TYND 47

TL: Motokare

“Uhm… Is the meeting over?”

“Yes.”

“I couldn’t focus… I’m sorry.”

“It’s fine.”

Theon picked Rothy up effortlessly and walked out of the meeting room. Two flights of stairs later, they stepped onto the deck. Cool air touched their skin along with the fresh scent unique to the sea. Theon instinctively took a deep breath, filling his lungs with the fresh air. It felt cleansing.

The sea at sunset was quiet except for occasional cries of seabirds in the distance. The sky was completely red, and the sea surface reflected the same colour, creating a fantastic scene. The sunset light fell on Rothy’s fluffy white hair, on his long eyelashes, his cheeks, the tip of his nose, and his green eyes……

“It’s beautiful… Really beautiful, Theon.”

“It is.”

For the first time in his life, Theon found himself appreciating something beautiful.

Scree

The weasel stretched out in Rothy’s arms, seeming to find the scenery beautiful too. Then, wanting a closer look, it moved to Theon’s body. It stepped on Theon’s face and stood straight up on top of his head—that gave Rothy a panic. 

“Chi-chi! You can’t step on Theon’s face! Oh no, I’m so sorry……”

“Your weasel must be getting more comfortable with me.”

“Maybe it’s because you gave it clothes.”

“Rothy reached up towards Theon’s head.

“Chi-chi, come down.”

Scree

“Chi-chi……”

“Leave it. It’s fine.”

Even as Theon said it, he wondered why he was saying it was fine to have a weasel standing on top of his head.

“But people will laugh if they see an archduke getting stepped on by a weasel.”

“There’s no one else here.”

Rothy glanced around quickly, checking the surroundings. When he saw they were alone, he pouted instead.

“The sea’s this beautiful, why isn’t anyone else looking…?”

Theon thought that everything Rothy said was beautiful.

“They’re probably enjoying the view somewhere else.”

“Hmm, that’s good then.”

Rothy nodded before whispering softly. 

“Theon… Please put me down.”

“That I don’t want to do.”

“……”

Rothy laughed softly and patted his arm—he really wanted to be set down. Reluctantly, Theon set Rothy down, careful as he did. The weasel glanced at this, seemed to consider for a moment, then came down from Theon’s head and moved to Rothy. This time it sat on top of Rothy’s head. Seeing this, Theon held back a smile.

The two of them talked about nothing in particular as they watched the sun sink below the horizon. They talked about how lunch was delicious, what they’d eat for dinner… how much bigger Hee-hee must’ve gotten back home… 

They never once mentioned Harrié Geelin. It was as if neither of them even considered his visit worth acknowledging. 

“We still have a long way to go before we fight the sirens?”

“Yes, at least two more days. We mightn’t even have to fight at all. Make sure to tell me if you’re feeling seasick.”

“I don’t get seasick. I’ve been on plenty of ships. Faster than this, smaller, bigger, slower… Never got sick once.”

“You’ve been in naval battles too?”

“Yeah, a few times.”

“……”

Theon forced down his anger towards Yolone Sirin. 

“What’ll we do on the ship for two days?”

“Well, what’d you like to do?”

“What do you want to do?”

“Tell what you want to do first.”

“Can we watch the sea…?”

“For two whole days?”

“The sea’s so beautiful. I’m sure it’ll still be beautiful even if we watch it for two days.”

“Alright, I understand.”

And just like that, their schedule for the next two days was decided. 

“We’ll have plenty of time to look at it later, shall we go in for now?”

“No……”

On the red, quiet sea, Rothy murmured softly. 

“For now… I just want to enjoy this sea of red……”

Theon’s heart dropped. His jaws tightened as he turned to look at Rothy. Thankfully, Rothy was still staring at the ocean, oblivious to the way his face had hardened. 

Though he’d only heard it once, there was one sentence—no, a short conversation—that still lingered in his mind. The scene from that day was still vivid before his eyes. 

A fierce battle had just ended. 

Some soldiers collapsed, throwing down their weapons, while others screamed for healing priests. Some wailed over the lifeless bodies of their fallen comrades. 

The Knight-Captain and Vice-Captain of the Black Lion Knights moved through the field, checking the dead and wounded. They were also commanders of the Allied Forces. Theon too, had picked up his sword again to do his part. After the battle, checking on soldiers’ condition was other commanders’ duty. Theon’s job was to confirm whether any of Maton’s forces were still alive. 

Phuck! Thwuck! 

