CHAPTER 25 - GRANDIA

-- Leena’s POV --

When I woke up I felt slightly better, albeit my body was still weak.

I quickly looked at the entire area, expecting someone would greet me. The boy who was with me yesterday is not here with me today. It seems that I was left alone in here

So he left me, huh…

I clenched my fist as a sour feeling emerged in my heart. Maybe he left because I was rude to him yesterday. It’s my fault, my entire fault!

He saved my life. I know it from the bottom of my heart but instead of giving him my gratitude, I gave him an ill-mannered behavior. My mind was in a total denial back then.

I know. I wasn’t in the position to show some rudeness to him but knowing his name and thinking back about the prophecy stated by the Oracle, I can’t help myself but be in emotional disarray.

To think that our savior is just a boy… And slightly younger than me…

But the Oracle didn’t state if the Knight is a man or not.

Wait…

Could it be that boy is a young Knight? Could he be a prodigy that would only appear once in millennia?

That thought occurred to me last night so I decided that I would apologize to him today and asked if he was a Knight or not but,

“He’s gone…”

A droplet of tear ran down from my left eye. I was going to burst into tears when suddenly I heard a hissing sound coming from somewhere.

“That’s…”

It’s the weird thing that the boy used to cook some food. Steam was gushing out from its head while a red light was flashing, blinking from it's frontal surface.

When I saw that, a sudden happiness flooded my lonely heart.

“He didn’t leave me! He didn’t leave me!”

I wiped the tears from my face as I was exclaiming in reverence. Somehow I misjudged him. I will apologize to him no matter what!

I glanced again at the steaming weird-looking pot. How can this thing cook food without using any fire or wood? Curious I approached it slowly, my bow loaded with an arrow in my hand. I slightly put my finger on its shiny head—

“Ouch!”

I retracted my finger as I backed away, sucking my burned finger. Furious I quickly shot an arrow skill towards it, piercing its body. Hot water then began to flush out from the holes.

How could this thing be so hot without any fire to heat it? Is this some kind of magic? Could this be a product of alchemy? I have no clue what on Hicara this thing is.

Sucking my forefinger with a painful expression on my face, I glanced again at the weird-looking pot. It’s completely in a mess…

“Umm, what are you doing with my pressure cooker!?”

A familiar voice echoed behind my back. I quickly turned around facing him with a bright smile on my face but his expression was filled with horror while staring at me and the weird pot alternately.

“I’m sorry!”

All I could do was apologize while groveling on the floor.

------

“So you shot at my pressure cooker because it bit your finger?”

“Well, you could say it like that…”

“Like that would happen. I never heard such a thing!”

I bowed my head as I stir the warm soup with a spoon, averting my eyes from his squinting gaze that he throws at me. I messed up, I really messed up.

I’m really leaving a bad impression in front of him. It’s the fault of this presu-, presyur-, whatever that weird pot is called!

“But that thing burned my finger!”

“You touched its lid while it’s hot, of course, that would burn your finger.”

“Ugh…”

I made my plea to him, explaining my side trying to convince him I was the victim here but somehow, he was siding with that odd pot like his own child. As if it had more value than me…

What are you thinking Leena! Why would you expect such a boy like him to treasure you? You just met him and now you’re acting weird in front of him.

No! Why am I like this?

Right. I need to know him more and what he’s like and where he came from. Even if he’s just a boy, if he’s a knight, then maybe I, no, we and this land have still hope.

Oh, Goddess Unera! Please let this boy be the Knight in the prophecy, please heed my utmost prayer!

“What are you doing?”

“Ah! Nothing! I’m just giving my thanks to the heavens

for this delicious food.”

I made a horrible laugh as if trying to convince him. I’m pathetic…

“I’m sorry for the trouble that I had caused you.”

“No, I should be the one to apologize to you. I left the pressure cooker with you while I was wandering in the first place. So as an apology, can we be friends?”

