Episode 92 – Take it Easy

*

As soon as the treatment was over, I turned on my heel.

Having confirmed that Rose wasn’t in this mansion, there was no need to linger in this house any longer.

If I dawdled and got caught by Robin or Mella, it would only make me feel worse, and in my distracted state due to Banata’s disappearance, I wasn’t confident I could act nonchalant in front of them like before.

The social gathering at the Imperial Palace was only a week away.

The Emperor, whom I was sure to face that day, was said by Master-nim to be no pushover, and with my mind uneasy from not finding Banata, I was sure I wouldn’t be able to have a proper conversation with him.

I forcibly swallowed the mix of relief and unease I felt about treating Tess.

Let’s just focus on finding Banata for now.

I thought that and grabbed the doorknob.

,Thank… you.”

,…!”

A voice so frail it sounded like it would break from a single tap came from behind me.

Seureureuk,

I heard the sound of fabric rustling.

It seemed she was trying to get up from the bed.

I didn’t answer and turned the doorknob.

And without looking back, I left the room as is.

,Are you coming out already? By any chance, Tess…”

As soon as I stepped out of the room, Edward, who had appeared before me, spoke to me.

His voice ended in a silence that implied he was worried something had gone wrong with Tess.

Come to think of it, during the Dena incident, I had stalled for time to sneak around the mansion, but this time I came out right after the treatment, so from Edward’s perspective, it was understandable he’d wonder why I was coming out so quickly.

But I didn’t feel like explaining, so I shook my head and said.

,It went well, but she needs to rest. Go inside.”

,Ah, yes, I understand. Thank you!”

Edward bowed deeply to me and then dashed into Tess’s room.

Because he moved so vigorously, a few drops of sweat fell from his forehead to the floor.

He must have been extremely nervous and on edge, pacing around near the room all this time.

Perhaps because I was thinking about Rose’s whereabouts, Daniel somehow came to mind when I saw Edward like that.

Ah, of course, the two of them didn’t just have a simple sibling-like friendship.

,I need to get out of here quickly.”

I hurried my steps and almost ran down the stairs.

Fortunately, perhaps because no one expected the treatment to end so quickly, I was able to leave the mansion without being noticed by anyone.

*

Several days had passed since I treated Tess.

Only 3 days left until I had to go to the Imperial Palace,

But still, Banata’s whereabouts were unknown.

Lara looked out the window.

Lily, wearing a robe that covered the upper part of her face and ears, was flusteredly chasing Edward away.

Ever since I treated Tess, Edward had been visiting every day, wanting to repay me.

But to me, who had become edgy from not finding Banata, his gratitude was nothing but a nuisance.

Lara watched Edward, who was eventually chased away and trudging back, and said.

,No progress, and in the end, it only benefited Robin.”

,I know.”

,In three days, you have to face the Emperor.”

,I know…”

,Have you thought about what the Emperor is going to say?”

,…No,”

,Ha, Ed, I know how urgent the situation is, but still, calm down a bit. You’re not thinking straight right now.”

I was speechless at Lara’s words.

Not because Lara’s words were absurd, but because I never expected to hear the words “calm down” from Lara of all people.

Just a few weeks ago, she had ambushed my bed naked, but even in Lara’s eyes, I seemed very impatient now.

Of course, I was well aware that I had hardly been able to come to my senses since Banata disappeared.

That’s because I couldn’t help but be conscious of Mena, who lived in this mansion with me.

I was worried about Banata as well, but Mena was visibly getting thinner day by day.

Even someone with a dull sense could tell the difference between Mena from one day to the next; she became more haggard every day.

The only thing keeping Mena standing was that insignificant promise I had made.

So, there was no way I could afford to calmly sort things out.

Lara, Lily, and I had essentially given up on searching on foot.

If Rose was at least in this city, there was no way she wouldn’t have been seen this much.

If she had moved to another region, or if she was hiding in a magically created space like Jennifer’s lab, it was impossible to find her traces in this city.

