Chapter 21
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Deruna kept looking at me with a slight blush on her face.
I nervously asked, trying to reclaim the chair that Deruna had taken.
“Um, um… can I sit in the chair?”
“Of course. It’s your chair. Why are you asking for permission?”
I managed to sit down in front of the desk, but I couldn’t focus at all.
When I sneaked a glance toward the bed, Elenien was playing with the spirits, while Deruna was reading a book from my shelf, occasionally glancing at me.
With them like that, there’s no way I can concentrate…
I couldn’t just chase them out, and my head was pounding.
I tried to busy myself with some work anyway…
But with Deruna watching, I couldn’t even build the fertilizer generator.
Instead, I prepared a contract to hire Dorothy, and possibly other people who might work with me.
I also planned out the details for building a fertilizer factory in the village and considered how to explain it to my parents…
“It’s already nighttime.”
I hadn’t accomplished much, yet the sun was already setting.
It was almost completely dark, and the farmers would likely be preparing to sleep now.
By early morning, they’d be back out in the fields.
And me… with these two around, I couldn’t do anything productive, so maybe I should just sleep…
“Yawn, I’m sleepy.”
Maybe if I hint at going to sleep, they’ll leave?
Deruna closed her book, looked at me, and spoke.
“Shall we sleep, Serupe?”
“Yes, goodnight.”
I inwardly cheered at how well my plan worked.
But then Deruna suddenly grabbed my arm and pulled me onto the bed.
“W-whoa?!”
“Goodnight, Serupe.”
W-what’s going on?
“Aren’t you going to your room?”
“It’s not fair that only you get to use the bed. The floor is so hard.”
As Deruna said that, Elenien, from the other side, hugged my other arm.
“E-Elenien, you too? Please, go to your room…”
“Mm…”
Elenien shook her head, refusing.
I turned back to Deruna, who was smiling at me.
Why are you both doing this, seriously?
The bed being too small would’ve been a blessing…
But since I used to share it with Seria as a kid and kept rolling off, it was made extra large, so the three of us fit comfortably.
Though we were packed tightly…
It’s suffocating!
How am I supposed to sleep like this?
Elenien caused trouble in the carriage before, but Deruna’s scent now was dizzyingly intoxicating.
I tried my best not to notice, but Deruna suddenly called my name.
“Serupe.”
“Y-yes?”
And then she said something like a sneak attack.
“Isn’t a fellow human better than an elf?”
Hearing this, Elenien murmured in shock.
“Is a half-breed no good…? I’m a half-elf, but I was told it wasn’t a problem… Half-elves are human too.”
“Hm, but wouldn’t it be harder to have children?”
“Ch-children…? A ch-child, children, c-children…? I… I can have children. Children… ch-children…”
What are they even talking about?!
Let go, let go of me!
As I struggled, Deruna held me tightly and pinned me down.
“Where do you think you’re running off to now?”
“Please spare me… I’m really sorry. You don’t have to tease me this much. Elenien, you don’t need to pretend anymore. I’ll just… I’ll honestly explain to my parents and apologize, so please… forgive me already.”
“What are you even talking about?”
“You’re acting this way because you overheard Elenien and me talking, right? Mother… Mother seems to have misunderstood and thought you were her choice for a daughter-in-law…”
She grabbed my hands firmly.
Then she pulled me toward her, bringing her face closer.
I can’t breathe.
“Someone like me makes a perfect daughter-in-law, don’t you think? You think it’s a misunderstanding?”
“Uh… ugh…”
I… I don’t think so?
Just as I was about to deny it, Elenien’s gentler hands pulled me toward her.
And then Elenien suddenly leaned in and kissed me.
“Mm…”
What… what’s going on?
As I opened my mouth in surprise, her tongue slipped in.
Her awkward tongue tangled with mine, which was gasping for breath, but then someone pulled her away from behind.
“Mm-mph.”
“Wait a minute, what are you two doing?”
“S-Serupe… is mine. Don’t… don’t kiss him without permission.”
Elven saliva trickled from Elenien’s mouth.
D-don’t tell me Elenien thought Deruna kissed me and decided to…?
Why… why is this happening?
“Hm, you don’t even know how to kiss properly, but the real first kiss was mine, wasn’t it? I’ll show you.”
Deruna pulled me upright and leaned in.
“D-Deruna?”
“Serupe.”
She wasn’t in a rush but firmly held my neck as her lips came closer and covered mine.
She didn’t pull away for a long time.
“Mm… chu.”
“R-right now… Der-Deruna?”
