Elqueeness [EN]: Chapter 58

Chapter 58

“Huh? Do you hear that strange noise?”

I frowned, focusing on the sound coming from the window as I was drifting off to sleep. It sounded like static from a buzzing speaker, or like someone was talking in the distance.

Trowell, also intrigued, approached the window.

“There’s a mana barrier nearby. It’s like a silence spell is in effect.”

“Magic?”

“It’s not strong enough to affect us directly. Concentrate on the sound. You’ll be able to hear it.”

I nodded, pressed my ear to the window, and focused intently. Then, I began to discern loud shouts and screams.

There was a female voice and several deep, low male voices. As soon as I recognized the woman’s voice, I shot up from my seat. It sounded awfully familiar.

“Could it be Sherry?”

“It seems so. Did she get into a fight outside? The distance is farther than I thought. We need to hurry.”

With those words, Trowell immediately opened the window and jumped down. I quickly followed him.

I was worried about Sherry being cornered by a group of men. Moreover, if they were using magic to block the sound, it couldn’t be for anything good.

The murmuring sound led us to a forest located in the most secluded part of the village. Trowell gestured for me to follow him and began running into the dark forest without hesitation. Fortunately, there was a trail leading into the forest, so we didn’t have to push through the undergrowth.

After passing through waist-high trees, a large tree finally appeared before us. Trowell raised his hand, signaling me to stop. Clearer voices began to be heard from beyond the tree.

“No! Don’t touch me! Don’t come any closer!”

“Why are you acting like this? We’re just trying to have some fun together. You’re not going to play the innocent when you’re so bold about flirting with men, are you? Heh heh!”

“If you want to blame someone, blame yourself for abandoning your comrades and acting on your own, hehehe.”

“Ah, it’s been a long time since I’ve had this much fun. Don’t worry, miss. If you behave yourself here, I’ll never tell anyone else.”

The lines were as vile as the actions they implied.

I realized what they were trying to do to Sherry from what they were saying, and my face hardened. I never thought I would witness such a disgusting act, something I had only seen on TV or read about online. At that moment, Trowell’s calm voice reached me as I clenched my fists in anger.

『Calm down, El. If you act rashly, Sherry could be in even more danger.』

It felt like it was ringing directly in my head again, but I wasn’t flustered this time because he had taught me the trick.

This method of communication was done by expressing the will in the mind, not through the voice of the vocal cords. Based on my past experience with using incantations, I was able to learn the method without much difficulty.

『Wh, what should we do then? What if something happens to Sherry?』

『It’s okay. It seems like she’s safe except for not being able to move her body. Isn’t this exactly why we need spirit magic?』

Trowell smiled and carefully reached out to tap the ground he was standing on. Then, the ground began to wriggle from where his hand touched it, and it quickly shot towards the place where Sherry was tied up.

“Hiiiik!”

“Ugh! Wh, what is this!”

The dirt stalks that shot up in an instant wrapped around the men’s bodies like snakes. Caught off guard by the unexpected attack, they couldn’t even resist and were lifted into the air.

“There’s a magician nearby!”

“Damn it, who is it! Let us down!”

The angry men rampaged, but the clods of earth that tightly bound them did not budge. Trowell, who had planned all of this from a place where they couldn’t see him, muttered with a disappointed look.

『Hmm. I wish they would misunderstand me as a spirit mage [a mage who specializes in manipulating spirits] instead.』

『Hehe. But is it okay to leave Sherry like that? You don’t want them to find out that you can control earth, do you?』

『Ah, now that you mention it, that’s true. But I can’t just end it like this… Should I just knock her out?』

『Huh? Kn, knock her out? Wait, Trowell!』

『Sorry. I already did it.』

“……”

What he did was very simple. He picked up a stone nearby and threw it at Sherry’s head. She was bewildered by the sudden scene, hit by the flying stone, and fell to the ground.

As I stared at him in bewilderment, he shrugged and awkwardly excused himself.

『Let’s just say it’s a punishment for making her companions worry. El can heal her anyway.』

『Ahahaha…….』

When you get to know him, Trowell might have a pretty scary personality. I can say for sure that he’s the only one who would knock out a girl in this way.

While I was sweating, Trowell leisurely took a step forward. Then, the men who were flailing in the air recognized him and shouted.

“Y-you’re from the Champagne Mercenary Group!”

“You bastard! Did you do this! Let us go right now!”

“Hmm, you want me to let you go?”

“Yes, you cowardly bastard!”

“Appearing suddenly and ambushing us! Let us go now!”

“If you wish.”

Trowell shrugged lightly. At the same time, the clods of earth that were holding them in place instantly turned to dust and disappeared. The moment they lost their support, the men’s faces turned to regret as their bodies began to fall.

Thud!

“Cough!”

“Ugh!”

“Kuaaak! M-my arm!”

The impact of the fall was so great that they screamed loudly. The person who appeared to be the magician among them grabbed his arm and cried out in pain (I knew because the flow of mana was particularly strong in his body). The bizarrely twisted shape made it seem like it was broken.

However, Trowell’s expression was calm even as he watched the men groaning. No, it would be more accurate to say he was indifferent. He didn’t even frown as he muttered languidly.

