Chapter 42: She Collapsed Facedown onto the Bed

Ange collapsed facedown onto the bed. Charlotte looked on with evident concern, while Anessa and Byaku just looked at her tiredly—only Miriam was grinning. Angeline idly kicked her legs in the air like wings flapping.

“Why... Why does everyone turn me down...?”

“What were you expecting?”

“I mean... I mean, you won’t find a man as good as dad anywhere in Orphen... No, I’ll go a step further. You could search the entire empire and come up empty-handed!”

“You just don’t know when to give up... Stupid as ever.”

“Heh heh, I think Ange’s shamelessness is actually what draws people to her.”

Angeline rolled over at these merciless words.

They were in Angeline’s room; some time had passed since the battle with the inquisitors and the shadowy figure. Summer had passed its peak, and while it was still quite hot, the green in the trees was starting to fade.

Ever since they defeated the shadow, both the Inquisition and the folks aiming to revive the demons had gone to ground again. Angeline wondered if they were waiting for her to lower her guard again, but nothing had happened yet.

There was another upheaval in Lucrecia; the papal faction that boasted near-absolute authority lost a majority of its members, and evidently no longer had time to waste on a girl in some distant land. This further lessened the need for the anti-papal faction to drag in a figurehead from outside. Therefore, the danger was greatly reduced.

According to Lionel, the group that attacked had presumably been an advance force that took action once they lost contact with their motherland due to the rioting, and they didn’t represent the will of Lucrecia.

“A real bother it is; there was apparently an uprising in Lucrecia two days before the attack... Shouldn’t a secret organization secure their own secret communication channels or something? Aww, how am I going to explain this to the lord...”

There was also an ongoing dispute over who would bear the treatment fees for all the injured soldiers; Lionel’s stomachache would continue a while longer.

Now that one of their powerful demons had been defeated, the force Charlotte was once a part of likely wouldn’t make another move in the near future—at least, that’s how Byaku saw it. They didn’t have any significant information on their own organization and were mainly targeted to make an example for the other members. The organization wouldn’t risk incurring substantial damage just to eliminate them, and it would be more problematic if their own existence was made public.

In any case, Angeline could now kick back and relax. She felt like something had awakened within her, but had no way of testing this out now that the problem had suddenly gone away.

To vent her pent-up frustration, Angeline once again devoted her time to finding a bride for Belgrieve. She heeded the tavern master’s words and tried her best to keep marriage out of the conversation, but either she was too obvious, or no one wanted to go with her regardless. The results stood at not a single woman wanting to accompany her in the fall.

Lying on her back, Angeline lazily reached her arms and legs towards the ceiling.

“It’s their loss. Now that it’s come to this, I’ll take my time searching...”

“Now, now... Ange, you’re just gonna waste your time and effort again,” Anessa said.

Byaku nodded. “My thoughts exactly. How about you try thinking a little? What you’re doing, it’s all futile,” he said, then tiredly slouched against the wall. Anessa looked a little pleased that there was now one more person to retort at the girl’s antics.

“I ask that you please keep out of my domestic circumstances.” Angeline pouted.

“Hey, big sis, why can’t you just get your dad to come to Orphen?”

Angeline sprung up. “That’s right... He turned me down once, but he should come if I say it’s for fun, rather than to live with me...” Her face sparkled as if she had received a divine revelation. She vigorously patted Charlotte’s head. “Splendid idea! Good girl, Char.”

“Hee hee...”

“All right, I’ll go at the beginning of fall and convince dad to come back with me. A grand tour of the capital...with a bit of matchmaking on the side!”

Miriam seemed enthusiastic about this proclamation. “Yay! There are all sorts of places I want to show Mr. Bell. I can’t wait!”

Even Anessa nodded, her expression softening a bit. “The matchmaking is utter nonsense, but it would be nice to see Mr. Bell around...”

“Hee hee... Sounds like fun.”

The eyes of the three girls who knew Belgrieve lit up. For some reason, even Charlotte looked excited.

Left completely out of the loop, Byaku heaved a fed-up sigh. “I don’t get it, but...do whatever you want.”

○

The shadow of the mountain gradually stretched out as the glistening evening sun took refuge over the horizon. But the sky was still bright; the western sky was a vivid red, as if a massive fire had broken out.

On a hill overlooking the village, four figures had assembled. Belgrieve, Duncan, and Marguerite sat wherever they fancied, their eyes tightly shut and their unsheathed weapons in hand. Only Graham was standing, rocking a child in his arms.

