A sterling silver pupil with a rainbow flash dancing at the edge was in the center, and there was no pupil that a human should have. Although the eyes are beautiful, they reflect all the light like a mirror, so that others cannot get a glimpse of the depths of their hearts—as Yugeo looked at himself with a dull expression reflected in his eyes, the girl's bright pearl-colored lips lightly opened and made a sound as sweet as honey, clear as crystal, and with a hint of fragrance.

"Poor boy." It took a short time for Yugeo to hear the other person's voice to understand what the other person was saying, but he didn't even notice his sluggishness in thinking, and just asked back in a daze.

"Huh......? Wretched......? ”

"Yes. How pitiful. ”

The voice of the speaker is not only unblemished and clear, but also implies the danger that if you touch it, it will fall into the middle of the river, and the listener's mind will be confused.

And the pair of pearl-colored lips that oozed reddish with this sound now appeared with a faint smile, and continued to shed a sweet voice, "You are like that withered potted flower." No matter how hard you try to stretch your roots into the soil, no matter how hard you try to sway your leaves in the wind, you can't get even a drop of nectar. ”

“…… Bonsai...... ...... flowers" Yugeo frowned, trying to understand the meaning of the incredible sentence. However, even in the midst of his stagnant thinking, the Administrator's words inexplicably evoked a sharp sting in Yugeo's heart.

"You should know. How hungry and thirsty I am. ”

“…… Right... What the......? The mouth moved without permission, and a low voice came out of it. The girl looked at Yugeo with mirror-like silver eyes, kept a smile on her face, and replied softly.

"To love."

It turned out to be ...... Love? It's like saying...... I...... I don't know what love is...... The same......

"Exactly. You don't even know what it means to be loved, poor child. ”

That's not true.

Mom...... You just love me. When I had nightmares and couldn't sleep...... Will hold me and sing a lullaby for me.

"Is that love, really, for just one person? No way? Actually, it's just the leftovers left over after giving it to your brother, right......? ”

Deceitful. Mommy She ...... She only loves me......

"I want her to love only yourself. However, this is not the case. That's why you hate so much, hate the one who took away your mother's love, your father, your brother. ”

Nonsense. I...... I've never hated my father or my brother.

"Is that so......? But didn't you kill it? ”

Killed, who ......?

"Probably the first one, the one who loves you alone, the red-haired girl...... Didn't you kill the man who took away the child's power to resist and wanted to defile her? Because he hates him, because he has taken what is supposed to be yours alone. ”

Wrong...... I'm not for that reason...... It wasn't for this reason that he drew his sword and slashed at Wember.

"But your thirst is not cured. No one can love you anymore. Everyone forgot about you. You are no longer needed, you have been abandoned. ”

Wrong...... Wrong. I...... I didn't get abandoned......

Yes...... This is not right. I still have, Alice.

The moment he remembered the name, the thick haze that covered his entire brain seemed to dissipate slightly, and Yugeo was finally able to close his eyes tightly. It can't go on like this, now we have to move, and the sense of crisis that wells up from the bottom of my heart whispers.

However, before he could regain his mobility, the demagogic voice drifted into his mind again from both ears.

"Is that really the case......? Does that kid really only love you alone......? ”

Behind the voice full of pity, there seems to be a slight laughter mixed in.

"You probably forgot about it. Then I'll remind you of it. That real memory buried deep in your heart. ”

The world in front of Yougeo's eyes suddenly tilted. The soft mattress under the knee suddenly disappeared, and the body suddenly fell into the dark and bottomless cavern. Then, the smell of grass came to my nose. In the corner of the line of sight, the green light flickered on and off. The chirping of birds mingled with the rustling of footsteps on the lawn.

By the time he reacted, Yugeo was alone in the dense forest. The viewpoint inexplicably becomes very low, and the stride length is also very small. Looking down, the feet protruding from under the rough linen pants were small and delicate, clearly the feet of children. But this sense of disobedience soon faded, and was replaced by an overwhelming sense of anxiety and loneliness.

For some reason, I haven't seen Alice since the morning today. After finishing his chores in the morning, taking care of the cows, and hoeing the grass in the garden, Eugeo headed straight for his daily meeting place, under the old trees outside the village. However, no matter how long she waited, Alice did not show up. Moreover, the same dark-haired boy who was born as his playmate like her.

It wasn't until the sun rose to its peak that Yugeo walked towards Alice's house with some unspeakable unease. It must have been because some prank was discovered that he was forbidden to go out at home, Yugeo thought, but the aunt of the Green Belk family, who came out to greet Yougeo, lowered her head and said this.

