Chapter 2: The Name of That Emotion is "Jealousy"

About a week has passed since then.

I’ve gradually gotten used to the village. As for what I do, I spend my days leisurely—taking walks, going into the forest to gather herbs and wild vegetables, and helping the Protectors hunt monsters. However, there is one thing different about this week compared to before.

I’ve started spending a lot more time with Sarona-san. She’s busy, so apparently she can’t come by that frequently, but during her free time, she often stays with me. Whenever Sarona-san and I are together, you can usually spot a familiar scene: the twins hanging back behind us, watching over us as if chaperoning. Well, eventually Siena-chan finishes her chores at home and comes charging in, so we all just end up hanging out together anyway, but…

Also, by this time, even I had finally realized my own feelings. That I was attracted to Sarona-san…

However, since there’s no way such a beauty would fall for someone like me, I had absolutely no intention of telling anyone. Yet, for some reason, the twins and Siena-chan had completely seen through me. Am I really that easy to read?

The twins said they would help me, constantly finding some excuse to leave Sarona-san and me alone together. As for Siena-chan, she declared, “If it’s Sarona-onee-chan, I’ll allow it!” and started cooperating with the twins. I’m happy about everyone’s feelings, but will things really go that smoothly?

Then, one night after everyone had started helping me out, Sarona-san came to the twins’ house. She had a stern look on her face and just silently drank a small amount of the alcohol she brought. She looked like she was brooding over something. Even when I called out to her, she just said, “It’s nothing…” and when I asked the twins, they wouldn’t tell me anything either. I wondered what in the world was going on… I found out the answer the next day.

When I woke up the next morning, the twins, who were usually there, were nowhere to be seen. With Meal perched on top of my head, I stepped outside, tilting my head in confusion. I noticed the elves in the other houses all looking toward a single point. Following their gaze, I saw a large number of elves gathered in a circle in the open area at the center of the village. Is something about to happen?

I jumped down from the house, landed, and approached the circle. I spotted the familiar twins in the crowd, so I went over and called out to them. “Good morning, Yuyuna, Ruruna. Also, what is this? What’s going on? Did something happen?” “Hm? Oh, you’re up. Good morning. What’s going on is exactly what it looks like.” No, I’m asking because I don’t know…

Turning my gaze toward the center again, I noticed a man and a woman facing off inside the circle. One was Sarona-san, and the other was Gazna. Sarona-san was glaring fixedly at Gazna with a severe expression, while Gazna, subjected to her glare, was smirking with a sneer. Their positioning made them look exactly like duelists about to fight.

“That bastard Gazna…” “Hm?” “That bastard Gazna challenged Sarona to a match, betting the position of the top Protector. And on top of that, he had the nerve to set the condition that the loser has to leave this village.” “Huh? Leave the village? Given this situation, does that mean Sarona-san already accepted?” Somehow, I couldn’t quite believe Ruruna’s words.

“Yeah… It seems Sarona agonized over it quite a bit. She came to our house last night, right? She came to steel her resolve one last time. It’s true that Gazna is an infuriating bastard, but even so, all the elves in this village are like family. We can’t survive in the forest unless we trust each other and strengthen our bonds… Yet Gazna showed his resolve that he might leave the village to the Village Chief, forcibly dragging Sarona out here.” “Sarona initially refused, saying she couldn’t accept a match with such conditions, but Gazna wouldn’t back down… Even though he’s like that, he’s still an elf from our village, so she tried to settle things peacefully, but… Since this is a problem between us elves… you must absolutely not interfere, Wazu!”

Hmm… I see… Wait, why did I just get warned? It’s a duel, right? You clearly explained it, I’m not going to get in the way! Well, if Sarona-san’s life is in danger, I’ll fully intervene even if I get yelled at… naturally, right?

Although I accepted the twins’ explanation for now, given the ugly smirk and malice I felt from Gazna, I couldn’t help but feel that this situation was exactly what Gazna wanted. And if that’s true… the fact that this stage has been set means Gazna is fully prepared to defeat Sarona-san. For some reason, I suddenly felt incredibly uneasy about the outcome of this match…

“Now then, with mutual consent from both parties, we shall commence the duel for the position of top ‘Protector’ of this village!” Several elderly elves emerged from the circle, standing halfway between Sarona-san and Gazna, and spoke loudly enough for the surrounding elves to hear. “Both of you, there are no objections to consenting to this duel, correct?” “…Yes.” “Yeah!”

Yuyuna and Ruruna informed me that the elf who just spoke was the Chief of this village.

“Umu… Then, I shall now cast a barrier over this area, and you shall decide the victor within it. This barrier is set so that even if magic is used inside, it will cause no harm to the surroundings. However, as you can see, consider that all our brethren gathered around are watching to ensure neither of you commits foul play. If foul play occurs, the barrier will be instantly dispelled, and that person will forfeit the match on the spot. Regarding anything other than that, we shall not interfere in any way.” “Yes.” “I know…” “Then, you two shall decide the conditions for victory.”

“…Since the condition that the loser must leave the village has already been set, I have no intention of taking Gazna’s life.” “How kind of you… Well, it’s not like I want your life either, Sarona! Then how about this? Whoever’s spirit breaks, whoever says the classic ‘I give up’ and surrenders, loses. How does that sound?” “…Understood. That is fine.”

Upon Sarona-san agreeing to the victory conditions, both of them drew their weapons and took their stances. Sarona-san drew the splendidly jeweled knife she always carried, while Gazna drew a similarly jeweled longsword from under his black robe and took his stance. Seeing both of them ready their weapons, the Village Chief stepped back into the circle and raised both hands toward the sky as if spreading something wide.

