Without You (2)

The carriage moved quickly along the mountain path. Inside the carriage were El and Elena.

Aside from the coachman, El and Elena were the only ones present.

“Thank you, Ms. Elena.”

In that moment, El suddenly thanked Elena. Elena had no idea what he meant.

Why is he thanking me all of a sudden?

Her mind was filled with thoughts like that, so after blinking her eyes for about two seconds, she thought it would be wrong to remain silent and opened her mouth.

“Huh? What, what are you thanking me for?”

“Because you followed me without saying anything.”

El had barged into the clinic that morning, asking her to come with him because there was a patient. Of course, it was a sudden and abrupt request, but Elena readily followed him, and now they were in that very situation.

“That’s only natural. I’m…!”

Elena was about to express how natural that was but then shut her mouth.

Should I say something like, ‘As long as it’s somewhere Mr. El is going, it’s fine?’ Elena hesitated, thinking that wasn’t quite right.

Her ears turned red.

They twitched slightly.

Her red ears twitched, and Elena suddenly stood up and shouted.

“I mean…! When there’s a patient, I’ll go anywhere! Kyaa!”

Then, with the shaking of the carriage, she fell over.

Thud-!

She rolled around the carriage.

Embarrassed, Elena quickly got up, crouched in a corner, and hung her head.

‘Embarrassing. It’s so embarrassing that I’m embarrassed.’

The thought made her long ears turn even redder and tremble.

That’s how elves are. Normally, humans, even if the food tastes terrible, would say polite things when someone like a mother-in-law cooks for them.

But elves are different. They only speak blunt truths. If they think the food is bad, they’ll say, ‘It’s bad.’

Elena, who normally speaks bluntly, had turned her words around this time, even including a small lie.

‘No, it’s not a lie because I would still go if there’s a patient. But it’s embarrassing!’

With thoughts like that, her red ears showed no sign of returning to normal.

“If you go anywhere when there’s a patient, then you’re really amazing, Ms. Elena.”

Without knowing what she was feeling, El said this innocently. Elena felt a little conflicted.

As they entered the mountain road, the carriage shook even more. Thanks to that, Elena’s expression shook even more.

Of course, El was unaware of how Elena was feeling and was lost in his own thoughts. He assumed her red ears were because she was embarrassed from falling.

What was important to El wasn’t that but the fact that the patient he wanted Elena to see was a dwarf.

What’s the relationship between elves and dwarves?

They are bitter enemies.

Like the Black Dragons and the Red Dragons, they are enemies, and it’s unthinkable for them to ask each other for help.

But this time, he needed Elena. He absolutely had to heal the patient.

He needed to use the healing skills they both shared. After that, the real goal was to acquire the object.

Because of that object, he couldn’t bring Rurin along. It was a secret from her.

That’s why teleportation wasn’t possible, and they were traveling by carriage instead.

Sereina could use teleportation too, but she had never been to the dwarf village. Besides, she couldn’t keep secrets.

Elena knew they were going to heal a patient, but she had no idea it was a dwarf, so El began to speak cautiously.

He thought it was something he had to tell her.

“By the way, Ms. Elena, didn’t you say earlier you’d go anywhere if there’s a patient?”

“Huh, yes? Yes!”

Elena answered three times in a row. Though it was the same answer, each had a different meaning.

The first calm “yes” was because she had said it earlier, so she affirmed it.

The second “yes” meant, ‘Why are you asking that?’ but she quickly decided it didn’t matter and clenched her fists as she answered again.

Her blonde eyebrows shot up and then came down again, her emotions all over the place. She felt strange herself and grabbed her ears with both hands.

They’re hot.

Her ears are so hot!

‘Oh no, why is this happening! Mr. El must think I’m acting weird.’

As she held her long ears with both hands and hunched over, El thought she looked like a lost lamb.

“Even though the patient is a dwarf, are you still okay with it?”

El brought up the main point to the lost lamb, and Elena, still holding her ears, frowned slightly.

“If you mean dwarves…the drunkards from the earth tribes who look down on forest tribes?”

“That’s right.”

El scratched his cheek and nodded, then bowed his head.

“But I really need to treat them. I’m asking you for your help.”

“……”

El bowed his head further. Elena, unsure of what to do, bowed her head as well.

El asked for her help. That alone made Elena not care whether the patient was a drunkard or an arrogant dwarf. But to think he bowed his head, and because of someone like her… That couldn’t happen.

“I’m not okay with this.”

“What?”

“Please don’t bow your head because of someone like me! You’re an incredible person, Mr. El!”

Elena puffed her cheeks.

El tilted his head slightly, not quite understanding why she puffed her cheeks. It wasn’t because he hid that the patient was a dwarf, but because he bowed his head?

She really is a goddess, El thought. But if it weren’t for his request, an elf treating a dwarf would never happen.

