Author: Nikss

Mirania couldn’t let them die, all those innocent creatures who were only guilty of granting her request.

 

She gathered all the energy she could muster and fired it at Grecan.

 

It was not a willed attack, it would scatter in vain if it touched Grecan. Her magic stretched out like a spider’s web, creating a shield of dying, small creatures.

 

Birds biting at their tongue bubbles drained their strength.

 

The rats that had been gasping for breath began to breathe again.

 

Revitalized, the insects desperately tried to burrow underground.

 

Sweat broke out on Mirania’s forehead as she tried to keep the animals breathing as they made their way to the other side.

 

Each animal was small and frail, but there were more than a hundred of them.

 

It took a delicate control beyond Mirania’s abilities to draw long, thin streams of magic and protect each animal without losing sight of them.

 

But that would have been fine.

 

‘This body is not what it once was.’

 

Having barely escaped death’s door, Mirania was quickly exhausted.

 

The taste of blood rose from her throat as she exerted her magic.

 

“What are you doing, Mirania?”

 

Grecan urged impatiently. Mirania didn’t stop.

 

Eventually, Grecan drained her of all her energy.

 

Mirania’s magic, which had been counteracting his energy, scattered.

 

Mirania watched the animals flee in desperation, and then watched the ones that didn’t make it.

 

The animals she had protected with her magic had died, unable to regain their strength, and were now lying on the ground, chilling to death.

 

‘Alas, I’m sorry.’

 

Mirania’s face contorted as she staggered backward in exhaustion. Her body was like an empty vessel, drained of its last scraps of magic.

 

“Mirania!”

 

Grecan rushed to her aid, catching her as she collapsed. 

 

Mirania looked up at the desperate face with teary eyes. 

 

The face that had been so stoic as to send chills down her spine at the sight of the writhing, agonized little creatures were now trembling with emotion.

 

The enormity of the gap left Mirania feeling paralyzed. She didn’t know where to begin, and she didn’t know what to do.

 

“You… what happened to you?”

 

Why have I gotten myself into this mess?’

 

Muttering softly, Mirania caught one last glimpse of Grecan’s wide-eyed face, and then blacked out.

 

With her body shriveled up like a dead weight, Grecan was terrified to death, but slowly and carefully he brought his ear to her chest.

 

Thump–

 

Thump—

 

Thump, thump—

 

The faint thump of a beating heart. Tears welled up in his eyes, and he held Mirania close and cried for a long time.

 

When she closed her eyes, he was scared to death, and when he heard her heart beat steadily, he was so relieved he thought his heart would explode.

 

“You’re killing me, I don’t know what to do, I thought I was done when I came back… what am I supposed to do?”

 

With a trembling hand, he stroked Mirania’s cheek, but she didn’t answer.

 

Tears streaming down his face, Grecan stood up and walked away, carrying Mirania in his arms.

 

Crunch—

 

Something rustled beneath his feet.

 

Frozen, Grecan glanced down. When he lifted his foot, a crushed insect appeared.

 

Grecan stared down at its lifeless body, expressionless. He had killed an innocent creature, but it did not move him.

 

The only reason he didn’t walk away was because Mirania’s words echoed in his head.

 

— What happened to you, how did you get to this point?

 

What was it like before?

 

Grecan tried to think of a time before, but nothing came to mind. His mind had gone blank since his awakening and Mirania’s disappearance a hundred years ago.

 

The only thing he could recall clearly was Mirania’s warm, loving embrace, her sweet smile, and the tingly sensation of her brushing his hair.

 

But if that wasn’t the way she remembered him, and the way she wanted him to be, he was willing to act.

 

Grecan swept his hand lightly outward.

 

The wind blew. The wind that had pulled the dirt down settled over the dead body.

 

A long, black shadow fell behind Grecan as he left behind the quickly formed stone and entered the palace.

 

💫

 

Mirania opened her eyes and felt a strange sensation when she realized that Grecan was not there.

