Almark – Northern Sword, Southern Wand

It's spring.

Almark thought so.

Warm wind and green smell.

Soft sunshine and the bright colors of the grass underneath.

There was a girl just ahead of Almark's line of sight.

Dark robe.

The girl's hair swayed in the wind as she turned her back and sat on the ground with her feet together.

Oh, yeah.

Almark felt his expression calm down naturally.

You were here.

The girl's hand moves regularly, and the robe shakes along with it.

It was like weaving grass.

Almark walked slowly towards you.

Wendy

As she called out, the girl slowly looked back.

"Almark"

Wendy smiled.

“How long have you been there?”

Saying that, he looks up at Almark with a little embarrassment.

I don't know how long I've been here, either.

When Almark answered, Wendy giggled and giggled.

"Oh, my God, that."

The smile made Almark's chest cramped with love.

But I didn't know how to put it, so I held my emotions and peered into Wendy's hands.

"What were you making?"

"Oh, this."

Wendy dropped her eyes on the grass she was weaving, and then slapped Almark's thigh gently.

"Almark, sit here."

"What? Me, too?"

Almark sits down next to Wendy, confused.

"Wait a minute."

Wendy said that and smiled.

Wendy's smile, right up close.

Almark almost cried for some reason.

Today, we sat together in the auditorium and waited for the test to begin.

I don't know. It's been so long.

This feeling of sitting next to Wendy.

A sense of pride and security that comes from the depths of my heart that my place is definitely here.

"Don't stare at me that much."

Wendy starts knitting the grass as she turns around again.

“I can almost do it.”

Yeah.

Almark nodded and waited quietly.

Wendy brushes her falling hair up and puts it on her ears.

Love was good until one of those tricks.

I wanted to keep looking at Wendy like this.

"Almark"

While looking down, Wendy called out her name.

"I'm sorry, I'm worried about you."

Eh

Almark keeps an eye on him and then shakes his head.

"What are you talking about?" I have nothing to apologize for. "

But don't worry about me.

Wendy said as she knitted the grass with a serious expression.

"It's harder than anything for me for you to make a mistake in your judgment."

Beside Almark, who stares at Wendy without words, Wendy inherits as she stares at her hand.

“You trust your instincts. Stay as cool as usual Almark. Don't cloud your mind."

Wendy

Almark calls out his name in a reluctant way.

"You are."

“Don't worry, I'll take care of it.”

Wendy nodded to her words in a clear voice.

"Yeah, I'm fine."

Not knowing what to say, Almark opened his mouth and closed it again.

Instead, Wendy raised her face and looked at Almark, smiling lumpily.

"Yes, I got it."

That said, Wendy reached out. A grass-crocheted crown gently rested on Almark's head.

I really wanted to put flowers in it and make it even cleaner, but there was only grass.

Wendy said that and let go of her body for a moment, staring at Almark, who was crowned.

But it's nice.

Wendy said.

"Nice, Almark."

The eyes were moist.

Wendy

Driven by a feeling of hopelessness, Almark tried to reach out to Wendy.

But at the same time, Almark woke up from his dreams.

It was a familiar place.

Wooden bench and table.

It was where I met the green verde and ate the pie.

Almark gently puts his hand on his head and confirms that nothing has been put on it.

Wendy.

Almark swears in his heart.

Thank you. You're right.

I'll fight my battles. And sit next to you again and talk.

Almark arouses his upper body and takes a deep breath.

The intense discomfort of being poisoned was gone.

Get up slowly and approach the bench.

A woman with green hair sat there.

Thank you very much.

Verde said that and smiled.

"You did it." It seemed like it was a lot harder than I expected. "

"The pie has expired along the way."

Almark replied.

"I'm much ahead of Morgan." So, the movement was constrained. "

Seems so.

Verde nods quietly.

You ran out of pie much sooner.

There's a personal difference, isn't there? That pie...

Almark says that, then looks around.

Where's Morgan?

"There it is."

Verde stretched out her thin arm and pointed to the tip of the patch. Morgan was lying there.

The big belly is rising and falling. Seeing him snoring with a gentle face, Almark breathed a sigh of relief.

"I'm going to wake up soon."

Verde said, as he read Almark's heart.

"But I think I'm tired." You've almost exhausted your magic powers, and you're injured, too. "

In the end, I left it to Morgan.

