Elqueeness [EN]: Chapter 50

Episode 50

Isana woke up around dinner time. Actually, it wasn’t that he woke up, but that I forcibly woke him. When traveling, it’s most important to eat well.

Huesen and the others stared at us with strange expressions as we entered the dining hall together.

“……Which one of you is El?”

“Ah, that would be me.”

“Ah, I see. You’re both wearing hoods and have similar builds, so it’s hard to tell who’s who.”

The table was already laden with food. Beef stew, bacon, various braised meats, and fruit salad—easily enough for ten people. Everyone was large and worked physically demanding jobs, so they seemed to eat a lot.

“I ordered what they’re good at here. Take whatever you want to eat. Don’t hesitate to order more if you need it.”

“Yes, thank you.”

But no matter how delicious the food looked, it was as appealing as a painted cake to me [something that looks good but is ultimately unsatisfying]. Spirits don’t need to replenish nutrients to survive. Perhaps that’s why I always felt adequately full, even without eating anything.

Even delicacies are useless when you’re full. I could eat if I really wanted to, but I didn’t feel like having a meal. Especially since human-world food didn’t taste very good to me.

It seemed to be the same for Trowel; he only had a simple bowl of soup in front of him. Seeing this, Herol frowned.

“Matthew, are you eating only that again?”

“This is enough for me.”

“There you go again. You can’t do that. If you keep eating like that, you won’t grow! How can you get by with just watery soup every meal during your growing season?”

However, his sincere advice was interrupted by Iril, and he didn’t get any credit for it.

“Don’t be a busybody and mind your own business. Has Matthew ever harmed us by eating little? He takes care of himself just fine, doesn’t he?”

“Ah, no. I was just worried…….”

“So, mind your own business. You’re always overeating and getting indigestion.”

“…….”

At this point, I almost felt sorry for Herol. I secretly sent him a look of sympathy at his defeated appearance. Why does Iril dislike Herol so much? They seem to fight every time they meet eyes, yet they manage to stay in the same mercenary group.

“What about Sherry? Hasn’t she come back yet?”

Just in time, Iril stopped teasing Herol at Huesen’s question and shrugged.

“She hasn’t returned, and I haven’t heard from her all day.”

“Tsk, that girl…….”

“Just leave her alone. She’s going through puberty. It’s a time for a lot of thoughts and wandering. It won’t do much good no matter what anyone says. She’ll come to her senses when she’s satisfied.”

“Whose side are you on, Iril?”

“Oh, I’m always on the side of the small and lovely. Didn’t you know, Captain?”

Huesen frowned unpleasantly at the playful tone. Then, Mighty looked at me with curiosity and asked.

“By the way, I’ve been wanting to ask since earlier. Why are you two wearing hoods all the time? Is there a reason?”

“Yes? Ah, no. It’s just a habit…….”

“Hmm, is that so?”

Perhaps my excuse was too clumsy. Mighty stroked his chin with a thoughtful expression. I looked at him even more cautiously.

“Um, is it not okay to wear hoods?”

“Huh? No, it’s not that. Actually, it’s not really the time to say this, but we usually do a simple background check before accepting someone into the group. But you’re Matthew’s friends, so there was no need to go through that process. But shouldn’t we at least know each other’s faces? We’ll be spending time together for a while.”

“Yeah, now that you mention it, I’m curious about what you look like. You have a very nice voice, though.”

The thing I had been dreading finally happened. They were starting to wonder about my and Isana’s faces.

‘Oh, what should I do? I don’t care about myself, but if I take off my hood, Isana will have to take his off too…….’

I swallowed hard, feeling the gazes pouring in from all directions. Isana was also stiff, as if he was nervous.

“It might be better not to see El’s face.”

Just then, someone muttered. It was Trowel, who had finished his meal.

“Better not to see? What do you mean, Matthew?”

“You might regret it.”

“Huh? Is he that ugly? Hey, so what if a guy’s face is ugly?”

“Yeah, that’s right. Even Herol, who looks like an orc, is walking around just fine.”

“Ugh, why are you bringing me into this again?”

Herol frowned, but no one paid attention to his words. And I had to sweat even more under their intensified gazes. It seemed like what Trowel said had only fueled their curiosity.

『El, it’s okay, you can take off your hood.』

I widened my eyes at the voice I heard at that moment. I clearly didn’t see his lips moving, but the words were clearly conveyed. It felt like they were ringing directly in my head.

