Chapter 11: A Moment in Elle Village

 

 

 

Chapter 11: A Moment in Elle Village

 

ON the same day the former Analian Four Grand Magi joined forces with Saint Aela’s party and swore to defeat the Demon Lord, we teleported to Laurent’s former village to evacuate Elle Village.

After all, tomorrow we will set out to defeat the Demon Lord with all the major players on our side. Our top priority is to move Elle Village and eliminate any concerns about them being taken hostage or harmed.

To make the evacuation area extra secure, Laurent draws a barrier around the entire village while Julius teaches him high-level defense spells.

With the defenses strengthened, all that’s left is to spend the night recharging our batteries before heading to the Demon Lord’s castle tomorrow.

So we decided to treat ourselves to a pre-vanquish-the-Demon-Lord celebration to get better acquainted with our new team members.

Partying outdoors is the best!

“Go on, eat up! Feast upon the tantalizing food cooked by the legendary chef Meide, one of the Four Grand Magi of Elle Village! It’s so delicious it’s guaranteed to melt in your mouth and stick to your ribs! Her devilish food is capable of turning even Analia’s former strongest Grand Magi, Julius, into a little boy ready to eat you out of house and home!”

Saint Aela’s party, our newest recruits into Elle Village, were still so glum I had to recommend Grand Magi Meide’s delicacies to them.

It seems to have done the job, since the thick tension has died down and Aela’s group as well as Regulus and Sereniel have begun to relax, and friendly conversation is starting up here and there.

Looks like they’ve opened up to one another quite a bit.

Or maybe too much. Golem and Regulus decide to arm wrestle for whatever reason, get worked up over their match, and start arguing about their personalities being too similar, and then Sereniel throws out “Don’t fight over me, boys!” even though I’m positive it has nothing to do with her. They’re out of control.

In the heat of the moment, Golem and Regulus destroy part of the magic circle Laurent just finished drawing and get laid into by the seventeen-year-old even though they are several dozen years his senior.

Aela smiles throughout the chaotic show, and Prince Guido gazes upon her smiling face with such love and adoration it makes my skin crawl… I wonder if that means the two of them are already a couple.

If they are, will Julius get rejected by Aela even if he falls for her? And if he does…when he does…will I—

I’m surprised by the relief spreading through me.

What’s wrong with me? Why am I thinking this way? Julius is my friend, and someone to whom I would gladly hand over the top spot as Elle Village’s first-ranked Grand Magi, and yet I can’t bring myself to support his feelings… How could I be so horrible as to be relieved at the thought of him being rejected?

“Lady Elle, I want to talk to you about something…,” Laurent says to me with reserve.

“Sure. Talk away,” I respond. Apparently, he doesn’t want anyone else to hear, because he takes me to a quiet place away from the din of the party.

“What did you want to talk about alone…?” I ask since he seems nervous.

He closes his eyes and opens them again, determined. “I want you to take me with you!”

I didn’t expect him to say that.

“I can’t. Who will protect Elle Village if you come?”

“But I set up all the defenses. It shouldn’t be easy to—”

“Shouldn’t isn’t good enough,” I say over him. “We don’t know what Clark will pull. Someone has to stay behind to protect the village.”

“But if something were to happen to you—”

“Something happen to me? Pshaw! I’ll be fine, for I am Elle Village’s glorious mayor, Elle!”

“I know. I know and still worry. Not because you’re weak, Lady Elle… But because I am weak. When I think something might happen to you, I…” He trails off, looking like his back is up against the wall and he’s about to lose everything that matters to him.

I frown. “Laurent, I will be okay. Julius and Aela will be with me,” I say to assuage his worries, but it does nothing to wipe the hard look off his face.

What can I say? Before I have the answer, Laurent speaks.

“You are my light, Lady Elle. When you saved my village, you shone a light into my dark world. If you disappear, I’ll be plunged back into the darkness.”

I dumbly blink in response to his sincere gaze and distraught voice.

