Only with Your Heart

Then nothing happened in the stone tower where Chizuru and Bal were trapped until the sun began to set in the evening.

Heavy, small wooden doors are patrolled with iron tension and cannot be broken by two people without tools. A few guard-like watchmen seem to be surrounding the area, throwing rampantly through holes like hidden windows with unsavory food on the door that resembles porridge only once.

Protesting wanting to add use, a bowl like rusty brisket is thrown in through the same hidden window. Shame on you and tell them about your period, they'll just throw in the used rough cloth.

It was cold and silly.

Thousands of cranes were pioneering and exhausted, but no matter how hard they tried, they would not come to sleep.

I know there are some of the original great personalities, but it seems that Bal, who is discouraged, almost didn't try to do something called conversation. If Chizuru asks any questions, he crushed the answer, but he doesn't fail to get as far away from Chizuru as he can in a small room.

So much, are you afraid of Luklov?

Or are you so sick and tired of annoying Chizuru so far that you don't want to come any closer?

To be honest, Chizuru could have been either way already.

Every time I breathed, my chest got bitter thinking about Ruklov. Every time I blinked, Ruklov's remnants came to my back of my brain, and I almost overflowed with tears.

How can I get out of here... if I can get out, how can I get back to Luklov? That's all I've been thinking about.

And when the night came, and the same porridge was offered again, Chizuru ate it just to nourish his livelihood.

From afar, I hear the owl roar, and outside, the guard burns fire, or the sound of a dead leaf bursting into my ear sometimes.

In the darkness of nothing but a thin moonlight leaking out of a small window, Chizuru finally came to his senses and put the given thin dirty cloth together from his shoulder and kept his back on the wall.

The dress remains as it was when they took it away. This beautiful black dress is tailored to the Lucrov flag.

Though it's already completely dirty.

Teasing her fingers through the embroidered loose sleeves, Chizuru laid her eyes down and remembered the book she borrowed from the dance before coming back here. That book is a dream story, after all. If you get lost in a world like this in reality, what you're waiting for is a cold reality with no baths, no lights, no decent meals...

Thousands of cranes made an effort to be as positive as possible, but it was hard to say that they were successful.

I'm sure by now, Ruklov will be mad in the face of the fact that Chizuru and Bal have all come together and disappeared while he was away. Chizuru knows very well what Lucrov is when he's really angry.

Will Alde be okay?

Is Nadal boy not bewildered?

I wish Lone could help me whisper him out at all...... the fact that Bal was the man Lone brought in was hard to erase and how far he could help was a mystery. I even think it's going to be the result of oiling the fire.

Crying here felt just like admitting to losing, and Chizuru was staring at the floor eating his teeth all the time.

It's okay, Ruklov will surely believe in me.

Trust me, he searches for me.

Yes, I told myself so much and waited for the time to pass.

"After I lost my game with the Duke of Ruklov..."

Chizuru, who was beginning to wander around, looked up all the way to Bal's voice like that.

Bal stares at the rough floor as he leans on the side of his body to distance himself as far as possible from Chizuru. It's dark and I can't even read your expression.

"The Duke of Lorne told me some things about you and the past of the Duke of Luklov. You were going to comfort me."

I didn't know what to give it back, and Chizuru just stretched his spine when he sneezed.

But Bal didn't seem to want Chizuru's opinion in particular, and after a few moments of silence, he went on to talk about one thing at a time.

"The Duke of Ruklov has been searching for you for a long, long time..."

Chizuru instantly (again) did so in the dark.

"... I've been asking too much for you. I was losing my sense of judgment,"

Thus, whenever I hear from others about the fourteen years of lost Lucroff, Chizuru's heart breaks. Still, it's never been as painful as it is now. Because Chizuru is now breaking the promise he made in this lonely tower.

But Bal continued.

"The morning after the game, the Duke of Ruklov came to me and handed down his punishment. Never come near you again, never carry a weapon during your stay...... Of course I have accepted everything. I didn't even mean to break it."

Bal's voice, which was calm, nodded oddly.

I guess that's also a sign of his integrity. Chizuru snorted.

"I was intrigued, and I listened. She said she's just one-sided with you... and if she really loves you so much, I wonder why you wouldn't confess that to her."

Chizuru could no longer remain silent and opened his mouth. "So... what did Ruklov answer...?

"Do you want to know?

"Ugh, yeah."

Maybe... Though I feel afraid to know when I am pushed to be so.

Even in the dark, Bal was felt exhaling briefly and smiling sadly.

"The Duke of Ruklov said." I don't know what that thing said... but if I still have a reason to live, that's just him, "he said."

…………

"I didn't use any of those words, like I love you. But I felt that there was no more definitive declaration of love."

The tears I had endured became a single stream, and I followed the cheeks of Chizuru down.

Lucrov, Lucrov, Lucrov.

