Chapter 019

"Are you insane?" Irian blurted it out reflexively.

He rarely used such rough expressions that didn't fit the spirit of the forest, but that's how sincere he was.

That elf.

Is he really sane?

Does it make any sense to ask me to face the trial of the forest in a situation like this unless he's out of his mind?

"I'm right in my mind."

However, the elf in front of him, who still had a faint hint of youth, accepted it as it was and answered without hesitation.

In that moment, Irian received a strong gaze from Eldmir, the elf who had just spoken.

It was his mother, Elysia Arhitea.

She was communicating with her gaze.

A warning not to accept this challenge.

It was a warning with a strong will.

Her hand was slowly approaching her bow.

Suddenly, Irian found the current situation so ridiculous that he burst into laughter.

He doesn't know if he should say it, but they look amazingly alike to each other, to the point where he couldn't help but think of them as mother and son.

It's so funny that the resemblance is revealed in the current situation, and on the other hand, he just laughed because he was envious.

"What's so funny?"

Eldmir's cold question made Irian stop laughing abruptly.

"It's funny. It's impossible not to find it funny."

Irian spread his arms wide.

"This is Chitaen, and I told you I'm the El Sentinel of this place. Yes, I'm sure I told you, Eldmir."

Then he pointed a finger at Eldmir.

"But do you really think you can ask me to face a trial when it seems like you can't even hold a bow properly? Are you serious?"

"I mean it."

Eldmir's mouth curled up.

That smile, like mockery, had something eerie about it.

"And you, Irian, I can't even hold a bow properly? You're exaggerating. Can you tell what I'm doing right now, huh?"

With those words, he slowly shook the hand that had been gripping Irian's neck from side to side.

The rhythm of that movement shook Irian's body from side to side.

Irian, along with several other sentinels around him, tried to pry Eldmir's hand off, but it didn't budge.

Irian was filled with astonishment at that tremendous strength and broke out in a cold sweat.

'Really, he's a monster. To think he's capable of this much in his condition.'

Just a day ago, it had been Eldmir who was wandering through adversity. He had been lying down for a whole day and barely opened his eyes on the second day, but suddenly, he displayed tremendous strength and challenged himself. He didn't seem like an elf at all.

As Irian's excitement gradually subsided and some reason returned, he hurriedly and gently patted Eldmir's hand.

"Calm down. You seem too excited right now. Both you and me."

"Every bit of that excitement was intended by you, wasn't it? Are you going to pretend to be calm now? Hypocrite."

Eldmir's meaningful words made Irian narrow his eyes.

"What are you talking about?"

"You staged it. At first, you acted like I was a hero and set a good atmosphere, but suddenly you touched on my nerves by using the child, my guest, as a hostage. It was all calculated drama."

Finally, Eldmir approached Irian's head and whispered.

With a murderous voice filled with determination.

"What's your motive, Irian? What's your intention of making me angry?"

"..."

"..."

"..."

'Eureka.'

Irian thought.

'It's better than I thought.'

He forcibly suppressed the corner of his mouth that wanted to rise.

He tensed the facial muscles that twitched freely, resulting in a very strange expression.

"…What are you doing?"

In response to Eldmir's questioning look, as if he had witnessed something strange, Irian almost burst into laughter.

Now was the time to stay calm.

He reluctantly recalled the memories he didn't want to remember.

The meeting with Sentinels from another village who had come to inform him of his parents' death.

The grief of that moment.

The incomprehensible behavior of his fellow kin.

Anger.

Anger.

Anger.

———.

The waves of turbulent emotions that had been fluctuating subsided as if they had never been there.

In an instant, Irian's expression returned to seriousness as he gently grasped Eldmir's fist.

"Eldmir, I apologize for my rudeness."

"What?"

"I will apologize. I will apologize many times. But please, for now, calm your anger. I'm afraid excessive anger might harm your health."

"Stop spouting bullshit! Answer my question…!"

"About life, it's a misunderstanding. While it's true that I was rude and couldn't contain my momentary anger, but I swear to the Forest that I never intended to harm either you or Lady Elysia."

"You keep talking bullshit to the end…"

"Please believe me. We absolutely had no intention of causing harm to you."

"I asked."

Eldmir said it coldly.

"Why did you make me angry? You still haven't given an answer about that. Don't try to dodge the question."

Irian had come to realize that Eldmir was a more exceptional being than he had initially thought, but ironically, it was this very quality that made him find Eldmir annoying right now.

Quietly considering how to coax this young elf, Irian slowly spoke up.

"…I truly had no ill intentions. Whenever I think about my parents, I sometimes find myself in a state of disarray beyond my control."

Irian looked directly into Eldmir's eyes.

"I apologize once again. The outburst just now was a rude expression of overflowing emotions about the Beastmen, which even unconsciously extended to your mother. Yes, it was inappropriate. You can scold me and mock me for this narrow-mindedness. That's all it was."

This time he looked at Elysia and said, "Lady Elysia, you told me not to go overboard. As you said, I apologize. I uttered words that did not befit the spirit of the forest due to excessive excitement, even though it was not your intention. If it weren't for your intervention, I might have committed a greater offense. I don't blame you. Instead, I am deeply sorry for all the mistakes that have led to this unfortunate situation."

"…Is that so?"

