Chapter 68 – A Girl From a Village Where Mint Flowers Bloom.

When I wake up, the refreshing scent of mint flowers always spreads at the tip of my nose.

Those white flowers that used to bloom on the hills in summer were one of the few prides of our poor village. Some praised it as a symbol of Laurenheim, but to me it was just boring weeding.

Okay. Like our village.

Since I was quite young, I grew up with the wish to leave this disgusting town. All that was there were green rice fields, mint flowers, and a herd of cows. For the growing youth, the landscape was virtually a cemetery.

Because of this, he managed to enter a magic school without talent. Of course, it was all thanks to Sarah, and even that was expelled soon after, but the memories of that time ignited a fire in my heart to leave the village.

That’s why I always had a feeling of anticipation that something might happen this year, when I turned 20. Even so, I have no intention of forcing myself to leave this town. After all, this is my hometown, my home, and Ellie. If it hadn’t been for Ellie, I would have run away to the city long ago.

…

Why am I thinking like this right now?

I couldn’t figure out the reason myself, so I thought about it for a long time. Why am I thinking like this now?

Have you ever had a bad dream?

Just as I was about to wake up and think about my dream, I discovered that I was still wandering in the dark. I haven’t woken up yet just before that. I grabbed the hem of the dream and thought for a long time. What kind of dream is it that you are still holding on to me?

What the heck

How…

…

“Brother.”

“…”

A soft voice rustled in my ears like a spring breeze. The wind that flowed while reminiscing about the seasons that had passed ran down my cheeks like tears and ran down my chin. I winced my eyes as I felt the wonderfully cool sensation.

“Brother. Wake up.”

A warm hand shook my shoulder vigorously, but I couldn’t get up. Why? Maybe it’s because the afterglow of the dream I had earlier remains. Even if you try to look back on what it was, it has already been scattered between your eyelids for a long time. I kept shaking my head, not knowing what it was. It seemed like there was something I had to remember. For sure…

“If you don’t wake up, will you kiss me?

…

But when I heard her mischievous voice, everything turned out to be a good thing.

“Really?”

“Of course not. Hurry up. The sun is already in the middle of the sky.”

That’s not natural As soon as the morning sun rose, I came here and lay down. Fatigue had already run away for a long time, but I deliberately frowned and turned over.

“I want to sleep in tonight. I’m so tired right now.”

“What did you do all night?”

What did you do all night Of course I’m going to sleep late because I’m at work. Because Grandma Emil was making a fuss that she had to mend the fence before sunset. But for some reason, I thought I wanted to give a different answer than usual today, so I intentionally twisted my thoughts a little.

“Well. What do you think?”

I slowly opened her eyes and looked at her. Then she noticed both cheeks flushed red.

“You’re flattering unnecessarily. I won’t let you down for saying that. It’s Mr. Pervert.”

I tried to calmly counter it, but it was clear that it was already red from the tip of my neck to the lobes of my ears. It seems to have worked out pretty well. I laughed peek peek in a satisfied mood, and finally got hit by one.

“Ouch.”

“Don’t smile strangely. Come on, wake up. I’ll hold your hand.”

“Okay. I got it.”

I eventually took the girl’s hand, as always. As soon as I held the soft and warm hand, the scent of mint flowers came out.

“Hello, Ellie.”

“Okay, hello, Luca. Okay, wake up.”

Ellie was greeted as if it were annoying and pulled my hand with all her might. Normally, it would have happened, but today, for some reason, I felt like I wanted to play a joke, so I deliberately strained my body and endured it. Then Ellie twitched her lips and furrowed her eyebrows slightly.

“What kind of joke is this again?”

“Um… I’m not joking. I didn’t say a word about getting up.”

“Ohh. I’m going to get out like that. I have to get bitten again to come to my senses.”

“Wow, look at that. It really hurts.”

“Or should I crush it? No, would that rather be a reward? It’s because it’s covered under the butt of the most beautiful girl in Laurenheim.”

