Enji the Coward

Chapter XIV

Enji the Coward

Finally, Enji was able to escape from Galakei’s insatiable curiosity. Besides discussing magic, she also wanted to know every detail of what had happened during the rescue. He left her room and darted to his to change clothes. Ulua had informed him that they were having an early dinner in honor of the guests. He figured that by guests she meant the people traveling in the carriage. He had yet to meet them; all he had heard was that one of them was supposed to be some bigshot.

As he changed, he wondered where Galakei procured the clothes he was wearing. Are they magical? He hoped not; he would hate it if the spell broke and found himself in his underwear or worse, naked.

He arrived at the banquet hall. Several people were already in the room; some stood around the table, others sat. Some he knew, and the others were strangers. He gazed around. Silma had not arrived yet, nor Elpinia. He worried about Skia’s health; she had been injured, but he didn’t know how badly. As he entered the room, Enji tried to move to an inconspicuous corner, trying to make himself invisible.

“Oi, master Enji! You seem to be in one piece,” Pol shouted.

The hell are you screaming for?! Enji froze in place.

“Chief, I want to hear your story.” The twins approached Enji.

So much for my stealthy maneuver! Enji sighed in resignation, but he was glad it was them, and not unfamiliar people who would make him uncomfortable.

The twins were stranded at the mansion due to the continuous downpour; they couldn’t return to the farm as programmed. Elpinia must be in heaven, having Sol staying longer.

“Sure, after dinner,” Enji replied to Sol.

The other people in the room had been eyeing him oddly after he garnered attention in his entrance. He recognized the three adventurers who were more interested in whatever they were drinking than in what was going on. The ones who had not taken their eyes off him were a middle-aged obese man, a pregnant woman whose face was covered with a hood and veil, and whose belly seemed to be about to explode, and a young lad, perhaps about Enji’s age, give or take a year; he too showed signs of obesity. Two maids stood behind the pregnant woman, attending to her needs. Those last five must have been the carriage’s passengers.

Elpinia made her entrance, and Enji felt relieved that the guests’ attention was diverted from him to the little vampire girl. Lia and Maka accompanied her; they cast a smile in his direction, for which he timidly waved. They sat down at the end of the table close to Galakei’s place as guests of honor. After them, Silma arrived; it seemed as if they had agreed on the order and timing to impress the people in the room. She looks cute. Silma gestured for Enji to sit beside her, and Enji quickly heeded.

Their seating arrangement resulted in the man, with the scowling face, and the pregnant woman being seated across from Enji and Silma. The boy who came in the carriage and the twins sat on the next seats, leaving the adventurers at the end of the table.

To Enji’s surprise, Galakei showed up. She wore a much more ornate purple robe instead of her usual green one, and as usual, she made her entrance with pompous mannerisms. Ulua, following Galakei, stood behind her when she sat at the head of the table.

Galakei rose and eyed everyone sitting at the table.

“I bid all of you welcome.” Her hissing voice was loud and clear. “Surely, there’s no need for my introduction; nevertheless, I’m the celebrated and renowned High Mage Galakei [Kilai] Deadleaves,” she announced in her bombastic way of talking. Enji smiled. He was sure that if some calamity befell him like the one she was suffering, he would be depressed beyond salvation.

“Allow me to introduce House Deadleaves’ guests,” she continued. She gestured to her right. “My ward, Lady Elpinia, and her assistants, Lia and Maka. Commander Skia is still recuperating from her wounds.”

“I offer my most sincere thanks to Lady Skia.” The pregnant woman’s voice was soft, like velvet, and her refined mannerisms suggested high breeding.

Enji glanced at the man when he clicked his tongue. What’s wrong with him?

Galakei acknowledged her thanks with a nod and ignored the man’s display of disdain. “The twin boys there, Sol and Pol, are from Eithea’s farm, as is the lady here.” She pointed to Silma. Enji could see Silma’s nervousness and the man’s grumpiness increase.