Only now did Eldmir's grip begin to loosen.

There were still traces of suspicion in his gaze, but Irian could sense that they were almost over it, and he smiled inwardly.

"Of course. You mentioned seeking the trial of the forest. If accepting it in this manner would calm your anger, then I will. However, this is not the way, Eldmir. Facing the forest's trial in this state, where we've lost our reason and are agitated, will be a conflict, not a trial. I don't want my rudeness to create a tragedy of discord among our kin."

Saying this, Irian again intervened to stop the sentinels, who were trying to separate him and Eldmir.

At his gesture, the Sentinels hesitated and stepped back.

With no more interference, Eldmir continued to hold Irian by the collar and glare at him, but Eldmir's hand gradually relaxed.

Irian decided it was time to deliver the final blow.

"It would be better for us to conclude any discussion related to the Beastmen when we are both composed. For both you and me."

"…Hmm."

With a sigh, Eldmir finally completely released his grip on Irian's neck.

As he slowly released the hold and withdrew his hand, Irian bowed his head in apology.

"I formally apologize once again, Eldmir."

"…No, it's not just you who's at fault. I apologize too."

"I'm in the same boat. I was rude to a fellow forest dweller."

At this, Irian smiled slowly.

His smile was incredibly gentle and warm.

"Although there was a brief discord, finding common ground now and asking forgiveness from each other brings great joy. It must be the guidance of the forest that has united us."

Having said that, Irian spoke again, "Well, it's not suitable to stay here like this. Let's move to a different place. Standing here, it doesn't seem like we'll have the right atmosphere for a conversation."

Inwardly, he wore a black smile that was completely different from what he had on the outside.

・・・❈・・・

Eldmir and Elysia entered the house guided by Irian.

The house they entered wasn't far from where they had the commotion.

It even crossed their minds for a moment that they might have just entered any nearby random house without a second thought.

The room they entered appeared to be an ordinary one, not much different from those of other elves.

The only noticeable difference was that it had a somewhat different style compared to the village of El Ruel.

"Where are the children?"

Eldmir asked as soon as he entered the room.

He didn't want to chat in a place like this; he wanted to see the children with his own eyes right away.

"They are safe. Since Lady Elysia insisted, I didn't create any reason for you to worry."

"I want to see them with my own eyes."

"…Very well."

As if expecting this, Irian walked further into the room.

Eldmir followed him with an expression that seemed to say he half-expected it.

When Irian opened the door, the sight of four cats huddled together on the bed in the middle of the room became visible.

"You guys."

"Eld, Eld, Eldmir~~!"

"You… you're alive!"

"Lady Elysia…!"

Their tearful voices rang out like a chorus.

Esrin rushed towards Eldmir, while Kelis and Ersi heaved sighs of relief, and Ketrit softly called out Elysia's name from behind Eldmir.

"Haah… You're all safe."

"I told you… I can discern such things to some extent."

Although, if it weren't for Elysia's protests, he might not have been able to restrain himself.

Irian discreetly shifted his gaze away from Elysia, avoiding her stern look.

"Eldmir!"

"Ouch… Yeah, yeah. I'm glad to see you too."

As Esrin rushed towards him, Eldmir received her, even though his whole body trembled.

Seeing Eldmir's expression, which struggled to raise the corners of his mouth due to the pain, Kelis, with a worried look, asked, "Are you really okay? You were unconscious for two days."

"Two days?"

That was quite a revelation.

Elysia blinked in surprise as she said to Eldmir with an astonished tone, "Son, it's been two days since that day."

"…Ah, right."

Somehow, Eldmir had healed quite a bit from his injuries, which made him think his recovery was surprisingly good.

Eldmir shook his head with a wry smile.

"There are still quite a few annoying wounds, but I'm still alive. How about you all? You don't look too good."

"We… We were treated well. We couldn't visit you to avoid disturbing your recovery," Esrin added with a hint of guilt.

As she spoke, her hair was stroked by Eldmir. At that, Esrin, who had a stern expression, quickly turned into a smiling one.

Now that her initial wariness had completely disappeared, Eldmir also wore a warm smile.

However, he was still concerned about the wounds he was tending to, so he gently moved her aside and said, "Yeah, it's good that you're okay."

As he stroked their heads one by one, they began to ask questions.

"Eldmir, what's going to happen to us now?"

"Lady Elysia was very worried about you."

"…Are your wounds completely healed?"

Kelis, Ersi, and Ketrit took turns asking, which left Eldmir both bewildered and amused, causing him to let out a bitter laugh.

He answered them in turn.

"Nothing's going to happen. Don't worry. I know my mother has been very concerned. Well, I can't really say anything since I got this messed up. But you don't have to worry now. Even though I'm not in perfect shape, it's not a big problem, as you can see. Thank you for worrying."

"It's not exactly a small problem. When I think about how I prayed for El Lyradelle several times a day, worrying about you…"

"Oh, Mother. What are you saying in front of the kids?"

"You should be quiet too. If you appear in front of me like that one more time, this mother won't stay silent."

At that, Eldmir broke into a cold sweat.

The scariest people when angry were those who never got angry no matter what happened but would unleash all their pent-up anger at once.

And now, it seemed like the dam that had been holding all that pent-up anger was slowly starting to crack.