My Wife Waited in the Wheat Fields

“I’ll leave you two to it, then.”

Aldio bowed respectfully and walked away.

Elric’s gaze still rested on Luton’s bruises.

As if sensing the mood, Luton’s mischievous grin deepened.

“Oh? This? I see you’ve still got a knack for beating people up, Captain, and it’s killing me.”

There was not the slightest hint of shade in his laughter.

It made Elric feel even more apologetic.

“It’s my bad. I was in a hurry at the time…”

“This is what friends do. It’s nice to be reminded of the good old days.”

Elric smirked.

He knew all too well what Luton was referring to.

-”Captain! Give me a slap! I’m going to learn how to cook!”

-”Alright!”

-”Ouch! You hit me too hard!”

-”Oops, sorry.”

Both men had dreamed of becoming knights in the past.

Elric had wanted to be a knight at the forefront of the battlefield with his sword held high, while Luton had wanted to be a sturdy knight that held his shield in front of city walls.

As a result, the two would often engage in one-sided beatings in the name of training.

He remembered it all too well.

Luton’s body would always become bruised, and Elric’s wooden sword would always become coated in blood.

“…Well, the more I think about it, the more I feel sorry for you.”

“It was a good experience for me. It taught me how to take a beating from my seniors during my apprenticeship and not feel pain. They didn’t beat me up as well as you did.”

Elric was grateful to see him beaming.

No, there was something more.

“You never asked me anything.”

“About what?”

“About my sword. And what I’ve been doing for the last ten years, and why I’m hiding my power.”

If their roles had been reversed, Elric would have clung to Luton for the truth.

He might have even vented his frustrations by putting their friendship into question.

However, that wasn’t the case for Luton. Despite probably having many questions, he was treating the situation with a smiling face, asking nothing.

“You’re not going to ask?”

If Luton really wanted to hear the truth, Elric was willing to tell him everything.

The question was asked and silence fell upon them.

With a face devoid of mischief, Luton smiled faintly and said.

“Oh, I won’t ask.”

Elric’s eyes widened.

Luton continued.

“I’m sure the captain has his reasons, and I’m the kind of guy who thinks a man’s secrets should be kept by him.”

For a moment, Elric felt a stirring inside him.

“Do you remember that day when we were nine years old, the day the captain came in with a swollen cheek?”

“…I remember.”

“It was the same that day too. The Chief wanted to hide the fact that he had gotten slapped by his father, so he lied, saying he killed a noble young master from the neighboring village. We didn’t ask anything. Wasn’t it like, when we were 12, that we finally heard the truth about the incident?”

“…That’s right.”

Elric’s voice trailed off.

Luton chuckled.

“It wasn’t just me, I’m sure everyone was the same. We know that the captain doesn’t tell others what they can’t bear to hear themselves. So, we just wait.”

Ah, yes.

Elric suddenly realized.

It wasn’t the idyllic atmosphere of Yubin that was truly chilling him to the bone.

“I’ll cheer you on until you make it seem like it’s nothing to you. So when that day comes, tell me about the last ten years. Blow it up like a hero’s tale.”

It was the brothers he had here.

Relationships built on a handful of gold coins, a relationship of trust, not transaction.

It was the human warmth that Elric had forgotten for so long that had made him weak.

Elric felt his eyes flush, wondering why he felt so vulnerable.

“Oh, don’t cry. It’s a strange thing for a man to do, and Captain doesn’t look good crying. I don’t want to see it.”

Luton’s chuckle caused Elric to bite his lip to try and stifle a cry.

Then he smirked.

“I’ll keep that in mind.”

“You sound like an old man.”

“We’ll talk about this later.”

“I look forward to it.”

With that, Luton rose from his seat.

“I’m going to go now. Once I get back to Gideon, I won’t be back for a while. I’ve got a lot of work to do there.”

“Why don’t you stay a little longer?”

“The longer the goodbye, the harder it is. Besides, it’s not like this is the last time we’ll be seeing each other. I can stop by next time I’m in town.”

Elric’s fingertips trembled.

The hesitation in his voice grew stronger as he spoke his next words.

