Chapter 73 — Would You Like to Stay at My Place Tonight?
Chapter 73 — Would You Like to Stay at My Place Tonight?
Translation: GodTL
Though no one else mentioned that aura, I was certain those who participated in the battle must have seen that mysterious radiance.
It had blazed forth in dazzling multicolored light, boldly announcing its presence—there was no way they could have missed it.
And yet.
"You truly didn't see it?"
"No. I kept glancing toward your position once the battle began, but... I saw no such aura."
"That's strange. It doesn't make sense."
A hypothesis surfaced—perhaps it was tied to draconic power, visible only to me.
But hadn't Estelle said the residents of Elysium were more sensitive to draconic energy than others?
Had I hallucinated it? Or was that aura some kind of exception?
Nothing made sense, but for now, I figured I should return to the tavern and ask the others.
"I think that's enough fresh air for now. Thanks to you, Estelle, I've sorted my thoughts a little."
"I'm glad to hear that. Shall we head back, then?"
"That sounds good."
A fair amount of time had passed. I returned to the tavern with Estelle, where the celebration was still in full swing.
Yet even after rejoining the festivities, no one I asked—not a single person—claimed to have seen the aura.
Kutan hadn't been lying when he said he'd drink until dawn.
Without a clock, I couldn't be sure of the exact time, but it must have been well past midnight—three or four in the morning, at a rough guess.
"I think I'll call it a night now."
I was exhausted, barely holding on.
As I stood, murmurs of disappointment rose from around the table.
"Shame. I was hoping to drink with you till sunrise."
"If you change your mind, come back anytime. We'll be here till morning."
When I announced my departure, everyone at the table expressed regret.
"I'll go with you."
As I got up, Estelle rose as well.
After hours of drinking, she seemed slightly tipsy herself.
"Shall we, Min-jun?"
I left the tavern with Estelle.
The moment we stepped outside, I realized I'd overlooked something crucial.
"Wait a second. Where exactly am I supposed to sleep...?"
I should've booked an inn earlier.
But today had been such a whirlwind that it hadn't even crossed my mind.
"Is there any inn that might still have a room at this hour?"
"At this late hour? Unlikely. But you needn't worry about an inn."
Estelle smiled playfully and took my hand in hers.
"If you don't mind, why not spend the night at my place? I have a guest room—you're welcome to stay as comfortably as if it were your own home."
Her offer to open her home to a stranger was generous.
But.
Elf. Woman. Unmarried. Sharing a roof.
Those four keywords flashed through my mind, and I reflexively shook my head hard.
"...Absolutely not. Sia's a bit—no, a lot—more jealous than most. If she ever found out I spent the night under the same roof as another woman..."
Of course, I knew Estelle didn't have any ulterior motives in inviting me.
But.
If Sia learned I'd stayed overnight with another woman—even if she was of a different race—
I wouldn't be able to handle the fallout.
And chances were, Estelle wouldn't survive it either.
"But we'd be in separate rooms—would that really be a problem?"
Probably.
Right now, Sia and Estelle lived in different dimensions, so they'd never meet. But that didn't mean the risk of discovery was zero.
The moment I finished speaking, Estelle's face—flushed from drink just moments ago—went deathly pale.
"O-Of course! I-I'll ask someone else, then!"
She hurried back into the tavern and soon returned with a key.
"A male dwarf said you could use the spare room in his house."
She emphasized the word male with particular force.
"Then I'll impose for just tonight. How far is his place from here?"
"About a ten-minute walk. I'll show you the way!"
I followed Estelle until we arrived at a residence.
Being a dwarf's home, it had a more refined feel compared to the others.
"Rest here for tonight. Tomorrow, I'll secure a proper inn room for you!"
"Ah, thank you. You must be tired too, Estelle—get some rest."
"Of course! Have a peaceful night, Min-jun!"
After seeing her off, I stepped inside, found what looked like the guest room, and collapsed onto the bed without even changing.
But just as I was drifting off—
The fact that I alone had seen the aura emanating from the statue nagged at me.
Had others on the battlefield confirmed it, I might've dismissed it. But since no one else had witnessed it, the mystery only gnawed at me more.
It made me all the more curious about that statue and the aura's true nature.
If Sia or Rokan were here, they might've solved my questions right away—but this was another world, after all.
With thoughts of returning home drifting through my mind, I fell into a deep slumber.
And then, the next day.
