Vol 1 Chapter 17: The Elf Who Only Cares About the Present (Great Labyrinth Arc)

I felt a soft sensation on my head, and my consciousness began to awaken from the depths of darkness.

As the darkness lifted toward a gentle light reminiscent of my long-dead mother, my eyelids slowly opened.

“Ah, you’re awake…! Thank goodness… thank goodness…!”

“Yuu… this place… no… I…”

I woke up in the spacious room where we had defeated Gruton, my head resting on Yuu’s lap.

I tried to sit up, but my whole body ached and wouldn’t move.

Even as I attempted to rise, Yuu quickly intervened.

“I’m still in the middle of healing you! Please wait a little longer! You’ll be fully recovered soon!”

“…Healing magic really is amazing.”

I had been so reckless that I lost consciousness—I honestly thought I was done for. Even if that weren’t the case, waking up should have taken ages.

But judging by Gruton’s scattered scales and smoldering teeth lying about, it must have been immediately after the battle.

The toll of my near-death recklessness healed in the blink of an eye. If it were Yuu, even a missing limb could be fixed.

I couldn’t help but let out a wry smile at her astonishing power, though Yuu’s expression turned apologetic.

“I’m sorry, I ended up taking five minutes to restore your consciousness because I fired off two mythic-level spells.”

Based on what I’ve read, treating someone who loses consciousness from severe injuries normally requires a whole day of nonstop care. And yet, she finished it in just five minutes.

I told her not to worry as I rested my head on her thigh.

“If anything, that’s incredible. Once we get out of here, teaming up with you as adventurers might not be such a bad idea.”

“A team… just the two of us, Kaim…”

“Don’t like that?”

When I asked, Yuu shook her head vigorously.

“Not at all! If anything, I’d be the one asking you!”

“Yeah… in that case, I’ll have that Nio guide us.”

Nio has wandered for hundreds of years—she must have a wide network and know even the most distant regions. And since she doesn’t have to fight, I figured I wouldn’t let her escape this time.

I realized I’d made a mistake as I looked up with a grimace.

“Is Nio really that important to you?”

“No, listen—she’s the reason I fight and someone I owe a debt to. But it’s not like I see her as a woman or anything like that…”

“But from what I’ve heard, Kaim, Nio has always been in your heart, hasn’t she? Ever since the moment you met, through the ten years until you parted ways in the village, the two years you spent searching, and even the time in this labyrinth… she’s always been in your heart, hasn’t she?”

It seems I accidentally triggered Yuu’s anger more than I expected. Perhaps it was because she cared about me that much—but having someone depend on me so intensely is dangerous.

If she continues clinging to me, she’ll only end up suffering.

As the healing magic took hold, I managed to lift one arm and grab Yuu’s shoulder to pull myself up. I met her dull green eyes.

“Listen, I understand you’re grateful. I do feel responsible for saving you, and I’m glad you care for me beyond mere thanks, but—”

I sighed and chose my words carefully, thinking of Yuu.

“I’m human. I’ll die long before an elf like you. Maybe this isn’t the perfect moment, but with no one knowing what awaits us, I have to say it now: Don’t fixate on me. Think about living freely. That’s—”

Before I could finish, Yuu’s expression turned sorrowful.

“Please stop.”

Her soft plea made me hesitate.

“My heart already belongs to you, Kaim. So please, don’t deny my feelings…”

“That’s not it! I’m saying this for your future—”

“I don’t care about the future! As long as I have the now, that’s all I need! I was alone for so long—utterly alone. As long as I can spend this now with you, Kaim, nothing else matters!”

Yuu had likely known no real today—not even yesterday or tomorrow—for hundreds of years.

She must have spent so many lonely days in darkness that she forgot what it was like to look ahead.

“Then look only at me! Stay with me! I’ll do anything! No matter how you treat me, I don’t care! Just, even after we leave here, be with me… Don’t even glance at Nio or anyone else—focus solely on our now!”

All she ever wanted was the present she shared with me. I couldn’t deny that.

But—

“…I understand the feeling of wanting the now to last forever. Happy, fun moments pile up and lead into tomorrow. But Yuu, I can’t be part of the tomorrows you’ll see for hundreds, even thousands, of years… However, Nio can! No matter what lies between you two, she’ll always be there for your tomorrow! If you keep hating her, you’re the one who’ll suffer!”

Everything will be over soon—precisely why I must say this. Even if it hurts you, I need these words to live on in your heart.

“So that’s it… Kaim wants a future with Nio that badly? That monster… what’s so special about her—?!”

“That’s not it! I just—”

I just wanted to entrust you to Nio.

I realized the thought had come naturally, without any forced reasoning.

Entrusting Yuu to that self-centered Nio, having her stay by your side for hundreds of years so you wouldn’t be alone.

But wasn’t I just shifting my burden onto Nio? After making me search for her for so long, was I trying to pay off that debt by handing you over? No—in truth, what do I really feel about Nio?

I couldn’t put it into words.

Perhaps because my hesitation looked like I was just searching for an excuse, Yuu bit her lip.

I wanted to do something. You and Nio are both destined to live far beyond my time. I can’t accompany you into that distant future, but Nio can.

Both of you have been cast aside by time and history, and both mean the world to me.

If you two could hold hands, then I could fight for this world as the Sword Saint of Hope without regrets. I could face death knowing nothing was left unsaid, and even if you grieve, you’d both be able to move forward.

That’s what I want. I finally realized it.

Before I could say more, Yuu murmured in a dark tone, her voice soft and eerie:

“Ah, I see. That’s right. In the end, there’s only one way this will go. And with this magic power… ah, it’s almost too simple.”

She wasn’t looking at me but fixed her gaze on the door, muttering under her breath. Then, with a dry laugh, she turned to me.

Her dull green eyes—dark yet strangely warm—seemed to brim with resolve.

“…Hey, what’s with that look? What are you thinking? What did you just realize?”

“Do I have to answer?”

“We made a promise! That until we reach Nio and defeat the Demon King, there will be no lies between us!”

“That’s true. So rest assured: I’m not lying. I’m not planning or even thinking of lying. We will go to Nio, and we will kill the Demon King. After all, Kaim, your heart is already ruled by the Demon King, isn’t it?”

Ruled—?

I replayed the word in my mind as my gaze drifted to the scattered remnants of Gruton.

“You risked your life fighting that monster to kill the Demon King, didn’t you? I don’t know much about this so-called Traitor Hero, but you don’t seem too attached to him. That means if you kill the Demon King, your heart will finally be free. And that’s where I want to be.”

She smiled softly.

“Is that too much to ask?”

I frowned, considering her words.

It’s true—everything that happened to me is because of the Demon King. Even Nio was captured because of him.

That means my heart is filled with revenge.

If I kill the Demon King, that anger will vanish. And if that happens… maybe there’ll finally be room in my heart for you, Yuu.

Perhaps without the weight of revenge, I could seriously consider a future with you.

I might even find another solution.

After a moment of silence, I said,

“…Let me think about it after we kill the Demon King.”

That answer seemed to satisfy her. A dreamy, blissful smile spread across her face as she stood.

“Then let’s go. The Demon King is right ahead.”