I Offer My Life To You (2)

In a state of shock and bewilderment, I reflexively activated the ‘Confirmation’ power. This was despite the fact that the status window didn’t even display gender.

I was so surprised that the image of the two representatives I had been constantly observing for some time was abruptly cut off.

‘L-Love?’

I had never seen such an affinity before—of course, in my past life, I was perpetually in unrequited love and was a lifelong single, so it made sense—but I couldn’t understand the sudden increase in luck either.

However, Hazel naturally walked around the long table and approached me.

My head unconsciously followed her as she moved like someone in a trance, and when I came to my senses, her slender arms were wrapped around my neck, and I felt something soft touching my lips.

Hazel’s lips, on her pale white skin, seemed like they would be as cold as ice, but surprisingly, they were not just warm but radiated a burning heat.

The warmth that started from her lips forcibly brought back my wandering mind.

“H-Hazel? What exactly is Comes?”

“Hmm? Oh yeah, you’re human. Comes refers to the partner of a High Elf.”

“S-So, husband? Wife? Without even a wedding or any mutual understanding? We weren’t even dating, though?”

Perhaps surprised by my flustered appearance, her eyes widened into circles, then curved into crescents, forming a pleasant smile.

“Hoho. It’s quite refreshing to see you, who were always so confident, looking flustered like this. I think it was a good decision to greet you with Comes. It might not mean much to humans, but to a High Elf, Comes isn’t something institutional.”

“Th-then?”

Though it felt awkward to continue the conversation with Hazel still sitting on my lap, arms draped behind my neck, she showed no intention of getting down.

Moreover, she brought her face closer to mine, meeting my eyes, and responded with an answer that sounded like a song with a peculiar rhythm.

“Kim Han et ut rogas, amo, et ut meretur et ut debeo…”

“…What?”

“As you wish, because he deserves it, and because I ought to, I love you, Kim Han.”

“…Huh?”

No, I mean, just a little while ago, just an hour ago, I thought of ‘her’ as ‘him’ and had no romantic feelings whatsoever.

Hazel kept repeating strange words in response to my questions.

I should be annoyed or angry, but I’m not.

Since that peculiar breeze blew by, since my chest warmed up, my feelings have become indescribably mysterious.

“To a high elf, a partner means something different than it does to humans. Humans can take partners, break up, or even change their minds, right? We don’t. To a high elf, taking a partner means sharing one’s life.”

“Isn’t that mostly the same? Breaking up or cheating isn’t that common.”

“Is that so…? I’m not sure. But I’ve already given half of my life to you, my partner, Kim Han. Unless something special happens, we will face death on the same day, at the same time.”

“…What?”

As if saying, ‘Tonight’s menu is bulgogi,’ he, or rather she, casually said she gave me half of her life.

When a series of overwhelming events occurred, despite my heightened reasoning, my mind repeatedly went blank and then returned.

“Partner, are you alright?”

“…Ah. You, you… are you crazy?”

“Hm? Why are you saying that?”

“When you say you gave half of your life, doesn’t that mean you gave half of your lifespan?”

I don’t even understand why I’m reacting so intensely to her words. Something hot and rising from within feels like it’s wrapping around my neck and brain, making me feel hot and flushed.

“That’s right.”

“You, you…! That means your lifespan… is cut in half!”

I get it. Why I’m so agitated. Why I’m so angry.

I still dream of them three or four times a month.

It’s because they came to mind.

Unos mocking us, and Violentia laughing madly. The family suffering as the flow of magic suddenly goes awry. The dream always starts like that.

When everyone is in despair, the first to approach me, placing his hand on my heart, is the playboy Hugo.

“You’re the most intact among us. You weren’t a divine power user from the start. As long as Lee Hyo-ju survives, that’s enough. She’ll more than avenge us. She’s the Military Star and the Witch of the Battlefield, right? But don’t overdo it, and don’t be tormented by the guilt of being the only two survivors. That’s why I’m giving you my remaining life here in your heart. I’ll consider your living as my living, so just live on like that.”

“…Me too.”

“Damn, I didn’t want the end to be like this. Strange Star, here you go!”

“I offer mine as well.”

“What? Oh, oh…”

A fool who couldn’t refuse and just stood there flustered. And the Rebound family members who lightly placed their hands on my back, shoulders, or arms, saying a word or two as they brushed past me.

