The Escape of Layla

The next morning, I woke up and Hans was surprised that I was beside him. My magic, it seems, worked very well.

"... did you come all the way out here to see how it went? Thank you, Gabriela."

He laughed somewhere weak if he prepared Hans's favorite cookies and cold tea. You know I'm good at the magic of oblivion, but his trust in not even questioning me just makes me uncomfortable now.

"That's okay. I only came to see if there was anything I could do to help Hans."

Gabriella's weak. She's nice to him.

"It's like you're not usually nice. But that's a mouthful of mouth...?

Relieve yourself of the usual rhythm of conversation. My choice didn't seem wrong.

That's it. We're going to stay in this comfortable relationship and just pile up beautiful memories.

Then shortly afterwards, both Hans and I returned to the work of the Sorcery Division. I did my job silently so that I could recover what my colleagues had received while I was resting. My colleagues called me, "Don't push me," but I can't help but dismiss and distract you if you have something to do.

I haven't been trained in a long time and take a break for a cold cup of tea. It didn't take that long to get back on track, but the division chief's guidance was as demanding as ever, so much so that he couldn't move without pinching a break after training.

I want the division chief to review the magnitude of your magic. When I have such discontent in my heart, I look up next door feeling the signs unexpectedly.

You seem pretty tired.

I wonder if he was there or was the division leader. The purple blue eyes do look down at this one, smiling with a scary beautiful face.

"Eh... excuse me for this. I didn't know the division leader needed it..."

If I rushed to correct my posture, the division chief laughed and lowered his back next to me, "I'm taking a break now," he said. It is rare for a division leader to show up during a break. I don't hate anything about the division chief, or rather, I respect him enough, but it's the truth that this makes me kind of nervous to talk to him alone.

"Much better?

The division chief smiled kindly and threw such a worry at me. He must have worried about his men who had been sick and resting for a long time. As a boss, he's a really good guy, except for the rigors of his training.

"Yes, thanks to you"

"That was good. Everyone says it's sick once, but it's hard to prolong it too long."

The division chief was staring somewhere far away with purple blue eyes. The division chief himself was only sick of his heart for a long time, a strangely weighty word.

I hear that the "destiny man" of the division leader was killed by someone. She seemed to be the princess of the kingdom Altair, so maybe she was caught up in some sort of conspiracy.

The division chief since he met the "Destiny Man" has become much more emotional. I used to not imitate worrying about my men like this and showing their faces during breaks, so I'm reminded that people change regardless of how many hundred years they live.

"... you wanted Hans to forget something, but isn't Gabriella hard?

The division chief, with a gentle smile, has thrown some questions on the direct ball as well. Boulders should be called division heads. The division leader is twice as sensitive to the magic trail. I don't think I can hide anything first in front of the division chief.

"... Again, you're no match for a division leader"

"I'm not even trying to step in about an individual, but you can't do the magic of oblivion to yourself, can you? Why don't you ask me to do the magic of oblivion around Heino?

The division chief laughed when I did it. This magic is used to fade the nightmare, so the use of making you forget something completely is close to contraindicated, but still you must have spoken with compassion for me. While I appreciated the kindness, I was shaking my neck sideways.

"I'm sorry to bother you. … but this is a thought I decided to protect, so I just want to remember."

If I told him so looking into the purple blue eyes of the division chief, he smiled as soft as ever and nodded small.

"I was going to give you a hand if you seem to be in too much pain, but I would have liked that.... I forgot, it's not like there wasn't."

Is it because I remember the "Destiny Man" who was killed that said and laughed at the eyes of the division leader for a moment? I'm sure the division chief has also wished to forget a reality that is too painful, but he still didn't try to do the magic of oblivion, perhaps because he wanted to protect his feelings for the "destined man". I found something in common with the division chief in an unexpected way, and I just got a little intimacy.

"... the curse on Lewayne's blood is really abominable. What the hell did our ancestors do to the demon, the culprit of the curse?

I accidentally put into my mouth the discontent I was constantly having. I'm surprised myself to say this to my division chief opponent.

"There's a lot of theories... but there's a lot to talk about because the demon who killed the child reminds us of the weight of what we love."

If so, is that purpose served too well? We are still so tormented by obscure, distant old demons in the literature.

"... I think I've found out enough"

I got an ironic grin somewhere, thinking about Hans.

"Oh, really"

The division chief was thinking of something similar, and he groaned so with a calm grin and a chilled out voice.

