The market was still loud.
People moved past them in a steady stream. Merchants called out their prices, coins clinked from one hand to another, and somewhere behind the rows of stalls, children laughed freely.
But between Vein and Elna—
the air felt strangely quiet.
They walked side by side, slowly.
Neither of them spoke.
Elna guided her floating chair with small, controlled movements of mana. It hovered just a few inches above the stone road, gliding smoothly beside him. The wooden frame creaked softly whenever it shifted direction.
Vein noticed the way people looked at it.
Some were curious.
Some surprised.
Most simply continued walking.
The world moved normally.
Only the space between the two of them felt… awkward.
Vein kept glancing at her, then quickly looking away again.
Elna pretended to focus on the road ahead, her fingers resting lightly on the arm of the chair. Her expression remained calm.
Too calm.
The silence stretched.
Too long.
Finally, Vein stopped.
"Elna."
She turned slightly.
"Hm?"
Her voice sounded normal. Casual.
But the tension in her shoulders betrayed her.
He hesitated.
Then spoke.
"…what happened to you?"
His gaze lowered briefly to the floating chair, then returned to her face.
Elna didn't answer right away.
Her eyes shifted forward again, watching the crowd pass.
For a moment, the noise of the market filled the gap between them.
Then she smiled.
Small.
Faint.
The same smile she had used earlier.
"Oh."
She tapped the armrest lightly.
"You mean this?"
Her tone was light, almost playful.
"Nothing serious."
She shrugged.
"Just a little accident."
Her fingers moved again, and the chair drifted forward with smooth, effortless motion.
But Vein didn't move.
He remained where he was.
"…Elna."
His voice was quieter now.
But firmer.
"That's not what I meant."
For the first time—
her smile faltered.
Just slightly.
The market noise continued around them. Voices rose, footsteps echoed, life moved forward.
But Elna slowly lowered her gaze.
And for a brief moment—
the air between them grew heavy again.
As if the forest had followed them
into the middle of the crowded town.
She stayed silent.
Nearby, someone argued over vegetables. A cart rolled past with a creak of wood.
Life continued.
Then Elna exhaled softly.
"…it's a side effect."
Vein frowned.
"Side effect?"
She nodded.
"From forcing all my mana out at once."
Her fingers tapped lightly against the armrest.
"The healer said my body couldn't handle it."
She looked down.
"Both of my legs stopped working."
Vein froze.
His chest tightened instantly.
Elna noticed.
So she quickly waved her hand.
"Hey, don't look like that."
"It's not permanent."
"They said it'll recover… just slowly."
Her tone stayed light.
But the strain beneath it was still there.
Then she leaned back slightly and grinned.
"Look at us."
She pointed at him.
"You can't move your hands."
Then at herself.
"I can't move my legs."
She spread her arms dramatically.
"We complete each other perfectly."
"Hehe."
She laughed.
And this time, it sounded real.
Bright.
Deliberate.
Like she refused to let the moment sink into something darker.
Vein watched her for a second.
Then a small smile formed.
"…yeah."
He let out a quiet chuckle.
"I guess we do."
For a brief moment, the tension eased.
And the noisy market around them felt warmer again.
They continued walking, side by side.
The market noise slowly faded as they turned into a quieter street.
Vein's steps slowed.
Something still lingered in his chest.
"Elna."
She glanced at him.
"Hm?"
"…I'm sorry."
She blinked.
"For what?"
He lowered his gaze.
"…because I was weak."
The words came out heavier than he expected.
"If I had been stronger… maybe none of this would have happened."
His bandaged hands shifted slightly.
"You wouldn't be like this."
Elna stopped.
Her chair hovered gently in place.
She stared at him.
Then sighed.
"You don't need to apologize."
Her voice was calm.
"This wasn't your fault."
She shrugged.
"And honestly…"
"There wasn't anything wrong."
Vein frowned.
"…what?"
Elna turned her chair to face him.
"If anything—"
She tapped the armrest.
"We did exactly what we went there to do."
He still didn't look convinced.
So she watched him for a moment.
Then smiled.
"…come with me."
She moved forward again.
"There's somewhere I want to show you."
—
They walked a little further, past a few houses and down a narrow road where the noise of the market finally disappeared.
Elna stopped in front of a small house.
The wooden door was slightly open.
She pushed it gently.
"Hello?"
They stepped inside.
The room was simple. A small bed, a wooden table, and sunlight spilling through a window.
On the bed—
a small girl sat quietly.
