"How could I be angry on Lord Anelli's behalf?"
When I glanced at Xenon, he widened his eyes and turned to face me.
"I was expressing my own anger."
He shrugged his shoulders and murmured in a calm voice.
"So Lord Anelli should express anger too."
Xenon picked up a loose pebble and threw it into the middle of the stream. Small droplets splashed up from the surface where the stone had plunged with a plop.
"I know that resignation is an easy and convenient path, but I think it's better to be angry when the situation calls for anger, and to be sad when the situation calls for sadness."
Xenon picked up a slightly larger stone this time and threw it to the same spot. Even bigger droplets splashed up than before, but they too quickly disappeared into the flowing current.
"You're strange."
"Is that a compliment?"
He stopped, about to throw another stone, and asked. I didn't answer but bent down to pick up a pebble at my feet. The rough, uneven texture was felt at my fingertips.
A stone washed by water becomes smooth. Would emotions be any different?
"I was angry."
When emotions constantly collide, they naturally wear down.
"I was sad too."
No matter how sharp an emotion may be, it wears down and crumbles away.
"I've done it all."
And eventually, you come to realize. The meaninglessness.
"No matter how rough a stone is, if it's washed in water for a long time, it becomes smooth. It doesn't lose its original form."
I murmured indifferently and threw the stone in my hand. With a splash, the pebble sank to the bottom of the stream.
"Just because it changes into a round shape doesn't mean it stops being a stone."
Xenon pursed his lips.
"If the same situation occurs again, I think I'll get angry again."
Perhaps recalling the earlier situation, Xenon's expression wrinkled. He clicked his tongue softly and murmured insults with no clear target, then asked as if in passing.
"What about you, Lord Anelli? Will you converse with a smile?"
"...I'm not sure."
Seeing me hesitate to answer, he suddenly patted the spot next to him.
"Try sitting."
"No. It's wet."
"Hah."
He let out a hollow laugh and took off the cloak he was wearing and spread it over the wet grass. His effort seemed commendable, so I decided to specially accept his suggestion.
"You said you like flowers, didn't you?"
"I did?"
"Yes. On the way to the Owen flower farm before. Don't you remember?"
I do remember answering that I didn't dislike them. But that's somewhat different from saying I liked them.
Wondering why he suddenly brought up that conversation, I looked at Xenon fixedly, and he suddenly dipped his fingertips slightly into the stream.
After a moment, bubbles began rising from the surface, and then two increasingly thin streams of water rose up, intertwining like vines.
The ends of the water streams, spinning and twisting, began to form round shapes. As the translucent sky-blue droplets swelled to a certain size, their surfaces began to split, layer by layer.
"This is..."
The delicately splitting ripples created lush petals. The droplets maintained the shape of a rose without losing form, swaying as if about to break at any moment.
Xenon picked up the stem of the water rose he had created above the water surface and held it out to me.
"Please accept it."
As if entranced, I reached out my hand toward the water stream. A cold sensation was conveyed to my fingertips.
I thought it might collapse immediately, but once held in my hand, it surprisingly maintained its shape firmly.
Whenever I moved my hand, the water droplet petals fluttered and swayed slightly. Each time, sparkling light scattered like powder.
"Please understand that this is meager. With my meager magical power, I can only create a single rose. Even this was made by squeezing out every bit of my remaining power."
I, who had been unable to take my eyes off the rose, looked up, drawn by his voice.
Xenon, sitting side by side at a relatively close distance, had an embarrassed expression on his face.
He, who had been looking at the rose in my hand, felt my gaze and raised his head. In his golden eyes, I was fully reflected.
"Thank you."
When I conveyed my quiet gratitude, Xenon's eyes widened. I gazed at him fixedly and continued speaking.
"You said you like trivial thanks."
He, who had been looking at me blankly, slowly smiled.
"That's right. I do like it."
He affirmed coolly and looked down at the rose with smiling eyes. I also turned my gaze back to the rose.
It was definitely water, yet it was fascinating that it maintained the shape of a rose, so I was turning it this way and that when suddenly its form collapsed. My hand holding the water stream became thoroughly wet.
Looking at my now empty hand, I felt a somehow wistful feeling. Since it was a flower made of water, it was natural for it to disappear like this.
"It broke."
When I muttered gloomily, Xenon answered with a laugh.
"That's because the magical power was completely exhausted. I'll make it for you again next time."
Xenon, speaking in a light tone, took out a handkerchief and placed it in my hand.