The fact that all three of us left were people who knew nothing about magic also played a part.

Ellie, who had the title of top student at Aureo Academy, was the only one we could rely on, but with the Imperial Palace event approaching, Ellie, as a princess, was as busy as could be.

The powerlessness that came from ignorance weighed heavily on me.

I didn’t know Banata’s location, nor did I know Rose’s purpose. I didn’t know if Piadu was a victim caught up in Rose’s schemes, or a perpetrator in league with Rose.

All I had was a small tool in my pocket that I had found after agonizing over how to make Rose suffer the most when she appeared.

The only fortunate thing was that Villard was also almost out of his mind because of his suddenly disappeared son.

Lara put down the teacup she was holding.

Lara’s teacup contained poorly brewed tea with tea leaf fragments that hadn’t been properly filtered out.

It seemed she couldn’t ask Mena to make tea, so she had brewed it herself.

Lara came to me, grabbed my face with her hands that had been warmed by holding the teacup, and forced me to make eye contact.

,Ed, getting impatient won’t help.”

,…I know. But it’s a situation where I can’t help but be impatient.”

,I acted with that exact feeling, and the result was the worst. You know that too.”

At Lara’s words, I thought she was making a self-deprecating joke.

But I couldn’t find even a hint of a smile on Lara’s face.

,I’ve thought about it a lot since that day, Ed, and it seems that when a problem seems impossible to solve, the answer might be to just take it easy and wait.”

,What are you talking about?”

,Ed, this isn’t a journey to catch the Demon King. There’s no time limit like a crisis where the world is about to end.”

,…I still don’t understand,”

,Yeah, maybe we won’t find Banata, maybe she’s already dead, and maybe Mena will die from the shock or turn away from us.”

,…”

,But honestly, if Banata dies, we can just take revenge, if Mena turns away, we can just kill her. Either way, we’re not gonna get fucked over,”

,Lara!”

,Because you’re already fucked, Ed.”

,…”

[Ooh, that’s harsh,]

[Heok,]

I was speechless at Lara’s blunt expression.

Lara continued without pausing.

,Ed, look at you. You’re a walking corpse, and the Demon King who can destroy humanity is asleep in your head. You were already fucked from the start, so what the hell are you so afraid of?”

,Lara, this isn’t just my problem, it’s Banata’s…”

,So, why do you care about that? Did you like Banata? Then just get revenge for her.”

Lara coldly cornered me with a sharp voice.

Even when she said “Did you like Banata?”, she made a slightly angry, growling sound.

I was quite taken aback by Lara’s appearance.

,Of course, I want Banata to be alive and well. But you know it too. There’s nothing we can do right now,”

,…Is there really nothing we can do?”

,I don’t know, maybe there is if we look, but I don’t think that’s what we can do right now. If there was, we would have already found it and done it.”

,…”

,So, calm down and sort out your thoughts. What are you going to do when you meet the Emperor, and what about the Villard hunt you were originally planning?”

,…”

I nodded silently.

Lara’s scolding was painfully close, but it also felt somehow nostalgic.

Come to think of it, back in the days of the Hero Party, when the party’s morale occasionally hit rock bottom due to injuries or other reasons, Lara, who was the oldest thanks to her elven lifespan, would often scold the party members, including me, in this way.

Lara, who had been scarred by 20 years of time, was very different from the Lara in my memory, so I had also buried this side of her deep in my memory, but it felt like I was meeting the Lara I knew again after a very long time.

,I don’t think we should take revenge after Banata dies, but since there’s nothing we can do right now… you’re right. Lara.”

,Was it helpful?”

,I was surprised, it’s the first time I’ve seen the Lara I knew since becoming an undead.”

,Really?”

Lara said, “I guess nothing works with an impatient mind,” and smiled bitterly as she slowly took her hands off my face.

I looked at Lara’s face and said.

,What were you thinking to become so reliable?”

,I had a shocking experience, I was hung naked by my neck by someone I liked, I figured I should wait if I don’t want to go through that again,”

,…If I had known, I should have strangled your neck with a chain sooner.”

