Chapter 21: The Promise on that Day 3

 

 

 

Chapter 21: The Promise on that Day 3

 

“I see… So that’s why Dark Lord came for you,” Aki said after listening to Nako’s story. She looked up at the ceiling and sighed with relief.

So Dark Lord’s magic was responsible for Nako’s condition stabilizing as a child. I totally thought her symptoms abated as she got older and more resilient. Not that anyone could have guessed it was thanks to a powerful Mage from another world. Had I known, I would have at least thanked Dark Lord when we met instead of being rude to him. I’ll be sure to thank him for saving Nako and say sorry for my rudeness the next time we meet!

But he’s still at fault for kidnapping my little sister without even attempting an explanation. He was just asking to be hated and thought of as a creeper the way he did it!

“All things considered, I had absolutely no idea you and Dark Lord had something going on in your room when we were kids. You could’ve at least confided in me.”

Nako apologetically fidgeted. “I really am sorry about that… Until the day he came for me, I was under the illusion everything that happened between us was a dream. Which is why when he came, the realization it actually happened made me act without thinking…”

Love is blind—reuniting in reality with your first love who you could only pine over for years in a dream has the inevitable effect of blinding someone out of proper thinking. Still, had Nako taken the time to explain things, Aki wouldn’t have been so suspicious of the Dark Lord.

On the other hand, it was just as possible Dark Lord and Nako’s attempt at explaining about another world would have only lost her and given her the false impression they were on drugs. After all, she wasn’t convinced about any of the Hero, Dark Lord, and other world nonsense until she saw it with her own eyes.

“I’m sorry, Aki…” Nako apologized in a teary voice. Aki reached out her hand and gently stroked her hair.

“Don’t worry. I forgive you. Don’t get me wrong—you scared me half to death when you left with Dark Lord through the black hole. But he’s your first love, right? I can’t say I don’t understand why you’d be so desperate to leave with him,” Aki comforted. Pink tinted Nako’s cheeks as she fanned her face.

I’m shocked Nako is actually engaged to the Dark Lord… I completely thought Dark Lord called her his fiancée as an exaggerated reference to his Right-hand. They have a love that surpasses space and time, and I don’t doubt their feelings are mutual. As Nako’s older sister, my greatest wish is for her happiness. I want to encourage and support my dear little sister, but…Nako and the Dark Lord live in completely different worlds—literally. Can their feelings actually be realized?

Aki curled her hands on top of her knees. Even I’m starting to develop feelings for Elias… I think I’ve fallen for his personality, his kindness, his cute side, his cool side, and the part of him that acts strong when he’s actually dreadfully lonely. But having feelings for someone and having those feelings realized are two completely different matters. Too many barriers stand between us.

“…Are you all right, Aki?” Nako asked, peering at the suddenly quiet Aki.

Startled, she laughed awkwardly. “Ah, sorry for suddenly zoning out. I was just lost in my thoughts over how envious I am of you and Dark Lord for being capable of easily overcoming the obstacle of living in two different worlds…”

Nako read between the lines in her comment and narrowed her eyes on her sister knowingly. “…You’re talking about Lord Elias, aren’t you?”

Nako’s guess turned Aki’s cheeks pink. “Yeah,” she quietly answered.

How amazing would it be if she could forget all about the gap between them being from different worlds and to shrug off their duties as the Hero and his Right-hand to have a relationship of mutual feelings like Dark Lord and Nako? But Elias was the Hero loved by the entire world—he wasn’t someone she could claim for herself. Yet she was steadily falling for him.

The more time they spent together and each new discovery about him impressed how lovely and cute he was on her, strengthening her desire to stay by his side. Even though she knew her feelings would never be returned and only end in despair, she couldn’t stop herself.

Nako carefully chose her words, “…I believe Lord Elias has feelings for you as well, Aki.”

Aki’s heart stuttered for several beats.

“What’re you saying?!” She fanned her boiling hot face. “H-He does not! He can’t! I mean, Elias is the one who told me before that the Hero can’t view anyone as special!” Her heart squeezed painfully as she explained.

That’s right—Elias told me that himself! I never confessed my feelings, but he certainly rejected me in advance with that line…

Tears came to Aki’s eyes against her will. Nako placed her hand on top of Aki’s fisted hands and slowly shook her head. “Aki, I’m fairly sure Lord Elias said that because he thinks he isn’t qualified to tell you his feelings. He seems like the type who prioritizes his duty as Hero over his own feelings and everything else for that matter… You know, he may very well be afraid to have anyone become special to him.”

“He’s afraid?”

“Yeah. Doesn’t he have to protect a lot of people? So even if he had someone more important to him than anyone else he wanted to protect, he wouldn’t be able to keep them safe. Maybe he’s afraid to let anyone become special to him because of the chance he won’t be able to protect them until the end.”

Nako occasionally said things that captured the core of what another person thought or felt. During those times, she took on a calm gaze hinting at a deeper perception of the situation. After hearing what Dark Lord told Nako as a child, Aki wondered if her always accurate eye had something to do with the Goddess’ power inside her.

If—and only if—Elias truly did feel that way, what should I do? What do I have to do to hear his genuine feelings? Elias…

Raucous footsteps and voices clattered outside their door as if in answer to her heart’s call.

