Chapter 88 – The Elf Groom (1)

When I woke up again, it had already been about a week.

It’s been a long time since I fell asleep without thinking. I missed the feeling of being in a good night’s sleep so much that I almost closed my eyes again as soon as I woke up.

However, it was clear that Saya would burst into tears if she did so, so she didn’t put it into practice. I heard that he broke my heart three times during treatment. I don’t know what that means, but it must have been really serious.

I don’t know if that’s why, but when I woke up, there were a lot of lip marks around my lips. As soon as I opened my eyes, Saya kissed me deeply and asked in a whisper.

“Are you going to sleep better?”

“No.”

…

“I’m tired of sleeping too soon.”

It was a mixture of truth and lies. I took Saya’s hand and got out of bed and walked towards his deck.

A fair wind was blowing in the sky we hadn’t seen in a long time. I thought it would be useful for sailing, but the elf’s ship didn’t have a sail. It must be moving towards a technology I don’t understand. Instead of presumptuously trying to understand, he turned his gaze toward his surroundings.

Then, I saw the elves walking leisurely on the deck. Everyone, like Saya, had scattered perfect blonde hair and was walking through the world with an impeccable gait. No matter how much I rubbed my eyes, that fact did not change.

Do you get used to this surreal landscape over time? I honestly wasn’t sure. Living in the world of elves with a human body would probably be awkward and difficult forever.

But hey, I thought I’d get used to that blind girl sitting in the middle of the deck and enjoying the wind. I sneaked up behind me and put my hand on his head.

“What are you doing. Haru?”

“I was looking at the sky as always. The weather is really great. Do you especially see those clouds over there? I was looking at you like a senior’s face.”

“Oh, yes.”

Haru raised his finger with confidence, but in the direction he pointed at, the sun was rising, not a cloud. Even a broken clock is right twice a day, but a clock that doesn’t even move its hands couldn’t keep time.

“I don’t know if the elves will be able to match your prank. At first, you’ll be very embarrassed.”

“All the elves here have already fallen for my charm. A lot happened while you were lying down.”

“Are you okay?”

“The elves’ medicine seems to work well. What about you, senior?”

“You can see it.”

“Ha. I guess so.”

“…”

“Welcome back, sir.”

Haru suddenly turned this way and dug deep into my arms. Then, rubbing her face against her chest, he spoke like a compliment.

“If Saya is hugging her, the smell of forget-me-nots from her is so full. If you smell her, she’s no different from an elf.”

“Is that right?”

“Because I was always by your side. I was waiting for you to wake up.”

“In the meantime, how much do you kiss? I know you really don’t know everything just because I can’t see you.”

“I didn’t even hide it, Haru.”

Saya responded a little calmly, and then she kissed my cheek proudly. Then she shrugged her shoulders as if she was tired of the day and grabbed my arm with her only hand.

“Okay, take me to the sea. The elves over there said that, but they say dolphins will come out in a little while. If you’re lucky, you can see them swimming in groups.”

“Really? Dolphins? I’ve never seen them. Lope?”

“I’ve never seen it either. But you won’t be able to see it anyway.”

“You can describe it. And they’re not going to cry either. Okay, let’s go quickly. Let’s listen to how pleasant the dolphins cry.”

“Let’s go quickly, Lope. We might be late.”

“Yes, yes. All right.”

The two of them tugged at my arm, excited like never before. Maybe you’ve been yearning for these small moments because you haven’t had much to celebrate in the meantime.

Of course, it was me too. So we all stuck to the deck and poked our heads out beyond.

Then, the view of the open sea began to moisten the dry sight.

The vast expanse of the sea was enough to cover the wounds by itself. Although it was a scene I had always seen on the island, a feeling of elation rose in my heart as if I was seeing it for the first time.

No, maybe it’s the first time I’ve seen it. Because this is the first time I can see the sea comfortably without any worries. I’m sure it’s because of my mood, but that kind of brain prank was all we felt in the world. That’s why the rolling waves, the breaking white foam, and the shadows of the fish tossing inside all felt beautiful.

And even though I couldn’t see it for a day, I started shaking my head in my own rhythm, as if I enjoyed the sound and smell coming from the sea. Somehow, I felt as if Saya’s ears pricked up in response.

Only then did a light smile begin to form on my lips. Not the cynicism or self-deprecating laughter that has been made countless times, but a smile that really comes from happiness. It was a sensation that I felt after a long time, so I was soaked in that feeling for a while and couldn’t do anything.

“Hey! Hey Lope!”

Suddenly, Saya raised her hand and pointed to a spot in the sea. Then Haru suddenly got excited and started pulling my arm.

“Dolphin! There they are, senpai! What does it look like? They say it’s very smooth, but it’s really pretty? How is it?”

“Calm down. I can’t see you yet.”

“That way! That way, Lope! Look closely!”

“Buy it. It’s still in my eyes…”

“It’s over there! Hurry up, senior!”

“Haha…”

I laughed embarrassingly, and before I knew it, the elves caught up in the commotion of the two began to gather here one by one. Naturally, their gaze also turned to the place Saya pointed at, and soon a light whisper began to rise.

And that gossip spread to exclamations as one of the dolphins broke through the surface of the water and jumped up.

“Wow!”

“…And.”

“What is it? What is it!”

Pure joy. A little awkward response. And the sad voices of Haru blended together and permeated into the waves. After bouncing once, the dolphin soared to the surface of the water bouncing its tail several times as if it were excited by the exclamations of the audience. Every time Saya patted my arm and screamed.