“Here, mine too…”

“Hehe, take care. Maybe this is the perfect opportunity, my friend. Uno’s gone now. It’s just you and Lee Hyo-ju left, right? Do your best. You can do it. Haha.”

The last person to place a hand on my shoulder was the eldest brother of the Rebound legion, Inex.

“Kim Han, I don’t want the weight of the lives and the existence of the legion family to crush you. So I give you my ‘○○’. It has surely been passed on. Just… survive. And live on. That’s all we need. Go!”

“Uh…?”

Tears blurred my vision, and the world turned dark. And the dream always ended with the screams of the family.

“Hey, you crazy woman!!”

Already burdened by the weight of life, I felt like I would collapse, yet another life I couldn’t handle…

What are these tears for? Why am I shedding these tears?

“…Partner?”

Hazel’s tone wasn’t as confident as before.

Was she surprised? Hazel took a step back, which I vaguely noticed through my blurred vision.

She took a step back and removed the earring she wore only on her right ear, chanting a silvery magical incantation.

“…se aperio.”

Hwaaaaa.

After venting all my pent-up frustration, I felt a refreshing sense of relief, and then light burst forth from Hazel’s body.

It wasn’t a blinding light. So I could see all the ‘changes’ happening to her body even more clearly.

Her black hair grew abundantly, cascading down to her waist.

Like a plant that had been subjected to a growth acceleration spell, as I followed the growing hair, a slender waist suddenly came into view.

And when I looked up again, a chest that wasn’t there before was now present.

At the same time, the face that was once so pale it was almost white turned into a bright, healthy skin tone.

And finally, with an incomprehensible change, the light disappeared.

In the face of the unfamiliar transformation happening before my eyes, memories of comrades from my past life and the agony of having shared their lives were momentarily pushed aside.

“Ears?”

“Ah! Did you see?”

The once-pointed ears had become rounded.

A bright skin tone with a healthy glow. A slender figure with a chest that looked heavy. Black eyes and hair that wasn’t the fiery red but black, cascading down to the shoulders.

Finally, the rounded ears.

“Human…?”

“Allow me to formally introduce myself. I am Hazel Adopertum, daughter of the High Elf clan, my partner.”

As if offsetting one shock with another, Hazel, who made me forget pain with pain, comforted me by saying that just as she gave me half of her life, she also received half of mine.

Though the cause is unknown, Hazel, the high elf, said that the moment I became her Comes, she could see a gaping black hole in my chest.

Then she hugged my weary self, hoping that her half of life and her love for her soulmate could fill that hole even a little.

Is it because of the scent of the woman imbued with the fragrance of the forest, or because of Hazel’s words about giving life?

Unlike before, it felt comfortable, not awkward.

A quiet and tranquil aura cautiously settled into the study. Unlike before, it wasn’t an awkward and stifling uncomfortable silence, but a comfortable and languid stillness.

“My companion, among the high elves, I was always different. Not different in the sense of being special, but different in another way. My father and mother said I was special, but perhaps I already knew. That I wasn’t a special being, but a different one. Maybe that’s why I immediately accepted Spatium’s invitation and became the first high elf to enter the ‘Battlefield of the Gods’…”

“…”

“They didn’t have black hair like mine, nor did they carry unnecessary(?) burdens on their chests. They were always voluntarily protected and loved by the spirits. The more it happened, the more I was rejected by the spirits. The situation of denying my own existence didn’t change even when I participated in this ‘Battlefield of the Gods.’ Even in this place, where the Creator’s power is said to accompany, I was a being rejected by the spirits. Companion, as you said, even in the Spirit Guild, I couldn’t form a spirit contract with a registration card.”

I silently listened to Hazel’s words. Somehow, it felt like that’s what I should do right now.

“To me, you showed hope by presenting a more certain method than anyone else. The hope that I, Hazel Adopertum, daughter of the High Elf elder, am not a ‘different’ being from my parents, but a ‘special’ one… Thank you. Above all, I wanted to say this.”

Lips that softly touched and then disappeared.

It felt like the blood from my burning lips was heading to my heart. Was the hole in my chest being filled, just as she said?

My eyes closed to the warmth I felt long ago, in a time I can’t remember, a memory so faint.

“…But!”