“The most beautiful girl in Lorenheim. Who decided that? I don’t think anyone else can call her that.”

“This is real…”

Ellie looked at me with fierce eyes, pretending to be angry, but eventually she couldn’t contain it and burst into laughter. Then she let go of her hand and sat down beside me.

“Ha ha. Alright sleep now. I’m here to tell you the good news, but I’ll just leave it.”

Good news.

Why would Sera move out? In the midst of her playful response, she suddenly felt a throbbing pain in her head. In the pain of freezing my brain as if I had put something cold in my mouth at once, I spat out a word without even knowing what I was saying.

“Why. Did a knight come from the capital?”

“…What?”

“Huh? Ah… No, did a wonderful knight come from the capital? To take Sera-sama, a genius wizard.”

As expected, it was a bit out of the blue, so I hurriedly evaded it as if it were a joke. However, a dark cloud hung over Ellie’s bright face for a moment. Sensing an unusual aura, I raised my head a little.

“What’s wrong? What’s wrong?”

“No, it’s not like that.”

Eli blurted out her words, then bit her lip and stared into the distance. Then she asked me in a very serious voice.

“Hey Luca. I want to ask you something.”

“What?”

“Do you still dream of becoming a knight?”

…

Article.

The word, which I had cherished in my heart since I was a child, disturbed my heart. Because I was always an immature child, and there was no way to get out of that long adolescence, I had that dream in my heart for quite some time. In fact, it is still the case today. Even these days, I sometimes imagine myself as a cool knight and roaming the entire empire.

Strangely, however, today I felt that the dream of being a knight felt really stupid, even repulsive. After all, a knight is about taking someone’s life. After all, it’s all about swinging the sword.

And maybe, it’s because I don’t know if I have to leave Ellie’s side.

“Lucca?”

“Huh?”

As her thoughts grew too long, Ellie called my name with a worried expression. I asked again, embarrassed as if I was facing her for the first time today.

“Uh…Sorry. What was the question?”

“Do you still want to be a knight? Luca student.”

“Ah, that’s what you mean.”

I thought again. Do you want to leave your side and choose the path you might have to become a murderer? Contemplating, I shrugged my shoulders and answered.

“Well…That’s right. It’s like a dream I live with. I don’t mean to take it seriously. I just want it to be vague.”

“I see.”

Ellie answered in her calm voice, hugging her knees and burying her face a little. I was looking at her face next to her, wondering why Ellie was like this today, and I suddenly noticed something like dirt around her cheek and raised her hand. Where the hell is he burying this stuff? But Ellie looked this way and removed my hand and said,

“You got something in your hair, Luca.”

“You are…”

“Um…Wait a minute.”

Ellie gave a sudden mischievous smile and she came towards my head. Then she bowed her head over it.

“Hey. What are you doing…”

“Stay still.”

Along with the soft voice, long hair flowed over my face and tickled my cheek. I met her eyes as she came too close and shut her mouth.

“I won’t do anything weird.”

Before I knew it, a mischievous smile returned to my lips. I stared at the brown eyes that were infinitely close to chocolate, and a little embarrassed, I slightly averted my eyes and said.

“…I can do weird things.”

“Your face is very red, so what are you saying?

“Okay, I know…”

In the end, there was a choking sound. I shut my mouth in shame and Ellie started stroking my hair with her delicate touch.

Every time he ran his soft fingers through his hair, dust from which he could not have come from fluttered into the air. As I counted the grains of sand floating in the blue sky with my eyes, I stared at Ellie’s face as she glanced at me. Black hair Ellie. Muddy Ellie. Why does dirty dirt keep sticking to that pretty face?

Is it because of the cruel instinct of the world that the beautiful things get dirty?

No, it’s just because he’s not careful.

I sighed a little and stared at Eli’s face. It’s a face I’ve been looking at until I’m tired of thinking. Every time I looked at it, my heart pounded and a fluttering energy permeated my whole body. That smile of yours Long eyelashes flowing down it. And when I saw a clear smile, I would unknowingly gulp and get nervous. And this time too, I unknowingly swallowed and moved my dry lips.

