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Falling in Love with the Captive Noce - Episode 10
тна last episode | Episode 10
Akira: Bradley?
Bradley: 'Sup, Kenja.
Outside, the sky had turned orange, and the blizzard had stopped its onslaught.
Bradley was leaning against the railing with a glass in hand. He had been taking in the view of the snowy landscape as it was dyed in sunset colours.
Akira: Are you done eating already?
Bradley: It's nothin' I haven't been feasting on for the past few days.
Besides, I gotta save some room for fried chicken.
Bradley then patted the empty space next to him on the railing, as if inviting me to join him.
I obediently moved next to him with Saccie at heel. The spectacular view from here was breathtaking.
Akira: … Wow…
There was a limitless expanse of silvery snow before me.
It was a majestic sight: all the snow-covered peaks of an austere mountain range that went on forever.
The noble white snow was now dyed the colours of sunset.
The world from here looked so solemn, so divine, that I forgot to breathe. It had captured my heart and held it captive.
Akira: What a wonderful sight…
I was so lost in the beauty of it all that I accidentally lost my grip on the saucer in my hand. In a hurry, I tried to stop its contents from spilling.
Akira: That was close! Right, I was supposed to hand you this.
I placed the saucer onto the railing, right before Bradley.
Akira: Please help yourself to a Benedetta fruit. The very last one's yours to have, Bradley.
Bradley: … Right…
The Benedetta fruit sparkled in the rays of the setting sun.
I saw Bradley looking at the dazzling six-pronged snowflake on the fruit.
… But his usual sharp gaze seemed faraway, like he was lost in a sea of his own memories. He seemed different.
I wondered why that was.
Akira: … Bradley, is there something on your mind?
Bradley: Huh…?
Hahah, nah, it's nothin'. What sort of guy would the Great Bradley be if he made you worry?
You know, you’re more confident with speaking up these days.
Laughing, Bradley prodded me in the head. He had already returned to being the Bradley I knew.
Akira: I'm sorry. It’s just that I rarely see you in this sort of mood, so…
Bradley: It's not something I'm all that worried about.
Well, I gotta say though, I never intended for her to fall in love with me, or for her to end up like that..
So it's more like, this liquor's tastin' a little bitter on the way down.
Bradley's gaze returned to the snowy view before us. Then, he downed his entire drink in one gulp.
Out of the blue, he said:
Bradley: Kenja, do you remember Olivia?
Akira: Olivia san? Of course I remember her.
She was the witch we went to get sugar from, right here in Northern Country.
Olivia was one of the witches of the North that I had met since arriving to this world.
She was a witch that fell in love once a year. Her heart flourishes in that love, and she makes a special sugar out of it.
Bradley: That witch yearns for that particular heart-pounding experience, and so she falls in love anew every year. Do you know what that means?
It means that the target of Olivia's affections changes whenever a new year arrives. She's always falling in love with someone new; she doesn't continue to pursue the love she has or once had.
In dire times, both parties can decide to cut the relationship short, and that's that. Their relationship is built upon that sort of silent, mutual understanding.
It's like two strands of thread that cross each other at that singular moment in time. They won't remain entangled; they won't result in a knot. Not ever.
...It doesn't matter if Olivia is or isn't in a relationship. She is her own witch, first and foremost. She must live for herself. That is something Olivia has never forgotten.
Akira: All alone…
Bradley: If you want to fall in love as a magic user of the North, that is an iron-clad rule.
If you don't abide by it, you will die.
Akira: It sounds so…
Love.
To love was to fall for someone.
That was a word I had heard countless times. Yet—
The way Bradley described it made it sound foreign. This 'love' required a different mindset that could bear its burden, and I couldn't help but feel like it was completely different from what I'd known in my life.
To that, I couldn't say a single word.
Bradley: … Well, in the first place, it ain’t likely for one of us to fall so hard for another person. We’re not like humans.
Bradley shrugged and glanced up at the sky.
His breath fell in white puffs that melted into the scenery.
His side profile was dyed in all hues of the sunset, and the high bridge of his nose cast a shadow upon his skin.
Bradley: I thought both Olivia and Mia knew that iron-clad rule.
… If I'd known that Mia was the sort to allow herself to be drowned in the throes of love, I'd have stopped her cold before she got serious about me.
But I was too late.
Bradley's voice was hollow. It was tinged with a heavy sense of loss, like when you've lost a long-time rival.
