.｡.:✧ Chapter 59 ✧:.｡.

—————————————————————–
Translated By Arcane Translations
Translator: FusionX
—————————————————————–

◇◇◇◆◇◇◇

On the last day in Yggdrasil.

It felt surreal that it was already the last day, though it seemed like we had almost experienced everything Yggdrasil had to offer in just three days.

“In truth, rather than having enjoyed everything, it felt like there were just not enough attractions.”

Mumbling to myself while sipping on the so-called Isuldjuice they sell here, Rin and Hayun awkwardly laughed in agreement.

The scenery was beautiful, but honestly, it was boring because they only minimally interfered to preserve it.

Hanging a swing on a tree was about the only entertainment available, which seemed severely lacking, but it actually allowed us to focus solely on training.

Hayun’s Eastern swordsmanship had basically mastered the basics, and she also embraced the framework of elf swordsmanship.

I heard she was combining elf swordsmanship with her own to create her unique style.

“The basic flow of the two swordsmanship styles seems similar, so it shouldn’t be bad.”

Lately, Hayun has been holding needles and threads more than her sword due to financial constraints, but originally, she had enough talent in swordsmanship too.

“Daniel, what do you think about this?”

Nodding my head as I sipped on the drink Eris offered, trying to entice my taste buds.

“What flavor is this? It tastes like it’s made from pine.”

“Uh… that’s accurate.”

“You gave me this trash?”

“I thought it was kinda tasty?”

Eris mumbled, sipping on her drink awkwardly.

These past three days, my relationship with Eris had definitely progressed.

Knowing her preferences and tastes, I had smoothly closed the distance between us, and although it was my first time seriously pursuing a romantic relationship, it felt surprisingly comforting.

However.

Rin often looked around with a vacant expression these past three days.

She had teased me before for sending Eris off at the academy with an intimate voice, but she had no particular reaction to me openly pursuing Eris.

“From my perspective, it’s fortunate, but…”

It was worrying and somewhat alarming.

It’s one thing to occasionally act out of character, but continuously displaying a different demeanor was not a good sign.

‘I should talk to her later.’

***

The Elf Queen, upon seeing Eris who had come to her, smiled faintly.

It was the first time she had seen her this excited, talking about someone else, especially a man.

“It’s fascinating, isn’t it? Daniel seems to know me as if we had met before and takes care of everything.”

“Is that so?”

“Yes, he knows my tastes, and he’s polite. It would have been nice if we had men like him among our elves.”

Sipping tea, Eris spoke, and the Elf Queen probed as if testing her.

“What if he confesses his feelings to you?”

“Me?”

Eris looked as if she had never considered the possibility.

After turning her head here and there with a stunned expression, she crossed her arms with a slightly flushed face.

“Ah, no matter what, that’s not it! I’m a sentinel! I’m not frivolous enough to date a man I’ve only met for a few days!”

“Is the weight of one’s feelings determined by the length of acquaintance? Then Polim’s heart, who has been wooing you for over a hundred years, must be quite heavy.”

“…That’s different.”

Eris ran out of words again.

The queen advised the greatest elf warrior not to worry about unnecessary things kindly.

“As you said, he is a good man. He possesses an unusually strong conviction for a human, seems to have his own secrets, and has powerful strength… And.”

“And?”

“He likes you too.”

“What?”

Eris was even more astonished than before, flustered about where to put her hands.

However, the Elf Queen continued with a slight smile.

“Think about it seriously. Humans have short lifespans, so their love may not last as long as ours, but it’s denser.”

Eris, wondering if the queen had such experiences, looked at her with her mouth agape for a moment before finally stepping outside.

The sky seen through the gaps of the giant Yggdrasil had darkened.

The sporadic stars seen between the trees somehow calmed her excited heart.

‘Daniel likes me?’

She had thought he was a good person during the days they spent together.

She knew well, having lived for a long time, that there was no one else with whom she felt such a strong connection.

Love?

The word, seemingly unrelated to her, struck her heart, causing it to flutter with the feeling that she needed to do something.

The exhilaration.

The regret that Daniel would leave tomorrow morning.

Amidst these mixed emotions, the cause of her heart’s turmoil appeared.

“Daniel?”

“Eris.”

It was not too late at night, but she wondered why he had come to see her at this moment.

Then, he uttered words she found hard to believe.

‘Ah, it was real.’

She realized the Elf Queen’s words were true.

***

*Sigh.*

My face was hot, and my heart throbbed as if it was going to burst out of my chest.

Though my body was 18, my heart felt 28, trembling over something as simple as a confession.

But, like everyone has their firsts, I learned for the first time how hard it was to convey one’s feelings.

Considering Rin and May, who had gathered their courage, my heart ached, but still, I confessed to Eris.

Since I would be leaving tomorrow, I had asked Hayun whether I should confess, and she thought the atmosphere was right.

If we were to part now, it might be a long time before we see each other again.

Better to confess than to suffer in silence.

“Please, give me some time to think.”

Eris said so and left.

I had to leave in the morning, hoping she would give her answer then.

‘Could there be a chance?’

If she wanted to reject me, she would have done it immediately!

“Ah!”

I closed my eyes and lay in bed, hoping tomorrow wouldn’t come too quickly, but excitement kept me awake.

