●
“…”
“…”
Across the crackling campfire, Elnor and Elijah were staring at the floor in silence.
Since it was impossible to have two great nobles prepare for camping, they were in full charge of preparing for camping, despite their status.
“Tents, sleeping bags, and preserved combat rations. Wow, it reminds me of the old days…”
“…Have you ever done something like this before?”
“I’ve tried it a lot. “Not by Baron Campbell.”
“…?”
Although such an unidentified explanation came from Dowd, it was true that it seemed that such a statement was not in vain, and he skillfully completed the camping preparations with his group.
And he himself had disappeared, saying that he would take the Archduke and the Margrave with him and devise a ‘subjugation plan’. The two people remaining here are on guard duty.
‘What on earth were you doing before?’
He is a man with many talents that he hides to a suspicious degree.
Isn’t this something you learned in the military somewhere?
‘…Come to think of it.’
The reason I first became friends with that person in the first place, I remember forcing myself to go in because I was curious about what the hell he was doing.
Did he approach this person because he thought he must have some kind of relationship with the Tristan family?
At some point, I began to spend more and more time hanging around the person because I thought he was a real person rather than for that reason.
‘What is the relationship between these two?’
That thought came to mind when she saw Elnor playing poker around the campfire right in front of her.
At least it certainly seems like they have a close relationship. It was obvious that both of them were the first people to rely on in an emergency situation.
then.
That person, why?
-Please leave Elijah completely to me. I will make sure you never regret it.
Why did you say that?
Elijah opened his eyes and barely managed to calm the burning sensation that was rising to his ears.
‘…Ah, it’s not like I like it or anything like that yet!’
Anyway, the ‘grudge’ he has against the Duke of Tristan is still alive and well.
Even though the man often said or did things that strangely stuck in my heart, if you still think that you have been taken over, you are greatly mistaken!
I have no intention of accepting it until that part is resolved…!
‘…Uh, wait a minute.’
Aren’t you thinking on the premise that if you just solve that problem, they will accept it?
‘Oh, no, it’s not like that…!’
As I was picking up and serving a sentence that I had no idea who the excuse was for, Elnor suddenly jumped up from across the room.
Immediately, I saw him trembling and holding the sword, and he looked quite frightened. It was surprising that his expression didn’t change at all.
“…!”
Elijah’s gaze also became sharper. The fact that this person is reacting like this clearly means that there is a threat nearby –
“…”
And when Elijah saw the target at which Elnor was aiming his sword, Elijah’s expression instantly became blank.
“…What do you do with bugs?”
Elnor looked at the floor with an expression of disbelief.
From what I could feel, a creature almost the size of a person’s palm was writhing there.
“…This is a bug? “Isn’t it the remnants of a demonic beast?”
“All country bugs look like that. Is this your first time seeing this?”
“…”
What on earth is the countryside doing?
While that thought was passing through Elnor’s mind, Elijah, who trudged towards it, quietly picked it up.
scarab. Among them, this one is particularly large.
“Oh, it’s been a while.”
“…It’s been a while?”
“There were a lot of them in my hometown. “I used to play like this back then.”
Elijah, with a wide smile, handled it skillfully.
The bugs crawled up my hands and arms, wriggling.
“…”
Elnor, seeing that, staggered back.
It even crawled up to his face, but instead, Elijah just laughed as if he was tickled.
“Don’t be caught by scary people and live a long life~”
After playing with it for a while, Elijah finally let go of the bug and waved his hand round and round with an amused look on his face.
“…Student President? “Why are you doing this?”
Next, Elijah, who saw Elnor squatting at a distance and denying the world, said this.
He was holding his head and trembling, looking like he had seen a ghost.
“Don’t come any closer, you monster…!”
“…”
For a human being who cuts people down without even changing his facial expression, what kind of tactic is this?
‘Is this person afraid of bugs?’
As she pondered those thoughts, she sat down again in front of the campfire.
Still, it is a precious sight.
When I saw him inside the academy, he always had a blank expression and a cold atmosphere, so I never imagined he would have this side.
Rather than being afraid of anything, didn’t you feel like hitting your own head when an evil spirit came out?
“…”
She wiggled her toes and looked at Elnor, hesitantly returning to the campfire.
Just as you always thought.
If he thought that all the Tristan duchy’s people were trash, no different from demons, he wouldn’t even approach them at all.