“…But! Butttt!!”

Feeling my body being shaken roughly, I jolted upright.

I looked around just in case, but Hazel was nowhere to be seen.

Well, it was something she had wanted so much, so she must have gone out to obtain the Harmonious Divine Technique.

“Kimhanaaaa!”

A strange sound that accompanied the sensation of being shaken earlier came from the right, insisting it wasn’t my imagination.

Turning my head toward the source of the sound, I finally saw a little creature leaning against the bed, placing both hands on one of my arms.

“Kimhanaaaaaa!!”

The being that leapt onto the bed with arms wide open and hugged me was Naruan.

Well, considering I only turned my head on the bed and couldn’t see her, it had to be this tiny girl.

Rubbing her tiny face against my chest, she kept repeating ‘Kim Han (Kim Han-ah → Kim Hana → Kimhana)!’

“Hey. Wait, wait. Where are you rubbing your face? Get down.”

I grabbed her by the scruff and tossed her off the bed.

I expected her to hit the floor, but she lightly spun in the air and landed silently like a cat, mocking my expectations.

‘Hmm?’

“Did you see that just now? How was it, wasn’t I cool? Huh? Huh?”

Her movements had definitely improved. It seems she successfully learned the Black Butterfly Dance…

“You… how did you get in here?”

“Huh? Me? I walked…”

No, that’s not what I meant.

The question was wrong. She managed to sneak in and touch me without alerting my perception, which exceeds 100 in agility? Even though I was asleep?

“…?!”

‘Am I still half-asleep?’

Even after rubbing my eyes and looking again, the message floating in the air remained unchanged. It wasn’t a dream, nor was it an illusion.

Was Black Butterfly Dance always such a skill? The rank is impressive, but the agility that leapt forward in an instant.

Without starting any special training, just acquiring the skill alone increased agility and unlocked a new talent, ‘Cat Step.’

Originally, I planned to create a Weapon Mastery skill book once she mastered Black Butterfly Dance, but I’ll have to put that on hold for now.

With a skill this exceptional, even reaching proficiency rather than mastery would require a significant investment of time.

Moreover, she’s the type who grows stronger through death, not a finesse type.

‘And Naruan’s combat sense is terrible.’

Still lingering in front of me, repeatedly saying ‘Kimhana,’ I dragged Naruan to the tea table set up in one corner of the bedroom.

“Sit.”

“Okay!! Hehe.”

When I took out a fruit juice from the inventory and opened the lid, she curiously stuck out her little tongue to taste it and was surprised.

The fruit juice, which she sipped little by little, seemed to suit her taste, and she turned it upside down, drinking it in an instant, smacking her lips, and giving me a look asking for more.

I took out another fruit juice and handed it to her, then turned my gaze out the window to see the sun already risen, proudly announcing its presence to the world.

‘Is it bright? Is it daytime?’

That means I slept for over ten hours.

Especially since this sleepyhead barged into my room, it must already be breakfast time.

It seems like I had a deep and comfortable sleep for the first time since re-entering, or rather, returning to the ‘Battlefield of the Gods.’

Was it because of that? My body felt light, and even Naruan’s provocations, flitting around like a mosquito, were quite bearable.

“Hehe, this is tasty. But, Kimhana…”

“What?”

“Did you see that? How I just swooshed around!”

“…Yeah. How’s the Black Butterfly Dance?”

At my question, Naruan tilted her head cutely.

After pondering for a while, she looked at me cautiously and asked.

“Um, by the way… what’s the Black Butterfly Dance?”

“……”

Naruan smiled brightly. I felt my headache coming on again.

I had a foreboding feeling that this girl might become the most serious source of stress among my representatives.

Surely, a message must have popped up, and she must have seen the skill name before learning it! How can she not know the name of the skill she mastered?

“The name of the skill you learned…”

“Ah! That’s right. Hehe. Yeah, I like it! Very! Extremely! Absolutely! Like it!”

“Seriously… Mors, you perverted bastard.”

“Huh?”

“Forget it! That’s not what I’m asking. I’m talking about whether it suits you, if you’ll have any trouble training, how you’ll use it in battle, things like that.”

With a sigh, I spoke, and she seemed to ponder for a moment before suddenly raising her head and shouting loudly.

“I like it!”

“…Get out! Get out right now!!”