Chapter 602 The Bard and His Protagonist
I don’t know if it’s an illusion... Yunus always feels a little flustered and uneasy.
Master Maxim, who had been very kind to him, suddenly became cold after Aiwas was sent to the fairy kingdom by Mrs. Grace.
Maxim looked at Yunus carefully, and the smile on his face disappeared.
The originally kind and grateful look turned into a scrutinizing and cold look.
...Did I just say something wrong?
But I didn’t say anything just now!
Yunus was a little confused.
So he put on a relaxed smile, played the harp he had modified, and played a melodious tune. He walked towards Master Maxim and laughed his signature three-part laugh: "My hospitable and kind friend, I have a humble request..."
"—Mr. Yunus."
Suddenly, Maxim pushed the round glasses on his face and interrupted Yunus in a calm tone: "Please agree to one request of mine."
Although it was a request, the bespectacled wizard's tone was so firm and serious.
Yunus had seen this attitude before. It sometimes appeared on the faces of those who were too heavy-hearted to take a joke. And if he continued to act like "Yunus" at that moment, he might even irritate the other person.
...Come to think of it, the real "Yunus" didn't always speak like this.
Yunus thought so in his heart, and his tone became normal: "You say."
"Wait for them to come back later. Could you please keep quiet?"
Master Maxim said, "What I mean is—don't be as noisy as before. And don't play music and talk loudly at the same time. Just like the tone and voice when you responded to this sentence just now."
“…Okay, no problem.”
Yunus smiled awkwardly and nodded in response.
—So you don't like this? Why didn't you say so earlier? It's actually quite tiring for me to talk like this...
Afterwards, Maxim ignored him and just looked up at the moon, lost in thought.
After hearing Aiwass's reasoning and popular science on dendropathology, Yunus actually guessed some of the reasons.
Maxim was angry with him, probably because he thought he stayed there because he wanted to see Anastasia.
And returning to the material world might not be good for her body.
Of course, Yunus didn't want to meet Anastasia. He came here to seek the truth, just to tell her that he had come at her invitation and had not broken his promise.
Because he was very worried that Anastasia had actually just died and he hadn't been there - if only that wasn't the outcome.
That would mean "he failed to fulfill the promise he made because of his lateness."
Now, Anastasia could turn into a tree at any moment. Yunus didn't want her to leave with regrets. He had to prove to her that the bald fool who had made the promise in the past hadn't broken his promise.
Yunus had already explained his intention to Aiwass: since Miss Anastasia was not in good health, she should stay in the Fairy Kingdom to recuperate. He just needed to let Anastasia know that he had arrived.
Yunus, who was alone, soon felt bored.
It was too quiet here, so quiet that it made him, a bard used to the hustle and bustle, feel a little uncomfortable.
He felt an itch, and subconsciously wanted to play the harp at his waist, strumming a few tunes to add some background music. But as soon as he put his hand on it, he subconsciously glanced at Master Maxim and immediately put it down as if he had received an electric shock.
Master Maxim meant that they were not allowed to make any more noise after they returned. Although Aiwass and the others hadn't returned yet...it was hard to say whether his playing here would anger them.
After all, Maxim was obviously in a bad mood.
Of course, it was mainly because the other party was indeed a good person and because his arrival had indeed caused more trouble for him. Therefore, Yunus did not want to confront the other party at this time.
...How boring.
Yunus sighed and followed Maxim's example, looking up at the moon.
He missed his friends a little.
In fact, the reason why Yunus behaves so exaggerated and funny is because this is the iconic behavior of "Yunus" in Prince Albert's memory.
In order to become Yunus, he kept repeating this behavior.
But Yunus didn't really use that tone when he spoke to people. You know, when Yunus was still alive, he was responsible for all the interactions with others. Back then, Albert would hide in a cloak that half covered his face, his arms folded, far back.
That bald guy spoke to everyone in a way that was human, and he could make friends with anyone. How could he be like Albert, whose speech was always funny and operatic...
But the problem is that Albert simply can't learn Yunus's art of speaking.
"...I miss you again, my dear friend."
He looked at the moon and murmured softly.
His best friend Yunus wasn't a descendant of the founding family. His parents weren't knights or bishops... His father was the Iris Man, a clown in a burlesque troupe. His mother was a wealthy real estate developer in Avalon, having lost both her parents early on and single-handedly supported the family business.
Although it was a formal marriage witnessed by the church, in Albert's opinion, their relationship was more like lovers than husband and wife. They lived in different places and did not affect each other's lives on weekdays, but they had a good relationship when they met occasionally.
