Elqueeness [EN]: Chapter 56

The trading party decided to rest inside the castle for a day to replenish their dwindling supplies and reorganize their weapons. Because they followed the same route and schedule, they had a regular inn to stay at.

“I heard they have hot water flowing like crazy at the inn these days? A young lady I met in a village told me,” one of the traders said.

“Wow, is that true? Then can I take a bath in hot water as much as I want, like when I was a kid? I’m really looking forward to that,” another replied, his face lighting up.

“It seems the drought is really over.”

The people, exhausted from the monotonous and arduous march, were excited about the comfortable sleep they would have for the first time in a while. Before taking a full rest, Hussen assigned rooms for everyone.

“Sheri and Iril will be in a two-person room, and the rest will be in three-person rooms. Herol, Mighty, and I will be in one room, and Matthew, El, and Ly will use another room. I hope no one has any complaints about this decision?”

“What? How can you do that! I’m against it!” Herol shouted.

Hussen frowned, stopping as he was handing over the keys. “What’s the reason for your objection?”

“Well, it’s dangerous! These days, even boys become targets of perverts if they look pretty. What if someone comes in the middle of the night and tries to assault them while they’re alone?”

“……Shut up. Your mind is the most impure here.”

“What? Me, the epitome of living public morality, is impure! How can you say such a ridiculous thing?”

“If you spout any more nonsense, I’ll make you do jumping jacks in the air.”

Only then did Herol shut his mouth. Hussen, who had been giving him a fierce look for a while, sighed lightly. “However, I agree that some caution is needed. There are other mercenaries here besides us. It wouldn’t be good to get involved with them. Iril and Sheri, you are the only women in the group, so be extra careful.”

“Okay,” Iril replied.

Hussen looked at Sheri, who was sullenly pursing her lips. “Sheri, why aren’t you saying anything?”

“About what?”

“I said that Iril and you should be especially careful because you are women, didn’t I?”

“Well, I don’t feel the need to pay much attention to it. Honestly, I don’t care if someone tries to assault me. I was even thinking of seducing them first.”

Hussen’s face twisted horribly at her insincere answer. “……Sheri, there’s a limit to how much I can tolerate. Stop joking around.”

“I’m not joking. Why do you think I am?”

“Then you’re serious about treating your body so carelessly?”

“Yes! I’m serious! What’s wrong with that?”

“Sheri!”

The atmosphere suddenly turned grim, and the group, who had been laughing until just now, could only stammer, not knowing what to do. Herol, who had the most affable personality in the group, cautiously tried to appease her, but it was of little use.

“Hey, Sheri. The captain is worried about you. You don’t have to answer like that…….”

“Hmph! That’s just unnecessary meddling. Isn’t it enough as long as I don’t cause any harm to the group? What does it matter if I do whatever I want with my body?”

“How can you say that?”

And again, the tension escalated. Although they had already guessed the general situation, it was never good to see fellow members of the same group growling at each other, especially when it was related to love issues.

“I didn’t say anything wrong. I’ll do whatever I want, no matter what anyone says. What does it matter what I do? No matter how hard I try, the person I want the most will never look at me!”

Hussen’s eyes wavered greatly at that moment. It was the first time that emotion was revealed on his face, which had been maintaining a cold, manufactured expression.

Sheri glared at him with tears filling her eyes. “Do you understand? You’re the one who made me like this, Hussen.”

“…….”

Sheri pushed past him, her shoulder bumping against his stiff body. It felt like a huge storm had just passed.

The group, seeing Hussen standing there blankly, sighed one after another.

“Hey, Hussen. I didn’t want to interfere since it’s a matter between you two, but aren’t you being too harsh on Sheri? You could be a little gentler. Sheri is surprisingly simple-minded, so she’d be really happy if you just treated her a little better. You keep trying to draw a strict line, so she’s just going further astray.”

“I’m just acting as the captain…….”

“That’s not what Sheri wants from you. Hussen knows that better than anyone else, doesn’t he?”

“…….”

This time, Hussen remained silent, and Iril rubbed her forehead with a troubled expression. “Listen, Hussen. There’s no such thing as a relationship that doesn’t change from beginning to end. It’s no use trying to hold on by yourself. Sheri is no longer a child, and she’s an adult who can make her own judgments and decisions. If you don’t like her, reject her clearly. Just avoiding her won’t solve anything. It’ll just keep you in the same place.”

“……I understand what you’re saying, Iril.”

Hussen nodded calmly with a sigh. But when he turned to look at the group, he had returned to his ‘captain’ face.

“Then everyone, go and rest. We’ll start marching hard again from tomorrow, so get plenty of rest until then.”

“Did he really understand?” Iril shouted with a frown at his back as he turned away. Hussen paused for a moment, then strode away without another word.

“Stubborn as ever!”

