STGB Episode 476

Man and Woman (2)

The Baron of Raphdonia.

The hero of explorers.

The newly appointed chief of the barbarians.

The leader of Clan Anabada.

All these titles refer to one person.

The giant, Bjorn Jandel.

“He really… was alive……”

Misha Karlstein clenched her fists tightly.

As soon as dawn broke, she went into the city and personally inquired several times. The words of Lee Baek-ho were undoubtedly true.

“What… have I been living for all this time……?”

An indescribable wave of emotions swept over her.

Happy yet sad, empty yet overwhelmed.

Ah, and of course, anger.

Why did Bjorn deceive me and pretend to be dead?

If he hadn’t done that…

I wouldn’t have had to spend all these years with such criminals-.

“No.”

She shook her head and shook off the distracting thoughts.

There must have been a reason.

Because Bjorn Jandel is that kind of person.

So, until I hear that reason directly, I won’t doubt him and will trust him.

“Yes, that’s right. That’s what I’ll do……”

Murmuring to herself as if she were making a vow, she went to Bjorn’s residence, which she had found out about during the day.

But the house was empty.

“You mean… he moved out?”

Why now of all times…

She booked a nearby inn and spent the night. The next morning, after more inquiries, she headed to Bjorn’s new residence.

“Commellby…….”

Her feelings were strangely complicated.

She remembered how they had joked about moving to a nice, more urban area once they had made enough money…

‘So this is Bjorn’s new home…’

Having arrived at her destination, she couldn’t bring herself to knock on the door.

Now that she was here, a whirlwind of thoughts overwhelmed her.

How would Bjorn react when he saw her?

What if he wasn’t particularly happy about her showing up?

She’d even heard that he was currently living with that fairy and that woman, Emily Raines…

‘Emily Raines… probably that woman we met on Farune Island.’

What’s their relationship?

How did they become companions?

Could that rumor about some “intimate relationship” be true…?

An inexplicable anxiety surged within her endlessly.

Was that why?

“…….”
Misha Karlstein spent the entire day lingering near the house, occasionally peeking inside, before finally leaving.

‘At least I caught a glimpse of him…’

Of course, she hadn’t managed to speak to Bjorn, who had returned late at night.

He had looked exhausted.

‘Yes, that’s why. No other reason…’

I’ll come back tomorrow and talk to him.

But the next day, the same routine repeated. Bjorn left early in the morning and returned late at night

Technically, she could have approached him at any time, but her feet refused to move.

“Heehee. Have a good day, Mister!”

“…It’d be nice if we could have dinner together tonight.”

Every morning the two women, their eyes still heavy with sleep, would come to the front door to see him off. Bjorn would scold them for going through the trouble just to see him out.

Now she understood:

‘So… Bjorn is doing fine.’

Even without her,

Bjorn’s life hadn’t changed that much.

One day, two days, three days, four…

Time passed, but she still hung around the house. Sometimes she even used her abilities to hide herself so that she could secretly observe their daily life.

The two women were sensitive to any presence, and Misha nearly got caught several times, but since she never entered the house, she managed to avoid getting caught.

Gradually, though, she grew bolder.

No longer content with watching from afar, she crept right beneath the windows.

And when that wasn’t enough, she climbed onto the wall around the back yard.

Then one day, while secretly observing their daily lives –

Whoosh-!

A magic circle bloomed, and Bjorn returned.

Bjorn had questions about the changed backyard during his absence, and the two women responded.

[“This…? Well, this just happened. It’s a bit of an eyesore, but… there wasn’t really another way.”]
[“Since neither of us could claim the whole space, we split it in half.”]

Are they really talking about the backyard?

The thought crossed Misha’s mind, but she didn’t dwell on it.

Later, they moved to the kitchen for a meal. The cooking was done by a mysterious man whom she didn’t recognize.

“How is it? Does it suit your taste?”

“Perfect. The seasoning is just right, and there’s plenty of meat.”

He always used to say my cooking was too bland—

[“We always prepare extra, since we never know when you’ll return. That was the mistresses’ instruction.”]

Misha’s body stiffened like stone.

…mistresses?’

Were those rumors actually true?