Fate may not have been kind to us. But he made an effort. So that you two can be "two". Someday, someday, look for a future that you won't even see, and don't give up no matter what. Ten years. Fourteen years.

Even though that was finally about to become a reality now.

"So."

And, whispering gently, Bal looked down again. "He will never give up on you. Definitely, I'm desperate to find you. You wouldn't even think about me. Be sure to find you. So be patient for a while now."

Chizuru chewed his lower lip and nodded silently.

Right now, in this cell, the only thing Chizuru can do is believe him... so I decided to hold on to that.

The next time I see him again, so that I can be proud of myself.

That night, Chizuru had another old dream.

The contrast between the short cut, pitch-black hair and the carved, deep-terminated side was so beautiful that Chizuru was finally following every move of Luklov with his eyes.

It is a mystery whether the feminine word beauty, etc. applies to him.

In modern Japanese, he would be "cool," but I feel too mild this time with words like that.

Temporarily everything was going on, and as such, Ruklov had a charm that could not be captured in words. If you think you're a fierce person, you've suddenly become calm and deposited, and if you can be gentle, you can be tough.

Chizuru sat down and couldn't help but look away from him.

"Didn't you tell me to keep an eye on the bonfire?"

Suddenly, Luklov's low voice drew Chizuru back to reality.

At some point, Ruklov is frowning and looking back at Thousand Cranes. Chizuru picked up from his feet the branches of the tree he had to set on fire, and blushed.

"Oh, I'm sorry..."

"That's how I told you to stop apologizing right away, Chizul"

Chizuru and the others were taking formation at that time by the waters of the small river behind the mountain. The time is night. I don't remember because I don't have a clock, except that it was late at night. The surrounding area is dotted with a crowded circular tent at the top, and the camp is about this, which I have recently finally been able to accept with great care.

Everyone who glanced at Chizuru and Ruklov should have already been asleep.

On a quiet night that was cold, but not freezing enough, Chizuru was weaving a blanket on top of a moveable shirt for women borrowed from Edina.

Luklov is

Luklov is......

This one, so to speak, looked like underwear. White long-sleeved shirt in the same fabric in loose hemp trousers up to the calf length. Then enter the water to a height slightly above the knee, holding in one hand the arrow of bows and arrows to be used in the battle and returning his gaze to the surface of the water.

"What, are you...?

To Chizuru's question, Ruklov did not answer.

However, I wondered if I had raised my voice as a short but temperamental "ha," poking the arrow in my hand into the water. Bashan and the water jump in all directions, and Luklov's arms rise back into space by arcing with momentum.

After dark, all of a sudden, Chizuru didn't know what had happened.

But Ruklov comes back here making a noise with Zabazaba holding the arrow. His, overall black appearance looked even more beautiful in the dark.

He immediately came directly beside Chizuru.

Chizuru holds the branches of the tree to his chest like a lifeline and looks up at the approaching long knight as he desperately suppresses the roaring heart sound. Knight...... though in underwear. Though a lot of flesh, usually hidden beneath armor and clasps, is revealed...

Oh!

And the moment I turned my face down to embarrassment, something suddenly slapped down in front of me.

Something muddy black and wet in the water... That's when Chizuru stares away, shaking his butterflies and tails... it was a fish.

Chizuru also forgot about his underwear and looked up at Ruklov.

"Eat."

Ruklov gave a short order.

"Huh."

Thousands of times, Chizuru punched his eyes. The fish in front of me is waving a small blister and trying to resist oxygen.

"Raw."

"Uh... and"

"I would have said that in your country you would eat fish raw. Lately, I've been heartburned and tormented with all the meat from the beast," he said.

And Ruklov lowered his hips next to Chizuru.

This guy is...... the more incredibly big from a thousand cranes, but one word and one action is quiet and doesn't make much noise. Trained elegance, or sophistication not found in other knights, is in him.

Chizuru glanced at the fish for a while before turning his gaze back to the fearful Luklov.

Luklov's black eyes sit still on a thousand cranes.

What are they expecting? Say "thank you," and tell me to squirt the fish you caught for me now?

"Luklov!"

Chizuru raised his voice unable to laugh. "Raw doesn't mean alive! Sure, I eat it without passing the fire, but it's not like I eat it like this!

Chizuru looked out of his back and into the sky laughing from his tease. Lucrov's serious face is also slowly coming in.

At the edge of his mouth, there was even something like a smile on his face.

Shadow of the masculine contour of Ruklov, visible in the orange light given by the incineration...... River spiral at night.

The three moons were floating high in the sky.

The first night I felt close to you.

"But... thank you, remember"

Thousands of cranes snapped like that, but Ruklov didn't even move an inch, and he just kept staring at Thousands of cranes without even hitting again.

Because of this, the fresh fish fried, but I don't know how to judge the raw fish.

