Chapter 125
Teiti’s face was calmer than ever before.
The corners of his mouth, wearing a faint smile, looked holy, like a sage from the East.
“What is up with that jerk?”
Daphne’s brow furrowed as she saw the dazzlingly bright divinity seemingly radiating from Teiti’s body. It was the face of someone who had seen something they shouldn’t have.
“Why is he making such an enlightened expression? It’s annoying.”
“Exactly. Just looking at him makes my blood boil. Should I hit him once?”
“……You’ve become a bit strange too.”
Daphne shook her head while looking at Shio, who had become even stranger than when she first met him.
Then, she approached Teiti, who was still looking after people with a holy smile.
“Oh, Lady Daphne!”
Teiti brightened as soon as he saw Daphne. However, Daphne replied bluntly.
“What’s the matter with you?”
“Pardon?”
“I’m asking why you’ve stepped forward personally to help people for a change.”
“Ah!”
Teiti smiled gently, placing a hand on his chest. Teiti, smiling gently? It was a combination that didn’t suit him at all.
“I have gained enlightenment.”
En-what-ment?
Daphne looked at Teiti with eyes that were now somewhat fed up.
No, enlightenment isn’t the name of a neighborhood dog. It’s not something that comes that easily. What kind of nonsense is he going to spout now……?
“The truly insignificant thing was me!”
“……Huh?”
Is it not nonsense?
Daphne’s eyes widened. Even though she was seeing it with her own eyes—Teiti calling himself, a non-human, insignificant—she couldn’t believe it.
“Humans much weaker than I am are throwing away their lives to help their fellow humans! While I was clinging to useless pride and failing to cherish life!”
Well, these were words Daphne had always said to Teiti.
But she hadn’t thought this fellow would actually gain enlightenment. He was someone whose nose was held much higher than that of ordinary elves.
But why……?
Why so suddenly……?
“To think I was acting tough without even knowing shame! I am truly lacking, a mess, and a fellow not worth living! I am trash!”
“T-to that extent?”
“I’d rather die! The only way I can be of help to this world is by becoming a corpse after I die and serving as nutrients for the soil!”
“No, you, really why are you act……”
“But if I die, what about the people? What about the injured? Right! Let’s not die, but help them! Let’s treat them!”
“…….”
“That is the enlightenment I have gained.”
Daphne looked up at Teiti with her mouth agape.
She had hoped Teiti would change a little, but it was only ‘a little.’ She had just thought it would be nice if he stopped looking down on humans and lived together as friends.
However…….
“My goodness. To receive treatment from an Elf…… Thank you, thank you so much!”
“No! I am more grateful! I had to prove that trash like me is at least useful! Thanks to you, I have become less of a piece of trash!”
Why is there no middle ground with him?
Teiti, who was greeting people while folding his waist as if his head would touch the ground, was certainly excessive. Watching that sight, Daphne pressed her hand to her forehead and let out a sigh. Just then, Shio, standing by her side, spoke stealthily.
“Shall I deal with him?”
“Deal with your own strange mindset first. Whether it’s this one or that one, none of you are sane. Why are there only crazy things around me?”
[How about considering whether that’s because you are the craziest dragon, Lady Daphne?] Shio wanted to say, but he exercised superhuman patience and held it back. Whew, if he had said it, he would have likely been hit.
In any case, the injured were being treated by Teiti, and thanks to the children, the flames were dying down.
Shio shouted toward the children who were running around in all directions.
“Stop moving now! Guardians and mages will arrive soon! You all rest now!”
Hearing Shio’s shout, the children each tilted their heads and muttered.
“Ah, I think I could do a bit more.”
“I still have energy left.”
“Teppy. What are you eating?”
“Ah. A bread was toasted in the fire……”
“Does that even go down your throat? Does it?”
“Well, I have enough energy left to eat, so can’t I move a little more?”
The children shouted, boasting of their vigorous state. But Shio shook his head firmly.
“As I said earlier, the magic I cast on you is a pain-relief magic that shows a very temporary effect.”
He looked down at his wristwatch and blinked his eyes.
“The magic is about to end soon.”
Despite Shio’s warning, the children remained nonchalant.
It was because it really didn’t hurt at all, not even a bit. Even though they had gotten injured in various ways while helping people, it didn’t hurt at all. How should I put it—it felt like they had more energy than before.
So even when Shio said the magic was ending, it didn’t particularly hit home. It felt like this state of insensitivity would continue……
“Ayy, even so, it doesn’t hurt a bit like this, so what else could—Ugh! It hurts! Ack!”
“M-my leg, my leg! My leeeeg!”
“Ugh, argh, m-my neck won’t turn!”
……Not.
As soon as the magic wore off, the children screamed remarkably and lay down in pain. Seeing the children rolling around, Shio let out a hollow laugh.
“Lord Teiti. Please help the children.”
“Oh! Another chance for this trash to be active has arisen! I am happy!”
“…….”
Let’s think positively. At least the complaints and grumbles have disappeared compared to before? Yes, let’s just pretend not to notice that he seems like a madman.
Shio, who tried his best not to look at Teiti approaching the children while still wearing a holy smile, moved his steps toward Daphne.
“Lady Daphne.”
He said, withdrawing the sensory field he had spread out wide.
“The guardians and mages are coming down. I think we can leave it to them now and rest.”
“Mmh. That would be good.”
“As for the kids, well, I think Lord Teiti can treat them.”
“I think so too.”
“Yes.”
Shio smiled brightly and pulled the rope binding Artson, who was still unconscious.
“By the way, what should we do with this fellow? You’ll have to go back into the training center soon, Lord Daphne.”
Only then did Daphne turn her gaze, which had been looking at the distant mountains, and look at Shio.
“I suspect.”
Daphne spoke, slowly closing and then opening her eyes.
“Probably, the training center will end here.”
“Pardon?”
“It has been attacked twice by black magicians; do you think they will leave it be? Even if the warrior stays still, the other nobles won’t stay still. It will end today, or by tomorrow.”
“Ah……!”
Indeed.
In the first attack, there were no casualties, and they would have covered it up somehow by making excuses that it was unavoidable, but the story is different from the second attack onward.
This time as well, if it weren’t for Daphne, the children would have died from black magic, and the village would have been destroyed. It was a situation where they couldn’t even make the excuse, ‘We were caught because we let our guard down.’
Shio nodded as if he finally understood.
“There’s still quite a bit of the training course left, so it’s a bit disappointing. You should have taken first place, Lady Daphne.”
“Hmph, that’s something only time would tell.”
Daphne said, pouting her lips.
“Actually.”
Then she slowly continued her words.
“If I had it my way, I’d feel like chasing them to their base and knocking them all down.”
“Yes. Shall we do that?”
Daphne smiled softly as she saw Shio’s nonchalant face. It was the moment Shio, who took that as a sign of affirmation, smiled back at her.
“My body cannot follow my heart.”
“Pardon?”
“I mean I’m gonna die.”
“What?!”
“Cough!”
Dark red blood splattered down. Daphne collapsed where she was and coughed up blood again while gasping for breath. Shio, his face hardening, hurriedly supported her.
“L-Lady Daphne!”
“Do not forget that my body is weak……”
Cough!
Daphne slowly lost consciousness.
Without yet realizing that one wing of the butterfly engraved on her chest had begun to turn completely black.
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