Chapter 4: All Alone in the World

Chapter 4: All Alone in the World

“AKI!”

“Aki…!”

I hear someone calling my name. What happened to me? The last thing I remember is slipping off the ledge after blocking the merman’s attack—

“Aki, can you hear me? I’m begging you, please open your eyes!”

Someone shook Aki so hard it brought her hazy consciousness to the surface. Her eyes peeled open—Elias’s stunning green eyes were barely inches from her face. Shocked, she turned scarlet.

“Whoa! Elias?! What’s the matt—oh my gosh!”

“Aki! Praise the Goddess you’re all right!” Without giving her a chance to speak, Elias reached down to where she was lying with her head on his lap and scooped her into his arms in a tight embrace.

Not quite sure what was going on, she let him hug her, though she stiffened when she felt his bare, solid chest pressed against her cheek. His chiseled muscles lent a smooth, papery feel to his firm skin that reminded her just how much of a man he really was—

“Kyaaaaaaaah! Why aren’t you wearing any clothes, Elias?!” Freaked out by the fact he was shirtless, she screamed and shoved his chest away.

Not expecting that reaction, Elias fell onto his rear end and blankly stared down at his exposed upper body. “Huh? Oh…” He tripped over his words trying to find the right explanation.

Aki, on the other hand, had enough and raised her right hand as she trembled with anger that flushed her whole face. “…You…You…!”

“Aki?! Wait! It’s not what you thi—” Elias scooted back as fast as he could, but Aki’s raised palm came down hard on his right cheek.

“You PERVERT!”

“Ow!”

Aki’s satisfactory slap sent an explosive THWACK echoing off the walls. Tears formed in his eyes as he held a hand over his throbbing cheek and vigorously shook his head.

“I-It’s not what you think, Aki! You’ve misunderstood the situation on so many levels!”

“How am I wrong?! I don’t want to hear any excuses!”

“I’m not making excuses! Aki, can you take a good look at yourself first?”

“…Look at myself?” She looked down at her waterlogged clothes that had grown quite heavy.

Huh? Did I fall into water?

Elias watched as Aki took in her current state and gingerly explained the situation to her, hoping another slap wasn’t in store for him. “…You see, after you fell off the ledge into the abyss below, I dove in after you. We fell into this underground waterway and both ended up drenched… And since I didn’t want to touch your clothes without permission, I stripped off my coat and shirt and tried to help keep your temperature up. I promise I wasn’t trying to do anything ungentlemanly,” he quickly rushed out to defend himself.

If Elias dove into the gutter and stripped to save me, then didn’t I just return the favor with spite?

Realizing the horrible mistreatment of her savior, Aki brought her head to the floor and earnestly apologized. “Elias, I’m so sorry! I completely had the wrong idea!”

“D-Don’t worry about it. I’m partially at fault for, you know, suddenly embracing you without a top on. That was a…rude thing to do to a lady…” Elias imitated Aki and bowed his head close to the ground.

She waved both hands in front of her face in panicked embarrassment. “Uh, um, er, well, there’s nothing for you to apologize for, Elias! I’m completely at fault here…”

“N-No, no, I’m the one at fault!”

They kept continuously bowing to each other that they both began to question what in the world they were doing. Aki giggled over their similar reaction, and Elias quickly averted his eyes from her.

“Elias? What’s wrong?”

“…U-Uh, your clothes have been…wet for a while now, and transparent…” Elias fumbled over his words and pressed his forehead against the ground so as not to look at her.

“Hm?”

His earlobes were awfully red.

My clothes are transparent? That can’t be… Aki jerked her head down to get a good look at her top. Lo and behold, her soaked blouse clung to her lithe frame, revealing her lacy pink bra. She yanked her suit jacket shut to conceal her blouse. She couldn’t bear exposing her immodest appearance in front of any man, especially one she had feelings for.

Flustered out of her mind, her right hand shot back into the air for another attack. “N-Noooooooooooo! Stupid, Elias! You perrrvvvv!”

“Hah? Wai—Aki—don’t!”

