Chapter 135
The day after I returned, which was a Sunday, Ellen was missing from the breakfast table. After a brief chat with Harriet, I vaguely knew the reason why.
—All I did was just follow her around... She was the one who really had a tough time. Like, she even fought with... What should I call her, your leader? That person...
I’d heard about that already.
—And then after returning to the Temple, she just sat on the bench in front of the dormitory, letting herself be drenched in rain while waiting for you to return... She wouldn’t listen to anyone trying to persuade her otherwise...
Apparently, Ellen had sat on that bench, not eating, just staring blankly into the distance. Whether she did that because she wanted to be the first to see me when I returned, or because she was mentally out of it, was unclear.
Anyhow...
She must have caught a cold for sure.
Knock, knock.
So, I knocked on Ellen’s room door. After waiting for a while, Ellen, looking haggard, opened the door.
“... What is it?”
She barely had the energy to speak.
“If you’re sick, shouldn’t you go see the duty priest or something? What are you doing here?”
I wasn’t sure if a cold could be healed with a spell, but was it right to just groan and moan about it?
“I’m fine...”
Ellen looked ready to close the door. She seemed to consider the conversation over, if I had no other business.
“... I knew you were going to be like this, so I made some porridge for you.”
I sighed inwardly.
The tremendous guilt I was feeling inside had led me to go to these lengths.
***
“From what I’ve heard, it’s a miracle you’re not dead.”
“...”
She was lying down, having accepted the porridge I offered. It dawned on me that I’d never thought I’d see the day when something like this would happen. She had managed to catch the legendary summer cold that even dogs managed to avoid catching.
“Why were you letting yourself get soaked in the rain?”
Getting drenched wouldn’t have made me come back any faster. Regardless, Ellen had spent almost a whole day sitting in the rain.
“It... it all seemed like my fault,” Ellen muttered absentmindedly, avoiding my gaze.
I wondered why she felt responsible for my kidnapping. There shouldn’t have been any reason for her to feel that way.
“I feel like it’s my fault. All of this happened because of what I said,” Ellen said.
She knew better than anyone that what she’d just said was nonsense. However, Ellen still felt that way; she must have deeply regretted the words she believed had led to these events.
“So I wanted to do something about it, but there was nothing I could do,” she continued.
She had set out to find me, but had made no headway. Then Loyar had declared that someone like her wouldn’t be of any help, and after being defeated, she had no choice but to accept it.
“That’s why... I felt so pathetic. I hated myself,” Ellen said as she closed her eyes. “That was why I just sat in the rain... that was all I could do to deal with my emotions...”
She hated herself for being incapable of doing anything, and it had tormented her.
Ellen looked at me. Her eyes were red and bloodshot.
“I don’t think it was the secrets that I hated. What I hated was losing someone important to me in such a powerless way. What I really hated was being unable to do anything in such situations.”
When her brother had left to participate in the Great War, Ellen hadn’t been able to do anything.
And when I’d gone missing, Ellen had set out to look for me, but eventually, she had no choice but to leave the matter in someone else’s hands.
It seemed Ellen had spent the duration of my disappearance reflecting on what she truly despised.
Even without Loyar’s intervention, I hadn’t been in danger. In the end, at least from a certain point forward, this kidnapping morphed into a charade of my own design.
Ultimately, the effort Ellen and Harriet had put in to save me had been futile. Realistically, their efforts had no impact on my eventual rescue, considering I’d been safe the whole time.
However, I didn’t tell her that part.
“I’m sorry,” I said.
“... No, it’s fine,” she replied, still looking at me. I’m the one who should be sorry.”
We spent some time just silently looking at each other.
***
Several things happened after the kidnapping incident. After a separate consultation with Mr. Effenhauser on Sunday, the kidnapping case was brought to a rough conclusion
It was obvious that Mr. Effenhauser didn’t believe my statement, but he didn’t probe any further. Like Vertus, it was still difficult to read what he was thinking.
Class A went through several changes after my kidnapping incident.
“Ellen!”
“Yeah.”
“The rain’s stopped; do you want to go out and eat something?”
“... Sure.”
Harriet and Ellen had grown closer. To be precise, it seemed like Harriet, who had always been wary of Ellen, now found it easier to approach her after they had gone out together to look for me.
Harriet, Adelia, and Ellen all began hanging out together. Because of this, Riana de Granz became the only girl in the group who was left to walk alone.
To Harriet, it seemed like they were ostracizing her. So she went out of her way to invite Riana de Granz as well.
“Do... Do you want to join us, Granz?”
“Sure, why not.”
My kidnapping incident caused things to take a weird turn, and now the four girls from Class A started hanging out together. Harriet was the central figure of the group, gathering all the girls around her.
It was quite the evolution. She had gone from a snobbish noble young lady who was originally supposed to stay disagreeable and unlikeable until the end of the story, to the central point around which the other girls revolved. It made me wonder if people really do change.
There was another change as well...
“...”
“...”
