Chapter 37

I am Elius.

I am the leader of the adventurer party called "Dragon Fang's Bite."

The party name comes from my favorite phrase, "like the teeth of a dragon bite together," which signifies unity.

The members, known as the "Dragon's Fangs," consist of five people, including myself.

Spear expert Falan.

Bow master Nick.

Healer Lena.

And the accountant Elaine.

All of them are young and at the peak of their respective fields.

I, for one, possess the skills worthy of being called a "Sword Saint," which I believe is enough to lead this party without shame.

Recently, I've noticed something odd about Elaine, the accountant.

Yesterday, we successfully completed a long-term mission and reported it to the Adventurer's Guild.

To balance our schedule, we took a day off in Balhant.

After everyone spent their day off as they pleased, we gathered in the inn's dining room for dinner.

Elaine, who usually eats everything without preference, seemed to have little appetite today.

Instead of the dishes in front of her, she was staring at her left hand with a look of curiosity.

Following her gaze, I asked her a question.

"Elaine, what's with that ring?"

On her ring finger was a gold ring with a pink gemstone.

I can confidently say it wasn't there yesterday.

I teach her sword skills every day, so I wouldn't have missed it if she had been wearing a ring.

She has been a part of the party for about three years.

I've never seen her, who is usually as tough as a man, show any interest in accessories.

She herself seemed to be puzzled, tilting her head as she said,

"I don't know... I saw it at a stall today... and before I knew it, I had bought it."

"Hmm..."

Buying things on impulse?

That seems far from her usual frugal behavior.

She's usually the one who scolds us for our wasteful spending.

"By the way... what do you think?"

She turned her hand palm-up and slightly averted her face, but her eyes were on me, waiting for my reaction.

Of course, I know what I should say in such situations.

...I do.

But I'm not skilled enough to say the right thing and flatter at the same time.

In the end, I chose to be honest.

"As your sword instructor, I have to say that it might get in the way of your sword skills."

At that moment, the other members of "Dragon Fang's Bite" made faces like "Oh no."

No.

I understand, I understand.

Elaine only slightly furrowed her brow, a sign that she was trying to suppress her displeasure.

In other words, my answer was incorrect.

It was to be expected.

"Alright. Then I'll sell it."

"No, that would be a waste. After all..."

I tried to think of a way to salvage the situation.

I could feel the others' expectant and anxious gazes on me.

As the leader, I needed to meet their expectations and find the right answer.

"Some accessories have special effects... so it would be best to have it appraised first."

"Appraised? ...Oh, right."

As Elaine looked down at the ring, the other members seemed impressed.

Encouraged by this, I continued.

"Depending on the effect... if it can support you in battle, it might be worth wearing, even if it gets in the way of your sword skills."

This way, I could provide a valid reason for her to keep the ring.

However, the expressions around me seemed to darken.

I waited, feeling a mix of hope and anxiety, for Elaine's response.

And her answer was:

"Well, I'll take it off anyway. Even if it has an effect, I can just put it on a chain and wear it around my neck... after all, it gets in the way of my sword skills!"

Elaine, finally showing her displeasure, took off the ring and cleared her unfinished meal before leaving the table.

Watching her go, I couldn't help but mutter,

"Complicated..."

"Complicated...? No, no, no! It's simple! What's wrong with you!"

Falan's shout echoed through the dining room.

"Don't shout suddenly, Falan."

"Don't make me shout! It would have been fine if you had just complimented it!"

That's a fair point.

But for me, it would mean lying.

"But, it really does get in the way of her sword skills... and I have a responsibility as her sword instructor."

"You rockhead!"

I looked to Lena for support against the raging Falan.

However, she was looking at me with a cold stare.

It's rare for her to have such an expression.

It's the kind of look she gives to monster filth.

In other words, that's how she's looking at me.

"No, that's not right, Elius."

It seems it's not right.

If Lena says it's not right, it's usually not right.

Feeling a bit desperate, I turned to Nick for advice.

"What should I have done?"

I asked the friendly Nick for advice.

"Well, it might be difficult for you, Elius, but..."

After a brief pause, he scratched his head and cleared his throat before speaking.

"That's a nice ring. You might need to take it off during training or missions, but it really suits you. I wish I had given it to you. I'll go train now... What kind of training? Training to win your heart, which is the most challenging and rewarding training..."

"Len, what should I have done?"

"Don't just ignore me after asking!"

"No, it is difficult, as you say."

"Don't give up! Have some ambition!"

As Nick pressed on, Lena's expression changed, and she chuckled.

"But, it's very Elius-like. It wouldn't be you if you said something out of character."

"Right?"

"Yes. If you had said something like Nick, you wouldn't be Elius anymore. Do you want to be Erius?"

"...I don't want to be Erius."

"Right? So, isn't it fine? Elaine knows you're not the type to flatter a girl's accessories."

Her considerate words, befitting a saint, made me feel a bit relieved.

"R-Right?"

"Yes. You're a hopeless, insensitive guy who doesn't understand women at all. Perfect for Elius!"

She seemed happy as she clapped her hands and evaluated me.

It seems my sense of her consideration was just a delusion.

But, what about that evaluation...?

Well, I should accept it gracefully.

In other words...

"So, is it resolved...?"

"It's not..."

Falan muttered, sounding like he had given up.

As Falan said, nothing was really resolved.

---

Lately, I've been having a lot of dreams.

Nightmares, I suppose.

They're all about me dying.

I forget the details when I wake up, but I remember that it was a dream about my death.

At first, it was once a month.

But recently, it's almost every day.

The first one I had was about three years ago.

Coincidentally, it was around the time Elaine joined the party.

It's not just in dreams.

Even when I'm awake, I often feel a sense of déjà vu.

For example, when I met Elaine, and today when I saw the ring.

I tried to maintain my composure, but the déjà vu when I saw the ring was intense.

It's almost as if I feel out of place in this world.

In fact, what if this world, where I am now, is just a dream?

What if it's a delusion before I die?

A loss of reality.

And maybe Elaine feels the same way.

Buying a ring out of the blue is not like her.

"Ridiculous..."

I tried to shake off these silly thoughts and left the inn with my sword.

It's become a routine lately.

I practice until I collapse, then go to bed exhausted and fall asleep.

---

"Hey, Elius."

As I left the inn, I saw a man.

A man I recognized.

His appearance is so distinctive that it's impossible to mistake him.

A man dressed entirely in white, like a clown.

He's the one who told me about Elaine three years ago.

"Yes, it's been three years... Thank you. Thanks to you, I was able to hire an accountant."

"Yeah, actually, I came here about that. First... I'm sorry, my foresight was lacking, and it's causing trouble for you and Elaine."

"...Trouble?"

When I asked, he nodded and said,

"Yes. Right now, you and Elaine are under the influence of a 'ghost phenomenon.'"