Chapter 93 – Rules of Barbarism.
Lyudmila and Medea called each other by nicknames. They clearly drew a line, but it was because of a certain book that they called each other by nicknames. In that book, the two people who were close to each other called each other by different names even though they had a decent name. That was the excuse that if you have to pretend to be friends, it’s better to call them by their nicknames. Maybe the two of them pretended not to know it, even though they knew it was a simple excuse.
“I’m sorry! I’m sorry… I need more of Ryuda. A little more…!”
After Medea hugged Lyudmilla, she couldn’t let go and repeated her long apology. Usher, who had returned to the cafe with Medea, watched the two of them and looked at the sleeves of Lyudmila’s clothes, which had been pressed flat together by Medea’s embrace. Only one of her sleeves was hanging weakly like that. The first time she saw it, she didn’t realize it. Before she could see her properly, her Medea jumped out and he ran after her. But after hearing Mediah’s story, now. The empty seat could not go unnoticed.
“I’m an idiot. After being betrayed like that, the word friend was so sweet to me. I trusted you again.”
Medea blamed herself like that. She was just affectionate, kind, and a good friend. The mere fact that she believed it made her suffer. She was a later child than Ludmilla, but she felt more comfortable with him as time went on. It was true that she was friendly with Lyudmilla, but the line she drew herself was too high a wall for Mediah. Her distinct lines in her eyes soon became a sense of distance.
The child she had newly befriended by Medea was named Cecil. She didn’t draw the line she deserved, and like the other children before her, she showed no annoyance or dislike of Medea. Because she was really with her as if it was enough for her to be by her side. By the time we were together like that for three months. Medea lost her vigilance towards her. She thought she had finally found her friend. But she thought that, and Lyudmila threw cold water on her.
“She’d better not be friends with him anymore.”
“What do you mean by that?”
Medea couldn’t understand her words.
“Look at you now and think! Does he really look like he considers you a friend?”
Lyudmila was more of a quiet character than lively, so her shouting was really rare. She could have known at the slightest thought that it was because she cared about her. At that time, Medea was already drunk with the sweet poison that had her name as her friend.
“Don’t speak badly of Cecil!”
They quarreled for the first time that day. To Medea, Cecil was the first friend she came to. Even without the suggestion of Aeolus, who was like a conversation partner. But she said that Lyudmila was a child who came by his proposal and that she had no intention of becoming friends with Medea. It was a crack that split them apart without realizing it. Maybe that’s why she was more attracted to Cecil, who wore her semblance of being her friend. And then they moved away.
Even though they were in the same space, they never talked to each other. Still, they thought of talking about it, but Cecile interrupted every time they did so, so the girls were not given a chance to talk to each other. But Lyudmila’s worried expression kept bothering her, so Medea set out to find her first. Coincidentally, she was free because Cecile had something else to do. And she finally found a room where Lyudmila’s voice could be heard.
“…!”
Thinking that she was getting angry at her nervous voice somewhere, she wanted to apologize for the things she treated her so awkwardly, but when she approached the door. She heard a voice she hadn’t expected at all.
“Now I’m tired of it. I’m tired of it. Do you want to stick around like a leech even after going through that? Be gentle and yield to me!”
It was definitely Cecile’s voice. She thought that Medea had become her friend for the first time. However, it is so different from her usual voice, which was always friendly, that it gave me goosebumps.
“Don’t be ridiculous. Let a kid like you take advantage of Mediah? I can’t do that.”
And the angry Lyudmila’s voice sounded like a tired beast screaming.
“Ha! Are you talking like a stranger? Didn’t you use it to your heart’s content? Just don’t pretend to be clean.”
“…No.”
At Cecil’s words, Medea muttered involuntarily. Fortunately, she had the door between them, so it didn’t seem like she could hear it all the way inside. Is it use? Ludmila had been hired as her conversation partner. But at no time did she ask for anything from Medea. She just had a drink or played with her. Even trivial money was paid separately, or if you paid first, you would pay it back later. Use it for something like that
But what about Cecil? I had a sudden thought. The things that were hidden in the name of a friend that I had been trying to turn away from until now. For the first month, there was not much demand. However, the more time they spent together, the more Cecil wanted to spend more time with her. Even if Medea didn’t want it, she was a friend, so we had to be together, and since she was her friend, we had to buy something together. Even if it’s something that Mediah doesn’t like or is useless.
Suddenly, her hand holding the doorknob was shaking.
“Yes, I’ll say I used it. But at least I’ve never made an unreasonable request like you!”
“What’s wrong with that?! I’m his friend and I just said what I wanted or wanted to do! He did the rest!”
“You’re drying mea to death!”
“Don’t talk nonsense! I’m his friend!”
Following the voices of the girls arguing, kudang bang! Mediah couldn’t stand it any longer at the roaring sound in the room and opened the door. And inside it.
“Me, Medea? How are you here?”
As if she hadn’t expected her to come here at all, she saw Cecile and several children bewildered. They were all children Cecile had introduced as her friends. And what is at the center of it.
“Mea.”
