Chapter 80: Did you cry?

“Darlian…”

“Hm?” Darlian made a curious sound. “Have you been crying?”

“No.”

“Really?” Darlian leaned in, scrutinizing Finihiya’s face up close. “It looks like your eyes are all red.”

Maybe she hated being seen as weak by Darlian. Finihiya puffed out her cheeks angrily and turned her face away, then used her left hand to push Darlian’s face aside.

“…Don’t get so close.”

“Finihiya, really now…” Darlian pulled back a little, looking at Finihiya with a helpless yet doting gaze. Then she noticed Finihiya’s odd posture and shifted her eyes to the outstretched right leg.

“Did you hurt your foot?”

…Yeah.

There was no way to hide something like that, so Finihiya could only bite her lip lightly and nod.

“Where exactly?”

“My ankle…”

Even though Darlian was exceedingly gentle as she slowly lifted Finihiya’s foot, a pained whimper still escaped Finihiya’s lips.

“Does it hurt a lot?”

“Yeah.”

Noticing that Darlian raised her right hand as if to cast magic, Finihiya spoke in a mild tone.

“Healing Magic won’t work.”

“I know.”

After that reply, a spell flowed from Darlian’s right hand without any chant.

But instead of the gentle, green glow of Healing Magic, it was a cold, faint blue light.

“So cold!”

A sharp, chilly sensation shot up from her ankle, and Finihiya let out a brief gasp.

“If it’s a sprain, you need to cool it down, or it’ll swell up really badly.”

“I know, but I don’t know any Ice Magic…”

Darlian lifted a single eyebrow with practiced skill, then asked with a slightly puzzled, gentle tone, “How did you get hurt?”

“…I wasn’t paying attention and tripped.”

“You’re so careless.” Darlian sighed softly, as if resigned. “What were you watching just now?”

“Puppet Show…” Perhaps feeling guilty, Finihiya answered in a small voice.

“What is it, did you feel empathy seeing your own kind?”

At those words, a subtle expression surfaced on Finihiya’s delicate face.

“What do you mean by that, Darlian?”

“You always look just like a beautiful porcelain doll.”

“…Is that supposed to be a compliment?”

“Of course.” Darlian tilted her face slightly to look straight into Finihiya’s eyes. “Could it even be an insult?”

“Does your foot still hurt?”

“It feels much better now. Thank you.”

“Hehe~” Darlian chuckled lightly, then turned around and crouched down. “Hop on.”

Maybe noticing Finihiya hadn’t moved, Darlian tilted her head back to glance over her shoulder.

“What’s wrong? Does the Saintess want to walk back like this? I don’t mind, but in another day or two your ankle will be as swollen as a pig’s trotter.”

Even though being carried on someone’s back in front of so many people was embarrassing, Darlian’s words forced Finihiya to face reality.

After biting her lower lip and hesitating for a moment, Finihiya finally shifted and lay down on Darlian’s back.

“Let’s go back then.”

“Mm.”

With Finihiya’s petite pair of Lace-decorated Leather Shoes dangling from her left hand, Darlian slowly carried her out of the plaza.

Leaving the bustling plaza behind, the midsummer night had become pitch black. A warm, moist breeze drifted across the entire city.

This was the Residential District, about a fifteen-minute walk from the plaza.

Most citizens had left their homes to attend the festivities, leaving the Residential District unusually quiet.

Darlian carried Finihiya along a nearly empty street, the faint glow of streetlights and the pale moonlight gently wrapping the two of them in a soft embrace.

“You’ll need to ice your foot again in a bit.”

“Mm.”

A tuft of grass swayed gently in the breeze, growing at the corner of a wall along the street.

Dong!

Suddenly, a deep, sonorous bell tolled through the night.

Finihiya lifted her gaze, following the sound.

***

A little distance away, an old clock tower stood tall, the huge clock face illuminated by hanging lamps on both sides, its hour hand pointing straight at nine o’clock.

“It’s about to start.”

The words slipped from Darlian’s lips in a mutter, almost to herself.

At those words, Finihiya looked back at Darlian’s profile, her face faintly veiled in the night.

“What’s about to start?”

“Fireworks!”

“Do you want to go see them, Finihiya?” Darlian purposely bounced her hands supporting Finihiya’s bottom.

Fireworks…

Vivid, dazzling memories floated through her mind.

She hesitated only briefly, then softly replied, “Mm.”

“Then let’s go.” Darlian’s gentle smile grew more cheerful. “I know a really good spot right beside where they’re setting off the fireworks. Let’s go sit there and watch.”

“Mm.”

“You’re so light, Finihiya.”

“…Why bring that up all of a sudden?”

“What’s your weight, Finihiya?”

“Not telling you…”

The night wasn’t deep yet, but all around was silent. If you listened closely, you could just barely hear the faint chirping of insects.

“This is someone’s private place, isn’t it?”

Lying on Darlian’s slender back, Finihiya stared at a wooden sign just slipping out of view, the characters “Private Territory” written on it.

This was a small hill, not very high.

Darlian was climbing up worn stone steps, some of them badly eroded.

The full moon’s bluish-white glow spilled down, making the Stairway—its endless steps—stretch into Finihiya’s sight.

“It is private.”

“If we sneak in like this and get caught, what’ll we do?”

“Hehe~” Darlian laughed softly. “I can run very fast, you know.”

“And at this time, there’s almost never anyone here, and there’s no house at the top. No one lives here.”

A chilly wind blew in from the woods flanking the Stairway, the lush leaves rustling on the branches.

“What’s at the top of this long Stairway?”

“Shrine to the Old Gods.”

The long Stairway was finally shortened, as Darlian stepped onto the last stone, standing atop the little hill.

Just as Darlian had said, there was a temple here.

But…

Maybe from long neglect, the temple looked rather dilapidated, a sense of desolation emanating from the building itself.

“I’ll let you down now, be careful.”

“Mm.”

Hearing Darlian’s reminder, Finihiya responded softly.

The two sat together on the last step of the Stairway.

Looking down from here, the steps seemed to merge into the deep darkness below, the bottom invisible.