After the incident, Ellen started avoiding my gaze whenever she saw me.
The feeling was mutual.
It was definitely different this time.
Previously, it felt as if she was telling me to screw off, but this time, it was completely different.
The feeling that she couldn’t look at me still lingered. Was she embarrassed because she had declared that I was someone important to her, or was it because she felt ashamed that she’d shown her vulnerable side by crying in front of me? Whatever it was, she always subtly avoided my gaze.
I, too, felt my conscience pricking at me all the time. I had my own share of apologies I felt I had to make, which made it hard for me to approach her straightforwardly.
It felt awkward between us because we both were overly conscious of the other.
‘What is this situation? It feels so awkward!’
And then, the third change...
“... You’ve been through a lot.”
“... Thank you.”
Cliffman and I finally exchanged words.
“What about the girl?”
“... Things are strange with her right now. It’s as if we’ve made up but haven’t at the same time....”
It wasn’t a long conversation, but we finally managed to exchange a few words.
What was the best way to put it?
It was like that frustrating feeling of being in an uncertain relationship with someone. Speaking to each other hesitantly and cautiously, just like a pair of classmates who were forced to sit next to each other.
Anyway, Ellen seemed to have made up a different reason for not showing up at the training grounds. She could come if she wanted to, although it seemed like her time was being spent hanging out here and there with Harriet.
She wouldn’t suggest going out herself, but if Harriet proposed it, she seemed to follow along as if she was being dragged along.
Therefore, Cliffman and I were the only remaining regulars who frequented the training grounds.
“Want to train together?” I asked, sick of how quiet it was to swing my sword about alone.
“... Sure.”
Two shy boys cautiously began their sparring session.
***
The irony of it all was that, although I was the one who had been kidnapped, the social landscape of Class A had somehow completely shifted.
Ellen and I had made up, but things had become somewhat awkward between us; Harriet had suddenly become the social butterfly of Class A, and instead of just being friends with girls, I had now befriended Cliffman.
The week after the conclusion of my kidnapping, on Thursday...
“The Thieves’ Guild is just the beginning?” Vertus asked.
“Something like that, though I haven’t really thought through what specifically I want to do next. My own kidnapping was somewhat of an accident in itself,” I replied.
Vertus was having a late-night talk with me. His goal was to subdue and control the powers within the criminal underworld, but since he couldn’t manage them directly, he planned to set me up as his proxy.
That was why he had seen potential in my kidnapping and had exploited it to his advantage.
“I knew you were bold, but you’re really something else, Reinhart.”
He let out a chuckle, unable to fathom where my audacity came from.
“Take care of it on your own. I can’t openly assist you. But, I can give you advice if you need it,” Vertus continued.
Vertus had no direct involvement in this affair. I had to remember that if I got caught messing around in dirty waters, I would be the only one to suffer the consequences.
Of course, since I hadn’t yet taken control of the Thieves’ Guild, there was not much I could do at the level I was at.
***
Ellen might not have been going to the training grounds, but that didn’t mean she had given up on training. She simply just wasn’t showing up to the training grounds.
“... Why are you here again?”
Ellen had once again appeared in front of the Rotary Club’s new base in the southern part of the empire. Loyar was taken aback by her sudden presence.
“Teach me how to fight, please.”
“... What?”
What kind of absurd request was that? Despite Loyar’s incredulous gaze, Ellen boldly approached her.
“Please. Teach me how to fight.”
“Wh-Why would I teach you that...?”
“You’re good at fighting, aren’t you?”
What was this? Loyar felt like her brain had stopped working.
—You beat her up? Not only that, you even tried to kill her?
Baalier had asked her that.
—Well, that’s... Loyar recalled the expression her lord had shown upon hearing that not only had Loyar beaten Ellen up but had also contemplated killing her, and her legs turned to jelly.
—Please. Don’t do things you haven’t been asked to.
Her lord had spoken as calmly as always, without even cursing. However, the anger embedded in those words had almost made Loyar tremble out of fear. For a moment, the fear had stopped her mind from functioning.
Was this what it meant to be of the Archdemon’s bloodline? Loyar realized that, if anything happened to Ellen from now on, she would be as good as dead.
That was why Loyar did not even want to run into Ellen, yet here she was, seeking her out.
And now, out of nowhere, she wanted her to teach her how to fight.
“Look, kid. There are far more capable people than me in the Temple; why not learn from them instead of insisting on me...?”
“There is something different about an ajumma[1] like you when compared to the teachers.”
Ellen, in her brief clash with Loyar, had realized how different real combat was from training. She believed that Loyar was the only one who could teach her that.
She wanted to know more about fighting.
She wanted to become stronger.
That was why Ellen had sought out Loyar.
Of course, Loyar focused on another aspect of the conversation.
“... Ajumma?”
The word “old lady” made Loyar’s golden eyes flash. Ellen tilted her head in confusion.
“Yes, ajumma.”
“...”
Loyar was furious.
“... Shouldn’t you be addressing me as unnie[2] instead?”