“Then… based on the conditions set by both parties— May the inviolable domain block the way.“

As the Village Chief muttered those words, a slightly bluish, semi-circular transparent membrane enveloped both Sarona-san and Gazna. It seemed this was the barrier the Village Chief had mentioned earlier.

Oh, so this is a barrier… I thought as I poked at it. Contrary to its appearance, it was a bit hard, but it felt like it had some flexibility to it. Well, I think it would break if I put some strength into it… not that I’m going to, though.

“Then… Begin!”

As the Village Chief yelled the signal to start, the first to move was Gazna. Taking advantage of the difference in length between his longsword and her knife, he unleashed a sharp thrust. However, Sarona-san dealt with it calmly. She deflected the trajectory by striking the blade of the longsword with her knife, and without stopping, slammed into Gazna with a shoulder tackle.

Taking Sarona-san’s body blow head-on, Gazna lost his balance. Following up on him, Sarona-san flashed her knife right in front of his face. Using the feint to draw his attention to the knife, she used the momentum from spinning her body to deliver a roundhouse kick that sank squarely into Gazna’s abdomen.

However, the one who showed an expression of agony from pain was Sarona-san. She instantly jumped back and glared at Gazna, but the man himself still wore his ugly smirk. What happened?

“…Tch, the impact echoing through my leg… is it iron? But rather than having it hidden under the robe… it seems that isn’t just a normal black robe, is it?” “Kukuku… As expected of Sarona! Good insight! That’s right, by flowing magic through this robe, it replicates the hardness of iron! It’s something I acquired from a traveling merchant recently! Whether it’s that knife of yours or the martial arts you’re so proud of, they won’t work on me! Now, what will you do, Sarona?!”

Hmm, just easily blabbing about things no one would know unless he told them… is Gazna an idiot? No, that’s not it. He probably just wanted to brag. Well, even if he used that robe, I don’t think it could block my attacks.

“…I see.” Saying only that, Sarona-san narrowed her eyes and smoothly sheathed her knife at her waist. Then, with explosive agility, she instantly closed in on Gazna and stomped down hard on the tip of his foot, which wasn’t protected by the robe. That’s gotta hurt. Just as Gazna winced in pain from getting stomped on, Sarona-san grabbed his black robe, yanked him toward her, and delivered a brutal headbutt straight to his face. That’s gotta hurt, too.

Sarona-san’s offensive continued. She swept his legs, knocking Gazna to the ground, mounted him, and then proceeded to absolutely pummel his face with a barrage of punches. That’s scary.

I marveled at Sarona-san’s mercilessness. However, the fact that she was doing this entire sequence of actions completely expressionless sent a chill down my spine. Glancing at the twins next to me, I noticed they were also feeling a bit terrified, muttering, “Maybe we should stop teasing Sarona…” Come to think of it, she did fire magic at me without warning back at the river… No, wait, I’m supposed to have forgotten about that incident. Sarona-san might actually be quite the passionate type… Yeah, yeah…

While I was thinking about that, perhaps Sarona-san felt satisfied. After punching him for a while, she stood up and slowly backed away from Gazna.

“…It is futile. No matter what tricks you play, they won’t work on me.” Neither the twins nor I thought Gazna would be able to respond to Sarona-san’s words; in fact, we all thought the match was already decided—

“Kukuku… That was quite an attack… As expected of Sarona, the strongest Protector in this village.” Saying that, Gazna stood up casually, as if nothing had happened. Moreover, his face, which had been hideously distorted from being beaten to a pulp, had its marks disappear right before our eyes, returning to that infuriating smirk… Wait? What does that mean?

“The wounds are healing… Healing magic? No, I don’t recall Gazna ever being able to use such magic… Which means, is that also an effect of that robe?” “Exactly, Sarona. It’s a little something called auto-recovery. Now then, do you understand that no matter how much you attack, it’s useless? You cannot defeat me. Why don’t you just give up and surrender?” “Nonsense… Is something of that level the reason you were so confident you could beat me and desired this match? If so, then it is a pity, but something like that will only serve to buy you a little time against me, you know?” “…Kukuku… Ah, that’s right! It is exactly as you say! This thing is only good for buying time! I understood that from the very beginning! I am fully aware of your strength, Sarona! In the end, this robe is just a sideshow! Sarona! The main event that will plunge you into despair is right here!”

Declaring it triumphantly, Gazna pulled a black orb from inside his robe and held it high.

“And this will grant my desire! May the grand gospel of darkness fulfill my heart.“

Reacting to Gazna’s words, a black light was emitted from the black orb, enveloping the entire area in darkness as if it had suddenly turned into night, but the scenery returned to normal in an instant. Wondering what in the world that was, I looked back at Gazna, only to find that the black orb he had been holding high in his hand had vanished completely.

Sarona-san checked to see if there was anything wrong with her body by opening and closing her hands and touching her shoulders and legs. Realizing nothing had happened, she looked at Gazna with eyes of pity, as if looking at a pathetic creature.

“What was that? What exactly were you trying to do?” The moment Sarona-san said that—

Thump—

What was that? Just for a second, I felt like I heard a sound like a heartbeat… However, it seemed the twins and the surrounding elves didn’t hear it, as everyone remained still. Hmm… Must be my imagination, surely.

—Rumble… …Hm? It sounds like there’s a rumbling noise coming from far away…

—Rumble rumble rumble… Wait, isn’t the ground shaking?

—RUMBLE RUMBLE RUMBLE RUMBLE RUMBLE RUMBLE RUMBLE! Huh? What is this… It sounds like a massive group of something is charging this way from far away at an incredible speed…