By Zephyria 
It took three hours to escape the Wyvern’s territory, and I was drenched in sweat.
Every time a stone fragment grazed my toes, I’d hug the child and press myself against the wall. From the middle on, Rubel didn’t hide his anxiety, hugging my waist or resting his cheek on my chest. His anxiety was contagious, and I was also very worried.
We passed through many paths too narrow for a Wyvern to fly in and out of. We deliberately chose the narrow paths between the rocky mountains. The small clearing we finally reached was half-covered, offering a place where we could catch our breath for a moment.
Then Rubel took out gold coins and held them in his hand. The coin the Sun God had given him, when placed palm-up with the engraved side facing upwards, would spin and point in the same direction. While Rubel repeatedly held and released the coin to gauge the direction, I kept watch of our surroundings.
“Mika.”
“Yes.”
“Look. This direction is the Sanctuary of the Sun.”
The direction Rubel pointed was… the way we came.
It definitely wasn’t like this before we met the Wyvern, but the path had twisted and turned, and we had lost our way. Were there forks in the road? I couldn’t remember clearly.
“If we go straight up this way, Felix will appear, right?”
“…Then it would be better to go that way to reunite with the party.”
“But this path is the Indus Canyon.”
I couldn’t guess the child’s intention in bringing this up.
Rubel pointed to an alley that opened in the opposite direction from where we entered.
“And here… if it’s the opposite direction of the Sanctuary of the Sun… it’s Yulan.”
“Well… I suppose so…?”
“Isn’t that closer?”
“Yes?”
I tried to recall the geography I learned during my Academy days.
Yulan and Biban are countries that are blocked by the Indus Canyon and thus not heavily influenced by the Shatun Desert. There must have been a rough mountain range between them, but there would still be a way through, given the talk of their salt trade routes.
But wouldn’t the rest of the party be heading towards Felix or the Sanctuary of the Sun right now?
Rubel, easily reading my confusion, added his explanation step by step.
“After seeing the Wyvern, I strongly felt that the Indus Canyon is not a safe zone. Right now, confirming the survival of our party and ensuring our own safety is the most important thing, isn’t it?”
“That’s true…”
“The Sierran Empire’s Ministry of Inspection and Supervision has offices in Yulan, and I can contact them anytime, anywhere.”
“Ah, then.”
“Yes. Just like we did in Owen, let’s borrow their information network. Using Ranunculus, it would be good to contact Felix’s reinforcements, the Sanctuary of the Sun, the Widdrow Duchy, and the Imperial Capital.”
Listening to him, it made sense.
Rubel continued, “The Indus Canyon gets lower and gentler as you go from west to east. The part bordering Yulan is almost flat. And that stream we saw… water flows from high places to low places, from land to sea, doesn’t it?”
“…Mm.”
“Let’s follow the stream. If we go downstream, we can reach Yulan.”
“Yes, let’s do that.”
As I said it, another thought occurred to me.
“Speaking of which, didn’t the Sun God also tell us to pick up Divine objects in Yulan and Biban?”
“…He didn’t say it exactly like that, but… it’s similar, right?”
“Let’s look for them while we’re at it.”
“Yes, let’s.”
So, the next direction was easily decided.
I briefly wondered if the other children would have smart ideas like Rubel and meet up in Yulan, but I quickly dismissed the thought. As long as they were alive, there would be a day we’d see them again. I just hoped their Healing Artifacts wouldn’t be needed much.
* * *
Whether it was the influence of the Contaminated Mana, or the power of the Ninth God still lingering in this land.
Not knowing when the sun rose or set, we couldn’t count the days.
When my legs got tired from walking, we rested, and when I was hungry, we ate. When I briefly closed my eyes and woke up, I counted it as a day having passed.
I suggested a few times that it might be better to carry the child and run, but Rubel, confirming that the tips of my left hand were still numb, refused, insisting I needed at least another week of rest, so we only walked hand in hand.
What was damaged was my arm, not my Dantian. I told him several times that summoning energy was not a problem, but I couldn’t win against his argument that I needed my arms to move my legs nimbly.
We walked and walked, and when we found a seemingly safe cave, we checked for monsters inside and took turns resting. Lying with my head on Rubel’s thigh was pleasant, and it wasn’t bad having the child lean on me as he slept. I even worried if we could continue to have such leisurely time.
Then, one day, as usual, I was lying with my head on the child’s thigh.