The seated three were meditating to raise their synergy with their weapons. By sharpening their mana and their senses, they concentrated to make their weapons like an extension of their own bodies. Although Belgrieve’s chest rose and fell with each breath, he otherwise did not move a single muscle. Duncan and Marguerite weren’t so focused, and occasionally, they would restlessly shift about. This sort of static training clearly wasn’t up their alley.

Marguerite opened her eyes a crack and timidly opened her mouth.

“Are we done yet...?”

But there was no reply. As he rocked the child, Graham remained silent as a statue. Marguerite gave up and closed her eyes again.

Belgrieve could feel a strange sensation drifting about him. While his body wasn’t moving, he was in tune to what was going on within to an astonishing degree. Like a mountain river blasting through narrow ravines, he could feel his blood flowing through his veins. Each drop contained potent mana, circulating around his body. It would flow past his fingers, to his sword—the hilt, the body, the tip—before returning to him.

Once it passed through the steel, the mana that came back was cold, as if the metal was stabbing into him. With each beat of his heart, it would collide with the warm mana produced by his own body, giving birth to a sense of unease. It was like a battle was being waged. He was working up a sweat despite not moving a muscle.

Gradually, the two resisting forces began to swirl and meld together. He could feel the mana that passed through the sword and the mana of his body fusing until finally, they became a single stream.

Belgrieve opened his eyes and stood. He sheathed his sword before stretching out his limbs.

“That’s about it for today.”

“Very well.” Graham nodded.

“What’s your problem?” Marguerite sulked. “You wouldn’t reply to me... Why is it always Bell?”

“You must understand the difference, Marguerite. Bell stood once he had done all he could; you merely grew bored along the way.”

“Urgh...” She groaned as she sullenly stood.

Duncan stretched his back and shoulders. “Well, I’ll be... I’m terrible at this. Looks like I’m better off single-mindedly swinging my axe.”

“Don’t put yourself into a box like that. You need to escape that mindset, or you’ll never become a first-class warrior, Duncan.”

“Hmm... I see.” Duncan folded his arms in thought.

“Graham, could I take Mit off your hands?”

“Of course.”

Graham handed the black-haired child to Belgrieve. The boy’s blank expression barely changed—he had no shyness of strangers and would allow essentially anyone to hold him like this. Though he still wasn’t so fond of Marguerite, who had once tried to kill him.

Mit settled into Belgrieve’s arms.

“Dad...”

“Yeah, let’s get going.”

The four of them climbed down the hill, through the summer grass that had grown out a good deal. There were sheep and goats bleating here and there, and every house could be heard preparing for dinner. The sky turned a shade of purple, and the largest expanse began to shine under the crescent moon’s grin.

Some time had passed since the battle. The forest had returned to normal, and fiends were once again few and far between. The lumberjacks were delighted that they could get back to work, while the village youths were a little disappointed that the excitement was over.

In a once-again peaceful Turnera, Belgrieve continued to work the fields and train with his sword. The only difference was that he had another mouth to feed. It was quite lively at home, but though he liked to live in peace and quiet, this wasn’t so bad either.

He returned home, lit the fireplace, and was in the middle of preparing dinner when Kerry arrived. Barnes was there with his girlfriend, Rita, too. Belgrieve tilted his head curiously.

“What’s everyone doing here?”

“Well, you know how much of a mess the last party was. We thought we’d throw one in secret.”

Kerry had a basket of food with him, while Barnes carried a crate of wine bottles. Marguerite’s face instantly lit up.

“Yay! Wine!”

“Drink in moderation, Marguerite.”

“I should be saying that to you, granduncle. That much ain’t enough to do a thing to me.”

Graham frowned, but she was lamentably correct, so he had no rebuttal except to sigh.

“Don’t drink it all, Maggie,” Barnes said with a wry smile. “This is for everyone.”

“I-I know, I get it.”

Barnes’s face softened as he saw Marguerite in a fluster, and Rita promptly prodded him.

“No cheating.”

“Y-You’ve got it all wrong...”

Rita pinched Barnes’s cheek and turned to Marguerite in a pout. “You can’t have him.”

“I’m not taking him, no worries. Let’s all get along, eh?” Marguerite said with a laugh, amicably poking at Rita. Even so, Rita cautiously kept Barnes in her embrace.

The tables were put together and chairs were brought from the shed. This was shaping up to be a far calmer party than the last one. Graham knew to call it quits after just the first glass—however, the drink was still getting to him, and he spoke less than usual.

Mit waddled his way between the adults, sitting on their knees or scaling their backs. He made quite the curious face as he leaned against Kerry’s belly fat.

