Chapter 32
Tarmin was surrounded by a jumble of mirrors and lenses.
Unfamiliar with magic, Tarmin could only guess that it was some sort of device for observing the person standing in the middle from different angles.
The witch peered at Tarmin through the eyepiece, then looked up.
Unable to bear the suspense, Tarmin asked,
“Eldona, how is it?”
The witch swept her hair back and said,
“I've been looking inside you, Tarmin Alchin. What runs through your name and bloodline is, in a way, the sort of thing you could call incredibly greedy.”
“So? Get to the point.”
At Tarmin's request, the witch answered without hesitation.
“You can't receive any more blessings.”
It felt as if his blood were burning away.
**
Enya headed home, feeling the winter days grow shorter.
The vermilion sky turned Enya's face red.
The low sunlight dazzled her, and despite the cold, she felt a little warmth in the air.
She carried a bag filled with ingredients like meat and vegetables in her arms.
After declaring at the cathedral that she wouldn't end things there, she walked the streets, admiring the city's low buildings.
Quaalid.
Everything she saw was new and dear to her.
The past month she'd spent in the city had been, for Enya, a process of preparing for the end.
Until now, she'd thought she only had to end things before anyone came after her.
But now that she'd decided to continue her short life, she needed to change her approach.
Looking back, the strength she'd used to save Sigona had been a little excessive.
She remembered the fearsome kick, empowered to the utmost by Chaik's power, and a laugh escaped her.
“Ahaha.”
Thanks to it, she'd escaped the knight's grasp, so perhaps it was a blessing in disguise.
**
Tarmin called Enya with a solemn expression.
“Enya, sit down.”
Enya looked at him as if he were hopeless.
“Isn't it a little much to break into someone else's house two days in a row? Should I call the guards?”
“You have a key to my house, too. Are we strangers?”
“You're hilarious.”
“Just sit down first.”
He pointed to the seat across from him, but Enya merely shook her head and headed for the kitchen.
Tarmin snapped and shouted,
“Hey, where are you going?”
“Yeah, yeah. Whatever it is, I suppose it's my fault again.”
“It is your fault, but—no, Enya! Wait!”
He looked toward the direction she'd disappeared in, at a loss.
He'd planned to confront her with an authoritative attitude, but the mood from yesterday never took shape.
After all, he'd cried and even shown her his pathetic naked body. There couldn't be a shred of dignity left.
Unable to sit there doing nothing, he eventually followed Enya into the kitchen.
Enya was laying out the flour, vegetables, bacon, and other things she'd bought at the market on the counter.
Leaning against the kitchen entrance, he spoke to her.
“Hey, you. Why didn't you tell me yesterday?”
“Tell you what, old man?”
Enya had taken out a knife and was calmly preparing the ingredients.
He took care not to raise his voice as he spoke.
“Yesterday, I heard you were attacked by some thug?”
“…”
Enya didn't answer.
After finishing chopping the ingredients, she moved the pot she used to brew medicine aside, set a pan on the stove, and began to fry butter and flour.
A rich, savory smell spread through the room.
Gently shaking the pan, Enya spoke as if she'd just remembered.
“Oh, that guy yesterday? Some pervert came after us because Sigona and I were walking around together. You know, those bad guys who only target women?”
“Enya, I saw you flinch. I know something happened.”
“No, he was just a pervert.”
“I heard everything. Are you going to make Sigona a liar, too?”
“Oh, right. How's Sigona?”
“Don't change the subject.”
Enya frowned, and Tarmin waited without saying anything more.
Sigona had said the thug called Enya Benoa.
Enya gave a small sigh, but her hands kept moving.
He watched quietly as she filled a pot with water, added meat and vegetables, and set it to boil.
She stirred so the soup wouldn't stick to the bottom and said,
“You're staying to eat, right?”
He remembered that he'd been waiting so long he hadn't eaten anything.
Tarmin nodded.
“Yeah.”
A little later, the two returned to the table and ate soup and fried bacon.
Sitting on a backless bench, he wolfed down his portion of soup while watching Enya.
Despite his intense gaze, Enya said nothing as they ate.
After they finished, Enya went to the kitchen, cleaned up, and returned to her seat.
Enya stoked the fire, lit the candle on the table, then brought over a book and sat down.
She even took out the magic glasses he'd seen once before, put them on, opened the book, and flipped through the pages. Then she glanced at Tarmin with a startled expression.
“Taal? You haven't left yet?”
Only then did he realize.
That sly question: “You're staying to eat, right?”
“You little—!”
He got up, went over, and rapped Enya on the head. Thwack!
Enya clutched the top of her head with both hands and screamed.
“Oww!”
“You were trying to slyly send me home? Hurry up and answer!”
Enya raised her eyes and glared at Tarmin.
Her big eyes glistened with tears, as if they were about to spill over.
“You hit me!”
Her tearful voice trembled with indignation, and his resolve wavered.
He considered apologizing even now, but decided that finding out about the thug came first.
“Yeah, I hit you. It is your fault, isn't it? You'd better tell me quickly.”
He raised his fist as if to threaten her.
Enya turned her head away and spat out,
“…I'm not telling you. Never.”
“What? No, Enya. I'm asking because I'm worried!”
“Who asked you to worry? And I don't need your concern!”
“What? Hey!”
Even as he shouted, Tarmin felt his anger rise.
It hurt that she'd say she didn't need him to worry when he'd gone out of his way to do so.
He'd trusted her promise that she wouldn't die and let countless secrets slide without knowing the truth.