“Leave him alone, Iril. The captain must have a lot on his mind.”

“It’s making me uncomfortable! How long do I have to keep seeing this? It’s not like they’re trying to make us jealous. Those who have it always want more!”

While Iril was grumbling, I watched Hussen’s disappearing figure from afar. I thought he was quite flustered, but his appearance of calmly instructing the group was no different from usual. Maybe that’s why Sheri is getting more impatient.

“Does Hussen really have no feelings for Sheri?”

“Well…….”

“Huh? Trowel, don’t you know either?”

I was taken aback when he, who could read minds, answered that way. When I asked in surprise, he chuckled and nodded. “I try not to read people’s minds during the game. It’s no fun if I know everything.”

“Hmm, I guess so. Come to think of it, that’s true. Can’t you hear them if you don’t try to read them?”

“Yeah, I can usually control it. But if you want, El, I can read them for you right now.”

“Uh, uh? Ah, no, it’s okay.”

“Weren’t you curious?”

“I am, but I don’t think I need to find out on purpose. Hussen might have feelings he wants to hide, and I’d feel sorry if I read them without permission. Ah, no, I’m not blaming you, Trowel……. There’s a huge barrier between being innocent and guilty when you’re reading someone’s mind yourself versus asking someone else to do it, or something…….”

Trowel burst out laughing at my flustered and rambling words. “Haha, I know. You want to respect his feelings, right? I understand. El is kind.”

“Hmm, you’re the kind one, Trowel.”

“Me?”

“You don’t get angry even when I act frustratingly. You explain everything I ask kindly.”

At those words, Trowel blinked his eyes quietly and laughed as if he found it interesting. “El doesn’t know her own worth yet. Well, that’s part of her charm.”

……Hey, Trowel? I think you have some serious misunderstandings about me.

He patted my stiff shoulders and left first. Then, as if he had been waiting, Herol came up to me and asked, “What did you talk about that made Matthew laugh like that?”

“Ah, it wasn’t anything special. Haha…….”

“Really? Geez, it’s amazing every time I see it. I even suspected that the central nervous system that makes him laugh was broken because he always has a blank face. But he always smiles at you so casually.”

At those words, I thought of Trowel, or ‘Matthew,’ when I first met him here. Before I revealed my identity, he had a particularly expressionless face and gave off a cold atmosphere. I guess that’s the him that Hussen and the others know.

“What’s the secret?”

“Well, I don’t know. I guess the secret is that I’ve only seen Matthew’s smiling face from the beginning…….”

“Hmm, is it the power of childhood friends? Well, I understand. You seem quite easy to get along with.”

“Is that so?”

“Yeah. It’s not just your *maltu* [manner of speaking] and intonation, but the atmosphere you give off seems to have that power. It’s a bit hidden by your unrealistic appearance when you take off your hood, though.”

“Ahaha…….”

“Anyway, I’m really glad you’re Matthew’s friend. Please continue to get along with Matthew like you do now.”

I could feel his affection for Trowel in his sincere request. He’s mischievous and noisy in everything, but he’s a good person by nature. I think I know why Trowel decided to hang out with them.

* * *

That evening, Sheri really kept her word. She appeared at the dinner gathering with a man arm in arm.

“Cough! Cough, cough! She, Sheri?” Mighty, who was drinking a beverage, coughed as soon as he witnessed the scene. The other members of the group also looked at her and the man next to her with bewildered expressions.

The man who appeared with Sheri was the leader of the Vodka Mercenary Group, who had picked a fight with Hussen and the others on the first day of their journey. He had his arm around Sheri’s slender waist, making a show of it.

“Yo, did I interrupt your meal?”

“Wh, who are you? Why are you acting so familiar with Sheri? Take your hand off her waist right now! Sheri, you get away from him too! What are you doing? And in that outfit!” She was wearing a daring outfit that showed off her figure, which was not appropriate for her age. Mighty shouted, his ears turning red.

Sheri replied lightly, “Sean and I decided to date. We’re going out on a date now.”

“What? Are you serious?”

“Of course.”

“Are you crazy? That guy is over thirty! How old are you to be with an old man like that!”

“Oh, what does age matter? And I’ve always liked older men. Didn’t you know?”

“Good heavens…….”

Even during this time, her gaze was constantly directed at Hussen. It was as if she was watching his reaction.

But when there was no change in his expression, she bit her lip in frustration and pulled on Sean’s arm. “It’s too stuffy here. Let’s go out quickly, Sean. I want to feel the night breeze.”

“Ah, let’s do that. Then it was nice seeing you all. Good luck.” Sean waved his free arm with a greasy smile. Because of that, Mighty seemed to have completely lost it. He stood up from his seat, took out the bow he had been carrying on his back, and immediately drew the string.

“Mighty!”

“Don’t move a step! You goddamn bastard!”

