Love Letter From The Future

Chapter 314: Bread and Dagger (12)

The essence of the question posed by the Saintess was simple.

She wanted to know who the sender of the ‘Love Letter from the Future’ was.

This was a matter that had already been explained several times.

The first explanation came from when the existence of the ‘me’ from the future was revealed.

At that time, Leto had to painstakingly explain his existence with utmost sincerity. In doing so, the story of the ‘Love Letter from the Future’ also naturally came up.

The letter was the start of all of these events, so it was hard to talk about what happened afterward without mentioning it.

At least there was one fortunate aspect.

That time had been an exceedingly chaotic period.

Having narrowly escaped death from the attack of the Dark Priest, the existence of ‘me’ from the future was revealed, along with Ria’s truth as well as the secrets surrounding the Percus family.

It was truly a time when all sorts of problems were intertwined.

No one had the leisure to focus on something as trivial as a ‘Love Letter.’ Thanks to that, the story about the ‘Love Letter from the Future’ was glossed over and faded away.

However, today was different.

Though another incident was approaching, the Saintess still had ample mental capacity. It wasn’t strange for her to pay attention to the resurfaced ‘Love Letter.’

Moreover, wasn’t I the one who had brought it up?

No one can see the ‘Love Letter from the Future.’

Even its contents could not be divulged. This was because any attempt to leak information to others besides myself would cause distortions.

However, the existence of the letter itself could be disclosed.

Just as Leto did in the past, the Saintess too came to know of its existence.

It was a mistake to have revealed everything earlier.

During the conversation, I had brought up the newly arrived letter, and upon hearing this, it seemed the Saintess’s long-standing curiosity was piqued.

And rather perilously at that.

The Saintess’s eyes, devoid of light, were utterly terrifying. Her cold voice was enough to send an unexpected chill down my spine.

I recalled when the Saintess had been like this, in the distant past.

It was around the time when we were preparing for the hunting festival. Back when I was with Celine and Seria, the Saintess would constantly try and keep those two in check.

Back then, she hadn’t been serious.

I realized that fact with a shudder.

Looking into the Saintess’s lifeless eyes, I broke out in a cold sweat.

“Wh-Who sent it?”

I stammered, hoping she wouldn’t press further.

Of course, there was absolutely no reason for the Saintess to grant that wish.

She offered a slight smile.

Her expression was still beautiful—so much so that my breath caught for a moment.

I just couldn’t tell whether my breathlessness was due to her beauty or her eerie gaze.

The Saintess asked again in a captivating voice.

“Yes, who... or rather, which bitch sent it?”

In the very end, she didn’t even bother to hide her true feelings.

Even if I knew who sent it, the atmosphere made it hard to speak.

Because if I did, it felt like an assassin dispatched by the Holy Nation might pay a certain someone’s room a visit.

Actually, no.Even in a more amicable situation, I still would have hesitated to answer.

Because it was embarrassing to admit.

How could I confess that there wasn’t just one sender?

Of course, they might have come from different futures, but it was a situation perfect for misunderstandings. I mean, five women, each claiming to be my ‘fiancée’?

Just imagining trying to confess this made me embarrassed beyond words.

Especially right now, there was no way I could tell this to the Saintess, not even if it killed me.

As I maintained my silence, the Saintess’s smile gradually faded.

And just before her face turned expressionless enough to give me goosebumps.

I barely came up with a brilliant idea.

“...Who do you think sent it?”

It was a basic tactic.

I simply turned her question back on her.

But the effect was beyond imagination.

The intense pressure the Saintess had been exerting on me suddenly subsided.

She kept blinking blankly.

“Who... do I think sent it?”

“Yes, who do you think sent it... No, rather who would you like it to be from?”

As the conversation went on, the nature of the question subtly changed.

From ‘Who do you think sent it?’ to ‘Who would you like it to be from?’

The change in topic was undoubtedly effective on the Saintess.

Her light pink eyes began to tremble violently.

After hesitating and remaining silent for a while, the Saintess soon let out a low laugh.

“Huhu, ahaha... ahahahaha!”

It was an unexpected reaction.

