Elqueeness – Chapter 32

Harold opened his eyes in the evening next day. His body had completely healed, but the mental shock from the pain must have been tremendous. It seemed like he wouldn’t wake up, but once he showed signs of waking up, everyone couldn’t hide the joy from their face.

However, once the actual person woke up, he couldn’t tell if this was reality or not. He was a mercenary, who had fought for his life throughout his rough life, and he knew the wound he suffered would be difficult to heal.

“…this, is it a dream?”

He mumbled with a blank expression. When he met eyes with each of his party members, he yelled out in fright.

“What happened, you guys! You couldn’t beat only two monsters, so you all died~!”

“Huh? What nonsense are you spouting?”

“If not, then why are you all here! Ah ah, that’s right. Those bastards was a little bit too strong. I understand why you all died. Let’s just leave it at that… Let’s talk about the most important thing. Is this heaven or hell?”

“ ……. ”

He didn’t suspect a thing, and he asked the question with a serious expression. Everyone couldn’t help hide their dismay. Somehow, they felt their administration and worry was all for naught? Harold still didn’t realize this was reality. When he met my eyes, his complexion turned bright. Then he saw Irial, and he made an expression filled with disappointment.

“Chet… I thought this was heave since El was here, but I’m really in hell…”

“…you want to die?”

He had ardently confessed his feelings not too long ago, but now he said he was in hell. No one knew which words held Harold’s true feeling. He probably wouldn’t make a false confession, while he was on his death bed. Would he? Irial was taken aback, and her expression had become menacing. Harold took pleasure in this, and he started to shake his head.

“Huk. I, I didn’t mean it like that. How should I say this… I was hoping you were alive?”

“ …? ”

“Are you an idiot? Don’t you pay attention to my words? I’d be happier if the person I love was still alive. If you are here, then my defense of you was in vain. Every time I see you my heart would ache. So, of course, where else would this be except hell?”

“How, how can say such a thing!!”

Oh oh. The haughty face of Irial had turned bright red, and she was embarrassed. When one saw her like this, it seemed she did have some interest in Harold. Everyone was starting to snicker. It was about time to put some sense into him. She didn’t hesitate to swing her fist toward the back of Harold’s head, who was still making a dumb expression.
As a matter of fact, he was still unable to grasp the situation, so it was par for course for him to be frightened.

“Ooh-ahhhhk- What are you doing! It hurts!”

“Ho-oh? It hurts? You are complaining a lot for a soul? ”

“Eh-eng? Uh? Now…now that I think about it. Does a soul feel pain?”

As an experienced person, the correct answer was ‘no’. Even if one ran into a wall, there won’t be any sensation. It was more likely that one would pass through the wall, and one would arrive on the other side. Ah, would it hurt if two souls collided? As I was thinking about an unimportant question, the party members started rebuking Harold.

“Hey, you dumb ass! Are you trying to write a novel~! Why would you be dead?”

“Huh? Then, maybe I… I didn’t die?”

“That’s right. Can’t you even tell? You don’t have a single wound on your body. You are unscathed!”

“Eh-eng?” (TLN: Huh? or W-what?)

As if he just thought about his wounds, Harold started looking around his body for the wounds made by the monster’s strong teeth and claws. He had been healed perfectly, so bandages were unnecessary. Moreover, he didn’t feel any pain, so it was still hard for him to accept the situation. After he carefully looked over his body, he once again had a dumbfounded expression. Then he mumbled.

“Then maybe… Was the fight with the monster a dream?”

“…get a hold of yourself, man. How come your head only think in that vein? Why can’t you think about the possibility that you had been healed?”

“Oh oh, I’m healed? Ah-ha~ Now that I think about it, we have Mr. Kaitein!”

As if he had finally gotten the grasp of the situation, his expression turned bright. However, the party’s was still ruthless this time around. They clicked their tongue. When Harold looked at Sherry, she pointed at me with a coy expression.

“The preserver of your life is over there. Go ahead and thank him, Harold.”

“Huh? To El?”

“Yes. El healed you, Harold. Well, could you believe he completely kept us in the dark that he was a priest? He has amazing holy powers, which even surprised Mr. Kaitein. Any ways, you would be dead if it wasn’t for El. Hurry up, and say thank you.”

“Ah-haha…”

Harold made a surprised expression at her words. I laughed awkwardly. I didn’t do it to be thanked, so I was really embarrassed by the current atmosphere. They didn’t need to call me with such grandiose title as preserver of life. I was taken aback, so I halting opened my mouth to make an excuse.

“No, truthfully… Mr. Kai had already done a good job dealing with the first aid in the early stages. I wouldn’t say it was entirely my effort. Any ways, how are you feeling, Harold? Are you hurting anywhere?”

