Hero's Coffin Chapter 100

Chapter 100

He was so excited that he even pointed his finger at Haren while shouting. Just as he was enthusiastically blaming others after finding someone to transfer responsibility to...

Soon his arm dropped with a thud.

"Heaaah..."

What was he doing to an injured person...

A time of intense self-reflection came as he felt like a terrible piece of trash. Moreover, Haren remained quiet without any protest to his harsh criticism, which moved him even further into the waste disposal facility. After staying silent with both arms hanging limply to the floor, he finally confessed the truth in a depressed tone.

The time for confession came after reflection.

"...Actually it's because of me. Because I got hit by the incubus's curse, my already poor condition got even worse, so I couldn't break the connection."

"..."

"I kept worrying about how to tell you that your curse resolution would take much longer... I'm sorry."

The deadline had already passed on the way to the eastern Encroachment Zone, and Haren surely knew this too. Yet he had completely shut his mouth and avoided him while pretending not to know, so Haren must have been bewildered. He should be grateful that Haren hadn't forcibly caught and questioned him, yet here he was blaming others.

Though Haren probably hadn't asked because meeting him was uncomfortable too, wasn't he the one who had provided the cause for that in reality? He was about to suggest they call it even since it was a problem that arose while trying to resolve each other's curses, but closed his mouth when he heard the word "trash" shouting in his head.

It was ridiculous how he who had so confidently connected their souls saying he would resolve his problem now had delayed the curse resolution because he got hurt. He kept his head down and just looked at the floor. He couldn't bring himself to face Haren.

"...Perhaps, was that why you kept avoiding me all this time?"

"Yeah. Because I had nothing to say if you asked whether it was time to break it..."

After staying silent for a long time, Haren asked just that one thing. He answered in an almost inaudible voice while fumblingly adding excuses. He was going to tell him, but couldn't find the right timing and worried about it, and hadn't he been busy collecting information about missing persons anyway, and so on.

As he continued making excuses that were crude to the point of being vulgar, he heard a "ha" laugh. Though he thought Haren was finally mocking him, when he reconsidered, it was different from derision.

When he dazedly raised his head, what he met was Haren's bright smile.

"Haha, ah, hahaha..."

Haren laughed like someone who had a screw come loose somewhere. He laughed while shaking his whole body as he sat leaning against the wall, and he was truly bewildered. There was no trace of displeasure or irritation anywhere on his face.

Rather, the only emotion he found was relieved ease.

As if a problem that had troubled him for a very long time had been resolved, Haren laughed comfortably before soon clutching his abdomen and groaning. It seemed he had laughed so much that pain came. As he too felt pain in response and frowned, he asked.

"Why are you laughing?"

"I thought, you were avoiding me because you hated me."

...Isn't that what I wanted to say? Isn't that not something that should be said by someone who had been looking at me with uncomfortable eyes and walking far away all this time?

Haren spoke while dropping his gaze to the floor with his head tilted diagonally.

"That day... I mean, the day you came back from that workshop."

It was an uncharacteristically rambling opening. Whether because pain made it hard to organize his thoughts, or because the emotions from that day were still unsettled, disorganized words continued. Actually, when the words "that day" came out, he had flinched thinking it meant the day he was hit by the incubus's curse, but Haren brought up the next story.

"I'm sure we said there would be problems if soul-connected partners got too far apart, and I heard there were many evil spirits on the roads... But still you went separately."

"..."

"So I wondered if being near me was more uncomfortable than suffering from evil spirits. You didn't even exchange a single word with me at the banquet..."

Though several days had already passed, Haren spoke as if he remembered everything from that day clearly. He listened in bewilderment as it was a completely unexpected topic.

Yes, though he had known there would be problems if he got far from Haren that day, he had met the cat right after leaving the annex. Remembering how one punch from the cat had killed an evil spirit before, he had deliberately held it tightly in his arms while moving, and the way back from Lara Workshop had indeed been quiet.

...Perhaps that was why Haren had come out looking for him that day. Suddenly his stomach churned. No, by now he had churned so much beside Haren that he could no longer call it sudden. He felt like he might get motion sickness.

"And you even got something separately as if uncomfortable with the holy relics I give..."

