Chapter 28: Angelica Honest II
Angelica hesitated for a moment as she looked at my hand, but eventually, she grasped it tightly. Tears streamed down her face in larger droplets than before, yet she managed to stifle her sobs, repeatedly whispering, “I’m sorry.”
I wanted to tell her that I didn’t need her apologies, but the truth was, I couldn’t bring myself to say it.
“Angelica, it might take some time, but I’ll be counting on you again.”
In place of my unspoken thoughts, I managed to say that much. Perhaps unable to bear my response any longer, Angelica let out a choked sob, and through her tears, she somehow managed to say, “D-dojigube (I’ll do my best).” As I helped her to her feet, she instinctively clung to me, and we ended up embracing each other. I told myself that it was unavoidable, that this was just how things were, and I gently patted her back to soothe her.
After a while, she seemed to regain her composure, wiping her face with her sleeve while wearing a flustered expression.
“I’m fine, so go on and check on Pul-san.”
To show Angelica that I wasn’t bothered, I suggested this. However, she shook her head and, with determination, asked me, “Ichiro, I’m sorry for being so forward, but there’s one thing I want to ask.”
“What is it?”
“Is the one closest to you right now that white girl who defeated the three of us?”
Ah, that battle was shocking. The fight against Sena and the others was—wait, wasn’t Sena the one from back then? No, more importantly,
“That’s right. She’s the one who supported me when I was on the brink of death. I love her. I can say that clearly.”
At my answer, she murmured, “I knew it, I knew it…” Then, wiping her eyes once more, she managed to smile despite her swollen eyelids. It was a painful sight.
“Ichiro, thank you for answering. Well then, I’m going to go see Pul-san now.”
With that, Angelica turned her back to us and headed toward Pul-san, who was tending to the crowd behind us.
“She’s crying, isn’t she?”
Orphelia, who had somehow appeared beside me, remarked.
“Yeah, it seems so.”
“Look at her, scrubbing her face with her sleeve, bawling her eyes out. Oh, she’s tripped! What are you going to do about that, handsome?”
“Shut it. I don’t know either. Everyone has moments when they don’t know what to do, right?”
“Well, that’s true. I guess you have a point. Sorry for meddling.”
Orphelia glanced at my face. She had fought against a horde of Liquid Dragonkin and had performed remarkably, yet her expression showed no signs of fatigue, which left me in awe.
“More importantly, I need to fulfill my promise. You asked me if we had met before, right? Well, we haven’t.”
Orphelia’s gaze sharpened significantly.
“Listen, I didn’t ask that just to—”
Oh no! This is definitely not the look of an amateur!
“Wait, the story isn’t over yet. I haven’t met you, but I think you’ve seen me. I’ve heard that ‘S-rank Seeker Orphelia Verite’ was watching our training.”
“When? When was that? And what training? Who were you training with?!”
Why is she so excited? She’s acting like she just pulled a godly draw in a gacha game.
“Uh, it was over six months ago, in a town near the Blade Labyrinth—what was the name again? Well, it doesn’t matter—”
“It’s Sangaf. That’s the name of the town near the Blade Labyrinth.”
“O-oh, I was training there with my disciple, and later I heard that you were among the spectators at that time, Orphelia.”
Yes! Victory pose!! Orphelia was in tears, raising her fists in triumph. She looked like she was about to shout “Colombia!!” or something.
“Wait, what’s going on? I don’t understand, and it’s kind of scary…”
“I took a long leave from the Seventh Blue and traveled all the way to the southernmost part of the Arcana Kingdom to meet you. It was a really long journey, all for that reason.”
This is what happens with muscleheads; they wrap up their thoughts in their own heads and continue without caring about whether I understand or not.
“Ichiro, please, let’s cross swords.”
She—Orphelia Verite—bowed her head to me.
If there’s such a thing as a life without regrets, I’d like to see it at least once.
I should have trusted everyone until the very end. I should have pressed Ryuguin more firmly. I should have conveyed my feelings properly while I still could, without fearing the outcome with them.
Once I start, there’s no end to it. I’m always filled with regrets. That’s why, next time, I absolutely must—