“Kerry’s all squishy... Not like dad.”

“Ha ha ha, hey now, Mit. That tickles!”

“Yeah, well... My old man and Mr. Bell are the same age, but they couldn’t look more different... Mr. Bell’s so cool, and then, well, look at him...”

“What are you talking about, Barnes? I... I mean, you shoulda seen me. Most handsome man in the village, they’d say! Right, Bell?”

Belgrieve chuckled and sipped from his cup. “Can’t recall. You were certainly thinner, that’s for sure.”

“You serious?! I can’t even imagine a slim Kerry.” Marguerite cackled while heartily downing her glass.

Kerry furrowed his brow and slapped a hand against his belly. “You just don’t get it. It’s a sign of success that a little old farmer got to be this well-rounded!”

“Yeah, I get that part. You worked hard.”

“Ha ha ha, at least Bell understands! Hey, Mit, don’t hit there. You don’t have to copy me.”

Perhaps entertained when Kerry hit his stomach, Mit had begun vigorously drumming against the man’s fat.

Duncan scooped the child up with a laugh. “My, what childish innocence!”

“Duncan, hairy.”

This time, Mit began tugging at Duncan’s beard. “Hey, Mit! My hair is not a toy!”

“So messy...”

“Ha ha ha! What a troublesome kid you are!” Though he said that, Duncan seemed quite delighted.

After fiddling with the beard a while longer, Mit reached a hand towards Graham. “Grandpa, hug...”

“Hmm...”

His eyes shut, Graham carefully took Mit and placed him on his lap. Mit leaned his back against him, then snatched a thin loaf of bread from the table and gnawed on it.

Mit had adapted so well to Turnera it was hard to believe he was originally a demon. Naturally, they hadn’t told the villagers about that. All they said was that Belgrieve picked him up in the forest. It had happened before with Angeline, so the villagers did not question it.

According to Graham, while Mit’s form was incredibly close, he still was not human. Once left unattended, he would crunch and swallow branches, rocks, and tableware—and scissors could not cut through his lengthy hair. It seemed he could also change the shape of his hands if he wanted to. It stood to reason that if his hands could change, his body could as well.

In short, he currently took on a human form by choice, but his actual shape was not fixed. He was closer in nature to those shadowy figures.

However, it was also true that he was quite stable in this form. When he was first adopted, he would suddenly begin shape-shifting while asleep, but that hardly ever happened anymore. Even Graham didn’t know the logic behind it; intrigued, he continued to observe the child.

Having spent many long years fighting demons and fiends, Graham seemed to be quite deeply invested in that field of knowledge, and he tended to see Mit as a valuable sample—though that was only at the start. He had since been completely done in by the unaffected adorableness of a young child, and while he didn’t say much, he was always delighted to look after the boy.

Rita looked at the child, who was being rocked to sleep after finishing the bread.

“Children. Sounds nice...”

Barnes hesitated to reply. Rita stared hard at him until he awkwardly muttered, “Y-Yeah.” His glass was quickly topped off by Duncan.

“So when’s the ceremony?” he asked with a laugh.

“Hey! Mr. Duncan!”

“Hee hee...” Rita grabbed Barnes’s arm, her cheeks turning red.

Kerry chuckled. “Hurry and give me a grandchild to hold!”

“Oh shut it!” Barnes guzzled down his cup to play it off. The drink must have taken the wrong path, as it sent him into a horrible coughing fit.

“Come to think of it...” Rita said as she rubbed his back. “Mr. Duncan.”

“Hmm?”

“How are things going with Hannah?”

“Grah?!”

Duncan banged a fist against his chest as he choked on roasted meat.

“You’ve been getting along pretty well these days!” Kerry smiled from ear to ear. “How about you give up on traveling and settle down here?”

Duncan was a warrior who wielded a battle-axe, and his mastery of this weapon meant he often helped the lumberjacks. The man’s good-hearted personality allowed him to get along with them immediately, and he began attending their get-togethers as well.

Now, it so happened that the one cooking for those get-togethers was a thirty-year-old woman named Hannah. She had lost her lumberjack father to an accident with a fallen tree and had lived alone since. Despite her situation, she was cheerful and lively, and Duncan presumably saw a kindred spirit in her. Lately, she had even gotten to teaching him woodworking.

Duncan cleared his airway with wine. His eyes were spinning. “Oh, no, I’m not ready to settle down yet!”