I would never have discovered this side of myself.
‘…Something like this.’
In the end, it’s because of that man.
If it weren’t for that man, I wouldn’t have even had the opportunity to become entangled with this side.
“Hey, Chairman.”
The reason I suddenly said that was probably because I had that thought in mind.
Normally, this is a question I would never ask, but I had a strong intuition that if I didn’t have this opportunity, I wouldn’t have anything to do in the future.
“Chairman, are you on bad terms with the Archduke?”
Elnor’s eyebrows twitched when she heard that question.
“…What is the purpose of this question?”
“If it’s rude, you don’t have to answer. but.”
She looked straight into Elnor’s eyes and spoke.
“I trained with the Margrave while receiving a lot of beatings from a young age. So that’s scary, but still.”
“…”
“I definitely feel like it’s for me. “You must be busy with work right now, so thank you for coming to me in one step.”
People called great nobles are people who are in a position where even leaving their seats like this can become the subject of loud gossip.
Even though there are agents in each territory to handle business on your behalf, in the end, you are the one who makes the final decision.
Just writing a letter and sending it to her immediately shows how much you value her.
This is especially true even though the relationship is not biological, but adoptive father-daughter relationship.
However, the relationship between Elnor and Gideon.
“…It seems like the Chairman views you as an enemy.”
Gideon’s attitude toward Elnor is so consistent that it is frightening.
ignore.
To the point where it feels like he doesn’t even recognize Elnor, he doesn’t react consistently whether she’s nearby or not.
Elnor’s attitude is similar to some extent.
but.
Unlike Gideon, sometimes whenever she looks there, a tell-tale hostility comes out of her eyes.
“It was strange. “I wonder if there is any reason for children to look at their parents like that.”
“It is true that this is a very rude question, Elijah Chrysanax.”
“…”
That’s right.
Elijah nodded with a wry smile.
“But I guess I can give you a simple answer.”
Uh, really?
As Elijah looked at him with wide eyes, Elnor continued speaking in a calm voice.
“…There are many reasons.”
They trained her harshly from a young age, or instilled in her all the rules that a noble daughter should follow to the point of abuse.
No matter where you look, it is filled with memories that make it difficult for children to like their parents.
“…”
Nevertheless, when I reflect on my childhood memories.
I remember that my relationship with my father was not bad. Was she actually at peace?
Obviously, at some point.
“But if it’s the biggest one… I don’t know.”
The memory was still vivid.
“Archduke Tristan killed my mother.”
Elijah’s breathing suddenly calmed down.
This man, what are you saying now?
“Killed, what does that mean…?”
“It’s exactly what it says. “I don’t have anything to add.”
It was a summer day.
The sunlight shining brightly. Father’s study.
Elnor, who was quite young, had something she wanted to show her father, so she ran towards him with a big smile on her face.
I don’t even remember what it was. Maybe she wanted to show off the picture she drew that day.
and.
The smell of blood emanated from outside the door.
My father was holding a bloody sword. And on the floor.
“…”
Elnor was silent for a moment and closed her eyes.
But, when I pushed my eyes up again.
“that man.”
The voice that came out was still calm. His expression remained expressionless.
“Not my parents. “He’s just an enemy that I will defeat one day.”
There was no time to ask why something like that happened or why they did it.
The hostility in his eyes as he said those words. The ferocity of it is as if the fur all over your body stands up just by encountering it.
It was so scary that even Elijah couldn’t move.
“Is this enough of an answer?”
“…”
The frozen atmosphere settled heavily around the area.
Elnor, who actually said those words, was rummaging through the embers with a calm expression.
‘…this person.’
I just thought they were enemies.
It seems clear that the situation is much more complicated than it appears.
So much so that I want to look into it a little more deeply.
As Elijah was thinking about this and looking at the other person, Elnor suddenly opened his mouth.
“More than that. “Since you answered my question, may I ask you something?”
“…Uh, yes?”
“you. How far did you go with Daoud?”
“…”
What do you mean by going out?
“…What is your intention with that question?”
“hmm.”
Elnor stroked her chin and snorted.
“I’ve only been able to hug so far.”
“…yes?”
“Well, I’ve already given up on the idea of that man going somewhere and hitting on a woman as he pleases. “It seems like they were born that way.”
“…”
“but.”
