LIGHTNOVELONLINE Chapter 75
“……”
An awkward air flows.
One second feels like one hour.
The distance brushes against the tip of my nose.
In that state, I stiffened while holding Eliya’s waist.
My heart races violently.
‘Just stay still…!’
Despite the noisy turmoil inside, my face is hard as a rock.
I feel like I should say something, but my mouth won’t budge.
Unlike me, Eliya seems calm.
However, for some reason, she keeps staring at me intently.
A faint sweet scent.
Eliya’s unique fragrance.
I should be used to it by now, but I still can’t quite get comfortable.
Especially in situations like this…
“Mew~?”
Yuel suddenly stuck her head in.
She’s questioning why we’re not riding when she’s all set up.
“Ah, um, umm… Yeah, um…”
I hurriedly, but carefully placed Eliya on Yuel’s back.
I gently set her down in a sitting position.
While I’m flustered, Eliya watches me intently with her calm, penetrating gaze.
‘I almost died… I mean, I really almost did… Thanks to Yuel, I’m alive…’
My heart, pounding childishly, just won’t settle down.
Eliya, who had been looking at me, glanced around slowly.
“It’s incredibly high…”
She muttered, gripping the saddle tightly, perhaps feeling uneasy.
“Riding on a creature with free will is incredibly dangerous…”
I couldn’t help but chuckle at this uncharacteristic side of Eliya.
My heart calmed down.
“Is Yuel heavy?”
She cautiously touched Yuel’s horn as if to reassure her.
It felt light when I tried… No, let’s not think about that.
“Don’t worry, she’s fine even carrying a fully armored me.”
“Hmm…”
Eliya still didn’t seem fully reassured, while Yuel appeared a bit excited.
It’s her first time carrying Eliya, so she seemed pleased.
‘Such a cute little thing. I owe my life to you.’
Without Yuel, I would have no idea what to do and would have probably stayed frozen forever.
After petting Yuel’s chin a few times, I stepped into the stirrups.
Holding the saddle, I mounted her.
If I stepped into the stirrups on the other side, the picture would be quite embarrassing.
With Eliya sitting beside me, I’d completely trapped her in my embrace.
Moreover, with my legs spread…
Shaking off those frivolous thoughts, I warned Eliya.
“…It can be dangerous when we run, so hold on tight. You can grab Yuel’s horn, or my arms or body.”
“…Okay.”
“I’m starting now.”
I tapped Yuel’s horn twice.
That was the signal to start.
As soon as Yuel took a step, Eliya shrunk back.
Then she tightly hugged my waist.
‘Sweet thought…’
I began to patrol the surroundings.
I couldn’t find Richard in the forest.
‘If I can’t find him, I’ll have to check the fields and then head back if he’s still not there.’
“I’ll speed up.”
Eliya nodded silently.
Yuel began to run.
Eliya held onto my waist tightly and went stiff.
‘It’s scary since it’s her first time.’
Yuel dashed through the forest rapidly.
She easily maneuvered through the thick trees, a skill no ordinary horse could replicate.
I was scared at first too.
I was so anxious about crashing into a tree.
Now I’ve gotten used to it.
I wrapped one arm around Eliya’s waist, letting her lean against me.
Not that I had other intentions. Truly.
Yuel surged forth out of the forest.
Soon, a wide plain would be revealed.
I would often take Yuel for walks to distant places whenever I had time to spare.
I wanted to see the majestic natural sights that were hard to find in my original home.
I hoped Eliya could see that too.
She was hugging me tightly and had her eyes closed, perhaps feeling scared.
“Lady.”
As I quietly called her, she slowly lifted her head.
Her eyes silently asked why I called.
“Look ahead.”
“…Ahead?”
I simply nodded.
With a puzzled look, she glanced at me before turning her head forward.
Just then, Yuel dashed between the trees and leaped over the underbrush.
Bright light pierced her eyes.
*
Pop—!
As we burst through the bushes, light poured in like the world itself opened up, revealing the landscape.
Amidst the fluttering black hair in the wind, Eliya’s eyes widened in astonishment.
The sprawling plain swayed gently with the breeze.
It stretched flatly without any obstacles.
The sky was meeting the horizon.
Fresh, green air filled my lungs.
The breeze brushed against my face coolly, while my body felt warm.
It could be due to Jude holding her.
Or because of her leaning against Jude.
Both are true.
Her shape in the moment was exactly so.
In front of the vast plains, she couldn’t express any sentiment.
‘…Color.’
Colors unfolded over the gray landscape.
Vivid hues danced in the breeze.
Her vision was filled with two colors.
Green fields and blue skies.
Occasional small white clouds scattered.
Wildflowers sprang up here and there.
It wasn’t that Eliya had never seen colors.
It’s just that she had deemed everything meaningless and accepted her own perception of colorlessness.
However, wrapped in Jude’s arms and riding on Yuel in this moment, she could clearly recognize the colors.
The beautiful spectacle, more radiant than any artwork she studied for culture’s sake, displayed its own light and color right in front of her.
Unknowingly, tears flowed as Eliya absorbed the scenery.
Every breath filled her chest with overwhelming emotion.
With the speed crossing the fields, the cool wind rushed and scattered around.
Eliya recalled various expressions related to sensations.
Seeing, hearing, smelling, feeling.
None of them could adequately explain this situation.
Her bright mind quickly found the fitting answer.
Embracing.
In this moment, Eliya held that instant tightly in her heart.
All of it—seen, heard, smelled, felt on her skin.
Cherishing it, as if recalling the memories of childhood.