I keep forgetting that Laurent was originally, in the manga, a character who seemed kind but could become deranged at the drop of a hat because of the darkness he carried with him. I showed up at just the right time to save his village from annihilation, but his potential to turn yandere is still alive and well.

My heart aches when I see him pushed to the edge like this, because I think of him like a little brother. I didn’t realize it would hurt him so much to be left behind… But I need him to stay and look after everyone.

“You won’t see that darkness again. There’s no worst-case scenario where I won’t return. I swear I will come back. So I want you to protect the place I will come home to, Laurent. I can take on the Demon Lord with peace of mind because I know you will be here for me,” I tell him.

His eyes widen. “Lady Elle…it’s not fair when you put it that way.”

“But it’s the truth,” I say with a smile.

Laurent exhales a long-suffering sigh and throws up his hands in defeat. And then he lets a sunnier expression chase away the clouds covering his face.

“…Okay. I will wait for you to come back home, Lady Elle. But can I get a reward for listening to you and staying behind…?”

His entreating eyes stir up my desire to take care of him. I puff out my chest and put a hand on my hip.

“A reward? Sure thing! I’ll give you anything you want! Want Meide to whip up a meal just for you? Or is there something else you have been wanting?”

Grand Sorceress Elle never goes back on her word! I’ll sell every gem and treasure I have to grant his wish!

“In that case, um, can I hug you?”

“Hug me? Like a goodbye hug? I don’t mind…but is that all you want?”

“It’s more than enough for me,” he says, seemingly thrilled I didn’t reject his request. I open my arms, and he steps closer and puts his arms around me.

---

---

He really doesn’t ask for much, being satisfied with something that could pass as a greeting. Laurent sure has grown, though. He was supposed to be a shota in the manga…and now he’s tall and has muscles. Will I ever outgrow being a loli?

But I’m still surprised he wanted a hug. I wonder if he’s still at the age where he wants to be coddled by his mother. Even though he’s older than me. No matter what I do, I can’t shake the first impression I had of him as a little boy.

“Lady Elle, I love you.”

Laurent says such a sweet thing while hugging me that I pat him on the back. “Me too. I love you, Laurent. I obviously love everyone from Elle Village. So take care of the place while I’m away.”

“…I will.”

I’m a little curious why his answer is so despondent, but at least he gives a big nod.

Laurent will be here for Elle Village. He will definitely protect everyone. So all that’s left is to destroy the magic circle and come back alive! And then I can begin a fun new life in Elle Village.

Laurent slowly releases me, seemingly satisfied with the length of our hug.

“Is that good enough for you?” I ask to double-check. “Tell me if there’s anything else you wish for. I want to make sure you get your reward fair and square.”

I mean, a hug is basically just a kind of greeting.

Laurent is stunned by my proposition. “Really? I can ask for more? Then…if I can be greedy, kiss—”

“You look like you’re having fun, Laurent.” Julius’s voice cuts through Laurent’s request, causing me to turn around and discover how close he is. Since when did he get here? Moreover, there are deep lines in his brow, and he’s spearing Laurent with his glacial glare.

“Master, what’s with your timing?” Laurent throws up his hands in surrender. Then he faces me again. “Please save the rest of my reward for when you safely come back home,” he says with a smile, then turns back to Julius. “Master, please look after Lady Elle. If she doesn’t come back…I surely won’t stay sane.” His eyes are dead serious as he delivers his warning.

Julius nods with the same serious gleam. “…I know. We will come back no matter what.”

Laurent seems satisfied by his answer.

“Lady Elle, Master Julius seems like he wants to talk, too, so I will take my leave here. Oh and…” Laurent brings his lips to my ear and whispers so softly that Julius can’t hear, “Please think about how you feel the moment Master does the same thing I did to you. Consider how your feelings differ between me and him.”

He wants me to think about the difference between what they do to me? I’m trying to figure out what he means, when he tips over backward.

“You’re too close. Weren’t you going to leave? Go. Now.”

It looks like Julius yanked him back by his collar.

