Chapter 13
I had a friend.
“Hi?”
She was a bit strange. She had the look of someone who had everything in the world but also the face of someone who had lost everything.
“…Who is this?”
“This is Tiana, the only daughter of the Hellenium family.”
“I see.”
I first met Tiana when I was fourteen, on a cold winter day.
“Kanoe, Tiana said she wanted to meet you…”
“And?”
I gave a cold response, and Leve, who was glancing back and forth between me and Tiana, hurriedly continued speaking.
“Well, you know, Kanoe has an unusual passion for knowledge, right? Hahaha.”
Leve seemed to want us to get along, but I wasn’t interested in other kids my age. I quietly turned the pages of my book, ignoring her.
In the hall behind the group of teenagers in pretty dresses and suits, I was reading ‘The Dynamics of Currency Flow and Empirical Research for Success.’ Surrounded by busy kids from influential families trying to survive, no one paid attention to me.
No, it wasn’t that I didn’t want attention. It was just that pleasing other kids was harder than reading books like this.
“What book are you reading?”
“…”
“I’ll read it next time. Just tell me the title.”
Even with my clear expression of indifference, Tiana persisted. I quietly closed the book and looked at her.
Tiana Hellenium. Her crimson hair, like melted sun, and her amber eyes that shone like stars.
Her family, known as the ‘Hellenium of Salvation,’ and their only daughter Tiana, were as famous as I knew.
I didn’t care. I was never interested in kids who grew up loved in powerful families, so I paid no attention.
But when I first saw her, this was the thought that crossed my mind.
“They say stars burn themselves to shine.”
“…Huh?”
Tiana seemed to have no idea what I was talking about.
“Hey, Kanoe.”
“I get it. You want me to stop reading and show my face, right?”
I hadn’t finished reading the part about empirical research for success, but I had no choice. If I made Leve too uncomfortable, he would get upset.
“Sorry, Tiana. Kanoe’s just not good with people.”
“…Hmm? Are you saying I’m lacking in social skills?”
Tiana tilted her head. Unable to listen anymore, I added something.
“Leve. What are you talking about?”
“Well, it’s true that I’m the only friend Kanoe has.”
“…”
This kid, really. He used to just cry and couldn’t say a word, but now he’s so confident. When did that happen?
“…Okay, okay. It’s true. I don’t have any friends, and I lack social skills.”
In the end, I surrendered.
Even though I was still young, I didn’t want to upset Leve’s feelings at that time.
“You two are really close.”
“Does it look like that?”
Leve answered with a big smile. Tiana, on the other hand, had a faint smile as she looked far away at something.
“Yeah. I’m jealous. I don’t have any friends.”
“Ah.”
“I have a narrow social circle, and my social skills are lacking too. Just like you.”
“…”
Leve looked awkwardly between me and Tiana. It was a funny sight.
It wasn’t just because Tiana had returned the same words to her. It was more because the child who once shone like a star, so eager to leave the darkness, had willingly entered the shadows.
“So, I want to be friends with you both.”
I preferred this much more than her forced, doll-like behavior.
“Then, next time, read this book.”
“Okay!”
Tiana smiled, and Leve sighed. I felt excited at the thought that I now had someone to talk about “how to become rich” with.
We were friends.
We were friends who left footprints on each other’s lives. Footprints that sank deep into the swamp, making it impossible to find a way back.
Now, we were in a situation that couldn’t be reversed.
So, I didn’t want to be in this situation.
“I know both situations well, because I’ve been through them myself.”
To get to know someone’s life means that you’ve shared a deep bond with them.
I didn’t want to step into that world, and I wanted to stay detached from him through nothing but business transactions.
This couldn’t continue like this.
‘What should I do?’
Should I seal Ian’s mouth? Or pretend I didn’t hear and start singing a song?
While considering all kinds of methods under the pressure that felt almost like an obsession, I suddenly felt a soft pink jelly peek up from below my chin, giving me a suspicious look.
“Master, why do you look like a sea cucumber in a hurry?”
“…”
“Are you in a hurry? Is it something serious…?”
That was enough. I quickly shut the jelly’s mouth and crouched down.
“Nothing like that, so stay still.”
“Ugh.”
The jelly made a strange noise, but I ignored it and hugged it tightly. The cold temperature and soft texture made my heart, which had been racing, calm down.
“Kanoe, it’s bad news, but… it seems like we’ll need some time to build a restroom.”
“…I told you, it’s not like that?”
Ian, who had been fixing everything so efficiently, frowned with a regretful look on his face.
“Once we get to the island, let’s try to find a boat.”
“Isn’t this okay?”
“…”
Ian chose silence instead of answering. I turned my gaze back to the raft, which had grown familiar over time.
What’s wrong with our raft? It may wobble a bit, but it no longer leaks water, and there’s shade to protect us from the sun. It’s perfect now. Damn it.
“Yeah, the boat. Please get it.”
Once we reached the island, there were more things to do. Ian no longer mentioned our previous conversation and began sorting out tasks. Regardless of everything, I was relieved that Jelly was here.
“Thanks, Jelly.”
“Huh? Finally, you’re grateful for my mere presence.”
That annoying little thing.
I weakly pinched Jelly’s cheek and stood up. The water was becoming calmer. At the same time, I felt a surge of excitement in my chest.
“I can see the island.”
I stretched my body out, staring ahead. It had been so long since I felt the earth beneath my feet. This was finally a turning point after a life spent going back and forth between boats and prisons.
“Don’t fall in now.”
“Do you know? If we fall into the sea, the most dangerous person is Ian.”
The raft wobbled slightly, and I smiled as I watched Ian stretch his hand out to me.
With me, who could dive into the water, and Jelly, who was from the sea, who was he worried about?
Ian, realizing this, withdrew his hand and said,
“You’re right. Then, come save me if I fall into the sea.”
“Hmm, I wonder.”
After a brief pause, he responded with a disappointed voice.
“Kanoe, you really have no sense of camaraderie.”
“But if you were a naval admiral, wouldn’t swimming be basic training?”
“…”
Huh, why isn’t he answering? Does he think I’m good at it, or bad at it?
“…We’ll arrive soon.”
Ian subtly changed the subject. I was a bit curious, but since I had just changed the subject myself, I decided to let it slide.
“So, you said Ian has a friend here?”
His code, delivered by a pelican messenger, and the newspaper that came with it.
At first, I thought it was just sent to update us on the imperial situation. But it wasn’t.
“Yeah. A friend… though I’d say he’s more of a troublesome guy.”
“That’s what friends are like, right?”
The newspaper, hidden with a code in plain sight. The date on the publication pointed to a location for the rendezvous.
[YM.DD.YY Published]
“It’s a basic number code. Putting it in a newspaper like this… truly typical of him.”
The numbers on the publication date, when substituted with their alphabetic positions, led to the name of an island.
“MUIA.”
[M.U.I.A]
One of the many islands at the southernmost tip of the empire.
Now, we had arrived at that island.
