The Elf Princess Falls in Love

After crossing blades a few times, I understood. The man blocking our path was on an entirely different level. I'd thought I'd seen my share of battles as a member of the Demon Countermeasures Division, but he was something else. He freely unleashed sword auras that only a handful of knights could manage, and his attacks came with terrifying speed and precision. I had no idea where he'd crawled out from, but he was probably a retired knight commander at the very least.

As death loomed right in front of me, fear crashed over my body. My limbs, already pushed to their absolute limit, refused to move any further. The elven archer who had been using spirits had already collapsed unconscious on the ground.

…There was no hope left.

"Damn it… Looks like I'm going with you after all…"

Why did I have to get tangled up with this man? To think I'd end up dying alongside him…

Just as that thought crossed my mind, Logue placed his hand on my head and gently stroked my hair. His ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠touch was rough and calloused, yet filled with warmth. When I looked up, his face was set with grim determination, like someone who had already accepted death.

"Don't worry… I'll make sure you get out of here alive. Hold on to the holy relic and deliver it to an academy student named Kiene."

With those words, Logue immediately pulled a strange potion from his coat and swallowed it.

—Right after that, his entire presence changed.

'Was he always this strong?'

After drinking the potion, Logue completely overwhelmed the man. Their exchange moved so fast it was hard to follow, until finally Logue's spear pierced the man's abdomen. Then he drove it straight into the man's heart.

"Logue..! I knew you could—huh..? Logue?"

Suddenly, Logue staggered and collapsed. His face was twisted in agony.

"Stay with me! Logue!"

The Logue who had always teased me. If he died, the submission mark carved into me would vanish, and I'd be free. It should have been a good thing for me, yet watching him die right in front of my eyes filled me with an unexpected wave of emotion.

"Get on my back."

"What?"

"…Hurry."

"O-okay…"

…The image of Logue offering his back to me when I was exhausted flashed through my mind. I had felt strangely safe against his surprisingly broad back.

"Don't worry… I'll make sure you get out of here alive."

The rough yet gentle hand that had stroked ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠my head replayed in my thoughts.

'This is ridiculous… I'm really doing this over something so small?'

Maybe spending all those life-or-death moments with Logue had created some kind of reluctant affection. The fact that I was this worried about him just because he'd shown a bit of kindness… I wasn't even thinking about all the other things he'd done to me.

I must be softer than I thought—I told myself as I checked his condition.

Logue was dying. …Like someone who had burned through every last ounce of their strength. His eyes were slowly being swallowed by darkness. His face had gone cold, and his breathing was growing weaker.

"W-what do I do…"

There were no visible fatal wounds or bleeding. But it was obvious he was standing at death's door.

—In that moment, I remembered him pulling out a health potion from his coat. I searched through his belongings and, thankfully, found one unbroken health potion still left.

'Ah… seriously…!'

I ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠really hated this guy, but I hated the thought of him dying in front of me even more. He couldn't drink it himself right now. I held the health potion in my mouth, gently parted his lips, and began feeding it to him.

My first kiss tasted like health potion and the metallic tang of blood.

'If you die after I went this far, I swear I'll never forgive you…!'

Fortunately, Logue's breathing gradually grew stronger, and color returned to his face. Relief welled up from deep in my chest.

Then came the overwhelming embarrassment over what I'd just done.

'What the hell did I just do…?! I saved this guy… and that was my first kiss!'

I glared at Logue with resentful eyes.

…It still felt like his hand was resting on my head.

'Where am I…'

The pain radiating through my entire body told me I was still alive.

…How was I still alive?

When I forced my eyes open, Sane was asleep on the floor beside me. Thankfully, it seemed no more pursuers had come after Ares.

I looked around to assess the situation.

…Fortunately, my shield and spear were neatly placed in the corner of the room.

'Ugh… hurts like hell…'

Even the slightest movement sent waves of agony through me. The room was filled with brightly colored, cute decorations. Tiles with small flowers painted on them lined the walls, and the neatly arranged pots overflowed with beautiful petals. Dolls and brightly colored curtains clearly reflected the owner's taste.

Bright sunlight poured through the window. Quite a bit of time must have passed since I'd lost consciousness.

'This doesn't look like an inn or a castle… It seems like someone's personal room…'

More importantly, I was curious how I'd survived.

