92
4 Estio
- Episode 16
Kai, who came right next to him, was looking up at Estio. Those round melon-colored eyes sometimes seemed cute, but in reality, Kai was much older than Estio.
"You've definitely owed the imperial family with this."
It was a story about accepting a re-order.
"For this time, I hope that I am wrong and ask questions."
As it was a question that he already knew the answer to, there was a bitter smile on Kai's lips.
"Did you intentionally induce the princess to re-order?"
The question hidden in the simple question has also been passed on to Estio.
'In case Shuhanan is targeting the guild, let's resolve this power struggle.'
Shuhanan's movements were already being captured in several places. It was only a matter of time before Shuhanan came to the Rubarjan Empire.
'Are you planning on protecting the guild by wiping out a huge debt to the imperial family?'
Also, the master was quick-witted. Estio thought so and shook his head.
"Not necessarily."
"I'm guessing that's the case."
"It is my will to help Princess Marissa. Even if there were other wills, that too."
His wish to protect the guild was also real. Estio did not deny anything.
"I do it all because I want to, so you don't have to be sorry."
"Hey, do you think so?"
Upon hearing the question, Estio went to the flower garden bench and sat down leaning on it. I've been mentally exhausted from a lot of things happening all at once. He closed his eyes and spoke in an indifferent tone.
"Kai has nothing to apologize for."
However, Kai couldn't lift his head because of the guilt that stabbed his chest.
only nineteen years old. Regardless of race or ability, he is still at an immature age that cannot be regarded as an adult.
When Estio like that naive enough to show affection to the guild and fall in love with the sense of belonging that he had tasted for the first time, Kai's intentions for supporting him were not so pure.
As soon as Kai learned of Estio's existence, he chose him as the only hand he could fight against the Yellow Dragon Shuhanan. In other words-.
'It was treated as a battle weapon.'
It was after meeting Estio in person that I realized something was wrong.
Unlike Shuhanan, Estio was not destructive, nor was he engulfed in rage against humans. It was as calm as the sea at night when the waves sank deeply. Even he didn't seem to know what his powers were.
Moreover, upon closer inspection, he did not know how to express himself, but harbored various emotions. Just like a human.
Kai began to shake whether it was really right to use Estio in this fight.
After the conversation was over, there was silence in the greenhouse for a moment. It was a comfortable silence for relaxation.
"Ah! That crystal flower."
Then, Parker spotted a familiar flower and flew away. Among the colorful flowerbeds, white, tiny plants were placed in pots.
"Crystal flower? Aren't you the pretty girl that cactus was chasing after you?"
"Yes, that's right. It's nice to meet a flower I know here."
As I was working on the same team as S.T.O., Parker was friendly as if seeing flowers and treating people.
"Huh? But this flower."
A sense of wonder crossed between the happy faces that had bloomed all over his hesitant face.
"Something."
"A little?"
"Should I say that I don't feel energetic...?"
Parker didn't have the ability to read minds, so he couldn't be sure. He clouded the end of his words with a mysterious expression.
Neju, who approached carefully to avoid stepping on other flowers, tilted her head.
"What? It's fresh."
"I must have misunderstood."
Parker awkwardly scratched the back of his head. As Neju said, the leaves were obviously green and the flowers were in full bloom, but I couldn't get rid of the impression that something was wilting.
"In that case, there is a way."
Moving confidently, Mubin pricked the flowerpot that was in Neju's arms.
"Hey, Mr. Cactus."
「……」
No matter how much he shook, the cactus did not rise, so Mubin cleared his voice loudly. Then she played a gentle female voice, although she was a little husky.
"Wake up, Ahur."
「Ugh. Mom, I have five more minutes......"
It was absurd to watch a peacock who was obsessed with the role of a mother and made a female voice, or a cactus who was deceived.
Parker and Kai seriously thought the same thing.
'Isn't he really a human in a previous life?'
'Everything in the world is reincarnated, but if a human dies and is reborn as a plant, it would be really frustrating.'