In this other world, in this world with only medieval medical and hygiene knowledge, there was no courage for a thousand cranes to judge and eat raw fish that didn't even know their names. In the end, the two burst the example fish with incendiary fire, sprinkled with just a little salt that Ruklov was carrying, and were to eat together.

A long-shaped knight in wet underwear and two in the middle of the night, burning fire and turning one thing around to eat.

Impossible.

It shouldn't be possible, but it was definitely real.

Observing with care, Ruklov has eaten only the hard to eat part with many small bones ahead of him, leaving only the rest of his easy to eat body in a thousand cranes.

He was a gentleman. I don't know if that notion is in this world, but Ruklov is sweet. It hides its tenderness under a heavy iron armor, a gruesome sword, and a harsh expression.

Chizuru had to laugh already.

How could fate have brought Chizuru here? In the morning, another force begins in search of evil dragons. How dare Chizuru say that the dragon must be laid down. That's why Chizuru has been summoned from a different world...

"Why are you laughing?

Suddenly, Luklov asks. Chizuru smiled as he shook his head.

"I wonder how I ended up in this situation. I was a very normal high school student in Japan."

Untranslated words such as Juken and Koukosei, which are not in this world, didn't seem to make sense to the Luklovs. Ruklov frowns a little puzzlingly. But I went right back to my true face.

"You... what kind of life did you have?

Question again.

But the evening is quiet, the bonfire is warm, and Lucrov is gentle as he hangs out, making him want to talk. Chizuru talked slowly, summing up his thoughts a little.

"Koukosei is a student. I was studying. I want to be a nanny or kindergarten teacher in the future, and for that I have to go to a difficult school called college, and for that I have an exam..."

Ruklov turned his eyes to the incendiary fire and listened in silence.

"My parents died in an accident when I was just a little girl."

The flames burst.

Ruklov didn't make it slight.

"But you have a grandmother. My father's mother. She raised me... so, so sweet, maybe I wasn't financially blessed, but I think I was fulfilled... good luck, I was happy"

So much so that Chizuru became bitter, as something stuck in his throat.

Grandma......

Oh, Chizuru has been summoned here, and I wonder what's going on in the original world. No way, missing? Death treatment? Until now, Chizuru has never left a house unauthorized for her grandmother overnight. I can't believe I've been gone all of a sudden for so long... my breasts were going to be tightened just thinking about what my grandmother Kazuyo was thinking.

Wanting to change the subject, Chizuru stared at Luklov.

"What about Luklov? You don't have parents in your hometown or anything?

Like your wife, your lover?

And I said, Chizuru cut the word. For some reason, I didn't want to know... Imagine where his kindness is directed at other women, somehow somewhere in the back of his body tickles and hurts.

"My parents are dead."

Short, Ruklov discarded.

Too flat a tone, it had an impact instead. Chizuru took a breath and waited for it to continue.

"Not long before I... turned nine. There was a local invasion, and they both were killed lightly. I survived hiding under the straw behind the barn from my father. The mansion where I was born and grew up was burned, and it fell into ruins just rocks."

Ruklov's father said he was a baron in a small part of the country.

To borrow his words, he said it was a presence that felt like a local celebrity, to the extent that "there was land there and dozens of dwarfs". Ruklov himself was an only child who could have been done relatively late for his parents, naturally a man.

"I lived like a beggar for the next few years... It's just that he's alive. It's twelve years old, and I'm getting better there, so I decided to make myself a knight somehow."

Ruklov spoke softly, but I could even imagine how much effort it would take for a boy who lived like a beggar to set himself up as a knight, on a thousand cranes who still had little knowledge of this world.

No, it must have been unimaginable.

Lucrov's eyes were staring at the flames, but his consciousness seemed to wander through some distant past.

He says he's twenty-two now, and his past twelve-year-old boy, looks overlapping.

"Hardworker, what is it?"

Chizuru was crushing unconsciously. Ruklov ironically raises the edge of his mouth.

"I'm just greedy"

"Yeah... it's a moonlight word... but I'm sure it must have been tough, right? I could have given up."

I wanted to say a more attentive dialogue, but my chest was full and not the other way around. Besides, I'm sure words aren't enough. I can't represent the rigour of living.

I can't express this thought.

Luklov.

"When my father hid me in the straw,"

Soon, Ruklov stared at Chizuru.

Whether you are stared at or stared at, your gaze is poured straight out so serious that you have trouble judging. Chizuru could not turn a blind eye, and the two stared.

"When my father hid me in the straw, he said:" Live. Just live, "he said."

…………

"And just before I took my sword and tried to get back to the house the invaders were about to attack, I left word. 'We'll be gone soon. But don't give up. You'll find someone you love one day, too, and you'll be happy. Live.'"

I wonder why...... Luklov had a strangely calm, reassuring look at that time.

"If I still have a reason to live, it's just him."

Yes, Ruklov said to Bal.

"Live. Just live. You'll find someone you love one day, too, and you'll be happy. Live. '