 

She had expected Grecan to be there, of course, but no one was in the room.

 

Back in the crystal room, it was still clean and colorful. Sitting cross-legged on her bed, Mirania was feeling a little overwhelmed.

 

Inviting the animals in was the worst decision she could have made. She hadn’t realized the damage it would do to others.

 

‘I should have known better than to think that Grecan would stoop to such a level of depravity.’

 

Lost in thought, Mirania stood up and walked over to the drawer. She opened the top drawer to reveal dried grass, bitter and fragrant.

 

Holding it up to her eye level, Mirania cleared her throat with a ‘hmm’.

 

She had probably never intended to grow this grass, but stumbled upon it in the backyard. She calculated that it was something she had carefully cultivated and nurtured every time she went for a walk, and that she might have a use for it.

 

Knock—

 

As the door opened, Mirania tucked the grass away, closed the drawer, and returned to bed.

 

Soon the door opened, and a servant pushed in a tray of food.

 

“Enjoy.” 

 

Mirania watched curiously as the servant set up the food and left, and then moved over to the table.

 

“Orange juice, chocolate latte, grilled fish, onion bacon soup…”

 

The sight of the food made her hungry.

 

Although the body would naturally recover from the depletion of magic over time, the lack of magic could be filled with nutritious food.

 

Mirania, however, chugged down her favorite chocolate latte and left the other food untouched.

 

Instead, she took the dried grass from the drawer she’d examined earlier, ground it into a fine powder, and sprinkled it over the food.

 

Bam—

 

The warriors standing guard quickly turned their heads as the door opened.

 

With their pointed ears and slanted, almond-shaped eyes, they were recognizable as members of the Miao clan.

 

“It’s not quite time for a walk, is there anything you need?”

 

Mirania, who had identified them earlier when a servant brought food, handed a tray to one of the grave warriors.

 

The bewildered gnome warrior looked down at the tray.

 

“Are you finished? There’s a lot of food left.”

 

“It’s too much for me to eat, and it would be a waste to throw it away when I haven’t even touched it. If it’s something you like, take a bite.”

 

It was hard not to. Especially the finest grilled fish, which the Miao Clan had no access to.

 

The warrior hesitantly refused.

 

“I can’t eat when I’m on guard duty. Please take it back.”

 

“It’s not because it’s wasteful. I don’t refuse what the old man gives me, it’s because I care about you.”

 

“…What?”

 

The warriors, who did not know Mirania’s identity, looked at each other, puzzled by the ‘old man’ comment.

 

Mirania, realizing her mistake, gave a huff, “Anyway, I’m done eating, so you guys can share. Just remember to take it back to the kitchen when you’re done.”

 

“Okay, if you say so.”

 

Carrying the tray back into the room, Mirania listened to the commotion outside.

 

“What do we do?”

 

“It’s a waste. Let’s just eat it and clean up.”

 

“Okay, then,” Mirania said happily, and waited for them to finish their food.

 

After some time had passed, she slid open the door.

 

The clan warriors were leaning against the wall, their eyes dazed. The floor was littered with empty bowls.

 

One of the dazed warriors rubbed its face against the wall.

 

“Mmm.”

 

What Milania had mixed into the food was catnip, a plant that contains a substance called nepetalactones that affects the cat’s nervous system.

 

The leaves, grown in her hands to maximize their effectiveness, had entered the bodies of the warriors of the Miao clan, producing a narcotic-like effect.

 

Mirania sprinkled the last catnip powder over their faces and walked away.

 

‘I won’t make that mistake again.’

 

With the help of her little helpers, she had a good idea of which sections of the building were openings in the security system, so she strode on.

 

With the occasional use of flying magic and nature assimilation to avoid detection, Mirania rounded the last corner before the main entrance to the palace.

 

“Going for a walk?”

 

Mirania rolled her eyes at Grecan’s nonchalant stroll.

 

‘Only if that was a simple question.’

 

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