Elias couldn’t defend against her right hand in time as it whooshed through the air with all the speed of a professional baseball player’s swing and crisply smacked his cheek. The dank cavern filled with the dry THWACK and Elias’s wordless yelp.

Trembling with her face bright red, and tears in her eyes, Aki hugged herself. “Jerk! Meanie! Please pretend you never saw anything! It’s too shameful!”

Despite pressing a hand against his stinging cheek, Elias smiled softly at the woman before him. “There’s nothing shameful about you. You’re very beautiful, Aki.”

“Th-That’s the type of thing you’re not supposed to say right now!”

Why did Elias always have to throw her curveball compliments at the oddest of times? His ingrained kindness likely had a way of inviting misunderstandings from the women he dealt with.

Aki exhaled to put a stop to her racing heart, while Elias pulled a blanket from his things and tossed it over her head.

“Wah! What’s this?”

“I wanted to give you that blanket once you woke up. You’ll catch a cold if you continue to wear sopping-wet clothes. Wipe yourself down with that. I promise I absolutely won’t look, so I suggest you take off your clothes and squeeze out as much water as you can.”

Aki poked her face over the blanket and saw Elias’s tranquil smile. She pulled the blanket around her shoulders and gave a tiny nod. Here she was losing her head again, and he still only showed concern and consideration for her. Taking a good moment to think about it, she realized he had saved her from plummeting to her death and woke her up before she froze.

Elias is always right there when I need him… And how do I repay him? By misunderstanding, calling him a pervert, and hitting him. Ugh, I have to apologize.

She swallowed her nervousness, leaned forward on her knees, and grabbed Elias’s arm while he sat on the ground fishing through his bags with his back to her.

“Thank you, Elias. Um, I’m sorry for slapping you…twice,” she mumbled.

Getting two good full-hand slaps in on the legendary hero’s smooth cheek was quite the unthinkable deed on her part. She could just imagine the ballads the minstrels would weave if they knew.

Elias ruffled her hair with a sweet smile. “I know. I’m over it. After all, I shouldn’t have rudely stared. Though my cheek still stings worse than my training days with the sword masters.”

“I said I’m sorry! You sure do love to tease me, don’t you?” She puffed out her cheeks and pretended to pout. He let out an amused chuckle. He was getting back at her with his teasing.

Then he suddenly stopped laughing and gazed into her eyes. He wrapped an arm around her back and pulled her close. “You don’t know how relieved I am to see you safe. I was honestly on the brink of losing it when I saw you fall off the ledge. I was scared to death thinking I might have lost you for good…”

“Elias…” Aki quietly lent an ear to his soft voice whispering beside her.

The waterway where they were now was more like an underground cavern than an ancient ruin, and the darkness and humidity chilled the air. But just cuddling together warmed her body and soul.

***

ELIAS hugged Aki as he falteringly shared the feelings he had locked up inside. “…Aki, as the Hero, I’m not supposed to get very attached…to people or things. I was born to protect the world, not someone special to me. After all, if I develop a relationship with someone dear to me, and the day comes that I have to choose between that person or the world, I’ll have to put the world first…as its hero. So I swore to myself that I would be alone forever—that I’d fight all by myself. But…” He squeezed her shoulder.

Perhaps he shouldn’t say what weighed heavily on his heart. Perhaps these were the words he should keep locked up, never to see the light of day. But touching her, feeling her so close beside him, ignited his feelings of love and adoration so much they exploded from the box he kept locked tight. These feelings were as strong as his fear of losing her, as his loss and confusion over doing the right thing.

Elias pressed his forehead against Aki’s, hoarsely squeezing out, “…But I…you…”

Never before had he so strongly felt being the hero was such an isolating, lonely job. The hero was loved by everyone as their champion, their savior. However, there wasn’t a single person who tried to know him, who connected with him as an individual, on an emotional level. In the end, it was no different from being loved by no one at all.

The hero was to love no one and be loved by no one—that’s not true love. Then what exactly was he fighting to protect? The world? Was the world going to shower him with love? To listen to his woes and comfort him? Return his affections?

