Chapter 17
After the decisive battle, the group recovered the wagons that had been taken by the bandits and continued toward their destination.
Since the bandits had fled in utter panic, the fertilizer remained intact.
“Ugh… ugh… bandits.”
Exhausted from pouring out all his mana during the fight and crying afterward, Serupe had fallen asleep on Elenien’s lap.
Elenien, with a blank expression, gently comforted Serupe to ensure he didn’t have any nightmares.
Serupe’s expression softened as he slipped into a peaceful slumber.
“What did I just witness…?”
Who would believe that this seemingly pathetic boy had cut down the elite fighters of the Green Forest Alliance and terrified the bandits into fleeing?
If she told anyone, they’d likely insist on testing his skills themselves.
If that happened, Deruna resolved to stand in the way no matter what.
There was no need for anyone else to die unnecessarily.
And as for her earlier thought of sparring with Serupe just for fun?
Canceled.
——Absolutely not.
Even for Deruna, what happened on that mountain had become a significant trauma.
Serupe shifted slightly.
“Ugh…”
“Ah!”
Startled, Deruna jerked her body backward.
Seeing Deruna pressed against the wagon wall near the driver’s seat, Serupe woke up, equally startled.
“Aaah!”
“Kyaaah!”
Deruna screamed, and the wagon swayed dangerously.
“What’s going on? What happened?”
Kars, who was driving the wagon, yelled in surprise, and the mercenaries driving the wagons behind them immediately took up defensive positions.
The wagons came to a halt.
“Bandits! Aaah, bandits!”
The mercenaries sighed deeply when they saw Serupe tumble out of the wagon, rolling onto the ground.
“Hah…”
“Is this… for real?”
Rising to his feet and looking around in confusion, Serupe asked with a bewildered expression.
“What… what? Where are the bandits?”
Then, seeing Elenien poke her head out of the wagon, he immediately made his own assumptions.
“Oh! Lady Deruna and the mercenaries drove them off, didn’t they? As expected of Lady Deruna! Beating all four of them by herself—amazing. I was just busy running away.”
“Uh…”
Deruna, at a loss for words, opened and closed her mouth like a fish. Meanwhile, Serupe approached Elenien to check on her.
“Elenien, thank goodness. Are you okay?”
“Uh? Uh, yes, I-I’m fine. I didn’t get hurt. The Spirits helped me hide when they dragged me away.”
Elenien stammered through her rehearsed explanation.
Relieved, Serupe sat down and bowed repeatedly.
“Ah… I’m so glad. Thank you, thank you. I’ll find a way to properly reward you all after my trade is done.”
“Haha… ha… No need. You’re a student of The Academy. We were just doing our duty.”
Kars, quick on the uptake, gave a suitable reply, allowing Serupe to feel completely reassured about money.
“Haha, so in the end, we didn’t even need Karon’s help. Of course, Lady Deruna is incredibly strong. There’s no way mere bandits could stand against her.”
“Y-yeah…”
Deruna felt a slight pang in her heart at Serupe’s misconception.
Meanwhile, Serupe, grinning cheerfully, was already thinking about how rich he’d become after selling the fertilizer.
Then, as if he’d just remembered something, he turned to the mercenaries.
“Oh, could I hire you again next time? Once I become a proper merchant, I’ll pay you properly.”
“Huh? Uh, yes. Uh… yes.”
“Next time?”
Kars, flustered, stammered out a reply after being elbowed by Deruna.
Sighing deeply, Deruna said,
“They’re part of my family’s forces anyway. If you want to hire them, you’ll need my permission.”
“Oh, I see. That explains it. No wonder they’re so skilled. As expected of Lady Deruna. Are you okay, though? No injuries? Ah, Archil Family medicine is amazing! You recovered enough to fight again so quickly.”
“Serupe…”
Deruna, her voice trembling slightly with emotion, finally snapped.
“I’m tired, so shut up until we arrive!”
“Eep!”
Serupe quickly ducked back into the wagon.
*
The trade was complete.
Sitting in the wagon made him feel drowsy, and he slept well.
“Yaaawn. That was a good nap.”
Lately, he had been so exhausted that he’d been sleeping too much.
Thanks to the bandits’ disappearance, he’d sold all the fertilizer and made successful deals in every village they passed through, just like in the first one.