“Hmm…”

“Why. Are you nervous? Because such a pretty girl stroked her hair?”

“I’m afraid I’ll bite you again.”

“Did you notice it already? Then just stab me. Because I have to leave teeth marks.”

“Please watch…”

Eventually, when she couldn’t stand it and jumped up, Ellie let out a sigh as she put her hand away somewhere bitterly. I brushed off my pants and relaxed my tense muscles.

“So? What’s the good news?”

Rather than being curious, I deliberately asked in a loud voice to relieve tension. Then Ellie hesitated a little and blurted out her words.

“That’s it.”

Ellie couldn’t open her mouth easily and circled around me. What the hell is going on When she saw Ellie, who had always been confident and confident, act like this, her curiosity was piqued.

“What the hell is that? Tell me quickly.”

“Therefore…”

I approached Ellie and hastened her answer. Suddenly, for no reason, her heart thumped and her excited feeling permeated her whole body. What is this feeling. What the hell, why am I doing this?

“…The chief called you.”

“Chief?”

“To be precise, he called all the villagers. But he specifically nominated you to come.”

“Uh…Me? Why?”

“That…”

What. Maybe I did something wrong I thought so at first, but somehow it didn’t seem to be such a trivial problem.

“Ugh…”

His heart, which had been beating wildly, now felt more than tense and even felt pain. As if my body was rejecting this moment, my whole body was groaning in pain.

“That’s right…”

Ellie continued her words as if she didn’t notice me. She even thought that for some reason she wanted to close her ears, afraid that she would open her mouth. No, actually she’s afraid to listen to her. I didn’t know why, but I thought I shouldn’t listen.

“Ellie… Wait…”

I eventually succumbed to her instincts and opened her mouth to stop Ellie. But at that moment, a word slowly fell from her mouth.

“A knight from the capital is looking for you.”

Thud.

“Uh?”

My pounding heart thumped and collapsed. I stared at Ellie with her mouth open.

“What did you just say, Ellie?”

“I heard you.”

“No…Uh…No. I think I heard it wrong. Can you say it again?”

“The knight from the capital is looking for you.”

…

Thud. Thud.

The broken heart started beating again. I smiled and stupidly asked.

“You’re not lying, are you?”

“It’s not a lie. Why would I lie like this?”

“Are you a real knight?”

“Yeah. I think so. He showed me the coat of arms of the Knights Templar. The armor is gorgeous. He…He said he’s looking for you.”

Thud. Thud. Thud.

My heart was beating like crazy, and a warm energy spread thickly. As if he wanted to tell me something, he screamed and radiated heat in his chest.

“Why? Why are you looking for it? Did you tell me the reason?”

“I don’t know.”

“Can’t you guess? Was there any sign or anything like that?”

“Yeah. I’m not entirely sure.”

Thud. Thud. Thud. Thud. Thud.

“Ugh…”

I clutched at my violently beating heart and groaned. Why I asked myself. Why are you doing this Why are you so agitated and sweaty when you hear that the driver has come to visit me?

“I see… The knight has arrived…”

Now, a warm energy was spreading beyond the chest to the whole body. I felt like there was something important about it. It was as if the dream I had today, the strange sensation I had heard earlier, and the heart beating like crazy were trying to inform me of an important fact. He was shaking my head saying that I should never forget it and shouting to remember it.

I thought in a cold sweat. Luca. Have to come up with Why am I doing this? Why.

“Lucca?”

Then a soft voice was heard. I raised my head and looked at Ellie. She was staring at me with a very worried expression.

Suddenly, the scent of peppermint flowers spread through my nostrils, and I felt as if my heart was a little relieved. The refreshing energy spread to the depths of my lungs and the pain that stimulated my whole body faded like a lie. Only then did I straighten her back and look at Ellie.

And he faced the blue sky that stretched over her shoulder.

