Chapter 87
[Translator – Angel Dust]
[Proofreader – Prototype]
Chapter 87
“…”
Selena lay blankly on her bed, staring at the ceiling.
More precisely, she was carefully recalling the events of yesterday.
“Benefactor of the church! You are truly a noble soul! Saint Louis himself would surely be pleased!”
“Th-thank you. I appreciate it, but please stop―”
“Cardinal Nicolaos, the 1st Diocese, will personally visit Friedrich County. And the 4th Diocese will also send a handwritten letter of gratitude. He deeply regrets that he cannot personally visit the county due to church affairs.”
“My father. No, the Count will understand. So please just―”
Quite suddenly, Karl had found the sacred relic the church had lost.
Right in front of my eyes. He playfully (it must have been playful. Probably.) swung his greatsword, splitting a rock, and out popped the Sword of Saint Louis.
Just in case, I informed the church, and they immediately sent someone to confirm.
Soon after, Cardinal Beolant arrived, and the unbelievable magic of ‘what if’ becoming ‘reality’ came true.
‘Karl, a benefactor of the church… Unbelievable….’
The incident where the 4th Diocese Headquarters of the Radiant Church was burned down by the Luzernes’ attack and the relic was lost.
Even though it happened long before Selena was born, she knew about it very well.
It was because her grandfather, the previous Marquis of Nafplion, was a devout follower of the Radiant Church. It was natural for him to be more favorable towards the church than anyone else.
Therefore, it was expected that the previous Marquis of Nafplion would be saddened by the loss of the relic. He even expressed his anger towards the Luzens for their blasphemy against the light.
Such a precious item was recovered by none other than Karl.
Even though the process was embarrassingly short. Even though Karl, the person involved, waved his hands, saying he did nothing. From the church’s perspective, even that would have seemed like a pious humility.
They must have felt that no amount of gratitude, no matter how many times they called him a benefactor or a noble soul, could fully express their thanks.
Thanks to this, Selena’s worries grew even more than before.
She had been confident. No, not confident, but she had a firm belief. That a master’s degree would make her a suitable woman for Karl. That she would not be a blemish by his side.
But with the church involved, she suddenly felt that it might not be enough.
‘Is this… really okay? No, it doesn’t seem okay?!’
Let’s think about it. First, Lavrenti. Although she comes from a commoner background, she is a war hero like Karl. She herself says she can’t compare, but the Silver Star is a great achievement.
They say guns and gunpowder are replacing swords and magic on the battlefield, but they are not all-powerful.
I heard from my brother that their accuracy is not as good as expected, reloading is slow, and they have many other problems.
Despite this, Lavrenti succeeded in sniping nearly a hundred Luzernes elves.
This is only the official record, and I heard that the unofficial record could be over three hundred. Either way, it was clearly a great feat.
In other words, her background might be a minor issue, but not a major flaw.
Moreover, the Friedrich County has been led by imperial officers since its inception, so it is unlikely they would look down on a soldier.
‘She will definitely not be an easy opponent.’
In that sense, Eloise was also as troublesome as Lavrenti.
If Lavrenti has the minor flaw of being a commoner, Eloise has the flaw of her race.
Karl was fighting elves until recently, so it would probably be difficult for him to easily whisper words of love while looking at an elf.
However, it’s not entirely impossible.
I’ve already heard about it from various sources. About the many men and women of the Empire who have found love with the elves of Hyzens. About their somewhat difficult, yet sparkling love stories.
‘You ask how I heard about it? It’s a bit embarrassing to say, but there was a romance novel inspired by them!’
Anyway, Eloise is also a person who served in the military.
Again, she is different from me. Similar to Lavrenti. They are qualified to truly comfort Karl’s difficult and gloomy past, which I will never know.
Can I really be by Karl’s side in this situation? Wanting to comfort him, but knowing nothing about the details. Am I just being greedy, without even being able to understand?
Even if Karl finds it all acceptable, can I truly claim the top spot with these two women around? My master’s degree might as well be worthless.
Should I really aim for a doctorate? But even then, three years won’t be nearly enough time.
“… Wait a minute.”
Meanwhile, Selena sensed something amiss and immediately rose from her seat.
She and Eloise shared a room. Eloise had left the room, saying she was going for a short walk.
And she hadn’t returned yet. Usually, she would have been back by now.
I was too relaxed. This would never normally happen. It was just that the issue with the sacred relic and Karl had overlapped. I was so preoccupied with that, I forgot the most important thing.
‘No way.’
Selena jumped up and rushed out of the room.
Although she might be lacking compared to the two military women, she was still a woman with a sharp intuition.
And that intuition was screaming at her right now to find Eloise quickly. More precisely, to go to Karl.
* * *
‘Ufufufu!’
Laughter escaped her lips.
Judging by Karl’s reaction, it seemed my plan worked.
There’s no way he would be acting like this otherwise. It could be an act, but as far as I could tell, Karl wasn’t the type to fake it.