Not wanting to show it, Elric forced a smile.

Luton suddenly flashed a wicked grin, and said casually.

“Well, will I be able to see a nephew by then?”

“A nephew?”

“If they’re the boss’ kid, they’re a nephew to me.”

One, two, three.

It was only after 3 seconds that Elric understood what Luton was implying.

His face reddened like a volcano’s lava.

“What do you mean!?”

“Ugh, why are you shouting? You’re a noble now, boss. Aren’t you going to create an heir?”

Luton asked in a questioning tone.

Elric pursed his lips in disbelief.

An heir, he thought, would mean that he would have to do this and that with Tyria.

Elric washed his face dry, his imagination running wild.

Luton continued his ramblings unperturbed.

“What, didn’t you tell me some time ago that you were going to have ten kids and make an Elric Knight Order…?”

“When on earth did I say that?”

“When we were ten, so fourteen years ago.”

“Yeah, when we didn’t know what we were talking about.”

Nodding, Elric sighed.

His face had gotten so hot it was hard to calm down.

“Why are you bringing up nonsense from our childhood?”

“Well, you two seem to get along well. Isn’t that why “I” left the body of that one Blade Wolf intact, to give to your wife as a gift?”

He was right.

One of the Blade Wolves Elric had killed in the snowy mountains had been cleaned up as best they could to keep its hide intact.

All because Tyria’s old fur cloak had bothered him.

But that was it.

Elric gave it no more significance than that.

“Awww, are you feeling embarrassed?”

Luton clicked his tongue.

Elric looked at him with an evil eye.

“Get out.”

“Ya, see you later.”

With a flick of his hand, Luton was gone.

The way he waddled away as if he were going for a drink on his doorstep was uncharacteristic of a man who was about to travel a long way.

Elric sighed.

“When will he grow up, anyway?”

Only, Elric never realized that it wasn’t his voice.

Several more days had passed.

Tyria spent most of her days sleeping, and even when she awoke, she was groggy and unable to speak properly.

In fact, she was barely awake at all.

It was only this morning that she recovered.

Still feverish, but over the dangerous hump and stabilized, she awoke to a maid cleaning her room.

“M-Milady!”

Tiria’s eyes widened as the maid rushed over and checked her over.

Her body felt languid.

Her forehead was a little hot, and her thoughts were slurred.

But not so much so that she couldn’t move.

So Tyria asked.

“…How long have I been lying here? What happened to all my work?”

Tyria’s memories were fuzzy, but she knew she hadn’t worked in quite some time.

She figured she’d have to get busy to catch up on her work, and that was when the maidservant took offense.

“What are you saying, and this soon after you’ve awoken?! Everyone was so worried about you!”

“Were they?”

“Of course! The master was so worried too, he came by here every day to check on you!”

Tyria’s eyes widened.

She knew the master her maid was referring to was none other than Elric.

“…Milord?”

Seriously?

She asked in surprise, and the maid nodded vigorously.

“We all tried so hard to tell you what to do if you caught a cold, but you wouldn’t listen to us! Anyway, nothing changes when you’re stubborn as hell!”

She puffed out her chest in frustration, and it didn’t look like she was lying.

Tyria couldn’t believe it.

Or, more accurately, she couldn’t understand his intentions.

Then a thought occurred to her.

‘He looked over me whilst I was sleeping…’

Her face heated up.

Her pupils trembled violently.

“Eh, huh? Your face is even redder… Hic! You have a fever!”

The maid stumbled on her feet.

And Tyria still hadn’t gotten out of her own world.

She shuddered with embarrassment.

She kept wondering if she had looked weird.

Just as she was beginning to feel the need to check herself in the mirror, the maid hurriedly opened the door.

It was at that moment.

“Hurry up and get a wet towel…”

Thump–!

“What’s with all the commotion?”

Tyria and the maid’s heads turned toward the door at the same time.

“M-Milord?”

Elric was there.

He looked a little disheveled, as if he hadn’t been sleeping well.

There was a moment of silence, then Elric’s head turned and Tyria’s eyes met his.

“…Milady?”

A look of surprise crossed Elric’s face.