Chapter 24: Possession (4)
Gerbaut eyed the floating window before her. His gaze stayed there, gauging, like he was trying to read something but failed to do so. "Does it allow you?"
"It does..." She rubbed her forehead with her fingertips, pressing lightly as if that could help her organize her thoughts. "... apparently."
The words felt uncertain even as she said it. She glanced at the window again, and a small chill ran down her spine. [Soul Implantation] sounded dangerous. It was the sort of ability people would either worship or hunt her for.
The realization sank deeper into her. Her fingers slowly creased the paper wrapper in her hand until it stopped feeling smooth and started feeling tight.
After a moment, she looked at Gerbaut. "If I tell you something..." she paused, her lips stretching into a thin line as she tried to sort out how to say the next words she had in mind.
Gerbaut didn’t rush her. He just tilted his head slightly.
"Hm?" The small sound carried no pressure.
She took a deep breath, the grip on the wrapper loosened for a moment, then tightened again like her thoughts couldn’t settle on one decision.
After a few seconds, Misha finally lifted her gaze to him. She was not fully confident, and she was not fully certain either. "... I want you to promise not to tell anyone."
Gerbaut met her eyes without changing his expression. "If it’s a secret, make sure I’m trustworthy first."
She let out a small laugh. It came out softer than she expected, almost helpless. "That’s the problem."
"What?" His brow lifted slightly, just a hint of confusion breaking through his usual calmness.
"You risked your life for me..." She lowered her gaze as she said it.
Gerbaut didn’t respond right away. He stared at her for a moment longer, then he opened his mouth and said flatly, "That doesn’t make me trustworthy."
Misha blinked once, then her brows furrowed slightly. This man... People didn’t risk their lives like that just for a stranger. She wouldn’t.
"It does, you know."
"No." He answered almost immediately.
She lifted his gaze, this time she didn’t look away. "It does."
Gerbaut stared back harder but eventually, he let out a quiet sigh. "You can’t just trust anyone even if they risk their life for you. That line of thinking gets people killed," he said, his voice stayed calm. "You make poor decisions."
"Probably." The answer came out too quickly.
He immediately looked concerned.
"..."
"..."
Okay... maybe she shouldn’t have admitted that so fast.
Misha broke eye contact first.. "Anyway..." She muttered as she rubbed the back of her neck. "You also remind me of my older brother..."
Gerbaut blinked a few times, genuine bewilderment appearing on his face. The sight felt so rare that Misha almost forgot what they were talking about. Almost.
"In what way?"
"You’re both scary looking."
"I..." He opened his mouth, then closed it again.
"You both speak few words too. Although when Mateo does, it’s mostly because he’s scolding me or my younger brother, Caleb..."
She smiled bitterly at the memory of her brothers. Then, her smile gradually faded. She took a deep breath before she continued, "I’m sorry, Gerbaut... I lied about graduating from an academy..." She finally told the truth.
"I lied about needing a recommendation..." Her fingers curled tighter, nails pressing into her palm. She kept her eyes down, refusing to look at him. If she saw a hint of disappointment, she didn’t think she could continue.
For a moment, Gerbaut didn’t say anything. That alone made Misha’s stomach twist.
He rarely reacted strongly to anything. Goblins, life-threatening situations... he always met them with the same calm expression. Yet now, he sat completely still.
When she finally dared to glance up, she caught the slight furrow between his brows. It wasn’t anger but that somehow made her even more nervous.
She swallowed hard. "I got summoned to the Tower a few days ago..."
For once, Gerbaut genuinely looked surprised. "You... you got summoned?"
"Yes..." she said with a small nod. "My brothers belonged to the First Generation... I came here looking for them."
Since Gerbaut listened without interrupting this time, the rest came out easier than she expected.
She told him about her world and why she was summoned late inside the tower. It was the reason why she understood little compared to everyone else. By the time she finished speaking, Misha felt strangely exposed. Now that everything was out in the open, anxiety gradually crept into her chest.