However, from the perspective of a "lover", their age difference is not that big. As a "sponsor", Yunus's mother is only a dozen years older than his father.
Albert had met the woman—a resolute, rational, and righteous lady.
How to describe her justice?
When her family took over, the company's business covered 60% of the Red and White Queens area. After ten years of management by her, the business scale was successfully reduced to one-fifth.
People who are too principled cannot do business well.
Yunus's father, on the other hand, was the complete opposite. He was a cheerful man, responsible for raising the children. He was always smiling, able to crack jokes and take sarcasm well, and his humor and wit made him a favorite of everyone. Even Queen Sofia, during her most volatile and stubborn years, became a friendly friend. She would sometimes bring the clown to the Temple of Silver and Tin to ask for his advice.
Some of Albert's friends mocked him as a "clown running the country." This was deeply humiliating, especially since his father had just passed away. However, when he personally tried to persuade the Queen, she ignored him.
At the same time, ministers would offer advice and people would gossip about her, but none of these things could affect Queen Sophia's arbitrary will.
It was also in this environment that Albert came into contact with Yunus.
He initially approached him with hostility, but after contact, he found that the child inherited his father's eloquence.
Only later did Albert learn that Yunus' father had long been suffering from a terminal illness that even the bishop could not cure. He had not spoken to Queen Sofia for power... because he did not have much longer to live.
Yunus' mother also knew that he was suffering from a terminal illness.
She married Yunus's father knowing this, because he brought her happiness, and she responded with responsibility.
——Yunus is like a combination of these two people, inheriting their advantages.
Later, when Albert was about to leave home, none of his friends wanted to go with him. Only Yunus said something like, "I just want to go out and have a look," and happily accompanied Albert on a walk to relax.
With his sociable skills, if he had continued to stay in Glass Island, he might have become a minister by now.
When he first left Glass Island, Albert often felt self-loathing because of his cowardice and incompetence.
At such times, Yunus never lectured him, comforted him, or lectured him. He would simply play the piano slowly, waiting for Albert to calm down. His playing lacked technique, but was filled with profound emotion.
At one point, Albert couldn't help but ask him, "Why did you follow a loser like me and leave Glass Island, Yunus?"
"There's no reason."
Yunus put down his harp, thought for a moment, and then smiled and replied, "Because you're asking me for help, and because I think those people are boring, you're actually a pretty good person. Your constant self-defeating nature is quite amusing, and your personality isn't annoying. Getting into trouble with you is ten times better than enduring an endlessly repetitive life at home!"
That was the first time Yunus spoke his true feelings to Albert seriously.
It was also from that time that Albert realized... this man was completely different from himself.
Although they have the same profession, Albert is not a qualified bard compared to his good brother Yunus.
They were not traveling companions.
But it is "the bard and the protagonist of his own story whom he chooses."
Whenever Yunus finished negotiating with others, he would always return to him with a happy look on his face, saying good news like "Thank God, thanks to the protection of the Silver Crown Dragon", "We are very lucky, Mr. Albert", "That gentleman is a good man and agreed to our negotiations".
...Now, he can only learn from Yunus.
One person played the piano, another jumped around, and talked to himself.
"Thank God, neither Her Majesty the Queen nor that stupid bird noticed me! We are so lucky, Mr. Aiwass!"
Just then, a sharp and noisy voice came from the sky.
It was a voice that Yunus found vaguely familiar—a voice coming from the moon: "Now I can go out and play with you!"
Yunus was also familiar with that voice.
That was the little elf Nilim who was attracted by the sound of his piano last night.
But, I don't know if it's an illusion...
Is it a coincidence, wishful thinking, or déjà vu?
Yunus always felt that the joy in that voice made him want to cry.
At this moment, he finally saw clearly what it was——
A glass carriage driven by a glass unicorn emerged from the moon, reflecting the moonlight and emitting a hazy glow.
The icy track spread out in front, guiding the glass carriage down smoothly like an inverse proportional function curve.
Whether it was the glass unicorn or the carriage, after appearing in the field of vision, they began to disintegrate and turned into silver-gray fairy dust.
That is the illusion of spontaneous collapse—
If the goblins were large enough, they might be able to create something. However, it would be difficult for a solitary goblin to maintain a "fantasy" in the material world.
In addition to Aiwass and Mrs. Grace, there were two other passengers sitting in the carriage.
One was a young goblin who grabbed Aiwass by the collar and sat on his collarbone.
The other one was an elf girl sitting gracefully in the back seat.
That's Miss Anastasia!
