Chương 352: A Girl's Heart

Nova visibly recoiled the instant the words left Vale's mouth. She stumbled backward a step, her eyes widening to an almost comical degree as the meaning behind his question fully registered. A deep crimson blush rapidly spread across her cheeks, reaching all the way to the tips of her ears.

She immediately began waving both hands in front of herself, desperately trying to deny the accusation before Vale had even finished making it, yet her own reaction betrayed her far more effectively than any explanation ever could.

"M-Me? Like Eskar?!"

"N-No, you've completely misunderstood!"

"I just... u-uh..." Her thoughts collapsed into complete chaos.

"I just like him as a friend! That's all! Y-Yeah... that's it..." Vale simply stared at her while she hopelessly tangled herself deeper and deeper within her own explanation. Every attempt she made to convince him only made the truth more obvious. Then he laughed. He simply couldn't help it. The reaction was so incredibly genuine and unexpected that laughter escaped before he could stop it. Nova froze. The color drained from her face almost as quickly as it had appeared.

Her trembling hands slowly curled into fists against her chest while tears began forming in her eyes. The amusement in Vale's expression only made her misunderstanding grow worse.

"What's so funny?" Her voice trembled.

"What exactly is so ridiculous about me liking someone?" She swallowed hard, but the words that followed came rushing out before she could stop them. It was as if years of hidden insecurity had finally found an opening and refused to remain silent any longer.

"What's so wrong with someone like me loving someone like him?" Her voice began to tremble as she spoke, "Yeah... maybe I was born into a poor family. Maybe I'm just an ordinary girl. But what does that have to do with who I'm allowed to love?" She stared at Vale with flickering eyes.

"Why is it so shameful for me to fall for someone who's completely out of my league?" Her breathing became uneven as she lowered her gaze, fingers tightening around the fabric of her sleeves.

"Eskar is... perfect," she whispered.

"I know that. He's responsible, kind, strong... the kind of person everyone naturally looks up to." A faint, self-deprecating smile crossed her face before disappearing just as quickly.

"... Compared to him, I'm nothing special." She drew in a shaky breath and forced herself to continue.

"But I won't let anyone tell me I don't even deserve to dream about being with him. I won't let-""Whoa, whoa." Vale raised both hands, the laughter disappearing from his face as the realization struck him.

"That's... not why I laughed." Nova blinked.

"... Huh?" The tears clinging to her eyelashes stopped falling. Vale rubbed the back of his neck awkwardly, already regretting every decision that had led to this conversation.

"Well... You see" Another awkward pause followed before he pinched the bridge of his nose with a defeated sigh.

"I have absolutely no idea how to explain this without making it sound worse." He laughed weakly.

"But... Eskar already told me." Nova stared blankly.

"Told you what?" Vale looked back at her.

"... That he's in love with you." Silence swallowed the camp. Even Korin, Shade, and Nym remained perfectly still, sensing that anything they said now would only make matters worse. Nearly half a minute passed before Nova finally reacted. This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report. Her hands slowly curled into fists until her knuckles turned white. Then she glared at Vale.

"How dare you?" Vale blinked.

"What?"

"How dare you joke about something like that?" Her voice trembled.

"Telling me something like that... giving me hope... making me think I actually have a chance..." She swallowed hard, fighting back another wave of tears.

"So I can confess and have him reject me afterward?" A bitter laugh escaped her.

"And after I just finished treating your injuries." She shook her head.

"You really are the worst, Vale." Before he could defend himself, a gentle hand rested on Nova's shoulder. She looked up. Nym stood beside her, her expression soft. The usual confidence and emotional distance had vanished, replaced by an understanding that needed no words. At the same moment, Korin wandered over to Vale and casually rested an elbow on his shoulder as though the unfolding drama had nothing to do with either of them.

"You really can't see it, can you?" Nova looked between them.

"... See what?"

"There is absolutely no way Eskar likes me." Nym released a long, theatrical sigh before lightly rolling her eyes.

"You dummy. I'm fairly certain only a donkey could miss how hopelessly in love he is with you." Nova froze.

"A-Are you serious?" She hurriedly wiped at her face with her sleeve, smearing away tears as quickly as they appeared.

"If this is some kind of joke... I'll never forgive either of you." Nym's smile only softened.

"Now, why would I joke about something like that?" Before Nova could answer, Nym gently pulled her into an embrace. The younger girl buried her face against her shoulder as fresh tears escaped, though this time they carried relief instead of despair. Nym simply rested one hand against the back of her head, quietly stroking her hair until the shaking slowly subsided. Vale watched without saying anything. There was something strangely unfamiliar about the scene. He'd never seen this side of Nym before.

