A Wish to Grab Happiness

Volume 7, Chapter 161: The Devil’s Crucible

Volume 7, Chapter 162: Mud in the Depths of One’s Heart

As the eyes of the sun closed down and the darkness of the night devoured the cityscape of Belfein, only the faint light of the moon illuminated the ground. People, beasts, and every other organism rushed to their own beds. Yes, originally an average night, as if it were like any other night.

…However, now. Something illuminated the cityscape that should have been dark.

It felt like boiling flames. A murky steam burst, just like a dragon’s fire, rampaging in search of something.

A torrent of magical power raised up from the center of Belfein, pouring glittering lights into the city at night. This occurrence was abnormal. It was clear to the eye but unusual.

In the first place, magical mysteries were not so easily reflected in the human eyes. Ordinary people could only see such phenomena only when a wizard or a sorcerer exercised it and made it somewhat visible. Unless the magic properties reached a certain concentration, the magical power would not show its appearance. It had a faint existence just like thin silk.

The torrent of magical power tore through the sky and continued to rise toward the heavens, showing a dreaded green light. Moreover, the dense magical power that rushed toward the heavens formed a pillar of light. This sight felt like a scene only found in fairy tales.

It deprived every one of their own eyes.

People were stuck to this scene, as if they had lost the ability to close their eyelids. Yes, as if they had forgotten to change their facial expressions. The poor, the common people, and the aristocrats all did the same action, screaming in unison as if they had forgotten about the boundaries of their social status.

Then, everyone began to hold these words in their chest without saying them aloud.

…Ahh, scary. Something, yes, something frightening has happened.

—

I felt the flow of air stroking my cheeks. That torrent of magical power that rose high seemed to be gaining momentum, little by little.

I opened my eyes wide and straightened my body while clinging onto Caria’s body. I felt a sensation of something swirling and rampaging inside my lungs.

?…Give me a break. Did Filaret come here too? ?

My lips moved without realizing. Still, the tone of my voice was not conventional. I actually spoke with a bittersweet tone. I wondered if Caria understood the tone of my voice. She sighed while rounding her silver eyes. I heard a small voice coming from her mouth, which was quite unusual for Caria, who always spoke with a dignified and edgy voice. Apparently, she cared about my body, which had wounds on both my shoulder and arm. She let me cling to her body, despite my evident frustration.

?I understand what you mean. But, yes, of course, she came too. Is there anyone else who can cause such anomalies??

I see. She was right. The appearance reflected in my eyes was undeniably abnormal. A heresy and the exact opposite of what we saw during our everyday life. Only a limited number of people could go back to the past or moved on to the future. And, as far as I knew, I was the only one.

The same could be said about Filaret. Only that woman could reshape the weather and even the world with her own hands.

But why Belfein again? I tried to mumble, and my lips closed unintentionally. It would be too careless from my part to leak such words in front of Caria.

I did not have a good self-esteem. I was not even overconfident about my capabilities. However, I knew that Filaret had affectionate feelings towards me. Perhaps, the reason why Filaret came to Belfein was due to the emotions whistling in her heart.

It felt quite unexpected, but I felt an emotion close to joy along with another emotion that crawled up from my viscera. First, the joyous emotion. I certainly felt that I, whom she did not even recognize in the past, changed the direction of her admiration, from that hero to me.

And the other emotion… Foolishness… I was really an idiotic person. I knew that more than anyone else did. However, how easy it would be if a person’s emotions followed some reason instead? How much could a person live much happier than he was now? Nothing of this was possible, and all poor people were forced to live their days while pushing their anguish into the back of their skulls. I was no exception.

Nevertheless.

I forcibly put some force on my slightly swaying legs and let go of Caria’s body. When I put my hand on my chest, a rough feeling reached my fingertips. I wondered if the blood that was flowing on my shoulder had accumulated.

I involuntarily wrinkled between the eyebrows, and while shaking my ears, I took out a chewing tobacco and put it on my mouth. My lips finally felt this taste after a long time.

The unique scent of the tobacco and the strong scent of iron went through the nostrils. I exhaled the smoke heavily twice while narrowing my eyes.

?I can see that you know the answer to my question. Anyway, do you feel like going into that devil’s cave yourself??

?Well, yeah, I’m planning to go. ?

I shook my legs for a moment to gain my equilibrium. I took a step forward and pain seemed to exude from the bone marrow.

I noticed that Caria’s silver eyes were looking at me while leaving some emotion. However, this expression did not look like the usual Caria expression. It seemed she waited for my feedback as she stopped moving her mouth. It felt rather unusual, as Caria never waited for any sort of words before. At least, not for my words. After all, she was never that shy to berate me or discourage me during our past travels.

Oh, but not now. Something changed dramatically. Maybe for the best? This person, Caria, never looked as small as she did now. I stepped forward while rolling the chewing tobacco with my fingers.

?You are my comrade. Undoubtedly. And… Filaret too.?

These words burst from the depths of my chest. The mud that had hardened within the depths of my viscera, which had never seen the light of day, was now transforming into soft words that slowly flown in the air.

?Caria. I must go there even if it’s the devil’s cave. You see, I’ll do the same for you if you were there instead. Yeah, that’s right. I shall go whenever my comrades are in a dangerous place.?

Strangely, I could feel that my words did not made much sense when put together. I felt as if every single one of my emotions were overflowing from the lips just as they were.

Ah, I was sure now. I wanted to spit out these words from my lips above all else. I wanted to feel pride by walking side by side with those heroes. I always hoped I could say these words one day.

?…I think some of your help will make a difference. Don’t you think so??

Caria did not show me her face anymore. She showed some shyness. While she lowered her face, I took one-step further, stepping in front of her while walking toward the torrent of magical power. I heard a big sigh from behind, and some strong force supported my body. Caria’s voice whispered in my ear.

?You idiot. Listen, you must also learn to lean a little on the shoulders of your comrades.?

Caria’s long eyelashes bounced in a good mood, even though she said “idiot” with sharpened lips. Stepping into danger with her would not be a problem since she were in a good condition.

Neither the private army nor the mercenary group tried to stop Caria and me from walking away from the battlefield. It seemed that no one could understand what to do or what to think amid the unusual sight that occurred right in front of their eyes. The torrent of that green magical power that soared in the air was something beyond the theories of the world and beyond the comprehension of the human mind.