Those days spent with her mother.
She felt like she would bookmark this day in her memory and unfold it again later on.
*
Eliya held me with one arm, while her other hand secured her fluttering hair.
She carefully took in the slowly unfurling landscape.
I caught a glimpse of her profile.
Her round cheeks slightly puffy on her face.
Her large, red eyes captured the essence of nature’s greenery.
For some reason, tears flowed from those eyes.
Slowly blinking, she opened her mouth.
“Jude.”
I quickly interrupted.
“Don’t say anything. Beginners can easily bite their tongues if they’re not careful.”
I didn’t always have horseback riding skills from the beginning.
In fact, I had bitten my tongue several times when I first rode Yuel.
Eliya didn’t respond.
She simply gazed ahead quietly, then placed her hand that was securing her hair on top of my hand.
That simple gesture felt as if a certain message was conveyed.
We remained quiet for a while.
Riding Yuel, we simply crossed the fields.
*
In the end, I couldn’t find Richard and ended up just sightseeing the plains with Eliya.
Surprisingly, Eliya seemed to be enjoying it.
I slowed Yuel’s pace to allow us to leisurely observe the surroundings.
With soft steps, we walked slowly across the fields.
Eliya, who was clinging to me, observed the meadow with her big eyes, like a cat gazing out the window.
She didn’t ask to go back or questioned why we were slow.
I had never seen Eliya like this before.
Leisurely, quietly appreciating something.
Eliya was always composed.
Her calmness unique to someone in power shone through.
However, it didn’t seem like she was genuinely at ease.
Though I didn’t know the full story.
Leaning on me with one arm and looking out onto the meadow, she appeared strangely peaceful.
Her expression differed from the usual.
I was admiring her, not just the scenery.
Her graceful nose, small but full lips.
The baby fat still remaining on her cheeks.
Her sparkling red eyes were deep.
Her personality changing contributed, but overall she seemed rounder than the Eliya I had once worried about.
“That one.”
While staring at something, Eliya pointed with her finger.
There, a yellow flower bloomed.
“Do you want it?”
“Yeah.”
I walked closer to the flower and told Yuel.
“Please pluck just one.”
Yuel gently pushed the flower down with her face and then broke the stem close to the roots and handed it to me.
It was almost undamaged, as if a person had plucked it.
“Good job. Thank you.”
“…Is she really that smart?”
Eliya mostly sees Yuel only in the stable.
She didn’t get many opportunities to witness how intelligent she is.
As I handed the flower to Eliya, I said, “Of course. You’ll be surprised sometimes while hanging out together. She’s quite clever and helpful.”
“Hmmm… You seem to know her well.”
“You’ll get to know her better during your walks with Yuel.”
“I’m not really….”
Eliya trailed off while staring at the flower.
I kept quiet too.
As I talked, I felt a little embarrassed, almost like an overly proud parent bragging about their child.
‘But it’s true that she’s smart…’
I subtly changed the subject.
“What kind of flower is this?”
“Marigold.”
I didn’t expect her to actually know.
Eliya, fiddling with the marigold, placed it behind her ear.
Looking up at me with a slight smile.
She always had that gentle smile for me.
The reason it felt different than before is probably just my mood.
She hadn’t changed at all.
*
“Ugh, I’m done with this!”
Richard shouted irritably.
He’d given up counting how many days into the exam it was.
“Where the hell is he! Ugh! I’m done, I mean, I can’t do this!”
He checked his map, searching desperately.
In the end, he had come across various creatures.
Goblin communities in caves.
Deserters hiding in the forest.
Who knows where they belong or what missions they have, but a covert squad of some secret organization.
And so on.
None of those captured had any holy relics.
It was exhausting.
“I don’t know. I’ll just aim for the next trial. Something will work out.”
It would be better if the mission was just to catch a random monster outright.
He really hated this.
Giving up, Richard mounted his horse.
He headed straight back toward the mansion.
Passing through the forest, he would soon emerge onto a wide plain.
There, he saw something.
“…Huh? What’s that?”
He spotted a leisurely strolling deer.
On its back, there was someone riding.
“That’s Jude!”
Something dangled from the deer’s side.
A pale round object.
The sun symbol that supports them.
‘Just as I thought, it’s you again.’
I had expected this.
That exceptional junior always succeeds.
It’s not that he never fails.
He loses sometimes, and he messes up too.
But Jude never crumbles.
He always achieves what he aims for in the end.
Sometimes it’s oddly amazing.
After all, Jude isn’t exactly the type with sharp wit like himself.
Yet occasionally, Jude displayed terrifyingly quick thinking.
‘Let’s catch up and chat… Wait? Who’s that?’
As Richard approached, he noticed something strange.
Jude wasn’t alone.
Someone was nestled in his arms.
‘A girl? Who’s…’
He recognized her instantly.
Eliya.
She was leaning against Jude.
The way they clung to each other looked quite affectionate.
‘…Huh, just look at them. Acting all coy while being so obvious. What a couple.’
Moreover, Eliya wore a yellow flower in her hair and smiled at Jude.
Her typically cold and sharp demeanor changed only when she was with Jude.
‘Ugh… both of them are just so frustrating.’
How long are they going to keep tiptoeing around each other?
Besides feeling frustrated, Richard chuckled mischievously.
He now had enough material to tease Jude when he returned.
Richard turned his horse’s head.
He did so to avoid interrupting their time together.
‘Well then, is this finally it for the first time?’
That guy managed to achieve what he really wanted.
He even earned the title of Eliya’s first knight protector before it was officially announced.
Richard was sure of it.