“I’ve never seen a dolphin before, Lope! Aren’t they doing tricks over there? Look over there!”

“Yeah, it’s amazing. I’m seeing it for the first time too.”

“Ah, what! Tell me more!”

Looking around, the other elves were also looking at the surface of the water happily. It seemed like it was only one day that I couldn’t enjoy the situation on this deck. Since there is nothing to see, there must be something to hear.

That’s why I started to wish them a wish. Cry once, guys. There’s one kid here who can’t see your jokes. Cry just once

Because it’s really good for once.

“…!”

As if that wish had reached them, a dolphin came closer to the ship. The unusually sleek and slender guy showed off his swimming skills by wading through the water right next to him.

Then, at last, he leaped high into the sky and let out a cry at the top of her throat.

“Kieek! Kkiek!”

“Ah…”

“Kieh!”

“…”

“Keeeee

…

At that moment, the faintly drawn smile gradually faded. A slight tremor came from the hands of the two girls who held my arms alongside him.

“Keeeeek! Kieeek!”

“…”

“Keeeeeg

“It’s strangely crying. It’s the first time I’ve heard a dolphin cry.”

Beside them, the other elves were clapping and enjoying their songs. However, we did not participate in the atmosphere as much as we did. Eventually, I slipped off the deck and whispered a question to Saya and Haru.

“Shall we stop and go in? How is it?”

“…Yes. Then.”

“Yes, sir.”

Their voices were also very low. I took the two of them and cautiously walked toward the cabin.

However, our footsteps did not lead to the end and stopped near the hallway. For some reason, I felt like I couldn’t walk anymore, so I sat down under a window where the sun was shining through. And he hugged their still trembling bodies.

Above it, the sound of other people’s conversations permeated calmly.

“Hmm. Will those dolphins survive? Maybe…”

“…Maybe. But we must not intervene…”

“It’s a pity. They’re so pretty.”

“…”

Still the other elves were enthralled by the porpoise’s tricks. The appearance of rare dolphins must have been a surprise for everyone, regardless of race. If you keep a sense of mediocrity in your heart, surely you will.

“Whoa…”

I let out a light sigh as I received the warm air that poured into the shady hallway. Saya and Haru carefully leaned their heads on my shoulder.

But I didn’t cry or cry. The cries of the dolphins reminded me of nightmares from the past, but that didn’t mean my happy feelings had completely disappeared.

It just needs more time.

Time to go back to normal everyday life.

…

Of course, no matter how hard you try, it will be difficult to completely return.

So we filled the hole in our daily lives with each other’s presence. The same goes for the other people who came to the land of the elves, but I thought that we would never be able to separate from each other for the rest of our lives. But that wasn’t too bad, so the hand we were holding showed no sign of falling. Rather, they were more tightly intertwined.

After another week like that, the ship we boarded arrived in the land of the elves.

“Ugh. The smell of forget-me-nots.”

Saya summarized her impressions of arriving in the land of the elves in one line. I also deeply sympathized with him, so I didn’t bother adding another expression.

“Your sister smells everywhere. All elves smell the same.”

“Is that so? I thought it was different…”

“Her sister’s smells subtly better. But they’re all so similar, you might not be able to find them if you mix them up.”

“I see…”

“Well, it smells like this, but the scenery must be amazing. How is it, senior?”

“Well.”

To be honest, I’m not really excited.

I expected that when I came to the land of the elves, I would definitely feel something beyond thrill. But except for a few trees, it didn’t look much different from the human harbor. In a way, it was obvious, but it seems that I was expecting something great without knowing it.

No, maybe it’s because it’s a space where you have to live from now on, so the tension is higher. In fact, the tangled sensation in the stomach was worse than the palpitations. Anyway, since I’m here, I’ll have to take on a role.

If there’s anything I can do here. But the only talent I had was swordsmanship. It was the kind of swordsmanship that Saya could imitate as soon as she saw it. As I thought about it, the tension started to rise in earnest.

And Saya, for some unknown reason, seemed very nervous. He even jumped up in amazement when I touched his arm.

“Saya. What’s wrong?”

“No…It’s nothing.”

“Can’t you tell me now?”

“It’s not…”

At my words, Saya hesitated for a moment. Then, after hesitating for a while, she cautiously opened her mouth.

“Therefore…”

“Get out of the way! Get out of the way!”

But then someone’s urgent voice covered Saya’s voice. And after that, a crackling noise continued, catching everyone’s attention.

He looked up and saw a human man running frantically towards the ship. He jumped forward with a truly reckless stance, but when he was intercepted by an elf male, he let out a high-pitched scream.

“Get out of the way! You have no right to stand in my way!”

“Even you have no right to approach the ship, Herion. So back off.”

“No, I have the right! So get out of the way now!”

“It can’t be.”

Despite the elf’s repeated pressure, the man did not give up and continued to push himself forward. Of course, there was no way he could shake off the elf with a human body, so he couldn’t approach the ship. Even so, his will was so great that he covered the entire harbor with just his voice.

“I told you that it was the last ship from the continent. Then you have to check it even more. So get out of the way right now!”

“Calm down.”

“Seriously? My daughter is stalking my throat. Calm down? No, I won’t! I won’t!”

“That’s just your delusion.”

“You still don’t believe me. Yeah, that’s fine. You’re free to side with me. So don’t even bother me finding the last one to side with me! So get out of the way now!”

“I told you, but you can’t do that. Herion. Please, please…”

“Don’t call me by my name like that! Before I came here, it wasn’t a name you could call me carelessly! No matter how attached I am to you, I…”

“I’m the Duke of Anbert! So get out of the way!”