Even If It's a Delusion (3)
A sob echoed through the cave where Hexa had activated her ability to evade Anke Ra's pursuit.
"Sniff, sniff."
It was Geopin's voice, imitating Ikael.
"Sniffle."
Ikael turned away, cheeks flushed.
"Stop it! How long do you plan to tease me?"
Geopin chuckled, leaning his back against the cave wall.
"I'm just fascinated. The archangel Ikael sniffling like a little child—what a sight. It's almost a shame to keep it to myself."
"Who said I was sniffling…?"
Remembering what had just happened, Ikael fell silent and averted her eyes.
The emotion was overwhelming.
"Hmph."
She turned as if sulking, thought for a moment, then approached Geopin with a serious expression.
"Geopin, I've made up my mind."
"What is it?"
Kneeling before him, she let the corners of her mouth lift slightly as she spoke.
"I want to share love with you."
Geopin, tense at her earnestness, let out a soft laugh and moved his face closer.
"All right."
"No. Not just a kiss, I mean—"
Ikael gently pushed him away; Geopin, who had once more rested his back against the wall, finally stiffened.
"So…"
"Yes—love. That kind of love. Our hearts are connected now, so I'm not afraid anymore."
Geopin opened his mouth blankly; Ikael, worried, asked quickly.
"What's wrong? Do you not want to share love with me—"
"No, no. Never."
Geopin shook his head rapidly, and a solemnity finally settled over his face.
Perhaps resolve.
"You surprised me; I didn't expect you to say that. But… are you really sure?"
Ikael's eyes were resolute.
"Don't worry. You're the leader of the angels who've made nothing impossible so far. You'll do fine this time, too."
"No, it's not that grand. The problem is…"
"Isn't it fine? Skip the explanation and let's start right away. Show me how perfectly you do it."
"Right away?"
Geopin thought for a moment, then nodded.
"That—yeah. That's fine too. Not a bad idea."
Ikael smiled confidently as she watched him shift his posture.
Time passed.
"Um, are you just going to stay like that?"
"Hm?"
Ikael raised an eyebrow and asked innocently. Geopin waved his hands.
"No, if you're going to do it you should at least take some sort of ready posture, right? So, to share love…"
Ikael, who'd been listening absentmindedly, suddenly sat up as if she'd realized something.
"Oh, right. Sorry."
She looked around, then perched on a flat stone and crossed her legs.
She placed her hands neatly on her knees and turned her face slightly to reveal her profile.
"Like this, is it okay?" She looked divine—but Geopin could only stare in bafflement.
"…What are you doing right now?"
"Huh? Why? Don't I look beautiful? Shall I do it like this?"
When Ikael struck another graceful pose, Geopin finally understood.
"Be honest. You don't know what it is, do you?"
"No, I don't! How would I? Would the archangel Ikael ever spy on humans when they share love?"
Geopin sighed.
"That's not it. Come here. I'll explain."
Ikael leaned in and put her ear close; Geopin covered his mouth and whispered in a tiny voice.
"It's a position where—"
Ikael's eyes widened at Geopin's words, then she recoiled in horror.
"W-what? How could I possibly do that!"
"Or like this."
Geopin pushed his face forward and whispered again.
Softly, quietly.
M | 99
Still curious, Ikael listened. Her face went pale and her body trembled.
"Cancel. I need to reconsider."
As Ikael whipped around, Geopin grabbed her wrist.
"Why? What's wrong with it?"
Ikael shook off his grip and, shocked, burst out.
"I am a noble archangel! That's not human love! It's bestial! Animalistic!"
"Humans are animals too."
Ikael fell silent.
"Of course, animals with reason. But that doesn't matter when sharing love."
"Because hearts are connected." Geopin smiled contentedly.
"Right. When sharing love, humans become animals. But I won't force you. If you hate it, even now—"
"No. I'll do it."
Ikael finally understood.
"It's about becoming one with you."
A different, warm current flowed into both their eyes. Ikael gently sat down beside Geopin.
Their lips met lightly; Geopin pulled Ikael into his arms and they lay down on the floor.
"Haaah."
From Ikael's trembling lips came a breath that mingled fear and excitement.
'Becoming an animal.'
The feeling of plunging to the origin where life is born was indescribably humiliating, yet…
'What will become of me now?' At the same time, she wanted to see how far these base feelings could amplify.
"Ikael."
Geopin said.
"I love you."
As if electricity ran through her whole body, Ikael's holy radiance flared.
"Aaaah—"
Hearts connected.
Ikael discovered for the first time that a mere human body temperature could feel so intensely warm.
"I see."
A cold world.
She realized how detached this world was from the notion of the heart.
"So that was you, Geopin."
