28. Trickery Early in the Morning

"I'm telling you, it makes no sense for him to know how to do all that yet be so ignorant of this world!"

Under the care of the rising sun, the six friends were now on their way home. Between them, the sorceress who had drunk too much had something she wanted to take off her chest.

"Yumino! Tell me how you're managing to learn so quickly! You shouldn't keep secrets from friends!"

"Velmira, please calm down! You're all over the place!" intervened Averin, trying to hold the lady back by pulling on the hem of the short skirt she usually wore.

However, it soon became clear that the strength of the sorceress wasn't limited to spells. Not noticing the redhead grabbing onto her, Velmira tried to get closer to Yumino, hoping that sucking up to him would get him an answer. Behind her, the frail girl ended up being dragged to the ground.

She quickly got back up and let out an "ahem," hoping that nobody had seen her embarrass herself.

Fortunately, everyone around was polite enough to pretend they saw nothing.

"Ahaha! But I have to say, Yumino, this witch of ours—"

"Don't ever again call me a witch!" A booming voice resounded in their ears even if Velmira didn't part her lips.

"Right... This pretty lady of ours has a point," Gavin continued. "You're getting strong really quick! Why don't you share some tips with us?"

"Well... Even if you ask me, I'm not sure what I could tell you..."

Of course, Yumino had received clear instructions not to mention the voices in his head. He was compelled to do the one thing he hated most—hide the truth.

"All right, how about we let the elf do as he pleases for a change?" Averin's kind voice encouraged the rest.

"Who knows, maybe elven tricks don't even work for us. We can get stronger on our own just fine!" she said with her chin tilted up, her arms crossed firmly, and following with a "hmph."

"Fine, you're right, Ave! Let's give our friend some room to breathe," Gavind agreed, pulling the clingy Velmira away from the troubled Yumino.

"Besides, who knows, we may one day read about it in a book. You're becoming pretty well known around here already!" he concluded, ending the conversation with a wink.

For the tired elf, the conversation of the yet lively heroes around him felt overwhelming. All he could think about so early in the morning was his warm bed.

But it seemed he wasn't the only one thinking like this. As Yumino looked to his left, he couldn't help but let out a small puff at the sight of Nima, who was walking down the street with her eyes closed.

"What?" the elven lady asked, startling Yumino, who was convinced she was sleepwalking by now.

"Wouldn't it be quicker for you to stop at a nearby inn if you're so sleepy? I know a couple good places I visit whenever you kick me out."

"Is that an invitation?"

"You could take it as such. I invite you to rest your sleepy head while I go back home to my bed."

Feeling that the girl next to him was vulnerable, Yumino decided to joke around a bit, yet it wasn't long before his foot ended up being stepped on by the lady he was teasing.

"Ouch!"

"If you're able to crack jokes like that, I take it you're lively enough to carry me home," said Nima, letting herself fall into his arms.

Seeing that, a pouting Velmira took the chance to get her point across once more.

"Not fair!"

*****

"Okay then, take care of them for me! See you!" Garron said as he parted ways with the rest.

By now, three of the six friends had split off from the group, each of them going to their homes.

The ones left were Velmira, Nima, and Yumino, but as the house of the two elves was also close, it was time for them to also say their goodbyes.

"Eh~?! You mean I don't get to come in with you?" Velmira protested out of nowhere.

"Ha? Where did that come from?" Yumino asked while giving the crimson lady a look twisted by so much fatigue it felt overly hostile.

"Well, you're not going to let a lady walk back home alone, right? It's dangerous!"

"Velmira... I doubt there are five people in Veston who could put you in danger... and two of them are our friends..."

"Even so! A true man wouldn't think twice before inviting me in!"

"Listen, this isn't even really my home. Nima's been sleeping for the past ten minutes. There's no waking her up. I've tried it already."

Upon closer inspection, the sorceress couldn't deny the fact Yumino was in a tough spot. The girl on his back was sleeping soundly, and his trembling legs could barely carry their weight anymore.

Velmira let out a sigh and halfheartedly accepted the pleas of the elf.

"But you're not getting out of this without at least walking me home!"

Defeated, Yumino took the unconscious Nima to her bed and came back out to face the witch, who was waiting for him with a wide smile.

"So? Which wa—"

Yet Yumino didn't get to finish his question, as he soon found himself pinned to the wall, stared down by the piercing red irises of the sorceress.

"Velmira... What's this about?"

"Maybe now you can tell me, Yumino. Who is teaching you all of those new tricks?"

As far as memory served him, this was the first time Yumino had seen Velmira give off such a threatening aura. Her gaze was fixed on the elf, cutting his breaths short.

"Velmira, please let go of me—"

Fear soon came over Yumino. Even if the sorceress was shorter, looking up at him, her aggressive gaze gave the elf a serious fright.

It reminded him of the looks everyone gave him back when he had an argument with Lucien. It was easy to forget, but Yumino had only ever been on their good side lately. In reality, those heroes had a lot of blood on their hands. Yumino couldn't take their friendship for granted.

He had to give her an answer.

"It's... It's thanks to old elven scripts! The elves of old spent many years perfecting their craft, so we can learn pretty quickly from it now."

Unsure whether he was able to convince her, Yumino looked deep into Velmira's crimson eyes. Their gazes stayed interlocked for the next couple of seconds.

"Kya! Stop that, Yumino! You'll give me the wrong idea~!"

Just as quick as she pinned him, Velmira let the elf go, as if nothing had happened. As such, Yumino was left there in a stupor.

"Just like that? Really?" he said.

"What do you want me to do? My maiden heart can only take so much! Do you have any idea how hard it was for me to hold you like that?"

Yumino quickly sniffed out her lie, but he didn't comment on it.

"Well. There you have it. If that was your reason for calling me here, then I guess I can go back inside..."

"Besides, you also seem to have a knack for lying~."

Hearing this, the elf stopped in his tracks.

"Take that back!"

There was no hint of playing around in Yumino's eyes.

"Why should I? I meant it as a compliment."

"What twisted reality do you live in that makes you think lying can be associated with anything good?"

"Listen here, my dear elf…" said Velmira, stretching her hand towards Yumino as a gesture showing kindness.

"As long as life exists, so will trickery. As long as you let them, people will deceive you to get what they want," she continued.

"I've long made peace with that. I'm not trying to change the world around me. I just want to keep trickery away from me."

"Would you take the fletching off of an arrow just because you don't like it?"

"Well, no... But—"

"Trickery is part of what people need to do to get through their daily lives. We use it to make our lives better. I don't see why someone would disarm themselves on purpose."

"Rather than 'disarming' myself, you could think about it more like going to a fight just with my shield."

"And is that a fitting thing to do as an archer?"

Yumino hesitated to answer.

"Hihi. I see I've gotten you thinking," Velmira said.

"Listen here, Yumino. Your righteousness shines bright; that's a truth nobody wants to change. But remember, life is but a balance of both truths and lies. Be careful not to overload either side."

After finishing her speech, Velmira winked at the man, turned around, and left.

Behind her, Yumino took a minute to stare at the sunrise. He wanted to deny her words, but as much as he tried, he couldn't find fault in them.