Chapter 41
In Selly’s cupped hands, there was a cluster of something glowing with a bright yellow light. It looked as if she were holding a handful of tiny, shattered stars.
“Like fireflies,” I thought.
I crouched down and sat close beside Selly. Upon closer inspection, it wasn’t a firefly at all—it was more like a tiny butterfly. Its plump, rice-grain-sized body and fluttering wings emitted a radiant glow.
“Isn’t it beautiful?”
“Yeah… amazing. What is it?”
“I don’t know. I was weeding and kept seeing them popping out from the grass. I just left them alone, and now, with the sun setting, they’re glowing like this.”
The mysterious little creatures shone brighter as darkness deepened. Their tiny wings fluttered between Selly’s fingers, tracing paths of light that looked like a delicate dance.
“Look, Boni. You can even touch them, and they won’t fly away.”
“Whoa, really?”
I reached out a finger to lightly tap one, and instead of fleeing, the little creature seemed to enjoy it, fluttering around me playfully.
We sat down on the ground, completely absorbed. We watched in silence for a while, speaking in quiet voices, until a peaceful stillness settled over us.
With the chirping of insects as a background, Selly suddenly spoke up.
“I want to have my first kiss somewhere like this.”
“What? …Where did that come from?”
“Wherever it comes from, it’s my wish.”
I was too stunned to respond. Selly smacked her lips and continued seriously.
“Boni, just look around. Isn’t this romantic? Everything’s perfect here.”
“What do you mean by perfect?”
“The dark night, the starry sky that looks like it’s about to spill over, the gentle chirping of insects, and the perfect lighting.”
I frowned.
“You mean this light—the bugs or butterflies or whatever those things are?”
“Yeah. The light can’t be too bright, not too dim either. It has to be just right. And with them fluttering around… isn’t it wonderful?”
I realized she’d probably been reading the cheap romance novel a guest left behind a few days ago, carrying it around eagerly. The influence was clear.
“And finally… the seclusion that lets you sit close to someone. Isn’t this just so romantic?”
I shook my head.
“Nope. Let’s go. We have dinner and need to plan the festival events.”
“What? You don’t get it? Boni, sit here for a bit.”
Selly tugged my arm, and I fell back onto the ground.
Why was her grip so strong? Maybe this explained why she could pull weeds so effortlessly and clean with such precision.
“From what I’ve seen, Boni, you care way too much about work. You just don’t understand romance.”
“You’ve only known me for a few days, you know.”
“Hehe, true. But the important thing is, I know, and you don’t.”
Her brown eyes glittered.
Last night, she had stayed up relying on the moonlight, completely absorbed. She must’ve been seriously out of her mind.
‘I’m in trouble,’ I thought.
I knew Selly’s persistence well. I’d experienced it, and there’s a certain recognition among those of the same kind.
‘If I leave now, she’ll drag me back in a few days.’
Better to at least pretend to play along.
“Alright, close your eyes. Just imagine it.”
“Do I have to close my eyes?”
“Yes. Because romance requires flowers, and we don’t have any here yet.”
Reluctantly, I closed my eyes. Selly giggled, then whispered like a hypnotist casting a spell.
“The night sky is filled with stars. A gentle breeze carries the scent of flowers. Water trickles from the fountain in the garden—”
“That headless fountain?”
“Boni, are you not concentrating?”
Her voice turned chilly, but I simply nodded.
“Okay, okay.”
“You’re standing in the center. You admire the surroundings, and then… a man slowly approaches in the distance.”
“….”
The figure grew closer in my mind’s eye, set against a star-filled sky, with insects chirping softly and glowing butterflies fluttering around.
“You make eye contact. The man smiles gently. Slowly, your faces draw closer.”
As the imagined figure neared, Selly spoke solemnly:
“But it can’t just be any man. It must be a handsome man. Absolutely gorgeous from head to toe, someone you’d remember for thirty years even from just a brief encounter.”
“…It’s hard to imagine.”
She frowned slightly.
“Well then, think of the person you find most beautiful.”
The most handsome person…
“Ahh! Ahhh!”
“Whoa! What’s wrong? Why are you screaming?!”
Selly was startled, but I shuddered as if a moth had flown into my mouth.
‘Why is it Seideon!’
If it had to be handsome, there’s Oban, there’s Liden… why Seideon?! Even in imagination, this is not acceptable!
I tugged at my hair and clutched Selly’s flailing arms.
“Ahh! Boni!”
“I need to go rest immediately. I think I’ve completely lost it.”
“Y-Yeah… that does look like it. You’d better rest right away.”
Selly seemed genuinely frightened, as she didn’t even come near my room that night. I, too, had calmed down enough to think clearly.
‘There’s no shortage of things in this game that drive me insane. A little madness is normal.’
I had to reach the true ending and escape before going completely insane.
“Did something happen last night? Both Selly and you weren’t at the dining hall.”
“I had some things on my mind.”
“I think Boni lost it.”
“Chiegou-san has always been a little… strange.”
What kind of conversation was that? Selly and Oban continued eating without paying me the slightest mind.
“It was terrifying last night. The butterfly might’ve even been cursed or something.”
“A beautiful butterfly?”
“Yes. We were cleaning the garden together.”
Selly explained the glowing creatures she had seen the night before in detail.
“It was probably Lucy. The Dalshian tree in the garden attracts them.”
“Lucy? What’s that?”
I asked.
“It’s a type of magical beast. They look like butterflies, and glow in the dark.”
“Magical beasts? Are they dangerous? Do they attack people?”
From the novels I occasionally read, that seemed to be the case. But Oban looked at me like I was the most foolish person in the world, and Paul, glancing at Selly occasionally, did the same.
‘So, not here.’
By the time I realized it, it was too late.
“Most magical beasts are harmless and fond of humans.”
“Ah… that explains why it clung to us last night.”
“Lucy isn’t a common magical beast, so maybe you didn’t know.”
“I see… so it’s not common… Wait a minute, Oban. That weird butterfly from last night isn’t common?”
“Yes. Lucy only eats Dalshian leaves, and Dalshian trees grow only in places steeped with ancient mana.”
“Even when I was in the capital, I never saw one.”
Paul, who had been silent, added,
“There might be some in the royal palace. Other than that, they’re at our hotel, or deep in the mountains.”
Oban said this casually.
“Wow… then we have something really special at our hotel.”
Selly, eating her soup, beamed with delight.
“Right? It’s only here! Hehe. Hehehe.”
I dropped my spoon, laughing quietly in place.
“…See? I was right. I really was terrifyingly insane.”
Selly hunched over, whispering to Paul and Oban, but nothing could stop my laughter.
