chapter 30
Her red hair, like Erina’s, and her eyes filled with bravery.
However, it was creating a slightly different atmosphere from the person I knew.
He was taller and taller than he was originally, and he had a mature appearance for several years, as if a young man in his student days had grown into a full-fledged adult.
Even the eyes filled with bravery and confidence conveyed a feeling of tiredness and exhaustion that conveyed a sense of honor, mission, and the weight of the present, rather than the clear energy that came from the confidence of an unknown basis in the pure days.
elbert robias
In the game I was playing, when I chose the gender of the main character as a man, it was the name the main character used.
And he appeared in front of me as the brother of the protagonist when a man with that name chose his gender as a woman.
In simple terms, it means that two main characters coexist under the same sky in my sight now.
Faced with the chaos in a normal accident, my head was complicated and I felt dizzy.
The introduction of the male protagonist once again disrupted my plans for my journey.
As his presence appeared, thoughts continued to run through my mind.
Until now, I believed that she was the only protagonist and supported Erina’s future, but when another protagonist appeared like this, I was not even impressed with what to do now.
I couldn’t anticipate how his presence would affect my journey, so I felt a bit wary.
“Does anyone know of an adventurer named Erina? I’ve heard that they are active in this guild.”
In the midst of desperately changing their thoughts, when a polite yet somewhat heavy voice was heard, all the adventurers in this guild hall stopped their horses and began to remain silent.
There was a sense of danger in the silence that came in an instant, and even though there was no particular reason, I instinctively felt that I should not let Erina out in front of him right now.
“Ha… Oppa… As if you were catching a heinous criminal, if you drag the soldiers along and catch such a heavy atmosphere, will you lose your desire to come out?”
However, without any warning, Erina sighed deeply and appeared in front of him.
Contrary to the current atmosphere that Elbert is brewing, he stretches his waist like a grown-up younger brother who treats his immature older brother.
“Erina?!”
Then, the older brother who found his younger brother, and another protagonist, opens his eyes when he finds her.
Erina also showed a bit of embarrassment as if it was a slightly unexpected reaction, but…
“Oh!! It’s been a while, my little brother! Is this the first time since you left home?!”
But soon after, he greets Erina with a lively tone and a bright smile that makes others other than herself feel tired.
“What, you made a serious expression and thought something was wrong…”
He hangs his shoulders as if he is out of breath and makes a refreshing expression.
“In a way, it’s wrong, because despite what the head of the family said, he made the family wasteland because of his personal freedom.”
The content of the words seems quite serious, but in a light tone, it approaches like a joke.
“I want to work for adventure…. This is my vocation, as it proves that I’ve grown up to be a full-fledged adventurer, not a weak girl who only talks about it now.”
I earnestly ask for it, but my brother smiles awkwardly as if he wants to tell him that he can’t do anything on his own.
“But you have to obey your father’s orders to bring you along, you know? No matter how much the family goes against the will of the head of the family, annoying things happen one after another.”
Instead of persuading her, he wanted to negotiate in the line of concession as much as possible.
“Once you return to your hometown and talk to your parents well, there might be a possibility. This oppa will also stand by your side.”
He rolled his eyes with a look of dissatisfaction with Elbert’s words, but he nodded his head reluctantly, sighing as if he had given up.
“Okay… I’ll follow you, but there’s a condition.”
Hearing that, Elbert asked ‘Conditions?’ ‘ and tilted her head, she pointed at me with the tip of her thumb.
“I want this man here to invite us to our house as well, his name is Harold Wicker. A colleague who has been with me on adventures.”
Then, Elbert’s gaze turned to me, and he began to observe carefully.
“Are you a boyfriend?! That would be welcome!”
To such a confident question, Erina also answered with a small smile full of confidence.
“A wife, not a boyfriend?”
Then he smiled even more and nodded with satisfaction.
Erina over there…? Why are you introducing me like that…?
No… Elbert’s gaze at me was strangely filled with affection.
“Hahahaha! Then did I say Harold? Why don’t you come to our hometown together? Our family is kind to customers regardless of status.”
It was a moment, but the atmosphere of Elbert seemed to be the cheerful, naive, and overly positive male protagonist I knew, and no matter how mentally mature he was, his essence did not change as if he had transformed into the atmosphere I knew, and I naturally felt relieved.
“Are you okay Harold?”
Having already committed it, he grabs my hand late and looks at me with a serious face.
