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Lucella enjoyed the night breeze for a while.

This was the land of the wind. The powerful wind here was beautiful and pleasant.

“…How should I put it… I’ve recently come to understand the meaning of my own words… But I don’t think it’s something for other people’s ears.”
“Don’t be so theatrical.”
“It’s for your sake, Efrain.”

Efrain, who had been looking at the moon, turned to her.

It was about time for bedtime, but Efrain was still wearing a suit.

It was a seemingly expensive suit. Lucella had no idea who made such clothes, how, or for how much.

“After all, you’ll continue living within the Empire. So, there are things that are better left unseen for your own happiness.”

Lucella verbalized something she didn’t want to say out loud. It was a confirmation of the fact that she and her friend, who once shared the same loaf of bread, now lived in different worlds.

Lucella had a strange conviction.

Just like the view from the second-floor window differed from that of the first floor, she felt that there were things she could see that Efrain couldn’t.

Efrain’s expression subtly wavered.

“Lucella, if you think that’s a consideration for me, it’s an insult. I believe that as a diplomat, it’s my duty to see everything for the Empire. No matter what happens, I won’t waver.”
“…I see. Then, I’ll respect that intention.”

Lucella reluctantly agreed.

She wasn’t okay with it.

However, if Efrain had made up his mind to that extent, vague words would become thorns in his heart. So, it was better to be straightforward.

“The juvenile dormitory felt like a family. I felt comfortable there. When I was bullied at school, the seniors in the dorm protected me… I tried to take care of the younger ones in my own way, and I felt grateful to the seniors. But it was a system based on harvest.”
“Harvest?”
“After graduating, the seniors disperse to serve the government, and the gratitude towards the dormitory family turns into gratitude towards the country. In reality… the network of senior-junior relationships from the juvenile dormitory continues even after graduation. Someone devised it with that in mind.”

Lucella had sensed this on some level since she was aware of her surroundings.

That’s why Lucella couldn’t fully immerse herself in the “system of the juvenile dormitory.” However, she distinctly felt that discomfort for the first time on that day, the day when the decision to take a different path from Efrain became definitive. It was the day she clearly sensed the eyes of those who sought to harvest them.

“Families help each other, and gratitude is something you repay. Isn’t that obvious? If the Empire is my family, it is an honor. For me at least.”
“No… families help each other without expecting anything in return.”

That’s right. Lucella knew that now. She was able to learn it.

If Lucella were to define the concept of family, it wouldn’t be about whether one was married or if there was a blood relation, but that.

It would be about the ability to give something without expecting anything in return, even if you were aware of the concepts of gratitude, and lending and borrowing.

The mighty dragon taught Lucella this, not through power but through her love. Even Kafal might have been doing so unconsciously.

“I think what the Empire is doing is an investment. Just calculating the expected return and allocating the available resources. So… I’m grateful to the Empire just that much. Just enough to account for the money used to raise me.”

Lucella didn’t see it as overcharging. If there was no other seller for the product, it could be sold at any price—it was as simple as that.

The wind whispered at first, then roared with increasing strength, gusting with relentless force.

“You don’t understand that, do you? The Empire… His Excellency the Prime Minister, His Majesty the Emperor, all of them… they cherish and love the people. That’s how I feel.”
“Then why did you bring up this topic all of a sudden?”
“…”

Even that hesitation was palpable, as clear as day. Lucella’s chest ached as if it were about herself.

For Efrain, the love of the Empire was true, and the Empire was family. He was certain. But it changed. Doubt crept in. Tonight, he was trying to ask Lucella about it.

For Lucella, Efrain was not just another person she could save with sweet deceitful words.

“I will take ‘Wisdom Eye Vortex’ back.”

It wasn’t a declaration of parting but rather a gesture of mercy. Lucella said it decisively to Efrain. Like a soldier heading into their first battle, Efrain was biting his lip.

“What I can do is only up to that point, anyway. I don’t know what comes after that. If Maltgartz wants to defeat Gufare, let it fight and win on its own. I don’t care about that.”
“My job… is just a tourist guide.”
“Well, that’s good. Please take care of the rest of the journey.”

Even though they lived in different worlds, Lucella still wanted Efrain to live. And even after the ‘trip’ was over, she hoped they could talk about each other’s lives someday.

“Remember this. What I can do for you is limited, but I don’t expect anything in return for it.”

Leaving Efrain in the wind, Lucella returned to her room. Hoping that there will be true salvation for her old friend someday. In hindsight, it was too optimistic a thought.