It was unclear, but Bjorn didn’t correct or deny the term.

Thump—

Her heart sank.

She remembered how, back when she used to be by his side, people would sometimes get the wrong idea about them, but he had always denied it back then.

“Mister, you don’t have any plans for today, right?”

After finishing their meal, they went to the garden to enjoy tea and chat.

The backyard was divided into a training ground and a garden according to their preferences.

In one corner was a round table with three chairs.

‘…too close.’

As they laughed and talked, Misha decided it was too risky to keep lurking. With that in mind, she cautiously moved towards the fence, careful not to make any noise.

One step.

Two steps.

As she moved away from their laughing chatter, one thought kept circling in her mind.

What if.

If… she hadn’t listened to Lee Baek-ho that day…

If she had just waited endlessly in a place where she could return at any time.

Would she have laughed and chatted with them?

She didn’t know.

But one thing was certain.

“.. I wonder if this is what it feels like to have a family”

There’s no room for me here.

Yes, so…

Rustle—

I should leave for today.

Just as she made that decision—

Tap. Tap.

The two women, who had been drinking tea, flanked her in an instant.

She had been too distracted by her thoughts to react properly,

“…Huh?!”

By the time she regained her senses, her arms were bound, and she was kneeling in the garden.

The situation was painfully simple.

An old colleague… no, an ex-lover had suddenly appeared sneaking around the house and had been caught.

“…….”

What could she possibly say in such a situation?

“Ah, ahahaha…….”

She awkwardly laughed and greeted him.

“Long time… no see. Bjorn… uh!”

Truly, it was a dreadful reunion.
***
In a room on the second floor overlooking the backyard.

A woman stood by the window, nervously biting her nails.

“Why is she showing up now…? After abandoning him back then… Is she trying to take him from me again…?”

Her rambling monologue revealed just how unstable her mental state was. Amelia lingered in the doorway, keeping an eye on her to make sure nothing happened.

“…They’re using some kind of magical tool, so I can’t hear the conversation. Is there… any way to find out?”

“There is.”

“Then do it now—!”

“Bjorn wouldn’t like it, would he?”

At that short retort, Erwin clenched her mouth shut.

And then she went back to chewing her nails, her gaze fixed on the window.

Unable to watch any longer, Amelia casually asked.

“If you’re going to be like this, why didn’t you act more proactively before?”

Erwin turned her head to look at Amelia.

Her eyes, cold and seething with hostility, would have sent shivers down anyone’s spine, but Amelia just shrugged.

“Am I wrong?”

Amelia knew it well.

No matter how irrational Erwin seemed, she would never do anything that would earn Bjorn’s hatred.

Underneath the thorny exterior of this fairy was a coward, always hiding and crying.

“……”

This time, Erwin was no different.

She avoided answering the fundamental question and maintained her silence.

‘I don’t have a habit of meddling in others’ affairs…’

But leaving her like this wouldn’t do either.

Amelia walked over to the window where Erwin was standing and sat down on a nearby chair.

Then, she casually asked, “Tersia, what exactly do you want your relationship with Jandel to be?”

“……”

As expected, there was no answer.

Normally, Amelia would have ended the conversation there, thinking that Erwin just didn’t want to talk, but this time, she persisted.

“Misha Karlstein’s coming back wouldn’t change anything.”

“…….”

“Do you want to be in a romantic relationship with Jandel?”

Finally, an answer came.

“There’d be nothing… wrong with that.”

A typical response from a coward.

“I didn’t say it was wrong.”

“…I never said there was?”

“…Then what’s your point?”

Cornered, the coward lashed out, and Amelia took a step back, as if hunting prey.

“I’m just curious. Why haven’t you expressed your feelings properly all this time, even though you have such desires?”

“…….”

“You know, don’t you? Jandel is quick-witted but overthinks everything, he will never make the first move.”

“…….”

“So, tell me. Maybe I can help?”

“…Ha! You would help me?”

Erwin snorted as if it were unbelievable, then counter-questioned.

“What about you, what relationship do you want with Mister…?”

It was an embarrassing subject, but Amelia didn’t shy away and answered honestly.