As I lay there, heart pounding and wide-eyed through the night, a knock sounded from outside the door.

Thinking it might be Eris, I quickly got up and opened the door.

“Rin?”

There stood Rin, in her pajamas, giving off a strangely tense vibe.

“Daniel, can we talk for a moment?”

I wondered if she had somehow figured out my confession, but it didn’t seem to be the case. It felt less like a chilling jealousy and more like a kind of fear.

Feeling this, I nodded silently, grabbed my coat, and stepped outside.

At her suggestion to take a walk, we headed towards the lake.

It wasn’t a long distance, but she seemed to be sorting through her thoughts.

“It’s chilly.”

The dawn made it decidedly colder, especially being in the woods.

I cautiously draped my coat over Rin, who was in pajamas. She flinched, then, holding my coat tightly with both hands, thanked me.

“What’s going on?”

I had never seen her this afraid, and it was disconcerting, but we made it to the lakeside nonetheless.

Silently, I waited for her.

Rin, staring distantly at the lake, let go of my coat and began unbuttoning her pajamas.

The moonlight reflected off the tranquil lake.

The coat slid off.

The beautiful girl with black hair, unbuttoned her pajamas.

I tried to stop her, puzzled at her actions.

“!”

She slowly pulled open her collar to reveal her chest, showing a daring amount of skin, but that wasn’t what was important.

“A mark?”

A black mark was visibly embedded on her chest, ominously emanating a threatening presence.

“Daniel…”

Rin looked at me with eyes about to brim with tears, pleading.

“Help me.”

I didn’t know what to say.

But one thing was clear: this was the very cause of the world’s impending doom.

“After the demon appeared at the festival, this mark appeared. Since then, it’s been hard to control my emotions. It’s like I’m becoming someone else.”

“Daniel, I’m… I’m so scared. So terrified…”

Tears streamed down her cheeks.

I couldn’t leave her alone in this state, fearing her body and spirit might completely collapse, so I hugged her as if to hold her together.

“It’s okay, you are you, Rin. You’re not going anywhere. I’ll make sure of it.”

“Daniel, is this why you’ve been avoiding me?

Did you know something about me? Is that why?”

“Yes.”

I couldn’t lie in front of her pleading eyes.

“What do you know? Is it something I shouldn’t know? Daniel, please, tell me the truth.”

I hesitated, holding her as she cried in my arms.

Should I tell her the truth?

Could she bear knowing she would eventually bring about the annihilation of all mankind and my death?

No, it’s impossible.

Rin couldn’t handle it.

So, I told her a partial truth.

“Like Adriana had seen fate, I too came to know about the future one day. That you become a disaster.”

“!”

“I can’t tell you everything. But I can make you one promise, Rin.”

I gently pulled away to look into her reddened eyes.

“I’ll protect you, so don’t worry. I’ll prevent you from becoming a disaster.”

“Daniel…”

Could my words comfort her?

Could I be a source of reassurance to her, who must be feeling the most vulnerable?

I was worried, but Rin didn’t express it in words.

Instead, she simply nodded, a small smile forming on her lips against the flow of her tears.

“Ugh.”

Like Daniel, Eris too was spending a sleepless night.

It was a first for her.

Was it the first time she had received a confession?

Of course not.

With her outstanding beauty and character among elves, she had received countless confessions from many elves.

Even from non-elves.

What was a first, however, was receiving a confession from a man she actually had feelings for.

A night of restlessness and sleeplessness.

Eventually, Eris got out of bed, turned on the light in her room, and tidied her hair in the mirror.

Her destination was Daniel’s room.

Though she had said she would give her answer in the morning, she wanted to pour out her heart right then and so knocked on his door.

‘Is he already asleep because it’s dawn?’

It was late at night.

As Eris was about to turn away, feeling a bit disappointed, she gently turned the doorknob and to her surprise, the door opened smoothly.

‘He doesn’t seem to lock his door when he sleeps.’

Smiling at the discovery of another facet of his personality, Eris peeked inside.

“Huh?”

It was empty.

Where could he be?

Turning around, Eris stepped back outside, and the blessing of Artemis activated in her blue eyes.

Worried that something might have happened to him, she started searching for Daniel and found him near the lake.

With Rin.

“……?”

Wondering what the situation was, Eris hurried towards them. As she got closer, her sharp elven ears didn’t miss Daniel’s voice.

“Ah…”

Realizing she had heard something she shouldn’t have, Eris didn’t think of retreating.

She just looked at the man and woman embracing each other in front of the lake, with a heavy heart.

She had no choice but to silently bow her head.

Some elves used to say that.

‘First love is always painful.’

At the time, she thought, what’s the big deal about a little heartache?

‘It hurts more than I thought.’

Unable to watch any longer, Eris slowly turned around.

Uncertain about how to calm her tumultuous feelings, she looked towards Yggdrasil as if seeking advice, but of course, there was no answer.

Finally, with her lips tightly sealed, Eris walked on.

She kept walking.

Past her own home, deep into the forest.

“I saw the future.”

Muttering softly to herself, Eris pondered over his words.

Did that mean he knew about her preferences and tendencies because he had seen them in the future?

“If that’s the case…”

If that were true, Daniel.

What were we to each other in that future?

Do I have a chance?

◇◇◇◆◇◇◇