About 30 minutes? Now the road was over by the time I felt like I had no sense in my left foot.
And...
"You're right. Water is coming up from below."
At the end of the shaft, water was flowing out of the wall. The floor was already pearly.
"I'm in trouble."
Ran murmured.
"If the mineral water explodes like this, I and you will drown first."
And she glanced at Eustaf. He had a calm face, not a shocked or surprised face.
"Don't you worry?"
"Because you told me- to trust you."
Eustaf answered so, and Ran blinked and laughed.
"Because Eus saved me."
"Me?"
"Why would you hurt your back? It's obvious if you don't look at it that much."
He got hurt while he was covering me. Ran sighed and Eustaf looked surprised.
"You're quick-witted in strange places."
"What."
Mumbling, Ran took a deep breath and reached out his hand.
"Can you hold my hand for a second?"
"Anytime."
Eustaf said so and held her hand. He gathered his eyebrows because he could feel Ran's hands shaking.
"Noonim?"
But Ran didn't see him. She looked down at the bottom of the pearl and whispered.
"Shal."
The next moment, mud shimmer soared, and ran over Ran, and Ran felt her vision go nuclear.
"Why do you know my name, who do you call?"
I can hear voices in the dark.
"I'm a reader. Phanias."
Ran answered and it brightened up everywhere. It was a space where light blue waves were fluttering.
"That's a rare guest."
A deep and low voice came, and Ran turned her head and opened her mouth.
A big man was holding his chin. He looked at least 5 meters tall. The lower half of the body was a whale, and the upper half was not human skin, but smooth white, such as marble and shell inside.
In addition, the eyes....
'There's no white.'
The black pupil was filling his eyes. The hair was deep blue, with a strange mineral-like shine.
"Rare stranger. Why do you call my name?"
"I'd like to ask you a favor.".
Ran swallowed her saliva. His huge tail moved lightly from side to side.
"Please?"
"I and my party are trapped in the mine. We'd appreciate it if you could take us out to the ground. And now there's an underground city above you."
"You mean the ones who are loud noises."
"If possible, I hope you calm down the city and settle it peacefully."
Then he grinned. Countless fangs like shark teeth flashed.
"Why? What are you going to do for me? Besides, I don't think you only know my name. You're a rude girl who calls others names spirit for your own good."
Ran said, trying to calm her heart beating loudly.
"I'm sorry. He said it was life-threatening for me. If you tell me the price you want, I'll do as much as I can..."
He reached out Ran. There were no nails in the Spirit's hands, but it looked more strange than I thought.
Big Shal's hand swept Ran's head and shoulders.
"But it's fun."
"Yes?"
"It's been a while since I've had a conversation like this. It's been a long time since the exchange of spirits and other creatures has been cut off."
As he took a deep breath, Ran's hair fluttered wildly.
"It smells like ice. Is Istarif there, too?"
"There is."
At the familiar voice, Ran yelled out in amazement.
"Istarif!"
Istarif saw Ran with her star fire-like eyes and scratched the ground with her lion's front feet. It was a clear indication of displeasure.
"The other is my master."
"I know, that's why I couldn't bring you here. Is the road with humans still fun?"
"As you wish."
In response to Istarif's reply, Shal showed his teeth again and laughed. Tight teeth are a bit scary. That's what Ran thinks, then Shal said.
"Tell me what you read about me."
Ran talked about the sheer explosion of mineral water that sank the city and the creation of a mineral called Nadium.
After hearing the story, Shal asked.
"Why didn't you use this, the answer to the question as a trade?"
"It may be so, but ·····."
Ran peeked at the Shal and said,
"I don't like that kind of relationship. Relationships that we talk about for each other's benefit."
Shal opened his mouth slightly at the words and began to laugh wildly.
"What's inside. Interesting, stranger. She's from another world. She calls my name."
His black pupil turned into a deep blue light.
"I liked it."
When he said so and waved his arms, Ran felt her body being sucked into somewhere in an instant.
My eyes opened by themselves.
"Huk?!"
At that time, someone pressed on her chest and made a sound by herself.
"Ran!"
"What, it hurts-"
"Are you out of your mind?"
Eustaf asked with a pale face, and Ran nodded. She murmured blankly.
"It's the sky?"
The red sky was visible. a slow-moving sun········
"Eus, I'm completely wet."
She mumbled and he hugged Ran tightly as he lifted himself up.
"Eus?"
"Really, you..."
A grinning voice leaked out and he slowly let her go.
Ran looked around. Right next to us was a lake that wasn't that big, and the two were sitting side by side on the grass next to it.
"Where are we?"
"Near Dwarf City."
"What happened?"
"I want to ask-"
Eustaf said slowly after breathing deeply as if he was trying to calm his anger while talking.
"Noonim grabbed my hand, said something, and suddenly the water shot up and dragged the two of us in. It's a shame that I was holding hands. I kept thinking I was going to die because of the torrent, but I came out here."
"I .... met the spirit."
"Spirit?"
Eustaf's face became serious. Why is a handsome person cool even if he's wet? No, why would he look sexier? Ran said with the same thought.
"Yes, it was the spirit that caused the mineral water to burst. Eus couldn't bring him back because you had a blue ring."
