Elqueeness - Chapter 17

Fortunately, he did not press further and moved on to heal.

Thankful, I called Iale, who was in middle of another quarrel with Harol.

“Iale, can you give us a moment?”

“What do you need?”

When Iale came out, Trom-Well quickly approached her. After examining the back of her neck, he apologized sorrowfully.

“Sigh, it’s swollen. I’m sorry Iale. I was trying to control myself, but I put in too much force.”

“It’s alright. Doesn’t hurt much either. Rather, I’m thankful that you stopped me. By the way, who is this person?”

We had been traveling together for almost a month. However, Kai rarely came out of his carriage so it was hard to see his face. I too have only seen him 2 or 3 times.

Kai did not seem offended and politely introduced himself once again.

“My name is Kaitae. I am a priest in service of the God of Punishment, Elwien. May I have permission to look at your injury, my lady?”

“L..Lady?”

“My apologies. If you dislike it, how should I address you?”

But Iale strongly shook her head in refusal. Her fighting spirit now was equivalent to when she was in battle.

“No, of course not! Ohohoho~! You’re eyes are very good. Um, honorable Priest, may I ask for your name?”

“I am Kaitae. Please call me Kai..”

“Your name is just as fabulous! How old are you? You said you were Elwien’s Priest, right? My God! It is an honor to meet you, please take care of me. My name is Iale. Hohoho.”

“ …… ”

D..Does she like being called a lady that much? The Champagne Mercenaries looked on dumfounded, seeing her chat and laugh nonstop without even pausing for a breath.

Despite her monstrous skill and even more monstrous whip, Iale is still a woman.

“That witch, shouldn’t we marry her off soon? The fact that she’s so happy with being called a lady means that she’s way past the suitable age for marriage.”

Harol, who was acting like he saw something he shouldn’t have, grumbled while the other company members nodded along in agreement.

Despite the fact that Iale was making flippant remarks without pausing all the way till the end of the treatment, Kai did not seem bothered as his expression showed no sign of change. Satisfied with his work, he went back to his carriage while Iale vs. Harol round 2 began.

Iale’s future beloved may be closer than she may expect.

That night, the responsibility of being the lookout fell to the Champagne Mercenaries. So, we assigned specific times to ourselves in which we were responsible for. Starting from 9pm, the time when people start going to bed, was assigned to Sherry and Matey. From midnight to 3am was assigned to Harol, Iale, and I while 3 to 7 was given to Hosane and Trom-Well along with me.

The reason why Trom-Well and Hosane, both whom carried the most fire power, were assigned together last was because it was during this time that the Monsters often attacked. I didn’t have a specific time period, so I could join in whenever I felt like it. Compared to Isana, who was thought to be a Spirit Summoner, I had no specific talent which can be useful so I was set aside to be protected.

“El, get up, it’s our turn.”

“Hm?”

After every group finished their rounds, Trom-Well, who was the first one to wake up, cautiously shook me awake. When I opened my eyes, I saw an exhausted-looking Isana snuggle back into his bed.

It was still early in the morning so the entire surroundings was pitch black as the chirping of grasshoppers filled the air as an orchestra.

“Sorry Matthew. I was only planning on resting my eyes, but I actually fell asleep.”
“No problem. Hosane also got up just now. Let’s get to the bonfire.”

“Sounds good.”

As winter was closing in with autumn days getting fewer, dawn was colder than the night. Being a Spirit, I could not feel the cold; however, to avoid suspicion, I wrapped myself under the blanket and wobbled to the bonfire.

I could see an equally tired looking Hosane feeding branch after branch to the fire. When we got within sight, he showed us a small smile.

“Are you tired? Being the night watch is usually tiring.”

“I’m fine. What about on your side?”

“I’m used to this sort of life, so it doesn’t have much of an impact on me.”

He has been a mercenary for 15 years, starting with when he was 13 years old. His mother and father were both mercenaries, so he played more at the mercenary guild than at his own home.

Rather than associating with his peers, he preferred learning how to hunt with other mercenaries and was certain that he would follow his parent’s path. He has never regretted his decision.

“But isn’t it dangerous? You have a Gold Rank Pass, so you must get a lot of life threatening missions.”

“That’s true. But I take pride in my work. Even if you say it’s nothing more than rough life of violence, I enjoy spending time with my comrades and adventuring throughout the continent.  Even though I can’t have a genuine family, I’m fine with this lifestyle.”

