Three years had passed since I became aware of Eria-nee and Jules' secret relationship. Although it was hard, I accepted it in the end. In return, both of them opened up to me about it.
I'm happy that Eria-nee is happy. Even still, my jealousy towards Jules won't disappear, so my treatment of him didn't change. I still hate him.
Hmm... I think they'll be back soon...
Jules had hired Eria-nee as a bodyguard for a trip in another country. Hmph! But I'm sure it's just an excuse so they can flirt alone with each other. It's been a month since then, so they'll be back soon.
Meanwhile, I'm tackling quests left and right with Van. Eria-nee had ranked up once again, and she's finally an A rank adventurer. As her party members, we both need to catch up.
"Let's do this, Van!" I hyped myself up and my partner.
Van, the werewolf, did not say anything in response. He can speak, but he simply chooses not to. He only truly respond to Eria-nee.
Without a word, he slices through the horde of orcs and goblins. With his giant ass sword, he mowed through all of them like paper. All the while, he's howling like a moron.
Fufu... How uncouth. But as expected of a beastkin. At least, he's effective.
Well then, I'll be dealing with the orc king who's been eyeing me all this time.
With one spell, I'll blow him to bits!
"Fire magic! Explosion!"
My red hair swayed as I cast the most powerful offensive spell there is. In a moment, the entire area in front of me had been engulfed by a burning crater. Trees or stone, all of them had been evacirated by the powerful explosion. Of course, the monsters that had been caught up with it had perished too. The orc king was no exception.
Oh, I forgot about him...
"Urk..."
Van is now laying defeated on the ground beside me. He's coughing up blood, and there were burns all over his body. He's seriously injured.
Fuu... Good. He managed to get away.
"Hey! Don't blame me! You're in the way!" I retort after receiving Van's deadly glare. "Hmph! And I know you won't die from that anyway!"
And just as expected, in just a moment, he's almost all healed up.
See? There's no need for him to be so worked up.
"Let's go! Eria-nee's coming home, so let's welcome her together!"
We got back home after receiving our payment from the guild. We also dropped Van's equipment in a smithy to be fixed. He's only wearing leather armor with small plates of metal, so they're easily damaged—specially when they're hit with the strongest offensive spell, explosion.
"S-Stop looking at me like that! It's your fault for getting in the way!" I retorted once again after receiving Van's accusing stare.
"Umfuu..." he groaned, and then he finally settled on his special place.
Between our party, Van is the only one who doesn't have his own room in the house.
Eria-nee had purchased a house in the outskirts of the city with the help of Jules. It only has two floors, and it's rather cozy and small. With that said, it perfectly suits my older sister's tastes.
Eria-nee and I each have a room on the second floor, while Van gets to have the entire living room for himself. He's often laying on his favorite spot, in the corner of the room, where a large circular futon is laid out. The futon has been gifted to him by Eria-sama when he was still a slave, and it's now a bit worn out by all the stitches it got over the years.
And unsurprisingly, he's laying on it again, yawning as he naps.
Like this, he's not beating his unofficial title as Eria-nee's guard dog. Well, it's not like he will be able to get rid of it. Not after he massacred so many people who targeted Eria-nee.
"I'm going outside."
I might as well practice my magic while I wait for Eria-nee.
Stepping outside, I immediately noticed how dark the clouds were. It's still early in the afternoon, so the sun should be out high in the sky. Yet, the sky is full of grey and dark clouds.
"It's gonna rain soon..."
My prediction was proven right when raindrops started to fall on my open palm.
What bad timing. I was thinking of waiting for Eria-nee outside, but I can't get wet. She would just get angry.
"I'll wait for her inside..."
But just when I was planning to head back inside, a familiar figure appeared in the distance.
"Eria-nee!" a bright smile immediately appeared on my face.
It's been a month since we last saw each other, so I'm more than excited to see her again. I rushed at her, only to slow down as I approached closer. There's something wrong...
Eria-nee was not her usual lively self. There's no smile on her face nor confidence in her gait. Her shoulders were down, the same as her pointy ears.
"Eria... Nee..."
I sped up once again, concerned by her odd appearance. This is the first time I have seen her like this. We've failed a few missions before, and she never acted as such.
The rain grew heavy.
As I finally came face-to-face with her, my eyes widened in shock. There's wetness in her eyes that's not been caused by the rain. Although she was obviously trying to hold it back, she was crying.
"W-What happened, Eria-nee!?" I asked in panic.
I wanted to hold her shoulders or even hug her body, but since the situation is unknown to me, I refrained from doing so.
"Fufu..." she tiredly laughs. "Of course you would notice. Even if I try to hide the tears, my eyes would remain red after all..." trying to hide away her eyes, she forcefully smiled.
My heart aches seeing her like that.
"What happened!?" I asked again, this time, I held on her shoulders.
As our eyes met, Eria-nee's fake composure finally crumbles. The smile on her face disappeared. Her lips and brows quiver, and she finally couldn't stop the tears.
I'm left speechless.
I've never seen Eria-nee in such a state before.
"I guess I've been dumped again..." she said as she laid her head on my chest.
"Huh...?"
Dumped? But who would?
The terrible face of the man I hated for so many years appeared in my mind.
It can only be him...
My mind blanked out for just a second, before I let out bloodlust I never let out before.
"Don't do anything," Eria-nee begged through her tears. "Soap, Van, don't do anything."
Suddenly, I felt bloodlust equivalent of mine from behind. It was Van. His canine face was dark, and his sharp claws were out.
"You two... I'm leaving this city. I can't stay here anymore."
"H-Huh!? But where are you...!?"
"Anywhere else is fine! That's right! I'm going on an adventure! It's what I've been planning to do all this time anyway! Ever since I came to this world!" Eria-nee wailed as she pound a fist on my shoulder.
Her sudden outburst caught me off guard.
Eria-nee is... Hurt...
Who did this... To her...?
"Don't hurt him..." she cried. "I'm leaving, but promise me you won't hurt him..."
Jules hurt Eria-nee, despite knowing the consequences of doing so. I can't let him go unpunished. But now Eria-nee is begging for him to be spared?
I'm conflicted, but one thing I know I can decide on right now is...
"If you want to leave, then I'll come with!"
"Soap, you're from this city, so I can't..."
"No, you're all I care about, so I'll come with you! Van would come too! Wherever you are is our home!"
"Soap... Van..." Eria-nee finally lifted up her face. "We're a party after all, and I'm the leader..."
"That's right."
Van and I nodded at Eria-nee's words.
"I see. Then, let's start a new adventure. Just the three of us..."
I knew Eria-nee was hurt, but I can't help but smile and be elated that time. Without a rival in my way, I thought that it's finally my time to shine in Eria-nee's eyes. My time has come, is what I mistakenly thought...
I was unaware, that what lay ahead of us were the worst days of my life...