Theon moved towards the beach, making sure the corpses were properly finished off along the way. 

The Delle Sea between Zibiah and Solten was a strategic point that must never fall to Maton’s forces. Legend said Seará pressed the ground with her finger, and that depression became the sea. Theon wasn’t a follower of Seará, but he knew losing this symbolically important place to Maton’s forces would have significant consequences for the people of Araxys.

During peacetime, the Delle Sea was a popular destination for both nations. But now, staring at the water stained completely red with blood, he wondered if it could ever recover enough to become a place of beauty again. Even if the war ended, would tourists ever return? As he spread his aura across the shore to check for any remaining life, he heard a soft rustling behind him.

Hearing the careful footsteps behind him, he frowned. Theon already knew who it was. He continued his work, making it clear he’d no interest in conversation with that person. 

“……”

Yolone Sirin often lingered after battles. He’d hover around the edges of the battlefield like a man who’d something to say, then slink off to his tent without a word.

But today……

“……”

The hovering lasted longer than usual. 

Rustle rustle

Tmp tmp

The sound of slow, deliberate footsteps dragged on and on. Eventually, Theon lifted his head.

“Lord Yolone.”

“……”

“Do you need something from me?”

There was no need to be particularly polite to this person. The old man’s white robe was soaked in blood. His wrinkled eyes twitched slightly before he looked past Theon, toward the sea.

“The sea…..”

“……”

“It’s beautiful.”

This? 

Even someone as emotionally detached as Theon could see how desolate the sight was. If this man thought it was beautiful, then he clearly had something deeply wrong with him. But it became obvious that the man wasn’t there for him at all, he was simply standing there, admiring the view. Theon put away his sword. 

“If you’re that bored, you can take charge of securing the shoreline.”

He turned to leave, leaving Yolone Sirin to the task. 

“It’s as if the sunset had fallen onto it…”

“……”

“You don’t seem to be in your right mind. You should rest.”

“Huh?”

The archmage blinked at him like a confused child before nodding several times. 

“Ah—no… you’re right. The battle just ended, so I’m not in my right mind right now… I’ll return to normal soon…”

“……”

Wrinkles form on Theon’s nose bridge. He then strode over and grabbed Yolone Sirin by the arm. Raising his other hand, he called over a passing healer who immediately hurried over.

“Is something wrong, Your Grace?”

“Take Lord Yolone here away and have him drink a healing potion.”

“He doesn’t seem to have any external injuries. Was he hurt somewhere?”

“He seems to have received significant mental shock from this battle.”

“Ah—…”

It was practically the same as saying Yolone Sirin was crazy to his face. The healer didn’t even look surprised. Many people had already suspected something wasn’t quite right with Yolone Sirin. After handing him over, Theon turned back to scanning the shoreline for any lingering fiends. 

“Lord Yolone, please come with me.”

“I’m not going. I want to look at the sea a little longer.”

“Lord Yolone, you need to rest.”

“I’ll rest plenty later…”

“My lord, we’re asking you to rest.”

“……”

The bickering went on, then suddenly, silence.

There were no more footsteps, no more movement. Theon rarely struggled with concentration, but for some reason, he couldn’t focus on detecting fiends. Annoyed, he turned around. The first thing he saw was the healing priest’s dumbfounded expression, and next to him stood the old man, lips jutting out in a pout. He looked somewhere between sulky and despondent—it made Theon frowned. 

“Just a little longer, then I’ll go.”

“Lord Yolone, this isn’t the time for stubbornness.”

“What…? I’m not a child.”

Theon was about to snap back when Yolone spoke again.

“Don’t worry. I’ll be fine soon. I’ll return to normal soon. For now, just let me.”

“……”

“Just let me…watch this sea of red a little longer.”

Theon shut his mouth. Even the healing priest who’d been quietly watching the archmage stepped back from him. Because the man’s voice had no strength left in it. He sounded like someone who was exhausted with everything… where even just opening his mouth to speak was draining. Theon had a sense that if he told him to leave now… he’d leave not just the beach but this world itself.

That conversation stayed in his mind for a long time. At first, he dismissed it as memories of something ridiculous. Later, he started questioning why it stayed with him, nonsensical as it was.

But now—

“For now… I just want to enjoy this sea of red……”

Why?

Why was Rothy saying the exact same thing as Yolone Sirin?

No way. 

No way it could be, he thought, but.

Even as he tried to dismiss the thought, a cold dread gripped his entire body.