Not knowing why she burst into laughter, I looked at the Saintess with a puzzled expression.

After gazing into her eyes, I realized.

Ah, she doesn’t know either.

Yes, if it were an ordinary person.

Without hesitation, I kicked the vase upward.

The glass fragments shattered in all directions.

At that moment, I brought my raised foot straight onto the Elf’s chest. She tried to block it by crossing her arms, but it wasn’t enough.

With a loud thud, I stomped on the Elf girl’s solar plexus, as she clutched at her chest and groaned.

“GUHH, AAA ... AAAAAHHHHH!”

Listening to her cries, I asked her a question.

“Hey, do your teeth grow back?”

The Elf girl looked up at me with eyes full of confusion.

I was almost impressed that her spirit hadn’t been completely broken yet.

She seemed to have forgotten that she was in the heart of enemy territory, and that I was a member of the Empire that had long been at war with the Elves.

I gave a faint smile to the Elf girl.

“Then, that’s a relief.”

Immediately after.

Wham—my foot struck the Elf girl’s temple.

She lost consciousness without even managing a scream. The blow was so powerful that a couple of her teeth were knocked out.

As the incident concluded, the Saintess cautiously approached me from behind.

I thought she might be angry at my brutality, but she seemed more interested in the Elf girl’s physical condition.

“...Her regenerative ability is quite strong. This is beyond the realm of holy power.”

“Then what is it?”

“It’s either magic or alchemy... or something similar, I believe.”

This was new information.

Hmm, I mused, stroking my chin, then hoisted the unconscious elf girl over my shoulder.

And once again, I stuffed her into the sack I had previously used to carry her.

As soon as I slung the sack over my shoulder, the Saintess’s flustered voice followed behind me.

“I-Ian! Where are you going?”

“Given her regenerative ability, she’ll heal on her own, right? Since I finished her with one blow, I figured that she wouldn’t need any further treatment.”

With those words, I gave a slight smile and raised my hand.

It was a farewell gesture.

“I’ll come see you again next time. I have something to consult with you regarding the North...”

I had been troubled by the Saintess’s obsession with the ‘love letter.’

With such a perfect excuse ready, there was no reason not to leave.

While the Saintess stood there, dumbfounded, I swiftly made my exit from the Sun’s Shelter.

Behind me, I could hear the Saintess’s shout.

“I-Ian! But about that confession from last time...!”

“We’ll talk about it next time! And it’s really nothing important!”

The last words were the least I could do out of loyalty to my friend Yuren.

Even though he suggested leaving me behind during the Corpse Giant incident.

In any case, being too nice was my biggest flaw.

With the blood-stained sack slung over my shoulder, I shot off like the wind.

While the passersby just gawked at the bizarre sight with dumbfounded expressions.

***A little while later, I arrived at Emma’s workshop and immediately tossed the sack onto the floor.

Emma, who had been anxiously pacing around in worry, widened her eyes in surprise.

I had shown up out of nowhere and threw an unfamiliar sack. It would’ve been more unusual if she wasn’t surprised.

I spoke with an awkward smile.

“Open it. It’s... a gift.”

Wait, ‘a gift’?

That sounded a bit strange.

But before I could take back what I said, Emma was moving hesitantly to open the sack.

It wasn’t long before she looked at me with a horrified gaze.

Her eyes seemed to be reproaching me, so I hurriedly tried to clear up the misunderstanding.

“Th-That’s Mr. Aviang! The person who scammed you!”

Emma looked back and forth between the elf inside the sack and I upon hearing my words.

And then, after a moment...

Tears welled up in Emma’s eyes as she covered her mouth.

“Oh my goodness, Ian... Why did you turn Mr. Aviang into a frail girl...?”

What on earth are you trying to do?

As if I could hear her unspoken words that followed, I, feeling wronged, had no choice but to raise my voice in protest.

“...I didn’t do it!”

It seemed Emma had some seriously distorted perceptions about me.

All I had done was break her nose, punch her until her teeth flew out, and then throw her in a sack.

Honestly, considering she was an enemy, I’d say I had been quite merciful.

Probably.