Book 1 Chapter 1031
1031.
Seirune silently watched the fortress outside the window, which was undergoing extensive restoration.
‘I miss this.’
At that time, she thought, ‘Will there ever be a day when I miss this era?’
The war with Tartaros was difficult.
The war of creation left countless wounds on the world.
Land turned to ashes due to the war.
And a time when she had to send off so many precious people.
It was a time when countless sighs covered the world.
However, on the other hand, there was also clear hope.
Hope that the heroes of creation, who inherited the power of the great heroes, would defeat Erebus.
Anticipation for the new era that would come after being completely freed from the threat of Erebus.
At this time, Seirune was clearly looking towards the future.
And… she had a precious friend.
“Wow. Seirune, you asked me to have tea with you. I’m so happy?”
Annelie smiled brightly and brought the tea set.
Looking at Annelie, Seirune said,
“Annelie. Sit down.”
“Huh?”
“I’ll make the tea.”
“Seirune hates this kind of thing. You said it’s a waste of time to make tea.”
“Th-that’s right. Still, I want to do it for you.”
Seirune awkwardly smiled and pushed Annelie’s back, forcing her to sit.
Then, she made the tea herself.
Seirune had always liked to do things quickly.
It was thanks to dedicating all her time to magic from a young age.
That’s why she was able to restore the magic of the stars, but in all other areas, she was disastrous.
She couldn’t even dance the traditional dances that elves liked, and she disliked tea culture.
She even liked to eat meals quickly.
Anything that could fill her stomach quickly was fine.
‘That caused a big fuss when I first joined the party.’
When Seirune was put in charge of cooking for the first time, Azonia grabbed Rhodia and complained.
‘Even so, this is too much! Do I have to eat this? What can she do besides magic!’
‘Hey! Then, how good are you to say that!’
She shouted with a bright red face.
Azonia’s cooking skills weren’t particularly good either.
All she knew how to do was sprinkle salt on meat and grill it.
Still, she was much better than Seirune.
Recalling that time, Seirune let out a faint laugh, carefully made the tea, and served it to Annelie.
Watching Annelie sip the tea, Seirune, sitting opposite, cautiously asked,
“How is it?”
“Hmm. It’s not good!”
Seeing Annelie answer with a bright smile, Seirune flinched.
“Ju-just a moment. I’ll make it again……”
“It’s okay. It’s good like this!”
Annelie smiled as if she didn’t care, put down her teacup, and said,
“By the way, since Seirune asked me for a cup of tea, you have something to say, right?”
“……Yes.”
Seirune nodded with downcast eyes.
Annelie.
To Seirune, she was as precious a friend as the heroes of creation with whom she had risked her life.
And a friend who ultimately sacrificed her life to protect her.
“Annelie.”
“Huh?”
Seirune went to Annelie and knelt down.
“I’m sorry.”
“Wh-why are you doing this, Seirune?”
“I disgraced your and Rumern’s honor.”
“What?”
“The rumors circulating in the world.”
Seirune said, lowering her head deeply.
“I am the source.”
“Huh?”
“I didn’t keep the secret and spread the fact that you were pregnant.”
Seirune was confident that this conversation would not cause a rift between her and Annelie and change the future.
“Um. There’s no need to apologize, right? Because it’s the truth.”
Annelie laughed as if it were no big deal.
Seirune, looking at her foolishly kind friend, bit her lip.
“Get angry, Annelie.”
Seirune said in a low voice.
“I don’t deserve to be your friend. Since childhood, I have only used you and your family. Recently, I have even tarnished your honor.”
“Hmm… Then what should I do?”
“Hit me, even if it’s just a slap.”
“Is that enough?”
“No. Beat me completely….”
*Slap-!*
Before Seirune could finish speaking, Annelie’s palm struck Seirune’s cheek.
The blow was so strong that Seirune didn’t just fall to the floor, she rolled across it.
Her head rang.
“Th-that’s right! Like this… Kyaaaak?!”
Before she could finish speaking, Annelie’s fists rained down on Seirune.
*Bang! Thud! Crack!*
The chilling sounds echoed for a long time.
Seirune lay sprawled on the floor, her hair disheveled and eyes bruised.
Annelie crouched down in front of the fallen Seirune and asked with a smile,
“Are you feeling a bit better now?”
“My feelings… you should be the one to feel better!”
“But I wasn’t that upset to begin with.”
Annelie tilted her head, then her expression became slightly ecstatic.
“Well, I do feel better. How should I put it? Seeing Seirune scream made me feel good?”
Seirune shivered, looking at her friend with a blushing, dangerous smile.
Her current appearance was a little frightening.
“Well, it was a little unexpected. Seirune, you still haven’t gotten over your inferiority complex.”
“……You knew I had an inferiority complex?”
“Yes. It was cute how you pretended you didn’t.”
Annelie helped Seirune up.
“Then why did you let me use you?”
“Huh? I didn’t really let you use me.”
“Then?”
Annelie sat Seirune on the sofa and said while tending to her wounds,
“I helped you out of my own will. Because I was confident that you could restore Luna’s magic.”
“…….”
“It doesn’t matter who restores it. What matters is whether it is restored.”
Annelie tidied Seirune’s hair.
“And you don’t need to feel too guilty about mentioning having a child before marriage.”
“Why?”
“There are already five people who realized that fact before you and spread it everywhere.”
“What?”
“Seirune, you only study and don’t know much about politics, do you?”
Annelie laughed.
It was a slightly foolish laugh, as if she always thought Seirune was naive.
“The families of seeds use dirtier tricks than you can imagine. Of course, our Ersar family is no exception.”
Although praised for their nobility, to be as old as they are with history and tradition, they need baseness before nobility.
Invisible schemes to bury political rivals.