“That’s a relief. Since his arm is injured, he won’t be able to use magic for a while, right? Actually, if he hadn’t been injured now, I was going to take care of him myself.”

“Kuh… Kuh! Y-you! After doing this……”

“You think you’ll be safe? Of course. This is self-defense. You guys were the ones who touched our member first. I’m just giving you a fair punishment.”

“Th, that’s a stretch!”

“A stretch? What is? Trying to save a companion who was about to be assaulted? And a little force was used in the process?”

Trowell’s voice was cold, and he seemed like a completely different person from the Trowell I knew. Is this also part of the ‘Matthew’ persona he puts on? Or is it Trowell’s true self? He smiled coldly and approached the men who were glaring at him, saying each word clearly.

“What is this? You’re not reflecting at all. Wow, amazing. You don’t even realize what kind of sin you’ve committed?”

Crack―

A strange sound rang out from his lightly clasped fingers. It was the moment the men’s faces turned white.

“Then there’s nothing I can do. I have no choice but to deal with you until you repent.”

“Hiiiik!”

The situation that followed was obvious without having to explain it. To put it simply, they were beaten mercilessly. They were beaten very enthusiastically. And to top it off, they were beaten again. It would be hard to beat a dried pollack [a type of dried fish commonly used as a punching bag in Korean martial arts training] that much.

‘Are they going to die like that?’

Meanwhile, I carefully approached Sherry. I tried to lift her up as she lay limp after fainting, but she didn’t budge as if she was stuck on something. A sticky mass of mana was stuck all over her body.

“Hey, Matthew. It looks like Sherry is under a spell and can’t move. How do I remove it?”

Only then did Trowell stop what he was doing. Then, he looked back and forth between the bound Sherry and the fallen men, and sighed as if he was disappointed.

“I’ll have it removed now.”

Soon, he grabbed the magician who was lying down by the collar and lifted him up. Then, he took out a dagger that I didn’t know when he had taken out and smiled at him, holding it near his neck.

“Release the magic on Sherry. Right now.”

“Hic! I, I understand, so calm down! Please, just spare my life, I beg you!”

The magician managed to undo the magic even with one arm in an unnatural state. As the freed Sherry collapsed to the floor without any resistance, I quickly supported her and checked her condition. Fortunately, it seemed like she had only fainted.

“Ugh……”

Then, Sherry’s closed eyes opened slightly as if she had regained consciousness. She frowned and covered her head (probably because of the pain from being hit by the stone), and she was startled when she heard my voice.

“Sherry, are you awake?”

“Huh? E, El? Matthew? H-how did you guys get here? Wh, what about those guys?”

“If you’re talking about people, those guys?”

Trowell pointed behind him and asked at Sherry’s bewildered question. There, three men were lying limp, already unconscious. Sherry gasped when she found them.

“Wh, what happened? A-are they dead?”

“Of course not. I just gave them a little lecture. I didn’t hit them hard enough to kill them. More importantly, Sherry, what happened to you? How much do you remember?”

“I, I don’t know. Those guys tied me up, and suddenly a strange pillar shot up… and those guys went into the sky……”

“I did that.”

“Huh? M-Matthew? How?”

“I had an emergency magic scroll. More importantly, they tied Sherry up?”

Trowell, who had skillfully avoided a somewhat difficult question, asked as if he was pressing her. Then, Sherry flinched and bit her nails.

“I, I was trying to run away. But I couldn’t move because of the binding magic……”

“Why do you follow just anyone? It’s a good thing we were nearby, or you would have been in big trouble.”

“I, I’m sorry. I… I just……”

“Don’t make excuses. No matter what circumstances Sherry has, this action was too reckless. To seduce bad men knowing it was dangerous in order to provoke jealousy. Don’t do such foolish things again.”

“……Sorry.”

Trowell’s strict appearance seemed much colder than usual. I thought she would cry if I left her like that, so I quickly smiled and changed the atmosphere.

“Hey, Sherry. What’s so good about Hussen?”

“E-eh……? Ah! Th, that’s……”

“Of course, he’s handsome and good at swordsmanship, but he’s taciturn and expressionless, and I didn’t think he had much charm as a man… or am I wrong?”

“Y-you’re wrong! He’s a kind person! People don’t know it, but he’s a really cool guy!”

At that moment, I realized that I had touched the switch of Sherry’s inner turmoil. She explained in excitement with a flushed face.

“I’ve never seen anyone use a sword as beautifully as he does. He may not talk much, but he’s much better than Herol or Mighty, who chatter unnecessarily. His expressionless face is a habit he developed from working as a mercenary for a long time. But how cool is he when he smiles sometimes? He’s also kind to children, so whenever he has to go to the guild, he always buys candy and snacks for the children at the nearby temple! He was the only one who praised and encouraged someone like me, who no one paid attention to, and led me this far. How kind is he!”

“Eh…… I, I see.”

“Yes! That’s why I really liked him. No, I still like him. But that stupid Hussen doesn’t even look back at me. Even though I like him this much! Why can’t it be me? Sniff!”