Almark answers.

"But it's Morgan." He found Fawnbury. "

That's right.

Verde nodded and looked up at Almark while sitting on the bench.

You said it was a personal difference.

Verde said.

"There are individual differences in the effect of pie."

Yeah.

Almark nodded.

“There was obviously a personal difference. I started getting poisoned long before Morgan.”

"Almark"

Verde's eyes were turned toward Mars' staff, which was in Armark's possession.

"It's the boy who protects the keys. I'll tell you what's important.”

Having said that, Verde slowly stood up.

“If you're a mage, you've probably heard of it.”

Verde looks straight at Almark. The green eyes were majestic and did not suit her gentle expression.

Magical powers are equal to everyone.

Verde said.

"Whether you are a king, an aristocrat, or a commoner, there is no difference between the effects of a person's status."

“I know”

Almark replied.

The words were heard from Ilmis, and Wendy spoke them. For Almark, it was a word he couldn't have forgotten.

“Certainly, there is no individual difference.”

Verde quietly acknowledged.

"However, it is like a very slight error." There is nothing so obviously different about it. If you don't deliberately resist magic. "

Huh?

Almark raises an eyebrow at the unexpected words.

"I resisted, you..."

Verde said.

"You didn't trust me. That's why I subconsciously resisted the magic in the pie."

"Am I resisting?"

Verde looked pity on Almark, who was speechless.

“Morgan didn't do that. I honestly tasted what was served. That's why I was able to fully enjoy the effects of the pie. No, your vigilance may have led to some unconscious resistance on the part of Morgan. According to my calculations, the time couldn't have been shorter there.”

"I resisted unconsciously."

"With your help, we won't be able to catch up to this point in the green forest." Especially, as long as Inselmuju doesn't have a problem with your fighting ability. "

In response, Almark looked back at Verde in a daze.

Did I force us into an unnecessary struggle? [M]

Let Morgaine get hurt like that.

That's not true.

Almark tried to argue that way.

Sure enough, the monsters in the woods wouldn't have struggled without the effects of poison, and it would have been easier to find the ingredients with Morgan's taste.

All along the way, things were going well.

It was definitely caused by Almark's poisoning.

"If it were you, you would have been more clearly identified as something to be vigilant about, something not to be." You're a wise boy. "

Verde said.

"I wonder what has clouded your eyes." The crisis of your dear friend? "

Saying that, I peered into Almark's eyes.

"That's right. That's very important, as long as you're the guardian of the keys." But I wonder if that's what your friend wanted. "

Verde's tone was mild. But the words scratched Armark's heart like a sharp blade.

I wonder if your precious "Gate" girl wanted you to be too blind to have to struggle?

"...... Wendy."

Almark bit his lip.

Wendy. Is that what you're trying to say?

The smile on Wendy's face in her dreams is all over her mind.

Don't struggle. We can't let Wendy get into any more trouble.

Suddenly, Layla's words came back to life.

I'm sorry, Leila. I did it again.

I was trying to be calm myself.

To help Wendy, do what you need to do in the shortest possible time and at the shortest possible distance.

That's what I was thinking.

But at the moment I was thinking about it, I might not have been cool anymore. [M]

That called for an unexpected struggle that would hurt Morgan.

Almark put his strength into the hand holding Mars' staff.

I felt sorry for myself.

Looking at the expression, Verde relaxed her expression.

"Thank Morgaine."

Verde said in a gentle voice.

"Even though you are very cowardly, you are very brave." A child who cannot be tied to any destiny in the shadow of a harsh destiny. I will dedicate my stone to his friendship. ”

Your body is slowly fading away.

"You have a very good companion, key guardian."

Verde said.

"Most of the plants in the green forest don't exist in this world anymore." When Morgan wakes up, tell him. "

Verde smiles gently.

And I will give thee its honey and its berries as a sign of thy victory.

"Thank you, Green Verde."

Almark said to Verde as he disappeared.

"Thank you for making me realize what's important. I've always suspected you."

“Be confident, Almark. Because you're so strong."

In a teacherlike tone, Verde answers.

"At all times, your body has the power to move forward." So, face forward. "

Verde twinkled his green eyes and said at the end.

"Do what you have to do. Noble Key Guardian, Almark"

With those words, Verde vanished.

What I have to do.

As he took a deep breath, Almark gently picked up the green shining stone.