Chapter 84: From Capital To Mirare Town - Part 6

...What are you, Mr. Arezu?... Are you a human? A monster?... In Arezu's dream, where there was nothing but darkness surrounding him, there was Lynn, asking those questions. Is he a human? Of course—there wasn't a single time Arezu had thought himself otherwise. Is he a monster? If the weight of being a monster was the sin of wiping out an entire race, then Arezu thought he probably was a monster. But it wasn't like he and his comrades hadn't atoned for their sin. It wasn't like they hadn't offered their lives trying to make amends. They fought until each of them lost their lives. They fought until he was the only one left. ...Or maybe something else... If he was supposed to be something else—if he was supposed to be the last left standing to accomplish their goal— ...perhaps a failure of a dungeon in human form... —Then why could he see his dead comrades in this darkness, standing behind Lynn, looking at him as if asking why he failed to make amends and atone for their sin? And with that nightmare, Arezu slowly opened his eyes as he woke up. "My, my... Tell me, Mr. Arezu. How should I console you to wipe away your agony and fear?" The teasing remark came from the girl gazing down at him, staring directly into his eyes. Though she wore her usual mischievous smile, her eccentric blue eyes bore genuine concern and worry. A pair of eccentric eyes with two black pupils that overlapped and collided like two different worlds connected. The same kind of eyes that marked the sin they had committed. The curse they had brought into the world. Regardless of the supposedly awkward situation Lynn had prepared—making Arezu lie down on her lap, not only to tease him when he woke up but to ease his nightmare—Arezu didn't feel flustered, but rather thankful to her. "I'm sorry..." Arezu said, without any further explanation for the reason behind his apology. And though it made her confused and curious at the same time, Lynn at least offered some words of comfort. "I don't see why you're apologizing, Mr. Arezu. After all, you're doing a great job as my loyal follower." "I'm not your loyal follower, though, Lynn." The second day of the Annual Caravan Quest started for Lynn and Arezu's party as the two of them came out together from his tent, causing further misunderstanding among the dumbfounded four mage students regarding their relationship. Beatrix, on the other hand, didn't bother to explain that Lynn hadn't slept together with Arezu, but had just gone inside his tent to tease him early in the morning. After all, she wasn't under any obligation to do so. Once everyone was done with their early breakfast, even before daybreak rose on the horizon, Lynn and Arezu's party—along with the rest of the Annual Caravan—continued to move forward with the expedition. Aside from Bestia Town, which was the southern border town of the Eileen Kingdom under the rule of the Beast-kin Nation and the final destination of the expedition, the Annual Caravan was bound to make another stop at Mirare Town, the midpoint of the expedition and a two-week journey from the capital of the Eileen Kingdom. However, it wasn't like the Annual Caravan wouldn't make any other stops at other towns. And as Lynn and Arezu's party continued traveling for the second day, it wasn't like they were following their usual routine. "Why am I the one driving your magnificent carriage, Lynn?" Arezu asked as he held the reins of Chevaline and Ragwort while taking the driver's seat. Sitting beside Arezu, Lynn gave her response. "I'm only making sure to grant my loyal follower's wish, Mr. Arezu." Though she felt a bit guilty for her mischief last night—which she assumed had probably caused Arezu's nightmare—Lynn was indeed telling the truth to him. She was granting Arezu's wish, at least from her perspective. "...I just want to see this world that I once dreamed about... Isn't that what you said on the second night we spent together?" Lynn's remark reminded Arezu of the night of their first camp during the orc-hunting quest. But at the same time, it caused yet another misunderstanding for the four students sitting leisurely inside the carriage, and for Beatrix, who sat at the back acting as lookout for monsters. "And how does driving grant my wish, exactly?" It wasn't like Arezu was complaining about taking the role of driver during the Annual Caravan Quest. After all, being their carriage driver for more than two months would be too much for Lynn. Someone had to take her role, whether it be him, Beatrix, or perhaps one of the students as part of their exam. However, Arezu couldn't comprehend how driving their carriage could grant his wish. And Lynn promptly explained her reason as soon as Arezu asked his question. "Well... driving gives you a better sense of the journey rather than just sitting inside the carriage, right, Mr. Arezu?" Driving indeed made someone feel more connected to the journey as they looked at the sights ahead, but the same could be said for sitting inside the carriage and watching the scenery pass by. Putting aside the possible debate, Lynn gave her real reason—not only for making Arezu drive, but for why she had taken the Annual Caravan Quest in the first place. "If you wanted to see the world, then staying holed up in the capital wouldn't be enough, right, Mr. Arezu?... Isn't that why you left your hometown in the southern region and set out on a journey to visit the capital of the Eileen Kingdom?" "You're right on that part—" Arezu said, then continued with what he thought was contradictory to his goal, "—but instead of going somewhere I haven't been before, I'm going back to where I came from." "Not where you came from... but where I want us to be." Lynn's remark sounded concerning to Arezu—not just for the meaning of her words, but for the possessive tone in her voice. But before he could question Lynn for an explanation of what she meant, another warning came from the front of the Annual Caravan, signaling the arrival of a new swarm of monsters. —"We've got a swarm of Chimera coming ahead!"—