Laugh and Cry

Seeing Kai kill the goblin giant, Arthur started walking toward Kai. Kai's head hung low, filled with humiliation that was clearly visible on his face. As Arthur continued toward them, he saw Kai still standing in the same position—as if nothing had changed. Then he noticed Kata standing near Kai, looking at Arthur and saying something to Kai.

Without catching what Kata said, and with a confused expression, Arthur continued his walk toward Kai and Kata.

After reaching them, Arthur saw that Kai was still in the same spot, with Kata nearby. Stopping close to Kai, Arthur asked in a worried tone, "Kai, are you okay?"

Hearing Arthur's voice, Kai quickly looked back. As he did, he noticed two headless, dead goblins lying on the ground in the distance, beside the water stream.

"Did you kill those two goblins, right?" Kai asked in a dim, disappointed voice.

"Yes…" Arthur replied.

"I didn't know you were that strong," Kai said with a slight smile.

Seeing the small smile on Kai's face, a smile also appeared on Arthur's face, and even Kata smiled a bit while looking at Kai.

"No, I don't even know how I did it. I just took advantage of the moment when they fell in front of me," Arthur replied with a smile, explaining that he wasn't even sure how he reacted so quickly.

Suddenly, Arthur realized that Kai was behaving differently, so he quickly asked, "Kai, is everything okay? I mean, you look sad… even after killing that goblin giant."

"No, I'm fine. Actually, I wanted to say sorry to you," Kai replied in a soft voice, with a slight smile on his face.

Hearing Kai's soft voice and seeing his smile, Arthur's eyes widened in shock. "Are you sure you're okay, Kai? You don't act like your usual self," Arthur said.

At that moment, Kai suddenly realized something. In the blink of an eye, he quickly changed his tone and expression.

"Ha… what do you mean?" Kai asked quickly in a serious tone, gazing at Arthur.

"Yeah, this is how you talk and look to me," Arthur replied, noticing Kai's regular behavior again. Meanwhile, Kata, standing nearby, smiled again, seemingly unaware of the tension between Arthur and Kai.

"So, I'm saying sorry," Kai said firmly.

"Sorry? For what?" Arthur asked, not understanding why Kai was apologizing.

Hearing Arthur's words, Kai remembered the flashback of the moment before Arthur left him—the moment when Kai had made Arthur sad and humiliated. He also recalled how he felt when the goblin general tricked him and when Kata used his power to help him, leaving Kai feeling humiliated.

"The reason you left," Kai replied in a dim voice.

"Oh, about that," Arthur said, understanding why Kai was apologizing.

"I shouldn't have said something like that. Now I think I'm feeling what you felt that time when I said that," Kai said, hanging his head low.

"So… please forgive me, Arthur. I shouldn't have said that," Kai added, looking at Arthur.

For a moment, Arthur was stunned. Seeing this kinder side of Kai surprised him—he had always known Kai to be a good beetle, but he never imagined Kai would react like this.

"Arthur…" Kai said, and as he spoke, Arthur slowly came back to his senses.

"Oh, no—actually, I mean… it's fine," Arthur replied, unsure of what to say.

"What?" Kai asked in confusion, not understanding Arthur's response.

"I mean, you don't need to say sorry this time. What you said was right. At that time, I was weak and totally dependent on you. Even though we are partners, you were the one who helped me—not me. I was completely dependent on you," Arthur explained, assuring Kai that everything Kai said back then was not wrong.

"So, I'm right, huh…?" Kai asked.

"Of course not…" Arthur quickly replied, his voice trembling.

"I mean, it's not like you corrected it; it's just… it's just… fine. I accept your apology."

With confusion on his face and in his voice, Arthur quickly said, not knowing what to say.

With a humorous explanation from Arthur, Kai laughed with a huge smile on his face and continued laughing without stopping. Kata's eyes widened in shock as he stood near Kai, watching him laugh, while Arthur's eyes widened in disbelief and his mouth hung open at the sight of Kai's contagious laughter.

As Arthur and Kata observed Kai—still laughing continuously with a huge smile—suddenly his laughter began to change. They noticed that Kai's laughter slowly turned into cries.

Gradually, Kai started crying loudly, tears streaming down his face in the same way his laughter had erupted moments before. His strength began to wane, his legs buckled, and Kai eventually fell to the ground while his cries continued.

"Arthur…,"

"Arthur…" Kata called for the second time.

Arthur was stunned and shocked to see Kai crying like this; he never imagined Kai would ever cry.

"Give him some time to recover," Kata said, telling Arthur that he should give Kai some space.

Arthur understood what Kata meant. Glancing at Kai, who was sitting on the ground with tears still streaming down his face, Arthur began to walk away, giving Kai some space. Kata followed Arthur, also giving Kai room to recover.

Standing at a distance, Arthur watched Kai, who was still crying.

"His pain… is still nothing compared to mine…" Arthur thought, lowering his head as he listened to Kai's cries.