I Am Afraid But I Will Take One Step
“If I’m not wrong, you’re……”
“Yo, noble-sama. So, what’s the situation here?”
I hid behind Egil-san’s back after Egil-san made Sevreschaff release my hand that he’s grabbing.
A large and warm back.
And before I know it, the old man who was standing at my back had disappeared.
Only three of us are here; Egil-san, me, and Sevreschaff.
“Situation? Fuu, I, who’s the owner, merely came to pick that slave up!”
I wanted to plug my ears up upon hearing Sevreschaff’s angry voice.
But I grabbed tightly and didn’t let go of the back of Egil-san who’s standing in front and protecting me.
An absolute sense of security calms my heart.
“I think she’s not an object though?”
“Fuu, what ‘she’s not an object’. You also purchased her as a slave, didn’t you”
“Aah, I did purchase her as a slave. However, I’ve not treated her as an object even once. I intend to interact with her as fellow humans”
Those words, are the words that I always wanted to be told by somebody.
Egil-san said that I, who should’ve been living a life being treated as a slave forever, am a human.
Whether it’s the truth or a lie, I don’t know about that. But I was happy about those words.
“Those are just pretty words! You’ve also bought a slave once before, right!? Absolute obedience to yourself and you’re allowed to do whatever to them, that’s a slave! You can do whatever you want to a slave!”
“……I guess it’s because people like you exist that there are slaves who go down the wrong path huh”
Egil-san lets go of my hand and walks forward.
As he approached Sevreschaff, one step, after another, the powerless Sevreschaff, looked over the vicinity.
“O, oi! Is there nobody around! Protect me, oii!”
“If it’s your companions-san then didn’t they already went back? The old man butler-san just now, right?”
“Guu……oi, Riubet! Quickly come out!”
However, nobody responses.
“‘Riubet’, is the old man who’s around until just now huh. He’s exceptional. He has the brain to judge an opponent’s strength”
Hearing those words, Sevreschaff, who understood why the people disappeared from the vicinity, winces.
“Riubet……don’t tell me, he escaped? Le, leaving me behind……? That’s impossible! I’m Rayfolf family’s heir, you know!? Lik, like something that absurd will happen! Something like the butler abandoning meーー”
“It just means that you’re only a human of that calibre after all. It poses no problem even if you’re left alone hereーーof course, even if I killed you, got it?”
Nobody will come and save him.
Sevreschaff pointed at Egil-san while he moved both legs that weakly trembled to the back.
“Do, do you know wh, what will happen if you lay your hands on me!? I’m a noble! The likes of you Adventurersーー”
“Aah, quests ordered by nobles-sama are precious. So you don’t lay your hands on nobles-sama. That’s the rule of this world, yeah?”
“Th, that’s right. Try laying your hands on me……I, I’ll tell papa! Papaーー”
In that instant, Egil-san had pulled Sevreschaff’s collar towards himself and punched him off his feet.
“I’m an S Rank Adventurer. I ain’t gonna have any trouble living just from being hated by you alone”
Sevreschaff, who was blown away, isn’t moving at all.
And then the Ojii-san1Old man2, who should’ve vanished, appeared from Sevreschaff’s shadow all of a sudden.
“Shadow ArtistShadow‘s occupation huh”
“I was also an Adventurer in the past so I’m bestowed with Divine Power Stone’s power”
“I see. But you couldn’t have come here to retaliate at this point in time, right? Riubet-san?”
“Eeh, since this master, is no longer necessary”
“……It means, that fellow has lost his value?”
To Egil-san’s question, the Ojii-san who’s called ‘Riubet-san’ was looking at Sevreschaff with unfeeling eyes.
“That is right. In the Rayfolf family, there are two brothers who are younger than Sevreschaff-sama. It seems the Oodannsama3大旦那: Oodanna. It’s a way of calling the master’s father4 will entrust the taking over to his two sonsーーso Sevreschaff-sama, is not needed anymore”
He said that and Sevreschaff, who’s collapsed, stood up with legs like that of a baby deer while bleeding from his mouth.
“Wa, wait, a minute……Riubet, I, I’m not needed?
Did Pa, Papa, Papa said that I’m not needed!?”
“Eeh, that is right. He has let Sevreschaff-sama play around as Sevreschaff-sama pleased until now, but the recent Sevreschaff-sama has gone slightly overboard. It seems Oodannsama no longer cares even if you do not come back”
“Th, that’s impossible! Impossible, impossible, impossible! There’s no way Papa will abandon me! I mean, I’m Rayfolf family’s eldest son andーー”
“It is because you have been abandoned that I am the only one who is working as your escort”
It’s the first time I’ve seen Sevreschaff’s flustered expression.
Come to think of it, there are always a lot of butlers around Sevreschaff.
But now, there’s only Riubet.
“I thought I shall have you disappear after letting you meet Serinsan one final time, but too bad huh…….with this, it is farewell”
“One final time……what do you mean one final time!? Answer me, Riubet! What do you mean one final time!?”
“It means exactly as it sounds. It seems Oodannsama does not have the intention to have a slouch, who only tyrannizes slaves, in the house anymore. That is your Otou-sama’s5Father6 order”
And then Riubet-san bowed his head at Egil-san.
“Well then, we will be off. I suppose we will not meet again. Take care”
“N, no, I’mーー”
Sevreschaff was punched in the abdomen, lost consciousness, and taken away by Riubet-san as it is.
It’s over. It’s finally over.