At the words, Eustaf caressed a ring around his neck. The drops of water hanging from his hair shone like jewels, scattering the sunset. Even on his pale face, his complexion began to circulate, so Ran lost her fair color and looked at his face, and she was embarrassed and coughed and asked.
"Eus, how's the wound?"
"Yes, thanks."
"Everyone's worried, so let's go."
Ran stood up from her seat and collapsed without screaming.
"~!"
"Noonim?"
Eustaf grabbed her in surprise.
'My ankle, it really hurts.'
As much as I forgot, the rebound was no joke. Tears trickled out. When Eustaf quickly noticed her condition and grabbed her left ankle over the boot, Ran screamed "Aw!!!"
"What's alright with this!!!?"
Eustaf roared like a roaring sound. Then his hands gently sat her on the lawn. Her ankle was swollen enough to feel above the boots.
Eustaf pulled out the dagger on his belt.
"I will cut it."
"Cut it?"
At a tearful remark, Eustaf refused to accept the joke.
"Cutting."
He started cutting leather boots. Ran clenched her teeth. Wet leather boots were cut better than expected, either because the knife was sharp or because Eus was good at it.
Then, it turned purple and the swollen ankle appeared. When the pressure boots disappeared, the pain felt even worse, so Ran bit her lips.
Eustaf shut his mouth and looked down at her ankle. Knowing at once that he was angry, Ran looked at his eyes even though she was sick.
"Eus...?"
He raised his eyes at a small call.
"Why on earth...!!!"
He raised his voice and bit his lips tightly. Eustaf carefully examined her ankle and said, "You can't walk like this."
"No, I can walk if you help me."
Eustaf woke up with a big hug from Ran, ignoring her words as if they were not worth replying back to.
"Eus!"
The wound's gonna explode!
Ran struggled, but Eustaf began to walk without a hesitating.
"Noonim, if you don't stay calm, I'll let go of your hand, and you'll fall, and you'll be very sick."
At Eustaf's words, Ran stopped flinching and floundering.
"Well done."
Eustaf whispered like that and walked fast. Ran hugged him calmly and wriggled her hand in silence. I want to talk about something, but I'm not in the mood to talk.
After choosing words for a long time, Ran sneaked out a sympathetic line.
"Eus?"
"Yes?"
"Will I not be able to walk anymore?"
Eustaf blinked lightly and said softly.
"I don't think so."
"My ankle hurts...."
"Of course, it hurts."
His voice became more friendly, and somehow, I felt like I wanted to be a baby.
However, there was a sense of self-awareness that she should not be foolish to Eustaf.
Because she's a temporary head, and Eustaf is her responsibility.
If a student gets hurt, the teacher's injury will be put aside. There's no one who can do that to Eustaf anymore.
'But at this point, we've gotten along very well.'
Compared to the fact that Eustaf was shaking for fear of killing her at first, it was a bit of an inertia to say, "Oh, he might kill me."
I know there's still some inscrutable part, and we're drawing a line, but will he really kill her? I wanted to know.
"Eus?"
"Yes?"
"You don't like us to be brother and sister?"
"It's not that I don't like it, it's that kind of relationship itself."
"But."
Ran smiled lightly.
If Eustaf truly calls herself "Noonim," I don't think so either.
Moderately sarcastic,
'You and I have nothing to do with each other, but we don't have a specific title to call.'
The nuance is perfect for Eustaf.
"Do you really want to have me as your brother?"
When asked by Eustaf, Ran replied, "No."
I can't believe Eustaf younger than me.
"Then what is our relationship?"
When Ran muttered, Eustaf said.
"Man and a woman."
Ran laughed again at the words.
"Why? A Human and a human?"
It's too theoretical. When Ran said, Eustaf nodded.
"That's nice, too. A Human and a human."
"Ah."
Ran said so, peeking at Eustaf.
"Well, can't we be friends? Mr. Eustaf Laban de Lazia?"
"I refuse."
"Cold-hearted."
Ran grumbled. She was lost in thought for a moment when she spoke.
'What are we, really?'
He's not a friend, he's not a colleague.
Nothing.
It's not the original author and the character.
Suddenly everything became hopeless. Ran looked at the red sunset.
My ankle hurts, and I almost died today.
She worked hard for Lazia, but she will soon leave it.
A new identity. A new life.
'I see why everyone doesn't want to go into witness protection.'
A life that gives a whole new identity in American dramas and movies.
When I see people who refuse it, I say, "Why do you hate it so much?' But now I know.
'Lonely.'
Somehow, I already lived in Lazia for a long time.
The most affectionate place was Lazia, where she left and had no idea, with complete strangers ·······.
Tears flowed unknowingly, so Ran hurriedly poked under her eyes.
"Noonim?"
"Uh, no. Something must be in my eye."
However, the burst of tears did not stop.
You're dead, so shouldn't you be happy living here as a bonus?
But I'm not that happy either.
Eustaf did not question Ran. Instead, he changed her posture, leaned her head against his shoulder, and swept her back.
Ran gently put her arm around his neck and put a cheek on his shoulder.
'How, how much have I been through? Don't you expect this much?'
Ran closed her eyes with such excuses.
The inside of my eyes was hot. Tears continued to flow under the closed eyes.
"Eus.."
I'm lonely.
I'm tired.
No words came out. But Eustaf whispered as if he had heard her.
"I'm here."
Tears suddenly overflowed, so Ran bit her lips and gave strength to her arms.