The atmosphere inside the restaurant froze in an instant at his sudden action. Starting with the Vodka mercenary members nearby taking out their weapons, the surroundings changed to a pre-battle atmosphere. The group members also stood up from their seats and guarded the chilling surroundings. It was a touch-and-go moment that seemed like it would explode at any moment.

Sean, who had stopped walking, slowly turned his body. A twisted smile was on his lips. “You’re not going to shoot me with that, are you?”

“Why, do you think I can’t? If you want to test it, try moving!” Mighty pulled the string even further as if provoking him. Only then did Sean’s face harden as he realized it wasn’t a joke. At the same time, Herol shouted with a flustered expression, “Mighty! Are you crazy? Put that bow down right now!”

“No!”

“Hey, you!”

“Then you want me to watch with my own eyes as Sheri goes out with a bastard like that? If there was a man she liked, I was going to wish her happiness! But if the target is a trashy bastard who rapes women, the story changes! I didn’t give up until now to give her to a guy like that!”

The group members looked at each other with troubled faces. But their confrontation didn’t last long. Sheri, with a frown on her face, sighed and stepped forward. “Stop it, Mighty. What are you doing?”

“She, Sheri! I’m just thinking of you……!”

“Who told you to worry about my business? Do you think I’ll be grateful if you do this? Please don’t interfere in my affairs. If you keep doing this, I won’t be able to work with you anymore.”

“……!”

Hussen and the others’ faces turned pale, perhaps because they didn’t expect her to show her intention to withdraw from the group. The surroundings were enveloped in a heavy silence for a while.

Mighty lowered his bow powerlessly. Sheri’s eyes shook slightly at the sight, but in the end, she stubbornly pulled Sean’s arm again. “……Let’s go.”

Sean followed her as if he couldn’t help it, but he looked back at Hussen and the others with a triumphant expression. Laughter was spreading openly among the Vodka mercenaries. Herol clenched his fist in frustration at the sight, but no one stepped forward this time.

As the two disappeared outside, the group sat back down with a dejected look. And Mighty said he had no appetite and went straight back to his room.

His back, as he trudged away, was so listless that it was pitiful. Iril gulped down the beer that was full in her glass at once, as if she was thirsty.

“Nasty girl. Does she have to say that to someone who was worried about her?”

“Leave her alone. She’ll only come to her senses after she gets burned.”

“What? Are you saying it’s good for Sheri to get hurt right now?”

“Who said that?”

“But why are you saying that? What if something really happens!”

“Hey, would I say that if it wasn’t too much?”

“Still, don’t say things like that. Don’t you know that words have power?”

While Herol and Iril were arguing with each other, I carefully watched Hussen’s appearance. He was silently drinking beer in one corner. He had a blank face as usual, but to me, it seemed like he was suppressing his anger. It seemed that I was not the only one who felt that way, and the group members, who would have said something sarcastic at other times, were not even looking at him now.

At that time, the Vodka mercenaries were heard talking.

“Ah― the captain must be happy. That girl’s body was completely amazing.”

“Sheri, was it? I was aiming for that girl too. But she’s a silver-badge mercenary?”

“What? No way. She received a silver badge with such a thin and small physique?”

“She must have sold her body to the guild elders. She seems quite used to playing with men. The Champagne mercenary men must be happy? They must have all enjoyed it once.”

“Hehe, should I ask to enjoy it with them too?”

As if on purpose to provoke them, they talked about dirty sexual harassment without lowering their voices at all. Eventually, the group members, who could no longer bear the insults, were about to get up from their seats with distorted faces.

*콰아앙!* [Sound of something breaking]

Silence returned with a loud noise. The smiles had all disappeared from the faces of the Vodka mercenary members, who had been laughing lewdly until just now. Their gazes were directed at the wall right in front of them. A beer glass was deeply embedded in the center of the wall.

“Say it again,” Hussen, who had just thrown the beer glass, said quietly. His tone was as devoid of emotion as his indifferent face. The mercenaries, who had been alternating between looking at the beer glass embedded in the wall and Hussen for a while, swallowed hard and began to avoid their seats one by one. It seemed that they had realized that they were not someone they could deal with.

Hussen didn’t seem to care much about their actions and silently filled a new beer glass with alcohol. Next to him, the group members muttered with brighter faces.

“Those guys, they’re just talking nonsense with the courage to freeze at that level.”

“Hmph, just let me catch them again next time. I’ll take the bones out of them then.”

From that point on, the quiet restaurant regained its original peaceful atmosphere. Because mercenaries were so rough, everyone seemed to think it was natural for fights to break out often. Rather, the atmosphere was one of enjoying the fact that they had witnessed a rare sight. Even the restaurant owner decided to leave the beer glass embedded in the wall as a *기념* [souvenir/memento].

Night was deepening.