I don't know if it's a delusion...... Yunus always felt a little flustered and uneasy.

Mage Maxim, who had a good attitude towards him, suddenly became cold after Ivas was sent to the fairy kingdom by Lady Grace.

Maxim looked at Yunus carefully, and the smile that had been hanging on his face disappeared.

The originally kind and grateful eyes have also turned into a kind of indifferent gaze.

…… Did I just say something wrong?

But I didn't say anything at all!

Yunus was a little confused.

So he put on a relaxed smile and played his modified harp and melodious tune, and walked over to Master Maxim, and let out the signature three laughs: "My hospitable and kind friend, I have a reluctant request......

"—Mr. Yunus."

Suddenly, Maxim pushed the round glasses he was wearing on his face, and interrupted Yunus in a calm tone: "Grant me a request, okay?" ”

Although it was a request, the tone of the glasses mage was so firm and serious.

Yunus had seen this attitude. This expression sometimes appears on the faces of people who are heavy and can't joke. And at this time, if you continue to play the way of speaking as "Yunus", you may even anger the other party.

…… Speaking of which, the real "Yunus" doesn't actually talk like this all the time.

Yunus thought so in his heart, and his tone became normal: "You say. ”

"Wait for them to come back, please keep quiet, okay?"

"I mean—don't be as noisy as you used to be," said Master Maxim. Don't play music and talk loudly at the same time. It's like the tone and tone of your voice when you replied to this sentence just now. ”

“…… Ok no problem. ”

Yunus smiled a little awkwardly and nodded in response.

- So you don't like that, so you said it earlier. I'm actually quite tired of talking like that......

Maxim then ignored him. It's just that a person raised his head and looked at the moon, in a daze.

After hearing Aihuas's reasoning and popularization of science about arbosis, Yunus actually guessed a few reasons.

Maxim was angry with him, presumably because he wanted to see Anastasia by staying here.

And returning to the material world may not be good for her body.

- Of course, Yunus didn't want to meet Anastasia. He came here to seek the truth, just to tell her that he had been invited and that he had not missed the appointment.

Because he was very worried that Anastasia had just died, and he hadn't made it in time—as long as it wasn't that way.

It became "because he was late and did not fulfill his promise."

And now, Anastasia could be a tree at any time. Yunus didn't want her to leave with regrets. He had to tell the other party that the bald fool who had made the promise in the past hadn't broken his promise.

Yunus had already told Ivus what he meant - since Miss Anastasia was not in good health, it would be good to stay in the fairy kingdom and continue to recuperate. All you need to do is let Anastasia know he's here.

Yunus, who was alone, soon felt a little bored.

It was so quiet, so quiet that it made him a little uncomfortable as a bard accustomed to the hustle and bustle.

He had itchy hands and subconsciously wanted to play the piano on his waist and play a few minor keys to add some background music. But as soon as his hand was put on it, he subconsciously glanced at Master Maxim, and immediately put it down as if he had been electrocuted.

What Master Maxim meant was that when they returned, they were not allowed to make any more noise. Although Ivas and they haven't come back yet...... But it's hard to say if he will anger the other party by playing here.

After all, Maxim was clearly not in a good mood.

Of course, the main reason is that the other party is indeed a good person, and it is indeed because of his arrival that he has added trouble to the other party. Therefore, Yunus is not good at working against the other party at this time.

…… It's boring.

Yunus sighed, and learned from Maxim to look up at the moon.

He misses his friends a little.

In fact, the reason why Yunus's usual behavior is so exaggerated and funny is because this is the iconic behavior of "Yunus" in Prince Albert's memory.

In order to make himself Yunus, he keeps repeating this behavior.

But in fact, Yunus did not speak in this tone at all when he spoke to people. You know, while Yunus was still alive, Yunus was in charge of negotiating with other people. At that time, Albert hid alone in a cloak that covered half of his face, and hid behind him with his hands on his chest.

That bald head talks to people, talks nonsense, and can talk to anyone as a friend. How could he be like Albert, who always spoke as comically as opera......

But the problem is that Albert simply can't learn the art of Yunus speaking.

“…… I miss you a little bit again, my dear friend. ”

He looked at the moon and muttered under his breath.

His best friend, Yunus, is not a descendant of the Founders' family. His parents were neither knights nor bishops...... His father was Iris Man, a clown in a burlesque troupe. And his mother is a wealthy real estate developer in Avalon, both parents died early, and he supported the family business alone.

Although it was a formal marriage witnessed by the church, in Albert's view, their relationship was not so much husband and wife...... It's better to be a lover. The two live in different places, and they don't affect each other's lives on weekdays, but they have a good relationship when they get together occasionally.

