Chapter 246
Late evening, when the sun had set and the moon had risen, the festival that had begun around lunchtime was still going strong, having lost none of its heat.
No, it was safe to say it had grown even hotter. Elves were gathered and dancing around a bonfire lit in the center of the wide open ground.
Franz, who had no particular interest in dancing, was merely watching the sight from afar. To be precise, he couldn’t join in because he had never learned how to dance.
Well, he didn’t exactly have the desire to join in anyway.
“Franz, um…”
Turning his head at the sudden voice, he saw Hera standing there.
Hesitating as if trying to say something, she let out a short sigh and sat next to Franz.
“Why? Is something wrong?”
“No, it’s nothing much. I just thought about dancing for a moment, but then I remembered that you don’t really like this sort of thing.”
“I don’t care much for dancing, but I don’t really mind watching like this.”
It felt like watching a performance. Watching it was both fascinating and fun. Though that didn’t extend to the thought of wanting to dance himself.
“But aren’t you going to dance? It’s your birthday today.”
“Hmm, that is certainly true.”
Nodding, Hera suddenly stood up.
Franz naturally thought she was going to dance, but she extended a palm before his eyes.
“Would you care to dance, if it’s alright with you? Of course, it is fine if you refuse.”
“Well…”
Hera said it was fine to refuse, but it couldn’t be that easy. Today was none other than Hera’s birthday. If he refused, she would definitely be disappointed, even if she didn’t show it.
But accepting it meant dealing with a situation where he had absolutely no experience.
Continuing to deliberate, Franz carefully took her hand, though it seemed the roles of man and woman had been reversed.
“Just for the record, I can’t dance at all.”
“It is fine. I am not very good at dancing either.”
It felt like a small gift. A bright smile spread across Hera’s face.
“Then let us go this way.”
Hera stepped somewhere, and Franz followed her. The two were still holding hands, completely unaware of it.
The place they arrived at was slightly away from the open ground where the festival was in full swing. Thickets surrounded the area, which seemed to allow them to avoid the eyes of others.
“Here, my poor dancing skills won’t be discovered by my kin.”
Hera looked around and nodded as if satisfied.
Just how bad was she at dancing to go this far?
Though thanks to that, he was able to hide his own poor dancing skills as well.
“Hera, but why me of all people? There are others who can dance much better.”
“Are you… truly saying that in earnest? No, no. For some reason, I feel like you would genuinely think that.”
Hera, who had widened her eyes in bewilderment, soon shook her head slowly.
Not knowing the meaning behind it, Franz merely stared at her blankly.
“Well, I will let you know slowly. For now, let us just enjoy dancing.”
Their held hands slowly rose upward.
Afterward, Franz danced a traditional elf dance with Hera. It was a dance similar to a waltz but with a slightly more cheerful feel.
Of course, it wasn’t an easy task. He had almost no experience with dancing, after all.
But the person in front of him was an excellent teacher, better than anyone else.
“Here, you step forward with your left foot. Oh, exactly. Well done.”
“Are you sure you really can’t dance?”
“It would be a bit much to say openly I am good at it, wouldn’t it?”
Holding hands under the moonlight, the two moved as if they had become one.
The first dance he had ever done in his life was reasonably enjoyable. To the point where he felt like he would want to dance along if someone offered, though not frequently in the future.
How much time had passed since then? After Franz and Hera had finished their dance at some point, Franz was slowly stepping toward the open ground where the festival was in full swing. Hera was with him, of course.
“Franz, thank you for dancing with me.”
“Thank you, too. It was surprisingly fun.”
“I am glad to hear that.”
Hera showed a smile, but for some reason, it felt like there was another emotion behind it.
Could something be wrong?
Normally, he would have just thought that and moved on. He definitely would have waited for her to speak first.
But today was a little different. Perhaps he had drunk a bit too much alcohol.
“Hera, is something wrong? Your expression doesn’t look so good.”
“I didn’t mean to make it obvious, but… since it has come to this, I will just speak honestly.”