Then, something in his voice sounded just the tiniest bit irritated.
Bradley: To entrust her own heart to another person… That's not what I wanted to witness from a witch of the North.
Even if it didn’t involve me at all, it’d still hurt to watch.
Akira: ………
Something about Bradley's words sounded like an admonition.
Bradley: Haha, maybe I ought to take back what I said about you speaking up more.
He must have noticed that I was at a loss for words. He looked at me and laughed.
The words he offered me were very lonely ones.
That only northern wizards could understand northern wizards.
It felt like he was drawing a line between me and them.
Akira: … It's true that I live in a vastly different world from all of you northern wizards.
I admit it's not easy to understand what any of you might be going through.
Bradley: Yeah, well, that can't be helped.
Akira: But even so…!
Bradley, I'd like to listen to everything and anything you might have to say.
Even if it's things I won't be able to understand. Even if it's…
Bradley: ………
Akira: I guess, even if one day you, Bradley, choose to have a significant other…
If that ever happens, you might have to deal with people telling you it’s a bad idea, that you’ve made the wrong choice.
… You might even say it to yourself.
The corners of Bradley's lips quirked upwards in a smile. 'I really might,' he seemed to say.
It might have been a trick of the light, but I truly believe that I saw a shred of bitterness in his smile.
Akira: And… it's during those times that I want you to remember, that you can always come to me. I’ll listen to what you have to say with an open mind.
It doesn’t matter if you’re being hard on yourself or if you’ve found emotions that you want to treasure.
Whatever you feel, no matter what you end up saying—
Please remember… that I will never judge you for your feelings.
Bradley's eyes widened for a split second.
And then it was gone, replaced by amused laughter that rumbled from his throat.
He reached for the Benedetta fruit.
Teasingly, he leaned in towards me, and the edges of his lips danced as they widened into a smile.
[ Bradley CG ]
Bradley: We wizards of the North, we're surprisingly pure of heart, you know.
If you're too kind to us, we might just fall in love with you.
Bradley's red eyes shone with a challenge. His eyes twinkled, but the light was unmistakably sharp like a predator silently pursuing its prey.
The smallest slip-up could kill you instantly. He had that sort of danger in his gaze, yet I thought it was alluringly beautiful.
Bradley: « adnopotensum »
Akira: Oh…
Bradley cracked open the fruit's shell with magic, then he popped its contents into his mouth.
Saccie, who had been perched on the railings, turned its gaze out past the balcony.
Bradley: Mia, I know you're watching.
A little whirlwind gusted just before Bradley and Saccie.
The swirling winds took form as Mia.
Before us was a lady as silent and dark as the deepest night, with her heels resounding loudly as she walked towards us.
Her body-hugging black dress appeared darker and blacker than before.
Akira: (… What, why… Are those blood splatters? Whose…)
Bradley: My bad. Just had the last fruit for myself.
Mia: No matter. That is no longer an item I desire.
Mia shook her head, and her gaze landed on me.
Mia: You, human over there… Are you the Sage?
Akira: Y-Yes, I am.
Mia: What do you think of the Benedetta fruit?
Akira: I'm sorry?
Oh, uhh, how should I put it…
Bradley laughed at my hesitance and grabbed me by the chin.
Bradley: Don't be shy, say it aloud.
Akira: … Umm, it tasted just like chocolate. It was delicious! But…
It's a delicate sort of sweetness that's… I don't know how to describe it exactly, but I feel like there's something missing, compared to how chocolate usually tastes.
Bradley: Figures.
But did you know that even this sort of sweetness is hard to come by in Northern Country? It's a downright luxury.
Not much survives in these lands. Barely anything can survive this freezing cold.
Mia: That fateful day…
The Benedetta fruit you handed me was of a uniquely indulgent sweetness, completely unlike anything I've ever tasted before.
But… I have now heard Kenja's answer, and I finally understand why the Benedetta fruit I had tasted the way it did.
It's because I received it from none other than you.
That was why it tasted so sweet, so delicious…
Mia's expression softened with a smile. She now understood.
She placed a hand over her face.
Her palm glowed with light, and when the light faded—
— so too had the scar she bore upon her face.
Bradley: Oh, you've healed it over? You were rockin' the look though.
Mia: I no longer have any need for this scar.
Today, I have found something new to be proud of.
Mia lifted her arm and showed Bradley the back of her hand.
