Chapter 111: The Impoverished Viscount’s Second Son Chases After Her Eyes 12
*
Alright, everyone.
Here’s a question for you.
What kind of face should a man make when the woman he likes carries him princess-style?
I couldn’t help but harbor serious doubts about the depth of my own sin as I found myself rejoicing.
Erika, holding me princess-style, skidded to a halt, her soles digging into the ground to kill her momentum.
What a shame. If only I could have seen it from a third-person perspective, Erika must have looked incredibly cool. Unfortunately, since I was the one being carried, it detracted from the aesthetic appeal.
Before the questions that should have naturally arisen could surface, words escaped my lips regarding my own thoughts.
“Even I think my sin runs deep.”
Erika looked down at me, held princess-style with my arms up in a ‘banzai’ pose, and for some reason, nodded.
“What a coincidence. I, too, have recently become aware of the depth of my own sin.”
She smiled as she gently lowered me to the ground.
“However, well, I suppose the depth of one’s sin can also be a good thing. Right now, or rather, just now, I’ve managed to shake it off.”
As always, Erika is amazing.
While I can only tremble in fear at the depth of my own sin, she resolved hers in an instant.
Though I have no idea what sin she’s talking about.
“I’ll strive to become like that too.”
Excuse me for a moment.
Saying that to Erika, I removed my mask and vomited the blood that had pooled in my stomach onto the ground.
A small pool of blood formed on the earth.
“Don’t you think it’s problematic for a husband to fall apart the moment I take my eyes off him?”
“It’s surprisingly fun once you get used to it,” I retorted lightly to the exasperated Erika.
Incidentally, I was surprised myself at how much blood there was; it was more than I expected.
“Calling that ‘typical’ is stretching the bravado a bit thin, My Lord.”
Saying so, Erika placed her hand on my chest and cast Healing Magic.
The minor injuries I had put off dealing with began to heal.
Huh? Why is that? My wounds are closing, but my chest still aches?
Seeing us, Shara was shouting something, but I ignored her.
*
I had a mountain of questions, but I asked the one I wanted to know most.
“Did anything happen while I was gone?”
I was mainly asking how many Assailants had been defeated.
“Nothing in particular.”
Hearing Erika’s answer, I felt relieved that nothing had happened.
Though, seeing Shara tilting her head dramatically behind her, perhaps there were some enemies not even worth counting.
Well, that’s a relief.
“So, why are you here?”
I asked the second question I wanted to know.
Incidentally, the third was, “Were you perhaps lonely, or maybe not lonely, or something like that?” so it would likely never be asked in my lifetime.
“Allow me to explain that.”
The one who began speaking was Shara.
“Adventurer Shin Longdagger-san, there is a designated request from the Church and Margrave Makikomarkrow.”
Beneath my mask, my face twisted into a deep frown.
*
Shara looks like a Sister, but inside, she’s closer to us.
She’s the type to try and fight for the Villagers even with bones sticking out of her stomach, and she has the mindset to dismiss a Majin before her with a simple “Gross.”
Her abilities are also quite similar to ours.
A member of the Church capable of using Physical Enhancement at Rank 6 strength, especially one around our age, is exceedingly rare.
The contents Shara rapidly recounted using that Physical Enhancement were truly infuriating.
“So, they requested that Erika and I delay the Blackened Jewelhead Dragon, but since I was absent, Erika and Shara came alone?”
“We are aware that it is an unreasonable request.”
Shara’s face was serious as she replied, and since she herself had come along, she was also risking her life.
Although we happened to meet by chance, the original plan was for Erika and Shara to fight the Blackened Jewelhead Dragon alone.
I couldn’t imagine Erika falling behind against a Jewelhead Dragon that had only recently undergone Blackening, but for Shara, it was more than enough of a death trap.
But well, even so, it was infuriating.
Especially regarding the Church, various thoughts came to mind.
Even if they were to use us, asking for a favor with the same mouths that told Erika to die was laughable.
If they thought Erika wouldn’t refuse because of the Demon Realm incident, then I’d have to teach them where they miscalculated somewhere along the line.
As I wasted precious time earned by my female disciple (Elza) lost in thought, Shara watched me with a serious expression.
What answer would be best for Erika? I pondered.
“Doesn’t it sound fun?”