“If you teach me how to fight, I will,” Ellen said as she adopted a fighting pose.
Then, she delivered the final blow to Loyar. “Ajumma.”
Zap!
Suddenly, the veins in Loyar’s forehead began to throb.
“Fine, let’s do this, little one.”
Swish!
Loyar flashed towards Ellen like lightning.
Thump!
And Ellen managed to block Loyar’s punch.
***
In Ellen’s absence, I mostly sparred with Cliffman. Cliffman’s talent lay in “combat”, and that applied to all aspects of fighting. As a raw talent, it was as tremendous as Harriet’s “magic”.
Needless to say, this included proficiency in wielding weapons. Even Ellen, who was like a talent vending machine, did not possess this particular talent.
In other words, this guy was a monster in a vein similar to Ellen, and it was natural that he was far superior to me in skill.
His style was a bit different, though.
While Ellen subdued me in an instant with her sophisticated skills, this guy was almost like some sort of predator.
Clang! Clang!
Ellen did not lack strength, but she pursued the extremes of technique itself. Each time, she calculated the trajectory that her sword had to take to ensure her victory, and executed it flawlessly. Her quick thinking was unparalleled.
However, Cliffman’s style leaned more towards utilizing strength, reflexes, and an animalistic sense to overpower his opponent.
His fighting instinct forced the optimum path into existence.
While Ellen calculated the right move first and then followed it precisely, with Cliffman, it felt like every swing he took was somehow the right move.
Thump!
“Huff... Huff...”
I found myself thrown to the ground, struggling to get back up.
If Ellen ended a bout by immobilizing me and stopping just before landing the final blow as if to say “you’re dead”, Cliffman either knocked me away, threw me to the ground, or simply smashed me with his sword.
If Ellen suppressed, Cliffman overwhelmed.
His style was incomparably more rugged than Ellen’s.
“... Are you okay?”
“Oh, yeah.”
The guy who had attacked me like a wild boar just a moment ago was also the one who helped me to my feet, genuinely asking if I was seriously hurt.
‘What’s with the sudden change in demeanor? Man, he’s just full of surprises isn’t he?!’
“I haven’t got the hang of controlling my strength yet... Sorry.”
“Nah, it’s my lack of skill that’s the problem.”
“Still, you’ve improved a lot when compared to the beginning of the semester. A lot.”
‘Ah... Why does it feel so cringey when guys talk like this? Just complimenting each other back and forth...’
Anyway, because of his lack of finesse and inability to control his strength well, I was considerably more battered compared to when I sparred with Ellen.
“... Let’s call it a day. It’s getting late.”
I nodded in agreement. “Okay.”
It was indeed rather late. It was time to grab something to eat and hit the sack.
Since it was close to bedtime, I went to my room to clean up before coming out again.
The hallway was deserted. Everyone had probably retired to their own rooms. However, I saw someone coming down the hallway from afar.
It was Ellen.
“...”
She seemed to have just returned and was covered in dust.
But it wasn’t just the dust that caught my eye.
Her face was flushed, her hair disheveled, and she was limping, looking quite injured. As our eyes met, she quickly looked down and tried to pass by.
‘Why is she acting like this?’
I felt like I was going crazy, seeing someone who used to be indifferent to my existence now suddenly minding me.
She always carved her own path, not caring what anyone else thought, but now she seemed to be wary of me and me alone.
I sensed feelings of guilt and apology from her, yet I couldn’t think of any reason why she should feel sorry towards me. It seemed she was acting this way because she thought she’d said something harsh to me.
‘Yes, I do have secrets, and I feel sorry for not being able to share them, but why does she feel sorry?’
Somehow that made me feel sorry too, which drove me almost insane.
“Hey.”
“... Yeah.”
“How did you... end up getting hurt like this?”
“Just stuff.”
‘Did she get into a fight or something?’
Normally, I might have felt too awkward and just walked past, but I couldn’t just ignore her while she was in this state.
After all, she wasn’t someone who usually ended up getting beaten, was she?
“What do you mean, ‘just stuff’? Let’s go get you treated.”
“I’m fine...”
“What do you mean you’re fine? Come on now.”
I grabbed Ellen’s arm and pulled.
“Ow, it hurts... L-Let’s go slowly...”
When I pulled her abruptly, Ellen staggered and almost fell over.
I seemed to be seeing her vulnerable side too often these days. To think that I would ever see Ellen looking so pitiful.
Seeing her in distress did tug at my heart, but more than that, I was worried.
‘They say people start to change drastically right before they die!’
“Ah... Okay, yeah, my bad,” I said.
Limping, Ellen followed me.
Trip!
“Argh!”
Because I had been pummeled by Cliffman all day, I was in pretty terrible shape physically as well.
“... While we’re at it, I should get treated too...”
Supporting each other, we went to find the duty priest.
1. A Korean word for a married or middle-aged woman. ☜
2. Similar to the word “noona” in Korean, “unnie” refers to a female that is older than you are ☜
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