“……”
To be honest, the answer I gave was decided from the beginning.
For Erina, who has already awakened her powers, the development team in the game will be able to overcome the ordeal given by her family without difficulty…
“I can’t do it without you…”
Still, it would be a good choice for me to go with you, who knows how the case unfolds and how to solve it.
The story would not progress without Erina in the first place, so there was nothing I could do if I had to send it alone.
“Okay, if you want.”
He smiled happily at those words and grabbed my hand.
“Okay, then, now that we’ve decided what to do, let’s head to the Lovias family’s mansion.”
He moves as he sees Elbert’s back as he leaves the building, beckoning us to follow him.
However, there was one thing that took a while.
Elbert’s mood was very exhilarating.
Until then, the atmosphere was similar to the first impression with a simple reaction, but when Erina introduced me, I started to feel like a ghost, and showed excessive emotions as if a wish I had so longed for had come true.
“……”
Elbert, as I began to wonder why the male protagonist in the game was reacting like that, an unfamiliar feeling of anxiety began to creep in.
◆◆◆
“Come on, we’ve arrived! Welcome to our home!”
When the carriage stopped, Elbert got off the carriage first, bowing his head elegantly with high tension like a host introducing a musical.
I was really crazy wondering what factors made people so excited.
“Still, I’m glad that my brother and Harold get along well.”
As a result of sitting and talking for quite a while while coming here, the emotions I could feel from Elbert were regret and sympathy.
As I said before, after Erina introduced me, the image of Elbert, armed with the lively and unfounded confidence and optimism I knew, was conveyed, but it was a pity that he had a grown physique that was so different from the one depicted in the game, and the tiredness felt from laughter. .
It was like seeing an innocent child dreaming of many dreams and smiling all the time, and then intuiting how the child grew up, lamenting about the world, and becoming an office worker who is drenched in reality every day.
It’s as if you’ve gone through the life story before coming to this world in an instant, and various emotions are mixed to make you laugh.
And I found out about Elbert.
I was so curious about what kind of life he was leading, so he seemed to have continued the offensive of questions for quite some time.
As he is another main character in the game, I wondered what kind of journey he had, and I looked to see if he was really the main character and whether he could influence my journey in the future.
As for the conclusion… I thought it would be okay not to worry about it.
As if the existence of the main character exists only as a business card, only the appearance and name of the male protagonist are the same. It was all about ascending to an honorable and glorious position.
At first, another main character appeared and I was very confused, but for now, I thought it would be okay to not be too wary.
There may be something in the future, but for now, it seemed that I had to go with her, focusing only on Erina, where the main story flows around her, befitting her identity as the main character.
“How about Harold? How do you feel about seeing our mansion?”
Erina, who leans her back lightly and sticks her head out to me, smiles lightly as if answering a question.
It’s a place I’ve seen before in a game, so I’m not very impressed, but seeing and experiencing it myself are completely different things.
It’s a new feeling, but coming to a place that I’ve only seen in games gives me a new feeling, and unlike what I’ve seen before, I’ve been told that I’m tired to some extent as I try to walk in a place that is so wide.
“I think it would be really annoying to try to take a walk in this wide place.”
I try to relieve the tension as much as possible while smiling at the slightly joking answer.
Now Erina was a bit nervous.
That said, the place where you are right now is not a very good feeling because you are in the den of a family who dramatically opposes your will.
Still, after reading that, I try my best to control my mood because I am afraid that I will be worried.
As we approached the front door, the employees who were waiting as if they were waiting took our turn with dignified movements and slowly opened the front door.
“Huh, it’s better because it’s inside, it’s getting hotter these days, so it’s hard to keep wearing such bulky and colorful armor.”
As soon as they enter the mansion, Elbert wipes the sweat from his forehead and complains.
However, I can understand the sentiment, even as I wear plain leather clothes, it feels quite hot, but if you are the commander of a knight and continue to wear the armor that symbolizes the knights, I think it would be difficult even for me.
The stronger the armor, the less air is passed through it because it is designed to show as little gaps as possible.
“Ugh…”
To me, even imagining it was like getting heat stroke.
As soon as you step inside, the cool sensation makes you feel better.
I don’t know how the air-conditioning system works in this world… are you using magic to cool the room?
With that in mind, I am going to follow Elbert who is leading the way.
“It’s been a while, my daughter, you look so ugly wearing it.”
Then, as he heard a voice of naked displeasure from the top of the stairs, he looked up and saw a woman in a red dress looking down with bitter eyes.