"That's because I kept breaking them so it felt shameless to receive more..."

"...While you talked just fine with that mercenary. Even laughing."

His muttered voice was so small that he thought he had misheard. Setting aside how jumbled the sentences were, what nonsense was this? If it was the mercenary beside him then, it would have been Jade and Serena, but he had no memory of laughing.

Ah, perhaps he had let out a dry laugh when Serena talked about sealing dangerous power or something while he was tense from encountering Haren. His memory was hazy. Because at the time, all his attention had been focused only on Haren.

He was about to catch the tail end of his words out of bewilderment but ended up shaking his head. More than things related to others, what he wanted to talk about now was...

"...I don't hate you."

He wanted to correct that misunderstanding first. After all, he had even heard that the original Isaph hadn't hated the hero and had wanted to become friends with him. Though the realization that it was similar to what Haren had said to him before only came after he said it, he couldn't take it back.

Somehow it felt strange. Haren's words sounded as if he had deliberately distanced himself all this time because he hated him too much. Didn't it seem like this was also the reason for that irritated expression he had seen in the annex corridor?

While confused, anger also welled up. If it was like this, he had something to say too.

"Rather, you're the one who looked at me with uncomfortable eyes from the banquet. Even getting irritated."

The atmosphere hadn't been good from the banquet before, so it was hard to accept that just going out with another person was the reason for the awkward conflict that had built up. He clearly remembered Haren maintaining his vow of silence there.

"Th-that, we agreed to treat that as if it never happened, so why are you bringing it up. You've been acting strange since then, making even all the other companions walk on eggshells."

"That's..."

The eyes that had been directed at him when he answered that he didn't hate him earlier rolled to the side again smoothly. A bit of awkwardness tinged them as if he hadn't expected to be asked directly. Was he unable to act because of the pain? Unlike usual, he felt like he was seeing quite a lot of emotion from him.

Thinking this was his chance, he pressed persistently. Though he had held back before because he was at fault, now that everything was exposed, he decided to see it through to the end. Perhaps he was being more reckless because he had felt the fear that they might really die in this Encroachment Zone. He needed to know the reason before dying.

You could have treated it like it never happened just like on the sky island, so why!

"...I don't know."

But the shape of the answer that came after his earnest questioning was quite unsatisfactory, and afterwards Haren even covered his mouth with his hand. As if trying to hide his expression.

"Everything you said that morning was right, that it wouldn't have happened without the incubus's curse and that it should be treated as if it never happened - rationally I agree with all of it..."

"..."

"But still why..."

Haren fell silent again for a long time, and somehow he couldn't carelessly break that stillness. Did he feel strange at hearing that his suggestion was all correct and agreed with, or...

Finally Haren spoke.

"It's not that you're uncomfortable. Well, it's true that I'm uncomfortable because of you."

"...Are you mocking me now?"

Even apart from his heart sinking as he admitted that he was uncomfortable, anger surged. What's the difference between those two sentences? Are you playing with me?

He seriously began to regret trying to have a conversation. He had needlessly pried only to hear that he was indeed uncomfortable, what was this? Though he had guessed it, hearing it directly was different. It felt like being double-tapped.

"Fine. Don't say any more. I'm uncomfortable with you too."

"...Isaph, that's not it."

"I said don't speak."

His voice trembled needlessly. Though he was clearly angry, it sounded as if he was upset. No, perhaps he was upset. Even though he was so used to people being uncomfortable with him, why was he feeling this way?

Not wanting to stay beside Haren anymore, he stood up. However, his hand was suddenly grabbed and he sat back down. Thud, he fell forward almost like collapsing. Haren looked at him dazedly, as if he hadn't expected him to be pulled so easily though there was also the reason that he had pulled urgently without controlling his strength.

This damn piece of paper.

Though he glared at Haren while trembling with shame, he still didn't release his hold. After moving his lips several times, Haren finally blurted out as if on impulse.

"...Don't go to Beatrice's imperial palace."

"What nonsense is this out of nowhere."

"You were tempted when she said she would make you comfortable if you entered her castle."

Whether by chance or intention, their fingers intertwined smoothly.

"...Because I can give you a better space than Beatrice."