“What are you saying? You’re in your midthirties, for crying out loud. Keep saying that, and the years will slip away before you know it. Hannah’s pretty lonely, you know. I’m sure she’d happily accept you.”

“H-Hmm...” Duncan shut his mouth, his red face turning even redder. His feelings for the woman were quite clear.

After mixing a stew by the fire, Belgrieve stood with a wooden pail in hand. “I’m going to fetch some water,” he said and left.

Marguerite poured herself a glass. Then, it suddenly occurred to her. “Come to think of it, what about Bell?” All eyes gathered on her.

Kerry cocked his head. “What about Bell?”

“I was wondering if he ever wanted to marry or something.”

“Now that you mention it. The ladies couldn’t have left a man like Bell alone...”

“So how about it, Kerry? Bell must have been popular, right?”

Kerry grimaced and waved off the notion. “Right now, he can walk so naturally you can’t even tell he has a fake leg, but you know. He could hardly walk when he returned to the village. Was always shuffling around with a cane, it was painful to watch. It was like that when working too; you’d see him dragging his leg behind. I’d say the ladies weren’t so fond of him.”

When he had first returned, Belgrieve was not fully rehabilitated or trained. His movements were far from graceful—he couldn’t walk without a cane, and it took him more time than anyone else to do simple tasks.

Self-sufficiency was the standard in the village, and no woman would stick around with a man who couldn’t work. There was also the fact that he had once tried to leave the village behind, for which Belgrieve was the target of teasing and ridicule. Yet still, he continued working day after day, all while continuing his rehabilitation. He eventually grew deft at his work and reached a point where he could do even more than the others.

“See, by now everyone’s apologized, and they count on him. But the people from our generation? They feel guilty about making him the outcast for a while. Bell doesn’t care about it, but that just makes them feel worse. Marriage’s out of the question.” Kerry paused to take a sip, and then sighed. “And it doesn’t look like he’s interested either.”

“Hmm.” Marguerite disinterestedly pressed her cup to her lips. “Now that’s a waste. Right, granduncle?”

“Hmm?” Graham had been too engrossed in playing with Mit. He lifted his face quizzically. “Yes?”

“Nah... Don’t worry about it.”

That was when Belgrieve returned. He transferred the contents of his pail to a water jug, then noticed the look in everyone’s eyes and was taken aback. He stared at them blankly, wondering what could have happened while he was gone.

“What’s wrong?”

“Bell, oh Bell. You really... You really had your troubles...”

“I think I respect you even more now...”

His confusion only grew as Duncan and Barnes burst into tears. Scratching his head, he asked, “Wh-What’s this, all of a sudden...?”

“Hey, Bell. You got anyone you like?”

“Hmm? Like... Well, I like everyone in Turnera... And Ange, of course. My daughter is precious to me.”

“That’s not what I meant! I mean, you ever think of getting married?”

Belgrieve’s face relaxed, and he took his seat with a light chuckle. “Me? I’m forty-three. I don’t think about it anymore.”

Marguerite, seeming agitated, filled her glass. She poured with such force that some of the concoction ended up on the table. “That’s such a waste! Whether you’re forty or fifty, doesn’t matter! It wouldn’t hurt to have a wife or two!”

“No, I’m not a noble—two would be bad news...”

“You’ve got a woman you’re smitten with, don’t you?” Graham muttered and instantly became the center of attention. He stopped patting Mit and looked at Belgrieve. “It was that elven lass called Satie, isn’t that so?”

“Err...” Belgrieve scratched his head.

After staring blankly for a moment, Kerry shot forward. “B-Bell! You fell in love with an elf?!”

“I’m not sure if I would call it love...”

“Bell! You met another elf before my granduncle and me?!” Marguerite excitedly grabbed him by the shoulders.

Belgrieve bitterly poured himself a glass of wine. “That was a long time ago... We were just members of the same party for a bit.”

“Hey hey hey hey! I’ve never heard anything about this!”

“No, I mean, that’s not something I’d go out of my way to bring up...”

“What are you talking about? Don’t be such a stranger, man! Fill me in on the details!” Kerry shifted his chair towards Belgrieve, leaning in, all ears. Marguerite, Duncan, Barnes, and even Rita watched him with great intrigue—though Graham seemed keener on entertaining Mit.

He gave a troubled laugh. A bit of bashfulness struck him as he realized he would be telling such a tale at his age. Memories could be bitter at times; he just hoped he could make it a funny old story to distract himself.

○

The tavern was always lively. Adventurers of all sorts drank and ate together, regardless of rank. There were belligerent roars exchanged over a rousing melody from the traveling folk. The smell of stew and alcohol, and body odor, and all other things mixed in, wafted over the whole scene.