“Well, I’m satisfied with how things are now. It’s already enjoyable enough.”

Amelia didn’t mind Erwin’s daily tantrums or the trouble Bjorn caused that she’d have to fix. In fact, she found it oddly pleasant.

A simple reason:

“As Jandel said, having a family probably feels like this.”

At those words, Erwin could only stare at Amelia, unable to respond.

The murderous glint in her eyes had disappeared, replaced only by a sense of bewilderment.

“…….”

“…….”

A brief silence followed.

After hesitating for a long time, Erwin finally spoke in a small voice.

“…Tell me. What should I do?”

It felt as if the thorny shell had finally cracked.

Amelia smiled softly, like an older sister.

“Wait for the right moment.”

“…Wait?”

“Because right now, Bjorn would just run away.”

A hunter must first create an environment where the prey cannot escape.

Amelia calmly laid out the situation.

“Bjorn must have thought this: You’re not in a state to make rational decisions right now. Your emotions are just trying to fill a void by clinging to him. So he probably dismissed your feelings as temporary and avoided confronting them.”

And if she had to guess one more thing…

“He probably also doesn’t want to destroy what you already have together.”

In that way, the fairy and the barbarian are similar.

They both appear solid on the outside, but inside, they’re full of anxieties and worries.

“That’s why you need to wait. Approaching now would only lead him to rationalize on his own and run away.”

“How long…?”

“Until you can erase some of your essences and he genuinely believes you’re completely back to normal.”

If she confesses how she feels then, Jandel won’t be able to brush it aside anymore. He’ll have to face it.

“Of course, I’m not telling you to just wait. You need to keep engaging with him emotionally in the meantime.”

“For example?”

“How about you ask me nicely?”

“Could you give me an example, please?”

After that, Amelia shared some techniques for dealing with romantic relationships. Erwin pricked up her pointy ears and listened intently. The ideas Amelia taught were impressive—Especially because each one made perfect sense.

“For instance, you’d go up to him when he’s dressing up and help him put on his tie…”

“Have you… ever actually dated a man before?”

“…No.”

Perhaps Amelia’s credibility took a hit, Erwin frowned.

“Wait, then how do you know all this?”

Amelia awkwardly smiled and replied.

Though this was something he often said as an excuse…

“…I read it in a book.”

Well, it was true, after all.
***

A little over ten days had passed since the meeting with Lee Baek-ho.

The long-awaited reunion had finally arrived.

‘But I never imagined it would be like this’

Although my mind went blank for a moment, I sent Amelia and Erwin inside first. Then I used a portable voice-controlled magic device to keep the sound from leaking out.

This meeting could also provoke Erwin.

Left alone together, we spent a moment just staring at each other without saying a word.

It was far from affectionate, of course.

Even though I wasn’t fighting, my muscles were tense and my neck was stiff.

‘…Why does this feel so awkward it’s killing me?’

I decided to break the silence.

“Your hair… it’s longer.”

“Ah… this……. Yeah…….”

An answer with nothing to continue the conversation.

But I spoke up before it got too awkward.

“It’s the first time I see you tie it back like that.”

“It’s not? I often did that when cooking… Oh, oh no… I did… right?”

Finally, a glimpse of her old self.

It made me laugh, easing the tension a bit.

“Just speak comfortably. It’s not like anyone’s going to judge us for it.”

“But… I really fixed it… all of it. While you were gone……”

“…Fixed it?”

“Yeah……. Sometimes… when I get nervous, it comes back. But now, I’ve fixed it. I mean… I have…”

Hmm, so she was nervous too.

It wasn’t just me.

“Ah, anyway, now that we’ve greeted each other, I, uh, have some busy things to do, so I’ll just—”

What is she even saying?

Does she still not understand the situation?

“Where do you think you’re going?”

I immediately stepped forward and grabbed Misha’s wrist tightly.

‘…Why is she so thin?’

Anyway, with this, unless she had blink skill, she won’t be able to escape…

Ah, surely she hasn’t learned something like that, right?

Given how long we’ve been apart, I can’t be sure of anything.

“Misha Karlstein.”

I looked at Misha and spoke clearly.

“You’re not going anywhere now.”