Her tongue repeatedly pressed against my lips as if frustrated. When I couldn’t resist anymore and opened my mouth, her tongue skillfully explored mine.
It felt like a snake writhing in a jar, and only after being thoroughly shaken did she let me go, leaving me slumped on the bed.
“Haah.”
She licked the drool trailing from her lips and placed her hands on her hips.
“This is what a kiss is, Elenien. So, Serupe, how was it? You liked it, right?”
I glanced at Elenien, who was staring blankly at Deruna, before suddenly leaning toward me.
“Stop, stop! Both of you, stop it now!”
I shouted with a voice tinged with desperation, making both Elenien and Deruna flinch.
I sighed heavily and pleaded.
“I’m sorry, okay? But I don’t understand what’s going on. I’m too overwhelmed. Whether you’re angry with me… or, or you actually like me… What is all this? I’m not someone who can just solve your feelings like this! Am I?”
“Huh?”
“Hmm…?”
Deruna and Elenien hesitated and backed off slightly, looking guilty.
“I’m busy with the fertilizer factory and everything, so let’s talk later. Especially you, Deruna.”
“Uh, uhm, Serupe…”
“You said you had something to tell me today, but you just teased me instead, didn’t you?”
“Ugh…”
“Let’s have a proper conversation tomorrow. Got it?”
“Uh, okay. L-let’s do that.”
At least they’re decent enough to realize they’ve done something wrong. Thank goodness.
Whew, for a moment I was worried one of them might suddenly draw a sword.
“All right, are you going to leave, or should I?”
“I-I’ll go.”
“Mm…”
Deruna gathered her belongings and left, and Elenien followed her spirits out of the room as well.
Whew, now I can finally breathe.
I sat on the bed, absentmindedly rubbing my still-tingling lips.
…I managed to sort it out for now, but what do I do tomorrow?
*
Elenien and Deruna, now outside the room, headed to their assigned rooms.
Walking sluggishly, Deruna blushed slightly and muttered under her breath.
“He’s unexpectedly assertive…”
Neither of them got much sleep that night, tossing and turning late into the evening.
*
I didn’t sleep well last night…
It’s still early morning, but to avoid running into Deruna, who wakes up early as a mercenary, I should climb out the window.
“Ugh…”
“What’s got you up so early, Serupe?”
“Ah, Father.”
“Hahaha, it seemed a bit noisy last night.”
“It was nothing… haha…”
“With an elf second to none in homemaking skills and a woman with everything you could want, you must be conflicted. Your mother said you should pick just one to avoid trouble, so choose wisely.”
“Wh-what am I even choosing? I’m heading out now, so please stop saying things like that.”
“Take care.”
Good grief…
I sighed heavily as I walked through the village streets.
While wandering, I heard a familiar voice.
“Serupe.”
“Ah, Dorothy.”
Dorothy, who was fetching water early in the morning, set down her full bucket and walked toward me.
“Where are you going?”
“Well… I’ve been feeling a bit unsettled, so I thought I’d sit at the usual spot for a while.”
“I see. Looks like you need my counseling again after all.”
“Uh, well…”
This might be hard to explain.
Then again, Dorothy might be the best person to talk to since she’s also a woman.
She’s always listened to me, and even if she didn’t provide solutions, her words were comforting. I might feel better if she comes along.
Looking at Dorothy, who was waiting for me to speak, I asked her a favor.
“Do you have time?”
“Of course.”
Dorothy nodded and walked alongside me.
We climbed up to the rock on the hill we used to frequent as kids and sat there, watching the dawn.
I found it hard to speak, my lips heavy. Dorothy lightened the mood by asking a casual question.
“So, Serupe, how’s the Academy?”
“Ugh…”
It’s a light question, yet I can’t answer lightly.
“Something bad happened, huh? Don’t tell me the nobles were harassing you?”
“Haha… Dorothy, you’re so sharp. You figured it out right away.”
“Because it’s about you, Serupe. So that’s what happened. Then why not quit the Academy? You could just learn magic from Lady Rihana.”
“I’m fine now. If the harassment had continued, I might’ve, but…”
“You endured it well. That’s just like you, Serupe. So, things have been going well lately?”
“Well… yes?”
If the harassment ended, why can’t I say things have been going well?
I mean, meeting the protagonist caused so much trouble…
And on the way back to the village, getting attacked by a whole band of mountain bandits, not just a few—who could’ve predicted that!
If Deruna hadn’t been there…
“So, something’s still going on recently? Tell me, maybe I can help.”
