Episode 104
Translator: RaidenTL
Episode 104
“You’re suddenly going to pack your things and come here?”
She just shrugged at a flustered Evan as if to ask what the big deal was.
“Well… there’s bound to be an abandoned house nearby. We can stake it out from there—”
“You’re even planning to sleep in an abandoned house,” he muttered, a dazed look on his face.
Elysia asked, puzzled, “It’s only four days. What’s the problem?”
“Four days is more than enough time to run yourself ragged.”
Ah, this is driving me crazy. My head… Evan pressed a hand to his throbbing forehead. He loved her tendency to charge ahead without a second thought once she’d set her mind on something, but he desperately wanted to ask if she couldn’t, just for once, find a slightly easier path.
The thought of her staying alone in a rural town with poor security was enough to make his heart drop—and of course, she’d planned on being alone. But to hear she was going to stay in some random abandoned house on top of that…
“I’ll pack my things, too.”
“Hmm, it’ll be tough for you… but, alright.”
While Elysia gave it little thought, Evan’s mind raced. The house where Zenia lived was in a remote area, quite a distance from the village.
There had to be an empty house near her place, but not so close that the local villagers would take notice. It needed to be quiet and clean, but not so new that it would make Elysia uncomfortable. A decent size for two people…
Unlike him, who was lost in thought, Elysia wore a light expression, smiling warmly as she looked Zenia over.
“You look much better. That’s good.”
“It’s been quiet since your visit…”
“It’d better be. I beat him just enough so he wouldn’t be able to move for a few days.”
Zenia stared blankly at the fierce-looking young woman, whose eyes glinted menacingly as she smiled. She covered her gaping mouth with her hand and stammered.
“Y-You’re the one who… d-did that?”
“Who else would?”
“I just assumed the gentleman did it…”
Her husband was a well-built man in his own right, but the man who was always by the lady’s side had a frame that was on another level. But she was saying she was the one who beat her husband to a pulp? Zenia stared at Elysia, observing her closely.
She hadn’t noticed before, since the man was always with her, but now that she looked again, the woman was also quite tall. Still, even so…
Zenia’s confused eyes darted between the man’s intimidating physique and Elysia’s comparatively slender frame. As if she knew what Zenia was thinking, Elysia nodded and replied.
“This Senior is too soft-hearted to do something like that. I had to step up. What choice did I have?”
She could only say that because she hadn't seen the look in Evan's eyes when he’d faced dozens of men with a single sword, determined to save her.
Evan’s lips twitched, his expression showing he was debating whether to refute that, but he quietly closed his mouth. After placing the letter from Zenia into her inventory, Elysia waved.
“See you again tomorrow night. Oh, and just take the shoes. Hide them and wear them when you come out tomorrow.”
“But that’s a bit—”
“They’re not that valuable, so you don’t have to thank me.”
Zenia smiled faintly, reading the consideration hidden beneath her prickly words. Then, as if remembering something, Elysia’s expression soured and she spoke with a troubled look.
“By the way, there’s something I didn’t mention.”
“Yes?”
“It would be great if this all ends with finding the sender of the letter, but if your husband’s life is actually in danger… it’s shitty, but I’ll save him. I felt I should tell you that in advance.”
Zenia flinched. In her terror, she had blindly asked for help, but it seemed she hadn’t considered that possibility. Her lips trembled as she gave a bitter smile.
“Yes, I’m sure you would, my lady. I… wasn’t entirely unprepared for that.”
With a stoic face, Elysia snapped her notebook shut.
“But my offer to help you is still valid, so think it over.”
“Yes, yes. Thank you, truly, thank you…”
After watching Zenia bow repeatedly and go back inside, Elysia paced around the same spot with a troubled expression. As if to cheer her up, Evan wrapped his arms around her from behind and playfully tickled her stomach.
He gazed at her giggling face, then planted a series of small kisses on her cheek and asked, “Feeling down?”
“…Yeah.”
The man deserved to die, but that didn’t mean she could just throw him to a murderer. Evan knew that, and just as he knew it, so did she. If she had her way, she’d kill the bastard herself, but what could she do? She knew what ethics were.
Having composed herself somewhat, she spun around and said, “Alright, let’s go pack.”
“What kind of house do you like?”
“What kind of random…?”
“We have to find our home, don’t we?”
Elysia frowned at his choice of words, which seemed to carry a hefty personal bias, and mumbled, “We’ll be there for less than a week.”
“It’s still a place we’ll be staying together.”
“Ugh, Senior. When you say things like that while being so clingy… you sound pretty sleazy, you know.”
