“Hmph—”
A deep breath escaped her.
“Roy, I apologize. While I understand your gratitude, I’m afraid I cannot comply with your request. Moreover, please remember that the money I gave you was not charity. Do you understand what I mean?”
“Um… Miss…”
“Well then, I must be going!”
There was no reason whatsoever for her to stay.
Leya couldn’t fathom why she should be obligated to go to Roy’s home. There had to be a limit to their jokes; they were far too presumptuous.
Whether it was Roy, Erica, or even Dean standing before her, they had only recently met—a fleeting acquaintance, at least in Leya’s eyes. Why did each of them insist on trying to bring her to their homes?
What strange, blush-inducing things did they intend to do to her, so pure and kind?
‘Emm, perhaps Erica should be excluded from that thought. It wouldn’t be so bad if that little elf came to my house, and doing some strange things might even be acceptable… Hmm, cough, cough, cough…’
“Miss!—”
A: “Heh heh, kid, a toad trying to eat swan meat, are we?”
B: “Are you going to walk away yourself, or do you want us to escort you?”
C: “If it weren’t for all these people around, hmph hmph…”
“You, you… get out of my way!”
Dean’s face flushed a vivid red, like a ripe apple, from sheer anxiety. Seeing Leya about to enter the tavern, yet blocked by these meddling strangers, he immediately bristled with anger, rolling up his sleeves as if ready to fight.
“Bro… Brother…”
“Elina! What are you doing here!?”
“This young lady…”
Ignoring Dean, Elina stumbled towards the tavern door, weakly calling out to Leya.
“You are?”
“I am Dean’s younger sister. My name is Elina.”
Compared to Dean, Elina was indeed much stronger. Not physically, of course, but in her overall spirit and demeanor.
She spoke neither humbly nor arrogantly, her eyes filled with an unyielding stubbornness and a longing for the future. Like a sharp sword, her gaze met Leya’s directly.
****
“Ah… Dean is truly fortunate to have a sister like you…”
After a long silence, Leya, who had been observing Elina’s eyes, was the first to break the awkward atmosphere.
“Bartender, the third room on the left upstairs, please bring some delicious dishes, and a serving of that red drink from last time.”
“Alright, but Miss, that’s red wine, not a drink!”
Upon hearing this, the waiter, who had been contemplating whether to chase Dean away, immediately beamed, nodding profusely in agreement. He dashed off to the kitchen to relay the order, not forgetting to quip at Leya on his way out.
‘…..’
‘Alright, let’s put that aside for now; we can discuss it later.’
“You two… come on up!”
Dean and Elina exchanged glances, nodded in unison, and smiled happily.
A: “We…”
B: “Our presence…”
C: “Is a bit low…”
D: “…………”
**************************************************
During the meal, Leya calmly poured herself some [red wine], donned a napkin, knife in her left hand and fork in her right, with a spoon resting on the table. She looked at the array of dishes with great satisfaction.
In contrast, Dean and Elina had remained standing since entering the room, constantly glancing around, appearing both reserved and curious.
“Aren’t you going to eat?”
“No, no need!”
Dean quickly interjected, which made Leya feel a touch of exasperation. Looking at the profusely sweating Elina, she thought, ‘You’re quite the brother, aren’t you?’
“Just sit down. Even if you’re not thinking of yourself, at least consider your sister.”
This time, the siblings exchanged a look, as if communicating silently, before finally agreeing to sit.
“What illness does your sister have? Is it serious? She seems excessively frail.”
“No, it’s not an illness, but an internal injury…”
As Elina spoke, her expression fell, and she recounted her pain with great difficulty.
“An internal injury, no wonder then.”
“Eh?” Elina exclaimed, surprised.
“It’s like this: the magical fluctuations around your body are chaotic and disordered. Ordinary people don’t have magic around their bodies, and mages wouldn’t have such erratic fluctuations, which is why I asked.”
“Magical… fluctuations?” Elina stared in disbelief. “I’ve heard that only elves can see magical fluctuations, but…”
Leya: “…………”
This was truly awkward. She hadn’t realized that something so commonplace to her—magical fluctuations that she could perceive with a little attention—was completely imperceptible to humans!
“Elina…”
Dean quietly tugged Elina’s hand, giving her a series of winks and gestures. Elina immediately understood, lowered her head, and said no more.
“You said you suffered an internal injury. Were you a mage before?”
Leya decided not to explain herself further, nor did she feel the need to justify anything to the siblings. Instead, she silently noted this information, reminding herself to pay closer attention to such details in the future.
“A… a mage? No, how could I be? I merely followed a master to study swordsmanship for a time and cultivated some magic through that training.”
‘……’
‘Well, is it like how Saber is a swordsman, yet can use pure magical attacks like Excalibur? I see…’
‘Martial artists possess magic too, then.’
“Miss, my sister is very formidable!”
Seeing Leya remain silent for a long time, seemingly lost in thought, Dean, unlike Elina’s dignified attempts to downplay the matter, was quite eager to boast. He enumerated Elina’s accolades as if they were precious family heirlooms.
“My sister’s master was none other than Sword Saint Claude, formerly of the kingdom! At just twelve years old, my sister won the youth championship at the Sword Dance Festival and was recognized as the ‘Night’s Rapier User.’ She’s potentially the fastest martial artist in the kingdom’s history to reach [Lv2]! If it weren’t for that accident…”
“Brother!—”
“…………”
“Indeed, Elina is truly impressive…”
Outwardly, Leya managed to feign an air of casual indifference, but she couldn’t conceal the slight tremor in the hand holding her cup.
This was more than just impressive; it was utterly astonishing! If Dean’s words were true, Elina was a prodigy with monstrous talent in swordsmanship!
‘Though… Leya had no idea how powerful ‘Lv2’ actually was…’
‘But judging by Dean’s impassioned tone, it couldn’t be weak.’