There was a raw gash upon it. It looked like it had been freshly inflicted.
Bradley: ………
[ Bradley looks surprised, then he smiles. ]
Just by giving it a look, Bradley immediately understood everything Mia had just told him.
The scar on her face was a scar she chose to keep until the day she got her revenge upon that wizard. She had said that there was a matter she must take care of.
And in return, she had gotten a new scar on the back of her hand.
Even I could understand the significance of her new scar.
Akira: (Mia san must have fought and won.)
(Against that wizard who had scarred her face…)
Bradley: …… (laughs)
Bradley burst into laughter. He sounded happy and proud.
With eyes that gleamed like a lonely moon high above, he looked at Mia and said:
Bradley: You're nothing short of best.
That's the Northern Witch Mia I've always known.
Behind Bradley and his smile, the sun grew low on the horizon.
A dark blue draped across the snowy landscape while the sky blazed red.
It was primal. It was beautiful. It was breathtaking. I expected no less from the vistas of the Northern Country.
Bradley: And I'm the Northern Wizard Bradley Bain.
The lifestyle you offered me would please most men.
But if I'd accepted that and led such a life, my soul would scream in distress.
Above all…
Any man worthy of you would never be the sort of man that’d be content to stay in your castle and obediently eat and drink whatever you handed to him.
The way Bradley said that aloud, his demeanour seemed to match the gravitas and grandeur of these snowy lands.
Mia smiled at his words.
Her smile was heartrending and tortured, yet it was filled with happiness too.
Mia: … You're right. You don't belong in a cage. You belong under the wide open sky.
Right here… in these beautiful open plains, where only the strongest can survive.
Bradley only smiled in response and cast his gaze past the balcony.
There was a sunset that looked like it was setting the world afire. An endless expanse of snowy plains. A breeze that tousled his hair.
All of it seemed like it was made just for him.
The cage of ice, the prison cage in the chamber, even the Magical Manor—
— I was certain all of those were far too small to contain Bradley.
But I smiled to myself as the rays of the setting sun washed over us.
Because even though Bradley has lived his life in these treacherous yet beautiful lands, I have a precious miracle: whenever he returns to his warm room, I will be able to say to him, ‘Welcome home.’
Akira: Bradley?
Bradley: 'Sup, Kenja.
Outside, the sky had turned orange, and the blizzard had stopped its onslaught.
Bradley was leaning against the railing with a glass in hand. He had been taking in the view of the snowy landscape as it was dyed in sunset colours.
Akira: Are you done eating already?
Bradley: It's nothin' I haven't been feasting on for the past few days.
Besides, I gotta save some room for fried chicken.
Bradley then patted the empty space next to him on the railing, as if inviting me to join him.
I obediently moved next to him with Saccie at heel. The spectacular view from here was breathtaking.
Akira: … Wow…
There was a limitless expanse of silvery snow before me.
It was a majestic sight: all the snow-covered peaks of an austere mountain range that went on forever.
The noble white snow was now dyed the colours of sunset.
The world from here looked so solemn, so divine, that I forgot to breathe. It had captured my heart and held it captive.
Akira: What a wonderful sight…
I was so lost in the beauty of it all that I accidentally lost my grip on the saucer in my hand. In a hurry, I tried to stop its contents from spilling.
Akira: That was close! Right, I was supposed to hand you this.
I placed the saucer onto the railing, right before Bradley.
Akira: Please help yourself to a Benedetta fruit. The very last one's yours to have, Bradley.
Bradley: … Right…
The Benedetta fruit sparkled in the rays of the setting sun.
I saw Bradley looking at the dazzling six-pronged snowflake on the fruit.
… But his usual sharp gaze seemed faraway, like he was lost in a sea of his own memories. He seemed different.
I wondered why that was.
Akira: … Bradley, is there something on your mind?
Bradley: Huh…?
Hahah, nah, it's nothin'. What sort of guy would the Great Bradley be if he made you worry?
You know, you’re more confident with speaking up these days.
Laughing, Bradley prodded me in the head. He had already returned to being the Bradley I knew.
Akira: I'm sorry. It’s just that I rarely see you in this sort of mood, so…
Bradley: It's not something I'm all that worried about.
Well, I gotta say though, I never intended for her to fall in love with me, or for her to end up like that..
So it's more like, this liquor's tastin' a little bitter on the way down.