Rubel, who had been gently massaging my left hand, subtly pushed me aside and laid me down on the ground.
I was very puzzled but assumed he needed to relieve himself and didn’t bother opening my eyes. Rubel left me there and activated the Shield Artifact. By this point, I sensed something was strange and suspicious, but I remained quiet, not wanting to pressure the child.
And then Rubel left me and went outside.
…Left me? Went outside alone? Here?
I sat up in surprise. I expanded my Qi sense to read the child’s presence. Noticing that Rubel was even heading back the way we came, I was dumbfounded and flustered, forgetting what I should do first. I fumbled on the ground and turned off the Shield Artifact, which was operating on its own.
I gathered the scattered belongings. It was then I realized Rubel had left behind necessities like food. Was he planning to return soon? No, if he didn’t return, what was he planning to do? I barely managed to strap a sword to my side and followed him back the way we came, my path filled with confusion and chaos.
Did the child intend to die?
That was absurd. Rubel wanted to become the Emperor of this land. It had been less than a week since he declared he would bring peace to this land by eliminating his half-brothers. Rubel was too precious a life to perish. No matter what, it was my duty to save him and reach Yulan together.
Or perhaps I had made some grave mistake. Had I, without realizing it, hurt the child’s feelings again, and was he planning to cry and return somewhere I didn’t know? If so, he could have just told me, and I would have answered him.
Anxiety piled upon anxiety, and I broke out in a cold sweat.
Then Rubel reached a body of water. The black flowing water was merely reflecting the sky, and we had confirmed two days prior that it was clear and suitable for drinking. Was he thirsty? If so, he wouldn’t have refused the water I brought. Just as I could no longer bear it and was about to step forward.
Rubel, with a look of determination, began to shed his clothes.
…
I hid behind a cliff, feeling like a terrible person. I covered my mouth with one hand, desperately swallowing the gasps that escaped.
Rubel untied his belt and laid it down, then shed his upper and lower garments, even his underclothes, placing them aside with a sigh. Splash. I heard the sound of water. Rubel had indeed entered the water. I could hear the sound of him kicking the water with his toes from here.
Is it… dangerous?
But why without telling me?
Unsure whether I should watch or not, I hesitated for a long time before finally peeking out. Rubel was submerged up to his waist. The water didn’t seem deep, as his white knees, resting on the bottom, rose above the surface, shining like white pebbles.
Rubel, with his sword beside him, held his breath, surveyed his surroundings, and poured water over his shoulders. He rubbed his arms, splashed water on his chest several times, and sniffed. He let down his long, fine hair and washed away the dust in the stream. With cupped hands, he repeatedly wiped his face.
Under the entirely black sky, Rubel was the only thing shining in this world.
If his discarded clothes were fairy garments, I would have been desperate to steal them.
I kept my hand on my sword hilt, worried about monsters appearing around the child. Though I thought I shouldn’t look, I couldn’t tear my eyes away. Rubel washed himself very meticulously, several times. I found myself repeatedly distracted by the child’s angular shoulders and full chest, which was quite troublesome.
It felt like an instant, and it felt like a thousand years.
Rubel carefully stood up and buried his nose in his clothes again. As I watched, all I wanted was for him to put on his clothes quickly, but I couldn’t stop him from starting to hand-wash them again.
It was right to consider myself fortunate that the child was crouched with his back to me.
My tightly clenched sword groaned as if it would shatter. I released the tension in my hands and clasped them together. I pressed my fist to my nose as if in prayer and earnestly called out to a god. No, this was a sight I didn’t want any god to witness.
When Rubel stood up, his clothes slightly damp, a long sigh escaped me before I knew it. Rubel flinched and looked around. He was scared too, wasn’t he? No, why would he do something scary? If he wanted to wash, he could have just told me…
…If he had. Thinking about how I would have responded made me feel lost.
I… back in the Central Plains, when I fled from hardship, I never agonized over washing myself. Even with a beard reaching my chest, I laughed it off, saying I was a man, so it was fine. I never imagined Rubel would ponder such things. That’s probably why the child couldn’t say a word to me and did this on his own.
Once again, a fierce dilemma began.
Was it right to sneak back to the cave now and pretend nothing happened?
Or was it right to scold the child for doing something dangerous and ensure such a thing never happened again?
I had never faced such a difficult problem, even after being reborn.
I pressed my temple against the cliff and suppressed a groan.
Rubel’s footsteps, carefully muffled, grew gradually closer.