"Gabriela!"

As I accidentally raised my face to the voice calling my name, Hans jumped out of the shadow of the building at the headquarters of the Magic Division. During the break, we meet each other often, so I guess even the big cookies came for a strong contract. Even though it wasn't a particularly unusual behavior, I got weird because I was thinking about Hans.

"What cookies are you having today...... division chief!?

When he realizes the presence of the division chief sitting next to me, Hans gently adjusts his posture. As soon as the division leader stood up, he smiled calmly as if nothing had happened.

"Sorry, I was just talking a little bit because I happened to see Gabriella. You should rest until work this afternoon."

That's all I told him, and the division chief quickly walked away. I also feel like I've been kind of distracted.

"That's unusual, I can't believe Gabriella's talking to the division chief. Were we that close?

"You seem to have worried me because I've been resting for a long time. He's sweet."

"Oh, I was resting too, just Gabriella...?

"Perhaps you've decided not to worry because you're fat. By contrast, I'm a poor lady with a delicate heart, so I guess you came all the way out here to listen to me."

"Uh... who's the poor lady talking about? Talk about the division chief's preferences?

"You..."

He laughs when he tries to be funny and tickles when he tries to poke at Hans lightly. I can't help but like this time.

"So? What flavor are today's cookies?

"Tea."

"Oh, nice. I like it because it smells good. Boulder Gabriella, I know what I like."

"I'm not making it for you"

"Again, Gabriella's not as honest as ever."

We walked out, interacting with no other love. Hans is just next door, and I feel my heart fill. This was the happiness I wanted to protect.

"Oh! Boulder, Miss Leila is beautiful."

Then about two hundred years went by, and I was at the division chief's wedding with Hans. It's a busy wedding as if it were a festival because of attendance at the Sorcery Division general outing. Miss Leila, the princess of the prestigious Duke's house in Altair, Kingdom, worried that she might have wanted a stricter ceremony, but was relieved to see a grin waving at us next to the division chief. Miss Leila, dressed in a pure white dress, seemed very happy.

"Oh, yeah. Gabriella doesn't seem to understand, so I'll tell you what, poor lady says something like Miss Layla."

I burn the happy looks of the division chief and Miss Layla in my eyes as they relentlessly poke Hans' flank pulling out about the old days and teasing me. I'm so glad they tied up.

"Well, Hans was right, you were expecting a poor lady with a division chief preference."

"That drowning is funny to see. I didn't expect the division leader to look so heartless..."

"You could be in the future, too. Then I'll make fun of you with everything I can."

Imagine Hans and his "Destiny Man" wedding, my chest hurt just a little. But not unbearably painful. If Hans's happiness was there, he was stronger in his desire to protect him from whatever he did.

"... yeah, well, yeah, maybe"

Hans uttered an ambiguous dialogue with a cutthroat grin somewhere. He is prone to emotions on his face. If you give me that look, it's going to be painful to me.

"... let's go to the sea"

Unexpectedly holding Hans' hand, I uttered an invitation without a thump. Hans' grey eyes are lightly opened.

"The sea?"

"Yes, the sea. You would have told me a long time ago, wouldn't you? You said you'd show me around."

"That said, that happened..."

"You forgot? He's terrible."

If he behaved like an exaggerated infidelity, Hans laughed and put my hair in his ear when he shrugged.

"It's a lie, you'll never forget my promise to Gabriella."

It was a casually released word, but it sounds sweet to me somewhere. This feeling that springs up may indeed be a love affair, but the feeling of affection was stronger than that. That's how essential Hans is to me.

"I want to see all sorts of countries around at last. Let's travel together. I'll take care of the guide, Hans."

"I think I was traveling with my family hundreds of years ago... Don't expect me to."

"No snack cookies that day if you get lost."

"Yes!? That's not much, Gabriela..."

"I'm so jealous of your sensibility that you can't eat cookies all day long and mourn so much."

That's what you think I've been eating cookies for hundreds of years. I was just wondering if I'd ever get tired of it. I was delighted with the reaction.

"If you can't eat Gabriella's cookies, you could die."

"Good for you, the curse is broken. Demons evolve amazingly."

"Still unconnected..."

"This is the kind of personality I hate."

With a light slap at each other, me and Hans watch out for the happy division chief and Miss Layla. The hands of each other that were brought down between me and Hans were still connected to nature today and from neither side.