It's weird that I went out early today. Since Xiaotong came to pick her up, I think Xiaoyou must be together too. Yugeo, who left the village chief's house with words of thanks, felt the uneasiness in his heart turn into a certain anxiety, and began to look around the village for the two of them. However, whether it was the central square occupied by Jin Gu, the son of the chief of the village guard, and the children he led, or any play ground, or any secret base, there was no Yi Yan and Alice.

There is only one place that can be thought of. Deep in the forest to the east, which children would never normally enter, a circular meadow called the Ring of Fairies was recently discovered. There are all kinds of flowers and many sweet fruits growing there, and it is also a secret place that belongs only to three people.

Eugeo quickened his pace and scurried towards it. The whole body was filled with loneliness and surprise, as well as another unknown emotion. As he ran through the winding path and approached the secret clearing surrounded by many tall ancient trees, a dazzling golden light suddenly flashed between the trunks of the trees, causing Yugeo to stop abruptly.

There was no doubt that it was the glow of Alice's blonde hair, which he had already knew. However, Yugeo reflexively held his breath and turned his ear sideways. As a result, the whispers from the clearing drifted into Yugeo's ears with some vagueness.

Why...... Why is this happening?

In Eugeo's mind, only this sentence was repeated. Slowly, gently, he approached the clearing, and with great sorrow in his heart, he hid himself behind a mossy tree, and peeked secretly into the secret place that overflowed with the light of Sauls.

Amidst the blooming flowers, Alice sat with her back to this side. Although he couldn't see the front, the long golden hair that cascaded down like a waterfall, and the dark blue dress and white apron, Yugeo would never be mistaken.

And next to her, is a dark-haired teenager. It is his unique best friend, Yi Yan.

Before he knew it, the cold sweat oozing out had soaked Yugeo's clenched palms.

The breeze blew, bringing Yi Yan's voice into the ears of Yugeo, who was standing in place.

"Na...... It's almost time to go back. It's going to be exposed. After that, it was Alice's voice that replied, "It doesn't matter. ...... a little more Stay a little longer, okay? ”

No. I don't want to stay here anymore.

But Eugeo's feet remained motionless as if they had taken root in the ground. In front of her gaze, which she couldn't take off her eyes no matter what, Alice's mantis head gently leaned against Yi Yan. The intimate whispers of the two could be faintly heard. Under the bright sunshine, the posture of the two people snuggling up to each other among the blooming flowers is simply picturesque.

No. Deceptive. This kind of thing, it's all a lie.

Yugeo screamed in the darkness. However, no matter how many times you deny it, there is no doubt that this scene is a reality reproduced from your own memories. As this conviction swelled, Eugeo's chest grew filled with bitterness.

"Look...... Right? ”

Cluck.

With whispers mixed with hidden laughter, the scene in the forest also dissipated.

On the top floor of the central basilica, on the huge bed of the High Priest's room, Yugeo regained consciousness, but the golden glow that glittered in the depths of his eyes did not fade. Moreover, so did the whispers of Alice and Yi Yan echoing in their ears.

I met Yi Yan in the forest two years ago, long after Alice was taken away by the church—the voice of reason was so faint that it couldn't melt the black lump that roared in Yugeo's chest to drown it all. Beside Yugeo, the silver-haired girl looked at him with wide eyes and shritched breathing with a look of pity.

"You get the idea, right......? Even the love of that child is not just for you. No...... After all, it's a question of whether or not you're given a share, isn't it? A luscious voice crept into Yugeo's mind, and by this time his mind was in shambles. Slowly rising from the bottom of his heart was an endless sense of hunger and loneliness, which further cut his heart into countless pieces, peeling off one by one.

"But I'm different, Eugeo." The voice added a touch of temptation to its previous voice, like the fragrance of a candied fruit, and it flowed into Eugeo's ears, "I will come to love you." I will give you all my love and just one person. ”

Eugeo raised his head in confusion, and in front of him, a smile appeared on the face of the silver-haired and silver-eyed girl - the high priest of the Congregational Church, Administrator. She moved her feet, sunk deep in the soft mattress, to stand upright, and then slowly moved her hands up, gently caressing the ribbon on the chest of her lilac pajamas that she used to tie up the clothes.

The girl's slender fingers wrapped around the tip of the ribbon woven of silver silk, pulling it outward little by little, little by little. The placket opened wider and wider, and the plump white swelling was already more than half exposed to Eugeo's sight, trembling gently as if it were seducing him.