“It’s just… I ran into this crazy swordmaster, and they dragged me away saying, ‘You’ve got talent for swordsmanship, so you must become my disciple!’ That’s all. Nothing major.”
“Really?”
Dorothy suddenly stood up from the rock and began feeling my body.
“H-hey, what are you doing?!”
“Wow… Serupe, your body’s so firm. Even when you used to train under Sir Gawain, it wasn’t like this… You really do have a talent for physical work. I thought your creativity was your only strong suit.”
“Re-really? Maybe I’ve developed some talent recently…”
I did learn swordsmanship from Father, but I was so untalented that I gave up.
The protagonist dragging me along, insisting I had talent, made no sense.
It’s probably just as Deruna said—bad luck to be in the same room as them…
The protagonist’s abilities are so ridiculous, they must’ve created talent where there was none.
With a good mana technique, your body strengthens more easily, so…
Though I did build some muscle from all the odd jobs I used to do.
“You even have muscles here.”
“How far are you planning to go, Dorothy?!”
I pushed Dorothy away as she practically clung to me.
Why is she acting like this too?
Dorothy, now sitting a little further away, looked flushed, likely from the sunset.
Sigh, Dorothy really has a surprisingly bold side.
“By the way, Serupe, what did you mean by ‘why are you acting like this too’? Is there something else on your mind? Isn’t that your biggest concern?”
“Uh?”
Could Dorothy somehow read my thoughts?
She easily pinpointed the most pressing issue.
“Well… um… I was actually thinking of telling you about it. What do I do? Am I going to die? A noble lady’s got her eye on me, and if I get dragged away and she doesn’t like me, I’ll be beaten up…”
“A noble lady? The one with red hair?”
“Ah… you saw her at the tavern storage back then, right? Yeah, it’s her. But this is a long story…”
Starting with how I met Elenien at the Academy and how the harassment stopped, I slowly began explaining everything.
Dorothy listened with keen interest, absorbed in my story.
Come to think of it, do girls just like hearing stories like this?
After I finished, Dorothy nodded, seemingly understanding everything.
“Both of them like you. Well, Serupe, you are charming.”
“Me?”
“Yeah. Actually, I like you too.”
“Hahaha, don’t joke around… Seriously?”
“Of course, I’m kidding, Serupe. We’re childhood friends, after all.”
When I looked at her with a serious face, Dorothy smirked and lightly tapped my shoulder.
I don’t dislike Dorothy, but a love triangle is one thing—a love rectangle would be seriously troublesome.
And the biggest problem is, Dorothy might end up getting killed by Deruna!
Of course, I don’t think she’d go that far… probably.
Since childhood, I’ve always had a soft spot for Dorothy, too.
After all, she’s been the only one who consistently listened to me. Without her, I wouldn’t have had any friends to play with.
Nobles have their pride, and no matter how kind Deruna is, if she genuinely has feelings for me, she wouldn’t just stand by and let me end up with Dorothy.
Ugh, but knowing Deruna, she’d probably just try to buy Dorothy off and cleanly give up.
But in the end, I’d be the one who dies, wouldn’t I?
Karon survived because he’s strong…
“What do you think about them, Serupe?”
“Well… I like them.”
Dorothy frowned slightly, thinking for a while before speaking.
“Hmm, I see. It must be hard to choose between the two. A half-elf and a noblewoman. Haha, Serupe, you’ve really leveled up since I last saw you.”
Her tone felt almost accusatory.
Could it be… no way, right?
“Well, I have leveled up a bit. Like I told you yesterday, I’ve prepared a contract. You said you wanted to visit the capital?”
“If you’re coming with me.”
“I’ll be busy working, so instead of playing around, you might have to work with me too, Dorothy.”
“That’s fine.”
This is… unmistakably…
Dorothy looked at me with transparent eyes, her expression unreadable.
My heart skipped a beat.
Before I knew it, the sky was beginning to brighten.
I took out the contract and the seal I’d been carrying.
“Is this the contract?”
“Uh, yeah… But I haven’t properly filled it out yet…”
Without even reading the contract, she dipped her thumb into the ink and stamped it.
“I forgot to properly specify the contract duration…”
“Then I’ll just keep working under you forever.”
“But there are so many blank sections. What if I’m a terrible employer?”
“Then I’ll just get worked to the bone.”
She handed me back the contract she had just signed.
Her certainty left me speechless, and I stammered.
“Are you okay with this?”
“It’s fine as long as you asked me. You saved my life, didn’t you? I’ll always be here to listen to your worries.”
Dorothy leaned closer to me.
I didn’t pull away.
For some reason, these days, I seem to be kissing people a lot…
—
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