However, from the perspective of "lovers", the age gap between them is not very large. As a "foster", Yunus's mother was only a dozen years older than his father.

Albert had seen the woman—a determined, rational and righteous lady.

How to describe her justice?

When her company took over, it could cover 60 percent of the Red and White Queens. After ten years of running the business herself, the scale of the business was successfully reduced to one-fifth.

People who stick too firmly to their principles will not be able to do business well.

Yunus's father is the opposite, he is responsible for taking care of the children, and he is a rather happy man. He always laughs every day, can afford to joke, can catch ridicule, and has humorous and witty words, and everyone likes him. Even Queen Sophia's temper and stubbornness in the years when she was at her most temperamental and stubborn became friends with him. Sometimes the jester would be brought to the Temple of Silver and Tin to ask him for his opinion on a number of matters.

At that time, some of Albert's friends would have ridiculed this as "clowns". This made Albert very faceless...... Especially since his father had just died, which made him even more uncomfortable. But he personally went to persuade the queen and didn't pay attention to it at all.

At the same time, there are ministers who will give advice, and there is some gossip among the people. However, none of these things could affect Queen Sophia's will to act arbitrarily.

It was also in this environment that Albert came into contact with Yunus.

He was initially approached with hostility, but after making contact, he discovered that the child had inherited his father's eloquent ways.

- It wasn't until later that Albert learned that Yunus's father had already had a terminal illness that the bishop couldn't cure. He talked to Queen Sophia, it could not be for power at all...... Because he simply won't live long.

And the fact that he is terminally ill has long been known to Yunus's mother.

It was with knowledge of this that she married Yunus's father. Because the other party brought her happiness, and she reciprocated the responsibility.

- Yunus is like a union of these two people, inheriting their strengths.

Later, when Albert was about to run away from home, none of his friends wanted to leave with him. Only Yunus, who said something like, "I just want to go out and have a look," went out with Albert briskly.

With his sociable means, if he had stayed on the glass island, he might have become a minister by now.

When he first left the Isle of Glass, Albert often felt self-loathing for his cowardice and incompetence.

At such times, Yunus would never tell him anything big, nor would he comfort or admonish him. He would just play the piano slowly and wait for Albert to calm down. There is not much skill in his voice, but it is full of deep feelings.

At one point, Albert finally couldn't resist asking him, "Why did you leave the Isle of Glass with me, Junus?" ”

"There's no reason for that."

Yunus put down the harp at that time, thought for a moment, and then replied with a smile, "Because you are asking me for help, and because I think those people are boring, you are a good person." It's fun to be entangled with yourself all the time, and the character is not annoying. Getting into trouble with you is ten times better than living an infinitely repetitive life at home! ”

That was the first time Yunus had spoken his heart to Albert.

It was then that Albert realized...... This man is very different from himself.

Despite the same profession, Albert was not a proper bard compared to his good brother Yunus.

They are not wandering companions.

Rather, it is "the bard and the protagonist of his own story, whom he has chosen".

Whenever Yunus finished negotiating with someone, he would always come back to him with a happy face, saying good news such as "Thank God, thanks to the silver-crowned dragon", "We are lucky, Mr. Albert", "That gentleman is a good man, he agreed to our negotiations".

…… Now, he can only learn from Yunus.

One person played the harp, and one person jumped up and down, talking to himself.

"Thank goodness that neither Her Majesty nor the stupid bird found me! We're in luck, Mr. Ewass! ”

At this moment, a high-pitched and noisy voice came from the sky.

It was a vaguely familiar tone for Yunus—a voice from the moon: "Now I can hang out with you!" ”

Yunus was also familiar with that voice.

It was Neriam, the leprechaun who had been attracted by the sound of her own piano last night.

However, I don't know if it's a hallucination......

Is it coincidence, wishful thinking, or déjà vu?

Yunus always felt the joy in his voice that made him want to cry.

And at this time, he finally saw what it was-

A glass carriage driven by a glass unicorn emerges from the moon. Reflecting the light of the moon, it emits a misty shimmer.

The icy track spread ahead, guiding the glass carriage smoothly down like an inverse proportional curve.

Whether it is a glass unicorn or a carriage, from the moment it appears in the field of vision, it begins to disintegrate continuously, turning into silver-gray fairy dust.

That's a spontaneous disintegration of fantasy -

If the elves were big enough, they might be able to create something. For a single goblin, it is still somewhat difficult to maintain "illusions" in the material world.

In the carriage sat two other passengers, besides Ivas and Lady Grace.

One was a young leprechaun tugging at Ivus's collar and sitting on top of his collarbone.