I looked at him with astonishment. Does he want to be friends with me? He was beaming at me like he was expecting that I would accept his offer. Should I reject him?

No, that’s impossible. That smile of his is so captivating; I could only nod in acceptance.

“By the way, Leena, right? Can I ask you something?”

The boy stopped eating as he focused his eyes on me, solely on me. I feel weird and flustered as our eyes met. That gaze of his somehow was melting my heart and soul to the very core but I stood my ground and courageously gaze back at him.

Why is it that my cheeks are burning hot?

“What is it?"

“What is this place called?”

“It would be a long story if I told you…”

“I don’t mind.”

I quickly took a spoonful of broth and sip the sour and savory water, trying to calm my heart that was beating faster without any reason.

Why am I like this?

“This cave is called The Cavern of Light. If you’re referring to the whole land then, the mainland is called Grandia, named after the beautiful and mighty queen who ruled the entire land in the ancient times.”

After that introduction, I slowly recounted to him everything that had happened; the day the undead came to the continent, about the prophecy, everything that I have witnessed from my experience. I tried to hold

back my tears as long as I could as I was telling him everything.

I could not afford to cry in front of him.

After hearing my explanation, his face portrayed a shock. Well everyone would be in the same state as him after hearing my story. He put his hand on his chin while pondering.

Maybe he was trying to absorb all the shocking revelation that I just told him?

He shook his head while clicking his tongue—

“To think that I’m here, on the land where it all started…”

“What are you talking about?”

What is he spouting? I didn’t understand the meaning of those words. Did something bad happen?

“Well, you see…”

He then began to narrate to me about how the enemies here invaded the other remaining continents and how every scholar concluded that this land was the origin of the calamity that struck the entire world up until now.

But what shocked me the most was his next statement,

“We’ve been fighting the undead for almost two hundred years.”

What? Two hundred years? That can’t be right.

No. It has to be wrong!

“Two hundred years? You must be joking, right? The year is still 1099!”

“I’m sorry to say this but the current year is 1299.”

My ear wasn’t ready for this. My heart wasn’t ready for this. My entire being can’t accept this harsh reality!

“It seems that you were trapped in that ice for two hundred years.”

I looked at his face to see if he was messing around with me but I could see it from his eyes that he was not lying. My tears began to fell on my soup even I tried my best to hold it back. To think a large amount of time was denied to me…

“Then R-Ragna, are you a knight?”

I asked him unintentionally. The only thing that I could hold firmly in my heart was the prophecy but,

“No. I’m not.”

He replied to me on a whim without hesitation. So the prophecy was all but a lie. I began to weep and sob as I heard those words.

I can’t accept this! Why!? Why is the reality so cruel?

As I remember the faces of the people whom I cherished, I cried louder and louder. I wanted to scream. I wanted to know the whole world that I’m in pain.

“My plan was to go back home as soon as possible but since I’m here, might as well try and undo the curse on this land.”

I looked at him for a second. Is he trying to stir some hope inside my despairing heart?

“I may not a Knight but I have the capabilities of a Knight, so stop crying will you?”

“Are you making fun of my suffering?"

“Of course not! What I said is true. My father was a Knight so somehow he taught me everything that he could.”

“T-Then what are you?”

“I’m an Engineer. But I need your help if you want to see this land bloom with flowers again.“

Hearing those words, an unknown feeling began to emerge from my heart. I don’t know why but hearing that unfamiliar word somehow struck something inside me as if the despair in my heart began to diminish.

“So you’re going to help me?”

“Well, I also wanted to investigate the origin of the plague in the first place, so yeah… Oh here’s another bowl for you. That’s my apology for being harsh on you and also please don’t eat the one with tears okay?”

I accepted the bowl of soup as I began to calm down and wipe the tears from my face. Undoing the curse of this land with only you and me? What is he thinking? We’re both kids! But why is that he is brimming with so much confidence? I ate the bowl of soup silently while doubting this boy. There’s no way he could be a prodigy or genius, right?