A chilling shiver ran down her spine.
"Enemy forces will enter in twenty minutes!" The messenger's report sent a jolt through the Tormia allied forces, each soldier at his post.
Two kilometers away in the "flower field," the Flower Folk and the elves waited for orders.
Three hundred Flower Folk and six hundred elves together made a picture like a scene from nature.
When Rian and Tess arrived at the flower field, they went to find Enox, commander of the defense.
Tess grumbled.
"Why are we at the rear? I can fight well too."
"It must be a strategic decision. Winning isn't everything. To lure the demon army, we need to hold the flower field."
"Who doesn't know that? Why us of all people? The living flowers will do all the fighting anyway!"
Tess was furious at the thought of having to watch comrades die from only two kilometers away.
"Do you really think that?"
Rian's pointed question made Tess turn.
"Natalia?"
Gustav Unit 4's combat doll, Natalia.
She had been a formidable opponent in the duel Rian once had—neither of them won.
'Honestly… Rian was slightly at a disadvantage.'
"I won't be caught off guard like last time, but even so, she's a tough opponent. If we can't stop Natalia, this place could become hell."
"Do you mean Natalia's combat strength surpasses the flower field's?"
Rian kept his counsel this time.
"It's just a matter of matchup. If the flower field is firepower, Natalia is speed."
There was no need to stoke fear before the battle, and their conversation ended as they reached their destination.
"Good day."
Rian approached and spoke; Protea and Enox, standing at the front, turned at the same time.
"Oh? A famous one has come."
Enox's face lit with delight, while Protea hunched her shoulders.
'What is with this human?'
Among the Flower Folk, the Lotus bloodline is the most passive—aside from the carnivorous Armand.
But the moment Protea met Rian's gaze, that faint passivity swelled to an extreme.
"Ogent Rian."
Enox poked Rian's chest with his index finger.
"The human known as the strongest, the world's greatest swordsman. Knight of Maha. Right?"
Rian wondered for a moment what Kuan would think if he heard that, then dismissed the thought.
"Thank you for the recognition. Of course, I respect you as the defense commander, Enox. But I—"
"I know. Special mission. I heard there's an incredibly strong human on the other side too?"
Enox glanced forward, then shrugged.
"What's the big deal? He's still only human. He can't match someone like Rian, who possesses an Idea. Besides, there's me—the elves' best swordsman."
Enox snapped his waist and the twin swords at his side clicked clearly.
Of the same class as Tess, his martial strength was near that of a war prince.
'He's certainly strong. But I haven't heard much about elf combat.'
Rian would soon see for himself, so he bowed and turned away.
"Then. Good luck."
"You too, Rian."
As the two returned to their positions, Protea, who had been holding her breath, spoke up.
"Enox, wind elf."
Like heavenly fairies, elves are born with innate natural attributes.
But those attributes are not products of nature; they derive from the ancient genes of the Nor.
"Why are you kind to humans? They trample flowers and destroy forests."
The Flower Folk cannot beat humans because of their passive instincts, but the elves are different.
Their bodies are stronger than humans', and their focus—born of a clear, pure mind—is unmatched.
"Heh. I like humans. And that human from earlier was, strictly speaking, not purely human."
"Eh?"
"He's someone with the divine perspective."
Protea looked puzzled; Enox began to tell an elven legend.
"Long ago, in an age when gods and humans coexisted, there lived a race called the Fairy and a race called the Nor. They seemed hostile at times, but not always. The Nor, like the Fairy, developed a spiritual civilization. They knew many things that made the Fairy's eyes sparkle with interest. But the most important thing is that they carried the blood of the gods."
"Blood of the gods? Does that mean their ancestors created nature? As I know it, Anke Ra—"
"There is no nature."
Protea fell silent.
"No forests, no seas, no rivers. This world is made only from the gods' perspective. That's what we call the Idea."
The Flower Folk's traditions also speak of the Idea.
"Rian is someone who possesses an Idea. A person who overturns the world's Laws with the gods' perspective. Isn't that splendid?" Joy brightened Enox's eyes.
"Perhaps my feelings now are like our ancestors' toward the Fairies. They wanted the Idea from the Nor. The Nor, in turn, sought to become stronger lifeforms through the Fairies. According to legend, it was called the Users' Rite. From that union, we were born—the elves."
Unlike the Flower Folk's traditions, the elves' legend was turbulent, but their roots seemed shared.
Protea's voice trembled.
"What on earth did that one person do to make life be born between such different races?"
"Heart."
White, slender hands covered a heart.
"Pouring one's whole heart into transmitting it as light. A signal of life that no Law can infringe. Legend says the one who created us called that light—"
Enox's pupils glittered like stars.
"Agape."