With these conditions, there was no reason not to make deals.
He planned to give the remaining fertilizer to his parents and set up a fertilizer generator for their village.
When they reached the village, the local militia stopped their wagon.
“Halt! State your business!”
“Ah, that’s…”
Kars seemed about to explain, but Serupe leaned out of the window and answered instead.
“I’m from The Academy.”
“Oh, isn’t it young master Serupe! You’ve returned for the break?”
“That’s right. It’s been a while, Nail.”
“Haha! I’ve joined the militia, following my father. How does the armour look?”
“It’s impressive.”
As expected of an old hometown friend, it was nice to be warmly welcomed.
“Uh…”
But then, Nail suddenly froze.
Looking beside him, Serupe noticed Elenien leaning her head out of the window too.
Oh no.
It was obvious how the villagers would react to seeing Elenien.
“What’s wrong, Serupe?”
“…It’s dangerous to stick your head out, Elenien.”
“But Serupe did it too…”
As Elenien’s face disappeared from view, Nail, now somewhat collected, looked as if he were wondering whether he’d just been dreaming.
“Um, Nail, can you open the gate?”
“Oh, yeah. Come on in. The Chief will be happy to see you.”
“Welcome back, Serupe! We’ve already sent word to the Chief!”
At Nail’s nod, another militia member opened the gate, allowing the wagon to move inside.
It had been a long time since Serupe returned to his hometown.
Hmm, though something felt off about Nail’s reaction earlier…
After parking the wagon near a suitable spot, Serupe got out in front of his house.
“Finally, we’ve arrived. It’s such a beautiful village, Lord Serupe.”
“Haha…”
He gave a polite laugh to Kars and hurriedly looked for Elenien.
As she followed him out of the wagon, Serupe grabbed Elenien’s hand, startling her.
Motioning for her to follow him for a moment, Elenien hesitated before quietly nodding and following behind.
He led her to a quiet spot near his house surrounded by trees, scanning the area to ensure no one else was around.
“Why, Serupe?”
“I… I have a favour to ask. I know it’s incredibly presumptuous, but please, Elenien, don’t misunderstand…”
“Okay…”
As Elenien nodded, Serupe ran through a simulation in his mind, preparing to explain the situation.
He envisioned bringing Elenien into his home.
His mother, with a delighted exclamation of “Oh my goodness!” would thoroughly inspect Elenien from head to toe.
Then, she’d suddenly declare, “Serupe has finally grown up and brought home a bride!” while bursting with joy.
Even if he shouted back, “No, Mom! It’s not like that!” it wouldn’t matter.
From that moment on, Elenien would be seen as his mother’s daughter-in-law…
“Sigh…”
“What’s wrong, Serupe?”
Elenien asked kindly, her face full of concern.
Despite the danger she’d faced because of him, her thoughtfulness made his heart ache.
With someone as sweet as Elenien, surely she’d understand!
“So, um… If my mother sees you, she’ll definitely think you’re a perfect bride and won’t stop gushing over it.”
“Huh?”
“Could you, um… pretend to be my girlfriend while we’re in the village?”
“Ehhh?”
Elenien’s face turned crimson as her ears twitched uncontrollably.
Was the request too much?
Turning abruptly, Elenien lowered her head, seemingly frozen in place.
When Serupe leaned in to check on her, worried, she turned away again.
Though her face was still tinged with red, Elenien nodded silently, maintaining her usual expression.
Seeing this, Serupe belatedly realized his own embarrassment.
*
Pretend to be his girlfriend…?
Serupe was looking down at me with a serious face.
But aren’t we already…
‘Aren’t we already a couple?’
We even shared Creamia… and saliva…
We even shared our first kiss!
Flustered, I turned away and became lost in thought.
Then, it hit me.
I must’ve misunderstood human culture!
Some books do say that certain texts contain incorrect information!
But where exactly did I go wrong?
We shared our first kiss…
Even if our lips didn’t touch.
We didn’t formally vow to be a couple…
Ah.
We’re not actually a couple yet!
Shocked, I froze in place.
But still.
In reality, we’re as good as a couple!
Don’t lose heart, Elenien.
Even though I’m just a half-witted Half-Elf, I can still gradually become a proper partner like a human.
Turning back around, I nodded at Serupe as though nothing had happened.
