An uncomfortable companion (2)

'Gulp.'

Ethan gulped, sweat forming on his hands.

Sword Master Brudie Schaffer.

It was said that he was comparable to the legendary swordsmen of the West. Seeing such a man was like having a star in front of his eyes.

Then, why?

Oddly enough, this young man didn't look at him but at the person next to him.

Gael Wise.

The moment he saw the man who might become someone responsible for the future of the continent, Ethan felt his shoulders shudder.

'… of course.'

A Sword Master is great. However, the existence that can command the Sword Master is greater.

Unless someone was a King of a powerful nation, they couldn't have such a man under their control. In other words, Gael Wise was someone who was considered to be more influential than such Kings.

"I heard voices, so I came… what is happening?"

From the mouth of such a person, came a soft voice.

His words were polite and decent.

Ethan was more afraid of that somehow. A truly great person who could get his hands on everything he wanted wasn't barking out order but was speaking softly.

A feeling of pressure completely different from aura rose.

He pondered on what words he could use, carefully.

However, there were those who didn't care about such things.

"Hello. Mr. Wise. I am Aron, I am sorry for causing a commotion in the middle of the night, but I have something to tell you."

"Right. Mr. Aron. Is it important?"

"It is a small suggestion, but I would appreciate it if you could spend some time on it. If you are busy, I can come back later."

The blonde young man continued to speak without holding back his thoughts.

Seeing this, Ethan, the bald expert, and the ones around were surprised. It was probably because Gael Wise was giving out a regal atmosphere. Seeing the young man be this confident, even Sword Master Brudie Schaffer narrowed his eyes.

Only Gael Wise looked indifferent.

And said,

"I see. Since today's work is over, shall we hear your story?"

"Thank you."

And Aron recounted the same thing he told the bald man.

The manner in which their group was required to do more tasks…in such a way that it became inconvenient. At the same time, he refrained from using expressions which might offend the listeners as much as possible.

It wasn't very eloquent, but it was well organized to the point that anyone could understand, and the people around nodded.

But of course, no matter how correct the statement was, it didn't always work. The messenger was as important as the message, so the words from a lower man to a man in a higher position weren't often accepted.

However, Gael Wise wasn't such a man. At least, not now.

He nodded and smiled.

"I apologize. With a lot of people joining the party, the schedules seem to have gotten tangled up, and as Mr. Aron said, small problems seem to have arisen."

The half elf apologized and ordered a few staff to take care of it and after the staff heard what he had to say, they went away, and the half elf looked at Aron again.

"I apologize again. You have been troubled."

"No. This could have been unpleasant for you as well. Thank you for listening so well."

"Of course. Mr. Aron may or could be a guest of the Wise Guild, right? Ah! Of course, I don't mean to point out that you aren't one now. But hahah."

Gael Wise laughed and turned his head and looked at everyone and spoke in a clear voice.

The content was simple. We made a mistake due to the huge number of people, but I ask for the understanding that this isn't intentional. In the future, we will try our best to prevent this from happening.

Lastly, the door to me is always open so please don't feel pressure and suggest anything to us.

Hearing that, the faces of the others brightened.

"As expected from the Wise Guild."

"He has a good personality and character."

"It isn't a big deal, but such sincerity…"

"I know."

People complimented him. Ethan, who was standing there, turned his attention to the others.

Aron's face caught his eyes.

"You, I didn't know that you were such a dependable person."

"Is that so? He didn't say anything strange… but not going out would have been better, right?"

"Ah, what are you saying? You did good… good. Our captain was there saving Aron from trembling."

"Well!"

"What! You brat…"

Ethan just looked. However, Kenan didn't care and continued to tease the captain. Giovanni grabbed his stomach and laughed while Vulcan and Aron just watched them.

Only Jarin couldn't hide the uncomfortable expression she had as she looked at where Gael Wise disappeared.

So, 3 days went by in the Tamoe Forest.

Another 4 days passed.

