Chapter 189: Encounter (3)
“...Are you alright? Your complexion really doesn’t look good. Are you perhaps feeling unwell?”
Yuran asked, gazing at Lian with a worried expression.
Despite Lian’s alarmed face and reaction upon seeing her, Yuran seemed more unsettled by how pale he looked.
“Are you truly alright?”
“Ah… Yes. I apologize.”
Lian shook his head slightly and muttered.
What just happened had nothing to do with Yuran—he had simply panicked upon remembering that she was half-dragon.
‘And yet…’
Forcing a smile, Lian spoke.
“I’m just a little tired.”
“Hmm. When it comes to taking care of the body, there must not be even the slightest neglect.”
Yuran nodded deeply, visibly concerned.
“That is the first step as a Sky Guide. And even if one isn’t a Sky Guide, truth be told, all people must care for their bodies. For it is only within a healthy body that a healthy mind can firmly take root.”
“Yes, I’ll be careful.”
“Mm.”
Yuran nodded once more.
Then, cautiously watching Lian’s expression, she carefully opened her mouth.
“If you wouldn’t mind.”
A small sigh here.
“Could you spare just a little time for me? Just a tiny bit.”
“...Of course, that’s fine, but may I ask what it’s about?”
When Lian carefully asked back, Yuran replied.
“Lian Gwendil, I wish to offer you my apologies.”
She sighed again and murmured softly.
“As you know, I am a person of Garusol. So, without realizing it, I ended up thinking, acting, and speaking in the ways of my homeland. I failed to consider how you, people of the Empire, might take it.”
She furrowed her brows slightly, as if recalling what had happened yesterday.
“Surely, I must’ve made your heart and mind uneasy. Was I wrong?”
“……”
After a brief silence, Lian nodded.
“To be honest, yes. That’s right.”
He began to speak cautiously, as if weighing his words.
“...Since we’re on the topic, I’ll say this. Yuran, first, I’m grateful that you see me in such a positive light. I’ve never been in a situation like this, so I don’t know how to begin, but I…”
“Please say no more.”
Yuran waved her hand, signaling it was alright.
“I, Lian Gwendil, never intended to put you in a difficult position. Nor do I wish to force my thoughts upon you.”
She awkwardly touched her lips, as if embarrassed.
“Actually, in Garusol, it’s common to ask a close friend of the opposite sex to become one’s spouse.”
“...?”
When Lian gave her a puzzled look, Yuran averted her eyes and explained.
“That is to say, um… It’s silly to phrase it like this, but we’re not just ordinary acquaintances, are we?”
“...Yes, you could say that.”
At his answer, Yuran quickly added in a flustered tone.
“In Garusol, the word ‘spouse’ is a very special expression used to convey the deepest trust and bond. It could mean an engagement, or a partner… things like that. I used that expression because I felt such deep trust in you. But I only realized later that in the Empire, that word literally means marriage.”
She paused, gauging Lian’s reaction.
“...Though we haven’t spent much time together, what we’ve been through is far from shallow. That’s why I dared to think the bond between us is strong. I believe that between you and me, there is faith, friendship, and trust.”
“And so… I expressed those feelings with that word. Only after returning to my room yesterday did I realize that such an expression is never used in the Empire.”
As she rambled and fumbled over her words, she gave a small cough.
“In any case, I also worried deeply like you. ...To return to the beginning, what I wanted to apologize for was that I caused you confusion. That I made things difficult for you. And I also wanted to ask—please don’t take my words too heavily.”
Yuran continued speaking as if trying to reassure and convince Lian.
After listening to her for a while, Lian asked softly.
“...So, you mean what you said back then was an expression of trust in me?”
“Exactly!”
Yuran nodded and let out a soft groan, sounding a little troubled.
“...To be honest, it wasn’t entirely without sincerity. Like I said, I wouldn’t use those words with someone I didn’t like. Lian Gwendil, if it were a man like you… I don’t think I would regret forming a bond as spouses.”
She shrugged lightly as she spoke.
“Ah, and just now, I did mean ‘spouse’ in the literal sense.”
“Haha.”
At her joking tone, Lian let out a quiet laugh.
And with that, the tightness in his chest loosened considerably.
“...In any case, to me, you’re an important friend and comrade. Also, someone I owe a great debt to. But I was afraid that because of my ignorance, and due to cultural or customary differences, our relationship might weaken over something so silly. That’s why I’ve been looking for you since this morning.”
With those words, Yuran lightly extended her hand to Lian.
Just like a friend, or a fellow companion would.
“Can I continue to maintain this bond with you—unchanged—and still harbor hopes for what may come? And… will you treat me the same as before, despite everything?”
