episode_0033

I opened my eyes around afternoon.

Arna has not returned yet.

I don’t even know when I left because I fell asleep just watching him leave the room.

I wandered around the house, rubbing my eyes, and since I had nothing to do, I came out in front of the house with the intention of going outside and getting some sun.

As I sat on the small wooden box in front of the house, the sun warmly covered my body.

I woke up quickly, but I’m sleepy again.

“um… .”

As I was yawning bitterly, I saw someone coming out of the forest.

It was hard to see because it was far away, but as I was rubbing my eyes, it came closer.

“Mr. Isela?”

“Arna?”

“I went to see my mother.”

Isella seemed a little more in a hurry than usual.

“What’s going on?”

“Uh, that… I have someone who can help me. Because I can’t go out of the forest right now.”

“Are you the same priest before?”

“No, that priest’s sister.”

ah. I heard you recently had a baby?

For someone like that, something urgent… ?

Isella looked at me, hesitated for a moment, and then grabbed my shoulder.

“Can you help me?”

How serious is it?

I haven’t heard anything yet, but Isella’s worried mind has already washed over me, and I can’t help but nod.

“Yes, yes? Me? uh… Well, I’ll go with my sister.”

Anyway, seeing as Isella asked me a favor, it seems that my performance in the battle with the guardian was enough to prove my worth.

“Arna said you went to see your mother, right?”

“Yes.”

“Okay, I’ll bring it. When you come, let’s go out of the forest together. Because I was told to wait in front of the village. You can just go and meet him right away.”

“Yes. Oh no. I also have a sister and I want to go with her.”

Isella nodded, grabbed my arm, and moved right away.

How urgent is it that you are doing this? And is there any reason why you can’t go out of the forest?

I recalled the contents of the book I had in my head.

If it’s something the elves are forced to spend time on… .

He said there were times when he had to work guarding the elf quarantine zone. You take turns being on duty, but when it’s your turn, even pinch-hitting doesn’t seem to work.

It was said that it could be because it was a very sacred duty, or it could just be because no elf was close enough to do such a thing for them.

–

Arna, who had been thinking about what to do all morning, made a decision and came to Carmene in the afternoon, when Jihu was expected to wake up.

Arna, standing in front of the house, let out a breath full of tension.

Last time he came, he screamed and ran away.

No matter how crazy my mother was, it was Arna who barged in while she was doing personal things.

If you think about it, it was Arna who was rude.

“Hmm… .”

Still, it was quite difficult to see something like that.

I don’t know if my mom was an elf who would do such things openly, but she was such a cool elf that I couldn’t even imagine her being let loose like that.

That was what I had been most dissatisfied with since long ago.

For young Arna, the biggest person she had to respect was like that.

Fortunately, I didn’t hear any noise today.

Arna went into the house and went to see Carmene.

Carmene was drinking tea alone in the living room and eating the cake that Arna had gifted her earlier.

“Uh, Mom.”

“What’s going on?”

Carmene spoke to Arna colder than usual, perhaps because she was a little concerned about what happened last time.

“I was sorry back then.”

“… … .”

“Me too… No matter what my mom’s tastes are, I won’t interfere.”

Carmene slightly curled her lips, drank her tea, and turned her head.

“Still, uh… Slime is… I thought it seemed like a relatively healthy taste. Well, the thing I brought you last time was slime that disables magic, so it’s dangerous, so don’t use it that way.”

“I don’t use it like that.”

Carmene spoke in a slightly trembling voice and glared at Arna.

“Well, I too was trapped inside the body while fighting a slime and almost died.”

“What?”

Carmene was startled by the story that Arna almost died and put down her teacup.

First of all, I was embarrassed that I almost got killed by slime as an elf, and I started to boil with anger as I wondered what the human next to me had done to cause Arna to end up like that.

Arna waved her hand towards Carmene, who seemed to be angry, and smiled humbly.

“Ji, I survived thanks to Jihoo’s help. Suddenly, the magic doesn’t work, and my body just flounders as if submerged in water… I was scared.”

Arna spoke with a faint smile as if she was talking about a good memory.

“… … so. Is that what you came to talk about today?”

“Yes.”

Carmene barely suppressed the smile on her face when she heard that Arna had come to talk about everyday things, and she swallowed her saliva and lowered her head slightly.

“… It would be a little strange to say that, right?”

Well then.

Carmene raised her head again with a cold expression and looked at Arna.

“What is your business?”

“I want to know why you shouldn’t get close to humans. Why does mom think that way?”

Carmene raised her head again and looked at Arna’s lips filled with courage with a cold gaze.

“Humans are… … .”

Carmene started and paused for a moment.

I had to explain why I hate humans and why I should stay away from Arna, but I couldn’t come out with words.

