The Night I Disappeared

Eren placed his final letter on the desk, then retrieved the luggage he had hidden under the bed in his old bedroom. He calmly wiped the nosebleed that flowed as if on cue and slowly rose.

‘Am I really leaving…?’

He felt both relieved and strangely restless. He also felt sorry for slipping away while Kazen was busy.

‘Are you sure it’s alright for me to stay here? Her Ladyship seemed to dislike it very much….’

Eren recalled the day he first came to this Ducal residence, feeling a sense of newness. Back then, he had been afraid of being forced to leave.

Not keeping his promise to Kazen lingered as a regret. But there was little time left before his meeting with Arnold, so he couldn’t afford to hesitate.

“Goodbye, Your Grace.”

Leaving his final farewell in the quiet room, Eren began to walk. Even as he hurried out of the mansion and headed to the prearranged meeting place with Arnold, Eren’s heart pounded continuously.

The dark alleyways had become muddy from the unfortunate rain. Walking through the downpour with only his body to shield him, Eren was on edge, fearing Kazen might come after him.

On the other hand, he also worried that Arnold might not be at their meeting place. He feared his offer had all been a delusion, and that he had recklessly left the mansion alone. But fortunately, as he turned the corner, Arnold was waiting under an umbrella.

“You’ve arrived, Mr. Lloyd. Give me your luggage.”

Arnold took Eren’s luggage and handed it to the coachman, then quickly ushered him into the carriage. As he folded his umbrella and climbed aboard, the carriage began to roll slowly.

Eren clutched his still-anxiously-racing heart and let out a long sigh. He still couldn’t believe he had actually left the Ducal residence, feeling dazed.

“Did you take care of everything?”

Arnold pulled out a dry towel and handed it to him, asking. Eren took off his wet coat, set it aside, and accepted the towel.

“Yes. I was a little afraid you might not be here when I got out.”

At Eren’s words, Arnold let out a light laugh.

“I promised I would wait. I’m a person who keeps his word.”

“That’s why I’m relieved. Because you helped me, Mr. Harrison. Otherwise, I never would have thought of leaving the Ducal residence.”

At Eren’s honesty, Arnold smiled and nodded.

“Do you have about five months left now?”

“Hmm, probably. I don’t know for sure, but I used a lot of mana recently, so it might be a little less than that.”

Eren’s face was calm as he spoke of his remaining time. Finding that even more pitiful, Arnold’s brow drooped.

“Then should we consider it about three months left?”

Arnold asked in a very careful tone, as if deeply understanding the weight of his own question. In contrast, Eren was quietly lost in thought.

“Hmm… yes, about that, I suppose.”

“Then I’ll send someone once a month to collect the manuscript. The length isn’t important, so just write comfortably and send it. And I brought some things you might need for writing. Paper and pens, that sort of thing.”

Saying this, Arnold picked up a small bag placed on the seat and handed it to Eren.

“Thank you so much for being this thoughtful.”

Eren bowed his head in gratitude and accepted the bag. It was small but surprisingly heavy, and he was inwardly flustered.

“Don’t mention it. I said I would help you. I also put an advance payment inside. I’m sorry I couldn’t give you more; with the general election coming up, managing funds is not easy right now.”

Having never expected to receive payment, Eren’s eyes widened. He had already received so much from him; taking money too felt too shameful.

“You don’t need to pay me. I won’t be able to use it anyway.”

When Eren opened the bag and tried to take out the money, Arnold, startled, covered the back of his hand.

“Don’t do that. You should receive fair compensation for your work. That’s what I’m fighting for, after all.”

Come to think of it, Arnold had said he was fighting for labor laws. Unable to break his conviction, Eren reluctantly nodded.

Putting the bag down on the seat, Eren belatedly studied Arnold’s face. He had a handsome, neat appearance to match his personality. His dark eyes, filled with strong conviction, stood out most of all.

Though Arnold’s gaze was melancholy, his overall expression was calm. Seeing his relaxed face helped calm Eren’s trembling heart a little. Gaining the leisure to think, Eren cautiously voiced a belated concern.

