| Author: Tensei Mikami | Original Source: Syosetu | Word Count: 2269 characters |
| Translator: Jiro | English Source: Re:Library | Word Count: 1189 words |
| Editor(s): Robinxen | ||
“Now, envision it…” Outin spoke quietly.
Pearls of light shimmered around Imitia, flowing around her, guided by Outin’s gestures.
“Envision what?” Imitia asked, tilting her head, and Outin nodded in response.
“That’s right. Envision it. I cannot peer into your mind, so I would appreciate it if you could tell me about your thoughts and memories, maybe even a scene with the one you hold dear.”
“I see.”
“You do not need to speak their name. First, tell me what that person is like.”
Outin suggested, and the beads of light started to flicker as Imitia, while forming an image of Orthus, began to share her thoughts plainly.
“He’s what you’d call a hero. He’s strong, imposing, and unwaveringly focused. A true hero who fights for the weak.” she recalled, envisioning Orthus.
His jet-black stalwart figure draped in a jade mantle. The memory of his broad back and the comforting sense of security he provided came flooding back to her.
“But that’s also why he’s so lonely. He’s willing to sacrifice himself for the sake of those he’s supposed to protect. Doesn’t that just sound crazy? He doesn’t realize how insane it is to give up your own life for someone you don’t even know, without even a second thought. How should I say it, that man has no regard for his own well-being?”
That man’s reliable back could confront and overcome any disaster, but as Imitia tried to reach out and touch that back, it seemed almost surreal. As if it would turn into mist and vanish at any moment.
Imitia continued, “He’s a truly pitiful man. Although he’s surrounded by people, he’s still alone. There’s no one in those around him that can understand him or his loneliness. That’s why he seems so miserable.”
“I see,” Outin acknowledged, gesturing with his brush like a conductor’s baton.
Beads of light were drawn into the canvas, almost as if they were being captured by its allure.
He nodded once more, shifting his gaze back to Imitia as the canvas briefly glowed.
“And you believe that you can understand that loneliness of his?” Outin inquired.
Imitia gazed straight into Outin’s eyes and replied, “I can’t claim to fully understand it, but I can at least be there for him.”
Her eyes, unwavering and filled with sincerity, left Outin satisfied as he moved on to his next question.
“What was your first meeting with him like?”
“Our first meeting… Well…”
“Can’t you recall?”
“No, I remember it vividly. It was an intense and memorable moment.”
A faint smile graced Imitia’s lips as her eyelids drooped.
The memory of that day remained etched in her mind, so vivid that she could almost relive it even with her eyes closed.
“I was a slave1.”
“What…” Outin replied somewhat absentmindedly.
Imitia proceeded to remove the leather glove from her right hand to reveal a fresh brand on the back of her hand.
Although the branding had been stripped of its enslavement magic, the mark remained deeply etched. This was the first time since meeting Imitia that Outin showed signs of unease.
“I’m out of words… Are you really okay with showing me the Slave Magic branding?”
“I’d be lying if I said I was okay with it, but it’s all in the past. Besides, I was a troublesome kid. The buyers didn’t like me, so I wasn’t an easy sell.”
“Then does that mean-”
“That’s right. I was in my usual cage, a wretched place that reeked of urine. And then he arrived. It was incredible. He effortlessly defeated the guards with a sword taller than himself and tore my cage apart with all his strength.”
A chuckle escaped her lips as she reminisced about that moment.
On top of possessing divine fighting skills, Orthus also had a dazzling sense of justice.
Even though slavery had been abolished in the kingdom, it still thrived in the underworld with tacit consent. Even the use of Slave Magic, which was viewed as a forbidden act, was a common occurrence.
The darkness of the kingdom was so formidable that no one dared lift a finger against it. No one but Orthus. At the time, he’d managed to trample it down all on his own.
“I was just one of the people he saved. When I met him again as a free person, he didn’t remember me. However, given the number of lives he’d saved throughout the years it wasn’t that surprising.”
Imitia sighed, her emotions devoid of resentment. Rather, she felt happy just by talking about him. Her gray tail wobbled and swayed from side to side.
“Did you fall in love with that person because they saved you?”
“I don’t know. I’m a Wolfen after all. It’s natural for me to be drawn to strong men. But I suppose it’s also because I’ve encountered him many times and witnessed his loneliness during our meetings.”
“I see. So you really do love that man, don’t you?”
“I sure do.”
Imitia replied with a broad smile. Her expression held no hint of hesitation or ambiguity when she spoke of love.
As she discussed love, it seemed to warm her own heart, causing the beads of light to eventually converge. The canvas began to glow, and Outin’s brush traced warm trails of light.
“Thank you for answering my questions. It’s finished.”
“What? Already? Whoa!”
Darkness filled the room once more.
With another clap of his hands, Outin caused the curtains to part, allowing ample sunlight and the scent of the sea breeze to flood the hemispheric room. Outin then pointed the canvas toward Imitia.
And there, Imitia saw it.
“Amazing!”
It was Orthus’ smiling face which she’d envisioned. His gentle, slightly sad smile, his pure white armor gleaming with a sheen that concealed his vulnerabilities.
It was unmistakably the Orthus that Imitia had envisioned.
◆ ◆ ◆ ◆ ◆
After bidding farewell to Imitia, Outin sat down, sipping his coffee slowly.
He’d magically reduced the painting canvas to a size that could fit in his hand, encased in a locket, and gave it to Imitia. Although he had graciously declined the surprisingly large pile of gold coins that had been offered to him, Outin couldn’t help but secretly wish he’d taken them.
As he settled into his wooden chair, it creaked under his weight.
Tilting his mug, Outin couldn’t help but recall Imitia’s face. Her eyes had been filled with emotion, gleaming like a child’s eyes gazing upon a jewelry box.
“The mysterious love locket huh…” Outin mused to himself. “Every customer who comes to order it leaves with a broad smile.”
Thinking back to it, Outin couldn’t help but chuckle. “How can pure, innocent love, which arrives in this remote town on the edge of the country, believing in wild rumors, not bear fruit2?”
This was Elesta, an isolated town within the Holy Kingdom of Elhaim. Anyone who visited the studio of the enigmatic Magical Painter, Outin, did so with untainted love in their hearts, seeking to order a locket.
Today, yet another one, this time a wolf, had approached him with nothing but pure love. Just that.
