Chapter 132 – You are a special person to me.
Chapter 130
Anyway, my body is sore, it looks like I slept for quite a while…
I asked Estelle.
“How long have I slept?”
“…Was unconscious for over a week.”
“Uh…”
…Was it worth worrying about?
I looked around. Something looks familiar…
Estel said in a voice that was still melancholy.
“I will go see Celine. She’ll need to know Celine too….”
“By the way, where is this place?”
“…The song of the Duke of Bathory.”
Somehow, I was used to it. She must have been the Duke of Bathory.
…Then why is Celine here?
“Wait, what about Alicia?”
“Alicia… I think the hero will have to explain the situation to the hero Elfriede later.”
“Yes?”
Did you bring Alicia with you!?
“I couldn’t help it because I was out of my mind. Abel is sick, and she can’t tell Celine to stay with Alicia.”
“…Well.”
That’s right too. But then…How do I explain it?
“Are you saying I have to tell Elfriede that I am being targeted?”
“…I couldn’t cover lies because of Hero Elfriede’s holy sword. Right now, Alicia is locked up in the basement of Bathory Mansion, so to get her out, she has to convince Hero Elfriede.”
“…She is locked up?”
“Mother is also a monster after all. From Hero Elfriede’s point of view, I can’t let the monster walk around the mansion.”
… After meeting Celine, she should see Elfriede right away.
“I’ll bring Celine. Please wait a moment.”
“Yes.”
Estel left for a while, and I was a little worried. This is why I deliberately made Alicia stay at the inn separately, but it seems that everyone was distracted because I was injured.
If she had been rational, she wouldn’t have brought Alicia into her mansion. That would mean that my condition was serious.
“…It deserved it.”
To the extent that the thorns that stabbed him in the stomach pierced his back. Ugh, thinking about it again, it’s creepy because I feel the pain of that time.
Did the young Levius just go? Well, it’s because he’s a good guy…
“How should I say…”
“…Hero!”
Then the door burst open, and Celine and Estelle came in together. Celine came running towards me with her urgent expression on her face, and I spread her arms toward her as she ran. Celine was held tightly in my arms, and she sobbed while repeating her words of relief.
You must have been really worried…
“I’m fine now, Celine.”
“Seriously, don’t make me worry!…If the hero dies, I…!”
“I won’t die…”
“Because you almost died!? Saint Estelle said it was dangerous too!”
“…Was it?”
When I asked Estelle, she honestly nodded her head.
“The monster’s thorns pierced my main organs. It was practically everything except the heart. If I had been really late, it would have been dangerous.”
I saw Estelle and Celine. Both of them looked pretty haggard. Maybe it was because she nursed me while I was down.
Sorry, I apologized to both of them.
“…Sorry, next time I’ll be careful not to worry you.”
“…No. Because the warrior didn’t do anything wrong. But please be careful in the future…I thought I was going crazy because I was really worried.”
“I’ll be careful not to get hurt.”
Not only Celine, Estelle must have been just as worried. Maybe I shouldn’t roll her body too much…
“But I didn’t mean to say that I shouldn’t fulfill my role as a warrior. Just be careful…”
“I know.”
I stroke Celine’s hair a couple of times and ask Estelle.
“We should go see Elfriede now, right?”
“That way we can free Alicia. And she’ll be able to dispel any doubts about Abel. We didn’t know how to say it, but they said they wanted to hear it in person… It’s annoying.”
…Is the last word your intention? Estelle tuts and clicks her tongue, so it seems she doesn’t like Elfriede’s way of dealing with her.
But I think Elfriede’s response is standard. If you find a monster walking around pretending to be a human, and it’s another hero to take that monster with you…
Even if you’re like me, you can’t help but feel strange.
“Then I should go right now.”
“Shall we go with you?”
“I will go alone. I think that would be fine.”
Estelle looked at me for a moment, then nodded her head.
From noble mtl dot com.
“Yes. Now that Abel is no longer a crap, she can do it alone♡”
“…Yes.”
#
“Yes, Abel.”
The house where Elfriede lives. Elfriede, who is in charge of her temporary head of household, asked me as she put down her papers.
“Can you explain to me what happened to that monster and why you took it with you? I hope it’s for a reason I can understand.”
Her eyes were quite fierce. Her face looked a bit haggard, perhaps from the stress of work, but her fierce gaze made her look fierce. I think it’s the first time I’ve seen Elfriede like this…
Thanks to that, she sat down in front of Elfriede with a little nervousness. But if she’s nervous and can’t explain properly, she won’t be able to make Elfriede understand.
You have to explain it properly.
“I will explain step by step.”
“Yes.”
“First of all, Alicia, as you know, is Mother. Before I returned to the Kingdom of Vesta, she was the one who made a nest in the Milan Forest and settled down.”
“…I see.”
“Then why did you take Mother without killing her, that is…”
I told Elfriede what I had only told the three of them until now.
“Because the demon king is targeting me.”
“…What?”
Elfriede’s eyes were as if he had heard something wrong. I said that Elfriede had heard it right, nodding her head.
“I don’t know why, but the demon king is giving orders to the lower entities, mothers, to capture me alive. Even when I was taken to the North Queen’s lair, I was able to survive thanks to that.”
“…Was captured by the North Queen?”
“Yes. It fell into the Glacier Mountains because it was caught in the transmission magic. At that time, I was attacked and captured by monsters, and that’s what I heard then. The Demon King told me to capture me and bring him back.”
