Chapter 25
Chapter 25
Chirp chirp!
The noisy cries of sparrows every morning pulled my consciousness out of sleep.
For a moment, I stared blankly at the wooden ceiling.
Then, instead of the ceiling, a face suddenly appeared.
“You’re awake!”
“Ah… yeah.”
This morning, too, began with Rene’s bright smile.
But unlike any other morning, my body felt extremely uncomfortable. The aftermath of yesterday’s fierce battle still lingered.
It seemed I’d be stuck in bed for a while.
“Rene.”
“Yes!”
“Can you tell me how I ended up waking up here? My memory is a bit hazy.”
“Of course. First, I found you after that loud explosion.”
According to Rene, during the banquet, a shockwave and roar strong enough to shake the entire area had occurred.
After the commotion died down, Rene and the elves headed to the temple, where they found Marianne and me collapsed.
“At that time, my heart was racing!”
Due to a misunderstanding by the elves, I was nearly executed on the spot for the crime of assassinating the saintess.
Fortunately, Marianne regained consciousness and urgently defended me, allowing me to survive.
She said I was the hero who saved her from the kidnappers.
Because of that, my innocence was proven, and I was now being hailed as a hero of Alfheim.
“Then this arm…”
“The Saintess personally healed it!”
My left arm, which had been torn off by Marianne, was back in place as if nothing had happened.
However, it was immobilized with bandages and a splint.
“She said the bones are still weak, so don’t use it for two days!”
“Two days…”
“Yes! So you can stay in the village for a while.”
“But we still need to rescue her twin sister, right?”
“You don’t need to worry about that!”
Rene proudly handed me a note.
Reading it, I saw it was from Alvastro, stating the request had been completed and that a passing blind swordsman had successfully rescued the saintess.
So the issue had been resolved without me.
Thank you, passing blind swordsman!
“Since everything worked out, you should rest for now!”
“Yeah, I should.”
I needed time anyway to make the Earth Mother’s power fully mine.
I hadn’t intended to grow stronger, but I had gained powerful strength.
While resting, I decided to refine it.
“Oh! I cut some fruit for you!”
“Oh? What’s gotten into you?”
“Hey! I can do this much!”
Rene puffed her cheeks in protest.
I chuckled and told her I was just teasing.
“Even after what happened yesterday, you can still smile… If it were me, I’d be struggling.”
“Worrying about the past won’t change anything. It’s better to smile and live in the present.”
“That’s true.”
“More importantly, the fruit?”
“Here!”
She presented a wooden plate.
On it were neatly cut pieces of mango-like fruit.
She picked one with a toothpick and offered it to me.
“It’s hard to eat with one arm, right? I’ll feed you!”
“Thanks.”
I ate it without hesitation.
The juice burst in my mouth, sweetness filling my senses.
It was one of the best fruits I’d ever tasted.
“So? How is it?”
“It’s amazing! Elf-grown fruit really is different!”
“I’m glad you like it.”
“What fruit is this? I want to take some when I leave!”
“It’s the fruit of the World Tree!”
“What…?”
The toothpick fell from my hand.
Did I hear that right?
“W-what fruit did you say…?”
“The World Tree fruit you were supposed to receive from the elves!”
“Are you insane?! Why would you feed me something this valuable?!”
I should’ve sold it!
Putting the World Tree fruit up for auction.
A rare item people rarely see.
The price skyrockets.
People shout higher bids.
Eventually, it sells for an astronomical amount.
I become rich overnight.
A happy ending…
Or it should have been.
But the fruit I swallowed destroyed that dream.
A moment of sweetness ruined my future.
“My dream of becoming a millionaire…!”
“I-I’m sorry! I didn’t know you were going to sell it!”
“Ugh…”
“But it was delicious, right?”
When I tried to throw the toothpick, Rene ran away instantly.
She was faster than awakened Marianne last night.
How did someone like her get kidnapped?
I still couldn’t understand it.
[Contractor, you’re awake.]
“Ah, Prah.”
[You did well. Fighting such an opponent must have been difficult.]
“You worked harder than I did.”
[I’ll take my compensation later.]
“Speaking of which, you still won’t tell me what you want?”
[One should not reveal the secret of the dark sword lightly.]
Something about that felt off.
“Fine. Just don’t ask for anything too extreme.”
[Don’t worry. It will be something you can accept.]
“That’s good.”
I ate another piece of fruit.
No point wasting it now.
‘It tastes amazing… but still…’
Each bite felt like 100 gold coins disappearing.
[The fruit is calming the Earth Mother’s power inside you.]
So that’s why.
“Are you feeling better?”
The door opened, and Marianne entered.
Unlike last night, she looked normal.
And even more beautiful in the morning light.
“I’m fine. Are you alright?”
“Yes! Thanks to you!”
“Do you remember what happened yesterday?”
She shook her head.
“If you mean when my power was released, I don’t remember anything after that.”
“I see…”
“But I do remember a warm hand pulling me out of darkness. That must have been you, right?”
“Not exactly. I took some of your power.”
“My power?”
“Yes. I took about 30% of the Earth Mother’s power.”
“…”
“I’m sorry for taking it without permission.”
I bowed slightly.
She quickly waved her hands.
“No! You don’t need to apologize! I should be thanking you!”
“Thanking me?”
“That power was more like a curse to me.”
“A curse…”
“It was too much for me to handle.”
Uncontrollable power.
It really was like a disaster.
“I had to suppress it my whole life and stay in the temple.”
“I see…”
“But thanks to you, I can finally go outside like this!”
“That’s good.”
Instead of anger, I received gratitude.
That was the best outcome possible.
“So… I have a request.”
“What is it?”
“If it’s okay…”
She avoided my gaze, blushing.
“W-would you go on a date with me?”
A date with a saintess.
It should’ve been pure joy…
But I suddenly felt like she’d drag me to the gym for squats.