The Hero is a loner in all respects… Elias shook his head once he reached that conclusion. That’s right. I had decided to bury every emotion behind a smile in order to prevent myself and those around me from getting hurt. Conveying my feelings to Aki is forbidden…

Elias slowly pulled away from Aki. “I-I’m sorry, Aki. I…was about to say something I’m…not supposed to. So, please forget what just—”

Forcing his practiced smile into place, Elias held up his hand in an attempt to halt his true feelings from escaping. Aki gingerly seized that hand, leaned forward, and pressed her lips against his. Her sweet, feminine fragrance tickled his nose, and the feel of her plump lips flush against his took Elias’s breath away. Turning redder than a tomato, his very first kiss rooted him to the ground.

Equally as red, Aki didn’t avert her eyes, but looked him square in the face. “Elias! Um, you know…!”

Dumbfounded, Elias pulled himself together and sat up straighter than the Holy Sword. “Y-Yes, m’lady?!” he croaked, becoming oddly formal in his word choice.

Aki balled her hands into tight little fists, emboldening herself for what she had to say next. “Me too! I-I…love you too, Elias!”

“…Erp?” he uttered the most dumbfounded sound yet.

Aki…loves me, too?

“I kept telling myself that having someone like me fall in love with you would only be a burden because you’re the Hero—because you’re so kind, Elias. So I promised myself I’d never give voice to these feelings, and in return, I’d settle on becoming your greatest pillar of support who’s always by your side….” Tears rolled down Aki’s cheeks as she spoke. “I-I’m sorry! I’m just so stupidly happy! I thought I’d never be able to say this to you… Just telling you is enough—”

Elias couldn’t stand watching her bashfully laugh with her face soaked in the tears she cried for him—he grabbed her arm and pulled her close.

I’m unsure if this is the right thing to do. I’m unsure, but isn’t it all right in this one moment for me to set aside my role as hero and convey my feelings to her as just another man?

Elias obeyed the feelings exploding inside him and brought his lips to her ear, “…I love you, too,” he whispered. He felt her tremble in his arms. He wrapped his arms securely around her, conveying the overflowing love he felt for her with his whole body. “I love you too, Aki. My heart has belonged to you ever since the moment you encouraged me in the castle.”

He admired her from the very beginning and found himself helplessly pining after her. Just as she had shared with him, he had locked away his feelings, believing they were forbidden and a burden he shouldn’t bring upon her.

Perhaps telling her how he felt was truly the wrong thing to do. Maybe he was doing the irrevocable. Even so, he was thrilled his feelings for her were mutual, and he was happier than he had ever been. So filled with joy was he that, for the first time in his life, he was glad he was born and alive.

How can I be this ridiculously happy when I set out on this journey to fight alone by abandoning everything that could possibly bring me joy? She saved me from the mindset I had used as an excuse to hide in my shell. She became a true pillar of support, just like her title as the Hero’s Right-hand designates.

The truth was that there was no rule out there that stated the Hero couldn’t have relationships and find someone dear to them. Until now, Elias’s lack of faith in himself led him to fear he’d hurt those he cared about and himself as a result.

Since there’s nothing to stop us, I just have to become strong enough to protect her and the world at large. After all, I am the Hero.

“Aki, listen…”

The couple cuddled up so close together they feared they might hear each other’s galloping heartbeats. When Aki endearingly gazed up at him to continue, Elias showered an unadorned smile on her.

“Thank you for loving me. Thanks to you, I’m able to believe I’m not all alone in this world after all.”

Because the woman I love more than anyone else needs and wants me.

Elias gently took Aki’s hand. “I promise I’ll become a Hero amazing enough to protect both you and this world, so…please be with me forever.”

Her big eyes opened wide, and teardrops overflowed from them. “I’m also incredibly glad I met you in this world! Elias, I love you so much! Please be with me forever, too!”

“I will.” He placed both hands on her cheeks to wipe away her tears, and inclined his head closer.

They closed their eyes and tasted their burning passion for each other through their gently touching lips, expressing how deeply they loved one another through their bodies.

After a long moment, they pulled away and gazed lovingly into each other’s eyes as they pressed their foreheads together and shared a blissful laugh.

I’m no longer all alone in the world.