My vision flickered, and for a moment I lost my sense of balance. Then, after a few blink-like sensations, my eyes opened.

　What appeared in my eyes was a familiar sight. It was the sight of herself, looking up from her bed. Erdis put pressure on his fingertips and confirmed once again that he was real.

　For some reason, she couldn't handle this feeling of creating an illusion and then coming back to her body. Sometimes I even wonder if this is really my body. These feelings are lost with the passage of time.

　At any rate, I have done what I was told. Elddis relaxes her cheeks slightly. Her face seemed to be in a slightly better mood, though it was not as intense as an emotional expression.

　I don't know if it's enough information, but I'm sure he'll be satisfied with it. With that in mind, I lifted my legs off the bed to leave the bedroom.

　Suddenly, I see a mirror. The reflection is of myself, just getting up from the bed. My hair was bouncing slightly out of place, and my clothes, even for a man, were in disarray. Your eyelashes and complexion may not look as good as usual. As she was leaving the room, Erdis stopped in her tracks.

　Her long, slender fingers naturally began to brush her hair and straighten her clothes. She exposes her face to the water and blinks her eyes to observe herself in the mirror.

　That's about it, isn't it? Just as she was beginning to think that she should have a comb, Erdis's cheeks suddenly turned red.

　What am I doing? She doesn't care what she looks like, she prefers to dress like a man, and her tone of voice matches it. She does not force herself, but she knows that this is the best way for her to look and be.

　So far, she has left her hair and grooming to her maids, or has not even bothered with it herself.

　But now, what am I?

　Erdis's large blue eyes wavered as she turned her gaze away from the mirror. She looks like a maiden who spends her time decorating herself. I don't remember having such a hobby.

　After all, the person I'm about to meet is that crude human, Lugis. What do I need to worry about? Nothing at all. With that thought in mind, I put my hand on the door separating the bedroom from the living room.

　He clears his throat a few times in front of the bedroom door, and his fingertips naturally stroke his hair as he opens the wooden door. There's an old-fashioned squeak.

"Hey, I'm home. Not badly done. At least I don't have to fight blindfolded anymore.

　A slightly high-pitched voice rumbled out of his throat, not daring to say who was responsible for it.

　But even after waiting for a while, the voice I was expecting did not come back from inside the room. Strange. Normally, I would have expected to hear a slightly sarcastic voice.

　When I peeked into the room with my lips twitching in dissatisfaction, the figure was there, as usual. The green-robed figure, however, was slumped in his chair, his eyes closed.

　Erdis somehow slowly approached the figure, trying not to make a sound, and looked into its face from up close.

　Deep breaths were coming out periodically, and her eyelids were not opening. There was no doubt about it. Lugis had fallen asleep in his chair.

　Again, Erdis's lips wavered as if to express his discontent, and his eyes grew slightly intense. She has never been one to express her emotions much, but now her expression shows a definite grumpiness.

　I had gone on a reconnaissance mission to create an illusion as instructed, but when I returned, the commander was asleep. I think it is one of our duties to see to the results of the orders we give. Erdis' lips twitched as she looked into Lugis' sleeping face.

　No, but, Elddis thought back, blinking her eyes.

　Well, he didn't get much sleep last night. Come to think of it, Lugis had been holding Elddis up all night, supporting her body without sleeping a wink. This body.

　Somehow, Erdis's ears shook.

　Well, then, it can't be helped to some extent. I've heard that the human body is neither very strong nor very durable. Considering what happened yesterday, you should at least be allowed to sleep for a while now.

　Erdis gently stroked the oddly wispy hand on the chair. Especially since this one is your knight. Perhaps it would be wise for a superior to forgive such a thing.

　When she looked at his sleeping face again, the annoyance had already disappeared from her heart. Rather, a feeling of recognition and praise for his opponent's work was welling up inside him.

　It's not that I have forgiven him or Lugis. It's not that I don't still believe in him deep down, or that I don't have feelings for him.

　However, Erdis blinked her eyelashes, certain that the hostility she felt toward humans was diminishing towards him.

　At first, it had been out of pity, like the pity of those with the same disease for each other. She felt that they had given up on each other, that they were just licking each other's wounds.

　But I was wrong. Erdis realized that he had been wrong. Lugis said. I don't want to give up, and I don't want to die. On the contrary, she said, I will force myself to take you out. While piercing his blue eyes.

　A smile leaked from Elddis's cheeks as she continued to watch Lugis sleep.

　What a disrespectful thing to say. Normally, she would have been allowed to cut his head off right there and then. A mere human and an elven princess. The comparison was ridiculous.



　But at that moment, Erdis was not in the mood for that. If it hadn't been for Lugis, she might have ended up in this tower, her spirit worn out by the passage of time, her roots quietly going mad.

　Surely, my fingertips did not have the courage to leave the tower and reach for the sky. My legs would never have had the courage to run the earth again.

　Yes, you're right. I would have given up everything and thrown it out of my hands. If I hadn't taken this hand, I would have thought that Lugis was going to take me out as well.

　He took Lugis's slack fingers and intertwined them with his own. I'm sure you've heard of it, but I'm not sure if you have.

You said it yourself. You said you were going to get me involved so I couldn't escape. I was surprised.

　"You said you were going to drag me into this and make it impossible for me to escape. As if to say to the sleeping man. It's like a congratulatory speech. As if it were a curse.

"Elves are very vindictive. Once they feel something, they never let it go. Never.

　Elves, by virtue of their longevity, are not easily altered in their thinking, habits, or even emotions. The more deeply they are etched, the more indelible the scars become.

　And I made a contract with him. He said he would not let me go, and I accepted. Yes, it was a contract.

　I didn't forgive him completely. I didn't trust him with everything. I didn't accept everything.

　But Lugis said he would not let her go.

　And Elddis accepted that binding contract.

I'll keep my word. I'll keep my word. I'm proud of myself.

　I'll keep my word, I'll be proud of myself.