I stood there holding the handkerchief for a moment, looking down at my wet hands. I thought it was a bit regrettable to just wipe them clean like this.
"I'm sorry for having disparaged you for using precious magical power on something like this. This is a sufficiently valuable magic."
"I'm glad you acknowledge it. Once my magical power returns properly, I'll make you a much more beautiful bouquet."
"This rose was already the most beautiful among all the flowers I've received."
Xenon hesitated.
"Truly. As you said, it's a beautiful flower, the only one in the world. Anyone would marvel at it."
I didn't know who the gift was meant for, but the recipient must have been very happy. Who wouldn't be happy? When such beautiful magic was performed solely for them.
I rubbed my index finger and thumb together to wipe the remaining moisture when Xenon suddenly spoke up.
"I couldn't give it as a gift."
When I looked at him questioningly, he continued calmly.
"I couldn't show this magic to the person I originally intended to show it to. Because that person died."
"Ah."
I had nothing to say, so I quietly closed my mouth. Xenon, seeming to notice my awkward atmosphere, explained in a light voice.
"I was going to show it to my mother, but she passed away early from chronic illness. Since then, honestly... there wasn't really an occasion to use this magic. It feels rewarding and good that Lord Anelli marvels at it."
"From now on, show it off sometimes. You'll become popular."
In my flustered state, random words just spilled out. Even I thought it was absurd, so it must have been the same for Xenon hearing it.
Xenon looked at me filled with disbelief and let out a small laugh, murmuring as if to himself.
"What good would becoming popular do? This kind of thing is enough to do for just one person."
He moved his body as if to stand up from his spot. However, he froze at my question that immediately followed.
"Are you saying you'll do it only for me?"
Xenon, who had stopped in an awkward, half-rising posture, blinked slowly. Then he finally faced me with a flustered expression.
I looked straight at his face where a faint blush was rising and spoke again.
"You said you'd make a much more beautiful bouquet next time. Was that empty words?"
"That's not it."
"Then you're saying you'll do it only for me?"
"...In the end, that's how it turned out."
Was it my imagination that he seemed strangely hesitant? My brows naturally furrowed.
"Do you dislike it?"
"Is Lord Anelli really okay with this?"
"What reason would there be to not be okay?"
I asked back calmly and wiped the moisture with the handkerchief. In the meantime, my wet hands had dried somewhat, so there wasn't much to wipe off.
"I like flowers."
I finished speaking rather stubbornly and stood up. Xenon, who had been frozen in that awkward posture until then, let out a defeated laugh.
He straightened his posture and picked up the cloak that had been laid on the ground. Brushing off the leaves and dirt stuck to the cloak, he nodded readily.
"Yes, I understand. I'll give them only to Lord Anelli. The beautiful flowers, the only ones in the world."
That was quite a satisfactory answer.
* * *
Though I was able to transform and the magical tools were working properly, since we had come this far, we decided to stop by Febren Monastery first.
Anyway, right now, no matter which city we visited, it wouldn't be safe because of my sister.
If what my sister said was true, Maxel and Lilia would know I was in the Immont area, and the imperial palace might dispatch search parties to station in nearby cities.
The swarm of bees that Tristan had arranged were excellent watchers. Thanks to the information shared by the bees, we were able to avoid encountering the people searching the mountain range entirely.
They seemed to be wandering in wrong places following the false trails Samuel had created.
Meanwhile, with Samuel's guidance, we entered a hidden path.
"The path is rough."
When I murmured unconsciously, Samuel answered calmly.
"No one knows there's a monastery here. Since people don't pass through, there couldn't have been anything worth calling a road."
"Hmm."
I nodded with a subtle expression and looked around.
It had to be unknown to anyone. Because the path to the monastery was bear territory.
I had obtained permission to pass through a candid conversation with the bears, but ordinary people wouldn't have been able to easily cross through bear habitat.
I was checking the bears that were watching our movements when Samuel called me.
"We go this way."
"But this is blocked?"
As soon as Xenon's words ended, Samuel cut away the grass with his sword.
"Oh..."
When the grass was cut away, a passage wide enough to pass through appeared. Samuel, showing with action rather than tiresome explanation, made Xenon follow quietly without further comment.
[Farewell, humans!]
I waved until the bear seeing us off was out of sight, then let out a long sigh and turned my head. Samuel was leading the way without hesitation.
He even found a hidden passage covered by long vines. From the outside, it looked like a giant rock mountain, so it was truly a path that no one but those who knew could find.
At this point, I couldn't help but ask.
"How do you know all these paths?"