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(athanasiafrost)
I just can not possibly be in a good mood to celebrate turning 25. Today is only a reminder that I may pass away soon.
All I knew of the truth was that I would die around age 25. Now, it actually seemed as though each passing day brought closer to death.
“Happy birthday.”
“Happy Birthday, Eloise.”
So, even though I wasn’t really excited about my birthday, when I got downstairs for dinner, my mouth actually dropped open when I saw the table full of food.
“… It’s my birthday… How…”
“You let me know when I created your ID card. Might it be that since it was a fake ID, you didn’t give me a fake birthday?”
Vincent gestured towards the table after observing my expressionlessness.
“Why then do you look that way if I sold every jewel to pay for all of it? Everyone who sees it will understand how we prepared it by putting every dime we had aside. Just sit and eat.”
His frank remarks reassured me, much like Vincent, who always speaks the truth, but in the end I sat awkwardly.
In the meantime, I led a simple life. I ventured in pursuit of evil spirits at night, slept throughout the day, and did not engage in much social interaction with anyone except Zion and Vincent. Little has changed in terms of my social life since I left Ace.
I was aware that this emotion was touching, nevertheless. I had the sensation that something was screaming and bursting inside of me.
It occurred to me that this was the first birthday celebration I had ever experienced. During my time at the orphanage, the children would get together to commemorate their birthdays once a month, and the event would conclude with chicken stew. At Ace, nobody ever asked me about my birthday…
Being congratulated for the very first time on my worst birthday felt incredibly bizarre. I took a quiet look at the table that the two men had laid.
“Now, I’ve adorned this place with plenty of lovely flowers.”
Zion closed his eyes while holding out the flower basket.
“Look at the flowers… No, that’s just me. Even though you might be perplexed, try to tell them apart.”
(T/N: Zion is implying that Eloise can’t distinguish Zion’s face from the flowers(cause he is also pretty).”
With a disgusted face, Vincent tapped the glass with his fork in response to the eerily Zion-like joke. I questioned while plucking a flower from the basket of flowers.
“How can Vincent and Zion be friends when their personalities are so different?”
“Ahh.”
Vincent lifted his spectacles with a serious expression as if inspecting a weapon while Zion briefly touched his neck.
“People who are typical allegedly despise my flaws in others the most. Yet we never recognise it in each other.”
Although it was actually based on facts, it managed to be amusing. I finally started laughing aloud. It appeared as though the formerly dismal state had slightly improved.
I would’ve been able to travel with them and live blissfully in the South if it weren’t for the magic circle that was placed in my heart. We’ve all gained confidence over time. Despite the stark differences in their personalities, they both consciously or unconsciously show that they care about me.
“Eat quickly. It will become cold.”
Neither congratulated me much farther. They must have predicted how I felt the night before turning 25.
I was nevertheless quite pleased. It was even more pleasant because they didn’t specifically say they were congratulating me on my birthday,  ‘Don’t be fooled.’
As midnight drew near, neither Zion nor Vincent prevented me from departing. They simply accepted my most recent outburst as is.
“What’s your destination for today?”
I responded as if I were going to a friend’s house in response to Vincent’s question while he was serving me some meat.
“The Velios Forest, perhaps? It’s been a while since I last visited.”
If there is one trait that all bad spirits share, it is that they do not frequently appear in the same location, regardless of how many appear without guidelines. In other words, there was a good chance it might show up somewhere it hadn’t been for a while.
“Additionally, the evil spirits there are quite powerful. I’ll bring you a decent jewel even if I succeed.”
I enjoyed a wonderful supper before leaving the house with a long rifle as usual. It was an ordinary day and an ordindary birthday.
My stomach began to churn with an odd longing.
I sincerely want a longer life. The longing seemed to sear through my body as the days went by.
In fact, because it is an existence which only kills evil spirits, may assume that it’s no different from before, but a lot of things were different.
I’ve got a vague idea of what freedom is like. T he comfort of sharing a meal with someone, the pleasure of laughing and telling jokes.
Thus, it was more genuine. Even though I was aware of how unlikely it was, I desperately wanted a miracle.