Elnor continued speaking in a cold voice.
Elijah, who had been listening in silence, almost flinched.
“It’s impossible to not be able to distinguish between playing with fire and ‘the real thing.’ It’s a bit difficult to have another woman ahead of me. “I might not be able to stand it.”
“…What are you going to do if you can’t stand it?”
“…”
Elnor remained silent and stroked her chin again.
It looks like he hasn’t even thought about that.
“Oh, I see.”
Although he soon opened his mouth as if he had a good idea.
“How about killing her?”
“…”
“I can’t kill Daoud. “Do you think that would be good?”
What do you like?
This is not a crazy person.
“So, I asked how far you went. “It’s quite suspicious that Daoud even made a promise to go home with you before me.”
“…First of all, I haven’t even been able to hold hands!”
It was a lightning strike.
It’s a little sad to say this, but it can’t be helped if we want to survive right now.
“…”
Elnor heard those words and nodded quietly.
It seemed like it would be okay if I stopped.
“I’ll even allow you to hold your hand.”
“…”
“But no hugs. Because I could only do so much. Do you understand?”
“…”
Right.
Trisha, who had taken the initiative to send him all the way here, would have sighed bitterly if she saw this, but Elijah decided to just nod.
No, first of all, it’s a competition, so shouldn’t we just live with it?
This princess before my eyes really looked like she would kill Daoud if he got more involved with another woman.
“Wow!”
“Wow!”
As I ponder that thought,
Two humans suddenly fell from the air.
“…”
For some reason, when I’m around this man, I often have this experience of other people popping up out of nowhere.
She narrowed her eyes and glanced at the two people who had landed on the floor.
“That man, anyway! Is it okay to just specify a coordinate and tell them to jump in that direction? “I’ve felt this for a long time, but manipulating people is extremely difficult!”
“Sister, when you said that, you did everything Mr. Dowd asked you to do.”
“…Be quiet, Yuria.”
Elnor’s eyes widened when she saw the two humans standing up while grumbling like that.
“Saint Lucien?”
“Uh, Princess Tristan?”
Lucien, who was shaking off the dust from his clothes, tilted his head.
Each other’s location is their location. Even though I’ve never talked to him in person, I’ve passed him by in public a few times.
Therefore, Elnor, who knew how big of a person the other person was, had no choice but to ask the question in an unusually embarrassed voice.
“What are you doing here? ”
“…Originally, I heard that Archduke Tristan and Margrave Kendrid were all gathering, so I came to mediate there.”
After saying that, Lucien looked around the camp.
First, it will be confirmed only when the parties involved appear in person, but considering the number of people, it seems certain that they are at least ‘camping together’.
This means that there is no atmosphere to risk one’s life and fight against each other.
“…From the looks of it, it doesn’t seem like he’s in the mood to do anything like that. “It feels like I’m definitely calling you to do something again…”
“Where is Mr. Daoud?”
Yuria’s words cut into the sentence that my sister was speaking.
Other than that, everything else seemed to be good.
“…”
Elnor flinched when she heard those words, but Yuria paid it no mind and continued to look around.
His hands were fiddling with the leash as if he was nervous.
“…I’d like you to touch this.”
“…”
“Or you can just grab it and throw it like you normally would…”
“…What kind of habit have you got?”
While Lucien was complaining in a dizzy voice.
Elijah, who was watching this scene, felt a chill running down his spine and turned his head.
Elnor’s body went beyond twitching and began to tremble.
“…May I ask your name?”
“Yes?”
At Elnor’s words, Yuria’s head turned towards Elnor.
“This is Yuria Greyhauncher. Are you…Princess Tristan?”
“Nice to meet you, Yuria Greyhauncher. As you said, this is Elnor Elinalise La Tristan.”
The sentence was polite. Elijah’s spine was getting colder as he looked at Elnor who said that.
“If I may ask what your relationship is with Dowd Campbell…?”
Yuria tilted her head.
It looks like he is thinking carefully about what to express for a moment.
“…Someone who is very important to me?”
“…”
A convulsion appeared on Elnor’s expression as if it were cracking.
“Then, what about that leash…?”
“Mr. Dowd gave it to me.”
“…”
“I like it because I feel at ease when I wear it. “Back in the day, when you were holding this and dragging it around, it was the most-”
When he heard what was said, Elijah was having flashbacks of the sentence he had just heard in his head.