“You’re too rough, Master. I was about to leave without you telling me to,” Laurent says and leaves with the boyish smile I’ve come to associate with him.

I don’t quite understand what he was trying to tell me… What did he mean?

“Good grief. I can never let down my guard. Also, Laurent wasn’t joking,” Julius says in a gruff voice as he watches Laurent disappear into the distance.

“About what?”

“Losing his sanity if he loses you. Sheesh. He’s got guts, threatening me like that.”

“That was a threat?”

“Who knows what will happen to this village if he loses his mind and his magic runs amok. Laurent’s talent as a sorcerer is phenomenal. He is already levels above the average Analian sorcerer despite having only just started learning how to use magic. I can foresee him becoming the second Demon Lord in history after losing you,” Julius says with a straight face, which makes it extra impactful.

“Does that mean he’s better than you, Julius?”

“I’m stronger right now, but only time will tell if that will change. That is how much potential he has.”

Go, Laurent! You made Julius speak so highly of you! You’ve proved why you were on Saint Aela’s side as a genius sorcerer in the manga. Though you got defeated after your mental instability was attacked.

But doesn’t that mean Elle Village is in danger if I don’t come back? Hey, Laurent, isn’t that a direct threat against me? Now I really have to return no matter the cost!

I feel Julius’s gaze on me and look up. Our eyes meet. Maybe it’s just my imagination, but he seems to be studying me with a seductive smile…

“Wh-Wh-Wh-What are you looking at?!” I shout in the shock of the moment.

Julius cocks his head to the side and asks “Am I not supposed to look at you?” in his usual manner

“Y-Y-Y-You can if you want to…”

But, but he’s staring so hard my face might fall off! I was just trying to see where he was at and he was already looking at me… Hold on, could I be in an abyss? Like the kind where he’ll already be stealing at look at me when I go to steal a look at him?

I’m so flustered my thoughts are becoming incoherent.

“There is something I want to confirm with you before we go to Analia tomorrow,” he says.

“What’s that?”

“…Is it all right to assume that you really don’t want the Demon Lord to come back to life?” Julius throws that question out of left field, and my eyes spin.

“Huh? Of course I don’t. Aren’t we going to storm the castle tomorrow to destroy the magic circle so that the Demon Lord can’t be revived? Besides, I have to die for him to be resurrected. That’s the last thing I wanna do!” I say, stating the obvious.

“What if it were possible,” Julius starts, sounding reluctant, “to revive the Demon Lord without killing you?”

“Where did that come from? You never talk about what-if scenarios. Well, even if I don’t have to die for it, I’ll still do whatever it takes to stop him!” I’m making myself as clear as possible, and it still isn’t enough to erase the worry from him.

“Do you really mean that? You once worshiped the Demon Lord, Elle. You gave him the same love a child does a parent—no, what you held for him was a step above that. You probably felt more betrayed than anything else after learning it was a magic circle, but if the Demon Lord is revived, he will have a real body. Real emotions. And then the Demon Lord might shower you with the love you always longed for.”

Julius’s words crash into me, taking away my breath.

I mean, when he puts it like that, that’s one legitimate outcome… I can’t deny that in the past I loved the Demon Lord and always thought about how I could get him to praise me. I believed the Demon Lord was human and would pat me on the head when I did a good job. I lived under the assumption that he would shower me with kind words. That he would love me.

And that’s why it was such a shock to discover the Demon Lord was really a magic circle all along.

If the Demon Lord is an inanimate magic circle, then he won’t love me, or more than that, he won’t be disappointed, saddened, or angry because of me. He won’t feel or think a single thing about me.

And after seeing the future plotted by the magic circle, I realized that the Demon Lord never thought anything about any of us; it only wanted us to become tools to build a world controlled by magic.

I left my country for that reason.

But say the Demon Lord is revived? The sorcerer who made that magic circle will come back, and when he does, will he…will he pat me on the head and do all the things I’ve longed for? Will he praise me when I do good? Will he get angry if I do something dangerous? And then…

I let my thoughts travel to that point and feel like the things I wished for more than anything else in the past aren’t so great after all.

