By Zephyria 
As soon as we arrived in Yulan, I spread the news of Mika and my survival everywhere and called for a doctor.
It was exactly as I had expected. The aftereffects on Mikael’s left arm and shoulder were severe enough that they would need to be monitored over a significant period.
The head laceration, which I had worried about most, was surprisingly progressing well. Brain damage was difficult to cure completely with modern magic technology, and emergency treatment was impossible with mere Artifacts. While I felt incredibly lucky that it was only this much, I was still deeply upset.
Still, the relief of having Mikael’s current condition assessed by a specialist and receiving the appropriate prescription dampened the anxiety that had been surging within me.
It was also good to be able to give Mikael his medicine on time and keep him in bed.
No, in truth, I loved the fact that Mikael remained by my side all day now that I had returned to my daily routine.
While I pondered and investigated how different the current royal genealogy of Yulan was from what I already knew, how the power dynamics of the associated factions stood, and where the space containing the Divine Object was likely located, Mikael was always within my sight.
If only Mikael weren’t sick, would I have been able to enjoy this situation more?
I wanted to bring a sofa into my office after we married and have Mikael sit there. So that I could see him whenever I looked up, just like now.
No, wait. Would he find that too stifling? Then should I build a martial arts training ground where he can be easily seen from the office? But then I’d have to worry about people swarming like a troop of monkeys just to catch a glimpse of Mikael.
I didn’t agonize over it for long.
Is there a need to choose only one? I’ll do both. And I’ll put up a fence around the training ground.
* * *
I obtained Yulan’s Divine Object.
By pulling the holy body of the Golden Turtle to the surface, my relationship with the Yulan royal family also made great progress. No matter how lost a Divine Object might be, it was still a Divine Object. Having worried about clashing with Yulan after the task was done, I was greatly satisfied by the unexpectedly reciprocal atmosphere.
Thanks to Baron Bikoff, who happened to be in Yulan, things were resolved easily. In times like these, being an Academy alumnus was an advantage. Academy graduates have a unique way of behaving based on a tacit understanding. Such an agreement worked organically in regulating the situation, providing immense convenience.
It was also wonderful to witness with my own eyes the scenery of the deep sea, a place I had never even dreamed of in my life. Every moment I swam through the ocean with my body pressed against Mikael’s, I realized how narrow and stingy the world I had perceived and recognized had been.
In all those moments, Mikael was strong, and my actions were appropriate. We were the best partners and companions. Everything flowed according to the destined order, and I decided my next move without hesitation.
There were two Divine Objects in total that the Sun God had hinted I could obtain.
Yulan, and Biban.
As soon as preparations were complete, I headed straight for Biban.
* * *
Makabi Cliff was a fissure created when seasonal rains poured into faults formed during the era of the continental cataclysm. The west, near the Indus Canyon, was higher and deeper, while the east, bordering the Sierran Empire, was shallower, allowing people to climb up and down.
There were barely a dozen faults on the cliff, testifying to how abruptly this continent had been formed for humanity. Since numerous geologists frequented the area to study the cross-section of the continent, I was also well aware of its height and appearance.
In particular, the section where the bridge for illicit trade was located had a width and depth of about 700m to 800m. It was also a place where strange convection phenomena frequently occurred due to the friction between the humid, salty air of Yulan, the hot and dry air of the Shatun Desert passing through Felix, and the mild weather forced by Biban’s Divine Object.
The end of the black bridge, which shook with a rattling sound every time the wind blew, was not even visible to the eye. This was partly due to the distance, but mostly because of the thick fog blocking the way.
Mage Boulder was a high-level wizard. If there were magical movements that were difficult to discern even to his eyes, it meant that strong Black Magic was at work. For the same reason, the Spirits did not respond to the call.
Mikael stepped forward as if it were only natural. He slung a long rope over his shoulder and asked for my permission. Even though I knew there was no other way, it wasn’t easy to keep my expression neutral.
Mikael was indeed the strongest among the party. But Mikael was also a patient. It had been less than two months since he suffered a major injury at the distant cliff.
The urge to say “I’ll follow you” or “Let’s go together” surged up to my throat, but I held it back. Because if I hadn’t been there last time, Mikael wouldn’t have been hurt so badly.
But I…
With a face full of worry, I silently looked back at Mikael, who was looking at me with an awkward smile. It would have been better if you were the kind of person who could run away from danger. Then I would have hidden Mikael in a place safer than anywhere else and brought him every sweet and delicious food in the world.
“Ruben.”
“…Yes. Be careful.”
So how… how could I have been sane?
The moment one of the railing ropes of the perfectly fine bridge snapped and hung limp, I rushed forward. As soon as I saw the bridge shaking miserably in the undulating wind, I felt I had to do something and grabbed the end of it. However, the ropes entwined around the two pillars on this side were intact; it was the opposite side, invisible to me, that had snapped.
Ignorance brought anxiety. The image of Mikael looking back with a troubled expression while hanging from a single rope appeared vividly before my eyes. I should have tied another rope around his waist before sending him. Because of me, because of an unexpected variable this time too, because of my mistake, you…
I shouldn’t have sent you alone.
I hurriedly turned around and rummaged through the luggage. I had to find an extra rope to wrap around my own waist.
“Your Highness! What are you doing right now!”
It was Ivan Bikoff. I answered while looking at the hand that grabbed the other side of the bundle I was holding.
“I have to go save him.”
“Mikael, you, Your Highness?”
“Then who else?”
Then who is left here? That old mage was no different from an ordinary person if he couldn’t use magic. Baron Bikoff and his wife, along with his workers, could only carry luggage; their own skills were not outstanding. On the other hand, I had the body of a top-tier Sword Expert and was a tall knight capable of using aura.