"Come, come over here, Eugeo." This whisper seemed to be the voice of her mother heard in a dream, but it was also like the voice of Alice that she had heard in her previous illusion. The purple single slip from the girl's astonishingly slender waist and spread out like petals on the bed. And Ugeo just watched it all as his thoughts were blocked.

It is indeed a flower—and a magical flower with a strong fragrance, with its stamens dripping with honey, tempting insects or birds to catch them. Although Yugeo could still vaguely feel such a warning in his mind, the allure of the dreamlike pure white stamens in the center of the purple petals was too strong, like a viscous liquid that enveloped Yugeo's thoughts, which had become messy from his previous hallucinations, and slowly dragged them to the other side.

You have not been satisfied with anyone's love.

Administrator said. Moreover, Ugeo is slowly beginning to realize that this is the real thing.

Since childhood, Eugeo has loved his parents, brothers, and friends without any pretensence. The flowers he plucked made his mother smile, and the fish he caught could feed his brother and father. Even Jin Gu and his friends, who are always playing all kinds of pranks on Yugeo, will go through the hardships of collecting herbs for them when they have a fever and deliver them to them.

But what did they give you? What did they give you to reciprocate your love?

Yes...... Can't think of it at all.

The Administrator's smile distorted again, and the scene of the past came back to life.

It was the spring of Yogeo's ten-year-old year...... In the central square of the village, many children gather to wait for the day when the village chief announces their life's calling. Standing on the stage overlooking the nervous Eugeo, the village chief of Gashut gave him the position of Kigascida's scorer that he had never thought of before.

Despite this, some of the children let out a cry of envy. The Carved Hand is an honorary vocation that has been passed down from ancient times to the present day since the establishment of Lulid Village, and although it cannot hold a sword, it will be given a real axe. Even Eugeo himself was not resentful at that time.

Clutching his appointment card on parchment wrapped in red ribbons, Yugeo ran back to his home on the edge of the village, announcing his duty to his family who were waiting for his return with excitement.

After a period of silence, it was the second brother who reacted first. He slurred his tongue and muttered, "I thought I wouldn't have to clean cow dung from today." Then the eldest brother turned to his father and said that this year's planting plan had been disrupted. The father muttered and asked Yugeo when the work would be over, and if he could help with the planting when he returned. As if afraid of the unhappy atmosphere that pervades the men in the family, the mother left early without saying a word.

For the next eight years, Yogeo began to take on a variety of tasks at home. Moreover, even though this was already the case, all the wages earned as a nick hand went into his father's wallet, which was used to increase the number of sheep or replace farm tools with new ones. Appointed as a midshipman, Jingu earned most of the money he earned himself, buying sandwiches with chunks of meat sandwiches sandwiched between white bread at lunchtime, or walking around in front of Yugeo in his freshly spiked boots and sword in a gleaming leather sheath. In front of Jingu, Yugeo can only wear worn shoes, and his sack is only the leftover dry bread.

"Look? Have the people you loved done anything for you at any one time? On the contrary, don't they always rejoice in your misery and laugh at your patheticism all the time? ”

Right...... Exactly.

Two years after the summer of the eleventh year, when Alice was taken away by the Knights of Integration, Jingu said this to Yugeo. "If the village chief's daughter is gone, there is no girl in the village who will pity you......"

At that time, the light in Jin Gu's eyes was almost like saying "It's so good". It was undoubtedly gloating over that the cutest girl in the village, the genius Alice of divine magic, had lost this privilege.

As a result, no one in Lulid's village has ever reciprocated Eugeo's affection. Obviously, Ugeo also has the full strength to demand an equivalent reward for what is given, but he is deprived of it by improper means.

"In that case, wouldn't you just have to return this misery and regret to them? You want to do the same, right? I think I'm going to have a lot of fun...... Become an integrated knight, ride on a silver dragon, and return home. Let all the people who have laughed at you fall to their knees and stomp on their heads with your boots. That way, you'll finally be able to get back what they've taken away so far. And that's not all......"

The silver-haired beautiful girl put down her hands that had been covered on her chest until now, and let them go little by little with a speed that made Yugeo extremely anxious. The two plump balls, which had lost their support, bounced with a heavy texture like ripe fruits.

High Priest Administrator reached straight forward with his hands towards Eugeo, whispering softly with a hearty smile on his face.

"You can also experience for the first time the whole joy of being loved. It's a real satisfaction that numbs you from the top of your head to your toes. I'm not the same as those who only know how to plunder from you. If you love me, I will give you the same love as well. If you give me enough love, I will also give you the ultimate happiness that you could never have imagined before. ”