Chapter 23

Chapter 23. "The Dark Elf, the Dwarf, and a Single Rose." 03

Thanks to Exel and Luna, we were having the very rare experience of returning home through this place without being attacked by monsters even once.

Rare, yes. So rare that it felt downright strange.

This was the very place where, after barely managing to kill one monster in the forest and looking up again, you would find another baring its white teeth and charging straight at you.

Having gone through that sort of thing many times, Rene and I walked onward while feeling a peculiar sort of unease.

"This goes against everything I have experienced while passing through this place until now. What about you?"

"I feel the same. Still, somehow, it feels nice. I do not know how long it has been since I was able to walk through the forest this leisurely."

Rene said that while looking back toward Luna, who was walking slowly behind us. I tried to find where Luna was for a moment, then soon gave up and merely looked in the general direction Rene was facing and nodded.

Then, from the darkness where not even the starlight could enter because of the thick trees overhead, a cold and somewhat sharp voice rang out.

"That is not where I am. If you do not know where I am, why not honestly ask your wife standing right beside you?"

At Luna's words, I smiled bitterly, turned my head, and said to Rene, who was standing beside me with one hand covering her mouth as she smiled with her eyes,

"...Would you mind telling me where she is?"

Still smiling, Rene lifted her hand and pointed toward some place in the darkness. I smiled brightly at her, then cleared my throat once or twice toward the direction she was indicating and said,

"Thanks to you, we are walking comfortably without being attacked by monsters. I wanted to tell you thank you."

For a moment, the darkness remained silent. Then it was filled by the soft rustling of footsteps, and soon a quiet voice passed close by my ear.

"It is nothing. The reason the monsters do not attack is simply because they feel a kind of faint kinship with dark elves. It is not because I did anything. So there is nothing for you to thank me for. It is not me doing it, but my blood."

"Is that not the same thing?"

Though I could not see her very well in the darkness, Luna, who had been speaking as she walked some distance ahead, suddenly stopped in place at my question and answered in a voice tinged with irritation.

"It is different. The two kinds of blood mixed and flowing through my body are not something I acknowledge. I was not born because two people wanted me, like that little brat up there walking hand in hand with his mother. I was only born because the races..."

Rene and I tilted our heads at her words. From the darkness ahead, where Luna stood, I heard a small sigh, and then her voice came again, sounding as if she were muttering to herself.

"Forget it. Only fools go on and on about their own affairs in front of others. In any case, you are Rene, right? How much farther do we have to walk? Do you really have a house in a place like this?"

After hearing Luna's question, Rene looked directly toward where she was standing and smiled gently.

Only now do I think to say it, but elves truly have excellent eyes. Rene could always find exactly where I was sleeping on the bed, even in the middle of the night with no light on, and then come over and wrap herself around me.

"Yes, we do. We only have a little farther to go, so everyone, please hold on a little longer."

The darkness that came over the forest immediately after evening passed stirred a faint anxiety in all of us as we walked through it.

Perhaps elsewhere it would have been different, but this was a place where all manner of monsters from across the continent gathered.

Even though we had not been attacked yet thanks to Exel and Luna, nothing was certain, so we could not let our guard down.

And if you stayed tense for too long, it was only natural for your body to grow tired.

As Rene's gentle words spread into the darkness, I heard Irisa's comfortable, soft voice from behind me.

"Do not worry, Rene. We are all right. Come now, Frid. Let us walk just a little farther."

"Mmm."

After Frid's voice came, I heard something brush softly past my side. It was probably Irisa and Frid.

In any case, elves had such good eyes that they could make things out even in the dark, but I could barely make out the face of Rene standing right beside me.

Asking me to walk along a forest path on a night this dark, without even starlight, was too harsh an ordeal for me.

Thinking that, I slowly moved forward, only to nearly trip over a root before long and receive all manner of commentary from those around me.

"Hmm, you are human, are you not? That is unfortunate. Ah, careful there. At this rate, you will fall again."

"I had assumed you had learned how to walk before I did. Was I mistaken?"

"Mr. Han, be careful. There is a tree root sticking up there."

Combining their criticisms and warnings, I managed to steady myself, bent slightly at the waist, and gave a bitter smile as I looked ahead.

Until not long ago, I could see well at night too. This really is inconvenient.

It was just as I was carefully stretching my right foot forward again.

Suddenly, from the darkness, a white hand slowly reached toward me and gently took hold of my right hand, which was hanging by my thigh.

It was a soft, warm hand.

This was...

I lifted my head and followed that white hand holding mine upward, and soon I was able to see Rene's beautiful smile. Slightly bent at the waist, she lifted my hand in hers and said,

"You cannot see very well in the dark, can you? I will guide you, so do not let go of my hand."

"Ah, yes. Thank you, dear."

"There is no need to say things like that between husband and wife."

I smiled softly at her gentle words, and Rene smiled brightly back at me.

Just then, from behind us, came Exel's somewhat displeased voice as he watched the two of us.

"I have no intention of interfering with the still-burning passion between you husband and wife, but I must say what needs to be said. Could you stop that and hurry along? The distance between us and Miss Irisa's group has already grown quite large."

Rene held my hand tightly and guided me along, and thanks to her, I no longer nearly stumbled over roots as I had before.

After we had walked for some time like that, we were finally able to arrive home.

As the last one to step out of the forest, Exel brushed a tree branch away from above his head and said only one thing.

