Chapter 9
Kainel had always seemed like a hero to her.
“I heard from my mom that elves have a nasty temper!”
“That’s why she’s always flirting with the boys, isn’t it? That little fox!”
“N-no! It’s just that they…!”
When she first came to Lavrans Village as a child,
Ariel, with her elegant appearance, became the object of admiration for the boys, but she was ostracized by others out of jealousy and envy.
“There are no elves among the Ten Greats, right? Figures!”
“I mean, aren’t they a cowardly race?”
“…That’s not true! It’s not!”
The forest of the World Tree, burned by the Demon King. Because of that, she had fled to a village that was not welcoming to her.
This was somewhat expected in this world.
Her red hair was being pulled, and her face was smeared with dirt. The girls surrounding her were sneering.
“Do you think you can get by just on your looks?”
“Look at this, her ears are so gross! Hahaha!”
“…Sob, sob…”
Tears welled up at the stinging pain. She resented why she had to be treated like this. Her hands, pressing against the ground, clenched and got scraped.
It was a situation where no one seemed like they would help.
“What are you doing, picking on one girl like that!”
Then, a hero with golden hair appeared.
“The mutt is here!”
“Are we running away because we’re scared of Kainel? No, we’re running because he’s disgusting!”
“Let’s go, you’re lucky! Ariel!”
It was Kainel, a boy from Lavrans Village.
He was already known throughout the village for his kindness. There was no way he would just stand by in such a situation.
The boy, who came running with a wooden stick, looked just like a hero saving a princess.
‘Who is that boy…?’
Ariel felt a strange sensation as she watched the group of girls, who had been tormenting her so much, run away as if nothing had happened.
The people who had bullied her so badly.
“They ran away. Can you get up?”
He reached out his hand to help her up.
She made a tearful face, thinking about her disheveled appearance.
“Stay away from me…”
“Huh? Why?”
“I’m an elf. A temperamental monster…”
She bit her lower lip. Her trembling voice, already starting to escape. Kainel looked at her with a worried gaze.
“…”
After a few minutes of silence, Ariel finally spoke.
“Don’t you hate me? I mean, my ears are long and different from everyone else’s…”
“No, you’re just beautiful to me.”
“H-huh? What did you say…?”
“You’re just a very beautiful girl. Don’t worry about jealousy.”
His face, smiling like a crescent moon.
There was no sign of any ulterior motives in his smile. The boys who approached her always had lecherous looks because she was an elf, but there was something different in his blue eyes.
“Those kinds of people always act in groups because they’re cowards.”
“…”
“So, if they try to hurt you, tell me.”
“Why… are you helping me…?”
“I just really hate people who act high and mighty without any real merit.”
He scratched his head awkwardly. As he spoke, he used magic to heal her small wounds. The warmth of his touch stopped her tears for some reason.
“There, all done! Luckily, there won’t be any scars!”
The moment she saw Kainel’s relieved expression, she didn’t care why she had cried anymore.
Maybe it was because it had been so long since someone had worried about her so purely. She couldn’t even remember what expression she was making.
Maybe her cheeks were flushed.
It must have been because she had cried.
It couldn’t have been love at first sight.
“Thank you, Kai…”
That day, Ariel met her hero.
The boy named Kainel.
***
“Arghhh─! My arm, my arm is broken!”
“My leg! My leg!”
“Stop whining. I just subdued you.”
“K-Kai? When did you get here?”
He had taken down the ruffians who were harassing her in an instant.
Kainel’s face was filled with so much anger that it almost looked terrifying. She could understand why he was so furious.
“Ariel, are you okay? You’re not hurt, are you?”
“Huh? Yeah! Except my wrist hurts a little…”
“Give it to me, I’ll heal it.”
Ignoring the two men writhing in pain on the ground, the golden-haired hero only cared about her well-being.
His restless eyes. His hair swaying in front of her.
‘It’s just like back then.’
Her cheeks turned a little red. She couldn’t help the smile creeping up her lips. The familiar sensation of healing. It had been a while.
“…It could have been bad if it weren’t for Licht.”
Now that he was relieved, Kainel let out a small sigh.
Hearing that, she became curious.
“Why the Knight?”
“I was training with him earlier, and I learned something good.”
“What is it? Teach me too!”
“It’s a secret. Thanks, Licht! I appreciate what you did today!”
From a distance, a black helmet waved its hand. The dark knight gave a thumbs-up as if to say, “Good job.” Kainel laughed as he looked at him.
‘Did he do something again?’
Come to think of it, when they first met, he had said he would connect her and Kainel in the carriage. It had been a long time since Kainel had gotten this close to her. Drawing a line had always bothered her.
She could dislike the sudden closeness, but,
“Hehe.. You really are a hero, Kai.”
“When was I not?”
Ariel didn’t dislike it.
She even felt grateful enough to thank Licht for it because she liked her childhood friend. Her body shrank at the warmth from his hand.
“I told you to tell me whenever something like this happened.”
“You were late! I even tried to call you with magic, but you said you were at the training grounds…”
“Sorry, so can you walk?”
At some point, her legs had given out. Her body, which had lost strength, showed how terrifying the situation had been.
“Get on.”
“W-what?! No, it’s okay! I can walk just fine…”
“Come on.”
Her body wobbled precariously. She lost her balance and swayed.
“Ah!”
“You almost fell.”
Kainel caught her just as she was about to fall. In moments like this, he really seemed like a gentleman. Ariel’s heart stirred.
“…What about the Knight? Are you just going to leave him?”
“It’s fine. He told me to go. Besides, Licht and I are roommates anyway.”
“Really? It’s like fate!”
“Yeah, with today and all. Up you go.”
After exchanging a few words, he lifted her onto his back.