Hera’s steps gradually slowed down before coming to a complete stop.
Accordingly, Franz stopped as well.
Even though the laughter of the Elves could be heard from not too far away, it felt as if they were in a different space.
“You must know that I do not have many days left to live.”
“That’s… well…”
Clench.
Franz clenched his fists without realizing it.
He knew. He had heard it directly from her. When they fought the Demon God, she had said she had sacrificed her lifespan as the price for using her power.
He hadn’t shown it until now, but honestly, he couldn’t help but be bothered by it, even if she said she didn’t regret it and that she was fine.
“My thoughts have not changed since then. I have not regretted it even once. But telling my kin about it is another matter, is it not? To be honest, I am scared.”
The lifespan Hera had left was not much different from a human’s. For elves, who lived several times longer than humans, she was practically terminally ill.
Where in the world was there someone who could proudly reveal to those around them that they were terminally ill? It was only natural to be scared and anxious.
“What should I say to her?”
Franz racked his brain, but sadly, no suitable words came to mind. Offering clumsy comfort would be worse than doing nothing at all.
After a brief moment, in the silence where only the chirping of insects could be heard, he carefully opened his mouth.
“Hera, someday when you’re ready to tell them, I’ll be right beside you. I don’t know how much help it will be, though.”
Right, there was only one thing he could do: as the grand chieftain of the elves, and as a friend, to support Hera by her side so she wouldn’t waver.
Though it was truly lamentable that the only thing he could do was something like that.
“Honestly, how can you be so…”
Had his desire to be a source of strength reached her? Hera trailed off and formed a smile on her lips.
“Thanks to you, I realized it once again today. Sacrificing my lifespan that day was absolutely not a mistake.”
“Yeah, that’s enough then.”
“Still, do not worry too much. I will die unconditionally later than you.”
“Is that a good thing? Or a bad thing?”
“Well, I suppose we will naturally find out in the distant future.”
Having finished their conversation with that, Franz took a step forward with Hera, resuming their paused walk.
The festival was still in full swing at the open ground they soon arrived at. Everyone was laughing, chatting, and enjoying delicious food. Also, on one side, there were people dancing around the bonfire.
Watching them, Franz took a seat in a suitable spot and handed something to Hera, who sat opposite him.
“What is this…?”
“A seed of the Aldre Tree.”
“You mean the tree that has already vanished from the world…?”
Hera’s eyes widened as she looked at the tree seed placed on her palm.
Just as she said, the Aldre Tree was a tree that had gone extinct from the world a long time ago. Its flowers were beautiful and its fruit tasted heavenly, but the conditions for it to grow were just as demanding.
“W-Where on earth did you get something like this?”
“Well… I have my ways.”
In truth, it was an item he had secretly taken from a treasure chest in the Demon Lord’s Castle, though he had put it in his bag and completely forgotten about it.
Well, there was no need to go out of his way to explain all that.
“It’s a gift. A gift for the entire Elf Tribe. I’ll prepare your birthday gift separately.”
“S-Something this precious…”
“Even if I keep it, I’ll probably kill it before even seeing a sprout. So it’s better to give it to you guys. Still, if it really bothers you, I’ll take the first fruit it bears.”
“I-If that is all, I will give you as much as you want.”
Hera looked at the tree seed as if deeply moved. As much as she loved nature, its meaning must be special.
It was a huge relief that she happily accepted the gift he had put quite a bit of thought into choosing.
* * *
It was a few days after Hera’s birthday festival ended.
Franz had to move busily without even a moment to catch his breath. It was because he had to personally inspect and process the materials to be used for the spatial teleportation device.
He had to be cautious about adjusting the magic power of the magic stones, the purity of the magic stone powder used to draw the circuits, and so on. Since people’s lives were on the line, he had to be cautious and then cautious again.
How many more days have passed since then?
A letter arrived from the emperor.
“…I will come and check it myself, so just wait a little while.”
Franz placed a hand on his forehead and let out a sigh.
Because the thing that absolutely shouldn’t have happened had ended up happening.