Chapter 21: The Hero's Special Item?

It’s been a while since it did and I thought I’ve fully escaped, but these memories still haunts me in my dreams. Falling endlessly in the sky with my limbs barely hanging on their tendons, and the corpse of the girl whom I promised to protect in my arms.

Or no, that sounded wrong.

It was the corpse of the girl whom “he” promised to protect. Waking up from a feeling that you’ll crashed and spatter on the ground, leaving nothing but your cold dead body. From the many repetitions that I’ve seen this nonsense, today would seem like it’s the worst.

I press my palms to my face. I don’t try to get up yet. If I did, I’m sure I would just fall back down. The warmth of Celica’s skin overwhelms the ache in my body for using “Shade shift”. I could feel her softness all over at the back of my head too.

“Celica?”

“………”

There was no clear response. Other than her lazy breathing coated by the ticking of water hitting the rockery floor, this dimly lighted space was shackled by a sphere of loneliness. Also, the stench of death coming from the monster I previously beheaded wrinkled my nose involuntarily.

“Ugh. I can't believe I slept in such a scary looking place.”

After a short moment of rest, I pried my hands away from my face and pushed myself up to a sitting position. Celica’s sleeping face was the first thing that greeted my eyes in this hole.

Now then, what shall a guy in his puberty do if he was presented by a defenseless maiden? Should he touch? Or should he not?

I’ve been wanting to caress her elven ears ever since I first saw them twitch, but I hid that fact well. Now that this girl is more than vulnerable in front of me, those hidden desires have cropped up.

Damn, I don’t know why, but seeing those divine ears move is enough to send me on a sexual stimulus.

In the end, I was defeated by my desires.

I lovingly rubbed the back of her ears while saying, “Kuchi-kuchi-ku!”

I made sure to be as gentle as I can as to not wake her up. Screw the breast and ass, those are for uncouth plebeians. For a fine gentleman like myself, touching her ears is enough.

Yes, that’s what I clearly think. But you see, my sacred sword has its own “ego”.

“Hehe… Hehhhe…”

She starts to laugh. Is she perhaps enjoying this as much as I think?

Alright then, let’s see how those breast feel—

“GRRAAARR!!”

As if a monster’s defense mechanism was activated, a hook that would shatter mountains meet my jaw, as if they were destined to be together in life.

“WEEESHOOO!!”

After her punch had sent me flying, I start to laugh too. That is until I’ve hit a wall that almost shattered my neck in two. From my hazy vision, there was a girl cowering away in fear while covering her chest area, as if some sort of monstrous beast tried to violate her.

Ah, I almost forgot. That beast was me.

“Good morning?”

Thanks to that rough start, Celica had ignored me throughout the rest of this walk. With her deadly stare and my sword hanging on her back, it’s hard to focus on the sight ahead. The little space between us was small—a few centimeters at most. Yet it feels like there was some sort of electricity that forces us apart.

“Ahh, Celica—”

“I will never forgive you!”

As I try to steal a glance, her words made me keep my eyes straight. Pushing my sluggish body ahead, I raised my left hand holding the stone and lighted our pathway.

Silence persisted with our walking……

And then…

I see a tiny pulsing light ahead. Similar to the glaring of that monster that we met back in that wide room. Fear tears through my chest right after the owner of those eyes took its first step.

“Dammit…”

Casting Shade shift wouldn’t do me any good right now. What can I do? Slowly, the monster is making its way to us!

“Celica… I know you’re mad, but we have to run.”

My free hand reaches out to Celica’s. I sway for a second, my heart beating so hard I can’t feel anything else.

“F-Fi…Fine! Are we gonna turn around?”

“We don’t have much choice do we?”

I grabbed her shaking hands with mine. This is insane and I know it. I could feel Celica’s gaze over my shoulder. Her breaths flutter against my ear, reaching down to the very depths of my heart.

And just when we’re about to propel backwards, a sullen voice echoed in that darkness.

“Mou, Celica! I’ve been looking for you!”

………………………Ha?

I stare back at the shadow dumbfounded, as if all the air in my lungs had been sucked. The light of my stone illuminated the suspicious figure, and standing over there was another Celica?

No, they definitely look alike but her hair is a tiny little bit longer.

What in the world is going on here?

