NOVEL WEB [Translator – Angel Dust]
[Proofreader – Prototype]
Chapter 173
“…What’s with the atmosphere? Did something happen in Hyzens, Eloise?”
“Yes.”
Yes, indeed. And the reason is walking right beside me.
Eloise sighed inwardly.
Karl Adelheit. A man so outstanding that his excellence seems to pierce the heavens.
Meeting him was a stroke of luck from the goddess. The best opportunity she would ever have.
So she grabbed it. She begged him to notice her. She clung to him and wouldn’t let go.
Some might talk about elf pride, but Eloise didn’t care about that.
“Better to be Karl’s second than the wife of some idiotic elf!”
Lavrenti strongly claimed to be second, but that was nonsense.
Eloise was the first to confess her feelings to Karl.
She hadn’t hidden it since the moment they met on the train.
In contrast, Lavrenti only confessed later!
Anyway, Eloise liked Karl. She liked everything about him, every aspect of him.
The only thing that sometimes saddened her was when he would suddenly recall old memories.
“Really? Hmm. I hope we didn’t come at a bad time.”
Or when he would suddenly become clueless, like now.
‘It’s strange. He’s usually so perceptive. Why does he become like this at times like these?’
She wondered if he was doing it on purpose, but he wasn’t the type to be that playful.
So he truly had no idea. He was just speaking without a filter.
‘Idiot. Be aware of your position…!’
Count of Friedrich County. In truth, this title isn’t that significant.
While the Count title isn’t low in the Empire, it’s not overwhelmingly high either.
However, if you focus on ‘Friedrich’ or ‘Adelheit’ instead of ‘Count,’ the evaluation changes completely.
The most prominent aspect is, of course, that it’s the family of the current Crown Princess. The in-laws of the current Crown Prince.
And Karl is the Crown Princess’ brother and the Crown Prince’s brother-in-law. The princess’ uncle.
Although he doesn’t have royal blood, he’s clearly a family member of the imperial family.
This alone is enough for Hyzens to feel pressured.
If anything were to happen, wouldn’t it give the Empire a very tempting excuse?
But it doesn’t end there. Rather, it’s just the beginning.
‘The Empire’s war hero. A monster who received the Medal of Honor twice. And someone who even received the Legion of Honor medal, which we elves are so proud of. That’s Karl.’
In short, it means he could wreak havoc in the Great Forest with just a greatsword.
Even if that doesn’t happen, Karl’s reaction could change the response of the Empire’s military, and the cooperative relationship could turn hostile at any moment. And crucially, he’s a favored individual of the Church. No, not just favored, but practically a saint.
He brings about miracles wherever he goes, so it would be strange if the Church wasn’t obsessed with him.
‘The Church has already been burned by the elves once.’
To be precise, they were burned by the Luzernes elves, but elves are elves in the end.
Things have gotten better now, but in the past, the Church openly rejected elves.
They even went so far as to write in their doctrine at the time, ‘Those who are not human should not receive the teachings of Goddess.’
He’s a favored individual of that very Church. A future saint.
If Karl were to say, ‘Ah, Hyzens is a bit like that,’ the Radiant Church might immediately declare a holy war.
And the Empire, as a partner of the Church, might also pretend to be reluctantly involved.
“Eloise! Do you know anything?! Why is that man entering the Great Forest?!”
“Has anti-elf sentiment grown within the Empire? I haven’t heard of any such things!”
“Quick! Check if we’ve given them a reason they don’t know about! Hurry!”
This was the chaotic scene that unfolded when Eloise personally went to inform them of their arrival.
The higher-ups were still clutching her hands, pleading, ‘Why are you doing this? Please ask your boyfriend! If the Empire is trying to turn us into enemies…!’
This was the state of things. This was the atmosphere. Karl was, quite literally, a massive storm.
“Oh, this place is really pretty, Eloise. Where are we?”
The man himself, Karl, seemed oblivious or unconcerned, but…
“Stop getting distracted and follow me! If you get lost, the Crown Princess will kill me!”
“Do you think my sister is that cruel?!”