It was Lyudmila who looked at Medea and bowed her head as if she could not bear to look straight ahead. Her appearance was a mess. Her hair was scattered, as if it had been plucked, and part of her clothes were torn. There were clear handprints on Lyudmila’s cheeks, and even bright red blood was flowing from her knees. She realized what the wounds were caused by Lyudmila, who had been increasing little by little since one day, but had not been able to pay attention to her because she was sold on Cecil.
“Media! This! So Lyudmila did it on purpose!”
“Shut up.”
Medea glared at Cecil. She realized too late that Cecil’s friend was just a façade to use herself. Even though she’s been through so much. Medea kicked Cecil out and she was furious when she heard what had happened to Lyudmilla and her other children. She told Aeolus about Cecil’s actions, and Cecil was kicked out of the castle. She was told, though, that she was a vassal’s daughter, so she was to live in her vassal’s villa in the city.
However, the relationship between Medea and Ludmilla could not be easily restored. Medea did not want to come out of her room because her feelings for Lyudmila were so great.
“…Would you like to go out with me?”
In such a situation, Lyudmila came to the room first. Medea was really scared and she couldn’t move, but she couldn’t refuse Lyudmila who said she wanted to go play. The two of them walked down the street together after a long time. There was no word, but it was an uncomfortable and comfortable time. Then they stopped at the corner of the street where the wagons were going. There, Lyudmila tried to say something of her own. Medea was the same. She wanted to say that she was sorry that she hadn’t noticed all this time.
However, their words did not come true. At that time, Lyudmila was pushed by someone towards the road where the carriage was running.
“If it wasn’t for you! If only it wasn’t for you!”
Medea saw. Her bloodshot red eyes, her spirited Cecil, and her arm, which splattered red blood from the end, wandered in the air. She didn’t remember anything after that. All she remembers was someone’s scream. And they haven’t seen each other for a long time.
“It’s because of me. I hurt Ryuda.
Usher couldn’t understand her words. He shouted at Medea, who was constantly spewing out her words.
“Get up, you idiot! Why is that your fault!?”
“But me!”
“It’s not you or Ludmilla who did the wrong thing! She’s the guy named Cecil who did that.”
No matter how you think about it, there was nothing wrong with the two of them. If there is any, it is only that they were both cowards.
“And we finally met? Why did you run away?”
“There’s no way I’ll be able to see Ryuda. It’s because of me.”
Watching Mediah filled with regret and despair, Usher closed his eyes for a moment and thought. What would she have thought had she been in their shoes? Do.
“So what do you want to do now? Do you want to break up like this?”
“That…”
“Isn’t it? You want to meet again, don’t you want to apologize?”
Medea shut her mouth as if he had been stabbed to the point by his words.
“And if I really hated you, I couldn’t have stayed waiting where you frequented. If I were him…”
Lyudmila was embarrassed by her Medea hugging her, but she couldn’t push it away.
“I’m sorry. I really, really… Missed you.”
Then, at her words following the apology, Lyudmila opened her eyes wide and looked at her Medea. As if she finally came to her senses, she hugged Medea, who hugged her. Usher was relieved as he watched the two of them, who seemed to have finally found their place.
“Belka, did anything happen?”
“Huh.”
I thought that nothing would happen, but my uneasiness disappeared at the girl’s answer. The last thing Usher said before bringing Medea back was simple.
“I would have liked to hear more of you saying I missed you than saying I’m sorry.”
Mediah denied it, but they were friends no matter what. Usher and Belka silently waited for the two to meet again after a long time had passed.
“This is Luda, so let’s call it Ludmilla.”
“Ugh, there. Hi.”
Lyudmila, awkwardly fiddling with the sleeve of her empty dress, glanced at them and lowered her head. When I first met her, I felt that she was ferocious, but she is shy.
“And it’s Ryu. This is Belka and Usher, the friends we met this time.”
Usher listens to Medea introducing himself and the girl. She noticed something odd.
“Me too?”
“That, can’t it?”
“It’s not like that!”
As Medea lost her confidence and looked up at Usher, he hurriedly shook her head. She felt guilty, but because she was staring at him with her eyes sharply raised, as if Lyudmila had never felt ashamed. It was incredibly small, but its eyes seemed to bury at least one person.
“But did you drink while we were away? Your glass is empty.”
Usher asked, looking at the two empty glasses, though one more was added to avoid his gaze. Then she said as if she remembered Lyudmila.
“Meah! I told you not to drink Yell!”
“Please take a look. This time, I came here for a drink after a really long time.”
“Anyway, did they know that this was alcohol?”
“Is this alcohol?”
He was surprised by Lyudmila’s words as he drank from his cup, as was his custom. The alcohol Usher knew was bitter and tasteless, so he only put his mouth on it once during the coming-of-age ceremony and dropped the crane. But it tasted sweet like a simple juice. If it was something like this, he could drink it without hesitation.
“Yel says that’s more of a problem. Because it’s not too burdensome. She drank a lot and how she suffered!”
Lyudmila shuddered at her as if she was getting sick of it. I don’t know why, but they were able to talk more naturally than I thought. Usher thought she had one more nuisance, but she wasn’t in a bad mood.
