Chapter 56

Chapter 56. "What the Dead Feel Toward the Dying." 16

Rene and I smiled softly at Luna’s words and went inside.

Then we went over to where Narsh was sitting and sat down roughly beside her.

When we approached, Narsh lowered her head deeply and tried not to look at us.

I smiled bitterly at Narsh’s reaction.

You do not need to feel that sorry.

However, there was another reason she had lowered her head.

If Luna had not told me the reason, I probably would have kept misunderstanding her.

“Most men think women will not feel anything when they see a man’s naked body, but that is wrong. Women are startled when they see a man undressed too.

Especially a woman with Narsh’s personality. Of course she would blush if she saw a man like you half-naked.

We elves do not have that sort of thing, though. But you really are dense. Are you not going to go put on clothes? Should I bring them for you?”

With an awkward expression, I rose from my seat and walked toward the second floor.

When I briefly looked back from the second-floor railing, Narsh glanced at me, then turned her head and seemed to exchange a few words with Rene.

Oh dear! So the problem really was me.

I went to my room, put on a thick shirt, and came back down to the first-floor hall.

When I came down, Narsh glanced at me, then turned her slightly reddened face away.

With an awkward smile on my face, I went and sat beside Rene as I said,

“I am sorry, Miss Narsh. I forgot that my clothes had been torn.”

“N-no. It is all right.”

At the sight of her, Kal, who was sitting beside Narsh, let out a long sigh.

Instead of launching into a lengthy scolding at Narsh, he simply asked,

“My lady. Are you hurt anywhere?”

“Ah, yes. I am not. Please do not worry.”

Narsh said that with a smile.

Kal looked at her, let out a small sigh, then smiled faintly and nodded.

At that moment, Narsh looked a little curiously toward the door and opened her mouth.

“Ah? What about Mr. Jeff?”

“He said he would watch you.”

At Rene’s words, Narsh tilted her head.

“Yes?”

I looked at her face for a moment, then turned my head, looked around, and said,

“Wait, where is Karina? I do not see her.”

“If you mean them, a male Huria came around evening and took them with him. I believe he said they were being sent east to search for someone?”

Ah, yes. They said they were being sent east.

Jimant briefly lowered the block of wood in his hands, turned his head toward us, and said,

“What exactly is going on? Is this something I should worry about, or something I do not need to worry about?”

Luna slowly approached him, tapped Jimant’s shoulder, and said,

“If you know, it will bother you so much that you will not be able to sleep tonight, but if you do not know, that is the end of it. So it is something you do not need to worry about, old man. And when was it that I told you to go back? Why are you still here? Why are you camping out here?”

“I cannot go back until I finish making this, you little brat.”

“Really? Then go upstairs and make it. Before you stay here for no reason, hear something else, and lose another night’s sleep.”

Jimant looked at us and Luna for a moment, then shrugged and stood up.

Then he took the block of wood and slowly walked toward the stairs as he said,

“It seems you have something important to discuss, so I will go upstairs now.”

Luna handed him the bottle of rum she was holding as he was about to go up.

At that, Jimant accepted it, smiled faintly, and went up to the second floor.

“Where did you learn this sort of thing?”

“From humans.”

At her words, Jimant smiled bitterly, waved the bottle of rum he was holding at Luna, then turned his back and walked down the second-floor corridor into his room.

When the sound of the door closing reached us, Luna pretended to dust off her hands, and we gave her bitter smiles.

I feel a little sorry for Jimant, but she removed all the distractions for us. Thank you, Luna.

Rene, who had been smiling faintly at Luna’s actions, now turned her head and looked at Narsh.

“Miss Narsh? Where is the Dragon Heart?”

“Yes. Here.”

Narsh seemed to hesitate a little, but she carefully took out a long red crystal-like object from the inner pocket of her jacket and placed it on the table.

When Luna saw it, she said with an indifferent face,

“So that was it? That is the Dragon Heart?”

“Yes. This is the Dragon Heart. And there is something I must tell you, Miss Narsh.”

At Rene’s words, Narsh turned her head and looked at her.

I gave a small smile to Luna, who was quietly watching that, then turned my head and looked at Rene as she was about to speak.

“Please listen carefully to what I am about to say. It concerns this Dragon Heart. Long ago, an aged dragon flew here. He drew his last breath in this place.

And he left words that could be called his final will to those Lizard Men and Huria. He told them to protect his body from those tainted by desire.

If they failed to do so, he said he would rise. After hearing his words, they made that promise, and received a small price in exchange.

And the story after that is just as it is now. Miss Narsh, I am sorry. This must be returned to its original owner.

If he awakens in anger because a part of his body was taken, those who live here will be terribly saddened. After all, there is probably nothing as sad as losing one’s home and family to the disaster he might bring.”

After hearing Rene’s words, Narsh’s face immediately flushed bright red.

She lowered her head without being able to say anything. Then, slowly, she raised it again.

We could see how Narsh cried.