“Ah…”

Only then did I smile as if I realized everything. Why is my heart beating so fast? Of course.

Perhaps the opportunity to become a turning point in my life has finally arrived.

The wide open sky without any countermeasures instilled a dream into the heart of a boy trapped in a small countryside. Just when I turned 20, a knight suddenly came to me from the capital. This was no accident. It was a call of fate beyond coincidence.

“Haha…”

Okay. That was certain. After all, I was not destined to be stuck in a corner of the country like this. Being a knight who travels across the empire, enjoying my chosen destiny to the fullest, was my life.

“Luca…?”

Then Ellie looked at me with anxious eyes. But I looked back at her with a bright smile. Okay. That’s my destiny to be a great article.

Okay.

Surely that is my destiny.

“Ellie.”

I called her name Suddenly, her chest trembled uncontrollably. The wind blew through my lungs and I felt like I couldn’t stand it unless I did something.

“Huh?”

“Let’s go.”

So, I grabbed Ellie’s hand by her side and started running towards her.

“Kyaaak!”

As I suddenly started running, Ellie began to drag me along with a cute scream. Even though she was out of breath, the way she was somehow trying to follow me was so cute that I smiled involuntarily.

“Kyaaak! Joe… Slow down a little Luka!”

“What? Can’t you hear?”

“Go slow!”

“I can’t hear you, Ellie! Let’s go quickly!”

Suddenly there was a hint of laughter in my voice. In the end, I spurred the ground with all my might, laughing without hiding it.

A cool breeze brushed my cheeks and ran forward with me. The sun shone dazzlingly brightly on my forehead, and the feeling of touching the soles of my feet was very reassuring. I lifted my head, smelling the fragrant soil smell rising from the floor.

Like that blue sky, a bright destiny awaited me. Have you ever felt the air in this rural sky so clear and refreshing? I don’t know why, but it was clear that all these things were symbolizing my future.

I laughed and ran towards me. Like an arrow that has been shot, it has moved toward its destiny. For some reason, I had a strong feeling that today would be the first step on a great road ahead. I ran straight forward like that. So that the end of the sky can be seen, so that the breath hanging from the tip of the chin explodes. Now, beyond the warmth, I took a step forward with my heart warmed up.

But the next moment, I felt something burning in my chest and let out a painful moan.

“Ah… Ugh…!”

“Ha ha… Ha… Luca?”

Ellie called my name out of concern even as she gasped for air. I tried to look at her with her fine expression on her face.

“It’s okay… I… Ugh…!”

“Ha…Ha…Ha…Why?”

“Nothing…Ah!”

Instinctively, I grabbed my chest, grabbed something hot, and screamed in amazement. At that moment, I unknowingly let go of her hand holding Ellie.

“Kyaaak! Luca!”

“L…! Ah… Ugh…”

Ellie let out a weak scream and collapsed onto the grass, but I couldn’t slow down and ran forward. Meanwhile, my heart was burning hot like hot iron.

“Aww…! Ah…Ha…”

I put my hand on her chest once more and realized I was mistaken. It wasn’t my heart that was burning hot right now.

It was something else in my heart.

“Ugh…!”

I groaned and stopped running. I almost fell over, but I managed to keep my balance and stopped in the middle of a vast meadow. I knelt down and bent over to calm my labored breathing.

“Ha…Ha…Ha…”

…

Took.

As I bent down, something heavy popped out of my clothes. It seemed like something was in the breast pocket.

“Haha…”

I exhaled slowly with my heated head. In the wet breath, I felt my eyes blur and my head felt a little dizzy. Even in the midst of this, the weight of the object in the clothes was clearly felt.

What? Have I ever put anything inside? No matter how much I looked back, I couldn’t remember anything like that. But it was clearly in my pocket.

“Ha… Ha…”

My breathing slowed down and the excitement subsided. I held my breath and slowly put my hand inside my pocket.