“Ah… None at all. Instead, I feel quite refreshed. Are you really a priest? Which temple? If you have a healing ability, then aren’t you a high ranking priest?”

Of course, how could I open my mouth, and say ‘You are right. I’m a high ranking priest!’ Even if I didn’t, I still felt guilty about it. Once he started to ask specific questions, I didn’t know what expression I should make towards the eyes filled with curiosity. I was in a sticky situation. The one who saved me was Tromwell. He had become the pillar I could lean on in any emergency situation.

” Now now. You almost died, so you must have a lot of things to say? Why don’t we leave, so they can talk?”

“Ah..! That, that’s right! Jeez!”

“Oh, now that I think about it, aren’t we being tactless? Ho ho, good luck you two!”

“Huh? What.. You, You guys! What are you thinking about!”

Irial realized their intentions, so she yelled in an astonished voice. However, the party including me was vacating the room hurriedly . She tried to grab at them from astonishment, but it lasted only for a moment. From behind her back, she heard a serious voice. She eventually turned around with a hesitant expression.

“I have something to say, Irial. Wouldn’t it be better to let them leave? You might be embarrassed if they heard our conversation?”

“ ……. ”

It seemed like nothing would derail him from what he set his sight on after his confession. At the bold statement, Matthew left with a large smile, and Hosane frowned a little bit. He wanted to watch him squirm, but he felt vexed when Harold was acting calm. It especially made Hosane lament since Sherry hadn’t accepted his feelings, because of him. He(TLN:Harold) had gotten in the way someone else’s courtship, yet he was in a pretty good situation.

The two of them were left in the room, and everyone dispersed to take care of their own business…it would have been great if that happened. However, everyone’s mischievous nature wouldn’t allow them to do that. They opened the door slightly, and they started to look into the room. Indeed, they were people hardened through battle, so they were used to killing their sense of presence, and they calmed their breaths.

“ ……. ”

“ ……. ”

When Irial and Harold was left in the room by themselves, they didn’t speak for a while. It seemed like they didn’t know what to say. Unlike how they normally acted, they were trying to read each other’s countenance. Finally, as if Harold had given up, he started speaking in a feisty voice. It broke the awkward atmosphere in a single breath.

“Eh-it. It has already progressed this far- Let’s go out, Irial.”

“What, what did you say? Are you crazy?”

“Why not? It isn’t like you have a lover. If it isn’t me, who would look at a witch like you? It is a world where staying alive is already difficult. Do you think it would be easy to find a mercenary who would jump in front of a monster for a woman? You lucked out.”

“D, don’t kid yourself!”

Her pride was still strong, so she wouldn’t easily fall over from words like that. The conversation naturally turned into an argument.

“What is it? Where do I fall short?”

“Do you think you are perfect? Aren’t you dreaming too big? Or are you looking down on me? Do I look like a woman who’ll jump into your arm in fright just from the fact that you gave up your life?”

“When did I say that? It just means my love for you is very noble and pure. Why can’t you understand that?”

“Yes! I can’t understand it! Tell me a good reason why I should date you! Why are you so crooked? You never shown a single interest in me until now! ”

When she sharply retorted, Harold started scratching his head vigorously in anger. Then he sullenly confessed an unexpected truth.

“What could I do? You hated me so much. Do you think I liked showing my angry self? I just thought if I stayed put, you would at least treat me like a comrade.”

“Ho-oh, is that right? So, you felt cheated when you were about to die? You thought that was a good time to confess? If so, the only thing I can say is you are a very selfish bastard. What would I do if you died in that state? Did you want me to live my whole life feeling guilty?”

“Ooh-shee-(TLN: arghh) That’s right. I was hoping you would remember me. Is that a problem?”

“….what?”

Now the one who was at a loss for words was Irial. Harold had given up everything, even his pride. It was surprising he was able to hide his feeling for this long. He pushed forward in an oppressive manner.

“Did you finally realize I’m a selfish bastard? I don’t want all the years I loved you to be a waste, and I just wanted you to acknowledge me. Is that a big problem? At the end, I can’t confess that I like you? Truthfully, I agonized over it. I wondered if it was a good thing to say! However, when I thought about you living happily with some bastard in the future, my insides churned! What can I do!”

“ ……. ”

“But I’m still alive? Now that I am alive, I can’t throw away this opportunity, so I’m making this frantic effort! How can you not see that? This occupation of being a mercenary makes it uncertain when one would cross the road into the afterlife. Before that can happen, I want to date a woman. Is that so unreasonable!”

“What, what are you saying!”

Irial’s face had became red hot, and she tried to hold herself back. Harold didn’t allow her to do so. Since it had progressed this far, it seemed like he wanted to see it through to the end. His endlessly chattering mouth didn’t show any signs of stopping.

