Chapter 24 - Volume 1 (2/2)

「There is one, only one person I allow to call me that.」

Yulifalet’s green eyes blinked in surprise at the words in his beautiful, low voice. On the other hand, Alhelm’s reddish brown eyes sparkled as if he’d just heard something interesting.

「Huuuh? What the hell, you got someone like that? Man, you’re so distant. Say things like that sooner!」

「…………」

「Oi, is she the beautiful type? Or is she the cute type…….?!」

Agedilus’s elbow met Alhelm’s stomach with a magnificent thud. Ignoring Alhelm as he doubled over, falling to the floor, Agedilus glared at Yulifalet as if to say, ‘there’s nothing more to say here.’ And then, Agedilus walked away to his bedroom.

Left in the room was Yulifalet, dumbfounded, Alhelm who was still groaning from the pain, and Clementine, who looked like she was about to burst into laughter any second.

「Yulifalet, there’s nothing to worry about. You just ended up invoking Agedilus’s wrath a little bit.」

Clementine finally burst into laughter, giggling. Yulifalet dropped his shoulders at her words. He’d finally felt like he’d been promoted to (temporary) friend, but now it seemed like he’d been demoted again. He felt miserable as he thought about it. Clementine’s words hadn’t supported him at all either.

「‘Invoked his wrath’… That doesn’t make me feel better at all.」

「Is that so? But it’s the truth. What happened earlier wasn’t your fault. If I had to say, it was just Agedilus who was being narrow-minded. But everything’s going to go back to normal tomorrow, right?」

‘So just leave it be,’ she easily settled it away with those words, uncharacteristically calm for her age. Yulifalet scratched his cheek, muttering a few words.

「……I wonder if the person Agedilus was talking about was his fiancée.」

「Oh, you knew?」

「Ah, so it really was about her.」

Just one person, who’d melted away his icey, night fairy-like beauty. That was Agedilus’s fiancée, who Yulifalet never met before. Just what kind of person was she like? Yulifalet couldn’t even imagine her. The woman who could stand beside Agedilus. Just how brave and beautiful would that heroine be? Just trying to imagine her was terrifying.

「What could she be like, huh?」

「Well, who knows? I’ve only heard things about her too.」

Clementine spoke smoothly, but Yulifalet actually wanted her to at least tell him even the little she’d heard. To repeat, this was about Agedilus’s fiancée. Anyone who wasn’t curious about that was crazy. Thinking that, Yulifalet was about to ask Clementine when a strong hand grasped his foot.

「Huh—?!」

Yulifalet raised his voice in surprise. Bitterly glaring up at him was Alhelm, crouching on the floor.

「……You guys, at least worry about me a little!」

「Eh—sorry, does it still hurt?」

「You got what you deserved. You’re a knight, your body is your strength. How can you start screaming over one elbow from a wizard in the first place?」

「You guys are really too harsh on me!」

‘That bastard,’ Alhelm muttered, unsteadily standing up. Watching that, Clementine and Yulifalet exchanged glances, smiling.

——It’s fine as long as I find out ‘someday’, surely after this journey ends.

Yulifalet thought that. It was fine, as long as he could get a glimpse of this woman, who was the only one for Agedilus. If possible, maybe even be friends. He couldn’t help thinking that would make him so happy. Although Agedilus unfortunately wouldn’t be pleased. But even so, the distance between them would certainly shrink even more, surely, once he got to meet Agedilus’s fiancée. That’s what Yulifalet believed.

For the time being, it was a huge step forward that Agedilus was now able to bare his emotions like that. As he thought that, Yulifalet too went to Agedilus’s bedroom.

Agedilus had already fallen asleep, his bed by the window. In the beginning of the journey, he’d fall asleep with his wizard robe’s hood still on. But now, he slept with his black hair freely exposed.

Yes, Yulifalet really had been able to become (temporary) friends with him. Agedilus trusted him just a little. ‘Now, I just have to keep trying my best so I can get rid of the (temporary) part,’ he decided in his heart.

But at that moment, Yulifalet didn’t realize that this would become the main reason for what about to happen in the near future.