“Sheesh, Az! When the heck did you get the chance to buy that mask?! Didn’t we tell you not to waste our money?!” Leo bellowed in the hall.

Elias answered him with a sulky tone, “How could I not when I’d never get a chance to buy it again if it sold out?! And who are you to talk? You’re the one who bought way too many sweets.”

“HUH?! My sweets are required to restore my magic reserves! They actually serve a purpose, unlike that creepy mask of yours…”

“I honestly do not care what you have to do, but would two please pipe down?! Aki and Nako will laugh at you,” Johann scolded.

His request must have been effective, because the hallway fell silent. Aki and Nako exchanged looks and burst out laughing at the same exact time.

“Pft! Ahaha! Lord Elias, Leo, and Johann are great friends, aren’t they?!” Nako exclaimed, holding her sides.

Aki flashed an amused smile. “They sure are! It’s like they’re stuck being kids forever!”

Thanks overhearing their entertaining banter, Aki’s worries about how to face Elias were blown out the door.

My feelings for Elias are only growing, but I need to keep my thoughts focused on our trip to the Dark Lord’s castle.

She shoved off the bed at the same time Nako trotted over to the door and threw it open. The men flooded into the room, their arms full of their shopping spoils.

“We’re back, Aki, Nako,” Elias greeted them with a smile and a wave of his left hand. A big paper bag cram-packed with goods rested between his right arm and chest, blocking his face.

“Welcome back!” Aki answered, running over to his side to see what was in the bag.

Leo entered the room behind him, grumbling, “Aaah! This is friggin’ heavy! Why does shopping take so much physical energy?! Don’t you guys think we stocked up on way too much?”

He rushed to the table where he dropped the heavy bag to rub his sore arms. Paper boxes, medicine, vials, and other random necessities spilled across the tabletop—evidence they bought an astronomical amount of stuff.

Aki stepped next to Leo and examined the contents of the paper bag. “Wow, you bought a ton, Leo!”

Mysterious consumable goods she knew nothing about were packed to the brim, causing the bag to bulge at the seams. She suddenly pitied them for all the work that went into buying so much. A gorgeously shaped vial containing an enchanting blue liquid caught her eye. When she went to ask Leo about it, he abruptly grabbed her shoulders, digging his fingers in.

Startled, she lifted her face from the bottle, only for Leo’s handsome face to draw closer to hers. She froze.

“Oh man, Aki, listen to this! I thought we could end our shopping trip lickety-split too, but Johann had to go complaining and grumbling that we need this and that or that we were missing such and such. Before I knew it, we ended up with all this stuff!” He talked at hyperspeed to the frozen Aki, ranting about his shopping woes.

“Ah…” Aki offered him a sympathetic smile, easily imagining how things went down. Johann took on the duty of selecting and purchasing the necessary items, and the physically strong Elias and Leo were left being his pack mules.

Johann entered the room last and placed a bag half the size of Leo’s on the table and snorted. “You are one to talk. Our load only got this big because the bulk of it was your sweets. Good grief, we are not going on a picnic, you know?”

“Wanna say that to my face?!”

“Hey, come on now. Don’t fight, you guys,” Aki chimed in to mediate between Leo and Johann as sparks flew across the table. She pondered how to handle the situation when a light bulb went off over her head. “In other words, you’re both to blame!”

“I’m not!”

“I am not!”

Their objections overlapped. It was so funny, Aki laughed aloud. Leo and Johann often bickered, but they perfectly fit the saying that the more you fight the better you get along—they were always in sync after all.

“Come on, guys, it’s fine for you to talk, but help pack while you do. Leo and I will take the bulk of the luggage, followed by Johann. We should be fine if the ladies take a smaller load,” Elias suggested, tossing stuff from the paper bags into a cloth bag.

He’s just shoving things in without discrimination, but will stuff be okay that way? Won’t it get crushed? Elias isn’t the type to be concerned with those details, I guess. Maybe he thinks just getting it in the bag and carrying it is enough.

“Elias, I’ll help you with that! Is it okay if I rearrange things?” Aki ran to his side, pulled out what he shoved in the cloth bag and changed the order things went inside.

Heavy objects went on the bottom and lighter objects on top. She also put less important items on the bottom, making vital items easy to get to. As she thought, Elias really didn’t follow any method for storing things, because he had pushed fresh herbs in the space between the medicine vials on the bottom of the bag, twisting them. Left as it was, the items were going to become useless before they got a chance to use them.

By the time everyone finished packing with constant banter in the background, the girls brewed the newly bought tea leaves, and they all took a break to have a drink. Aki brought the pretty orange tea to her lips—the invigorating bitterness spread across her tongue, helping her to relax.

Their next destination was going to be the Dark Lord’s castle. Anxiety and fear were definitely a factor for Aki, but Elias and the Dark Lord both possessed calm demeanors, so she was convinced the negotiations would go over well with their reliable Party members and both Right-hands present.

I’m more worried about the Goddess… Is she our ally? Or is she our enemy? Aki squeezed the notebook the Goddess granted her, praying nothing would happen to make anyone present regret their journey together.