My tears came overflowing when I thought about that.
“E, Egil-san……I, I……”
“Sorry, I didn’t notice it immediately. But you don’t have worry anymore. Because we will protect you”
I embraced him while my tears are flowing upon hearing those words.
He’s so scary with his stern features are his large body. But both his personality and smile are gentle, and his large body has magnanimity.
It’s against the rules. Something like this is against the rules.
I didn’t shake them off, his hands that softly hugged me back.
I hate men and yet, just for now, I want to stay like this, I was able to think that way.
“Egil-sama, we are garnering a little bit too much attention. Can we quickly leave this place?”
Eleanor looked at us and said.
And then, she smiled happily at me, who’s embracing Egil-san.
The three of us came back.
“Hah……I wonder why”
I sighed feebly while entering the bath alone.
The reason for that is what happened on the way back.
I dived into Egil-san’s chest from the front and embraced him, and yet I couldn’t even walk beside him on the way back.
Eleanor was walking on his right side and even though I could’ve just walked on his leftーーas I thought, I had the fear.
“Aah geez! I’m an idiot, idiot idiot idiot!”
Even though I thought I can finally reduce the distance with Egil-san…….
I, who’s never been treated gently by the opposite gender until now, am simple. Because I instantly fell for Egil-san who gently saved me just once.
I have plenty of reasons if I look for it, like being done in by the gap between his scary face yet his gentle personality, like how he affirmed my existence that’s being denied.
Like Eleanor, I want him to make me happy as well……that’s, what I think.
And yetーーI’m afraid to get close to him.
I want to like him, from the bottom of my heart.
But the scar I received gets in the way.
Although I want to trust, I’m terrified of trusting and being betrayed.
ーーIsn't it manlier to trust and be betrayed than to live in distrust?
The words that came up in the story of Egil-san’s past.
But I’ll surely not have the self-confidence to be able to live as a human anymore if I’m betrayed by Egil-san.
That’s why, it’s scary to trust people.
“However, I have to talk to him properly”
I’ve still only thanked him while I’m crying.
That’d be rude to Egil-san.
I wear a pink pyjamas that has fluffy fur attached to it and go back.
And then, I overheard their conversation.
“ーーWhat shall we do?”
“Yeah. We’ll head off to the quest after two weeks and we can’t bring along Serina, who isn’t an Adventurer”
“It is a pity but we have no choice but to have somebody we are able to trust, take care of her”
“I wonder if that’ll also be the best decision for her sake”
“For just a short while, I think it is better to do that. If Egil-sama and I are gone, she will be by herself again. When we do, we do not know who she will be targetted by again……”
“Although it’s a pity, that’s the only thing we can do”
Their conversation accelerated my heartbeat.
I’d known that it’ll end up like this. Although I’d known, there’s a part somewhere in my heart that is feeling at ease.
“I’ll, be separated from the two of them…..”
I understand that that’s the best for both their sakes.
However…….
“Eleanor……”
“Serina, what is the matter?”
Egil-san is sleeping in his own room and I stopped Eleanor who’s about to enter his room.
I wonder if……she’s thinking of, doing lewd things as well today.
“……Um, uh”
I have to say it.
If I don’t say it here, I will be alone again.
Say it, I’m gonna say it. My feelings.
“Just for today, I want you to not sleep together with Egil-sama……”
“……Eeh, okay”
“Eh, you’re okay with it?”
I didn’t think she would answer immediately without even asking the reason.
However, she moved away from the room’s door and tilted her head while voicing out softly.
“You have something to talk to Egil-sama about, right?”
“How, did you know that?”
“Well, I can tell. Because Serina is my one and only friend”
“I, see……”
My face turned bright red when I was told those embarassing words right in front of me.
And then, she hugged me tightly.
“If you’re afraid of men, you can just think of Egil-sama alone as a special existence. Like me, Egil-sama alone is special……. But if it’s still impossible, then you don’t have to rush it. Take it slowly, okay?”
“……Fufu. I didn’t think I’ll be told that by Eleanor. Will Eleanor, be with Egil-san your entire life?”
Although I already know the answer, Eleanor made a broad smile when I asked her that.
“I talked about it when I met Serina, right? About how I will marry the person who I gave my first time. So for me, there’s only Egil-sama”
“I see……you’ve decided huh”
“What will Serina do?”
I’ll, that’s right…….
“I’m still afraid of men. But if it’s Egil-san, ‘I’m fine with giving him my first time’ーーthe day that I can come to think that way might come. It’s impossible for it to be right away but……one day, yeah. So I, want to take that first step forward”
“Eeh, then I will lend Egil-sama to you for just one day”
Eleanor, who moved away from me, looked slightly disappointed.
“I’ll have to hold back on today’s sex huh. Hah……I’m sexually frustrated so it feels like I’m going to soak the bed I lent from Serina”
“I won’t forgive you if you do anything weird, alright”
“Fufu, I got it. It is a joke. Well then”
Good night.
Eleanor said that and went into the room that I was sleeping in.
“Thank you, Eleanor”
I knocked on Egil-san’s room’s door.
“Nn, Eleanor?”
“I’m coming in”
I open the door and my eyes met with Egil-san who laid on the bed.
It’s happening again, my body is trembling from the fear again.
However, I’m gonna walk. For the sake of reducing the distance with Egil-san, and also for the sake of my future.
“……Is it alright for me to talk to you, for just a bit?”
I sat on the foot of the bed when I walked all the way to the bed that Egil-san was lying on.