“mother….”
Then Erina’s words, which seemed to be talking while chewing her tongue, resounded, and the atmosphere of the place fell in an instant.
It was the person Erina called her mother who was the first to open her mouth after an endless snow fight with each other.
“Kashina left the house holding a sword that didn’t suit her, but she lost her manners and came back, so will she be able to get married?”
She blatantly hated her and scoffed at her daughter, but despite such swearing, Erina was rather confident.
“I want to work on this adventure, I want to go through it with this wonderful colleague forever.”
For a moment, it felt like something severe sparked, but I gave her a look of resentment, but it was quickly removed, and the Madame, who had been looking at me with suspicious eyes for a long time, immediately asked me a question.
“How do you feel about Erina?”
Usually, asking for self-introduction is the first thing, but Erina’s mother spit out such a question out of the blue.
What thoughts do I have for Erina…
I look back on my head, finish organizing my thoughts, and open my mouth.
“No, it’s okay if you don’t say it, because I think you’ll understand even if you don’t listen.”
Personally, I was a little offended when he asked me for nothing and said things like that in a way that made me feel bad.
“I apologize if I’m offended, because I’m at a sensitive time right now. As a guest and as Erina’s best friend, I have to treat it with respect.”
Then, snapping his fingers, the butlers and maids that appeared from nowhere approached us and separated me, Elbert, and Erina.
“Since we have to talk for a while between mother and daughter, is it okay if we have some time alone for the two of us?”
If I had already tried to implement it as an action and the owner of this place had said such a thing, there was nothing I could do about it.
Cobain’s eyes open something…. The first impression of Madame is very unpleasant, but this is a devil’s edit, and from memory, it may be natural to show this attitude.
I don’t know the exact reason, but first of all, she had her own reasons…
So, for now, you have to quietly obey her words.
“I don’t have any conversations with my mother.”
But Erina had a different idea and tried to resist.
“You dare to go against my will?”
At those words, Erina was making an impression as if the painful memories of the past stabbed her body, but as soon as she lost her will to resist like magic, she lowered her head.
“eww….”
Erina groaned and started to climb the stairs, but as a foreigner, there was nothing I could do right now.
“Then why don’t Harold spend some time with me? There’s something we want to do together.”
And, as if I was on the brink of a disaster, I lost my way even more in the mood of Elbert, who was trying to convince me as if he was somehow responding to Madame’s opinion.
“Yeah, then I’ll do that…”
Eventually, Erina followed her mother to the end of the hallway leading to the stairs, and I followed Elbert to the other side.
will you be okay…?
As it is a story that only comes to mind in a fragmentary way, I felt anxious because of the unclear information, and I was also worried because there was no guarantee that the game would proceed as the game progressed.
But… since they’ve already split up, I had no choice but to pray that she could do well.
Please, I hope the next time you see Erina’s face, you will have a bright smile.
◆◆◆
Following Elbert, they arrived at a large garden.
However, if you are a bit puzzled, Elbert’s expression is not as good as before, and that the garden he arrived at was designed like a stadium.
“Mr. Elbert? Why did you bring me here?”
Carefully asking about his thoughts, he was doing something without saying a word.
“……”
As I was rummaging through a certain box, it was so serious that I was swept away by the atmosphere without even realizing it, and even my forced smile disappeared.
swish!
Then he took something out of the locker and threw it at me…
chuck!
The object flew in a precise circle and landed right in front of me.
And the thing Elbert threw was…
“Grab that sword.”
It was an ordinary looking real sword.
“Yes Yes….?”
My head is tilted at such a sudden development.
Elbert didn’t appear in the actual game, so we could be sure that these events didn’t exist either.
“Let’s compete with me once.”
He also grabs his sword and begins to take a stance with the energy of the joke disappearing.
I really don’t understand why this is happening all of a sudden.
oh oh oh….
The feeling of living from afar, the defensive instinct was activated and he had to hold the sword.
“Mr. Elbert…? Why are you suddenly like this…?”
I cautiously ask him a question, but silence comes back.
Elbert, who is ready to rush to me, quietly sentences me.
“This is a test, to judge whether you are worthy to be with Erina.”
Elbert’s blade, which slammed the ground and jumped at me, narrowed my vision in an instant.
“I’ll deal with you with all my might.”
Clearly, even though I have a transcendent sense in terms of speed, the blade is approaching so quickly that I cannot react.