Misha stared at the ground between her feet. What if he thought she was crazy? What if he regretted helping her? He never said a word, not once so now, it felt rather suffocating.
What if–
"Your brothers."
The moment the words left his mouth, Misha snapped her head up.
For a while, Gerbaut had listened to everything she said. He listened to tge excuses on why she lied. Yet out of everything she told him, those were the words he chose to focus on.
Your brothers.
He crossed his arms. "You came here for them, right?"
Misha’s throat tightened. "... Yeah."
The answer barely came out above a whisper.
Images flashed through her mind one after another. Mateo scolding her whenever she forgot to take care of herself, and Caleb laughing at something stupid during dinner. They were memories she never thought much about before, memories she suddenly missed so much it hurt.
Gerbaut’s gaze never left her. "Then find them."
The answer sounded so simple, so straightforward, yet it struck her harder than anything else he had said.
"You entered a place where people die every day. You knew almost nothing about the tower but you managed to climb up to this floor."
Something tightened in her chest, her lips trembled. She wanted to say she had help, that she got lucky, and that she wasn’t capable as everyone thought but those words never came out.
"So keep climbing." Gerbaut continued. His voice wasn’t loud, and he didn’t try to inspire her with grand speeches. He simply stated it like a fact.
"Whether they’re alive or dead, you’ll find your answer eventually."
The forest wind rustled through the leaves.
Misha stared at him, a lump formed in her throat. For days, she carried the fear alone... the fear that she might never know, that she might reach the top and discover she had been searching for ghosts.
"But..." Her voice came out small. "What if I can’t catch up?"
The First Generation stood far above her and the distance felt unreal. She was only on the 4th floor and most of the time, she survived because Skyreach carried her through situations she couldn’t handle alone.
Gerbaut looked toward the forest ahead. "They started from the 1st floor too. They weren’t born at the top."
He rose to his feet. The towering man grabbed his spear and rested it against his shoulder. "You don’t need to catch up today."
A gentle breeze stirred the leaves overhead once again. Only this time the sunlight slipped through and scattered across the forest floor, painting shifting patterns of gold and shadow around him.
"You don’t need to reach them tomorrow either." His gaze shifted to her. "You only need to keep moving no matter what."
Misha lowered her head, her vision blurred and before she realized it, tears were already rolling down her cheeks. She hurriedly wiped them with her hands but it didn’t help.
A small laugh escaped her, shaky and embarrassed. Her shoulders trembled and no matter how many times she wiped her eyes, more tears followed. Warm droplets rolled down one after another, refusing to stop.
She laughed again, though it sounded closer to a sob this time. Maybe she had held everything in for too long to the point that, every day, she pushed those feelings deeper and deeper, telling herself she needed to stay calm and keep moving. So she smiled, joked around and acted like everything was fine.
Yet... the weight never disappeared. It simply piled up inside her, and now, the dam finally broke. Everything she had been holding back rushed to the surface at once but at the same time... the pressure in her chest eased with every breath.
Then–
A large hand landed on top of her head, and Misha stiffened.
Gerbaut patted her head thrice, almost mechanical. The gesture felt awkward like someone trying to comfort a crying person after reading instructions from a manual... which somehow made it more sincere.
Miisha looked up through her tear-blurred eyes and as she did, Gerbaut immediately looked away.
He cleared his throat. "You’ve only been here a few days... You’re doing better than most."
For a moment, Misha forgot how to speak, even her tears stopped. After all, this was unexpected from him.
... Did Gerbaut just pat her head?
Somehow, that felt even more shocking than fighting a goblin chieftain.
He withdrew his hand and turned his back to her. "Enough resting." He adjusted the spear on his shoulder and started walking away. "We still have a floor to clear."
A small smile finally appeared on her face. She never thought she would be able to witness such a gentle side of him.
"Yes..." She wiped away the remaining tears then she hurriedly went after him. "Wait for me!"