It just doesn’t sit right with me anymore… After all, I have Elle Village now.

…Julius is here for me now.

He rejoices with me when I’m happy, weeps with me when I am sad, is happy to listen whenever I feel like announcing myself to the room, and eats a meal with me whenever I get hungry. I already have someone special like that in my life.

“Hmph! Julius, don’t start underestimating Elle Village’s grand sorceress mayor Elle! I’ve long since graduated from the Demon Lord. Besides, I want no part of the future envisioned by the magic circle. I’d much rather continue having fun living with everyone in Elle Village!” I make myself very clear, and that finally gets Julius to crack a smile.

“I see. I’m relieved to hear you say that.”

“Hmph! While we’re on the topic, what about you, Julius? You were one of the Four Grand Magi who formerly served the Demon Lord, just as much as I was! Every human in Analia loved the Demon Lord. Will you be okay?” I throw the question right back at him.

“It’s not an issue for me. I have someone…I love much more. So much it appears there’s no room left for the Demon Lord.”

My heart leaps against my chest so hard I cover it with my hand to make sure it didn’t burst out. How could it not ache? He just said he loves someone…

I think back to my favorite scenes in the manga, the scenes where Julius is saved by Aela, absconds from his country, and does everything for her sake…

“…Is the person you love…Aela?” The words spill past my pouting lips.

Crud. I didn’t want to ask him like this… But words can’t be taken back once they’re said.

“Aela? Why would that name of all names come up now?” Julius asks as if she’s the last person he could ever like, his eyebrows raised heavenward.

But I know!

“B-Because you like her…right?” I venture, and it makes Julius release the most exasperated sigh I’ve ever heard. And he’s looking at me like he would an ignoramus!

“Not in a million years. There’s no way I’d fall for a woman I met just the other day.”

“Y-You might think that way now, but you will definitely fall for her once you get to know her better.”

“I will not.”

“You will, too!”

“I won’t.”

“You will!”

I know he will!

“Haa,” he sighs again. “What gave you that impression?”

I have my knowledge from the manga, but there’s also the feeling I got when Julius smiled that one time…

Thinking about his smile makes me say my next words. “B-Because you never smile for anyone outside of Elle Village, and even that is rare, but you were beaming when Aela fixed my arm!”

“Because she healed your injuries!” he shouts back, getting pulled into the heat of the moment with me.

“But it felt like you two were gazing into each other’s eyes for a while. Like this kinda long, loving stare!”

“That’s just your interpretation. Though I was surprised by her unique skill and that may have made me stare for a bit…”

“Aaah! See! I knew it! You were eating her up with your eyes!”

“Eating her up?! Why are you using such a sexual phrase? …Are you possibly…jealous?” Julius asks, wide-eyed. He looks kinda happy.

What? Jealous? Me? Jealous? JEALOUS?!

“I-I have no reason to be jealous! S-S-Save the st-stupid talk for your dreams! Stupid, Jul—” I was about to throw a Yo Mama diss out there, when my face collides with his broad chest.

“Elle.” Julius calls my name in a heartrending voice.

What’s going on? What’s going on? What’s going on? Why am I being hugged?!

What Laurent said flashes into my mind.

“Please think about how you feel the moment Master does the same thing I did to you. Consider how your feelings differ between me and him.”

How my feelings differ?

Wrapped in Julius’s arms, in his smell, my heart drums a beat and words escape me. He hugs me even tighter.

“I have something to tell you if we succeed in destroying the magic circle tomorrow. Will you hear me out?”

Encompassed in Julius’s strong arms, hearing his sweet whisper near my ear, I finally become aware of my feelings.

No. I was aware of them long ago. But I didn’t want to acknowledge them. Because I thought Julius would eventually fall in love with Aela…

Too embarrassed to speak, I wordlessly nod and nuzzle against his chest.