Ahur, who made the people around him trust the theory of reincarnation with just one sleep talk, woke up holding up the branches like a child and waking up.
"Mom!"
"I'm sorry, it's me."
"Ah, I wish this was a fucking dream."
As soon as he woke up, the cactus who faced Mubin immediately hated it. Then, Mubin burst out laughing out loud.
"Uh-huh! It's sharp today."
"Pak, I'm going to die of sleep, so why are you fighting? Do you want to know what is sharp with your body?"
"Don't do that, get up. I think your love Sujeong is sick."
"OMG."
As soon as Ahur, who had set up a thorn with the force to pierce, calmed down as soon as he heard the story of the crystal flower. Then he voluntarily got out of Neju's arms and bounced around the crystal flower. Ahur twisted his torso.
"therefore? Where are you hurting?"
"I don't know."
"I don't know, why are you waking me up?"
"Huh? Just."
On that day, Moobin realized that even cacti could breathe life. He, who was almost driven to the point of drawing his sword against the cactus, hurriedly gave a serious answer.
"Wow. Calm down. Calm down. If a crystal flower is sick, it's hard for humans to recognize, right? I wanted to know where the same plant hurts."
Hearing this, Ahur was even more startled.
「Hey, then, since you are a human being, you can guess where the pain is just by looking at people's faces? There is no other name."
"Oh, so it's difficult with plants after all?"
"Oh man, am I a mind reader? I'm not talking, how do I know!"
The two of them looked at the real mind reader.
Estio, who had been sitting blankly with a slightly tired face, raised his head, being aware of the sudden silence around him.
'Ah, the crystal flower......'
Normally, I would have asked why, but now I'm too lazy to ask every single question. Estio roughly read Mubin's head and figured out what they wanted from him.
He got up and went to the crystal flower pot and laid his hand on the white petals.
"No, Estio-sama needs to see the state of the flowers yourself."
"Are you curious?"
Mubin's expression darkened. She was curious, of course, but she didn't dare to ask for it, even interfering with her master's rest.
Moobin considered this situation to be the weakness of the ability to read minds.
Contrary to the guardian's concerns, Estio, who had touched the crystal flower without much thought, flinched and withdrew her hand.
"Why why? Where is Sujeong really sick?」
Estio pondered what to answer. Meanwhile, the anxious cactus rolled its roots.
"You must have come here and fell ill!"
"I didn't get sick. But."
"but?"
"It's true, as Parker saw, it's not energized. This flower dies soon."
Ahur was at a loss for words and soon became as quiet as a normal plant.
A melancholy air flowed in front of a flower that was said to have reached the end of its lifespan. In an attempt to lift Moobin's mood, she deliberately playfully praised Parker.
"I've known for a long time the feeling of wilting, my friend of the Joining clan."
"Ahaha, it was just a feeling. To be honest, I thought I saw it wrong..."
Parker squatted in front of the crystal flower. Her black guild uniform was crumpled and dragged to the floor, but it didn't matter because it was made for activities anyway. Following his movements, white feathers fell softly on the flower bed.
"...It's kind of pathetic. You can't tell me you're sick until the moment you die."
"Don't be too empathetic with plants."
Moobin smiled and said with an optimistic attitude.
"Still, did you achieve your wish to return to the owner? He must be very happy by now!"
"I'm not happy."
The crystal flower murmured a little. Unfortunately, however, Estio was the only person who could hear the sound.
"Are there any creatures that are happy when they die?"
Estio did not respond at all because his voice was so elegant that he did not know whether he was really curious or sarcastic.
"still."
saraak.
The white petals gently swayed in the glass greenhouse where the wind did not blow.
"I have no regrets about returning to the place where I was born again before I wither. Thank you, Estio."
The crystal flower was truly grateful to him for sending him back to the princess's garden.
"Uh! Moobin-nim, didn't this flower just move?"
