--Oh, there you are, my dear.

　A voice that says so, but really doesn't seem to care from the bottom of its heart. A frightening voice that seemed as if it would chip away at your ears.

　My mouth was dry, I couldn't even salivate, and my body was frozen in place.

　I remember the scene. This is a memory from a time long ago. When I accompanied him on his journey to salvation, when I still didn't know the true nature of his princess.

　--What? You're depressing me. I wish you'd go away. I hate you.

　Shaking her long hair, the princess turns away.

　The Elven Princess did not look back as she left behind the wreckage of the magical beast and the earth that had been dug up as if it had been gouged out by large claws.

　The blood splashed on her cheek. It was then that I finally began to hear my own heartbeat.

　Dead. I was dying. If I was even slightly in the princess's orbit right now, I would be dead. My heart was sure of that realization, and now it was churning out noise as if to tell my body that I was still alive.

　Terrible. That was the only emotion that came to my mind. It was too horrible.

　Of course, so was its power. The power to slaughter a large demonic beast with a single swing of the arm and not even a breath of air is terrifying.

　But what was truly terrifying was different.

　What was truly frightening was the blue eyes that shone so brightly.

　The moment I saw it, I understood. It doesn't recognize me as a person, or even slightly valuable. Probably never even recognized me as worthy.

　So even though it was about to take my life at its hands, I had no emotional turmoil. It's just a little worm passing in front of you.

　Maybe it's not just me, maybe it's everything to him except his heroes. It doesn't matter if I accompany her on her journeys, or if we have a few conversations. To her, I'm nothing more than a lowly creature.

　As I was crushed by this fear, I heard the sound of something cracking in my chest.

　I heard the sound of something cracking.

　--The same blue eyes from that time are staring at me now.

　Her appearance is completely different. Her male attire suits her wonderfully. Of course, she could easily pull off any outfit, but... Unlike in the past, she wears a hat and has short hair, which gives her a different charm.

　Her mood is still swarthy, but there is also a softness to it. At first glance, he looks like a different person.

　But I remember him. His blue eyes and the tone of his voice are unmistakable, and my soul remembers them.

　I heard a sickening creaking sound deep in my chest.

"I apologize for the intrusion. But, Lord Erdis, we also just--

　Before I could speak, the heraldic knight, who had managed to regain his speech first, opened his mouth. As soon as he did.

"Don't call me names so easily, you're making me sick.

　Erdis's voice overrode it.

　A voice that does not even try to hide the fact that she seems to be in a very bad mood.

　The two of us were bombarded with a feeling that was rather close to hostility. It's not just from the beautiful woman in front of me. It's not just the beautiful woman in front of us, but the wind and the trees in the forest around us. The guard knight choked on his words.

　Of course not. I'm not sure what to make of this.

　It's a good idea to have a good idea of what you're looking for.

I'm not going to call ......, as you wish. We don't have time to waste each other's precious time, do we?

　The heraldic saint wants a meeting with the Elven King. The heraldic saint wished to see the elven king. She tried to keep her emotions out of her voice as much as possible. I tried to keep my voice as clear as possible.

　Erdis, knowing or not, smiled sarcastically, shook his shoulder, and said.

"King. Oh, you mean Finn--he's gone, he's gone. Finn put on a mask once, and he's not coming out again.

　I rolled my eyes at the words.

　Finn is a sort of honorific title for an elf king. Only those who have become kings are allowed to use the name Finn. It is an unmistakable sign of respect and awe.

　That's why Erdis' eyes blinked when he spoke of Finn in a derogatory manner.

　Finn is a symbolic figure for the elves, and that is not a word that can be spoken lightly. That's why I dared to use the word king. I don't want to offend her any more than I already have.

　But how is she? It's as if Finn is insignificant.

　Finn, isn't the King of the Elves supposed to be your father? So why... The moment he opened his mouth again, as if to step into the truth.



"And I told you, my dear.

　A pair of blue eyes opened wide and stared at me. There was a dark glint in them. It's a shade that intimidates the other person, as if it's revealing anger.

　As soon as those eyes looked at me, the words that had started to come out of my throat were forced back down my esophagus. My throat dried up at once, and no more spit was born. Even his body's activity was trying to escape from the elven princess in front of him.

"You shouldn't have gone to the Hanging Gardens of Gaza," she said. It's disgusting. Humans are so quick to try and break taboos. These are the words of my vow, and they're kind. Make sure you don't go any further.

　So the wind whispered the words, and the rest was just as it had been when I first appeared. In the blink of an eye, the figure disappeared into the forest.

　That's what I mean when I say there's nothing you can do about it. All self-centered. They don't want to hear a word we have to say. No, it was right for them. Because it is always the words of the elves that are right, not the words of men. Therefore, for Elddis, it was the right thing to do.

　The sound of multiple hooves stomping on the earth could be heard from the road behind us. I see, I thought I was running far ahead of the carriage, but I must have lost enough time for them to catch up.

　The escort knight regains his composure and probably reports to Mattia. He bowed to me, then turned his horse around and headed for the carriage.

　As for me, I still can't calm down. I breathed slowly and deeply over and over again.

　It was as if the depths of my organs were frozen, as if they had all turned to hard steel.

　Yeah, I know exactly what you mean. I hadn't gotten over him yet. With a mouthful of spit, I swallowed that fact.

　This feeling wasn't searing rage, or gut-wrenching hatred. It's just... Fear, the root emotion of all living things.

　I am unmistakably terrified of that monster.