“Under…”

As I groped deep inside my pocket, I touched an item that could fit in one hand. The smooth feeling was definitely something metallic. I grabbed it with a full hand and pulled it out.

What came out of my hand was a small pendant with the emblem of the goddess Ennesik engraved on it.

“Uh…?”

It’s definitely the first time I’ve seen it, but it felt strangely familiar. Even though I am not talented in magic, I could tell that a very strong magic power was emanating from within. The pendant, which had become extremely hot, cooled down as soon as it was placed on my palm, emitting white smoke.

“This…What…”

Why is this Are you in my arms

Thud. Thud. Thud.

“…!”

Then, a strong echo came from somewhere. I raised my head in amazement at the powerful tremor as if it would shake the entire earth. However, there was no sight of a huge cow that could shake the ground anywhere.

“A giant cow?”

I opened my mouth in vain, questioning the thoughts that came to my mind. What am I thinking? And why is this pendant on me?

Since it was a sacred object given directly by God, wasn’t it scattered even in the passing of time?

“Hour?”

Thoughts I didn’t know kept popping into my head. It was as if something other than me was controlling my mind at the same time.

No, to be precise, it was as if I was recalling memories of myself that I did not know.

“Ah… Ah…”

My head started pounding again. And this time, clear memories began to flow into my head. I think I was running like this back then. I was running like crazy to somewhere.

Suddenly, a white cloud intervened above the brilliantly shining sun, casting a shadow on my face for a moment. I stopped in the middle of the meadow, looking at a small pendant, ignoring the blue sky as I relentlessly ran towards my destiny. What is this feeling? Why is my heart aching so strangely?

“I am…”

The well-springing doubts could not be settled and headed straight for the pendant. After looking at the small object for a while, I noticed that it had something like a hinge on it.

I heard that there is usually an amulet inside the pendant of this church. I slowly opened the pendant to see if there were any clues inside.

Click.

“Uh…”

However, there were no spells inside, let alone an amulet. Instead, it contained a crumpled note. The paper, which seemed to have been ripped at random, reflected crooked writing, as if written by a child.

Brother.

“…”

A strange voice came from somewhere. No. A familiar voice was heard, not one, but two. The voice of a young child that is so lively that it is burdensome. And a slightly precocious voice that always covers it.

I listened to the voices and picked up the crumpled note. And I slowly unfolded the letter that was delivered after a very long time. There wasn’t much of a story in it. It was just a short sentence with no meaning.

Brother.

Don’t hesitate

Kiss the sister next to you!

-Kate.

…

If only alive

As long as we are alive, in the end we can be happy together someday.

A muffled word in my heart leaked into my ear. I savored the words that melted in my mouth and slowly spit out the last line written in the letter.

“The older sister… By my side…”

“Luka.”

“…!”

Then someone next to me called my name. I raised my head and looked at the distant sky again. There were still dreams, horizons, and destiny waiting there.

But I turned away slowly, ignoring all of that.

And finally I met her face.

At that moment, a handful of sand that was still in her hair flowed down. I looked at her with her stone-hard.

No.

Ellie. I looked.

“Ah…”

A groan escaped from my mouth. And at the same time, the forgotten memories slowly seeped into my mind.

“Ah…”

Suddenly, the scent of peppermint blossoms stung my nose. Tears welled up in my eyes as I longed for the scent of my hometown for the first time in a long time.

“Lucca?”

Ellie, who was still out of breath, tilted her head and called my name. There was a little dirt on her face as she looked at her, as always.

Dark eye shadows too. Bloodstains too. It wasn’t even an unknown black energy.

Just dirt.

“…”

At that moment, I started moving.

The sun shone behind us. The sunlight shining so warmly on my back seems to resent me for turning my back. A long shadow stretched in front of my eyes and I was sweating, but I didn’t care.

“Lucca…Why…”

Ellie called me again with a questioning voice. But my steps did not stop. Towards the back, not the front. I steadily approached her, who was always behind her on my back.

