[IYFILWATIP] Chapter 56

"If it comes to that, we'll just have to kill the snake." 

"I get that you're in shock, but you need to prepare yourself for the reality." 

Jade never imagined he'd have to say something akin to what a healer might tell a terminal patient. Kirona ignored him and fiddled with her sword's hilt, shaking her head. 

"I'm not joking." 

"Are you seriously suggesting we take down a basilisk with just the two of us?" 

"We have to at least try." 

Jade was too stunned to respond. Her reaction was more troubling than if she had started crying. 

"That's ridiculous..." 

"You keep treating me like a child, but I came to the East prepared. Have you ever read a monster encyclopedia?" 

"That's a rare book. There aren't many in the East. The wizards have plenty, but they'd sooner burn their books than lend them out, and the only books common folk can access... the ones in Count Rohaton's library are probably all there is." 

In fact, Jade couldn't even remember the last time he had read a properly bound book. Most of what he knew had been passed down orally. 

Kirona sat under the tree, staring at the two people hanging there like insect eggs, and said, "Basilisks are very intelligent monsters. They're also very proud. You said it yourself. Hanging those two there was meant to scare us. If it were a person, why do you think they did that?" 

"......" 

"Why go out of their way to scare us? Why hang them here, of all places? It’s probably telling us not to go any further. Because if we keep going, it'll be a problem." 

"......" 

"That means there's an exit. The north can't be completely blocked. The basilisk hasn't fully regained its strength yet since it only recently woke up." 

"That's a very optimistic interpretation." 

"If I were the snake, I'd do the same. Maybe I'm being overly optimistic, but it's not entirely wrong, is it?" 

Jade didn't disagree with her. She was right; they hadn't checked the north yet, so there was no need to give up hope entirely. He had only brought it up because he thought Kirona might lose it if she was hit with the truth all at once. 

And the idea of an exit existing was far more realistic than killing the basilisk. The problem was that Kirona had been too serious when she suggested killing the snake. It didn't seem like a joke at all. 

"Are all royals this... brave?" 

He almost asked if she wasn't afraid of anything in this world but managed to hold back. 

"Have you studied theology?" 

"I learned a little as a child." 

"The horse running through the storm does not fear the wind, and the fish caught in the raging torrent does not fear the waves." 

Kirona recited a verse from the scriptures as if it were some kind of spell. Jade didn't know the exact meaning of the verse, but it wasn't hard to interpret. 

"In other words, you're saying you've already hit rock bottom, so there's nothing left to lose. Is that supposed to be comforting? Or are you mocking me?" 

Kirona burst into laughter, so hard that Jade had to gesture for her to quiet down. He replayed his words in his mind. Was what I said that funny? Kirona laughed for a while, then patted him on the head like a dog. 

"Right? Don't you think so too? But this is still my favorite saying. Somehow, it’s comforting when I repeat it." 

"......" 

"If I told you who said it to me, you'd laugh even harder, but I won't tell you. You wouldn't believe it anyway." 

"I'm not interested." 

"Don't you have a saying like that? You don't have faith, so you don't pray?" 

Jade wanted to light a fire to keep the princess warm, push her to go to sleep, and make her stop talking. But Kirona didn't seem sleepy yet, and she looked like she would keep pressing him until he answered. 

It seemed like she was excited to have someone to talk to after being alone for so long. Unfortunately for Jade, who preferred being alone, he had no choice but to respond. 

"When my guest knocks on a locked door, do not open it; run away instead." 

"Is that from the scriptures? What does it mean?" 

"No. It’s from the founding myth. It's the motto of our house. There are a few more lines, but to sum it up, it’s simple: don't get obsessed with anything. Don't get into business, don't gamble, and above all, don't fall in love." 

"Very Eclipse-like." 

"My ancestors were wise. They must have foreseen this future. Now all that’s left is the title; we're broke. So here I am, selling my life in a mercenary guild." 

Kirona looked apologetic for bringing up a sore subject. Jade just shrugged. There was a time when he would have been too proud to accept such cl 

umsy sympathy. But now, he knew that letting himself get worked up over it would only exhaust him further. 

All he needed to do was etch the lesson into his bones and move on with his life.