The other is a dignified elf girl sitting in the back seat.

That's Miss Anastasia!

Yunus immediately recognized the other party's identity and put aside his concern for Neriam for the time being.

It was exactly the same as when he saw Anastasia, and his appearance and clothes were exactly the same. Nothing has changed.

There is no doubt that this is an illusion.

Just as he had seen it back then...... He hadn't seen Anastasia for what she really was.

…… Did she come back anyway?

This immediately complicated Yunus's mood.

"Aya......"

Maxim immediately greeted him and half-crouched on the ground, hugged Anastasia deeply, and whispered: "Are you okay?" ”

It was a bit of a head, but Yunus knew what he was talking about.

"I'm fine, father."

Anastasia said lightly.

She put her hands behind her back and winked playfully: "There has never been a time when it will be better than now." ”

Hearing this, Maxim just looked at her with complicated eyes.

He had a lot to say, but still didn't.

He turned his head and looked deeply at Yunus. This made Yunus feel a little weak and a little ashamed in his heart.

"Mr. Yunus!"

The girl smiled and ran towards him.

"Ha-ha-ha, Ana-"

Yunus's face was full of smiles, and his happy mood made him subconsciously let out that trademark laugh, but he quickly reacted under Maxim's angry gaze, and immediately lowered his voice: "Beautiful Miss Anastasia...... If you're not in good health, there's no need to come in person. Or is it that my friend Ivus didn't tell you about it? ”

"I really didn't say that."

Eivus, who was on the side, suddenly spoke and said softly, "Because I think ...... Anastasia isn't a child anymore, Mr. Yunus.

"She has her own unique ideas and a clear will. It's not that we do what we think is 'good for her,' or what she is willing to accept.

"Yes, I could have persuaded her not to come—but that was actually a sign of kindness and friendship overriding her personal will. When I realized that she wanted to do it...... I can only agree and acquiesce. ”

Ivus said this as if he were saying it to Yunus.

But at the same time, it was also addressed to Madame Grace and Master Maxim.

Hearing this, Grace, who had already witnessed everything, did not have any new reactions, but Maxim's expression became complicated.

After all, he is a transcendent being who walks on the path of wisdom. Just like that, he had roughly guessed the truth.

Anastasia hugged Yunus for a few moments, and then Yunus smiled and took something out of his bosom—a smile of relief, a gentle smile, or a bitter smile.

It was Anastasia's moon-white silk headband with a light blue elven inscription on it.

It reads in Elven language: "Anastasia, I wish you good health." ”

Under the quiet gaze of the crowd, Yunus, who was half-kneeling on the ground, gently took his hair belt back to Anastasia.

Her little apple-like sister's head was just right for a headband like this.

"I didn't break my word, Miss Anastasia."

The corners of Yunus's mouth twitched slightly, and he whispered, "You invited me to your house at that time...... I promise to come and see you.

"And now, I've done both."

"Thank you very much, Mr. Yunus. Thank you for saving me. ”

Anastasia bowed to him seriously: "Without you, Mom and Dad would never see me again." ”

“…… That's just ......"

Yunus opened his mouth to be modest.

But as soon as he remembered his motives for desperately trying to save Anastasia from a powerful enemy, he suddenly fell silent again.

- He saved someone else's daughter. But why didn't his daughter have the courage to save it?

"I'm wondering," Anastasia said lightly, "how I can thank you."

"Now I finally understand...... I am happy.

"As a gift of gratitude, I would like to give it to you with my own hands-"

As she spoke, Anastasia suddenly emitted a glimmer of light, and then threw herself into Yunus's arms.

Yunus subconsciously hugged the girl, but suddenly felt a lightness in his arms.

At some point, Anastasia suddenly disappeared.

A silver harp in the style of an elf appeared in his arms.

The headband falls on the tip of the harp.

“…… I think...... I should show you what I really look like......"

Another faint, soft voice came from not far away.

Yunus looked up.

It was discovered that it was Anastasia, who had almost turned into a tree.

She didn't have the painful posture of struggling in the fairy realm - she became quiet immediately after leaving the fairy realm. The voice became sleepy, and the twisted branches began to grow and relax rapidly.

Bathed in the moonlight, her branches opened, no longer deformed and rickety.

The leaves grow at a rate that is visible to the naked eye.

Maxim realized something.

He didn't stop it, but pursed his lips and watched it all in silence.

"That's part of me...... Mr. Yunus. ”

She said, "I haven't been there...... The outside world. It's just too lonely to survive...... Isn't it?

"I want to see the outside world...... I'd like to see other countries. I want to see the griffons of Avalon, I want to see the desert and the springs.

"Please take me outside."

(End of chapter)