"Hey, hey, it's not like flowers don't have feet."
Parker pointed it out again, but Moobin waved his hand.
"For such a bizarre phenomenon, the cactus seed is enough."
Then the cactus, bouncing with its roots rather than its feet, reacted violently.
"Look at this human. Did you say that I'm bizarre now?"
"Yeah, honestly, very much."
"It's useless to be honest. But since I said it before, I'll take a look."
Neju asked Ahur, who had mercy on him, blinking his red eyes.
"Can I curse in front of you?"
"Because I hate swearing at the back the most!"
Moobin giggled, saying that he would be sure to keep that in mind. Estio, who had been watching them, who now seemed quite familiar, heard the sound of a rattling door opening in Estio's ears.
A familiar face cautiously entered the garden. She was one of her maids serving the 1st Princess.
The chatter stopped among the colleagues who found the bowed maid.
"The Crown Princess has invited you to the dinner."
* * *
The place the maid guided me was none other than the gorgeous outdoor terrace outside the glass garden.
As soon as they left the greenhouse, the wide, flat lawn and tables decorated with flowers caught the attention of Estio and the group. Princess Marisa was so fond of flowers that it was evident at a glance that she had grown her own flowers embroidered on the outdoor venue in full bloom.
A flower garden built of glass under the setting sky glistened in the sunset light. Estio, who felt like a golden lake illuminating the sky, fixed her gaze blankly.
A glass palace in the back and a well-decorated outdoor terrace in the front.
It was a fantastic scenery, as if you had stepped into a fairy tale. The atmosphere became even sweeter when the colorful lights came on in the magic lamp. It was a magnificent and luxurious facility enough to hold a party right away, but the only guests were the Ignis guild members invited by the princess.
"Welcome. I'm embarrassed because I'm not well prepared."
"Ready, Princess. What is all this?"
Moobin expressed his bewildered feelings as the representative. Then she answered the princess with her cheeks blushing.
"I want to say thank you."
Clear golden eyes shone with a strong will.
92
4 Estio
- Episode 16
Kai, who came right next to him, was looking up at Estio. Those round melon-colored eyes sometimes seemed cute, but in reality, Kai was much older than Estio.
"You've definitely owed the imperial family with this."
It was a story about accepting a re-order.
"For this time, I hope that I am wrong and ask questions."
As it was a question that he already knew the answer to, there was a bitter smile on Kai's lips.
"Did you intentionally induce the princess to re-order?"
The question hidden in the simple question has also been passed on to Estio.
'In case Shuhanan is targeting the guild, let's resolve this power struggle.'
Shuhanan's movements were already being captured in several places. It was only a matter of time before Shuhanan came to the Rubarjan Empire.
'Are you planning on protecting the guild by wiping out a huge debt to the imperial family?'
Also, the master was quick-witted. Estio thought so and shook his head.
"Not necessarily."
"I'm guessing that's the case."
"It is my will to help Princess Marissa. Even if there were other wills, that too."
His wish to protect the guild was also real. Estio did not deny anything.
"I do it all because I want to, so you don't have to be sorry."
"Hey, do you think so?"
Upon hearing the question, Estio went to the flower garden bench and sat down leaning on it. I've been mentally exhausted from a lot of things happening all at once. He closed his eyes and spoke in an indifferent tone.
"Kai has nothing to apologize for."
However, Kai couldn't lift his head because of the guilt that stabbed his chest.
only nineteen years old. Regardless of race or ability, he is still at an immature age that cannot be regarded as an adult.
When Estio like that naive enough to show affection to the guild and fall in love with the sense of belonging that he had tasted for the first time, Kai's intentions for supporting him were not so pure.
As soon as Kai learned of Estio's existence, he chose him as the only hand he could fight against the Yellow Dragon Shuhanan. In other words-.
'It was treated as a battle weapon.'
It was after meeting Estio in person that I realized something was wrong.
