Chapter 35
It was that kind of day.
The kind of day when, the moment she stepped out of the tent, she could hear the voices of the servants busily searching for them on the bridge.
And the day she headed toward the back mountain with Elric to avoid them.
「Today is a magic beast hunt! A true knight should be able to catch a magic beast in the blink of an eye!」
「Ca—Captain… but my mom said magic beasts are dangerous…」
「Stupid, being a knight is supposed to be dangerous!」
「I guess that’s true, but…」
Bart hesitated, but Elric was unyielding.
The atmosphere followed suit.
「As expected of the Captain! He thinks differently from us!」
「So cool! I admire you!」
「Waaaaah!!!」
If she could go back to that day, Tiria would likely have gone to any lengths to stop them from going to the back mountain and sent Elric home instead.
After all, it was on this very day that Elric encountered a magic beast and gained a scar that would never fade.
But the eight-year-old Tiria knew nothing of such things.
The education provided by the Wibin family did not include the dangers of magic beasts.
Naturally, they hadn’t taught her that the back mountain was off-limits, nor had they taught her how to cope if she ever encountered a magic beast.
Such matters weren’t considered necessary for noble etiquette.
How often would a noble ever encounter a magic beast face-to-face in their daily life?
Thus, the Tiria of that day was simply and purely happy to be with Elric.
「When are we going?」
Anxiety mixed with her excitement.
If they didn’t run away to the mountain soon, the family’s people would come looking for them.
They had to get to the mountain before that happened.
It was what one might call an elopement.
Even though Elric had said he wouldn’t marry her, it didn’t matter to Tiria.
What mattered was what she wanted.
To borrow her parents’ words, ‘A noble is one who holds everything they desire beneath their feet,’ so the very idea that Elric’s will was important never even occurred to Tiria.
Consequently, Tiria’s hand remained tightly clenched around Elric’s sleeve.
Elric, for his part, didn’t seem to dwell on the morning’s events.
「Ugly, you’re excited too, aren’t you?」
Elric grinned.
Even at being called ‘ugly,’ Tiria only offered a silly smile.
「Good! Then let’s head out quickly!」
As Elric raised his wooden sword above his head, the children shouted, 「Waaaaah!」
And so, Tiria climbed the back mountain.
「Scatter here! If you find a magic beast, scream!」
At Elric’s command, the children dispersed at the entrance of the mountain.
Tiria stayed with Elric.
「Alright, let’s go.」
「Okay.」
The back mountain they climbed was not particularly gentle.
Since no one except herbalists ever ventured there, it was unmaintained; consequently, stones and tree roots frequently obstructed their path.
As a result, Tiria struggled with the climb.
Her calves were swollen from being struck by the switch, so walking up such a rugged mountain was naturally a strain.
Of course, she couldn’t show it.
She was afraid that if she became a hindrance to the magic beast hunt, Elric might leave her behind.
However,
「Ouch…!」
Her body was more honest than her heart, and a groan eventually escaped her lips.
「What is it? What’s wrong, Ugly?」
At Elric’s prodding question, Tiria shook her head vigorously.
But Elric was more perceptive than Tiria thought.
The moment he sensed something was wrong, Elric immediately closed the distance and lifted her ankle-length skirt to check her calves.
When the bruised, bluish calves were revealed, sharp words burst from him.
「…What is this? Are you hurt?」
Tiria felt her heart drop.
She worried that the hot-tempered Elric would snap at her and tell her to go home right then and there.
「No…」
「What do you mean ’no’?!」
Tiria flinched.
It was at that moment.
「If you’re hurting, you should have told me, you dummy! Come here! I’ll fix your ugly face too!」
Elric suddenly hoisted Tiria up and onto his back.
Startled, Tiria’s eyes went wide like a rabbit’s.
Since the exact opposite of what she expected had happened, her mind couldn’t process the situation.
Tiria asked reflexively.
「You’re… not throwing me away…?」
「Why would I throw you away? A knight doesn’t abandon his comrades.」
「Am I a comrade?」
「Of course you’re a comrade, what are you, an enemy? I told you. You’re our medic.」
Though you’re a wounded soldier right now.
Muttering that, Elric gave a snort and began to climb the mountain with Tiria on his back.
The snow crunched beneath his feet.
Elric grumbled, and the wind was cold.
Nevertheless, Tiria felt her body grow warmer than ever before from that strange heat.
So, she smiled foolishly again.
「Hehe…」
Really, no matter how much she thought about it.
「I like you.」
「I hate you.」
「I’m going to marry you.」
「I said I don’t want to!」
Tiria hugged Elric’s neck tightly.
Despite his grumbling, Elric didn’t shake her off.
Her calves hurt and her face stung, but she felt so good that Tiria kicked her legs back and forth.
Elric said, 「Stay still!」 and when Tiria still didn’t stop, he let out a deep sigh and spoke.