“Hey, hey, Eloise.”
“Yes, Karl. What is it?”
“There, there’s a robe over there. Go and put it on quickly.”
Aha. So you want to cover me up with a robe? But I’m not that easy, you know? I’m on a whole different level from those pathetic kanfras you’ve dealt with.
“A robe? Okay. So I should take off everything I’m wearing and put on the robe, right? Let’s see. Should I take off the top first, or the bottom first? Just tell me!”
“No! That’s not what I meant!!”
“Below? Okay, I’ll undress from below.”
As I quietly moved my hand towards his swimsuit bottoms, Karl, startled, grabbed my hand.
“Oh my. You’re quite bold. As expected from a Medal of Honor recipient.”
“That’s not―”
“You want to take it off yourself, right? Fine. Go ahead. It’s a good thing for me!”
At that, Karl recoils in shock, batting my hand away and backing off. As if that wasn’t enough, he swiftly turns his body away, refusing to even look at me.
“You, don’t you have any shame?!”
“Huh?”
“You, Eloise, you’re an elf! Elves who live and die by their pride! Aren’t you one of those elves who vowed never to give humans anything?!”
“I am an elf, but not a stuffy one. I disown those closed-minded kanfras.”
If I were just like the other elven women, would I even be in this situation right now?
No, I wouldn’t have pursued studying abroad in the first place. I’d undoubtedly still be stuck in the forest, sitting while thinking ‘We elves are the best!’
“And just in case, don’t try to run away from me. I don’t want to end up fully naked either.”
While Karl is agile, I, an elf, am no pushover either. I guarantee, the moment he tries to escape, I’ll strip off my swimsuit and show him everything.
And I’ll insist, ‘Ah! Since you’ve seen a woman’s bare body, you must take responsibility!’
Too forceful? I know, I know! But in the face of love, forcefulness doesn’t matter!
I’ve already trampled my pride and everything, so what do cowardice and forcefulness matter! What’s important is to attain it first! That’s why I abandoned it all to come to the Empire!
“Karl.”
Alright, enough playfulness. It’s time to get a bit more serious.
“I like you. The moment I saw you, I fell for you.”
“…”
“If you ask me why, umm. For saving me? The restrained yet overwhelming strength you showed me? Or maybe something that strangely appealed to my maternal instincts? Ah, it doesn’t matter what. It doesn’t matter at all. The fact that I like you doesn’t change no matter the reason, so what’s the point in finding one.”
Sigh. I hear a sigh. It stings a little, but it’s okay.
I never expected a ‘I like you too’ from the start. This is a one-way street, after all. At least for now, yes. It’s my one-sided love.
“You must be shocked. You must be dumbfounded. But this is the most certain way for me to prove my feelings. I can’t wrap it up nicely or beautifully like others. I… Yeah. I just go straight ahead. Just a head-on fight. Just bumping into things. That’s all I know how to do. That’s what I’m good at.”
“Something to be proud of. It is.”
Hehehe. Sorry. Sorry, Karl. For being a woman who can only boast about this kind of thing. For being an elf, of all things.
I gently lean my head on Karl’s back. I want to hug him. I want to hold his hand. But it’s too early. I know Karl has made a big concession by allowing me to do this much, so I endure it.
“Give me a chance too. Okay? I’ll do really well. I don’t have any intention of monopolizing you or anything. I’m trying to win you over, so I’m not that kind of heartless elf.”
“If you really want to do that, you should try to think of a more normal way.”
Another sigh from Karl. But the good news is that it’s a little lighter than the previous one.
It’s a positive sign. Maybe I should thank Selena. She definitely helped loosen up Karl’s hardened heart!
“First of all, Eloise. There’s something we need to make clear.”
“Yes?”
“One. From now on, dress properly in front of others.”
Clothes?
“Are you bothered by my clothes?”
“Isn’t that obvious?”
“But I wanted you to overlook it.”
“If you want me to overlook it, then dress properly. At least don’t show that side of you to others.”
Aha. Is this… something like, ‘I don’t want others to see you like this’?!
If that’s the reason, I can wrap myself up from now on, Karl!
“Next, two. My first is definitely Selena.”
“I know. Did I ever say I’d take first place?”
“…The nuance now is that if you could take first place, you would.”
Oh. You caught me. Hehe! Honestly, it’s natural not to be able to resist if you see an angle to take first place, right?
It’s the same now. There’s only me and Karl in this hot spring, so I could just make a half-elf―
Bang! Bang! Bang!―
“Eloise? Eloise!! Are you here?!”
“Tsk. Caught. I’m out of here. See you tomorrow!”
Ah, before that!
“Hurry up and go if you’re leaving. Before Selena comes in― Kyaaak!!”
Kyahaha! Success!! I succeeded in imprinting my whole body on Karl’s unsuspecting eyes!
But still, Karl! As you said, I wore a robe instead of taking it off! Did I do well?!
[Translator – Angel Dust]
[Proofreader – Prototype]
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