Our chat halted when Trom-Well got up to inspect the proximity. I wanted to follow, but Trom-Well refused by saying that he was enough; with a look of leisure, he disappeared into the shadows.

At that moment, I noticed that Hosane was staring intently at something. When I followed his line of sight, I realized he was looking at Sherry, who was asleep and covered in a blanket.

Because his eyes were so warm, I couldn’t help but ask.

“Is that why you won’t accept her feelings?”

“Wh..What?”

As if he was caught with his hand in a cookie jar, Hosane stuttered while looking shocked. I could definitely smell something fishy… With a calm shrug, I asked again.

“You said that because you love the life of a mercenary, you won’t have a proper family. Is that why you reject Sherry? Because you can’t guarantee her a safe family?”

“It..It’s not like that..”

“Then why? She’s beautiful and has her cute sides. It doesn’t look like you dislike her either. Well, I can’t force you to have a relationship with someone you don’t have an interest in. But I would feel sorry for her if you leave her as is. The wound she receives from being rejected over and over again by the person she loves can’t be small.”

“ …… ”

At my earnest words, his foreheads wrinkled as if something was painful. Looking back at Sherry, he sighed and stroked her hair.

God, this is frustrating. He himself didn’t seem to know what to do.

“Hosane?”

“Aha, sorry. So… how should I say this? It’s not that I don’t like her. She’s charismatic and is a lovable child.”

“Then why?”

Hosane looked even more uncomfortable. I couldn’t tell whether he wanted to laugh, cry, or fly into rage. He too didn’t seem to know how he felt. Then, he suddenly gave an answer that I was not expecting.

“I’m the one who raised her as a mercenary.”

“Eh?”

“She was a small child wandering the streets after being expelled from an orphanage. I couldn’t leave her, so I took her to my home and fed her. After that, it became my responsibility to look after her. So, I taught her the Sword Arts when I had time along with skills necessary to survive in this world.

Maybe because she was talented, she learned everything quickly.

That’s why I didn’t stop her when she insisted in following me in my missions and became a Silver Ranked Mercenary. I think her accomplishments are admirable..”

“So… What does that have to do…”

“Don’t you understand? There’s an 11 year difference between our ages.”

“ !! ”

“When I first met her, she was barely 9 years old. At that time, I lived 2 years past my coming of age and was 20. El, what would you do if a girl you raised like a daughter suddenly came to you confessing her love?”

“Cough.. Uh.. I don’t think you need to think about it too deeply. A difference in 11 years is not too much. I don’t think love can be stopped by..”

I was cut off by Hosane’s glare that looked like a sharpened blade. He suddenly grasped my shoulders with his powerful hands. I could not understand what his intention was.

“H.. Hosane?”,

“Yes, I know! Of course I know. Why does age difference even matter? Sherry is a charming and beautiful woman. But, do you know El? What would others think? If I marry her, what would people say about us? What those bastards, Matey and Harol, would think?!”

“Wait, what?”

I stared wide eyed. Hosane, who had already lost his mind, took no notice. As if he had thrown away his usual calm self, he stared at me while eyeing me with shaking pupils.

“Isn’t it obvious? Do you think that they would just let it be? They would mock me to no end. Especially that bastard Matey, who has his heart stolen by Sherry and would glare at me as if he wants to kill me! I can already tell you what Harol would say!

An old fart is marrying his little girl!!!

I..

I….

I…!!!!!”

“H.. Hosane! Calm down!”

“I AM NOT A LOLI!!!” (TLN: lol) “ ……. ”

Oh my lord… So the problem was those two. Because enduring Harol and Matey’s taunting is too hard? I knew from my time here of the pain he received as a Captain due to his own men. This is why you need to select your friends carefully.

After time passed, Hosane seemed to have calmed down and his usual expression came back. But in my mind, his last words rang like an echo.

‘I’m not a loli….’

It would be harder to find a better line to express his hardships. Even though I wanted to say something to raise his spirits, nothing came out. Seeing my difficult expression, he solemnly smiled and said, ‘This is my problem, don’t worry about it too much.’ Because I realized that here was nothing I could do to help, I sighed depressingly.

But honestly, this is a problem that those two need to figure out. I could only hope that their love becomes strong enough to burn away any outside threats. But would that day truly come? Perhaps because his pride was too strong, Hosane would have trouble enduring the taunts of others. But even if he could, will he actually be able to see Sherry, whom he raised like a daughter, as his lover?

I truly wondered if such a strange couple could emerge.