「If you want to marry me, come back after you’ve become pretty.」
「Okay.」
「You have to be smart too. And you have to have a lot of kids.」
「Huh?」
「I’m going to make the Elric Knight Order. I need to have ten, so you have to be strong. Aldio said strong women give birth well.」
Elric added color to the picture Tiria had drawn.
A picturesque house with good sunlight, a grown-up Elric and herself, and children gathered closely around them.
She liked that very much.
Tiria felt her heart swell at the future that felt like a dream.
「I won’t hit the kids.」
「Isn’t that obvious?」
「I’ll hug them every day.」
「Dummy, it’s exhausting if you hug them every day.」
「I’ll still hug them. I won’t say anything even if they’re picky eaters.」
「Well, that’s good.」
As they talked, Elric came to a stop.
They had arrived at a place where small, palm-sized plants were growing all over.
「Sit here.」
Elric sat Tiria down on a rock and began to pick and gather the leaves.
「What are you doing?」
「These are all herbs. They’re supposed to be good for wounds.」
Answering nonchalantly, Elric crushed the gathered herbs with a stone and began to smear them thickly onto Tiria’s calves.
「Ouch…」
「Endure it, dummy.」
It stung too much to endure.
Still, Tiria bore it.
Since it was something Elric was doing for her, she simply liked it.
Immediately after, having applied enough leaves to turn her calves green, Elric tore a strip from his own sleeve and wrapped it around her leg.
「Done!」
Seeing him speak with such a proud face, Tiria asked curiously.
「How do you know all about this?」
「I studied. You’re a medic and you don’t even know this?」
「I don’t.」
「Then study!」
Elric smiled brightly.
「If you want to marry me, you should at least be able to grow herbs yourself!」
Tiria replied with a beam.
「Okay.」
「Now let’s go. Whew, what a troublesome ugly girl.」
Elric put Tiria on his back again.
The trek continued.
He probably didn’t know.
That because of this conversation on this day, she began to study plants.
That the study she started then eventually became her hobby of gardening.
There was something Tiria still thought about.
「KYAAAAAAAK!!!」
If she hadn’t followed him to the back mountain that day,
「Grrrrr…」
Perhaps there wouldn’t be a scar on his earlobe.
She didn’t remember exactly at what point it happened.
What Tiria remembered was chattering away about dream-like things on Elric’s back, and then the surroundings suddenly becoming eerie.
The moment even the sound of mountain birds vanished and silence swept over the space, it appeared.
「Grrrrr…」
Its pitch-black body was as large as a house.
Its bright yellow eyes triggered an instinctive terror, and its gaping mouth, dripping with saliva, was filled with needle-like teeth.
It smelled of raw meat. It was an unpleasant, disgusting, and ominous scent.
The moment she saw the magic beast, Tiria screamed.
「KYAAAAAAAK!!!」
In her frantic panic, she ended up falling off Elric’s back.
The moment her rear hit the ground with a thud, the magic beast’s forepaw shifted slightly.
Slash!
It was a sight beyond belief.
What met Tiria’s eyes as she barely managed to lift her head was blood bursting from Elric’s neck.
The sight of the crimson liquid splattering onto the white snow was surreal.
The contrast of colors was so vivid, and the metallic scent was enough to fill her lungs.
「Uh…」
Tiria’s mind went blank.
It was at that moment.
「…Run.」
Elric spoke.
His head, turning stiffly, was filled with an urgent look.
「You run first!」
He raised his wooden sword.
One hand was pressed firmly against his neck.
Run?
Where? To whom? What about you?
As questions flashed through her mind, Elric shouted again.
「Hurry!!!」
Her legs shook.
Tiria couldn’t stand up.
Tears welled up in her eyes and her teeth chattered.
Elric bit his lip.
「Ugh…!」
Taking a stance, Elric faced the magic beast head-on.
The eyes of the magic beast, which was letting out a vibrating growl, narrowed.
Only then could Tiria see.
Elric’s legs were shaking.
He was just as terrified as she was.
And yet, he was not running away.
‘Because of me…’
She felt as if her insides were burning up.
「Get lost!!!」
Elric lunged toward the magic beast.
The last thing Tiria clearly remembered was something like red smoke bursting from him at that moment.
CRACK!
Elric was sent flying by the beast’s paw and collided with Tiria.
Their bodies tumbled down the mountain.
Even then, Tiria held Elric tightly.
The magic beast followed leisurely behind.
Finally, their bodies hit a tree trunk with a thud, and pain surged through her entire body.
She realized Elric had lost consciousness immediately after.
At the same time, the magic beast’s shadow fell over Tiria’s body.
And then, a moment too late.
「Found you.」
Along with a low voice,
SPLIT!
The magic beast was sliced in half vertically.
As she was losing consciousness, Tiria saw something dimly.
An adult wearing leather clothes made of various animal skins walked away, carrying the unconscious Elric over his shoulder.
Crunch, crunch—
As the sound of footsteps in the snow grew distant, Tiria lost consciousness.
The Lady Waited in the Wheat Field (Serial)
