Volume 6 Chapter 33: Responsible
Volume 6 Chapter 33: Responsible
(Walson)
It was 2 a.m.
Tomorrow was the opening ceremony of the Ore God Festival, and I had just finished all the final checks. As I walked to the third floor, preparing to take a bath and sleep, I noticed that the light in the study was still on.
I pushed open the door and discovered that the person sitting there was none other than Barella.
On the sofa, dressed in a simple long dress and vest, holding a book in her hands, she elegantly stretched out her legs. Her smooth, wavy golden hair was tied back, her eyelashes lowered, and she gazed out the window, lost in thought. The scene looked like a beautiful painting.
"Oh, you’re back. Done with everything?" Barella noticed my presence and turned to me with a smile.
That smile made my heart skip a beat.
How on earth did I used to look at this beautiful woman without feeling anything at all?
"Yeah, all the tasks are completed. Now we just wait for the Ore God Festival to end," I said, sitting down beside Barella. "Uh... did I disturb you?"
"It's okay, I was just thinking about something," Barella replied.
"Worrying about something?" I asked. "You seem a bit distracted lately."
She had been like this ever since hearing about the Mad King heading towards the elven empire, often lost in thought.
"Like I told you before, no matter what happens, I’ll help you. So... can you tell me what's bothering you? If you don’t mind."
I'm not very good at saying grand and heroic things, so I felt awkward.
At my words, Barella chuckled, looking genuinely happy.
"Has this blockhead finally figured it out?" Barella laughed heartily.
"Wow, don't make fun of me. I feel really guilty!" I said, embarrassed.
I recalled all the times Barella had tried to be kind to me, but I had been like a broken radio, completely missing her signals.
Oh gosh, I'm such an idiot!
"Walson, can you get me some fruit wine?"
"Wine?"
"Didn't we always chat like this before?" she said with a smile. "Or are you unwilling?"
"How could I be unwilling? It’s my honor, Miss Barella."
"Such a smooth talker~~"
...
...
...
Aurevia Bratio Ilf .
This is my name now, with the kingdom's name as my middle name, representing the high elves. However, this was not my original name. Before my exile, I had a family name and a full name.
Sharuru Aurevia Ispan. This was the name of the third daughter of the noble Ispan family. But that was many years ago, before I was exiled and forgotten.
To the past me, exile was an end; now it seems it was the beginning of my true story.
All because of the boy standing in front of me, with messy brown hair, a head shorter than me, and nine years my junior.
"Sharuru? A full name?" Walson looked at me in confusion.
"Oh, humans don't have this custom. It's a tradition among the nobles of Braatio. Each person receives a full name from the elders of the family when they turn fifteen, like a coming-of-age ceremony."
"Ah... I see..." Walson scratched his head. "Um, would you prefer if I called you that?"
"Huh?" I didn't quite understand what Walson meant.
"I mean, since you lost your original name... I thought maybe you'd prefer if people called you Sharuru or something..."
Hearing this, I understood Walson's thoughts, and I couldn't help but laugh.
That's just how he is, awkward and emotionally clumsy... but it doesn't stop him from caring about those around him, even if his methods are sometimes clumsy.
Since becoming officially involved with him, I understood why Grace and the others felt the way they did about Walson.
He's awkwardly adorable.
"Actually, I don't mind if you call me Barella," I said, leaning closer to Walson.
A few glasses of fragrant fruit wine seemed to have loosened me up a bit.
"Uh, uh, uh!?"
"After all... every time you call me that, I get to punish that naughty mouth of yours... What do you think?" I whispered softly into Walson's ear.
Walson, clearly unaccustomed to such treatment, turned bright red.
Grace always liked to act assertively around Walson, and seeing his reaction, I now understood why.
"Wait, weren't you saying you had something on your mind?" Walson asked, trying to maintain his composure despite his reddened face.
"...I was just thinking about my brother and sister. I wonder how they're doing." I decided to open up, leaning against Walson and taking a sip of fruit wine.
Walson had told me before that facing things alone wasn't considerate but foolish, isolating oneself and hurting those who cared. I didn't want Walson to hide his troubles from me, so I should do the same.
"In the Empire's history, the Ispan family is a long-standing military family, with many renowned generals coming from it..."
________________
(Walson)
And so, Barella and I sat on the sofa, leaning against each other, sharing a few glasses of fruit wine. I gradually understood what had been troubling her.
In the elven empire, the Ispan family had a history of military achievements. However, such accomplishments can seem threatening to a ruler. To avoid suspicion, the Ispan family had a tradition of marrying into the imperial family. This was the case with Barella, who had been betrothed to the empire's eldest prince since birth, raised to be a future queen.
But this supposed future queen was exiled, likely causing significant unrest. Surprisingly, according to the intelligence we gathered, there had been no major disturbances in the elven empire. To Barella, this meant the Ispan family had already made concessions.
Despite being exiled for so many years, she had never received any support from her family, becoming a forsaken pawn.
"You've had a hard time," I couldn't help but say.
"That's how nobility is. By now, I have nothing more to say about that family," Barella replied, looking down at me and smiling. "But I'm very worried about my brother and sister. If there's anything left for me in that family, it's them."
Barella's sister's situation was unclear, but her brother had joined the military.
Yes, the military. This meant that if the Mad King wasn't stopped and reached Braatio, Barella's brother would have to face that nightmarish opponent.
Hmm...
"In that case, after things settle here, let's go to Braatio. Just in case, and to check on your brother and sister," I suggested, gently holding Barella's delicate hand and looking at her seriously.
"I'm happy you feel that way," Barella said, lowering her head and wrapping her arms around mine, pulling me into her embrace. Two soft mounds pressed against me.
Oooooohhhh——!!!!!!!!
"But if Zakarina, the Vassal of The Earth, successfully stops the Mad King, let's just gather information at the border and return. Given my status..."
"What's wrong with your status? Ah, being an exile? That's okay, Grace can help us sneak in..."
"Pfft, that's not what I meant. I mean, there are no princesses in Braatio now, so..."
"Wait, hold on..." I seemed to understand something.
The elven empire is a matriarchy, with the elven queen as the political center.
However, the current elven queen's only daughter died young under mysterious circumstances, leaving her with five sons. This made things peculiar. Barella, betrothed to the eldest prince, would be the highest-ranking woman in the imperial family, essentially...
"You are the future elven queen!?" I looked up at Barella, our eyes inches apart, my mouth agape.
I knew this wasn't the appropriate expression for the situation, but I couldn't help it.
"Not now, and never will be," Barella said. "But I don't want to bring unnecessary conflict and trouble to you. You know, with my [Elf Weapon], getting attention is easy."
I stared at Barella, realizing she was right. This was something I hadn't considered.
The legendary elven hero had two pieces of [Elf Weapon], but Barella... well, her equipment was legendary.
"So, let's not cross the border. I want to stay by your side..." she said, suddenly smiling mischievously, leaning close to my ear, and whispering, "You made it impossible for me to go home... Walson, you have to take responsibility..."
I swallowed hard.
Just then, a deafening explosion erupted outside the window.