Their objective specifications were slightly higher than mine and their equipment was overwhelmingly superior. Furthermore, since he was said to have cut off Noark's heads for over a year in the war, he would now have more battle experience than me. But there was no reason to be scared because Erwen had made a mistake.
Slide.
That was the distance. I contract with the Elemental Ruler or not, as long as she was an archer whose life depended on distance control, I had the advantage at this distance. The fact that this was a hidden room where all four sides were locked was also a positive factor, not to mention that the opponent was not mentally normal at the time.
«P-fight with you? How can I, with you... that is not possible...»
Geez, and you used to say all kinds of things about me being an evil spirit.
I didn't intend to give it much time. If we both started to wield our full power, it would be difficult to end this quietly.
Squeeze.
After making a fist with my watermelon-sized hand, I kicked up the ground and ran forward.
Who!
My punch, which was supposed to be a surprise, crossed the air in vain. I figured he was an agile character after all.
«...N-no lo hagas.»
Well, I was expecting this a lot.
Eye.
The moment I stopped my body as if to stomp on the ground, a vortex swirled around me and began to throw things.
[You have cast Eye of the Storm.]
Since it was not linked to Transcendence, the radius was only five yards, but it was enough to cover the room we were currently in.
¡Queeeee!
The bed, the blanket, the pillow, the bookshelf, the table, the rug, anything weighing less than a thousand pounds was blown away by the strong wind. Of course, Erwen was included in that.
«… ¡This is!»
Erwen had once battled a Water Storm on Farune Island, sparking bewilderment in her eyes. He must have wondered why this ability appeared suddenly. I deliberately didn't show it to him when I was proving my identity as it wasn't a skill I originally had.
Who!
But Erwen hadn't been sitting all this time either. She immediately began to adjust. She summoned a wind spirit and began to resist the pulling force.
«¡D-for…!»
Stop what?
«I told you. There's a problem with your head».
Keeping an eye on the storm, I walked forward and extended my fist.
Who!
Of course, even while doing that, I didn't think the fist would reach Erwen. She would definitely take a step back to avoid it, then she could use Gigantization to instantly lengthen my arm. Well, that should have been the case.
Place.
Once Eye of the Storm completed its duration, many of the furniture and accessories fluttering in the air fell to the ground at once. Erwen was standing with her eyes closed in front of my outstretched fist.
«Why...?» At this point, I had no choice but to ask. If I hadn't managed to stop halfway, this fist would definitely have hit Erwen. But why? «Why didn't you avoid it?»
Erwen slowly opened her eyes and said with tears filling them: «Because... then you will get hurt...»
¿Eh?
I felt dizzy from the sudden change of situation when Erwen unfortunately continued: «You're right, sir... To be honest, I knew too... that there was something wrong with me... But still. Yes, still... How can I do it? hurt you?»
Eh... ¿
Seeing her tears run down her cheeks and fall to the floor, I was speechless. This made me look like the bad guy.
After that, I had an honest conversation with Erwen. Sometimes the conversation became too detailed and sometimes we strayed and talked about something off topic for a long time, but to summarize briefly, it did.
She hadn't been in her right mind since I died. He was able to endure a long period of pain with the solemn determination of revenge and took on the pureblood of the clan. As soon as he gained strength, war broke out, and considering it an opportunity for revenge, he sought dangerous battlefields without sparing his life. That was more or less when he made a contract with the Elemental Ruler.
«I admit it was excessive, but I never wanted to restrict it, sir».
The reason she covered the windows with boards and only let me walk at night was because she was so worried. A rumor that I was an evil spirit had spread throughout the city. It was a kind of obsession. Apparently, I couldn't help but think that I might get lost again.
«So Amelia?»
«...Same for her. I can't trust her. I'm sure I would never betray you under any circumstances... but I don't know anything about that woman, so I was anxious... But-I won't do that». from now on. I won't stop you from making her your comrade. It still makes me anxious though, to be honest...»
«But...?»
«...Since you don't want me to do that.»
Hmm, are you being honest? It doesn't look like he's lying or anything...
I was worried that she might suddenly melt again and lose her mind, but she seemed sincere at this moment as she was even saying this. «The essences. I don't care if you tell me to delete them in the temple tomorrow. But... that will mean I can't protect you anymore...»
Most of Erwen's essences were acquired through her achievements in the war. Didn't he care if I deleted them all?
«... Why would you do so much?»
«Because... I don't want you to hate me.»
I still couldn't accept that reason. Was our connection so deep? Honestly, this was the only thought that came to mind, but I couldn't really say that in this situation, so I didn't bother saying it out loud.
«...It would be better not to erase those essences.»
"..I'll do what you say.
«Instead, think about deleting some if something like this happens again».
«Yes, if you want-»
«I'm not saying it for me, I'm saying it for you».