Her body was still thin.
But no longer fragile.
Color had returned to her cheeks.
Vein remembered her.
The girl from before the forest.
Pale.
Barely breathing.
Like a candle about to go out.
But now—
she was sitting up.
Alive.
Her eyes brightened when she saw them.
"Sister Elna!"
Her voice was soft, but filled with excitement.
Then she noticed Vein.
She tilted her head.
"Who did you bring?"
Elna smiled gently.
"This is Vein."
She glanced back.
"He helped save you too."
The girl's eyes widened.
She bowed her head slightly.
"Thank you, Brother Vein."
"My name is Leto."
Her voice was gentle, but sincere.
Vein blinked.
"…you're welcome."
He didn't know what else to say.
Elna then gestured toward the corner of the room.
"Vein."
"This is why we went to that hill."
He followed her gaze.
A large sack sat beside the bed.
Filled.
Packed tightly.
Inside—
pale blue flowers.
Mana restoration flowers.
The same ones from the hilltop.
The same ones they had risked everything for.
Vein stared at them quietly.
Leto noticed.
"Sister Elna said these flowers saved me."
She smiled softly.
"I feel much better now."
"I can't run yet… but I can sit up."
"That's already amazing."
Vein slowly exhaled.
Something inside him loosened.
The guilt.
The doubt.
The weight he had been carrying since the forest.
Elna glanced at him.
"…see?"
Her voice softened.
"This is the result of what we did."
Vein looked at Leto again.
At the flowers.
At the sunlight filling the room.
And for the first time—
he felt it clearly.
The nightmare in the forest hadn't been meaningless.
They had saved someone.
And sometimes—
that was enough.
The afternoon passed quietly in the small house.
They talked.
Listened.
Rested.
And for a while—
the world felt simple again.
—
Later that afternoon, the three of them left the small house together.
Elna guided her floating chair slowly along the quiet road. Leto sat carefully on her lap, her small hands gripping the edge of Elna's cloak as she looked around with wide, curious eyes.
Vein walked beside them in silence.
The streets of the town had grown calmer. The noise of the market had faded into the distance, leaving behind only the occasional footsteps of passing townspeople.
Eventually, they stopped in front of a stone building.
Iron bars covered the narrow windows.
Two guards stood by the entrance.
The town prison.
Elna pushed the door open.
The guards recognized her immediately and stepped aside without question.
Inside, the air was cool and heavy, carrying the faint scent of stone and rusted iron.
A row of cells lined the narrow corridor.
And inside one of them—
two men sat quietly.
The same two men Vein remembered.
The thugs from the forest.
Their heads lifted at the sound of footsteps.
Then they froze.
Their eyes widened.
"…Leto?"
Their voices trembled.
Leto leaned forward slightly from Elna's lap.
"It's me."
The two men rushed toward the bars, gripping the cold iron tightly.
Tears filled their eyes instantly.
"You're… okay…"
"You're really okay…"
Their voices broke.
The larger one wiped his face with trembling hands.
"We thought…"
"We thought we couldn't save you…"
Both of them lowered their heads, their shoulders shaking.
"I'm sorry…"
"I'm so sorry…"
"Thank you…"
"Thank you for saving her…"
Their words came out uneven, tangled between guilt and relief. They couldn't even bring themselves to properly look at Vein or Elna.
Leto watched them quietly.
Then she leaned forward again, her small hands reaching toward the bars.
"It's okay."
Her voice was soft.
The two men slowly looked up.
Leto smiled gently.
"I'm better now."
She stretched her arms as far as she could.
The men carefully placed their hands against hers, separated by the cold iron.
Still—
the warmth passed between them.
Then Leto leaned even closer.
And the two men leaned forward from inside the cell.
They tried to embrace her through the bars, their arms reaching awkwardly between the iron rods.
A broken hug.
Incomplete.
But real.
Their shoulders trembled.
Their quiet sobs filled the corridor.
Elna watched in silence.
Vein stood beside her.
Neither of them spoke.
They didn't need to.
Vein looked at the small girl.
At the two men crying in relief.
And slowly—
something settled inside his chest.
The doubt.
The guilt.
The fear that everything they had endured on that hill had been meaningless.
It faded.
Because now—
he could see the result with his own eyes.
The journey to the hill had not been pointless.
Not even a little.
Vein lowered his gaze briefly.
Then looked at Leto again.
And this time—
there was no hesitation in his heart.
What happened on that hill…
had saved a life.
And that—
was enough.