“Her name is Silma, and she is training to become a High Mage.” She is? The announcement surprised Enji; Silma had never shared her ambitions with him. Enji glanced at the man again. He wasn’t reacting to Silma. Then, his beef is with the vampires. Now, the boy was another matter. He was shamelessly ogling Silma. Back off, buddy!

“And her companion is Lord Enji [Kilai] Hasegawa, a foreign noble from lands beyond the sea and... my apprentice.” That dropped like a bombshell. The man and the boy both stood up simultaneously.

“What do you mean by your apprentice?” The man slammed the table with both hands, his porcine face red with anger. “You never took one! You had denied my son time after time. I’m the lord of this land, and I demand that my son be the one!”

Enji looked at Galakei. Her expression had not changed; she still had the same smile that she had when making the announcements. It reminded Enji of the polite smiles of service workers in Japan, who often face demanding customers. She’s scary.

“You are welcome to take your grievances to the King.” Her smile rose a few degrees in evilness. “Although let me warn you, domain lords can be replaced like this...” She snapped her fingers. “...but there is one and only Galakei [Kilai] Deadleaves.”

The man dropped down into his chair, his face devoid of any color, and the boy, after watching his father, followed suit. Kilai? What does that mean? Ack! She said I was a lord!

“You may commence your introductions.” Galakei’s smiling visage was something one had to get used to, if ever.

The man rose and cleared his throat. “I’m Mitage Deepford, Lord of the North Eastern Canton domain. With me is Lady Aslei Whitemane, my third wife, and my second son, Morage.”

That fat jerk has three wives? Enji disliked the so-called domain lord, and by the same demeanor, his son too. They acted like they were above everyone and deserved everything. Enji reasoned that slavery and hatred toward certain races existed because a majority of selfish and corrupted nobles were in control. The Lord’s son was sneering with an air of superiority that made Enji cringe. He glanced at Lady Aslei. She repressed her body language so well that it was difficult to discern her true feelings. She seems cool.

After Mitage finished the introductions, he sat down with his arms crossed and chin high, trying to appear important.

“Aren’t you going to introduce the adventurers that safeguarded your and your family’s lives?” Galakei jabbed at the fat noble again.

Lord Mitage groaned in dissatisfaction. “I don’t know their names.”

Galakei nodded in the direction of the adventurers.

“Err... I’ll speak on behalf of the captain, who is currently bedridden from injuries sustained. The captain’s name is Sarko. I’m Neos. The big fella over there is Koll, and the mage is Han.” Each man nodded when their name was mentioned.

“Now that the introductions are over, let’s begin with the banquet!” Glakei clapped her hands, and Ulua, followed by Lia and Maka, headed into the kitchen.

***

After dinner, everyone was ushered into the reception room for drinks and conversations while waiting for Galakei to join them. Enji stood in a corner of the room, waiting for Silma to return from checking on Skia’s condition. He gazed around. Pol was engaged in conversation with the adventurer mage, and Sol, well, Sol, you guessed it. He was with Elpinia in their own little world. These kids are way ahead. Enji couldn’t believe they were twelve by the way they acted. Does love come early in this world?

The lord and his wife had left with Galakei for her office. She was going to examine or treat the lady for some ailment. That was the reason they had made the long journey to such an isolated place as the Mage’s mansion. The lord’s son had remained and was now talking to Neos. Koll was trying to get on good terms with one of Lady Aslei’s maids, who was serving him drinks.

Silma returned and approached Enji.

“How is Skia? Can I go see her?”

Silma shook her head. “By her own words, ‘Tell that worm, not to get near me.’ So that’s a no. She’s improving; in a couple more days, she’ll be able to walk.”

“Oh.”

“I heard what you did for her.” Her tail lashed from side to side nervously as she stared him in the eyes. “Do you like her?”

He would be lying if he said that he didn’t find the vampire girl attractive, but the same could be said for Silma, Nilsei, Popa, Lia, and Maka. Even Eithea was a beautiful woman despite her scars. He restrained the urge to look away, but it would have been suspicious. “We...We fought together, which makes us comrades in arms. The same as you, Popa, Nilsei, and the twins.” Silma’s pouting face reflected that she was not happy with the answer.