Narsh slowly turned her head, tightly grasped the Dragon Heart on the table, and held it out to Rene with both hands.

“I-I am sorry. I did not know that… Um, th-this, what should we do with this now? I-I…”

Instead of accepting what Narsh held out, Rene slowly raised her hands and warmly wrapped her in an embrace.

At first, Narsh looked as though she was about to cry, but once Rene held her, she buried her face in Rene’s chest and began weeping.

She cried so sorrowfully.

Because her last hope had been shattered.

Like that, Narsh clutched the Dragon Heart tightly to her chest and cried like a child in Rene’s arms.

Luna, who had been quietly watching the two of them, shrugged and came to stand beside me.

She glanced at the crying Narsh and Rene, who was holding her, then said in passing,

“That is a relief.”

“Ah.”

“But what are you going to do now?”

“What do you mean?”

At my words, Luna looked at the clock hanging on the wall and said,

“It is one in the morning now. They said it had to be done by morning, but we do not know the exact time it has to be brought back, do we?”

“If, it, is, returned, before, the, morning, sun, rises, that, will, be, enough.”

Just as I was about to answer her, the door suddenly opened, and Aruma came inside, saying that to Luna in my place.

I thought he had gone east to search for Narsh?

When Kal saw him enter, he turned his head away from Narsh and looked at Aruma.

Aruma closed the door he had opened with a broad grin and said,

“Do, not, be, so, surprised. I, did, not, go. I, waited, until, the, woman, came, here.”

“You knew Narsh would come back?”

“That, is, right, dark, elf. When, there, is, a, fixed, place, to, return, to, I, thought, there, was, no, need, to, trouble, myself, searching. And, even, if, I, was, wrong, the, others, of, my, clan, were, there, so, there, was, nothing, to, lose, was, there?”

Is that really something coming from a Lizard Man’s mouth?

As Kan said, he really does seem like future chieftain material.

Aruma slowly walked toward us.

Then, when he saw the fireplace where firewood was still burning, he sat down in front of it, brought his palms close to the fire, and said,

“It, winter, now. It, was, cold. I, believe, you, said, your, name, was, Han? From, now, on, I, will, take, that, and, go, to, the, king. You, all, wait, here.”

I tilted my head as I watched Aruma shove the soles of his feet into the fireplace.

“Wait, Aruma. You are saying you will go?”

Aruma now spun his body around, brought his back close to the fireplace, looked at me, and said,

“Then, whom, should, I, ask? Should, I, ask, a, human, whose, night, vision, is, poor, or, should, I, ask, a, sluggish, elf?”

I do not know about anything else, but a sluggish elf?

Just as I was about to protest, Kal thankfully spoke in my place.

He looked at Aruma, who had turned his body around and was bringing his stomach close to the fireplace again, and said,

“I was under the impression that there was nothing faster than an elf in the forest. Was I mistaken?”

“That, is, right. You, were, mistaken. In, the, forest, the, one, faster, than, an, elf, is, a, Lizard, Man. Is, that, not, so, Rene?”

Huh? This guy does not stutter when he says Rene?

In any case, at his words, Rene, who had still been looking at the crying Narsh, glanced back and nodded slightly.

When Kal saw that, he shut his mouth tightly, and Aruma smiled softly.

Then, perhaps because his body had warmed up a little, he rose from his seat and held out his hand to me.

“Hurry, and, give, me, the, King’s, Heart. I, must, leave, now.”

At his words, Kal and I turned our heads and looked at Narsh, who was crying in Rene’s arms.

Perhaps she felt our gazes, because she lightly pushed Rene away with both hands and rose from her seat.

Her face was a mess from her tears, but she wiped her eyes and cheeks with her sleeve and slowly approached Aruma.

Aruma crossed his arms and looked at Narsh in that state, then bared his teeth and said,

“You, look, terrible, human. Try, smiling. A, smiling, face, suits, humans, better.”

After hearing the most human words from a Lizard Man, Narsh smiled faintly while wiping her tears.

Seeing that, Aruma bared his teeth and smiled back, then held out his hand to her.

“I, will, take, back, the, King’s, Heart. And, I, will, ask, you, about, your, wrongdoing, later, so, you, had, better, prepare, yourselves.”

At his words, neither Kal nor Narsh showed any change in expression.

What strange people. Are they admitting their wrongs?

Narsh quietly looked at the Dragon Heart in her hand, then smiled softly and placed it in Aruma’s hand as she said,

“I am sorry. I acknowledge my wrongdoing. I apologize.”

“Saying, you, are, sorry, with, words, alone, does, not, make, it, end. Those, are, the, words, of, elves. Remember, that.”

That is the same thing Rene said to me…

When I unconsciously turned my head, Rene was staring straight at me.

Of course, I hurriedly turned my head back again, but I felt as though the back of my head was being pierced.

Hahaha! Ugh!

After saying that, Aruma glanced once at the Dragon Heart in his hand.

Then he nodded, put it into the pouch hanging at his waist, and tied the pouch tightly with a cord.

