The West Wind's Destination - Chapter 95
“What’s so funny?”
“Nothing—nothing’s funny. I’m just happy.”
Bea tilted her head, puzzled, prompting Aseph to laugh out loud this time.
“I’m happy because you’re talking about yourself.”
Aseph initially listened gravely since the conversation didn’t start on a particularly positive note. However, as the story progressed, he understood Bea’s feelings towards him better. How could he not smile?
Aseph carefully chose his words.
This was about the question of love that Bea had been asking over and over, and this time, Aseph felt he could finally provide a proper answer.
“Have I ever told you that even the emperor of the empire cannot bring back the dead?”
“Yes.”
“Then, if there’s anyone who’s like a god, it’s you, Bea.”
Aseph smiled warmly.
“You revived me when I was as good as dead, and you created a beautiful child for our family that struggled to have one. You’ve done something more remarkable than any mage. Wouldn’t that qualify you as a god? You even created life.”
It seemed like he was repeating himself, but Bea listened silently.
“…I told you that it was just the development of technology.”
“Yes, I remember.”
Normally, Bea would have scoffed and thought Aseph a fool, but this time she was attentive. Just sensing that slight change, Aseph struggled to contain his overwhelming feelings.
“Right, as you said, it’s developed technology. I’m not saying you’re wrong.”
Aseph seemed to ponder where to begin.
“When I first saw you, I thought you were an angel. I thought I was already dead, you see. It took me a while to believe that I was truly going to keep living.”
“Why?”
Aseph, who had been speaking freely until now, hesitated this time.
Was it hard to accept the existence of someone in front of him who accomplished what even the most powerful mages could not, bringing back the dead, when he himself was no mage?
Thinking of such a simple reason, Bea was surprised by Aseph’s unexpected answer.
“…Because your smile was so beautiful.”
“What are you talking about all of a sudden?”
Suspecting he was trying to change the subject abruptly, Bea frowned.
Aseph burst into a hearty laugh.
“I mean it. When I first woke up, the first thing I saw was your smile.”
Bea couldn’t remember what expression she wore then. She knew well that she usually didn’t have much of an expression.
“All the pain in my body was gone, and there was this person performing miracles in front of me… It felt so surreal. Maybe I didn’t want to accept the reality. It was so sweet that I wanted to turn it into my reality.”
It was just a shabby lab in the woods. Aseph, who now fondly remembered that life as a cherished memory, spoke with a dreamy look.
“But, you’re right. There’s no such thing as miracles. I wasn’t healed by some holy power, nor was I led to you by a deity’s threads of fate. I was revived by your exceptional skill, and I just happened to fall in front of you when you needed something to research.”
Yet, with a little packaging, it could easily be turned into a magnificent destiny. It was as if they were meant to meet there, and everything was arranged as if God had wished for it.
If Bea hadn’t been born in the desert. If she hadn’t learned alchemy. If Aseph Vilkanos hadn’t had conflicts with a mage. All the assumptions and possibilities that could have prevented their meeting only made their actual encounter shine even brighter.
“But the wonder I felt seeing you smile and being alive again doesn’t dilute just because I know the facts.”
Bea’s statement wasn’t wrong, and neither was Aseph’s.
Everything in the world arises from a multitude of coincidences. However, because humans have hearts, sometimes these occurrences are called miracles.
“You still are my angel, the one who granted me miracles.”
The god-like divine beast Bea herself saw in her drugged state or dream doesn’t truly exist. All of it was ultimately just some phenomena wrapped in beautiful, grandiose language.
But… that wasn’t what mattered.
Aseph spoke the truth, but he wasn’t denying the emotions Bea felt.
He once said this,
Understanding how a flower blooms doesn’t diminish its beauty.
Does it mean that there’s inherent value in something just because we feel emotions for it, without needing to search for reasons or truths?
Maybe… that was a bit understandable.
“To some, I’m just a useless, glorified mutant beast, and to others, I’m seen as a divine creature like you see me.”
“Yes… I see now.”
“It doesn’t really need to be picked apart, does it?”
“Yes.”
Just acknowledging that made her feel at ease.
Not just in bed, not just when connected to Aseph, but feeling like she was floating in the middle of being loved.
Voices calling Bea from afar were heard. It seemed the western alchemists had been waiting for a while.
“Everyone is waiting for you. Shall we go now?”
“Yes.”
“There must be a lot for you to do now. You’ve done things even the Emperor of the Empire couldn’t.”
“I won’t do that anymore. I’m going to destroy all the records.”
“Why?”
“Because the uniqueness of a soul-bearing person should not be undermined.”
Understanding what Bea meant by that, Aseph laughed silently.
“Homun is in for a big challenge too. A mage born from Vilkanos, goodness. We’re going to have our hands full in the future.”
“I…”
Bea suddenly found herself at a loss for words.
Since meeting Aseph, too much that she once thought of as unreal had surged into her life. Trying to analyze and understand each one, Bea eventually gave up on thinking about it deeply. Yet, not feeling anxious was new too.
“I don’t know. I don’t want to think about it.”
Aseph laughed as he extended his hand, and Bea followed him quietly. Aseph looked tenderly at Bea, who still sparingly used expressions and voices to communicate.
Would he ever hear her say she loves him back? He wasn’t in a hurry or pushing for an answer, but Aseph suddenly felt playful and wanted to see her reaction.
“So, I consider you an angel, and you consider me a divine beast. Between us, there’s boundless respect for each other. After all, we saved one another.”
“Is that so?”
“People call that love. What do you think? Do you love me, Bea?”
Bea didn’t respond. But the moment Aseph turned to look at her, he felt as if he truly became a divine beast carried by the west wind to the desert.
It was because of the expression Bea made as she reached for his hand.
And that was answer enough.
