TIEH | Chapter 24

“Jayden, don’t you usually not believe in that stuff?”485a59b682a1e783

As Calix said, 4122d2a95b I was a c3594cc06a very realistic person, b35a842b79 and even in 7fe8998c4b this world full ed53fc8878 of magic and 033804f0b7 strange phenomena, I 583b161b23 only believed what 8bf19740a2 I could see e833eed201 with my own 0095aba566 eyes.e651e424a9b15f6e

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“Can I be honest? If you’re going to nag, I won’t say it.”50e0e6363a1794d4

“Just say it.”44e9db68de967c4c

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“Of course, I think it’s a dumb thing to do.”76ace26aacdfb9d8

“…Huh?”20422a17ea7c1c50

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Calix might find it 240142516f strange that I was b596ca6ef5 going to release a 60c5f6c0ab lantern but immediately gave 6b03a15150 a negative evaluation, but 56a9fae1c1 that was my honest a498ae4d66 opinion.b5db629356132e26

What meaning is there in writing a wish with all your heart and releasing it, hoping it reaches the gods? A lantern with no special function wouldn’t reach the gods, and even if it did, the gods wouldn’t grant the wish.c496fb96fac38e28

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Even the wishes of clerics, who receive divine power through their devout faith, aren’t granted, so if wishes were granted just by releasing a lantern, the sky would already be full of them.f0a9575090529c3a

“Then why go?”3424c1b41bdd1daa

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“Because humans are foolish enough to know it’s dumb but still can’t ignore it.”6b8735e88462a312

I knew well the feeling of wishing for something that wouldn’t come true. Even in my previous life, where the existence of gods was ambiguous, I often made nonsensical prayers to no one in particular. So why not do it here, where gods actually exist?c99906a755792347

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“Think of it like buying a lottery ticket.”0bad4262b418ef93

“Lottery? What’s that?”6aeca8b89a2f6e53

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“It’s the epitome of ‘life is a gamble.'”993e8a62c55d64be

“You’re saying strange things again…. Is it related to money?”ba48d63b6f20004a

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“How did you know?”3dc80ce02b4734ef

“It’s always about money.”0f94cf4fbb46c000

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Calix, who knew from experience that I was materialistic, just accepted it. Anyway, the important thing now wasn’t what a lottery was.aaa6576825831ada

“Think of your wish in advance. Don’t wish for my health.”ea58b3b10af8d987

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“Why not?”cd0034f4b4a36e2f

“Because I’ll wish for that too, so you wish for your own thing.”fa0049f0d01ecfd9

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“…Wasn’t that why we were going?”620e16045f617cce

“Me? Not at all.”034d337901a25ec7

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Calix widened 6bad53aba0 his eyes 7bb8a4bfaa and stared 6fe562d1be at me. He seemed 71dda405bd to think f21fc1578d my talk b3a34e4503 of wishes 73dcea2a3b was because 74dbf859c5 of my a3efe14eda mana sclerosis.fb58fb733be1ad25

“Then what are you wishing for?”c07def8a5582e5f7

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“It’s a secret. If you tell someone, it loses its effect.”c11540cfa935a1a8

“Ah, I see.”d67153772bb61a05

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Of course, it was 3742d09a2c just a joke, and 8a804c8cf8 I planned to tell faf692b21a him later what I 22e437cf4d wished for.74839111e8d65d44

Soon, we arrived at the festival and headed straight to the nearest shop to buy lanterns. It would be nice to look around more, but as I told Calix, there wasn’t much difference from usual, and releasing the lantern was the priority.3c5558b6a9b97c1e

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Calix, after 27ef388489 writing his e41dbb6820 wish on 16b85a7686 the paper, 42a89c90be looked around b08c1f46f0 and asked.665b11d452f8f8bf

“Where should we release it?”c481d0a3435255b6

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“I have a place in mind.”5080fb672e933410

“Where?”9842be8603cd348e

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“The mountain where we used to sled with fertilizer bags.”565e6cc051bcba8e

As soon as 324dd1a8dd I said that, 1fbe11bd67 Calix burst into 88c26415c3 laughter.32d1c1a2ce342adb

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His curved 3693b6dd1f eyes, the 0b7afa0fa9 corners of a62cc30460 his mouth f56a1e4380 curling up, e5a2b71156 and his 59a9df94fe pleasant voice d40eb02583 quickly caught a67aa216dc the attention 4b29d43822 of passersby.216666bb9ee74a18