Unlike Shuhanan, Estio was not destructive, nor was he engulfed in rage against humans. It was as calm as the sea at night when the waves sank deeply. Even he didn't seem to know what his powers were.
Moreover, upon closer inspection, he did not know how to express himself, but harbored various emotions. Just like a human.
Kai began to shake whether it was really right to use Estio in this fight.
After the conversation was over, there was silence in the greenhouse for a moment. It was a comfortable silence for relaxation.
"Ah! That crystal flower."
Then, Parker spotted a familiar flower and flew away. Among the colorful flowerbeds, white, tiny plants were placed in pots.
"Crystal flower? Aren't you the pretty girl that cactus was chasing after you?"
"Yes, that's right. It's nice to meet a flower I know here."
As I was working on the same team as S.T.O., Parker was friendly as if seeing flowers and treating people.
"Huh? But this flower."
A sense of wonder crossed between the happy faces that had bloomed all over his hesitant face.
"Something."
"A little?"
"Should I say that I don't feel energetic...?"
Parker didn't have the ability to read minds, so he couldn't be sure. He clouded the end of his words with a mysterious expression.
Neju, who approached carefully to avoid stepping on other flowers, tilted her head.
"What? It's fresh."
"I must have misunderstood."
Parker awkwardly scratched the back of his head. As Neju said, the leaves were obviously green and the flowers were in full bloom, but I couldn't get rid of the impression that something was wilting.
"In that case, there is a way."
Moving confidently, Mubin pricked the flowerpot that was in Neju's arms.
"Hey, Mr. Cactus."
「……」
No matter how much he shook, the cactus did not rise, so Mubin cleared his voice loudly. Then she played a gentle female voice, although she was a little husky.
"Wake up, Ahur."
「Ugh. Mom, I have five more minutes......"
It was absurd to watch a peacock who was obsessed with the role of a mother and made a female voice, or a cactus who was deceived.
Parker and Kai seriously thought the same thing.
'Isn't he really a human in a previous life?'
'Everything in the world is reincarnated, but if a human dies and is reborn as a plant, it would be really frustrating.'
Ahur, who made the people around him trust the theory of reincarnation with just one sleep talk, woke up holding up the branches like a child and waking up.
"Mom!"
"I'm sorry, it's me."
"Ah, I wish this was a fucking dream."
As soon as he woke up, the cactus who faced Mubin immediately hated it. Then, Mubin burst out laughing out loud.
"Uh-huh! It's sharp today."
"Pak, I'm going to die of sleep, so why are you fighting? Do you want to know what is sharp with your body?"
"Don't do that, get up. I think your love Sujeong is sick."
"OMG."
As soon as Ahur, who had set up a thorn with the force to pierce, calmed down as soon as he heard the story of the crystal flower. Then he voluntarily got out of Neju's arms and bounced around the crystal flower. Ahur twisted his torso.
"therefore? Where are you hurting?"
"I don't know."
"I don't know, why are you waking me up?"
"Huh? Just."
On that day, Moobin realized that even cacti could breathe life. He, who was almost driven to the point of drawing his sword against the cactus, hurriedly gave a serious answer.
"Wow. Calm down. Calm down. If a crystal flower is sick, it's hard for humans to recognize, right? I wanted to know where the same plant hurts."
Hearing this, Ahur was even more startled.
「Hey, then, since you are a human being, you can guess where the pain is just by looking at people's faces? There is no other name."
"Oh, so it's difficult with plants after all?"
"Oh man, am I a mind reader? I'm not talking, how do I know!"
The two of them looked at the real mind reader.
Estio, who had been sitting blankly with a slightly tired face, raised his head, being aware of the sudden silence around him.
'Ah, the crystal flower......'
Normally, I would have asked why, but now I'm too lazy to ask every single question. Estio roughly read Mubin's head and figured out what they wanted from him.
He got up and went to the crystal flower pot and laid his hand on the white petals.
"No, Estio-sama needs to see the state of the flowers yourself."
"Are you curious?"
