..….…]
It might not have seemed like an answer to Tiamat’s question, but it was a clear answer nonetheless.
Yujin spoke.
Lady Tiamat, scaring someone who threatened you is nothing more than a playful retaliation. If someone truly harbors malice, you not only pull out their teeth so they can never bare them again, but you might also break their legs so thoroughly they can’t even stand on their own two feet.
[I understand that, but… I wouldn’t call your actions merciful…]
Lady Tiamat, I’m not saying I’m merciful for merely stopping at scaring her. I’m simply asking for your understanding. Mortals are inherently weak and cowardly beings.
[..….…]
Of course, I could have shown her the majesty of a transcendent and granted her mercy afterward. But mortals should not rely on the mercy of the strong to excuse their rash actions. Mercy robs them of the opportunity to learn from their mistakes.
[What you’re saying is…]
If I had shown her mercy, what would happen if the same situation occurred again? Would she have to hope for mercy from another powerful being? And who’s to say what kind of malice that powerful being might harbor toward a foolish creature that dared defy them?
[..….…]
It might sound like a bit of a stretch to you. But my opinion remains the same. She acted rashly, and by paying the price for her actions, she’ll come to understand her mistake. Mortals are weak and cowardly, so they must learn from their mistakes if they want to survive for long.
Having said that, Yujin smiled bitterly and continued.
And, like I mentioned earlier, I hold no personal grudge against Miss Mirien. That’s precisely why I gave her a warning, in my own way, not to put herself in danger with such reckless behavior again.
[I see…]
Haha, I’ll admit part of it was because I was feeling mischievous. But I suppose I might have gone a bit overboard with my prank. Still, as you said, she seems to have a strong will. I’m sure she’ll recover from this soon enough.
Hearing Yujin’s words, Tiamat took a moment to reflect. She realized that showing endless mercy to the weak wasn’t always the right thing to do.
In this aspect, Yujin had more insight than Tiamat. Perhaps it was because he himself had once been mortal and understood them well.
As someone born strong, Tiamat had always struggled to grasp this truth, but today, she finally understood it.
After a brief moment, Mirien who had been sitting awkwardly in discomfort stood from her chair.
“Th-Then… it’s about time, so I’ll be going now…!”
With a trembling voice, she forced out her words and disappeared into the tent.
Yujin who had to stand watch until the next shift quietly took a seat and waited. As he sat there waiting…
“Well… You’re working hard as always, Mr. Yujin.”
“Haha, welcome, Mr. Hans.”
The porter Hans stepped out and greeted him. At the same time, he asked,
“So, did something happen with Miss Mirien? She seemed a bit uneasy…”
“Well, I don’t know. I did share a few scary stories to pass the time, though.”
“Ah… I see. I didn’t think Miss Mirien would get so shaken up by just a scary story.”
Hans scratched his head as he glanced back at the tent. It didn’t seem like he was particularly suspicious of anything.
“Would you like to hear one as well, Mr. Hans?”
“Um… No, I’ll pass. I get the feeling you’d tell something really scary, Mr. Yujin.”
“Haha, that’s a shame.”
With that, their conversation ended, and the two began their watch.
How much time had passed?
Before long, the sun slowly began to rise.
And then…
“All right, it’s time to head out!”
Once again, the journey inside the labyrinth resumed.
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