Bradley's gaze returned to the snowy view before us. Then, he downed his entire drink in one gulp.
Out of the blue, he said:
Bradley: Kenja, do you remember Olivia?
Akira: Olivia san? Of course I remember her.
She was the witch we went to get sugar from, right here in Northern Country.
Olivia was one of the witches of the North that I had met since arriving to this world.
She was a witch that fell in love once a year. Her heart flourishes in that love, and she makes a special sugar out of it.
Bradley: That witch yearns for that particular heart-pounding experience, and so she falls in love anew every year. Do you know what that means?
It means that the target of Olivia's affections changes whenever a new year arrives. She's always falling in love with someone new; she doesn't continue to pursue the love she has or once had.
In dire times, both parties can decide to cut the relationship short, and that's that. Their relationship is built upon that sort of silent, mutual understanding.
It's like two strands of thread that cross each other at that singular moment in time. They won't remain entangled; they won't result in a knot. Not ever.
...It doesn't matter if Olivia is or isn't in a relationship. She is her own witch, first and foremost. She must live for herself. That is something Olivia has never forgotten.
Akira: All alone…
Bradley: If you want to fall in love as a magic user of the North, that is an iron-clad rule.
If you don't abide by it, you will die.
Akira: It sounds so…
Love.
To love was to fall for someone.
That was a word I had heard countless times. Yet—
The way Bradley described it made it sound foreign. This 'love' required a different mindset that could bear its burden, and I couldn't help but feel like it was completely different from what I'd known in my life.
To that, I couldn't say a single word.
Bradley: … Well, in the first place, it ain’t likely for one of us to fall so hard for another person. We’re not like humans.
Bradley shrugged and glanced up at the sky.
His breath fell in white puffs that melted into the scenery.
His side profile was dyed in all hues of the sunset, and the high bridge of his nose cast a shadow upon his skin.
Bradley: I thought both Olivia and Mia knew that iron-clad rule.
… If I'd known that Mia was the sort to allow herself to be drowned in the throes of love, I'd have stopped her cold before she got serious about me.
But I was too late.
Bradley's voice was hollow. It was tinged with a heavy sense of loss, like when you've lost a long-time rival.
Then, something in his voice sounded just the tiniest bit irritated.
Bradley: To entrust her own heart to another person… That's not what I wanted to witness from a witch of the North.
Even if it didn’t involve me at all, it’d still hurt to watch.
Akira: ………
Something about Bradley's words sounded like an admonition.
Bradley: Haha, maybe I ought to take back what I said about you speaking up more.
He must have noticed that I was at a loss for words. He looked at me and laughed.
The words he offered me were very lonely ones.
That only northern wizards could understand northern wizards.
It felt like he was drawing a line between me and them.
Akira: … It's true that I live in a vastly different world from all of you northern wizards.
I admit it's not easy to understand what any of you might be going through.
Bradley: Yeah, well, that can't be helped.
Akira: But even so…!
Bradley, I'd like to listen to everything and anything you might have to say.
Even if it's things I won't be able to understand. Even if it's…
Bradley: ………
Akira: I guess, even if one day you, Bradley, choose to have a significant other…
If that ever happens, you might have to deal with people telling you it’s a bad idea, that you’ve made the wrong choice.
… You might even say it to yourself.
The corners of Bradley's lips quirked upwards in a smile. 'I really might,' he seemed to say.
It might have been a trick of the light, but I truly believe that I saw a shred of bitterness in his smile.
Akira: And… it's during those times that I want you to remember, that you can always come to me. I’ll listen to what you have to say with an open mind.
It doesn’t matter if you’re being hard on yourself or if you’ve found emotions that you want to treasure.
Whatever you feel, no matter what you end up saying—
Please remember… that I will never judge you for your feelings.
Bradley's eyes widened for a split second.
And then it was gone, replaced by amused laughter that rumbled from his throat.
He reached for the Benedetta fruit.
Teasingly, he leaned in towards me, and the edges of his lips danced as they widened into a smile.
[ Bradley CG ]
Bradley: We wizards of the North, we're surprisingly pure of heart, you know.
If you're too kind to us, we might just fall in love with you.
Bradley's red eyes shone with a challenge. His eyes twinkled, but the light was unmistakably sharp like a predator silently pursuing its prey.
The smallest slip-up could kill you instantly. He had that sort of danger in his gaze, yet I thought it was alluringly beautiful.