‘…’

A noise rang in my head. Even in that long time, the voice that was trying to reach me soon blurted out her words and lowered her head. Meanwhile, I walked. One step, one step. Ellie’s face got closer and closer, and you could even see beads of sweat on her forehead.

“Luca…”

When you called my name again like that, I was already close enough to breathe. That’s how your toe touches my toe, and now I can’t get closer when I get closer.

I held you in my arms as best I could.

“Ellie…!”

“Kyaa!”

An incredibly soft and warm body came into my arms. I felt like I was going to pass out, as if I was suffocating for a moment, but I hugged Ellie with all my might. So that I can clearly feel your weight in my body. Prove that this scene is not a lie.

Then, as if to prove that fact, the sound of Ellie’s heart began to resonate inside me.

The beating of her heart was incredibly quiet. But it was clearly ringing in my arms. I put my arms around her shoulders and waist to hear the sound closer, and buried her face in Ellie’s shoulder. The sweaty, moist skin touched warmly, and the soft hair shattered on my hand. When the scent of mint flowers filled my nostrils, I felt like I was about to burst into tears.

Elida.

I realized that fact again and repeated it over and over again.

Elijah.

Unknowingly, I felt a sharp pain in my biting lip. But I couldn’t stop. If I don’t do that, I feel like it will fall apart, I feel like this moment I’ve been waiting for so long will be ruined.

I bit my lip even though I knew I was going to bleed.

“Luka.”

Then Ellie’s hand slowly stroked my hair. Then all the grains of sand that were still left scattered into the air.

“What happened?”

The voice I missed so much wrapped my heart carefully. With that word, the pain and memories of the past poured like a waterfall. But there was neither time nor need to talk about it.

“Ellie.”

“Huh?”

Now, there are many things I want to say more than that.

“Thank you.”

“What?”

“Thank you for being by my side.”

“What’s up all of a sudden…”

“Thank you for always being with me.”

As the words I had been holding for a long time escaped through my heart, I felt a little empty. However, the gap was filled by Ellie’s warm body temperature. I closed my eyes and felt the energy, pouring out all my heart.

“Thank you for always being by my side when I thought I missed you. Even if I thought I didn’t want to see you, thank you for being by my side. My day is over, ’cause that’s enough, I don’t need anything else.”

“…”

“When I was immature, I thought I needed something else in my life. I wanted to become a knight. I dreamed of going to the city and becoming successful. But looking back, the conclusion was all about you. Also. I had such a stupid dream because I was so shabby compared to you next to me.”

“…”

“I know. How much of a person you are for me. Your existence, which I have already received so much, is sometimes so heavy that I feel like I’m about to topple over. That’s why I hold back what I want to say, and there are so many words I couldn’t say in the end. But I won’t hold back any longer. .”

“Luca…”

“Love you.”

“…”

“Love you.”

“…”

“No matter how much time passes. No matter what you become…”

“…”

“I love you, Ellie.”

At last. All that remained in my heart was that one word. In a way, it was a very shabby and insignificant word, but there was no way to convey my feelings other than those words, so I just repeated it over and over again. Now let these words reach you. Let my heart reach you

Pouring out everything, I waited for an answer. But Ellie was held in my arms without a word for a long time. I waited because I knew all too well the trouble she had in her head by now.

“You.”

After a long time, Ellie finally opened her mouth. The low voice trembled very delicately.

“Do you know how long I’ve been waiting for that word…?”

“Know.”

I slowly grabbed Ellie’s shoulder and stepped back a little. A few tears welled up in his long eyelashes.

“Really… I’ve been waiting for a really long time…”

“Sorry.”

“How hard was it to follow an ignorant fool…”

“I’m sorry, Ellie.”

“Really really…”

“Sorry.”

Tears were really flowing now. I didn’t want to see tear marks on my pretty face that I hadn’t seen in a long time, so I wiped the dirt off my cheek while wiping my eyes with my hand. The shade that had stuck to Ellie’s face for a long time disappeared without a trace the moment my finger touched it. I looked at him and said playfully.