That’s because you didn’t see your sister when she was dealing with the Luzernes elves.
Eloise shuddered slightly. She still had nightmares about it sometimes.
When she asked for a watch, Rikata gave Eloise her own wristwatch and asked, ‘Is the watch working alright?’
If a rumor spread that she had caused trouble for Karl?
Eloise was certain that the Crown Princess would throw off her dress, put on her military uniform, and chase after her with a dagger in hand.
“Here it is, Karl.”
Arriving in front of a giant tree, Eloise gave an awkward smile.
Her parents’ house, the place where she was born. But she didn’t have much attachment to it.
She had lived there only until her childhood, then joined the military and stayed there ever since.
She visited occasionally, but only to eat and leave.
‘I did tell them I was coming… Ah, whatever. Let it be.’
BAM!—
“Mom! I’m home! Your daughter has brought you your son-in-law!”
And a moment later.
“Ah, ah! Ouch, Mom! It hurts!”
“I’m hitting you because it hurts. You little…! After years of being away, that’s the first thing you say?! Huh?!”
Eloise was getting smacked on the back, and another elf who looked very similar to her greeted Karl.
* * *
“Oh, Mom. Really. You’re embarrassing me in front of your son-in-law.”
“It is embarrassing. To think I’ve raised a daughter like this for so many years.”
“What’s wrong with me! I’m such a great daughter!”
“Shut your mouth.”
Hmm. Am I visiting my future in-laws, or am I watching a sitcom?
Just as I started to feel mentally confused, Eloise’s mother cleared her throat.
“I’ve heard a lot about you, Karl Adelheit. It’s a pleasure to finally meet you.”
“Ah, yes. It’s nice to meet you too, Mother.”
“Mom, can’t you be a little more casual?”
“You go kneel over there and raise your hands.”
Surely Eloise wouldn’t do that… would she?
“Do I have to stand here for an hour?”
“If you know, then just quietly take your punishment.”
She raised both her hands as if accustomed to it. It was such a practiced pose that I was speechless.
As I blinked in confusion, her mother spoke.
“If you two are happy, I’m fine with it. There’s no need to come all the way here to greet me. Just sending letters occasionally would be enough.”
“But, well… I thought it was proper etiquette, Mother.”
“Is that so? I’m grateful you said that.”
After that, I was able to hear various stories.
Eloise’s father was away due to some circumstances and wouldn’t be back for at least a year.
I wondered what kind of business would take that long, but a year for humans was only a few months for elves, so it wasn’t that surprising.
Besides that, there was one thing Eloise’s mother specifically asked of me.
“But just promise me one thing.”
“Please speak, I’m listening.”
“Not a granddaughter like her, but a grandson like you.”
“…Huh?”
“I guarantee you won’t be able to handle a daughter like her, and I certainly won’t be able to handle a granddaughter like that. Understand?”
Um, well… Mother, I don’t think that’s something I have any control over…
“Oh, Mom! What’s wrong with me!”
“Even your father ran away when he heard you were coming.”
“Oh, come on!”
“…”
When I first visited Eloise’s family home, I expected to be seen as a thief stealing their daughter away, or to feel the awkwardness of them resenting their daughter for abandoning her race for love and going to the Empire.
After all, they’re elves. A race that has always looked down on humans and considered themselves superior.
Since a pure-blooded elf was involved with a human, I expected some negativity.
But there was none of that.
Instead, what did I find? A slightly boisterous, but otherwise ordinary family, no different from any other.
Perhaps that’s why I suddenly found myself laughing.
“Karl?”
Eloise looked at me, and her mother followed her gaze.
“Why are you laughing?”
“Is something wrong?”
“No, Mother. It’s just… Eloise and you have somehow managed to erase the slight suspicion I had.”
Right. Just as there are Kanfras, there are also elves. And among those elves, there are ordinary people too.
I was worried about my future children visiting Hyzens with Eloise, but seeing her family, it seems like I don’t need to worry about that at all.
[Translator – Angel Dust]
[Proofreader – Prototype]