“Mother?! Wait, that’s my line! I’ve been looking for you!”

“No! I am!”

This beautiful lady she calls “Mother” puffed her cheeks.

“Stop, stop, stop, stop, stop, stop!”

I stepped in between the two girls who could easily be mistaken as twins. Just like children, they both turned the other way, cherry lips pouting.

Accompanied by a sigh, I opened my mouth to complain. ”Okay, will somebody explain what’s going on first? I’m so lost here.”

“I’m chasing Mother.”

“I’m looking for Celica.”

““Grrrr!!””

And as soon as I relaxed my guard, they started arguing again. Their childish reactions made me sigh once more. A huge sigh that would’ve surely left an impression.

“HAAAAA……”

Hearing this, I finally got their attentions.

“I’m sorry, but may we know your name first?”

“Ara~ Asking an Elf for their name. In human terms, that’s like asking a lady’s hand in marriage, you know? But alas, I’m already married~ My husband would surely pulverize you, even though you're old time friends.”

While she gave me a flirtatious smile, she brushes her hair aside, and for some reason, her words confused me. Actually, everything about her did, but there was something about the last part of her statement that made me think.

I glance back at Celica and she shook her head, implying that she doesn’t know anything about this.

If Celica doesn’t know, then I have an idea on who she is. But it doesn’t make any sense.

“Hold on,” I looked back to the smiling girl. “Could you be, perhaps, Cecillia? But I thought you’re a ghost?”

She grinned mischievously. “Is that what my husband had told you?”

Angry. I should be angry. But I’m so embarrassed I can’t say anything to retort her.

Dammit old man!

“So this quest was a fake then? A waste of my time?”

“Not exactly, there’s something he wants you to see. If you really are “him”, you’ll be able to recognize “it” right away.”

I could feel heat rushing to my cheeks, but the cold tone that interjected inside me managed to suppressed my emotions to a minimum.

-Follow her. That’s an order.-

-Tersa?-

-………-

Tersa didn’t say anything else after that. What the hell?

Sighing, I scratched my head with the stone. “Alright, whatever it is. I’m here already. Would you show me the way?”

“Good. Follow me then.”

Cecillia heeled backwards and started walking. We followed behind her back, and it was then that I realize that I’m still holding Celica’s hand. Because she did not mention a word of complaint about it, I decided to keep it that way.

Going onto the direction that she came from, the very first thing that greeted our eyes was a long staircase, leading to a man made basement. The wooden stairs made a noise like it would break with each step we took, but we nonetheless continued going downwards.

While going down, I spoke some of the irregular thoughts circling in my head.

“Do you know anything about that skeleton? You know, the corpse of the soldier before we got here.”

“That was something I placed as a means of warning to scare people away. This cave is overflowing with “Karu Light Stones” after all.”

“And the monster?”

“My familiar~”

Celica tighten her grip on my hand while she frowned behind her mother’s back. It feels like she’ll suddenly kick her mother down the stairs like this.

That type of treatment indicates that they’re close, right? I pushed the thought out of my head. That makes no sense. Still, I’m curious enough to the point where my heart is so tense, every heartbeat would pound on my ribcage.

“And we’re here~”

Cecillia stops in front of a door. Magic circles are embedded on all sides of the room—to my left, to my right, up the ceiling, down to where we to stand, and lastly, on the door itself.

Celica leans a smidgen closer and placed her free hand against the wall. “What type of protection is this?”

Confused at what she meant, I asked a question as well. “Indeed, what is this room all about?”

Seeing my astonishment, Cecillia snickered and walks up to me with an enchanting smile.

“Well, why don’t you see for yourself? That’s the very reason why we’re here, no?”

“I see. So you plan to keep it a mystery to the very end, huh?”

“Yep~” Her smile spread all over her face.

Damn, just what is beyond this door?

Just as I thought of that, Cecillia pulled her daughter away and stood before the door, and she nodded to me, as if welcoming me to touch the magic circles myself.

“Here goes nothing.”

I took a very deep breath and pressed my hands on the cold surface of the door. While softly brushing my fingertips across the magic circle, the door reacted, and produced a faint blue light.

I can’t breathe.

Slowly, the door opened…

It felt as though time itself was frozen and started anew…

What laid hidden beneath the waterfall was……………

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