However, Ivan Bikoff still did not let go of what he was holding. He asked again.
“Mikael, you, Your Highness?”
“…”
I know.
If Mikael were in danger, I wouldn’t be able to help. I am… more than him…
Then what? You want me to just sit and wait while watching this? Leaving Mikael beyond that darkness?
I lifted my face, which had turned beet-red with anger. Just as I was about to say one more word, the workers let out a shout. Following Baron Bikoff’s gaze, I looked in that direction as well.
The bridge that had been hanging limp had found its place and was once again in its complete shape…
Baron Bikoff let go of what he was holding. I let go too. He looked at me silently and then looked away. Baroness Bikoff, who had been fidgeting some distance away, hurriedly ran to this side to attend to her husband.
Mikael returned from the other side of the bridge. I composed myself and crossed the bridge.
I saw a Goblin tied up tightly. I interrogated the Goblin, who seemed to be the culprit of the situation. Then, the Goblin called a Wyvern.
Once again, Mikael stepped forward first and foremost to deal with the Wyvern.
He flew, jumped, slashed, and defeated it, moving from this side to that at a speed my eyes couldn’t keep up with.
The battle in Yulan had been a fight against Spirits. There were many things to uncover, like solving a puzzle. But the crisis unfolding before my eyes now, the monster Mikael was facing, exerted overwhelming physical force.
The thing in my hand felt like a piece of grass rather than a sword. In those moments, I felt Mikael’s gaze.
Finally, the Wyvern collapsed, and after finishing the kill, Mikael walked straight toward me without a moment’s respite.
Mikael’s expression was deeply subdued. He awkwardly wiped away the blood and studied my expression.
Since when was it?
I loved the way Mikael looked at me. I was happy that he recognized me, perceived me, and naturally placed me in a corner of his world. I thought that as long as the two of us were together, we could overcome any danger. Because I love Mikael and Mikael loves me, if the two of us are together…
I remembered a day before climbing the Yuil Mountains.
Since thinking with the head and acting with the body are bound to be different, students of the Academy’s Swordsmanship Department were trained to face and deal with medium-to-large monsters directly before climbing the Yuil Mountains to prevent their bodies from freezing in actual combat.
On that day, Mikael faced a giant Ogre alone. He didn’t take his eyes off the enemy for a single moment, and even after the battle ended, he pondered and studied the monster’s appearance, structure, and behavior for a long time.
Even while covered in the monster’s blood, Mikael, who smiled more freshly and innocently than anyone else, was a raw gemstone shining more brilliantly than anything else in the world.
But the current Mikael was different.
Mikael was strong. He could easily handle several times more aura than back then. He could jump from unbelievable heights and change direction in mid-air faster than a Wyvern. He crushed the Wyvern’s head, which was said to be harder than adamantium, like pudding.
But he no longer smiled with the joy of victory. He no longer ran in pursuit of new realizations. While I hadn’t noticed, Mikael’s world had quietly twisted.
Reviewing every battle was important. Whether it was a one-on-one sparring match, a battle with a monster, or even everything that happened on a chessboard, sufficient review was needed after any war. Only by knowing what move was played and how, and by planning and designing the next step, could one win in the next battlefield.
But what did Mikael do now?
He quietly gauged my mood and lowered himself. He looked at me.
Only looking at me and pondering… He was afraid. Because of me. Because I had drawn the line and decided what Mikael should and should not do. Because I had broken Mikael’s wings and made him sit beside me…
The most maddening part was my own baseness—that even though I knew, I knew everything, I simply could not let go of Mikael.
I wished it would stay this way. I wanted to live alone with him in a world where the only thing you desired in this world was me, and you didn’t care for or involve yourself with anything else.
I couldn’t settle my heart. It remained so even while I let Mage Boulder’s long-winded theories go in one ear, while interrogating the Goblin and checking its belongings, and while performing an autopsy on the Wyvern.
My mind was so complicated that it was hard to manage my expression. Mikael, who had been reading my mood the whole time, rode the horse with me. I wanted to lean on that warm body without thinking. I wanted to be embraced, to cling, and to act spoiled.
The gentle voice whispering in my ear comforted me once again.
“Ruben. …Are you afraid of me?”
“…It’s not that.”
The words that popped out reflexively were not the complete truth. Of course, I had never been afraid of Mikael’s strength. Because I believed his blade would never be pointed at me.
But I was always afraid and terrified of Mikael.
I was afraid he might hate me, and afraid he might find me annoying. I was afraid he would think I was tiring and disgusting.
Before, I was afraid of losing Mikael’s heart, but now I was afraid and terrified of losing Mikael himself, so I played it safe. It wasn’t just that I was careful and shrinking; I tried to lock Mikael away and keep him from being seen.
And yet, I didn’t even realize that I was the one binding Mikael.
All this time, Mikael had been testing my limits, flapping his wings strongly once in a while. I think I can fly a bit higher, is this much okay? And this much? Up to here?
In that way, he moved forward step by step, carefully observing me as if asking for permission or confirmation. Then, perhaps. Perhaps you…
“Mika. Were you thinking of leaving me?”
“…Pardon?”
As soon as I tentatively brought it up, the body pressed against mine flinched. It was a very honest reaction, enough to know even without an answer. A sharp tone almost escaped me without my realizing it. I clamped my mouth shut so hard my teeth ground together.
I see.
I was blocking your growth. And that, you… you knew it too.
I didn’t know, but you…
I felt an unbearable nausea in my gut.