“I didn’t say anything weird.”
He shrugged and let out a soft laugh. Finding the situation absurd, Elysia burst out laughing with him before sinking into thought.
“The conditions for a house I want? Hmm. I’ve never thought about it. Just… a place to block the wind and keep out the rain…”
“El, that’s the basic definition of a house.”
“I’ve never lived lavishly, you know. It wasn’t that I didn’t have money, I just didn’t have the time… Should I not have said that?”
Noticing Evan’s expression hardening the more she spoke, she quickly changed the subject. A pair of lips gently pressed down on her forehead.
“You’d hate it if I got a place that wasn’t suitable for a stakeout, saying it would attract attention… so I’ll let you live in luxury to your heart’s content later.”
“No, thanks.”
“I have a lot of money now.”
“So do I.”
“Perfect. We can be twice as extravagant.”
Elysia chuckled and gently pushed away the man who kept trying to stick to her.
*
Evan looked around the dark interior of the house, his expression one of surprise. He had no idea how she’d managed to pick a place with such poor lighting. He set the bundle of Elysia’s belongings he was carrying on the floor, frowning as he asked.
“Aren’t the windows a little small?”
“If they were big, people could see inside. Is there a reason to announce we’re here?”
“There’s no furniture, either.”
“I told you, we won’t be here long. And if we catch the culprit in a day, we’ll pack up and leave in a day.”
The only things in the bare room were a simple desk, two chairs, and a single narrow bed. Evan lightly kicked the leg of the bed and muttered, “This is too rough.”
“I’d appreciate it if you didn’t forget that we can’t let anyone know we’re here.”
Sighing as if he had no choice, he undid the cuff buttons on his shirt. As he neatly rolled up his sleeves, his firm forearms were revealed. Elysia stared at him blankly for a moment before asking, puzzled, “What are you doing?”
“I have to clean.”
“Huh?”
“You weren’t thinking of using it as is, were you?”
Elysia didn’t answer, looking away instead. Is it dirty enough to need cleaning? I’m not so sure… Am I just a slob?
Objectively speaking, the place was old, but it didn’t feel filthy. Noticing her attitude, Evan’s expression soured.
“You were going to use a bed without knowing who used it last.”
“Oh, I was going to let you use that bed, Senior. I was just going to stay up all night in a chair—”
“Go outside for a minute. I’ll call you when I’m done cleaning.”
His expression was grim as he cut her off, as if her words weren’t even worth a response. Elysia perched on the edge of the desk and unpacked her bag, a look of complaint on her face. After glancing around the shabby room one more time, he spoke, clearly displeased.
“You seem used to this.”
“It has walls and a roof, so this is practically a luxury. A little roughing it won’t kill me.”
The man’s face seemed to contort with emotion at Elysia’s nonchalant tone, and he quickly turned his head to hide his hardened expression. The sharp, precise way his hands moved to tidy the room made him look every bit the soldier.
Watching the fine lines of his back, Elysia felt a pang of guilt and stood up. She poked his shoulder from behind and asked in a voice tinged with laughter, “What’s the problem?”
“I guess I can’t help it.”
“Huh?”
“I love your sense of justice and your drive, and I believe they’re right. But at the same time, I find myself wishing you didn’t have to endure any discomfort because of them.”
“…”
“It’s strange, isn’t it? The two thoughts don’t match at all.”
With a bitter smile, he neatly folded the blanket that was once white but now looked gray. It seemed he intended to throw it out entirely. After a moment of silence, Evan lowered his eyes briefly before raising them to meet hers and murmured.
“My mother was the one who taught me the duties of a commander in battle. She was so strict it felt like frost was settling. That’s why I was so bewildered when, on the day I left for the battlefield, she cried so hard she couldn’t even see me off.”
“…”
“I think I finally understand now. Why she was like that.”
“I guess I’m a bad girlfriend,” Elysia joked to lighten the mood.
He gently took her wrist and slowly drew closer. Awkwardly, Elysia found herself pushed back onto the desk. She frowned and looked up at him.
The man loomed over her as if he could devour her, placing his hands lightly on either side of her thighs. Elysia was now completely trapped in his arms.
“Come back safe and sound, without a scratch, okay?”
“I will.”
“Be more careful. And sometimes, you should make a strategic retreat…”
“I… I said I will.”
He was too close. It wasn’t as if they hadn’t kissed once or twice before, but something felt different today. The moment she tried to lean back, a large hand pulled her in by the waist. Now stuck right in front of his face, Elysia held her breath. Soon, his languid breath brushed against her chin.
“Kiss me.”