The Ersar family has remained the top family for so long because they have always won those schemes.
“Even before I told you, there were factions who knew I was pregnant and were using it for dirty tricks.”
“……Still, that doesn’t erase the fact that I betrayed you.”
“Yes. So it’s a bit unexpected. Still, I will forgive you.”
“Why?”
“Because you are the one who granted my wish.”
“…….”
“Restoring the magic of the stars. You, Seirune, risked everything to fulfill the wish of the Ersar family and mine.”
“I only did it for myself.”
“Yes. But the fact that you are my benefactor remains unchanged.”
“…….”
Annelie smiled wryly, looking at Seirune, whose ears were drooping.
‘If you’re going to be harsh, be properly harsh.’
The Seirune Annelie knew was not the type to harbor ill will towards others.
She knew that Seirune had had extreme inferiority complex since childhood.
However, Seirune was someone who used that inferiority complex as a driving force to reach high places rather than belittling others.
‘Her head is smart, but she’s not shrewd. Moreover, she’s excessively naive.’
And now, even after restoring Luna’s magic, she couldn’t believe in herself.
To Annelie, that appearance was a little pitiful.
“But what do you mean by tarnishing Rumern’s honor?”
“It’s about the child born between you and Rumern. I said I had a human child.”
“…….”
Annelie’s mouth fell open.
“Pfft! Puhuhuhu!”
Then, she clutched her stomach and her shoulders shook.
Seirune looked flustered by her reaction.
“Wh-why are you laughing like that?”
“Ahahahahahahahaha!”
Finally, Annelie burst into uncontrollable laughter.
“I see why you spread those rumors! You thought Rumern and I were… involved!”
“What? Th-then, aren’t we?!”
“No. Ahahahahaha!”
Annelie wiped away the tears in her eyes and said,
“Rumern and I are 100% friends.”
Rumern.
He was a human Annelie bought at a slave market when she was young.
At that time, elves treated human slaves as servants, so buying slaves was not a sin.
Of course, Annelie didn’t buy him to be a servant.
The Ersar family bought human slaves for humanitarian purposes and then freed them.
During that time, she happened to buy Rumern and kept him by her side to nurture his unusual talent.
Chuckling, Annelie opened her eyes half-closed.
“I see. So, my Seirune spread bad rumors about me out of jealousy?”
“You look happy?”
“Isn’t it enjoyable? It’s bound to be enjoyable when a bookworm who only studies gets jealous over a man.”
“……For some reason, I feel like I’m becoming an idiot.”
“Yes. You are an idiot.”
“I didn’t know you had this kind of personality.”
“That just means you haven’t talked with me much.”
Humming a tune, Annelie looked happy.
She was genuinely happy to learn more about her friend.
However, Seirune’s ears were still drooping.
“You think being beaten by me isn’t enough punishment?”
“……Yes.”
“You’re unnecessarily diligent.”
Annelie clicked her tongue lightly and said,
“Then I’ll give you a punishment. And I have a request.”
“Punishment? Request?”
“Yes. Let’s start with the request.”
At Annelie’s words, Seirune’s expression turned serious.
“Seirune. Believe in yourself a little more.”
“…….”
This was the message Seirune, who ultimately couldn’t believe in herself, conveyed to those who would follow in her footsteps after establishing a school.
“The things you accomplished were things only you could do. I think you should be proud of those achievements.”
Seirune clenched her fist, looking at her friend who gazed at her with a hint of pity.
“And for the punishment.”
“Yes.”
“Seduce Rumern.”
“……What?”
“Marry him. And have a child.”
“No. What kind of punishment is that?”
“Giving birth to the child of a human slave you once considered inferior. Isn’t that punishment enough?”
“I don’t think like that anymore! When was that! Besides, what kind of punishment is that! It’s a reward!”
“…….”
“Hup!”
Seirune, who had shouted unconsciously, covered her mouth.
Annelie’s eyes sparkled.
“My goodness! My goodness! The Seirune who considered being intimate with a man a reward? Have you been influenced by Azonia?”
“What good influence! Thanks to that damn beast, I’ve learned a lot of things I didn’t want to know!”
“Things you didn’t want to know? Huh? I’m curious.”
Seirune shuddered, looking at Annelie, who was teasing her with sparkling eyes.
Annelie chuckled, watching Seirune, then her expression turned serious.
“For your information.”
“Yes?”
“It’s absolutely not a reward.”
“What?”
“Marrying him is not an easy task at all.”
“Why? Because of Rhodia?”
“No. It has nothing to do with Rhodia.”
Annelie sighed.
“What do you think Rumern is like?”
“Cool. Manly. A gentleman. He has many wounds and I want to comfort him. Noble. More heroic than anyone else.”
“Stop. Yes, I get what you think.”
Annelie stopped Seirune, who was rattling off about her impression of Rumern, and sighed deeply.
“You’re hopelessly infatuated.”
“Huh? What does that mean?”
“You know, Rumern.”
Annelie shook her head.
“He’s a severely twisted pervert.”
“What?”
Seirune’s expression was dumbfounded, hearing words that didn’t fit the Rumern she knew at all.
“His head is full of nothing but Lord Kyle.”
***
Rumern was astonished when Leo introduced the young Luna to him.
Following the hero of the beginning, the progenitor of the constellations?
‘Seirune and Annelie would be so happy if they knew this!’
While thinking this.
Rumern spoke to the young Luna with words he had held in his heart for a long time.
“Personally, I don’t think Lord Kyle and Luna are a good match.”
The young Luna looked slightly stunned by the sudden remark.
However, her hand was already moving beyond her will.
*Bang-!*
Luna, in her spirit state, used her past self’s body to cleanly twist Rumern’s jaw and growled fiercely.
[What the hell is this damn bastard saying?]