Bradley: « adnopotensum »
Akira: Oh…
Bradley cracked open the fruit's shell with magic, then he popped its contents into his mouth.
Saccie, who had been perched on the railings, turned its gaze out past the balcony.
Bradley: Mia, I know you're watching.
A little whirlwind gusted just before Bradley and Saccie.
The swirling winds took form as Mia.
Before us was a lady as silent and dark as the deepest night, with her heels resounding loudly as she walked towards us.
Her body-hugging black dress appeared darker and blacker than before.
Akira: (… What, why… Are those blood splatters? Whose…)
Bradley: My bad. Just had the last fruit for myself.
Mia: No matter. That is no longer an item I desire.
Mia shook her head, and her gaze landed on me.
Mia: You, human over there… Are you the Sage?
Akira: Y-Yes, I am.
Mia: What do you think of the Benedetta fruit?
Akira: I'm sorry?
Oh, uhh, how should I put it…
Bradley laughed at my hesitance and grabbed me by the chin.
Bradley: Don't be shy, say it aloud.
Akira: … Umm, it tasted just like chocolate. It was delicious! But…
It's a delicate sort of sweetness that's… I don't know how to describe it exactly, but I feel like there's something missing, compared to how chocolate usually tastes.
Bradley: Figures.
But did you know that even this sort of sweetness is hard to come by in Northern Country? It's a downright luxury.
Not much survives in these lands. Barely anything can survive this freezing cold.
Mia: That fateful day…
The Benedetta fruit you handed me was of a uniquely indulgent sweetness, completely unlike anything I've ever tasted before.
But… I have now heard Kenja's answer, and I finally understand why the Benedetta fruit I had tasted the way it did.
It's because I received it from none other than you.
That was why it tasted so sweet, so delicious…
Mia's expression softened with a smile. She now understood.
She placed a hand over her face.
Her palm glowed with light, and when the light faded—
— so too had the scar she bore upon her face.
Bradley: Oh, you've healed it over? You were rockin' the look though.
Mia: I no longer have any need for this scar.
Today, I have found something new to be proud of.
Mia lifted her arm and showed Bradley the back of her hand.
There was a raw gash upon it. It looked like it had been freshly inflicted.
Bradley: ………
[ Bradley looks surprised, then he smiles. ]
Just by giving it a look, Bradley immediately understood everything Mia had just told him.
The scar on her face was a scar she chose to keep until the day she got her revenge upon that wizard. She had said that there was a matter she must take care of.
And in return, she had gotten a new scar on the back of her hand.
Even I could understand the significance of her new scar.
Akira: (Mia san must have fought and won.)
(Against that wizard who had scarred her face…)
Bradley: …… (laughs)
Bradley burst into laughter. He sounded happy and proud.
With eyes that gleamed like a lonely moon high above, he looked at Mia and said:
Bradley: You're nothing short of best.
That's the Northern Witch Mia I've always known.
Behind Bradley and his smile, the sun grew low on the horizon.
A dark blue draped across the snowy landscape while the sky blazed red.
It was primal. It was beautiful. It was breathtaking. I expected no less from the vistas of the Northern Country.
Bradley: And I'm the Northern Wizard Bradley Bain.
The lifestyle you offered me would please most men.
But if I'd accepted that and led such a life, my soul would scream in distress.
Above all…
Any man worthy of you would never be the sort of man that’d be content to stay in your castle and obediently eat and drink whatever you handed to him.
The way Bradley said that aloud, his demeanour seemed to match the gravitas and grandeur of these snowy lands.
Mia smiled at his words.
Her smile was heartrending and tortured, yet it was filled with happiness too.
Mia: … You're right. You don't belong in a cage. You belong under the wide open sky.
Right here… in these beautiful open plains, where only the strongest can survive.
Bradley only smiled in response and cast his gaze past the balcony.
There was a sunset that looked like it was setting the world afire. An endless expanse of snowy plains. A breeze that tousled his hair.
All of it seemed like it was made just for him.
The cage of ice, the prison cage in the chamber, even the Magical Manor—
— I was certain all of those were far too small to contain Bradley.
But I smiled to myself as the rays of the setting sun washed over us.
Because even though Bradley has lived his life in these treacherous yet beautiful lands, I have a precious miracle: whenever he returns to his warm room, I will be able to say to him, ‘Welcome home.’