Flames seemed to caress my ear as she spoke in a genuinely delighted voice.
“No, that’s not quite right. Perhaps I should say, meeting up with you has made it fun.”
Eyes brimming with confidence, bordering on insolence, pierced through me.
My heart, which had forgotten to race amidst the sudden developments, tumbled inside my chest.
“Let us slaughter it together, you and I. Let us correct the miscalculation of those who dared依頼 request us to merely delay it.”
Erika gently offered her hand to me.
As if waiting for an invitation to a Dance.
“Much less, if they were to make a request, it should have been for Subjugation.”
Behind us, Shara yelled, “What is this couple saying?!” but I ignored her.
Because my rational self was nodding that taking her hand was the obvious choice, while I desperately wrestled down the Greedy Me that was rolling around in joy, trying to grab her hand.
To Erika, who didn’t doubt her hand would be taken, I said,
“I’m sorry, Erika.”
Erika tilted her head at my apology.
“I don’t need your help.”
Erika Solntsalri faltered.
*
“May I ask the reason?”
Her voice implicitly stated that not answering would not be permitted.
The momentary glimpse I caught of Erika faltering must have been an illusion.
What resided in her eyes now was a strong anger, one that wouldn’t forgive an unsatisfactory answer.
I understood the anger Erika held well.
If it were me, I’d be angry. If someone told me not to interfere when facing a rare Monster, I would definitely be angry.
Even knowing that, I couldn’t borrow Erika’s hand.
“I can’t tell you the reason. But even if I borrow anyone else’s help to defeat that thing, I cannot borrow yours alone.”
“Cannot… you say.”
I felt an impulse close to despair as her outstretched hand seemed to move further away.
Erika brought her offered right hand towards her chest, cradling it with her left.
Hoping that action wasn’t her restraining the right hand that looked ready to strike me, I continued speaking.
“It might be a trivial obsession, but I can’t do it. I can’t let it go.”
“Does that mean… defeating that Dragon is your objective this time?”
As I nodded, Erika sighed.
“I see. I don’t understand your objective… but if that’s the case, then not being able to borrow my hand alone, well, that does sound like your way of thinking.”
Considering the relationship between her and myself.
Erika added a cryptic phrase while smiling.
Is it just my imagination that her face looks terribly lonely?
Feeling a premonition that I was making a crucial mistake, my mouth wouldn’t stop.
“It’s always like this. The more trivial something is, the harder it is to let go.”
The words that tumbled out were undeniably my true feelings, and I couldn’t help but give a wry smile.
Making Erika wear such an expression, only for the words that come out to be about not being able to abandon a trivial obsession… even I doubted my own sanity.
Still, I couldn’t borrow her hand for the ring I intended to give her.
A strange sense of resignation formed a smile on my face.
“Making that kind of face is unfair, you know? My Lord.”
Erika laughed, her expression clearly different from before.
“Yes, well, that’s true. Even I think my sin runs deep, but…”
Erika hesitated for a moment.
“I find that part of you… l-l—likable.”
Alright! From now on, I’ll live my life obsessed only with trivial things.
Like, when using a fork and knife, always pick up the fork first.
“If that is the case, then let me say it to you again. Good luck in battle.”
Okay, let’s kill it. Let’s kill it right now.
So what if its head grows back?
Yeah, mince it. Mince it to pieces.
That damn Dragon, making me wait so long just because it turns into some jewels. Seconds, I tell you, seconds. I’ll kill it in seconds.
—And yet, I stopped my body, which felt ready to fly off at any moment.
“It feels wrong saying this after everything, but could I ask you one favor?”
“What might that be?”
I could feel my face flush, aware that I was about to say something convenient for myself.
“I’m about to do something a little reckless, so if I happen to fall a bit short, could I count on you to handle the rest?”
For some reason, Erika looked happy at my selfish request.
“Isn’t that a foolish question? Would there ever be a wife who couldn’t protect her husband’s back?”
I couldn’t help but blush at the unexpected response.
“I see. Well then, I’m off to do something a little reckless.”
As I started running, Erika’s voice caught up to my back, “Feel free to do as you please.”
A warmth spread through my chest.
“Also, that mask suits you.”
Hearing those words, I put the mask I was about to throw away back on.