Chương 361: Greed

Nym slowly lifted her head, tears still clinging to her lashes as she looked up at Eskar. For a long while, she remained silent, saying nothing as her power instinctively reached toward him. The familiar pull of her ability sifted through the Words composing his existence, searching for the emotions hidden beneath the calm mask he always wore. She expected pity, disappointment, perhaps even resentment. Instead, what she found only made the corner of her mouth twitch into a bitter smile.

"You don't pity me?" There was a mocking edge to her voice, an obvious attempt to disguise the pain she could no longer keep hidden. Eskar's lone icy-blue eye narrowed ever so slightly.

"Only a fool would pity a murderer." Nym inhaled slowly before lowering her gaze once more.

"... Is that so?" she murmured.

"Am I a murderer?" She tried to smile, but it was a miserable attempt. The corners of her lips rose just enough to resemble one, yet the expression never reached her eyes.

"I'll give you this," Eskar replied quietly.

"You've finally realized what you've done." He lowered himself onto the opposite side of the resting forest drake. The beast lazily opened one heavy eye, studied him for a brief moment, and decided he posed no threat. A tired rumble escaped its throat before it closed its eye again, returning to its uneasy sleep. For several moments, neither of them spoke.

The forest filled the silence instead, its chorus of insects and distant rustling leaves drifting between them until Eskar finally looked up toward the fractured night sky.

"Don't you see?" he asked quietly, his gaze lingering on the stars.

"... He feels the same way." Nym froze. Her body trembled, and she bit down on her lip before pulling her knees tighter against her chest.

"It doesn't matter," she whispered.

"I don't deserve him." Eskar let out a slow sigh before turning his attention back toward her.

"It's strange seeing you like this." His expression remained unreadable.

"... Is this the real you?" Nym gave a quiet, humorless laugh.

"Was my act really that easy to see through?"

"Not at all." He shook his head.

"I just happen to be the person who's spent the most time fighting you." Her brows furrowed in confusion.

"What do you mean?" A faint smile appeared on Eskar's face as he searched for the right words.

"When you fight, there's hesitation in every movement. None of your attacks truly belongs to you. They're efficient, calculated, and designed to defeat the opponent as quickly as possible, but there's nothing beyond that. They're techniques without personality." Nym frowned.

"Isn't that the point?" she asked sincerely.

"To defeat your opponent? What else is there?" Instead of answering immediately, Eskar turned toward Vale's barracks.

"Look at Vale." Nym followed his gaze.

"His fighting style is reckless. He throws himself into danger without hesitation, constantly gambles with his own life, and survives battles by the smallest of margins." A small smile touched Eskar's face.

"And yet... somehow, he never dies." He glanced toward her.

"Do you know why?" She considered the question for several moments before shaking her head.

"... No."

"It's because he's honest." Stolen from its rightful place, this narrative is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

"Every movement he makes expresses exactly who he is. His stubbornness, his determination, his refusal to surrender, his willingness to sacrifice himself for someone else, they're all visible in the way he fights. Nothing is hidden." Eskar lowered his gaze toward the grass.

"And no matter who stands in front of him... the one thing that never changes is his desire to protect those who cannot protect themselves." A soft grin crossed his face.

"That's why you fell in love with him." Nym's eyes widened. Her heartbeat accelerated so suddenly she could hear it pounding inside her ears. She wanted to deny it. She truly did. Yet every word he had spoken was painfully accurate.

"... I don't deserve him." Her voice was barely louder than the wind.

"I already told you." She hugged herself even tighter.

"I killed Illu." Even speaking the raven's name was enough to make guilt twist violently inside her stomach. Eskar sighed again before pushing himself to his feet.

"You're too selfless." He looked down at her, his expression calm but unwavering.

"If you want to become truly happy... and truly strong... then you have to become greedy. Fair, certainly. Compassionate, yes. But greedy too. That's part of being human." He folded his remaining arm behind his back.

"So tell me... why do you keep denying your own nature?" Nym slowly looked back up at him. As her power examined the Words surrounding his existence once more, she noticed something she hadn't expected. A new emotion. Envy. Her brows knitted together.