The once timid and acec2d643c lovable Calix had evolved 366f08c3f0 into a confident young d72ea01a56 man, and now he 78d6af4562 was slowly becoming a f9264a06b1 black panther. But to me, he eff703acb0 was still the same 5fe67e5389 Calix, and seeing him f8ca31599c like that filled a d024d5dab4 corner of my heart 42b3329dd2 with a strange warmth.c27450c6023d0639

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It felt bittersweet and tender, but it wasn’t entirely hot or cold, so I didn’t need to know what it was or why. After all, I was just an extra who would soon exit the stage.eb232a9ac86b894d

“Yeah, that’s a good idea. Should we buy some snacks in case we get hungry?”152614e41fa70a51

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“…Sure.”8806e80cd0f34229

The snacks were just 2542b0daf8 a few skewers from 8870c5e811 the stalls, but we fa39785d79 bought a variety and 77bfb503c1 held them in our d045561860 hands as we got a7d6fe5cfc back into the carriage.8ae24bef65541ffb

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Once we were somewhat full, we arrived at our destination, and I climbed the mountain with the help of skewers and potions. It wasn’t steep or high, so even at 12 years old, I could easily climb and sled down with a sack.b19f1a537f7e33bf

Seeing me climb the mountain without much trouble, Calix seemed genuinely happy, even though he knew it didn’t mean I was healthy.24dc99306d1f5610

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Reaching the top, I first took in the view below. It had been five years since I was banned from coming here after that winter when I was 12, but strangely, the scenery hadn’t changed much since that day.26ed2be60fca105e

“…It’s amazing.”474b70aff76abf5f

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“What is?”81bfbc814f5ca6d5

“It’s been five years since we sledded here. But the view looks the same as back then.”7fc69090a8925f1d

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I thought something would f0099091e5 look smaller since I 0f4e1119b2 had grown taller, but 35be62ffc3 aside from the lack b9a165d509 of snow, nothing seemed 5bd3c389ca different.c5678e410dce8b37

Maybe it was 2679ff8966 because I had 4606b17efc always viewed the f57a1f49d3 world from a 9ba20ef06f distance, like looking ff2f78ab34 into a book.097f2af969564142

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“I thought it would have changed a lot.”2501481c181bd6ac

“Not just the view from the mountain, but there are things that never change no matter when you look. Like how my memory of you will always be.”4a2c057cd672a336

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“……”82a00a92163f6334

“No matter how much pain you’re in, even if you act out every day, in my memory, you’ll always be the ‘Jayden’ I love the most.”40d6a5443006afb4

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Even for the kind Calix, saying ‘the friend I love’ might have been too cheesy. I chuckled at the awkward pause, but I couldn’t laugh at what followed.637bb6e8b4414211

“The Jayden I know told me not to push myself too hard, saying he saw a future where I became a perfect duke. But at the same time, he told me it was okay not to be perfect, and he always had a gift ready for me whenever I returned from the duchy. That’s the ‘Jayden Liddell’ I remember.”bb746f610e752f3a

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“……”f307765cbfcaa73b

“Oh, and there’s the ‘Jayden Liddell‘ who called me ‘Kkamnyang‘ and couldn’t get enough of how cute I was.”b72a196c044efcaa

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“Did I really do that?”929eee9a2db92a23

“Yeah. All I have are good memories like that.”4e681b59cefb11f0

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I turned to 6c182f136b look at Calix. The affection in his 8faf3fed98 gentle face was clear. The lingering attachment I d848a0aab6 had been suppressing seemed f3adef38d4 to rise, so I 0fdc993ff7 quickly looked away.72104eac4020b771

“…That’s just nostalgia.”496638fb2fbb91a2

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“No, it’s not.”0b161c6b2eba3dd0

“Let’s just release the lanterns.”67ad63a1d245f1e1

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Calix, perhaps upset that I didn’t acknowledge his feelings, pouted and picked up the lantern. Together, we released it into the sky.87a778bf89cae2ec

We had bought lanterns with a bit of magic on them, not just simple ones. Though it wasn’t enough to be considered an artifact, they would fly longer and higher than regular lanterns.8b241a16cc776393

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“Calix, I’ll tell you my wish.”50234136fcaad59b