***
(athanasiafrost)
It happened when I took fast steps down the Velios Forest Road. Soon it would be midnight. On the Velios Forest Road, there were no sign of the Noavik Knights.
‘Thank God. Other than the Velios Forest Road, they must be someplace else today.’
I’m not sure about other locations, but Velios Forest only has one route that people can use, thus I was able to locate the footprints of numerous individuals very fast. However, there were none, and I was greatly relieved.
‘Lets go. Not bad today.’
Every time I visit Velios Forest, there is a tall tree to position myself in as I typically shoot from a distance. To guarantee my view, I considered scaling the tree once more.
“Wait, you there!”
Someone yelled at me at that moment from the side of the forest road. And when I first heard that voice, I was startled and on the brink of lying down.
“Stop! I said stop!”
The voice that came next caused my heart to beat faster. I retreated out of instinct before logic could tell me what to do.
I knew this voice.
I don’t know how. Its none other than the voice of Johannes Noavik.
‘What? Why is he…’
I could see Johannes coming towards me on his horse from within the forest trail. He was alone.  Unexpectedly, none of the knights who were usually with him were present.
The urge to simply flee without thinking twice battled logically with the conviction that he couldn’t possibly recognized me.
My long gun was concealed by the crutches that I squeezed. I couldn’t have avoided being apprehended by Johannes on horseback, even if I had managed to escape.
The best course of action is to claim that I was just passing by. I prepared myself for the person who had already managed to escape his nose once.
I eventually came to a standstill and waited for his figure. Every second he was approaching felt like an eternity.
And the expression of Johannes standing in front of me was too calm to be a face that followed someone. So I was somewhat relieved.
“…. Who are you?”
I recognised the other individual. B ut I considered it’d be odd if I did, so I asked calmly. Fortunately, I didn’t stutter when I spoke. The man who had been silently staring down at me while seated like a statue on his horse, Johannes, made an unfriendly introduction.
“Johannes Noavik, the Duke of Noavik.”
“Ahh… Duke…. Nice to see you.”
He didn’t criticize my impolite behaviour and inquired without even asking my name.
“… What is going on here in the middle of the night?”
His eyes, resembling moonlight, were still. It was a chilly eyes that refused to shift his emotions, not the calm and steady ones. The courtesy he displayed when he wrapped my ankle the other day eluded me.
As usual, Johannes’ visage was emotionless as he gazed down at me. It was challenging to understand his thoughts. I briefly sucked in my dry saliva before lowering my head and responding respectfully.
“My parents’ grave is hidden deep within the forest. Late at night, I had a dream about my parents, and I was travelling to see them because I had an overwhelming need to do so. But because I was moving slowly, this is how much time has passed.”
He appeared to be weirdly aware of the reasonable defence I had already pondered. Probably because his expressionless face remained unchanged. I once again gripped my crutches. My heart was pounding erratically.
I beg you, let it go. I fervently prayed. Even though I could pass away tonight, at least I do not want to be caught by Johannes.
It took a long time. however, none of his subordinates showed up. This is the very first time this has ever occurred. It appeared that it was just the two of us in the forest at this time. In the distance, all that could be heard was the owls’ hooting.
Once more, this was a first. He had been dragging his limbs around while pursuing the Blue Ruby.
With his back to the dark night, Johannes turned to face me from the top of his horse with his usual cool, collected demeanour. He also spoke softly.
“Right. But you’d better go back today.”
Did I succeed? I had a hard time interpreting his facial expression because he was so undetectable. Maybe for this reason, I thought Johannes was a wall rather than a living being.
He always had this look on his face, even when observing from a distance. A face as noble as a painting that is unable to express feelings, as if the pursuit of the Blue Ruby is the only source of inspiration.
Why would a person with everything gamble their entire lives trying to locate the Blue Ruby? I had the need to grab hold of that composed face and shove it hard.
The truth is, though, that I could not. After many impulses, my response finally became clear.
“Uh… Why?”
Even though I wasn’t all that curious, I questioned why. This was because it seemed a bit strange to back off smoothly. Then again, his face grew more grave.
“Soon, a powerful demon will arrive here. You are aware that the Noavik family has the ability to identify the presence of the most powerful demons.”
Johannes spoke of miracles.