“You said you wanted a good reason to date me? Is that something you should say to someone who gave his life to you, and saved you? How can you be so cruel, Irial? Yes, I can promise one thing for sure! If you and I marry, we’ll have a kid!”

“What?”

Why is he suddenly talking about kids? Irial and even the people peeking through the doorway couldn’t hide their feeling of absurdity. Harold boldly pushed out his chest, then he proudly pointed towards his face.

“Now think of a child with this face! The child can’t help but not be cute, right? Therefore, your chronic disease won’t affect the ugly children, and they’ll be fine! Don’t worry. Even if you have some malignant genetic disease that was passed down the generations, the child with my blood won’t be able to escape this face! So, aren’t you attracted to me?”

“ ……. ”

…cough. It’s too pathetic, Harold. I felt bad that I couldn’t tell him this sentiment. I never thought he would try to tell her such a nonsensical reason. When he saw this, Matey brought a handkerchief to his eyes. His face was very sympathetic as he mumbled.

“Koo-hook, that poor bastard. He didn’t have any decent reasons to tell her…”

“No, isn’t it a real practical problem for Irial? I think she is considerably attracted to him. Maybe.”

“Kek kek kek…”

” ……. ”

Maybe Irial really did worry about such problems… The conversation was strangely cogent. I looked through the door with a pensive expression, and I started to focus on what was happening again. At that moment, Harold started to speak again, while Irial was frozen.

“There is another reason! There aren’t anyone who could endure your nagging like me, and you won’t find someone you will be able to argue with! Is that enough of a reason to live our whole lives together? Would you be ok if I married some other woman right now? Don’t regret it later! Grab me, while I’m hanging onto you!”

After saying this, Harold extended both his arm. He was lying on the bed with the blanket covering half of his body. He looked shabby, but his pose was very bold.

“There is a time and place to put up your pride, you stubborn lady. Do you think it is common to find a man who would cling onto you like this? I’ve already thrown away my life. I’ve thrown away my pride for you. I’m willing to throw it all away for you, so why are you trying to push me away?”

“ ……. ”

“ Come here. ”

“ ……. ”

A surprising event happened next. Irial, who had stood in place rigidly until now, made a conflicted expression then she started to slowly walk toward Harold. I expected her to approach him, and throw an uppercut. However, she fell into Harold’s arms without any hesitation. She hugged Harold’s neck, and she held her breath.

It was the same for the other party members, who were looking on. It was as if they had all taken some kind of blow, and they made a complex expression. Then everyone started to laugh despondently.

“Huh Huh Huh.. Maybe Irial also has a place in her heart for Harold…?”

“This is driving me nuts. We’ve gone through some rare experiences today. Huh Huh Huh… Is this basically the witch and her servant?”

“… wonderful…”

The last word was mumbled by none other than Sherry. My word. Why do women become moved by watching such things? No matter how I thought about it, I couldn’t understand this phenomenon. Moreover, if one objectively thought about the words Harold used to persuade her, didn’t he say words that didn’t set the mood? How in the world was he able to woo a woman by saying he’ll make her have ugly children!

The two were hugging each other tight, and they started kissing. I was embarrassed, so I turned my gaze. However, the other party members watched until the end with a smile on their faces. Truthfully, they wanted to barge in and whistle at them. They held back since they were afraid of the whip around Irial’s waist. After watching the scene of affection for a while, Hosane mumbled in a dejected voice.

“This, this…Harold that bastard is going to go past me.”

“Heh-eh? Why, are you jealous? Kek kek.”

“No… Well…”

As he said this, he secretly glanced towards Sherry, who had a weird expression of regret. In the end, he couldn’t bring forth his courage. It seemed like the 11 year age difference was acting as a deterrent. I couldn’t take it any more. I spoke in a low voice so only Hosane could hear it.

“Only those with the courage earn the beauty. Don’t you know that?”

“…Huh?”

“Look carefully at Harold. He clung to her after throwing away his pride for love. Now look at the result.”

“ ……. ”

It made one have goosebumps, but one couldn’t help but be a little bit jealous. Maybe this event would spur Hosane to be more opportunistic. I smirked, then I tried to fan the flame a little more. I mumbled in a low voice.

” As you take more time, the wall between Sherry and you will become thicker. If you pursue her after the age of 30, then you’ll be called a robber.” (TLN: i.e. cradle robber)

“…cough.”

I sent him a gaze that said, “you have to get her while you are still in your 20s!” When he saw this, he became bewildered, but I could seem him think this through in earnest. In two days, he will be 30 years old. From his perspective, my words resonated deeply within his bones.