"Why?" Eskar raised an eyebrow.

"You tell me greed is necessary," she said quietly, "yet all I can sense from you is envy. If greed is really such a wonderful thing... then why does yours hurt so much? And why should I force Vale to love me?" A chuckle escaped him.

"Force him?" He almost sounded amused by the suggestion.

"If anything... you'd be doing him a favor." Nym stared at him in stunned silence. There wasn't the slightest trace of dishonesty within the Words surrounding him. He believed what he had just said completely. So... Why couldn't she?

"As for the envy..." His expression softened.

"... it's because your attitude is exactly what I need right now. My new power won't answer unless every action I take is entirely for someone else's sake." His gaze lowered toward the ground.

"It was the promise I made to my lord." Instinctively, Nym focused her power more deeply than before, reaching past the surface of his being to glimpse the mysterious power hidden beneath those Words. The instant she did... Something looked back. A violent chill shot through every nerve in her body. Her muscles locked. Her breathing stopped. A voice echoed directly inside her mind.

"What do you think you're doing?" Nym recoiled violently, nearly falling backward as she tore her consciousness away. Ragged breaths escaped her lips while her heart hammered against her ribs. Eskar simply watched her.

"My lord doesn't permit others to look inside me." His expression hadn't changed in the slightest. Nym swallowed hard before forcing out a weak, shaky laugh.

"... Yeah."

"I noticed." She leaned back against the warm body of the forest drake once more, taking several slow breaths before finally regaining enough composure to speak.

"I'll think about what you said." Eskar answered with a single nod.

"Very well." He turned and began walking away without another word. After only a few steps,"Hey." He stopped. Slowly, he looked back over his shoulder. Nym hesitated for several seconds before speaking.

"... I'm sorry." Her voice was so quiet it nearly disappeared beneath the sounds of the forest.

"About your father... and everything else." For the first time all evening, Eskar's expression cracked. His lone eye grew slightly, and his remaining hand slowly curled into a fist. He stood there for several long seconds before finally answering without looking back.

"... Don't look into my memories again." Then he continued walking into the darkness. Silence reclaimed the camp. Nym rested her head against the forest drake's warm side while her eyes remained fixed on the endless sea of trees stretching beyond the firelight. Every rustling leaf, every distant branch snapping beneath unseen feet, every subtle shift in the wind drew her attention. She remained vigilant because that was her duty, yet her thoughts refused to stay focused on the forest.

They drifted back to Eskar's words.

'Could I really become Vale's girlfriend?' Almost immediately, she dismissed the thought. No. That wasn't the real question.

'Would I ever deserve to?' Her mind wandered back to the beginning. She had hated Vale, not because of anything he had done, but because of Chrome. Callum's hatred, grief, and despair had flowed into her through her Enigma until those emotions became indistinguishable from her own. Without ever realizing it, she had pushed Vale away because of someone else's pain. Even though... He had been the only person who ever made her feel normal. By the time she reached Irea, she regretted that choice every single day.

And yet... Vale had forgiven her. Despite everything. Then Illu died. Her own hands had taken the life of one of his closest companions. No matter how many explanations she invented or how often she reminded herself that she had believed she was protecting others, one truth remained unchanged. She had become the villain of that story. And villains... Didn't deserve happy endings. Soft footsteps interrupted her thoughts. Unlike Vale's presence, this one announced itself long before it arrived.

She could already read the Words surrounding the approaching figure before she ever looked up. When she finally did... Vale was standing beside her. He looked unexpectedly nervous, almost embarrassed to be there.

"... Taking watch?" The question sounded awkward, as though he had spent several minutes rehearsing it before finally gathering the courage to speak. Nym blinked, feeling her heartbeat quietly accelerate.

"... Why are you here?" she asked softly. Vale scratched the back of his neck and deliberately looked toward the dark forest instead of meeting her eyes. He slowly lowered himself to sit beside her, remaining silent for several long moments before finally speaking so quietly she almost missed it.

"... I just wanted to see you." He swallowed once, still refusing to look at her.

"... That's all."