Chapter 25

Chapter 25. "The Dark Elf, the Dwarf, and a Single Rose." 05

"Are you going?"

"Mm. It is already late, and I cannot stay here forever, can I? I have to go home too."

"Come to think of it, I do not think I have ever seen the place where you live. I wander through forests quite a lot myself, you know."

At my words, Exel grinned as he put the books back into his backpack.

"My home does not look like this place. It is hidden away very carefully because there are always bastards trying to wreck it whenever they get the chance. So of course you have not seen it. Ah, right. I finished all the wine I took with me before. Could I ask you for another bottle?"

I stared at him with my mouth hanging open.

"You emptied a two-hundred-year-old Blue Sky in just a few days?"

"Ah, that really was delicious. Hm? Why are you making that face?"

"Ah, no, it is nothing."

I let out a deep sigh, forced a smile, and stood up from my seat. A two-hundred-year-old bottle in one go.

What a waste.... Shaking my head, I started toward the storage shed in the yard, then remembered the wines I had bought in Alcantria yesterday, turned around, and headed for the stairs leading to the second floor instead. At that, Exel's voice came from behind me, sounding puzzled.

"Is the storage shed not outside?"

"I bought some wine at the market yesterday."

"The stuff you bought at the market yesterday? Weren't all the bags left at that red-haired brat's house?"

I turned back toward Exel and gave him a grin.

"I did not leave them there. Magic is a very convenient art in this world, you know? I made use of it."

"The Teleport spell?"

It was Luna, who had been quietly sitting at the table listening to our conversation, and I smiled and nodded.

"So you knew?"

"I saw you give that necklace to Jonathan. That serves as the medium, right?"

"That is right."

I nodded at her words. Exel, who had been listening with a frown, raised a hand to catch both Luna's and my attention and said,

"Wait, wait, let me into this conversation too. What? Teleport? And what do you mean by a medium?"

"You like books, do you not? Have you never read a magic book?"

At that, Exel rubbed his chin a little and replied with an uneasy expression.

"I do not have many magic books among the ones I own. You would know too if you had read them, would you not? They are books that test your patience. So, in short, you are saying you moved the things here with magic?"

"That is right."

I spoke as I climbed the stairs to the second floor.

"Do not just stand there. If you are curious, why not come along? You can pick your wine yourself while you are at it."

Hearing me, Exel got to his feet at once and started toward the stairs.

"Fine. It is not that I do not believe you, but I need to see it with my own eyes. Whether the luggage really arrived."

"Suit yourself."

I answered with a laugh, and just as I was about to turn around, I spotted Luna sitting at the table and asked her,

"What about you, Luna? I bought a few clothes for you too. Do you not want to take a look?"

"No, that is fine. I want to be alone for a little while."

Mm. She had shown tears as proof of the sudden upheaval in her emotions just a moment ago.

Wanting to be alone for a while might be only natural, whether one was human or elf.

I gave her a small smile, turned my back, and went upstairs to the second floor, with Exel following behind me, his heavy footsteps thudding as he came.

When I opened the door directly in front of the stairs, an empty room appeared. It was dark inside because no lights had been lit, and I could not see a thing, but judging by how Exel's eyes widened behind me, the things had already arrived.

I stepped into the dark room and snapped my fingers. At once, the crystal orb fixed to the ceiling blazed with light. It was a masterpiece born from the combination of my technical skill and Rene's magic power. Behind me, I heard Exel's slightly surprised voice.

"Hoh~ This is rather nice. The light turns on when you snap your fingers? Must save a fortune on candles."

"Do you want one?"

"If you are giving it to me, I would be glad to have it."

Exel said that with a grin, and I grinned back at him as I answered,

"I still have some left. I will get one out for you before you leave."

"Ah, thanks. In any case, what you said was true. When did all this fly over here?"

He pointed at the pile of baggage stacked in the middle of the empty room, and I smiled at his words as I slowly walked toward it and looked for the necklace Rene had handed Jonathan.

As always, it had been placed on top of the beer barrel. A long droplet-shaped red ruby hanging from a thin silver chain, that was all it was, but for some reason it suited the two of us perfectly as a marriage token.

"You heard some of what Luna said earlier too, did you not? About the medium and all that."

"Ah, I did. She said something about a necklace. Is that it?"

He pointed at the necklace in my hand, and I nodded as I hung it around my neck.

"Mm. This is it. We exchanged them at our wedding, and she cast magic on it. If we are separated by a certain distance and speak the trigger phrase, the Teleport spell activates, and one of the pair flies to the other side. And this is the proof."

I lifted the wine crate I had pulled out of the pile, and Exel nodded and walked toward the box as he spoke.

"...I think I understand well enough. The sheer enormity of you and your wife's love is giving me chills."

"Enough of that. Here, pick one. Or better yet, why not just take the whole crate? I bought a lot."