"We are here."

The moment we emerged from the dense forest filled with great trees and tangled brush, a wide open clearing welcomed us.

Small stars glittered above in the round patch of night sky overhead, and beneath them stood a two-story wooden building, large enough that one could indeed call it large, waiting quietly to greet us.

And the faint fragrance of roses drifting toward us confirmed that the place where we stood now was the haven of Rene and me.

The others wore slightly surprised expressions as they turned their heads this way and that, looking around the inn's surroundings in wonder that such a building stood in the middle of the forest.

Rene and I watched them with gentle smiles, then stepped one pace ahead of them toward the door of the house.

We could have let go of each other's hands by now, but we did not.

We simply walked on with our hands still clasped.

Because it was better that way.

Standing before the door, we smiled faintly at Irisa, Frid, and Luna, who were still looking around at the surroundings, and I puffed out my chest, drew in a deep breath, and said,

"Welcome. We welcome you to our inn."

"Hah? What an interesting place. A house in a place like this? And it is an inn?"

That had been Luna's response as she stood there with her arms folded, looking around. But the reaction of Irisa, who stood beside her, was a little different. Clasping both hands before her chest, she spoke with eyes full of meaning.

"It is wonderful. To run an inn in the heart of the forest..."

"Is it not? Here, more than anywhere else, even people who were enemies outside can sit down together and talk pleasantly. Or even become friends."

Rene glanced at me briefly with a warm smile, then turned her head and spoke to Irisa, who was looking around with a bright smile. In response, Irisa nodded with a gentle smile.

"It is marvelous. If I ever had the chance, I would like to try something like this myself."

At Irisa's words, Rene smiled brightly. Still holding my hand, she lifted it toward the lips that were smiling so sweetly, and continued exchanging a few words with Irisa, who stood before us.

As for me, I wondered for a moment what to do about the hand she had lifted like that, then decided to leave it alone. Instead, I looked at Luna, who was approaching with Exel behind Irisa, and spoke.

Because of her black hair and somewhat dusky skin, she was still difficult to see clearly, but at least now there was starlight, so it was better than before.

"Luna? Would you come here for a moment?"

At my call, Luna slowly walked over and stood before me, looking up at me with her head tilted crookedly. I looked down at her face for a moment, then turned to Rene beside me.

Rene met my gaze, smiled brightly, bent slightly at the waist to meet Luna's eyes, and said,

"Luna Rosemary, I ask this of you. We will open this door for you. Will you close it for us?"

The moment Rene finished speaking, I lifted my free hand, caught the handle of the closed door, and pulled.

The door opened silently.

Luna, having heard Rene's words, wore a startled expression and turned her head to look back at Exel.

Exel received her gaze for a moment, then after staring blankly at her face, seemed to realize something. He slapped his fist into his palm and said,

"As the master who bought you, I grant you your freedom. Do as you wish, and as you desire. From this moment on, you are your own master. ...Is that enough?"

"It is."

Saying that, Luna turned back, looked once at Rene and once at me, then shrugged her shoulders and said,

"When you ask so politely, I cannot ignore it, if only out of respect. Fine. I will close the door for you. But in return, swear that you will not abandon me. I am tired of being abandoned and crying."

Those were rather meaningful words. Do not abandon her? Just what sort of past did she have?

I looked at her briefly, full of that question, while beside me Rene placed a hand to her chest and said to Luna,

"As Rene Tarsis, a name that symbolizes the pride of an elf, I swear here and now. You will not be abandoned, Luna. Trust us."

After receiving Rene's oath, Luna turned her head and looked at me.

I reached behind me, rummaged in the pocket at my waist, and drew out a small dagger.

Then I brought it to my index finger and drew it lightly across.

Red blood welled up.

It has been a while since I saw that.

"I swear upon the blood flowing through my body that I will not abandon Luna."

Luna looked at me for a moment with an expression of surprise, then walked through the door I had opened and said,

"I did not expect you to spill blood for it."

"You told me to swear, did you not?"

At my words, she glanced at me sidelong, let out a small sigh, and then fell silent. I followed behind her into the house I had longed for so dearly.

Mm, what a pleasant smell. My whole body is suddenly relaxing.

Because this is our home.

I made my way through the dark house, groping around toward where I thought the table ought to be until I found a chair, and then at once sat down in it with my tired body. At the doorway, Irisa and Frid entered the inn first, followed by Rene and then Exel.

After a short while, once I had confirmed that everyone was inside, I raised my arm and snapped my fingers.

Snap~

Flash! Flash! Flash!

A total of three Magic Lights came on.

This was one of the spells Rene had set within the house. Whenever anyone snapped their fingers, magical lights would automatically appear in the ceiling of the hall, in the kitchen, and on the stairs leading up to the second floor.

Frid, who had remained quietly at his mother's side ever since we first met, looked startled. Irisa and Luna wore amused expressions.

Exel, who had come in last at a slow pace, looked up at the ceiling of the hall and said with the expression of a man who finally felt he could breathe again,

"We have finally arrived. It is not my home, but even so, it feels good."

Slide~ Thud.

As Exel finished speaking, the sound of the door closing came from behind us.

Everyone turned their heads and looked that way.

There, before the door, stood Luna. She had closed it for us, then leaned against it with her hands clasped behind her back, her head lowered.

And then a faint sound of sniffing reached us.

Luna was crying....