“But you wouldn’t have waited longer than me.”

“…You’re laughing.”

“Ouch.”

Ellie peeked out and laughed, then she playfully bit my finger. She bit harder than she thought and thought it might be bleeding, but she didn’t feel any pain.

I cupped my fingers and met Ellie’s eyes. She smiled a little and looked at my face, then threw her gaze at my feet with a little embarrassment.

“…Don’t ask?”

“What?”

“Aren’t you going to ask if I love you too?”

“Because I already know.”

“What?”

Suddenly, a smile appeared on my face. Was it this easy to smile? Surprised by the new sensation, he touched Ellie’s face again.

“I already heard the answer a long time ago.”

Ellie stared at me with a knowing expression. I smiled wide now and met her eyes with her.

“…Lucca…!”

Then I heard a voice calling my name from far away. It is probably the voice of the villagers looking for me. Ellie asked cautiously if she had heard it too.

“Aren’t you supposed to go?”

“No. It’s okay if you don’t go.”

“Really?”

“Huh.”

Because now, I really don’t need it.

After removing all of her hair from Ellie’s face, I stepped back and looked at her. Her eyes were slightly red and swollen from her tears, but they were still pretty. Ellie stared into my eyes, then she suddenly asked playfully.

“So?”

“Huh?”

“So what are you going to do now?”

“Well.”

I was speechless at such a simple question. I know. I haven’t thought about it since. But then something went through her mind.

“We don’t have to meet anyone else anyway.”

“Well… That’s right.”

“Then should I just get married?”

“Huh?”

In this case, should it be called remarriage? I was about to laugh at the thought of marrying the same partner twice. Ellie smiled and tried to playfully respond, but when she saw my serious expression, her face blushed.

“Well…It might be okay…”

“Isn’t that right?”

I smiled and looked around because there was something that suddenly came to mind. I don’t have anything, but this is what a man should give.

“Even if it’s a bit sudden…Yes. It doesn’t look bad. But shouldn’t you say something like this while giving something? Well, what can you do? I can’t help it. This older sister…”

“Can you give me your hand for a minute?”

“Huh?”

Digging through the rambling words, I grabbed Ellie’s slender fingers. Then, he slowly put the thing in her hand into her ring finger. Ellie couldn’t help but burst out laughing at her.

“What’s this.”

“I only have this right now. I’ll give you a really good one for the ceremony.”

“Are you okay.”

Ellie shook her head. And, she said, looking at the flower ring made of mint flowers.

“I love this too.”

“Then…”

I slowly backed away. Ellie shut her mouth and looked this way, probably sensing the unusual atmosphere. What should I do, should I at least get on her knees? I was confused because it was the first time for everything, but I finally clenched my fists while standing. And in a trembling voice he called her name.

“Ellie.”

“Huh.”

“Marry me.”

My voice sounded awkward even to myself. But Ellie happily and dearly held her hands over her chest. And she replied with a dazzlingly wide smile.

“Huh.”

When she saw Ellie smiling as pretty as a blooming mint flower in the warm sunlight, she couldn’t bear it any longer. I eventually forgot everything she was going to say after her and approached her. Ellie looked at me and quietly closed her eyes.

“…!”

Still, someone was calling me from behind. The villagers, the knights from the capital, and maybe the world were calling me. But there was no longer any reason to answer their call. Fate or prophecy. That’s up to you, not a mere country boy in Lorenheim.

All I could handle was this girl in front of me right now.

Eventually, the sunlight shook off the clouds that were covering it up and illuminated our faces. I closed her eyes and tilted her head towards Ellie before the blinding light poured in. At that moment, a surprisingly warm aura spread throughout my body.

Ellie grabbed my shoulder with her hand. I, too, held Ellie in her arms with both hands full. In the end, after all that time, this was the only thing left in my hand. But that alone was enough to overflow, so I put her in my little hand full of her so that I wouldn’t let go of her anymore.