A Wish to Grab Happiness

Volume 4, Chapter 72: Unforgotten Memories

…Ah, there she was.

Actually, that voice shouldn’t matter much to me. Still, I felt differently from inside my heart. My earlobes almost scraped off my ears when I heard that scary high-pitched voice.

My mouth was dry, even my saliva stopping emerging from the sides of my mouth. To make things worse, my body was completely frozen.

I remembered a particular scene. A memory from my past. When I first joined the party for the Journey of Salvation. Back then, I was unaware of this Princess’ true nature.

…What the hell was this feeling? It was annoying. I wanted these memories to disappear forever.

An image came to my mind. The Princess, with a short messy hair, walked ahead confidently.

The elven Princess didn’t look back after the demon beast became just mere pieces. The earth absorbed the remnants left as if it had large claws that could engulf someone alive.

Blood splashed on my cheeks. At that time, I finally began to hear my heartbeats.

Die. I was certainly dead. Or so I thought during that time. It was a quick moment. I would be dead if I were in the trajectory of the Princess’ attack. Even though I felt that I died temporarily, I still lived in the end. I remember feeling and hearing my heart beat so fast. It beat so loud that the noise quivered my whole body.

Terrifying. This unwanted emotion emerged from my chest. Way too terrifying.

Of course, her power was also far-fetched. She slaughtered that large monster with a single swing of her arm. Her violent strength was so overwhelming that I could hardly breathe. I remember that I felt a dreadful shiver during that time.

But, what was truly terrifying was something else.

Those eerie blue eyes that glistened were truly horrifying.

The way she stared at me with those blue eyes. The moment I saw her gaze, I understood it immediately. She didn’t recognize me as a person. I didn’t have any value as a living being. She probably thought that I was unworthy. A useless being that was not even worth living.

She wouldn’t feel a fluctuation of emotion if she were to end my life with her hands. I was just a small insect that passed by in front of her.

I was not the only one. She acted indifferently towards everyone, except the hero. Even if I traveled and had a few conversations with her, we humans didn’t mean anything to her. To this elven Princess, I was just a lower creature.

As I was crushed by the ongoing horror, I certainly heard the sound of something big that supported my chest cracking inside of me.

—

…The same blue eyes from back then were now staring at me.

Nevertheless, her appearance was completely different now. Actually, those clothes looked great on her. Of course, whatever the attire, she could easily dress any clothes she wanted. Unlike in the past, wearing a hat with shorthair gave her a different charm.

The atmosphere was still light. Not heavy at all. At first glance, she looked like a very different person.

Yet, I kept remembering the past. Those piercing blue eyes and high-pitched voice were undeniably stuck in my own soul.

I heard an unpleasant cracking sound that rang in the back of my chest.

「We apologize for our sudden visit. It was rude from our part. But, Miss Eldith, we’re just here because…」

While I didn’t speak, the Heraldic Knight, who was able to open his mouth, responded to her. On this moment…

「…Don’t you dare call my name so easily. I hate it. 」

Eldith interrupted the Heraldic Knight with her cold-hearted words.

She spoke with a harsh tone. She didn’t even hide her disgusting feelings towards human beings.

Rather, I felt that she showed some hostility towards us. She wasn’t just a beautiful figure that stood in our way. The surroundings resonated with her feelings. I sensed hostility from the howling wind, from the trees of the forest, and from everything that sustained life. Unexpectedly, the words of the escort knight disappeared upon hearing the girl’s remarks.

I forcibly tried to open my throat. But, it was hard to let some sound get out from the inside. Either way, I did my best to talk.

「…We didn’t call you here. Besides, we won’t stand in your way, so don’t worry. Let’s not waste each other’s precious time.」

The Saint woman wanted to meet with the Elf King as soon as possible. To that effect, I made a short statement. I tried to suppress my burning emotions. I tried my best not to distort my own voice. I prevented it as much as I could.

Eldith smiled with a sarcastic smile and shook her shoulders. I wasn’t certain if she read my emotions or not.

「The King. Ah, so you want to meet the Fin…It’s unfortunate, but you won’t be able to meet that man. That Fin stopped meeting others since he began to wear the mask.」

I involuntarily rounded my eyes when I heard her explanation.

Fin was the title of the king of the elves. Only those who ascended as kings were allowed to use the name Fin. It was the proof and legacy of an unmistakable respect and awe.

Therefore, I was stunned when Eldith spoke of the Fin as if she despised him.

The Fin was a symbol for the elves, and it shouldn’t be taken lightly. That was the synonym of our Kings and Emperors. They were the face of a nation. Sovereigns that held a symbolic power.

And yet, why did she speak of the Fin like that? She spoke as if the Fin was an insignificant being.

After all, wasn’t the Fin her father? So, why? When I tried to open my mouth to ask what was going on in the Elves’ Kingdom…

「I warned you moments ago, didn’t I?」

Before I could even talk, her blue eyes approached my face and stared fixedly into my own eyes. There was a dark gleam in the back of her eyes. A color that seemed to express anger. This color intimidated any opponent that got close to her.

As soon as she stared at my eyes, the words that came out of my throat turned back into the esophagus as if I pushed them back in. I felt as if my throat died, and my salivary glands were no longer functional. Even my physical strength was trying to escape because of the Elf Princess that stood in front of me.

「You can’t go to the hanging gardens of Ghazalia. I won’t allow you. Humans always try to break the taboos of our society. I came to warn you because of our oath to your kind. So, you must accept my act of kindness. I repeat, you mustn’t step any further from here.」

Yes, the wind whispered when she spoke those words. It felt as if she was one with the power of the wind. In the blink of an eye, she disappeared into the forest.

There was no attachment. She just left like that. It was a very selfish act. I knew that I should ignore her professed words. But, actually, her words were right. The elves’ reasoning was always correct, not the reasoning of the humans. Thus, Eldith’s behavior was not rude, but understandable.

The sound of multiple hooves stepping in the ground could be heard from the road behind me. Moments ago, I left the carriage of the Saint woman, and walked up to the beast with the escort knight. That was when the Princess appeared. Therefore, the Saint woman and the others didn’t know about this encounter and what was spoken. Indeed, I thought that it would be better for me to run to that Saint woman’s carriage and report to her about this encounter immediately. But, my mind was busy trying to catch up with all that happened just now.

The escort knight would probably report to Matia about everything that happened between the Princess and us. He bowed to me, and then he got up to his horse and returned to the carriage immediately.

I felt that I lost track of my consciousness from time to time. I breathed slowly and deeply on the spot for many times.

The inner part of my spine didn’t move as if it were frozen. My body became petrified like solid iron.

Yeah, I knew why I felt this way. I wasn’t able to overcome these feelings yet. At the same time, I felt that my saliva started to overflow in my mouth. It accumulated so much that I had to swallow it. Likewise, I had to “swallow” the encounter that I just had moments ago.

This unforgotten feeling was not a burning rage like the one I felt with the other members of the party. Hatred wasn’t the only feeling that melted my internal organs. It was another thing. Yes, it was indeed the underlying emotion that all living creatures have when they sense danger.

I was unquestionably terrified of that elf monster.