I Picked Up the Abandoned Hero

29 – 29. Humans and Fairies

A sunny window.

Arsel saw an elf encased in a crystal.

A colleague who went on a journey to subdue the demon lord with himself in the past, and now the only precious friend who can remember those days together.

“Stella…”

“That crystal is a kind of sealing magic. Originally, the time of sealed beings does not pass, but this one was specially modified.”

Instead, it was characterized by complete isolation from the outside world.

Originally, it seems that the plan was to wait for Stella to naturally recover from her illness while isolating her in this crystal.

Alfred sat down in his chair and opened a book.

Since he had already done everything he had to do, Arcel had to do the rest himself.

“If you use the holy sword, the seal will be easily broken.”

Nodding his head, Arcel gripped the holy sword.

However, gripping is not a handle.

I closed my eyes as if I was praying as I held the blade of the holy sword with my bare hands, the blade that had slashed many, many enemies.

The blood that flowed along the blade of the holy sword was blue instead of red.

“…Lord, who gave me the choice, as I pray, please give this place a brilliant hope once again.”

The light gathered in the air and crystals formed.

The blue blood that flowed down the blade vaporized and took the form of a small jewel.

Alfred quietly watched the scene, while Arcel held the jewel in his hand.

“According to the command of the Lord, I put my hope in this place, and I will pay for the miracle with my blood and flesh.”

The prayer continued.

Her jewel that Arcel caught turned into powder once again and was guided towards her Stella, and her crystal that wrapped her around her slowly began to disappear with a faint light.

The power to purify magical powers like the characteristics of a holy sword.

That seems to have been embedded in that jewel as well.

“Please…”

Soon the crystal completely lost its shape.

Stella, who was suspended in the air, collapses under her, and Arcel hurries to receive her.

‘The dark spots on the body are disappearing.’

Alfred looked closely at Stella’s body.

The black spots that started in the abdomen and eroded to the chest disappeared along with the fine particles.

Then, life began to return to Stella’s pale body, and I could confirm that her eyelids twitched.

“…Arcel?”

Then Stella opened her eyes.

“Do you come to your senses? I’m glad, what would I have done if I couldn’t do it with this…”

Arcel let out a sigh of relief as he stroked her chest.

“Why am I… Why am I here…? Why are you here… more than… where are you…?”

Stella came to her senses and looked around her as if she was not yet awake.

Unfamiliar ceiling, unfamiliar furniture, unfamiliar air.

For some reason, this place, more like a morgue than a room, felt peaceful.

“The first is because you are staying illegally in my castle, the second is because you are staying in my castle, and the third is because this is my castle located in the Devil’s Forest.”

“Al, Alfred…?!”

However, I came to my senses at the unwelcome face.

“Stand back, Arcel…! This dangerous guy is me-!”

Stella immediately summons a bow and attaches an arrow to the string.

He wanted to protect Arcel from the most dangerous demons he knew.

“It doesn’t matter if you want to protect your comrades in a cool way… To do so without hiding such a pitiful and weak body is honestly to the point of being pitiful and pitiful.”

“Shut up, Satan! I don’t know what you came to do… Huh?”

At first, Stella was fiercely wary of Alfred.

But for some reason, my body is too cold.

Since there is no sense of the cloth on the skin that I am used to feeling, I carefully look back at myself.

“What, what?!”

I was surprised because I couldn’t be embarrassed.

When I woke up, Alfred was right in front of me, and he even showed off his clean naked body without even wearing underwear.

“Ugh… What the hell are you trying to do to me this time!”

I hurriedly lowered my stance and leaned my body down, but I was already tasting the shame of shame to my heart’s content.

Moreover, even so, Alfred wanted to die because of the fact that he was showing such rudeness even to Arcel.

“I am not interested. Rather than a dwarf like you who can’t tell whether it’s male or female, it’s a much more valuable and interesting creature than a dirty wild dog on the roadside.”

Furthermore, Alfred’s stern and disgusted attitude seemed to cut the strings of reason.

“…What did you just say?”

“I feel sorry for you. In many ways.”

Alfred slowly looked back and forth between Arcel and Stella, then sneered and shook his head.

“This orc’s right fang is worse than the time of the demon…!”

“Come to think of it, you are gentler than an orc. Oh, would that be enough to call it flat?”

“I will blow your head off right now!”

“Calm down for a moment, Stella, it’s a little long to talk. I’ll prepare the clothes right away, so can you wait for me?”

Arsel managed to stop Stella, who was about to rush at her.

Arsel calmed down the growling Stella and decided to talk alone with Alfred for a while.

“…I know you hate elves. However, she hopes not to do that to Stella. She is my dear colleague and friend. She is there and she has many questions to ask, so she wants you to understand.”

It is Arcel who says that he has a headache while rubbing his forehead.

Stella was not just a valuable colleague, but also an important person who could hear the detailed explanation of this incident.

I’m sure the other elves could hear about what happened back home, but Stella was the only one who had any chance of contact with the current human leadership.

Actually, before Stella came to find Arcel, she had contacted the Queen of Hermod Kingdom.

In the first place, she got the location of her Arcel from her.

“Yes, if you are, there is nothing you can do about it. I tried to kick it out as soon as I came to my senses, but I will specifically allow you to stay longer.”

“Thank you. But I know you’re shameless, but can I ask for some clothes to cover you with…?”

Arsel asked cautiously.

“I hate it. Just stay like that.”