As I panicked, Trowel frowned slightly and smiled bitterly.

『Ah, are you still not used to this way of communicating? I’ll teach you later, so just do as I say for now. You must take it off before the contractor does.』

‘……Me first?’

It was an inexplicable instruction, but there was no other option in this situation anyway. I hesitated and slowly pushed the hood I was wearing back. Then, the water-colored hair that had been trapped inside cascaded down.

I’m realizing this again, but no matter how I think about it, it’s too long for a man (although Eluien’s is even longer). I was originally going to cut it off, but I forgot because it hardly felt heavy. I should probably take action soon.

‘Huh? But it feels like the surroundings have become quiet……?’

I gathered my scattered thoughts and quickly raised my head. What I saw in front of me were people’s faces that were somehow frozen. Everyone was so still that I doubted they were even breathing. From Herol’s gaping mouth, the drink he hadn’t swallowed was streaming down.

‘What, what is it?’

Their gazes were all directed at me. Just in case, I turned around, but there was no one behind me. In the end, I couldn’t stand the silence and opened my mouth.

“……Um, what’s wrong?”

“Uh, well, that’s…….”

As if my question was a signal, they all started to panic at once. They were staring so intently just a moment ago, but now no one would meet my eyes. And for some reason, their faces were all as red as persimmons [a type of fruit, known for its reddish-orange color]. Even the taciturn Huesen was the same.

“Cough, cough! Um, El. Um, I’m sorry. I didn’t expect there to be such a misunderstanding…….”

“Misunderstanding? What do you mean?”

“Ahem, well. Actually, until now, I just assumed you were a man…….”

“I am a man, though?”

“…….”

Silence followed again. And this one felt even longer and more ominously heavy than the last. Like a look of suddenly falling from a fantasy into reality? Or like the face you’d make when you found out that a cartoon character with a voluptuous figure was actually twelve years old. Anyway, I’m starting to feel bad…… but that’s just my imagination, right?

“I told you you’d regret it.”

Trowel was the only one who wasn’t shaken in the overly rigid atmosphere. The group was furious at his nonchalant words.

“Ugh! You should have told us this sooner, Matthew! I was so surprised when I saw it without thinking!”

“Ugh, I’m going crazy. I should have realized it when you said he was Matthew’s friend! I can’t believe I was attracted to a guy! This can’t be happening! Even a girl would be embarrassed, but he’s a guy with that face? What kind of scam is this? It’s unbelievable!”

“El, put your hood back on right now! Hurry! Never, absolutely, no matter what happens, don’t take it off! Got it?”

“…….”

Okay, I get it now. The reason why I had to take off my hood first. He thought that if they were shocked by the gap between my appearance and gender, they wouldn’t be curious about Isana’s face.

I sighed and cast a resentful glance at Trowel. He seemed sorry, as he gave me an awkward smile.

In fact, when Isana tried to take off his hood, they all frantically stopped him with horrified faces. Once bitten, twice shy; it seemed like I had created a strange trauma for them (and since they know we’re brothers, it’s understandable). Thanks to that, the worry I had was resolved, but my heart was also tattered.

‘Am I really a female? Are people that shocked by the fact that I’m a man?’

It seems like action is urgently needed. I decided to finally carry out what I had only been thinking about in my mind. I’m going to cut off this long hair, which is not only cumbersome but also a symbol of femininity, right now.

* * *

“Huh? You’re cutting your hair?”

The group couldn’t hide their bewildered expressions when they heard my decision. I nodded and answered cheerfully.

“Yes, is there a barbershop or something around here? I don’t think I can cut it neatly by myself.”

“Well, there is, but…….”

“Really? Then since it’s late today, I’ll just roughly cut it myself and go tomorrow.”

“No way!”

I flinched at the shout that rang out at that moment. The person who shouted was Iril. She screamed as if I was about to cut off her own hair.

“Why are you suddenly cutting your hair? The color and texture are so pretty! Absolutely not! No way!”

“Um, but it’s uncomfortable to keep being mistaken for a woman…….”

“What are you talking about? That’s a problem with your face, not your hair!”

……Could you please not stab a knife into someone’s heart so readily?

But what’s even more infuriating is that everyone else is nodding without a moment’s hesitation. Even Isana.

I was overwhelmed and boldly took out a dagger and put it to my hair. Then, I heard distressed sounds of people holding their breath from here and there. But my attempt was not successful. It was because of the clear voice I heard in my head at that moment.