The reason she'd become a woman, the illness she was suffering from, and even the witch's ominous prophecy.
But the fact that there was a threat to Enya in the city was an entirely different matter.
It wasn't something from the past or something that couldn't be helped. It was a problem facing them right now.
“So? You're not going to tell me again? Because I don't need to know?”
You don't confide your troubles in a dog you keep.
He wished she'd stop treating him like a pet.
A pet dog.
Perhaps sensing some of his hurt, Enya flinched.
Enya looked at him cautiously.
“Taal. You—”
“Ah, right. We never resolve anything this way, do we?”
Tarmin went outside, then came back a little while later.
What he was holding was probably familiar to Enya, too.
Enya's eyes widened.
“Taal?”
Tarmin looked at Enya without a word.
The promise that if she wouldn't tell him, she'd do anything he asked.
He held out a red dog collar.
**
“From now on, you're a puppy.”
After fastening the collar around her neck, Tarmin declared it.
Enya stared at him in shock.
“Taal, do we really have to go this far?”
“That's not the answer I want.”
“Hey!”
“If you won't tell me who that thug was, from now on, answer only with ‘woof.’”
“Ugh.”
Enya glared at him with the collar around her neck.
He held the leash attached to it in his hand.
Enya started to say something, then closed her mouth.
As if giving up, she turned her gaze back to her book and said quietly,
“…Woof.”
Tarmin frowned at her rebellious attitude.
He still hadn't gotten an answer, and his hurt only grew.
She really didn't want to tell him that badly.
Even so, he'd gone so far as to put a leash on her. He had no intention of backing down now.
He gave the leash a couple of tugs.
“Uuugh.”
Enya, interrupted while reading, scrunched up her face and glared at him.
A string of curses burst from her pretty mouth.
“Hey, Taal, you son of a—”
“Woof, right, Enya?”
“Woof, woof woof! Woof woof woof woof!”
In that moment, he realized the curious fact that you could swear using nothing but facial expressions and the word “woof.”
Maybe only Enya could pull it off.
He almost burst out laughing at the sight, so he discreetly covered his mouth.
Before he could hear any more puppy-style insults, he hurriedly said,
“How can a puppy read a book?”
Enya glared at him, took off her glasses, closed the book, and stood up.
As Enya headed for the shelf to put the book away, he said,
“A puppy can walk on two legs?”
Enya's body crumpled.
She crawled on all fours, briefly stood up in front of the shelf to put the book away, then went back down on all fours.
He decided not to point out that she was still using her hands.
But Enya was heading back in a strange direction.
Instead of going to the seat across from Tarmin, Enya came toward him.
He watched her in confusion as she approached his chest.
Her blond hair, shimmering in the candlelight, dazzled him.
He swallowed as a sweet scent wafted over him.
Forgetting his purpose in his confusion, he called out,
“Uh, E-Enya?”
The next moment, Enya clamped her teeth into his shoulder.
An unfamiliar pain welled up.
“Aaagh!”
“Woof woof! Grrr! Woof woof!”
A scream burst from him before he could stop it.
It was a meaty spot, perfect for biting.
Whenever he reached out to push her away, Enya bit his hand.
He'd thought she was a puppy, but she was a mad dog.
Tarmin panicked and moved to the side.
Enya followed him, biting every part she could get her mouth on.
“Woof woof!”
“Aaagh! Hey, you. You think barking is all you need to do? Ah! Stop!”
**
A little while later.
Tarmin lay on the bench, staring at his hand, covered in bite marks.
Enya sat on the floor with a hand resting on his chest.
In the end, she'd bitten him to her heart's content until her anger had subsided.
The shoulder she'd bitten so hard at first hurt like hell.
He said to Enya with tears in his eyes,
“If my shoulder's bleeding, I'm reporting you. I'll tell them there's someone with rabies.”
“Woof woof?”
Enya bared her teeth at him threateningly, making him flinch.
He didn't want to get bitten again, so instead of making a sarcastic remark, he stared at the ceiling.
Besides, it had been his fault for rapping her on the head first.
He sighed once.
“Haaaa.”
Even after all that commotion, she still hadn't told him a thing.
It was a relief that Enya's anger had subsided, but that fact hadn't changed.
He lowered his gaze and looked at Enya.
Enya was panting a little as she looked at him.
Her hair was all disheveled and messy.
“Enya.”
Calling her name, he reached out and smoothed down her hair.
Fortunately, she didn't bite him this time.
Enya didn't resist. She looked away and let him stroke her hair.
When his fingertips brushed her ear, one of Enya's eyes closed.
Amused by the sight, he smiled and asked,
“Enya, if you don't want to tell me, can't you at least tell me why?”
“…Woof woof.”
“You can talk like a person now.”
Even though he'd given her permission, Enya didn't say a word.
After watching Enya mumble to herself for a while, he spoke again.
“Whatever you say, I won't get angry.”
At his words, Enya held her breath, then briefly closed and opened her eyes.
Without meeting his gaze, she whispered,
“You... you already did.”
“Hm? What was that, Enya?”
He stroked her hair.
Enya took a deep breath, then looked straight at Tarmin.
He looked back at her serious expression with a gentle smile.
Enya said,
“You already ran away once.”
“…Yeah.”
Even his breathing stopped.
It was a cruel fact he couldn't deny.
There was a knock, and the door opened.
“Excuse me. Sis, are you here… Oh?”
Sigona was looking at the two of them.
*****