Korin noticed where his gaze had settled.

"You know... I still think the two of you can make it work." Vale barely acknowledged him.

"Since when is she so gentle?" Korin blinked.

"You completely ignored everything I just said." Vale remained silent. Korin laughed under his breath before answering anyway.

"Honestly? She's always been like this." He folded his arms as his smile became more nostalgic.

"Most people only notice her confidence. They see her sharp tongue, her intelligence, the way she always seems in control." His eyes drifted toward Nova.

"But whenever someone needs her... she's one of the gentlest people I've ever met." His voice grew quieter.

"Especially after everything she's been through." Vale looked back toward Nym. The warmth in her emerald eyes. The tenderness in the way she comforted Nova. The tiny smile that only appeared when she forgot anyone was watching. Something tightened painfully inside his chest.

"... I see." His voice barely rose above a whisper. Before anyone could stop him, he turned away.

"I need some air... I'll be back." Korin stepped aside without protest. Just before Vale disappeared into the trees, he called after him.

"Hey! Catch!" Without even looking back, Vale lazily raised one hand. The navigation device spun through the air and landed perfectly in his palm.

"... Thanks." Then he vanished into the forest. At first, he walked aimlessly. Soon his pace quickened. Then it became a jog. Before long, he was running. His thoughts refused to settle.

'Why...?' Almost unconsciously, he began biting at his fingernails, something he hadn't done in years.

'Why was I jealous?'

'She killed Illu.' His jaw tightened.

'There's no way I still love someone who did that.'

'She killed my friend, so why...' His breathing became uneven.

'Why does my chest tighten every time I see her smile?, Why does my heart refuse to calm down whenever she's near?' He grimaced.

'Is this really... love?' The thought disgusted him. No. It couldn't be. He refused to accept it.

'I just need to make peace with her. That's all. Once we're friends again... These feelings will disappear. They have to.' Lost in his own thoughts, he never noticed where he was going. Branches whipped across his face while thorny bushes tore at his clothes, but he barely registered any of it. The world around him had dissolved into meaningless background noise beneath the chaos inside his own head. Then the ground disappeared.

"What?!" Only after taking another step did he realize he had run straight over the edge of a cliff.

"Oh, you've got to be kidding me!" Instinct took over. One of his onyx blades flashed into his hand before slamming into the cliff face. Metal shrieked against stone as sparks burst into the air, and for a single hopeful heartbeat, the blade held. Then gravity won. His fingers slipped free. The sword remained wedged in the rock while Vale continued plummeting through the dense canopy below.

"God damn it!" Branches snapped around him as he crashed through layer after layer of foliage before finally slamming into the forest floor hard enough to drive every breath from his lungs.

"... Ugh..." He lay there for several long seconds before slowly forcing himself upright. Nothing seemed broken. His bandages, however... They hadn't been nearly as fortunate. The cloth hung in shredded strips from his body, exposing half-healed wounds to the cool forest air. Vale stared at them. Then, unexpectedly, a grin spread across his face.

"... Oh, thank God." He ripped away the remaining bandages and tossed them aside with obvious satisfaction.

"Those things were driving me insane." Reaching into his pocket, he pulled out the navigation device and tapped it against his palm.

"Come on... Don't tell me a little fall was enough to break you." Nothing. He frowned and smacked it a little harder. Still nothing.

"... Seriously?" Without thinking, he hurled it into the ground. The device shattered into dozens of tiny pieces. Silence. Vale stared at the wreckage.

"..."

"... I'm not finding my way back..." He slowly buried his face in both hands. From somewhere nearby came the sound of rustling bushes. Vale looked up with a groan already escaping him.

"Oh, what now?" The undergrowth parted. A massive forest drake emerged between the trees, easily twice the size of the one he had encountered hours earlier. Every instinct told him this was a fully grown adult, yet instead of lowering itself into an attack, the creature merely watched him with cautious golden eyes. Vale frowned.

"What the hell is wrong with you? Why aren't you trying to kill me?" The drake remained silent. Then several quieter growls answered from behind it. A group of juvenile drakes cautiously stepped into the clearing. For a brief moment, Vale simply smiled.

"... Kids?" Then he noticed what they were carrying. A person. The young drakes carefully dragged an unconscious man between them with surprising gentleness, taking obvious care not to worsen his injuries. The man had flaming red hair, his eyes remained closed as he was in a deep sleep, he was missing both a single eye and a single arm, his armor was ripped apart as well. Time seemed to stop within vale his mind, countless emotions followed. Horror. Disbelief. Relief. Worry.

Every emotion struck at once, leaving him frozen where he stood as his mind struggled to accept what his eyes were seeing. His lips parted.

"... Eskar?"