At that, Serupe became flustered and embarrassed himself.
Pretend to be his girlfriend…
Ahhh, what do I do?
*
Damn geniuses.
Sigh, why is the world so unfair?
Even if some people think I’m unfairly blessed, this just doesn’t feel right.
I’ve been so out of it the past few days that I’ve spent all my time sleeping in the wagon.
And now, we’ve arrived.
But where are those two sneaking off to?
When I got out of the wagon, I saw Serupe shyly leading Elenien into the trees.
Ugh, how adorable.
Maybe I should spy on them for fun.
“So, um… If my mother sees you, she’ll definitely think you’re a perfect bride and won’t stop gushing over it. Could you, um… pretend to be my girlfriend while we’re in the village?”
Hehe, how cute.
But why does it bother me so much?
Are these kids already dating?
Ugh.
Now that I think about it, isn’t it about time I got married too…?
If only that fool Karon weren’t so oblivious!
Even with both families dropping so many hints, he still acts like he doesn’t know.
He must be doing it on purpose.
Sigh, am I really so unattractive?
Lately, I feel like my stress levels have been through the roof.
Whatever!
“W-Wha—when did you get here, Lady Deruna?”
Serupe, startled, finally noticed me.
Well, considering how absurdly talented he is, it’s no wonder my half-hearted attempt to hide wasn’t enough.
Still, his reaction is adorable.
“Hehe, when do you think I got here? And didn’t I tell you to call me ‘sister’?”
“You heard all that?”
“Of course.”
“Ughhh…”
Looking at Serupe trembling like a leaf, I can’t help but feel how fun it is to tease him.
For now, I’ll leave him alone and tease him properly later…
“Hurry and go inside. Your parents are probably waiting for you.”
“Oh, right. Lady Deruna, my parents will be thrilled to see you too. You saved my life, so they’ll be sure to treat you well.”
“Hmm, in that case, maybe I’ll finally get some decent booze.”
“Drinking isn’t good for your health.”
“Shut up.”
“Ahk!”
I smacked Serupe on the head before heading to the Chief’s house with him.
So, this kid may be a commoner, but he’s the son of a rather prosperous village.
Well, that makes sense. Even if you’re a commoner, it’d be hard to attend The Academy without a decent amount of wealth.
If they develop the village a bit more, they might even earn a title someday…
“Everyone, please come into my home.”
“Haha, would it be alright if we had some drinks?”
“Of course! If there isn’t any, I’ll go buy plenty.”
“Hahaha, what generosity!”
Watching Serupe open the front door, a thought suddenly came to mind.
Our first kiss.
…What am I even thinking right now?!
*
The mercenaries noisily entered the house, startling the family inside, who hurried to the living room.
“Oh my, Serupe.”
“Mom~!”
Serupe, his face filled with joy, threw himself into his mother’s arms.
Rihana stroked his hair with a gentle smile before turning to the mercenaries.
“Oh my, we have guests. Please, come in and have a seat. What brings such strong individuals to our home?”
“Honey, who is it?”
“We have guests! Put some clothes on and come out here!”
Serupe’s father, Gawain, who had been sleeping in, greeted everyone with a hearty laugh.
“Hahaha, well, look who it is—my son!”
“Dad! Ugh, stop treating me like a kid. Let go of me!”
“Hahaha, you didn’t come home last break, and now you’re finally here.”
“I-I was busy last time!”
“Is that your excuse? Hahahaha!”
While Gawain playfully lifted Serupe, Rihana’s eyes sparkled as she noticed another guest entering behind him.
“Oh my, oh my, oh my!”
“What’s wrong, dear?”
“What’s going on, Mom?”
As expected, it’s happening.
Serupe swallowed nervously.
“Our Serupe said he was busy last break… and it turns out he was bringing home a bride!”
As Rihana clung to Deruna, who stood there bewildered, Deruna stammered back.
“W-What?”
“Oh my, I’m getting ahead of myself. Come in, come in. Oh, you’re so pretty! How did you and Serupe meet? Everyone must be hungry, right? Let me bring out some food. Oh, I’m so happy!”
This time, Serupe couldn’t even swallow his spit. His mouth simply hung open.
——I’m dead.
Standing behind Deruna, Elenien blinked silently.
—
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