At her words, Lian let out a small sigh.
‘...Thank goodness.’
Feeling his heart ease, Lian readily took the hand she offered.
“I should be the one saying that—please take care of me as well.”
“Mm.”
Hearing his response, Yuran grinned widely.
Then she pulled a letter from her robes and held it out to him.
“Take this.”
“What is it?”
“Studies we’ve neglected.”
Yuran said that as she once again handed the letter to Lian.
“Didn’t I ask for your help to climb the steps of becoming a Sky Guide, and also to read the ancient Garusol language? We’ve both been too busy and neglected it, so we must get back to it diligently.”
Clearing her throat, she added,
“...And I must also study the Imperial tongue.”
Watching Lian take the letter, Yuran smiled faintly.
“Later, don’t forget to write back, alright? We need to help each other study and check in on our progress.”
“Understood. Don’t worry.”
As he tucked the letter into his robes, Lian asked her—
“By the way, Yuran, were you perhaps on your way somewhere?”
“Mm, you have quite the keen eye.”
Yuran murmured with admiration.
Then she lightly lifted the basket in her hand and said,
“There are some materials I need for a spell. I must grow a tree.”
“A tree?”
“Indeed.”
Yuran nodded.
“I’m on my way to buy a paulownia sapling.”
“Ah. Paulownia...”
Though Lian wasn’t particularly well-versed in Garusol, he at least knew that the paulownia was one of their symbols.
However, that was about the extent of his knowledge, so he simply nodded without much thought.
“……”
As if observing Lian’s reaction closely, Yuran quietly took a breath and said,
“...Well then, I shall take my leave. Until next time, Lian Gwendil.”
“Yes, farewell, Yuran.”
With that brief exchange, the two of them parted ways.
…If only Professor Shagas had been there at that moment.
Or if Lian Gwendil had known even a bit more about Garusol’s customs.
What would have happened then?
“……”
Yuran glanced silently at Lian’s retreating figure in the distance.
‘Hmm.’
Recalling the words she had just spoken, she smiled slightly.
Then, murmuring softly—as if to someone unseen—
‘Such a liar.’
How could every word spoken have been a lie?
She chuckled quietly and shook her head.
‘…That we use the phrase “become my spouse” as a figure of speech.’
No matter how close or familiar people of Garusol might be with someone of the opposite sex, they did not casually utter a phrase like “let’s become spouses.”
To them, words were not just a sequence of sounds.
They believed that spoken words were imbued with spirits, that the spirits carried the breath of their ancestors, and that through this, words gained power.
Words that gained power would take root in reality like seeds and, in time, bear fruit—this, they firmly believed.
If this was true even for ordinary people, how much more so for Yuran, who was also a spellcaster?
Could someone from Garusol truly speak so lightly of becoming spouses—
One of the most significant promises in life?
Impossible, even if the words were spoken to someone born and raised in a distant foreign land.
And the paulownia.
The paulownia too held deep meaning for the people of Garusol.
There is a proverb in Garusol: “Grow old with the paulownia tree.”
Their history, myths, and legends frequently mention the paulownia, and they even made furniture—and coffins—from it.
To them, the paulownia was a companion through life, death, and eternal rest.
Above all, in Garusol, there was a custom of planting a paulownia tree when a daughter was born.
And when that daughter came of age and was ready to marry, the father would cut down the tree to prepare her wedding dowry.
It symbolized blessings for a new beginning and a wish for unchanging love.
And the hope that they would remain together until the very end.
‘…I wonder if it’s growing well.’
Yuran, too, had her own paulownia.
But she had made up her mind to plant a new one here, not in her homeland, but in this faraway foreign land—the Empire.
Which meant she had implicitly revealed her intention to stay by Lian’s side until her final moment.
Like a paulownia deeply rooting itself into the earth, she was declaring her resolve to take root in his life.
“……”
But Lian didn’t know what it meant.
Yuran was well aware that Lian didn’t know any of this.
That’s precisely why she had dared to say it directly to his face.
To tell him that she had no intention of letting him go so easily.
“Hmmm, hmm.”
As she slowly walked on, Yuran recalled the sight of Lian’s back as they parted.
She smiled quietly, humming a tune that came to her naturally.
‘Perhaps… it’s for the better.’
Knowing his nature well, she decided not to rush things.
One step at a time, slowly.
Even if it seemed like a long detour, she knew that it was the surest path.
Of course, it would take some time…
But looking at it differently, it also meant the sapling would have time to grow.
“Phew.”
Yuran let out a light breath.
And just as she had told him, she made her way to buy the paulownia sapling.