Normally, they should have been at the end of the route, but the party was still unable to leave the forest. Although travelling with many people meant being safe on the journey, this was something which made them uneasy.

Still, the atmosphere wasn't too bad.

The reason was simple. They had Gael Wise on their side who took the lead and he was also someone who considered the suggestions of the people.

"Such a great man, he's so respectable."

"It makes me feel good to be moving with him, since he looks after us."

"Well, now I know why people below him like him."

He was someone who woke up earlier than others and went to bed after most of them had slept. He spent most of his time for the party, and neither yelled nor showed dislike.

He worked so hard that the others even began to feel sorry. As a result, there was something which followed; the negative view of Ethan's party.

"Did they really have to talk about it?"

"There was no need. It wasn't such a big deal, right? Just a few coincidences, but they were being so outspoken."

"Hey, isn't he the one?"

"What?

"That young man over there, I heard he is impersonating Airn Pareira…"

"Ah, I heard too, tch. What the hell is he doing…"

"He is doing such a bad job at it too."

For Ethan, this was a sad situation. The truth was that the issue couldn't be overlooked then.

But it wasn't strange to be pointed out now.

Weren't these people different in the start? They nodded their head at Aron's words at the start, and he clearly remembered that. Aron must be feeling even worse.

Looking at the young man doing his job, Ethan felt sad.

'Giovanni, the jokes which were supposed to be among us…'

Actually, it wasn't his fault. When they first joined this party, they made a couple jokes about Aron to the others.

Because they had memories of laughing and talking with him, they wanted such a funny thing to be known. But they didn't think that those words would cause such a negative impact.

No, he couldn't even understand this current atmosphere.

Ethan mumbled.

"How did it turn out like this?"

He couldn't figure it out.

What was clear is that they didn't make any mistake. But there was no one who would listen to them. So as soon as they got out of the Tamoe forest, they had to break away from this party.

And…

'…. No, I don't think it's possible.'

Ethan looked at Jarin and sighed.

Right. It was too big to ascertain with just a guess. The fact that this happened because of bad ties between Jarin and Gael.

To be honest, it was a little hard to believe too. It was even more so, considering the gap between the eldest son of a renowned merchant and a silver mercenary magician.

'Looking at him in person, h doesn't seem bad.'

"… phew, I don't know."

He sighed.

He didn't know. Jarin wasn't an elf he couldn't believe, but he couldn't believe her if she spoke a single thing about her ties with Gael. And the opponent seemed too high for her to even talk about.

Forget it.

Be quiet and lay low until they move from Tamoe Forest.

With that, Ethan fell asleep.

So, after a while, he didn't see Jarin get up and approach Aron.

"Sorry."

"Uh?"

"I said sorry. You are getting cursed… because of me."

"What…???"

Aron, who was meditating, had a puzzled face.

He should have known that he was being criticized for being an impersonator by the others. But it wasn't Jarin's fault.

It was his own fault for not clearing it and secondly, it was Giovanni's fault for speaking about it.

So why was this elf apologizing for it?

And the answer came.

"Gael Wise and I don't get along."

"Uh?"

"You don't believe it? But it is true. Ah, I can't tell you what it is. Knowing it can be dangerous. Even if I said it, you wouldn't believe me."

"…?"

"Uh, that look…. No, it is my fault. What you are being sad…"

"…"

"The excessive negative atmosphere right now… it is because of me. I am so sorry… I just wanted to say that."

Jarin closed her mouth after giving that weird story. Aron, no… Airn couldn't say anything.

He knew what happened, but he didn't really believe her words.

'Still…'

He looked into her eyes.

He was a swordsman but also a sorcerer. This meant that he was more sensitive to the minds of others than normal people.

And his powers had deepened after his realization of the energy of water.

The ability which he acquired in the process of exchanging feelings.

Jarin's words felt real. She was truly concerned for him.

'Then, it is right to tell me something that answers her worries…'

What should he say?

What could he say to the elf to ease her worries?

Fortunately, the trouble didn't last long.

Airn smiled and said,

"Would you like to hear the story of my past?"