,Oh, I want to accommodate Ed’s tastes as much as possible, but personally, I don’t want to do that again,”

,Pfft… you damn elf.”

Watching Lara brazenly accept a topic that could have been sensitive because it was a sad memory for her, I burst out laughing without realizing it.

Perhaps because I had been tense and unable to relax for days,

It felt like the first time I had laughed in a long time.

Seeing my laughter, Lara brushed my disheveled hair with her fingers and said.

,Come to think of it, there was no need to be impatient at all, it took me a long time to realize that too.”

,It’s always hard to deal with your own problems.”

Lara smiled wryly.

Strangely, for a moment, that smile felt very frightening.

Lara slowly whispered, as if pulling out a spider web from between her twisted lips.

,…Ed, have you thought about how much time ‘leisure’ means to an elf?”

,Huh?”

,I’ll wait. Until Ed’s revenge is over, until everything you have to do is done.”

,I’m sorry, but even so, for Lara, you…”

,Until everyone you care about is dead, until I’m the only one by your side. Until you can’t stand the loneliness anymore.”

,…What?”

,I’ll wait, Ed. With ‘leisure’.”

I must be a slow learner.

Or maybe I’m late to realize things.

I should know by now through my experiences, but I always have foolish expectations and then face such unbearable fear.

It’s time to memorize it.

The fact that my life is a fucking mess.

Lara’s attitude towards me has changed in three forms so far.

20 years ago, it was giving up. Because Mella was there then.

Until recently, it was resignation. Because I had coldly rejected her confession.

And now,

,I don’t want to live anymore after the revenge is over.”

,I won’t let that happen, Ed. I can tie you up and wait until you change your mind.”

,…You know. There’s a Demon King in my head…”

,We can find a way somehow.”

Obsession.

A sticky something that seemed impossible to escape was emanating from Lara’s burning gray eyes.

That’s when it happened.

,…Ed, …Mom, you, you need to come downstairs for a second…”

Lily’s voice came from outside the door.

Lily’s voice was trembling.

I pushed Lara away slightly and got up from my seat, saying.

,What’s wrong? Lily. Did Edward collapse or something?”

,Ah, a… no, that…”

,…?”

Lily seemed unable to calm her surprised heart.

I went to the door, grabbed the doorknob, and opened it.

As the door opened with a creak, I saw Lily, who was trembling and cowering like a rabbit that had barely escaped a beast.

Lara approached Lily and said.

,What’s wrong, Lily? Calm down and tell me.”

,He came…”

,Came? Who?”

Lily looked up at me and said.

,…That man, Rose’s fiancé….”

,…!”

,W-wait, Ed!”

I hurriedly took out a mask, put it on my face, and tried to go downstairs to the first floor.

I ignored Lara’s hurried call.

Lara grabbed my wrist and said.

,Ed, wait, we don’t know what his intentions are yet,”

,It doesn’t matter, Lara, prepare a bow in case he tries to run away, Lily, you come down and lock all the doors leading outside, Mena?”

,She was resting in her room. I don’t think she knows yet.”

,Okay, let’s tell her later since it’s urgent, I’ll go down first, where is he on the first floor?”

,S-sorry… I was so surprised that I left him standing in front of the door and came up.”

,Damn it, I hope he hasn’t left already.”

There was no time to discuss.

I didn’t know why he had come here, or why Piadu had appeared instead of Rose, but I couldn’t miss this opportunity that had finally appeared.

It’s funny.

As soon as I decided to take it easy as Lara said, a clue that hadn’t shown its face until now came rolling in on its own,

I shook off Lara’s hand and threw the Holy Sword out of my hand.

Then, I ran out the door, jumped down the stairs all at once, and went down to the first floor.

,Please, be there, please be there please!”

I forcefully threw open the front door of the mansion.

,Oh? Long time no see, Baron-nim.”

,…Piadu.”

A young man in his twenties with purple hair was standing there.

.