This was my 100% sincere truth. Erwen was not normal at this time. If I said sweet words to her every day and skillfully manipulated her desire not to be hated, it wouldn't be difficult to use it to my liking. But again, that wasn't right. That's not how a relationship between comrades was supposed to be. I learned it from a magician in the Labyrinth of Larcaz.
«¿For me?»
I spoke firmly. «Yes, not for you... no, to be specific, for the sake of our relationship.»
«N-our relationship...»
«... I understand?»
I grabbed Erwen's shoulder to confirm this when she seemed a little dazed, and Erwen replied: «Y-yes... hehe».
...She understood me correctly, right?
***
After that conversation my daily life did not change drastically. I continued to live an isolated life. He only went out to the patio at night to get some air and did not remove the boards from the windows. The only thing that changed was Erwen's attitude.
«Sir, this is the equipment you used.»
She used to allude that hiding at home wasn't a problem, but now Erwen started helping me more actively. That started with the equipment.
«That is...» Although Guardian Corps Mark No. 2,988 had no stats or special effects, when used, it provided a whopping 50% shock absorption on a shield, making it a central element of a Barbarian Shield. «... Did you have this?»
«Yeah, there was no way I could sell it». Raven apparently took charge of distributing the estate, but after receiving the earrings in the mail, she kept them rather than sell them.
«But why are you giving me this now? I'm sure I asked you about the equipment before».
«I'm sorry... I hid it because I didn't want you to enter the maze.»
So that wasn't just my mood. If I hadn't figured it out properly that time, I really could have grown up in this house...
It gave me chills, but would I really have done that? I put aside the discomfort and checked something else. I assumed they were sold on the market a long time ago, but my thoughts had only changed now. It's possible that the other guys had kept things too.
«...I'll have to investigate that in detail. But what is certain is that Abman Urikfried would have sold everything».
«¿Abman?»
«Yeah. I heard he took relatively meaningless objects instead of the equipment you were carrying. Like the Subspace ring».
Hmm.
Since he was hesitant to sell the things I used, I assumed he took the things he could sell without scruples. It was a little disappointing but not important.
If these earrings and that item are in good condition, I can purchase the rest again anyway.
It was only necessary to remake the shield and armor. The other numbered items weren't that expensive either.
«Do you know who took my necklace?»
«Ah, the thing that transforms mana stones into strange things?»
«Yeah.» The official name was Garphas Necklace No. 7,777. This necklace had the function of turning a mana stone into a random substance when inserted. I guess you could call it a gacha version of alchemy, which turned mana stones into bread, water, metal, etc. It wasn't that valuable an item, that is, until you had enough finances to perform a special hidden event.
«To be honest... I wanted that too. So I sent that wizard, Arua Raven, a letter about it».
«AND? Who took it?»
«Miss Karlstein.»
«Ah...» As soon as I heard the name, air escaped from my mouth. She was the only one among the clan mates whose whereabouts were unknown. Well, I heard she was with Baekho at the Round Table, but that actually confused me even more. It all seemed like a riddle.
Still, I decided to look at the positives as much as possible. After all, Missha and I had a pretty affectionate relationship. There was a good chance he hadn't sold it.
Hmm... or maybe that's not the case either?
I couldn't be sure because two and a half years had passed. I decided to think about this later.
Anyway, I think Ainar would have taken the armor and weapons... So I guess the rest went to Raven?
As I contemplated the whereabouts of my scattered team, something soon came to mind.
Ah, the Fire Orb... I wonder what happened to that.
That was the only binding object I had in my possession. If my disappearance in this time period were recognized as a death, it would have been possible to sell it, but if it were the opposite, there was a high possibility that they would simply keep it.
If it's the latter, Raven is more likely to have it too...
«Phew...» I could only sigh the more I thought about it. Although I gained some benefits from the past, there were too many tasks to solve in return.
«Sir, aren't you eating?»
«Ah... I was thinking of something.» I finished my thoughts there and took a spoonful of the food Erwen brought to go. Finishing my meal quickly, I took some time to discuss a few things with Erwen.
«What do you plan to do next?»
«First I have to raise the false accusation of being an evil spirit».
«Should I... pull some strings to set the stage...?»
Erwen suggested I prove myself to all the royalty, but I refused. My reasoning was that it was too early. I would have to use that method someday, but I still couldn't get rid of the feeling that something political was involved in my case.
«I think I have to approach this part more carefully. If something goes wrong, it could end up implicating the entire fairy tribe».
«...E-you're nice.»
«Ahem. Anyway, that's why I want to ask. Instead of talking about Raven and Abman, can you find any information focused on that?»
«Yes, I will use it..»
Once the discussion was over, Erwen went to the Holy Land and I lay down on the couch to take a nap. That was the moment.
TOC Toc.
Someone knocked on the front door. Erwen had no reason to call.