### Chapter 58: Intermission (Five)
“What do you mean ‘little lover’? How many times do I have to explain this to you…”
The two of them, one in front and one behind, descended from the second-floor corridor to the first-floor living room. The living room was not large, and the entire house resembled that quaint and intricately designed wooden duplex.
This house belonged to the fiery Lapria and was situated in a quaint town on the southeastern border of Silgaya. From the window, one could see the sporadic passersby on the town streets and the distant hills lush with greenery.
A long time ago, bored with the flashy chaos of the world, Lapria spent about a year living in seclusion here before her journey to the Eastern Continent. The moss-covered rotten beams and the thick spider webs in the corners suggested that this little house had been abandoned for quite some time.
Lapria had left some hardened bread on the dining table for Carlos. The man didn’t mind, sat down, grabbed a piece, and took a bite. Leah had boiled some hot water and brought over a cup of tea, sitting down in front of him.
“Pack your things.”
As he munched away, the man said, “We’ve been resting for three days. Once I finish eating, we’ll leave this place.”
At his words, the woman paused in her tea-serving action.
“…Where to?”
She asked, her fiery red curls partly obscuring her long face, making it hard to read her expression. “To the Valen Empire?”
Carlos took the cup, and at her words, he nearly choked: “Cough… Hey, you don’t really think I came back to the Western Continent just to find her, do you?”
“Are you not going to look for her?” Lapria shot back.
“Uh…”
Carlos hesitated for a moment and hurriedly took a sip of tea. “At least not now… Ugh, this tea is hot. I’m telling you, Leah, stop making these weird comments on purpose. You know exactly what I’m thinking, right?”
Lapria fell silent for a moment.
She swept the hair blocking her left eye behind her ear, revealing a sultry, enchanting face that could mesmerize countless men. Her eyes, as though they could speak, were fixed on Carlos, not blinking.
“So after all this time, you’ve decided to meddle in that church nonsense.”
“How can this be considered church nonsense?”
Carlos frowned slightly: “You saw the situation on the Holy Wall, Leah. That terrifying thing… Honestly, I still can’t comprehend it. It’s not like any enemy we’ve faced before; it’s not just a monster from the Abyss, but something far more dangerous…”
“So what?”
Lapria countered: “I know that thing is dangerous, but isn’t the Knights Order of the church holding it off? We’re both practically ‘defected’ Pope Knights now. If they discover our whereabouts, they’ll send as many people as it takes to hunt us down. If you sneak back to the Western Continent just to find your little lover, are you really going to interfere in church matters too?”
The woman straightened her back, her voice turning serious: “Carlos, how many lives do you think you have? Don’t forget, if it weren’t for me during the Eastern Continent, you’d have been dead by now.”
“Leah…”
“I saved you. You owe me a life, and I won’t allow you to throw it away.”
“Who says I’m going to throw it away…”
Carlos slowly chewed on his bread, looking a bit helplessly at the woman. “Can you stop thinking I’m that stupid? The Eastern Continent was just an accident; we both overestimated the situation. I promise it won’t happen again—”
“How can you promise? What can you offer me as a guarantee?”
“……”
“If the church ultimately fails, what do you think we can do?”
“……”
The man fell silent, focusing on his bread as if deep in thought.
“Hey…”
After a moment of silence, he heard Lapria’s tone suddenly soften, laced with a hint of plea that floated into his ears: “Carlos, can’t we just… leave everyone and everything behind… you and I… go to a place where no one knows us and no one can find us, open a small tavern, and live… our own life?”
“Wouldn’t that be nice…”
“Leah.”
The man tossed the remaining half of the bread onto the table, slowly lifting his head to look directly into the woman’s slightly trembling eyes.
He grasped the hand she extended, his gaze firm. “We will, I promise. I will take you on a ship to find a place that doesn’t belong to the Eastern or Western Continent, and we’ll settle down there, living our own new life.”
Before the woman could break into a smile, he abruptly changed the subject: “But that has to wait until everything is over.”
“Why…”
Lapria’s voice held a sense of grievance, disappointment spilling from her eyes.
“Don’t you want to see the teacher one more time?”
Carlos remained unfazed, speaking calmly: “You may not want to, but I do. I want to understand the teacher’s choice; I need to see him again. There are so many things I want to say to him in person, questions I want answered. I want to know the true weight of his words about living for the people.”
“And that is the real reason I returned to the Western Continent.”
“Otherwise, Leah, no matter where you and I go, I won’t feel at peace. Some things, regardless of the outcome, must have a definite conclusion in my heart.”
“Carlos…”
“Leah, walk this last stretch with me.”
He tightened his grip on her hand, feeling its warm temperature. “I know I can’t convince you; you won’t just hide and wait for everything to end. So, accompany me one more time to the Order Royal City. I won’t take any risks, but the teacher is there recovering. I have to see him, and also, Granny Apfel entrusted me with her last wish before she passed—I need to fulfill it.”
Carlos spoke sincerely, his usual laziness vanished from his face. Yet, Lapria understood well; just like in the Eastern Continent, she knew that once things started, they wouldn’t end as smoothly as imagined.
After seeing the teacher, you’ll leave this place with me, right…
What about the Holy Wall?
What about Silvya?
The countless people in the Western Continent—when you know disaster is about to strike them, can you truly remain as nonchalant as you promised?
Carlos…
Do you have any idea how much I loathe your unreasonable sense of responsibility and justice at times…
Lapria understood the man.
Because she understood him, she knew the words he spoke now were lies.
After all, he was so good at lying to women.
…………
Outside the town, insects danced in the riverbank grass, and the pond at the foot of the hill was filled with the croaking of frogs, swaying in the breeze.
A man and a woman, both ‘former’ Pope Knights, trudged along a mountain path with their bags. To the far east lay the border with Ethanbel.
They walked silently toward the east, the sun shining down brightly above, a fishing boat plowing through the murky waters. Suddenly, Lapria halted, turning to look at the yellow and green trees by the riverside, their shadows dancing in the sunlight. But when the light was covered by clouds, the glimmers dancing in the shadow also disappeared along with it.
The woman gazed at the scene, letting out a distant sigh.
Perhaps this truly is the last time…
She told herself this in her heart and turned back to follow Carlos’s footsteps.