Elfriede looked a little disbelievable. She knows it’s a story that’s not easily believed.
“If you have any doubts about what I am saying, you can ask His Holiness Pope Fabiano, head of the cult of Solaria.”
“…The Pope of Solaria knows.”
You’re the first person to know this.
“…So I wanted to know the reason, so I raided the nests of mothers who received direct orders from the demon king. It was because I could reduce the number of monsters while obtaining the necessary information. I went to Surim in Milan with that in mind. But Alicia suggested this.”
“What?”
“If you spare my life, I will tell you if an order comes that threatens you. That’s why I said that I would play a role that is no different from an alarm.”
“…An alarm?”
Ah, there is no such thing as an alarm in this era.
“It just means that you will let me know the orders from the demon lord, and allow me to avoid or deal with them in advance. It wasn’t a bad offer for me, so I’m taking it with me. It’s not like I’m on the side of the monsters or anything like that at all.”
“…No matter how much Mother…”
“From what I’ve heard, Alicia said she never sent her forces outside the Milan Forest. So there was nothing to harm humans. No one goes into that dense forest.”
“Do you believe that?”
“I have to believe. The guy who said he would betray even the demon king if he saved me said it was true even if he pointed a holy sword at me.”
Elfriede listened to her and let out a deep sigh.
“You… Are being targeted by the Demon King.”
“There is a high possibility that the monster that appeared this time was also aiming for me. Alicia warned me that there was a new order.”
“…So you mean the monsters are attacking your location?”
“I will.”
“Huh…”
Elfriede’s expression looked like she had heard some nonsense, but she didn’t believe me.
“Do you believe me?”
“…Yes, believe me. Would you lie and name the current Pope of the Solaria Church?”
“I don’t have the guts to do that.”
“…Then do you intend to take that monster with you in the future?”
“First of all, it’s harmless…And I listen better than I thought. I think it would be okay to take him with me.”
“…Haa, since it depends on your safety, I can’t even object.”
“Yes?”
…Doesn’t you say something cryptic? The nuance seems to be saying that my comfort is more important than dealing with monsters.
“Anyway, if it’s true that monsters are attacking your place…”
“Yes, it is not good for me to be stuck in one place. So I think I’ll keep going. While attacking Mother’s nest, I’m also looking for conditions for opening the holy sword.”
“…I see.”
Elfriede threw me one of her keys.
“It is the key to the prison where Mother is imprisoned. You better open it.”
“…Yes, I will. Thank you for trusting me, Elfriede.”
“…Then, now that the story is over, you can ask what you want to ask.”
“Yes?”
Elfriede stood up. Then he slowly approached me, frowned slightly, and took my hand. And she bowed her head.
“…Elfriede?”
“I’m sorry, Abel. I should have gone.”
“Yes?”
“If that’s the case, you wouldn’t be so hurt…”
“Oh, no. No. That’s why Elfriede should be sorry.”
“Since I neglected my duties under the pretext of work, an unfortunate incident in which you were injured happened. It was all my fault. I should have gone, even if I delayed my work a bit.”
As if Elfriede was truly sorry, she apologized to me. But I don’t think so at all. People can be busy, what…
“…Of course, if Elfriede had helped, she would have done it a little faster.”
“Yes, so…”
“But it would have been the same not to find the weapon hidden by the monster. Even if the monster was defeated early, it would have been the same to get hurt by the weapon ejected in the final effort. Because I didn’t notice anyway. And I bought it after receiving the divine protection and being wounded. If Elfriede, who received a blessing other than the divine protection, had been stabbed… Elfriede could have died.”
I really think so. Even her body, strengthened by Estelle’s protection, was pierced like a sheet of paper, and she lay in bed for a week.
Saint Cynthia would not be superior to the true Saint Estelle, and if Elfriede was struck by that blow, she would really have died.
“Then don’t apologize. Don’t even feel guilty. I don’t know why people around me feel sorry for me when I’m hurt. I have to say I’m sorry for worrying you and leave.”
Elfriede slowly raised her head. Tears welled up in her blue eyes.
…Are you crying? When I looked at Elfriede in surprise, she muttered an excuse.
“… Since she heard that you won’t wake up, things have been out of her hands. I was so worried… But I was relieved to see her in such good health, so stop….”
Elfriede spoke while wiping her tears.
“…Sorry, I was rude.”
“No…You don’t have to apologize for that. Were you so worried about me?”
“…Yes. As I said before, you are a special person to me. If you die like that, I might really go crazy.”
Elfriede let go of my hand and said.
“I’m glad you don’t look sore. It’s nice to be able to talk like this again.”
Honestly, I’m a bit…Embarrassed. It’s not that I didn’t know that. Because Elfriede had already confessed his feelings to me.
But now, she felt so much sincerity in every word she said… She felt the weight of it. Even compared to Estelle and Celine, her sincere heart is in no way inferior…
“…Why is Elfriede so special to me?”
“I’ve never thought about the reason, but isn’t it because you are righteous, strong, and kind? At least I think so.”
“…Then Elfriede.”
“Huh?”
I’m going to make a suggestion to Elfriede. It’s hard to realize right away that I like Elfride, but she gave her a chance to give her a shot at what she said she did. And she offered Estelle a chance to get her permission.
“You will be hanging out with me for a while.”