“But I’m not sure my writing will be of any help. It’s not like I write anything worthy of payment.”

Eren had never received a formal education. He hadn’t read many books, and after learning to read from Kazen, he had only received a basic education in politics, history, philosophy, and mathematics.

“In your novel, you wrote that you’ve done various jobs. Is that true?”

“Ah, yes. I entered the workhouse at nine and did forced labor. I started working in earnest when I was thirteen. I worked at a cotton mill for a year and a half, then at a tannery for a year and a half. After that, I worked at a brewery for about six months before enlisting.”

He had served in the military for three years, so his working period wasn’t actually that long.

“You entered a factory at thirteen?”

“Yes. I worked twelve hours a day just to earn a day’s worth of food. I had to work all day just to not starve that day.”

Even as he spoke of his tragic experiences, Eren’s voice remained calm. Listening, Arnold let out a bitter sigh.

“It would be helpful just to write down those experiences. You don’t need to write flashy, embellished sentences. Rather, writing plainly, describing things as they are, is what moves people.”

“It seems like a precious opportunity to leave my story behind like this. Thank you for making this offer to someone as insignificant as me.”

Eren felt both nervous and slightly excited. Having someone listen to his unremarkable story felt new and something to look forward to.

“Don’t say that. No one in this world is insignificant.”

Arnold wasn’t as gentle and kind as Harold, but he was reliable and friendly. Thinking back, Eren was grateful for having helped Kazen become friends with Arnold.

“By the way, how did you become interested in labor laws and workers?”

“Ah, I used to follow my father around factories a lot when I was young. My heart ached seeing children my age running around covered in dust and ash.”

His story felt new to Eren. Because Eren had never once empathized with the pain of another.

“Mr. Harrison, how can you live for the sake of others like that?”

“Hmm, I’m not acting for the sake of others.”

“Then why do you help other people so much? They have nothing to do with you, Mr. Harrison.”

At Eren’s innocent question, Arnold looked out the window where rain was falling noisily, lost in thought for a moment.

“Hmm, well… I help others because I love myself, and because I hope this world I live in can be a little more beautiful. So ultimately, it’s for my own sake.”

It was an opinion he had never heard before, and it was difficult to digest all at once. Eren pondered Arnold’s answer with a serious face, trying to understand it. But before Eren could fully process it, the carriage slowly came to a stop. They had arrived at the station in no time.

“We’re here now. I’m sorry I can’t accompany you on your long journey. This is a map marking where the magician lives. I’m afraid it would be hard to find by address alone, so I’ve prepared this map.”

Arnold took out a neatly folded map and handed it to Eren. Eren accepted it reverently and put it in his pocket.

“Thank you. I’ll contact you again soon.”

“I wish you all the best.”

This would probably be his final farewell to Arnold. Forcing down the regret that clung stubbornly to the tip of his tongue, Eren immediately got out of the carriage and entered the station.

He had thought the station would be empty in the middle of the night, but there were quite a few people, surprising him. Probably travelers waiting for the dawn train like himself, or homeless people seeking shelter from the rain.

Eren checked the departure time and found a corner to sit in.

‘When will His Highness Harold come….’

Since he always arrived early, Eren was confident he would come early today as well.

But ten minutes before boarding time, Harold still hadn’t appeared. Watching the moving second hand, Eren grew increasingly anxious.

“…Is he not coming?”

Of course not. The Crown Prince couldn’t spare such precious time for someone like him. Especially with the threat of war looming. There was no way he would make time to see off someone with only a few months left to live.

Feeling he had harbored false hopes, Eren dejectedly rose.

As he headed toward the platform to board the train, he suddenly heard hurried footsteps behind him. Hoping against hope, he turned his head and saw Harold running toward him.

“Eren, I’m sorry. Something urgent came up, and I’m late.”

Seeing Harold’s face, Eren wondered for a moment if he was seeing things.

“The train hasn’t left yet, has it?”

Only when Harold grabbed his forearm and asked urgently did Eren realize it was real.