Yunus immediately recognized the other person's identity and temporarily put aside his concern for Nilim.
Anastasia looked and dressed exactly the same as when he first met her. Nothing had changed.
This is undoubtedly an illusion.
Just like what he saw back then... he had never seen Anastasia's true face.
...Is she back yet?
This immediately made Yunus feel complicated.
"Aya..."
Maxim immediately came forward and half-knelt on the ground, hugged Anastasia deeply, and whispered, "Are you okay?"
Although it was a bit rambling, Yunus knew what he was talking about.
"I'm fine, Father."
Anastasia said lightly.
She put her hands behind her back and winked playfully: "There will never be a better time than now."
But when Maxim heard this, he just looked at her with complicated eyes.
He had a lot to say, but he didn't.
He turned around and gave Yunus a long look, which made Yunus feel a little guilty and ashamed.
"Mr. Yunus!"
The girl smiled and ran towards him.
"Ha ha ha, Ana——"
Yunus's face was filled with smiles, and his cheerful mood subconsciously made him let out his signature laugh. However, he quickly reacted under Maxim's glare and immediately lowered his voice: "Beautiful Miss Anastasia... If you are not feeling well, there is no need for you to come here in person. Or is it that my friend Aiwass didn't tell you about this?"
"I certainly didn't say that."
Aiwass on the side suddenly spoke up and said softly: "Because I think...Anastasia is not a child anymore, Mr. Yunus.
"She has her own unique ideas and clear will. Just because we do what we think is 'good for her' doesn't mean she will accept it.
"Yes, I could have persuaded her not to come—but that would have been using favors and friendship to override her personal will. When I realized she wanted to do this... I could only agree and acquiesce."
Aiwass seemed to be talking to Yunus.
But it was also said to Madam Grace and Master Maxime.
Upon hearing this, Grace, who had witnessed everything, did not have any new reaction, but Maxim's expression became complicated.
After all, he was a transcendent being who walked the path of wisdom. Even with this, he had already roughly guessed the truth.
Anastasia and Yunus hugged each other for a long time, and then Yunus took something out of his arms with a smile - it was a smile of relief, a gentle smile, or a bitter smile.
It was Anastasia's moon-white silk headband with light blue elven inscriptions on it.
It read in Elvish: "Anastasia, I wish you good health."
As everyone watched silently, Yunus half-knelt on the ground and gently tied the hairband back on Anastasia.
Her little apple-like bob haircut is perfect for a headband like this.
"I didn't break my promise, did I, Miss Anastasia?"
Yunus twitched his lips slightly and whispered, "You invited me to your home... I promised to come and see you.
“And now, I have accomplished both.”
"Thank you very much, too, Mr. Yunus. Thank you for saving me."
Anastasia bowed to him seriously and said, "Without you, Mom and Dad would never see me again."
“…That’s just…”
Yunus opened his mouth, trying to be humble.
But when he thought of his initial motive of frantically trying to save Anastasia from the powerful enemy, he suddenly fell silent again.
——He saved someone else's daughter. But why didn't he have the courage to save his own daughter?
"I was wondering," Anastasia said lightly, "how I should thank you.
“Now that I finally understand… I’m happy.
"As a gift of gratitude, I would like to give it to you personally—"
As she spoke, a faint light suddenly emanated from Anastasia's body, and then she threw herself into Yunus' arms.
Yunus subconsciously hugged the girl, but suddenly felt his arms lighten.
At some point, Anastasia suddenly disappeared.
An elven-style silver harp appeared in his arms.
The hairband falls on the tip of the harp.
"...I think...I should let you see my true self..."
And another faint, gentle voice came from not far away.
Yunus looked up.
It turned out to be Anastasia, who had almost turned into a tree.
She didn't struggle in agony like she had in the fairy kingdom—after leaving the fairy kingdom, she immediately became quiet. Her voice became sleepy, and her twisted branches began to grow and expand rapidly.
Bathed in moonlight, her branches spread out, no longer deformed and hunched.
The leaves grew at a speed visible to the naked eye.
Maxim realized something.
He did not stop it, but pursed his lips and watched it all in silence.
"That's part of me... Mr. Yunus."
She began, "I haven't seen... the outside world. Just surviving would be too lonely... wouldn't it?
"I want to see the outside world... I want to see other countries. I want to see the griffins of Avalon, I want to see deserts and springs.
"Please take me outside."
Update complete! Over 5,000 words, and the deadline has been met!
Because I feel that this chapter cannot be divided, so I put it in two parts~
(End of this chapter)
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