“Why don’t you leave the coward and join me instead?” The domain lord’s son, Morage, butted in between Enji and Silma, pushing Enji aside.

Huh? Who is this coward you’re talking about?

Morage gave Enji a look of disdain. “I heard from the adventurers that he fled terrified into the forest, and the blood drinker scum had to rescue him.”

Enji frowned. The insult to Skia didn’t sit well with him.

“He did no such thing,” Silma defended Enji.

“He witnessed it.” Morage sneered and pointed to Neos, who was talking to the mage.

Wasn’t Neos at the front of the carriage steering it? He couldn’t have witnessed anything. Enji was getting riled; usually, he was very patient, but he was reaching the breaking point. What held him back from making a scene was that he didn’t want to cause any trouble for Galakei by offending a noble.

Morage turned to Silma. “I heard from my father that you are a slave of that fox woman. I can buy you and let you have the honor of being my concubine.”

“She is not for sale for any money in the world!” Enji had it. He would not tolerate anyone insinuating or insulting Silma or any of his friends.

“Ha! My father has more money than you can ever imagine, and I can order you to be executed like this!” He made a gesture, and the two adventurers came closer. “Girl, you will be mine!” He forcefully grabbed Silma’s arm. Her tail tensed, and its fur stood on end. She began to whisper an incantation when the boy was suddenly gone from her sight.

“Heh?” she uttered.

Enji had punched Morage in the face, sending the boy careening toward the floor, where he remained whimpering.

Enji’s training at the farm for the past months had not been in vain. His reflexes were faster, and his body had hardened, so smashing the nose of the little pig was nothing.

Silma stared in disbelief at Enji, who took off his jacket, ready for a fight he was sure to come.

Neos and Han had rushed to stand between their employer’s son and Enji. They were unarmed, but the mage began to chant. Enji knew he had a couple of seconds before the spell was cast. He could stop the mage if he hit him in the throat, and the other, he would have to deal with on the fly. He was about to sprint forward when a bellowing voice shook the walls.

“The black haired buddy is in his right to defend his lady!” Koll had shouted. He placed himself between the two adventurers and Enji; the mage ceased his chanting. “And the lord’s boy is lying,” he added, pointing at Morage on the floor, curled up in a fetal position and crying like a little girl. He turned to Enji and asked, “Apologies. I didn’t catch your name.”

“Enji. My name is Enji.” He looked at the towering giant in awe. Enji thought he seemed bigger than the night before.

He turned to face the others. “Lord Enji pushed the cart together with me all the way to the gate. He then, armed only with a lance, shot into the darkness to help his fallen commander. Not only did he survive against the [gleths], he returned with the girl on his back. When I saw her condition, I figured she was done for, having both her lower legs ripped off by those [gleths].”

Wait! What? What? What? No, no, no, “Nooo!” Enji stumbled backward until the wall stopped him from receding any further. He wanted to run, to flee the goddamn world and all the absurdity it brought. He stared at everyone. How can they be so calm? He couldn’t reconcile the fact that the girl who had sparred with him was going to be crippled for her whole life. He looked at Silma. Did you lie? You said she was going to walk tomorrow. He grabbed his head. “It doesn’t make sense... It doesn’t... It doesn’t... It—”

“Calm down! Calm down! She’s going to be alright.” Enji looked down at the small girl hugging him by the waist with enough force to make his back creak. “Do you remember what you called us? Aren’t the vampires in your stories impervious to harm?” Elpinia, grabbing Enji’s cheeks, whispered, “So are we. She will regrow her feet.”

Enji blinked a few times. He wanted to look elsewhere, but he couldn’t break the mesmerizing spell of her red eyes. Remembering her taboo about touching humans, Enji tried to push her arms away, but couldn’t. Resigned to be in her grip, he asked, “Truly?”

“You can see her after tomorrow.”

“Can I see her now?”

“No girl would like the boy they love to see her with mutilated legs.”

“Huh?” The look on his face couldn’t look more stupid.