“Good. You, all, wait, here.”

With that, he turned his head and tried to leave.

At that moment, Luna came out of the kitchen holding something like a liquor bottle and said,

“Wait. Drink this before you go.”

“SCREEEEEEEEEECH!!!”

WHOOSH, WHOOSH, WHOOSH~!!

“What did you give Aruma?”

“Luna’s special stimulant. But I did not know the effect would be that incredible?”

Luna and I talked while watching the Lizard Man’s back as he sprinted madly toward the forest.

Please, I hope nothing happens.

“There will not be any side effects, will there?”

“There are none. That is just a simple stimulant made stronger. Once he drinks it, he will not collapse until he finishes what he intends to do. Depending on how you look at it, you could call it a kind of narcotic.”

“You fed him something like that?”

At that, Luna shrugged with a face that said, What of it? Then she turned and walked into the hall as she said,

“You said it was urgent. I live here too, so I have to do what I can. And drinking that will not harm his body that much. He will just use power beyond his limit and be unable to get up for a few days.”

I watched Luna walk away as she said that, then turned my head and looked into the forest where Aruma had gone.

Mm. I really hope nothing happens.

Thinking that, I turned back toward the hall.

In the hall, Narsh was being led by Luna down to the underground bath.

Rene was coming down from the second floor with clothes for them to change into.

I looked at her and said,

“Are you going to bathe?”

“Yes. Sitting quietly in the hall and waiting will not solve anything, so we should at least clear our heads. Will you join us?”

I raised both hands and waved them at her words.

Honey, mixed bathing with men and women is one thing when it is just you and me, but when we even have guests right now…

“No, I am fine. I will bathe later. You go in first.”

“Mm, is that so? All right.”

She said that and stepped onto the stairs leading down to the underground bath.

I received a slightly envious gaze from Kal, who was drinking tea at the table.

When I approached, he erased that gaze and spoke seriously.

“Will it be all right?”

“Yes. It should be all right. He will not have any ulterior motives, and from here to the place where the king is, it only takes two hours on foot. Unless something unexpected happens, there should be no problem.”

At my words, Kal let out a small sigh and lowered his head to me.

“I am sorry.”

“It is all right. More than that, I am curious. What kind of existence is Miss Narsh to you that you would go this far? From what I have heard, it seems you work as the butler at the place where Miss Narsh lives.”

However, Kal only smiled bitterly and said nothing else.

Then, when I returned with something to drink, Kal looked at the table and quietly opened his mouth.

“I lost my wife and my six-year-old daughter to a plague. Have you ever seen a child smile at her useless father while dying? There is nothing that makes a person feel his own powerlessness more than that.

In the end, my wife and daughter died, and I alone survived and wandered from place to place. Half mad, you could say.

Then I happened to save a little child who was nearly struck by a carriage, and that was Narsh. She resembled my dead daughter. Not exactly, of course, but her atmosphere and appearance were very similar.

That was why I asked Count Imid, Narsh’s biological father, to let me enter his mansion as a servant. The count was a kind man, so he accepted me.

That is how I eventually became the butler. From that time on, I took care of my lady. The busy count often came home late at night, and Lady Narsh would always sit on my lap while I organized the account books, nodding off as she waited for the count. Those were the happiest days.

Then, after more than ten years passed, I heard that Lady Narsh had contracted a fatal illness, and I gnashed my teeth. I could not bear to see the smile of a dying daughter a second time. That was why I came here.

But… this does not seem to be going well either. That is all. It sounds like some old tale, does it not? Of course, whether you believe it is your freedom, Mr. Han, but none of it is made up.”

I smiled softly at him, sat down, and drank the tea I had brought.

Good grief. He truly is a thief one cannot hate.

After taking a sip of tea, I placed the cup back on the table and said,

“Does Miss Narsh know this story?”

“I did not tell her, but she probably knows.”

“I see. And nothing will be solved by sitting still like this and waiting. Why not get some rest? You look exhausted.”

At my words, Kal smiled bitterly and nodded.

He rose from his seat and said,

“Then I will go upstairs and sleep for a while. Please wake me at dawn.”

“Yes. I will.”

He nodded, then went upstairs with heavy steps.

I watched his back and drained the remaining tea in one gulp.

Please, I beg you, let us greet the same ordinary morning tomorrow.

---

Around dawn the next day.

I had stayed up all night in the hall, then accidentally dozed off, but I woke when I heard a strange sound.

When I listened carefully, that sound was growing louder and louder.

What is that sound?!

KABOOM!! KRAAASH!! THOOOM!!

A moment later, the sound strangely stopped the moment I rose from my seat, and the quiet atmosphere of dawn returned.

Was it a dream? No. That cannot be.

No way?

Suppressing the strange feeling in my chest, I approached the door, grasped the handle, and pushed it open.

There was nothing.

Only the ordinary scenery outside the house, filled with a slightly bluish dawn light.

At least, that was the case until something enormous descended from above and breathed its foul breath onto me.

“Grrrrrrrrrr.”