Of course, Alfred firmly refused.

Alfred hates elves, but he hates Stella even more.

It was her culprit who blew her own head off, let alone her.

It would be strange to come out favorably in the first place.

“I see, I’m sorry. Come to think of it, it seems that I am trying to receive too much from you. This time I…”

“Wait, are you going to take off your clothes?”

“It can’t be helped. But she can’t even leave her naked. Elves are weak against the cold, but I can withstand it to some extent.”

Alfred was also taken aback by Arcel’s actions.

Alfred had no choice but to touch her forehead as Arcel casually tried to take off her own clothes.

“Your way of dealing with people is stronger than that of the Demon King.”

Reluctantly, Alfred rummaged through the box on his shelf.

I picked a suitable one from there and threw it at Stella.

The thrown clothes hit the face exactly.

“You want to fight now?”

“Put it on, but I’d rather put something on for my eyesight.”

“…These are clothes worn by maids of human nobles.”

“I’m sorry, but there are only clothes like that that fit your body. These are the clothes worn by slaves who served as the devil’s servants in the past. If you don’t like it, just go naked.”

“Kuh…”

In the end, Stella is resentful, but she has no other choice because of the coldness of her room.

For an elf who lives in a warm forest all his life, the cold of the morgue is bound to be burdensome.

“Now, let’s have a cup of hot tea while the dwarf gets dressed. I feel like my eyesight is going to run out if I keep looking at that ugly face.”

“Alfred…”

“Why? I was just expressing my thoughts.”

“If she didn’t quarrel with her as much as possible, she would. And… isn’t this too close?”

“How is it, between us again? We share the same bed anyway, so this is nothing.”

“Yes, but it is also a bit hot. I don’t get cold like this.”

There, Alfred openly embraced Arcel and went outside.

Deliberately explicit word choice is a bonus.

Arsel didn’t feel strange because everything he said was true, but the third person who was listening to the conversation didn’t.

“…What the heck did that damn demon do to that kid?!”

Stella looked at the door the two left with her face flushed red.

Innocent physical contact.

Sharing the same bed.

The reaction of the two people that even that is nothing.

“What the hell happened while I was gone…”

Stella felt as if a wolf had been attached to an innocent girl.

What happened after I went back to my hometown for a while?

†††

“Mi… I’m sorry… I didn’t know that… You…”

After a while, after hearing the circumstances from Arcel, Stella started crying with tears welling up.

That’s what she’s been through.

My colleagues died right in front of my eyes, and I was accused of being the culprit without understanding what had happened.

Despite being praised as a hero, Arcel lived as a fugitive for many years.

What’s more, a terrible curse that gradually ate away at his body.

“Why did I not listen to you and do whatever I want…”

Once I knew all of them, I couldn’t bear to express the pain in my heart.

My chest was stuffy and I was choking.

But even that is not enough.

Compared to the pain she must have suffered after living her whole life to defeat her demon lord, this level of pain was nothing.

They tried to catch her and kill her, calling her a vicious witch.

It was also very horrifying that the method of death penalty was burned at the stake.

Even if she really is the culprit who killed her comrades, how can she be treated so cruelly to a woman who gave her life for her people?

It’s so resentful that it’s terrifying.

Was she all that? As soon as she left, she caught the elves at random and set fire to the forest to annihilate them, which she soon believed.

Stella covered her face, biting her lip.

She really lamented her own stupidity in trusting the words of people she didn’t know much about.

“It’s okay, maybe I did too. But if you understand me, that’s enough.”

“I’m sorry… I’m really sorry…”

“It’s okay.”

Arcel pats Stella on the back.

Even though Arcel went through such pain, far from resenting Stella, she was comforting her.

Stella, who was crying, was even more sorry for her.

“Uhm, always shoot arrows and try to kill. Not too shameless.”

“…The demons.”

But there is someone who blows away all those feelings.

Alfred was uncomfortable with Arcel embracing Stella.

“Alfred, she understands your feelings, but she also had her own misunderstandings.”

“I’m so sorry about that. I’m the one who blew her head off, but no apology? Was it even a lifesaver?”

Alfred shakes his head and rests his chin.

Arcel let out a sigh and smiled bitterly at her.

In the first place, they didn’t get along well from long ago, and their first impressions must have been the worst for each other.

Still, it’s not too late now, so I hoped that the relationship between the two would get better.

“And if you are going to have a conversation, try to be a little more productive. Did you forget I asked you to ask that dwarf?”

“…I know.”

And now that her misunderstandings have been cleared up as much as possible, all she has to do is ask her what Alfred was talking about.

“What is that? Do you have something to ask me?”

Asked Stella, pricking up her ears.

But strangely, Arcel’s expression was not very good.

I know I need to find out, but if possible, I hope it’s not what Alfred expected.

“Stella, before she came looking for me, she said she stopped by Hermod Kingdom.”

“I needed to know where you were. So I asked the Queen of Hermod Kingdom and the man Karkal?”

Arcel closed her eyes tight as if it was painful to speak.

“…Then, have you ever received anything from Hermod Kingdom and ate or drank it?”

Stella pondered, then nodded her head.

“Before I went to visit you, I was blessed and drank a glass of wine. Originally, it was the wine I was supposed to toast with you and the kids…”

A glass containing red wine.

-Sir Stella, I kept it myself. Please, the cup that she couldn’t share with her close friends, even here.-

The Queen had handed the cup to Stella herself.