Evading the Hero’s Party with Full Effort

Chapter 32

Ch.32 I’m right here

Thus, evening fell before Nekhuf and Nephert returned.

“Did you rest well?”

“Yes.”

As Nephert coldly stared at me and walked into the kitchen, Nekhuf cautiously approached and asked me,

“Brother, did something happen between you and Nephert?”

At Nekhuf’s question, I shrugged and replied,

“No. Nothing happened?”

“Then that’s good.”

What could they have talked about when they were alone?

Well, it’s not that important.

Just as I was about to let it pass,

Nekhuf softly called out to me cautiously.

“Brother, can we talk alone later?”

“Huh? Sure. When?”

Yesterday it was Nephert, and today it is Nekhuf.

Nekhuf quietly answered,

“When Nephert leaves for home?”

We hastily concluded our conversation, watching Nephert’s movements like a secret society.

“Alright, let’s talk then.”

Startled by the feeling of someone grabbing my shoulder, I turned around…

To see Leah, cheeks slightly puffed, staring intently at me and Nekhuf.

“Oh my? What sneaky plan are you two plotting? Are you secretly watching something?”

Where did she pop out from? I remarked, looking at the strangely appearing Leah.

“Nekhuf said he wants to talk alone with me?”

At that, Leah sent Nekhuf a sly smile.

“Nekhuf, can I listen in too? He is my m.a.s.t.e.r., after all?”

Is she now jealous of Nekhuf, a man, simply because she has nothing else to be jealous of?

I felt slightly embarrassed by my disciple’s narrow-minded behavior.

But Nekhuf responded cheerfully with a smile to Leah’s attitude.

“That’s fine too.”

At that moment.

“Leah. Can you come help me a bit with cooking?”

Nephert’s voice came from the kitchen.

Leah glared at me and Nekhuf, then replied,

“Okay, I’ll help.”

And immediately added,

“I’ll listen in later too.”

Looking at Leah’s retreating back as she headed toward the kitchen, I genuinely felt a surge of fear.

Does she even know how to cook?

After several tens of minutes passed,

“Nekhuf, Hans. Come eat.”

At Nephert’s call, we entered the kitchen.

An elaborately set dining table welcomed us.

An elf diet centered on vegetarian dishes.

Noodles and bread with moderate carbohydrates.

Yogurt sauce made from fruits and dairy products, and desserts made by mixing dried fruits and cheese—elicited exclamations of admiration.

“Let’s eat well.”

I had been worried when Leah entered the kitchen, but fortunately, the situation I feared didn’t occur.

It must be because Nephert is exceptionally skilled.

Looking at the delicious food laid out before me, my conviction grew even stronger.

If Leah had been alone, bizarre food would have certainly appeared.

“Let’s dig in.”

Thus, dinner began.

***

After finishing all the housework in place of the blind Nekhuf, Nephert prepared to return home and bid farewell.

“I’ll head out now. Nekhuf.”

Nephert, slightly taller than Nekhuf, hugged Nekhuf close to her chest and smiled radiantly with affectionate eyes…

—Smack.

She kissed his cheek.

Tch, I don’t even have a girlfriend.

“Ahh… Brother and Sister are here, it’s embarrassing!”

“Eh, what’s the big deal? Then I’ll be off.”

She spoke as if it didn’t matter, but she seemed embarrassed nonetheless. Nephert, cheeks flushed, waved goodbye.

“I’ll be going then.”

—Creeeak. Thud.

As the door closed, Nekhuf walked toward the nearby sofa.

I sat beside Nekhuf and said,

“Alright. What do you want to say?”

“It’s…”

He hesitated, seemingly unsure how to begin.

Seeing his demeanor, I assumed the topic was difficult to broach and gave him time to collect his thoughts.

Was he going to ask me to take him along when I leave?

I had also been contemplating whether to take Nekhuf or not, but several issues held me back.

If I took Nekhuf, Nephert would likely follow.

And if we needed to split up during the journey, separating from Nekhuf, who is blind, wouldn’t be easy.

Moreover, I’m trying to escape Leah’s clutches—if I’m not careful, I might end up abandoning Nekhuf and Nephert on the roadside. For these reasons, I decisively abandoned the idea of taking him.

Inwardly, I desperately hoped Nekhuf wasn’t about to make such a request.

After some time passed…

“Brother. When you leave the village, can you take me with you?”

My uneasy suspicion became reality.

“Huh? That’s…”

Seeing my troubled expression, Leah gently coaxed,

“Nekhuf. That’s impossible. I know your combat skills are excellent, but traveling isn’t just about combat ability. We won’t be able to care for you like Nephert does during our journey.”

At Leah’s words, Nekhuf sprang up from the sofa.

“You don’t need to take care of me! I can do anything on my own!”

Nekhuf turned his face toward Leah.

As if he could see, he stared intently at Leah, then hesitated.

“And since I defeated you, the one who defeated the Demon King… isn’t that proof I’m skilled enough to travel?”

Nekhuf boldly scratched Leah’s wound, causing her shoulders to tremble.

“What? Do you really want to die?”

At that moment, the magic flowing from Leah’s body heated the room.

Hot… so hot.

Even though desert nights are cold, it’s not enough to cool the intense magic radiating from Leah.

“Both of you, stop it. Nekhuf, aren’t you being too arrogant just because you beat a magic-less mage?”

It’s not exactly something to boast about, winning against a mage who couldn’t cast spells.