As consciousness returned, I opened my eyes with a faint flicker of hope—just in case.
But, as expected.
An unfamiliar ceiling greeted me.
It had been too dark to see clearly last night, but this was likely the ceiling of the dwarf's house where I'd slept.
Judging by the sun high in the sky beyond the window, it was probably around noon.
First things first—time to get up.
When I cautiously stepped out of the room, a familiar figure came into view.
"Oh, you're awake. Sleep well?"
It was Kutan, the dwarf who had sat across from me at the tavern last night, filling my cup.
"Kutan... sir? Didn't you say yesterday you'd drink until dawn?"
Drinking until dawn meant stopping once the sun rose and heading home, didn't it?
"That's right. But it felt like a waste to end it there, so I had a few more drinks at a friend's place. Just got back."
"'Just got back'—?"
"Means I haven't been home long. Ah, now that I look, it's already this late."
Watching Kutan casually check the clock hanging on the wall, I couldn't help but be stunned.
Just how much had he drunk, then?
"Anyway, I should probably get some shut-eye. Oh, on my way back, I ran into Estelle. She said she had something to tell you about that favor you asked for."
Kutan handed me a roughly drawn map.
"Use this to find her place."
"Thank you."
"No need for thanks. Drop by anytime you're free! I had a lot I wanted to talk to you about, but we didn't get the chance. A shame."
With Kutan seeing me off, I left the house.
Following the map to Estelle's place, a few children seemed to recognize me, trailing after me and clamoring for stories.
Being showered with their eager attention felt nice.
Seeing their bright faces, I even caught myself thinking about how I'd like to marry Sia soon and have adorable kids like them.
But then—
"Given that you're different species, how could reproduction even be possible? In any case, there will never be a child born between you and your lover."
The words I'd heard yesterday kept circling in my head.
'Sia must have known too.'
Which meant she might have quietly grieved without showing it.
My chest grew heavy.
Thanks to the kids' enthusiastic guidance, I managed to find Estelle's house without getting lost.
A light knock on the door, and Estelle welcomed me with a cheerful voice.
"Ah, Min-jun! Come in!"
"Kutan told me you had something to share about the favor I asked yesterday."
"Yes. But first, would you like to eat? You haven't had lunch yet, right?"
"Actually, I was getting hungry. I'll take you up on that."
"The food's almost ready—just a little longer, okay?"
Estelle led me to the kitchen, and soon, dishes began appearing one after another.
I wasn't sure if Estelle was normally this generous, but the portions looked way too much for two people.
The spread itself was impressive—sausages, unfamiliar meat dishes, a meat stew, and a single plate of salad that seemed to be there purely for appearances, as if to say, "We can't just have meat, can we?"
Who would ever think this was an elf's meal?
I'd heard yesterday that she liked meat despite being an elf, but I never expected her to be this obsessed.
"Eat up."
"Thank you for the meal."
I wondered if I could even finish it all—would leaving some be rude?—but luckily, Estelle's cooking was so good that emptying the plates was only a matter of time.
As the meal neared its end,
Estelle finally brought up the main topic.
"Originally, I was going to speak to Adil myself. But he's currently outside Elysium on important business."
"Ah..."
Meaning my chance to examine the Statue of Bellium would be delayed by a few days.
Or worse—maybe not days, but weeks. Months.
"He should be back today or tomorrow, but there's a small problem."
"A small... problem?"
"We thought we wiped out the monster horde yesterday, but investigations show a few stragglers remain."
Given their sheer numbers, it seemed some had taken advantage of the chaos to hide in the forest.
So, while it wasn't as dire as yesterday, it was still a concern.
The issue was that Adil had no combat ability—just an ordinary civilian. If he ran into monsters, he'd be in trouble.
Which meant they needed to eliminate the remaining monsters and escort Adil safely back to Elysium.
"That might delay things a little, but he shouldn't be too late."
Estelle suggested that until Adil returned, I could rest or explore the village.
"The people going to retrieve Adil—have they left yet?"
"Not yet. They'll probably depart within thirty minutes."
Estelle checked the clock as she answered.
"Then I'll go with them."
That way, I could meet him even a little sooner.
Near Elysium, in a forest.
A lizard beastkin with his hands tightly bound behind his back trudged forward, head bowed, his expression uneasy with every step.
This lizard beastkin's name was Adil.
Currently, he was a hostage—taken by a kidnapper.
Along with Bellium's Tears, Elysium's sacred relic.