-It’s not okay to not be able to distinguish between playing with fire and ‘the real thing.’ It’s a bit difficult to have another woman ahead of me. I might not be able to stand it.
A person who can’t even tolerate other people hugging that man.
I met a woman who said she liked being dragged around by a man on a leash.
“…”
“Hmm,” she muttered.
‘… Mr. Dowd, you’re in big trouble?’
It really was.
●
“…I found it.”
He says that while inserting the magic engineering telescope.
Gray energy flowing sporadically from the mountainside is noticeable.
“It might be a lot harder to catch than you think.”
The fact that demon energy is blooming in such a noticeable way means that the demon fragment has merged very deeply with the demon beast.
This means that the battle difficulty level can be higher than expected.
“It looks dangerous. “Unless I have a divine power expert, it would be a bit difficult.”
Krat said that, but instead of answering, he just smiled and came down from the high rock.
“I’ve already invited you.”
We’ve probably arrived at base camp by now.
‘It’s called base camp…’
There’s a reason why only Gideon and Krat were brought out this time.
< System Log >
[Subjects ‘Elijah’ and ‘Elnor’ have an honest conversation with each other. ]
[The bond between the two characters has increased slightly! ]
[If you form a party with members who have accumulated bonds, you will receive various corrections to your abilities! ]
yes.
In this way, during side quests, events that form a ‘bond’ often occur when party members are separated from each other. This tendency is especially stronger if they are attached to the same ‘accommodation’.
Considering that main quests usually happen quickly, within a few days, and side quests tend to take a long, winding path, it seems like that’s how the system is structured.
“Hey, San. “Why have you been so quiet since a while ago?”
“…”
As I was pondering that thought, Krat said those words to Gideon, who was standing blankly next to him.
Instead of answering, Gideon just squeezed his hands without saying a word.
“…Don’t meddle, you barbarian.”
Soon Gideon cut him off in a brusque voice, then turned around and walked somewhere.
“What, where are you going?”
“…I’m going to hunt some demonic beasts nearby.”
The subjugation was scheduled for tomorrow, but it was a sudden declaration that they were going to fight another unnecessary battle, but neither I nor Krat did anything to stop it.
Because I knew that if that person didn’t cut something, his instincts wouldn’t go away.
“hey.”
Krat, whose voice was slightly quieter than before, looked at me as he said that.
“You know he’s in serious condition right now, right?”
“I know.”
“And are you planning something with it?”
“…How did you know?”
“You don’t even pretend to hide it, you bastard.”
Krat responded with a grin.
“I know it when I see it, when I see it. “I don’t think you’re the kind of person who doesn’t have a good head, but you brought a guy who clearly can’t be controlled like that all the way here.”
The sentence continued with a sigh.
“You know there’s a curse attached to that Saenim’s family, right? “If you make a mistake during the attack, we could all die because of him.”
“…”
know.
but.
Mediating between Elnor and that human is, in my opinion, one of the essential steps in lifting the curse on that family.
In order to do that, it would be much better for Gideon to remain in that state.
“…If you help me, it will be easier than you think.”
“Well, I guess it’s okay. Now that I’m involved with you, I’ll see what I can do. Do as much as you can. “No matter how you use me, I will follow suit.”
Krat looked back at me with a smile.
“however.”
Although the eyes were not smiling at all.
“If you make a mistake and Elijah gets hurt, you will die?”
“…”
Anyway.
This person is also an absolute fool.
‘…Caliban will be happy to see it.’
I think about that as I look at the amulet on my wrist.
The reason why this person is so devoted to Elijah is also because of the ‘promise’ that the person inside shared with this person.
Well, either way, it’s a story that will all be resolved in chapter 4, with Elijah taking center stage.
Having a relationship with Krat now will definitely help you then.
“…since that doesn’t happen, let’s go back. “I need to sleep well so I can conquer tomorrow well.”
Thinking like that, I turn around. Since all the work has been done, all that is left to do is to reorganize the plan.
I might still be able to spend it a bit more leisurely tonight-
[ A crisis situation is detected. ]
[It is judged to be a direct threat to life. ]
[‘Skill: Desperate Death’ is applied as EX grade. ]
< System Message >
[!warning!]
[ We recommend that you return to camp immediately! ]
“…”
What is this again?
●
fantasy,