Elena broke that strong taboo without hesitation.

“Really?”

“Yes, yes, I’m fine! Whether it’s a dwarf, a dwarf’s son, or…a dwarf’s grandson!”

Whether it’s a son or a grandson, they’re all dwarves. She was so flustered that her words came out wrong. El smiled at her.

“Thank you.”

Elena bowed her head deeply.

That smile alone was enough. She didn’t need anything else. Just the time spent with the two of them was precious.

Thump, thump.

Elena didn’t know what to do with her foolishly beating heart, so she stood up in the carriage, only to fall to the floor when the carriage came to a sudden stop.

Thud-!

“Kyaa!”

“Ms. Elena?”

El jumped to the floor. Elena had fallen flat on the ground and was supported by El. Her face was flushed red.

“Are you okay?”

“I’m not okay…!”

“Are you hurt badly?”

“No. That’s fine! I’m not okay, but I’m okay…”

As she babbled nonsense, Elena pinched her thigh. What a disgrace.

“You’ve arrived, El!”

The reason the carriage stopped was because they had arrived at the dwarf village, so the dwarves gathered, completely unaware of Elena’s embarrassment. El stood up, leaving Elena, who was hiding her face with both hands, to greet the dwarves.

An elder with a familiar face bowed his head. The elder who had once created a lair knew what El truly was, so he treated El not as a human, but as a dragon.

“Yes. But more importantly, is the message true? Has the dwarf who knows the location of the item really moved here?”

“Yes, that’s correct!”

A young dwarf standing next to the chief straightened his back and answered.

“He said he’ll tell you everything as long as you heal his father.”

“Yes. Since he’s a newly arrived dwarf, we couldn’t force the information out of him, so we contacted you. But if we need to, we could…pressure him.”

The dwarf shrank even more as he mentioned proper respect toward dragons, but El shook his head.

“No, of course, if they want something, we need to offer something in return. Please guide me.”

El helped Elena, who was still crouched in embarrassment, to her feet.

Elena flicked her blonde hair and glared at the dwarves. Only then did the dwarves realize her presence.

A brief silence fell.

“El, is that an elf…?!”

The dwarf chief asked in surprise, and the other dwarves started murmuring.

And Elena’s expression, which had been shy and gentle in front of El, transformed into one of hostility as she glared at the dwarves.

“What about an elf?”

“This… This! Shut your mouth! How dare an elf set foot in the land of the earth…!”

Elena and the chief started growling at each other the moment they met.

It was just like when Rurin and Sereina met, so it felt oddly familiar.

“Stop your petty squabbles. Chief. Consider this a warning.”

“I-I’m sorry!”

Whether they were enemies or not, dragons were scarier. That was something ingrained in the dwarves’ DNA.

The dwarves knew that even dragons couldn’t defy El, so they had no choice but to accept the elf.

El sided entirely with the elf. In other words, he asked the dwarves to restrain themselves. Normally, he would remain neutral, but one of them was practically his own people. He simply smiled at Elena.

For some reason, that made Elena happy. It felt like he was on her side. That simple fact made her smile in front of the dwarves.

“Wait! Let’s go together, Mr. El! Kyaa!”

She ran up and grabbed El’s arm but was startled and quickly let go. Then, she nervously looked around.

After that, she sighed in relief.

After forming a connection with the dwarf chief, I was inquiring about two particular gemstones.

There is no race more knowledgeable about minerals than the dwarves. So when it comes to searching for minerals, going through the dwarves is the fastest way.

One of the gemstones I was looking for is the legendary Black Diamond.

Black Diamonds also exist on Earth. However, the ones called Black Diamonds on Earth usually get their color from minerals mixed into the diamonds.

But that’s not what I’m looking for. I’m searching for the legendary Black Diamond that has been spoken of among some dragons.

A gemstone where pure diamond emits a colorless glow, with a pattern resembling ink spreading in water, and it constantly sparkles as the colorless and black shades intertwine.

Because its core is black, I thought that it would be the perfect gemstone for Rurin. So, I really wanted to obtain it.

It’s the ultimate gemstone that would suit Rurin, and I wanted her to have it no matter what.

And if it’s such a legendary gemstone, it would be perfect as the engagement ring that will one day adorn Rurin’s finger.

But the Black Diamond is a legend, and as expected of a legend, there were no leads on it.

So the news the dwarves brought wasn’t about the Black Diamond.

It was a more realistic gemstone compared to the Black Diamond.

The news was about Pink Diamonds and Blue Diamonds.

Diamonds have considerable value in themselves. Mining, especially among the dwarves, is thriving, and various treasures are being unearthed from the mines.

As on Earth, naturally colored diamonds are considered more rare and valuable than colorless ones.

Naturally colored diamonds are more mysterious and beautiful.

For that reason, Pink Diamonds and Blue Diamonds hold very high value. They were also incredibly rare.