Mubin's expression darkened. She was curious, of course, but she didn't dare to ask for it, even interfering with her master's rest.
Moobin considered this situation to be the weakness of the ability to read minds.
Contrary to the guardian's concerns, Estio, who had touched the crystal flower without much thought, flinched and withdrew her hand.
"Why why? Where is Sujeong really sick?」
Estio pondered what to answer. Meanwhile, the anxious cactus rolled its roots.
"You must have come here and fell ill!"
"I didn't get sick. But."
"but?"
"It's true, as Parker saw, it's not energized. This flower dies soon."
Ahur was at a loss for words and soon became as quiet as a normal plant.
A melancholy air flowed in front of a flower that was said to have reached the end of its lifespan. In an attempt to lift Moobin's mood, she deliberately playfully praised Parker.
"I've known for a long time the feeling of wilting, my friend of the Joining clan."
"Ahaha, it was just a feeling. To be honest, I thought I saw it wrong..."
Parker squatted in front of the crystal flower. Her black guild uniform was crumpled and dragged to the floor, but it didn't matter because it was made for activities anyway. Following his movements, white feathers fell softly on the flower bed.
"...It's kind of pathetic. You can't tell me you're sick until the moment you die."
"Don't be too empathetic with plants."
Moobin smiled and said with an optimistic attitude.
"Still, did you achieve your wish to return to the owner? He must be very happy by now!"
"I'm not happy."
The crystal flower murmured a little. Unfortunately, however, Estio was the only person who could hear the sound.
"Are there any creatures that are happy when they die?"
Estio did not respond at all because his voice was so elegant that he did not know whether he was really curious or sarcastic.
"still."
saraak.
The white petals gently swayed in the glass greenhouse where the wind did not blow.
"I have no regrets about returning to the place where I was born again before I wither. Thank you, Estio."
The crystal flower was truly grateful to him for sending him back to the princess's garden.
"Uh! Moobin-nim, didn't this flower just move?"
"Hey, hey, it's not like flowers don't have feet."
Parker pointed it out again, but Moobin waved his hand.
"For such a bizarre phenomenon, the cactus seed is enough."
Then the cactus, bouncing with its roots rather than its feet, reacted violently.
"Look at this human. Did you say that I'm bizarre now?"
"Yeah, honestly, very much."
"It's useless to be honest. But since I said it before, I'll take a look."
Neju asked Ahur, who had mercy on him, blinking his red eyes.
"Can I curse in front of you?"
"Because I hate swearing at the back the most!"
Moobin giggled, saying that he would be sure to keep that in mind. Estio, who had been watching them, who now seemed quite familiar, heard the sound of a rattling door opening in Estio's ears.
A familiar face cautiously entered the garden. She was one of her maids serving the 1st Princess.
The chatter stopped among the colleagues who found the bowed maid.
"The Crown Princess has invited you to the dinner."
* * *
The place the maid guided me was none other than the gorgeous outdoor terrace outside the glass garden.
As soon as they left the greenhouse, the wide, flat lawn and tables decorated with flowers caught the attention of Estio and the group. Princess Marisa was so fond of flowers that it was evident at a glance that she had grown her own flowers embroidered on the outdoor venue in full bloom.
A flower garden built of glass under the setting sky glistened in the sunset light. Estio, who felt like a golden lake illuminating the sky, fixed her gaze blankly.
A glass palace in the back and a well-decorated outdoor terrace in the front.
It was a fantastic scenery, as if you had stepped into a fairy tale. The atmosphere became even sweeter when the colorful lights came on in the magic lamp. It was a magnificent and luxurious facility enough to hold a party right away, but the only guests were the Ignis guild members invited by the princess.
"Welcome. I'm embarrassed because I'm not well prepared."
"Ready, Princess. What is all this?"
Moobin expressed his bewildered feelings as the representative. Then she answered the princess with her cheeks blushing.
"I want to say thank you."
Clear golden eyes shone with a strong will.