Well, it’s impressive considering he’s blind.

Still, even if a mage can’t use magic, losing to a blind person doesn’t make sense.

“It’s true.”

Nekhuf’s lips jutted out petulantly, as if offended.

I spoke to him in a calming tone.

“You’ll embark on a grand adventure someday, but not now.”

Nekhuf’s journey begins a bit later.

Not now.

“I don’t understand. Are you just dismissing me because I can’t see?”

“It’s not that.”

“Are you worried I’ll be a burden? That I’ll feel like luggage?”

“No, it’s not that.”

I’ve said it repeatedly—I must escape Leah’s grasp.

I have no intention whatsoever of traveling with this flame-spewing woman forever.

My goal is to meet a pretty, kind woman, settle down, and live comfortably.

Of course, I have many things to do before that.

As I calmly denied Nekhuf’s words, he trembled with indignation and shouted,

“Then why?! Why won’t you take me?!”

I couldn’t say it was because of Leah, so I pointed out Nekhuf’s shortcomings as a second-best option.

“Well, adventure isn’t just about combat. And… you’re still inexperienced?”

It’s true Nekhuf possesses extraordinary talent.

But that doesn’t mean he has no weaknesses. Moreover, since he hasn’t yet experienced that incident…

His current weaknesses would remain unchanged, right?

I recalled a major defeat Nekhuf suffered during his triumphant travels.

“Inexperienced? Me?”

Nekhuf’s face twisted dramatically at my words.

Is he still young? He seemed to have greatly misinterpreted my words, so I hastily added,

“Of course, your skill is excellent, but that doesn’t mean you have no weaknesses. Adventure is…”

“Weaknesses?”

Nekhuf’s face grew increasingly grotesque as he pointed directly at me.

“I absolutely cannot tolerate you dismissing my efforts! Brother, duel me!”

Things were getting annoyingly complicated.

“Hey! Master is a mage! Why duel with a mage?”

Leah’s expression wasn’t good, perhaps because Nekhuf was acting aggressively.

“You’re the one who first mentioned I have weaknesses.”

“What?! Of course someone of our Master’s caliber will have visible weaknesses. It’s only natural!”

At Leah’s words, Nekhuf flushed bright red and mumbled.

He must have taken it as belittling his efforts, hence his sensitive reaction.

Anyone would be angry if their hard work was demeaned.

“Ugh… still…”

It must be hard to accept easily. He’s still young.

Looking at Nekhuf, I contemplated his fate.

Will he suffer greatly later? Or suffer because of me?

If he learns his weaknesses now, he might be able to handle them then.

Originally, it was a trial meant to help him grow stronger—perhaps it wouldn’t be a problem if I revealed it to him first. At that moment,

“Then use magic.”

Nekhuf continued in an expressionless tone.

“You can fight using magic, right? If I win, you apologize.”

I felt awkward at Nekhuf’s cold tone.

“No. Originally…”

“Enough. It was my mistake to think you or Sister might take me. Who would want a blind elf like me?”

At Nekhuf’s self-deprecating words, I sighed.

“I really didn’t mean it that way. I’m telling you, you truly have weaknesses.”

Nekhuf’s combat style, relying on magic and hearing, has one major issue.

He doesn’t yet realize it himself.

That’s because he hasn’t faced proper opponents.

This is Nekhuf’s first trial.

According to the story, Nekhuf encounters his first true enemy during his travels. The experience completely shatters his confidence.

Though only a single defeat, it’s a trial that delivers a massive shock to Nekhuf.

Would it be alright for me to reveal this to him? Since it’s ultimately a trial for Nekhuf to grow stronger, perhaps his fate won’t change much even if I tell him.

Nekhuf, lips jutting out petulantly, asked grumpily,

“What weakness?”

Leah, unable to bear it any longer, spoke with murderous intent in her eyes.

“Nekhuf. Aren’t you being too rude? Do you really want to get beaten up?”

If he’s going to collapse anyway… wouldn’t it be better to collapse somewhere safer, like the village?

Nephert is here too. It’ll be easier for him to get back up.

Thus, I made my decision.

“Alright. Let’s duel. It’s probably better to experience it directly rather than just hear about it.”

At my words, Nekhuf’s body twitched.

“I hope you’re not lying. It’s late tonight. Let’s duel first thing tomorrow morning.”

At Nekhuf’s words, I shrugged.

“We can do it now if you want.”

“Master?”

Leah called me with a slightly worried expression, and I smiled.

“Don’t worry. I won’t lose.”

“Ugh…”

Nekhuf scowled, apparently displeased with my composure.

“Then let’s do it right now.”

Saying that, Nekhuf walked into the room.

Seemingly upset…

—Bang!

He slammed the door shut forcefully.

“He seems angry. Are you sure this is okay?”

At her words, I nodded.

“Yeah. It’s fine.”

Seeing my relaxed expression, Leah asked with a sour look,

“You’re not planning to use that ‘one-hit kill’ magic, are you?”

Is she talking about Equality?

“Huh? I might use it, but I won’t hit him.”

Leah stared blankly at my words.

Soon, Nekhuf emerged from the room, apparently finished preparing.

Holding a wooden sword, Nekhuf said,

“Brother?”

“I’m right here.”

Hearing my voice, Nekhuf gave a small nod.

“There’s a forest behind the house. It won’t be noisy there.”

I recalled internally the place where I met Nephert last night.

Those two are truly destined for each other.

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