“Hah, I’m beat,” the elven girl said as she reached across the table to pat the red-headed boy on the shoulder.

The boy scratched his cheek. “You don’t look like it.”

“Heh heh, I mean, it’s so exciting. I always look forward to every new dungeon.”

The brown-haired boy sitting beside him chuckled as he carefully distributed the food among them. “Being too energetic is also troublesome, you know.”

“Like hell it is,” said the boy with straw hair beside the elf girl. “The more spirit you’ve got, the further you’ll go. Ain’t that right? We’ve got a long path ahead of us.”

“Heh heh, you’re right. We’re still at the bottom, but we’ll reach the higher ranks someday!”

“Wrong, we’ll be S-Rank! Don’t settle for less!” the straw-haired boy said, prodding at the girl. The girl laughed in response.

The boy with red hair could feel a pang in his heart. He didn’t quite know why, but he would be overcome with a most peculiar sensation each time he saw the straw-haired boy and elf girl laugh together. It was somehow painful whenever the girl’s smile was turned to anyone beside him.

It’s no good. She’s in love with him, the boy thought, putting his hand to his chest. The brown-haired boy beside him narrowed his eyes suspiciously. “What’s wrong? Chest hurting?”

“No... Got a fish bone stuck...”

“Wow, that’s not like you. You have to be careful.”

“Yeah...”

The red-haired boy chugged his drink.

Meanwhile, the girl grinned and stared at him. “Heh heh, it’s all so new to me. The time I’ve spent until now, why, I never could have even dreamed of it back home.”

“Really?”

“Yeah. Where do you want to go tomorrow?”

The straw-haired boy laughed. “We’ll go to a different dungeon tomorrow. Just a little more, and we’ll hunt our quota. Then it’s another rank-up! We can accept even harder jobs after that!”

“Oh, wow. Finally time, huh.”

“Yeah, I can’t wait. There’s nowhere the four of us can’t go. I’ll show you a whole new world.”

As the elven girl marveled at all the new sights ahead of her, the straw-haired boy gently tapped her on the shoulder. The red-haired boy let out a sigh too soft for anyone to pick up on.

I’ll never be able to drag her around like that. He laughed to himself, honing his ears to the throbbing of his own heart. Is this lovesickness? Or something else entirely? Whatever it was, his heart would hammer whenever he saw the elf girl smile at the straw-haired boy.

I would treasure her... He knew those emotions would never bear fruit, but they were still his own. He didn’t intend to cause anyone any trouble, but surely he was free to let his imagination run wild. For now, he let himself bask in a fantasy.

The girl glanced at him and smiled. The boy smiled back. He was always quite happy when her smile was for him.

○

He sent Kerry off into the chilly dead of night; the breeze would be perfect for cooling his drunken ardor.

Belgrieve had barely started into the story when the others began gulping down drinks to curb their excitement. It soon got to the point where Kerry was so dead-drunk he could barely articulate anything, sobbing and ranting about this and that. It was beginning to get out of hand, so Belgrieve ended it there.

Borrowing Barnes’s shoulder, Kerry shambled his way down the path. Then he turned and bellowed, “Beeellll... You go get ’em, champ! I’m always on your side.”

“Get to bed already, or you’ll be useless tomorrow!”

So they unsteadily went on their way, the light from their lantern growing distant.

Belgrieve let out a sigh and stared absentmindedly at the sky. The crescent moon floated beyond the mountains, leaving only a sea of stars in its wake. He tried to recall if he used to stare at the sky like this back in Orphen, when he had to camp out for long jobs. At least the sky hadn’t changed at all since then. If they’re still alive, are they staring up at the same sky?

They were all talented adventurers. Even now, Belgrieve couldn’t understand why they allowed him to be in their party. Though he had long since broken off contact, they were surely still living life to the fullest somewhere out there.

Looks like I still haven’t come to terms with it, he thought. It had been over twenty-five years, but he was surprised to find he still had a lot to say about the elven girl.

“Maybe that’s why...”

He had never been so keen on marrying. Perhaps...

Is she still an adventurer? If she is, what rank is she now? Has she incurred any serious injuries? Or did she retire and marry someone?

“An adventurer, huh...”

His thoughts turned to Angeline. When it was night in Turnera, it was night in Orphen as well. He wasn’t so lonely when he knew she was under the same sky he was. Belgrieve took a deep breath, then turned and walked into his house. Behind him, an owl hooted loudly under the twinkling stars.