I pointed at the wine crates stacked high among the unloaded baggage, but Exel crouched down on the floor, pulled a bottle out of one of the boxes, read the label attached to the bottle, and shook his head.

"No, I would rather not. If I take too much, I will stop reading books and just drink all day. Then I will pass out. So it is better if I take only enough to drink in moderation."

"Pass out?"

"Ah. I like alcohol, but once I drink past a certain point, I go down."

I imagined Exel reeling around in a drunken stupor, then made a face as I struggled to hold back the laughter threatening to burst out. Exel glanced at me, frowned as well, and said,

"You clearly imagined something strange just now. Do not say a word."

I answered only with a nod. If I opened my mouth right then, I would probably burst into laughter hard enough to leave both Exel and me embarrassed.

"I will take these."

Exel held up two bottles of wine in one hand, and I gave him a bitter smile.

"Did you choose those knowingly, or not?"

"What if I said I picked them without knowing?"

"Then I would say your luck is truly remarkable. They are both top-of-the-line products. The taste is superb too, and they are not very strong."

"I seeee?"

Leaving Exel behind as he grinned, I stepped out of the room first, and a moment later he came out at a leisurely pace with the wine in one hand. When we went back down to the hall, Luna was still sitting in the same spot as before, waiting for us.

"It is unexpected to see a perverted werewolf like you drinking wine so elegantly."

"Why? Are werewolves not allowed to drink wine?"

"It is not that."

"And since you brought it up, why do you keep picking fights with me every chance you get?"

"Because it is amusing."

"...That is all?"

Luna nodded with an expressionless face, and Exel frowned as he lifted the backpack he had set on the floor. Smiling faintly at the two of them, I said,

"Wait a moment. I will bring you a Light Ball."

"A Light Ball?"

As I turned and walked toward the kitchen, I raised a hand and pointed at the ceiling. That should have been enough for him to understand.

I went into the kitchen, took out the box I had put away in the cupboard, and opened the lid. Inside were three Light Balls.

Mm, would one be enough? I would like to give him two, but just in case, one should do. I could always give him another one next time.

I came back out carrying a Light Ball, clear and round like a glass marble with a black sphere inside it, and while Exel stood beside the beer barrel with his backpack slung over one shoulder, talking about something with Luna, I lightly tossed it toward him.

"Here, catch."

Tap~

"Ah. Is this that thing?"

"Yes. That is that thing."

He caught the Light Ball I had thrown with one hand and pointed with the other at the Light Ball shining from the ceiling. I grinned and nodded at his words.

"That is right. Do not pierce it or scratch it and damage the little black core inside, all right? And as for how to use it, it is simple. If you snap your fingers like this..."

Snap!

Flash!

The moment I snapped my fingers, the Light Ball in Exel's hand burst into bright light, and Exel looked down at it with fascination.

Luna too lifted her gaze toward Exel's glowing hand with the face of a child looking at something delightful. I watched them for a moment, then slowly opened my mouth and said,

"Time to sleep."

Whiiiiir......

With a strange sound, the surroundings were swallowed by darkness. From far away within the pitch-black dark, I heard Exel speak in bewilderment.

"What was that?"

"Ah. If you say it like that, it turns off. Remember it well. Do not forget."

"If it is something like that, I will not have to make any special effort to remember it."

I nodded toward the place where Exel had been standing just moments before and raised my hand to snap my fingers, but before I could, I heard someone else snap first, and had no choice but to lower my hand again.

Snap~

Flash! Flash! Flash! Flash!

Luna was staring at her own hand with an intrigued expression. Exel looked briefly at the brightly shining Light Ball, then grinned and said,

"Thank you. Now I will be able to read in comfort."

"Wait, come to think of it, you can see at night anyway, can you not?"

"I can see, yes. But not well enough to read small print. Besides, after reading so many books, I think my eyesight may have worsened a little. It is not to a level that satisfies me. This conversation is getting long. I will be off now. See you next time."

Exel turned his back and walked toward the door, and I followed behind him to see him out. After opening the door and stepping outside, Exel suddenly turned back and spoke to Luna, who was sitting at the table watching him.

"I am going, Luna."

"Goodbye, Exel."

Luna replied expressionlessly, and after hearing her farewell, Exel let out a small laugh, turned his head, and looked back at me.

"Tell Miss Tarsis the tea was delicious."

I gave him a grin.

"All right."

Exel gave a slight nod, turned away again, crossed the yard at once, and disappeared into the forest. The darkness swallowed his retreating figure faster than daylight ever could.

I closed the door and went back inside, and then Luna began staring at me without pause. I met her gaze, then discovered myself growing slightly self-conscious and said with an awkward little smile,

"What is it? Is there something on my face?"

"No. I was only wondering how an elf could ever end up marrying a human man like you."

At her words, I smiled faintly and sat down leaning against the beer barrel where Exel had been sitting just moments ago.

"What is supposedly wrong with me?"

"Exactly. What is wrong with Han?"