“Mom, it’s just because you don’t like what I do, right?”

“That too… .”

Carmene sighed.

“Humans are selfish.”

“Jihoo is not like that.”

As I started talking about Ji-hoo, I heard a knock on the living room door. Carmene’s gaze turned towards the door, and the door slowly opened.

As Jihoo entered through the open door, Arna smiled without even realizing it.

“Did you come together?”

“Oh, no. Jihoo, how did you get here?”

“Uh… I came with Isella.”

Jihu looked outside where Isella was, entered the room alone, and then tried to leave again.

“Sorry, sorry.”

Arna smiled at him and tapped the chair for him to sit next to her.

“I’ll listen with Jihoo.”

Carmene sighed, and when Jihu came and sat down next to Arna, he resumed what he had said earlier.

“… Human selfishness will become stronger as time passes. The more you like Jihoo, the more you like him. Jihoo will act more selfishly towards you.”

These words are difficult for Arna to understand now.

To Jihoo, Arna is a pretty elf who treats him well, and because he was saved, he feels gratitude and respect that is close to love.

And, having had a special experience with the mystery and curiosity of the elf race, they probably think that they are a special being different from other humans.

However, they were hearts that were easily worn out.

Because human time is short. It was always difficult to become monopolized by one thing.

“I’m doing that because I’m worried that you’ll regret it and have a hard time because of it.”

“Jihoo… I believe not. He asked me to trust him.”

Carmene looked at Jihu. Seeing the look in his eyes that seemed to demand an answer, Jihoo swallowed his saliva and answered.

“Yes, I will be by Arna’s side until I die.”

– I will love only Carmene until I die.

Carmene bit her lip as the hallucinations echoed in her head.

“I will believe Jihoo too. and… I, too, will believe in myself when I promised myself that I would not end up like my mother. We’ll go until the end… … .”

– We will go until the end… .

Carmene slammed the table.

The table was completely shattered, and she glared at her daughter in front of her as if she were going to kill her.

Arna was frightened by Carmene’s sudden anger.

Jihoo hugged Arna, who was shaking, and stood up.

At that time, the door suddenly opened and Isella, who had been waiting outside, came in.

As soon as she saw Carmene’s condition, she hurriedly ran over and took her away from Arna.

“Take Arna out!”

“, yes?”

“Quickly!”

Jihoo nodded and hurriedly grabbed Arna’s arm and ran out of the house.

After Arna left, Isela let Carmene go.

“Why… Why are you doing this?”

Carmene shook her head silently.

The face that was suddenly filled with anger was as dead as a pile of ash.

“Leave Arna alone. I’ll take care of it.”

Carmene spoke in a weak voice after a long time.

“Can’t you help me?”

“How can I help you?”

Carmene, who sat down, looked up at Isela, who was looking at her with concern.

“I’d rather be like you… .”

“Don’t be stupid.”

–

“Noona, older sister.”

Arna just hugged me and cried without saying anything for a while.

While thinking about how to comfort her, I just held Arna in silence.

I was uneasy about not being able to go somewhere else and still standing in front of Carmene’s mansion, but I waited patiently until Arna stopped crying.

Just now, I had the feeling that Carmene might actually kill Arna if she were to be blunt.

I… Do you hate humans that much?

Carmene said humans are selfish.

what… In fact, it would be quite easy to fall into misanthropy. Because that’s just what I experienced.

Moreover, a strong and pure young elf would think it would be okay to use it.

Arna soon stopped crying and slightly moved away from me.

I wiped Arna’s tears with my hands.

“Are you okay?”

“… … Yes.”

Arna sniffled, rubbed her eyes as if to stop crying, and spoke in a trembling voice.

“I was so scared.”

I swallowed my saliva and grabbed Arna’s shoulder.

I really thought I was going to pass out too. To have such murderous behavior right in front of your nose… . Honestly, he probably wanted to kill me, who was next to him, not his daughter, Arna.

“Let’s go out.”

“Huh?”

“Out of the forest. I won’t be coming back here for a while. There is something that Isella asked me to do.”

I had to do what Isella asked me to do, and I think Arna and Carmene need to keep their distance even more than they are now.

Before Arna could say anything else, I dragged her by the arm and headed toward the forest.

“Hey, it’s Jihoo… .”

Arna made a noise and pulled my arm back.

“Road… I have to go there.”

“Huh? uh… . Sister, take the lead.”

In the meantime, Arna has to find the way.

As I was embarrassed, Arna immediately burst into laughter.

“Let’s go over there. Jihoo, I’m doing something cool, I’m sorry.”

“Well, what is it? Smile? Is it a lie that you cried?”

“Yes, it’s a lie. Hehe.”

Arna held my arm tightly and ran without hesitation towards the path leading out of the forest.