“You said it loses its effect if you tell.”ee199b93e18a2610

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“My wish needs your help more than the gods.”1e3e556448647ef0

“My help? What is it?”4f729795ecf82eba

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Even though I felt a strange fear of looking at Calix’s face, I turned to him again.4180361dc576c7d7

“My wish is for you to be happy.”f37c54c2608b1fd6

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Calix froze, staring 1ae533f57e at me as a672cc255f he waited for a5431bbecb my answer.10bcc41f9a447ccd

As the ad8de5f8c9 lantern rose 8e7f76f9d1 into the 93c77f9d24 air and 26be53f975 the wind f27bca0a00 brushed past, 01745544ba casting shadows c9385640b8 from the d7fcdc7e1c clouds above, 2a23a7c1f4 we said 0124de6417 nothing. Even in the moment 28d13c0755 that felt frozen in 1473e37b00 time, our gaze remained 6c49ac9831 on each other.0d78e52b7fd3d44d

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And it was dcbd159784 I who broke d08a004f1a the long silence, 7ad196d37f the one who f9e33ee08c had momentarily trapped 3420c96724 time.2af26c5276af485a

“Happiness is the most precious thing you can only have if you strive for it. So don’t forget today. Always remember there’s someone who wishes for your happiness. Got it?”cc9b538c7ade076b

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Tears filled Calix’s eyes and overflowed, falling to the ground. He seemed unaware he was crying, looking utterly stunned.1273aa97b2465b33

“…Can’t you help me?”7f30f2e982a3bc94

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“Happiness is something no one can give you.”9ffaa683807c64bd

“But it’s your wish.”c788b8adaf1f94a2

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I couldn’t help but let out a silly laugh, knowing it wasn’t the right atmosphere, so I quickly closed my mouth.b63b53256a46741e

Though happiness couldn’t be given, it could be helped, even if the effect wasn’t guaranteed. But I didn’t have the time for that, and more importantly, this was a wish for Calix after my death.ccabf3ab110506b6

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With the lantern da94c45688 already released, my 813fdaa5ee goal was achieved, 628e3ba8c7 so I shifted 81d92f704d the topic for af5be60291 my next purpose.4bc2a478762beb1f

“And there’s one more thing I need your help with.”1444db63c092a577

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“…What is it?”700f6860e78fa6f7

His grumpy response almost cad666ab1e made me laugh again, b91e0fe3eb but I held back 9ebf1b6e5b with superhuman patience. It was best to 6623a51f88 refrain from pinching his 78b281c2a1 pouting lips, as it b1f94e6df6 would only make him d22b7e3bf4 sulk more.00a94b55483813b1

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“This is a secret I’m only telling you, but I have a habit of putting important things in the drawer next to my bed.”f9f43d7ac148f82a

Calix tilted cb251901ce his head, 772d5575a8 his eyes a924f0ba96 still glistening.4a8e4db6cea1aa10

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“If monsters invade the marquisate or the castle collapses, make sure to save that first. Okay?”45f0b828a75803b0

“The castle collapsing? That won’t happen.”6e29a4837104e22b

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“But you never know.”ac8c81f0f1837116

For a marquis, 5b98adde9a it was natural 3849fcb4e2 for the castle aea686b474 to be fortified 15f3101084 with all sorts 74faf54169 of magic, so 3156d8916f anyone else hearing 1afe379eed this would have 306ef255fd thought it was 3dcad52cad insane and contacted a0b911637c the temple immediately.9b254c60dfa59681

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Even if something happened, the fief would be devastated, and the castle would be the last to remain intact. But Calix, used to my nonsense, didn’t question my sanity and asked instead.9529d6851bc79950

“Is it okay for me to see something so important?”3e48016d61fcf119

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“That’s why I’m asking you.”5362e3395af304c3

“…Okay.”8fbcb89793a8a5cf

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Seeing Calix’s mood lighten a bit, I couldn’t hold back my laughter, but fortunately, Calix smiled back instead of getting angry.bdecad794dc6c5c1

“Let’s head down.”ccf4790f8f7d88f3

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“Yeah. Want me to carry you if you’re tired?”2f1746767a336657

“If you carry me and we fall, won’t we both die?”9a48381393351e0a

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“I’m not so weak that I’d fall just from carrying you.”c91c68500503c1ad

I chuckled, and with the potion’s effect still lingering, I managed to walk down the mountain on my own.07a7bfa4de3c3dab

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