Looking at my status window, Indomitable was on cooldown.

'Don't tell me… the damage from the Transcendence Potion was blocked by Indomitable, leaving me with exactly 1 HP?'

But 1 HP was a dangerously ambiguous amount—any small amount of bleeding afterward could kill me. Without further measures like drinking a health potion, I would've died immediately…

The fact that the health potion in my coat was gone meant Sane or Selena must have fed it to me. Since Selena had been unconscious, it had to be Sane.

Sane lay sleeping with her eyes closed and her expression relaxed. Unlike her usual sharp appearance, she looked rather cute while asleep. ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠Her slightly tousled hair, long eyelashes, and fair skin highlighted her beauty.

'Suddenly Sane looks adorable… Thanks, Sane!'

Ever since we'd entered the black market, Sane's contributions had been outstanding. From taking down the mage targeting me to saving my life just now… I made up my mind to treat her a little better from now on.

Just then, Sane began to stir.

"Mmm…"

She sat up and looked around. When her eyes landed on me, now awake, she let out a startled scream.

"Kyaaah!!!! Why are you in my room?!"

It was a rather cute scream, I thought.

After her initial shock, Sane quickly calmed down as if realizing something.

"Oh right… I brought you here…"

"…You brought me here? Weren't you exhausted too? How did you manage to move me and all my equipment?"

"I used a health potion…"

Sane suddenly covered her face with both hands mid-sentence.

…Was she embarrassed? Why?

"……Anyway, I have enough stamina to carry one person. I figured you'd complain if your equipment went missing again… Do you have any idea how hard it was? Good thing I found a carriage heading to the capital on the way…"

I was about to say that I wasn't the kind of trash who'd complain to my lifesaver about leaving my equipment behind, but something told me I probably would have, so I shut my mouth.

"There was a carriage to the capital in the middle of the night?"

"Yeah. …It looked like one of the black market's customers. They were about to flee because of the commotion we caused. When they saw our faces, they went pale and just ran off without the carriage."

Sane smiled sheepishly.

"Anyway… I guess I survived thanks to you. Thanks, Sane."

Sane scratched her head awkwardly at my gratitude.

"If you know that, then treat me better… Stop tormenting me already…"

"…"

"Eek… Don't glare at me like that! I was just joking!"

"By the way, you have surprisingly cute tastes?"

I said, looking around the room.

"Tch… So what? It's weird that someone as uncute as me likes cute things?"

"That wasn't what I meant. You're plenty cute yourself."

"…Eh?"

The honest thought slipped out before I could stop it.

…Maybe that was a bit embarrassing to say. But it was true…

"Do you just say stuff like that to every girl..? Cringe…"

Even as she said that, Sane's lips twitched upward like she wasn't actually offended.

"Come to think of it, where's Selena?"

"Selena? You mean that elf? She came with us as far as the capital, but once she recovered a bit, she said she had to return to her own country and left."

"Wasn't she pretty badly hurt?"

"…I bought her a potion and had her drink it, but she seemed in a real hurry… She just left. Oh, she told me to tell you thanks, and that she'll repay you for the rest of her life."

If Selena was indeed the princess of Elvenheim… she probably rushed back because her people were desperately searching for her.

…Repay me for the rest of her life? What did that mean?

'Speaking of which… my student ID is gone.'

The academy student ID I'd been carrying in my pocket had disappeared. It had definitely been there when we left the black market, so it must've been lost during the fight with Ares…

'It's not like I left it in the black market, so it should be fine…'

"Logue…"

The carriage rattled along.

I murmured his name as I rode toward Elvenheim. From his student ID, he seemed to still be a student at the academy.

I thought back to the fairy tales that had first made me decide to sneak out of Elvenheim. Those stories were filled with human life, beautiful friendships, and the brave, romantic tales of princes.

At first, I'd simply been tired of the stifling life in Elvenheim and wanted to experience the human world. Then, after being kidnapped by unknown people, I'd come to feel extreme disgust toward the human race itself after witnessing their ugly side.

—Until I met Logue.

Recalling his appearance in the black market filled me with emotion and joy. He had been just like the prince from the fairy tales who rescues the princess.

"See you later, Logue."

Smack.

I pressed my lips against his student ID.