A week had passed since he had watched the elves. And when the rumors had already begun to fade, he started going outside. He was not afraid that vengeful elves would find and punish him, for since that time, he had changed a lot. He had regained his mass, cut his hair. But the bags under his eyes told of poor sleep. He had spent the whole week studying the language and understood that he understood nothing. But he understood one thing: why should he keep a promise if the one he had given it to had been killed by his own hands? So he again did nothing and simply descended into the dungeon and waited for the Sword Princess.
He remembered that she had mentioned that her teacher was an elf. He immediately guessed who she was talking about, but back then, this information had been useless to him. And after brief reflection, he understood that there was a high chance that she also knew this language. So for the first time, he waited for her with impatience. But she did not come, so he even began to think that she had realized that coming here was a waste of time. Even if she simply came to him to eat. And then immediately vanished, as if she had never been there.
«Did she really come to learn the truth?» – Kopii thought, beginning to understand that the Sword Princess came to him simply to eat for free and tasty food. – «Is she using me? In such a brazen way?»
Glancing over the recently prepared food, which had not even had time to cool, he only now understood that he had done it automatically. And at this realization, he felt a little awkward.
Covering himself with the blanket more comfortably, it did not take him long to fully sink into the world of dreams.
Waking from a peaceful sound, he decided to ignore it, and then realized that this sound resembled someone chewing.
«What!? A bum!» – He thought, getting up abruptly from the bed and casting a glance at the source of the sound. But he only managed to make out golden hair before his head spun from getting up too fast.
Bang.
With a loud sound, he fell to the floor. But quickly recovering, he cast a piercing gaze at the Sword Princess.
— You walk into someone else's house without knocking! And on top of that, you eat my food! You didn't even wake me!
— …I knocked… didn't want to disturb you.
But her expression changed a little, and then she took on her stoic face again, and, ignoring him, greedily devoured everything that stood on his table in mere seconds. At this sight, he only sighed and, sitting down opposite her, paused a little, and then spoke:
— Princess… I mean, Ais, I wanted to ask for your help.
Seeing how she finally turned her intent gaze on him, in which, for the first time in a long while, interest had lit up, he continued:
— Can you read what's written there? If yes, then read it aloud… Please.
Handing her the sheet, she waited a little before taking it. She examined it attentively, turning it in different directions. At such strange actions, one of his eyebrows rose, and confusion could be read in his eyes.
— Empty.
— What?
— The sheet is empty.
He could not believe her; he clearly saw that the sheet was definitely not empty. So his confusion only intensified.
«Is she mocking me?» — flashed through his head. Intently examining her face for signs of deception, but her face remained the same as always. So his confusion only grew. Or she was just playing it perfectly, but remembering who sat before him, he immediately dismissed this thought.
— It's not empty.
She examined the sheet again for text, and then looked at him strangely.
— …Empty.
— Give it here.
Reaching for the sheet and casting a glance from her to the sheet, he mentally wondered if she had decided to joke for the first time.
— Is this some kind of joke?
At this remark, her eyes narrowed.
— …
— You seriously don't see anything?
— Yes…
— Well, fine.
— …
— …
Because of this, an awkward silence reigned in the room. Each was thinking about their own at that moment.
— She might really not see anything. If after death he made it so that everyone forgot him… Then why isn't it possible that only you can see the text?
His thoughts were interrupted by Kane's voice, and he had already begun to think that he had disappeared, for it was the first time he had spoken all day. Tossing the sheet aside, a thought flashed through his head:
«After all, I'll have to learn it.»
— Well, forget it.
— …
— You ate everything!? How is that possible!? What, didn't they feed you on the expedition?
Examining the table for food, but there were only empty plates. He was a little upset that she had taken advantage of his confusion and finished her business to the end.
— At least it was tasty.
— Yes… thank you.
— Yeah.
Seeing that she was about to leave, he abruptly stood up and grabbed her arm; casting a questioning glance at him, she lowered her hand onto his, squeezing a little. This made him feel awkward, and he immediately released her.
— Oh, sorry… You know, you eat my food for free. So start paying.
— Alright.
She reached for her purse, but before she could take it out, he stopped her.
— Not with money.
After these words, she frowned for some reason, and the room filled with tension. But, ignoring it, he continued:
— Let's have sparring matches!
— In bed!!!
— That will be the payment for the food… agreed?
— Alright.
He smiled at her words, feeling with his whole body how the tension dissipated, as if it had never been there.
— Then let's not hesitate! Let's go!
Running outside, he beamed with joy, for her agreement meant that now he would also use her, just as she used him. Of course, he understood: if she had refused, he would still have cooked for her, simply because he was weak compared to her.
Some time later.
— Ow… Too hard again.
---
— Aaaaa!
Rising abruptly from the bed, Kopii screamed.
— Ow! It hurts!
Clutching his head because of the aching pain and slowly remembering the last seconds before Ais knocked him out, and how he had told her that if she knocked him out, she didn't have to wait for him to wake up. But not even a second had passed before she defeated him with the first blow.
— She could have held back a little! Could have at least given me hope for victory, you cunning woman!
He shouted into the void.
— Alright.
Or so he thought.
— What? Princess, I mean, Ais…
– Hahahh, what an idiot.
He could not utter a word when he saw the Sword Princess sitting at the table. She looked at him with an impassive gaze.
— …I told you, you don't have to wait for me to wake up.
— I wasn't waiting.
— What?
— …It's already evening, so I came… for you to tell the truth.
?
…
Then he remembered the purpose of her visits. But for a moment, it truly seemed to him that she had wanted to say something else. But he did not dwell on it.
Kopii's life was rather monotonous; the only things that could dilute his boredom were conversations with his familia and Ais, or descents into the dungeon. But even so, he understood that his life was becoming monotonous. So he decided to descend one floor lower. Which, of course, was a bad idea; he had not even spent ten minutes there before he almost died ten times. So he simply ran away, like the last coward.
Then, for the first time, he wondered: what would happen if he became the strongest? Of course, he hardly believed in it, but why not? And at once, he understood another thing: why become the strongest? Wouldn't that life be full of boredom? Whatever he wanted, he could get with ease. Or, whoever he fought, he would never feel the thrill of battle.
Or maybe, on the contrary, he would like this power over everyone? But however long he pondered this question, it remained only in his dreams.
In such reflections, he did not notice how he bumped into someone.
— Oh, sorry.
Without even looking at whom he had bumped into, he automatically bowed and apologized, but before he had gone far, someone grabbed his arm.
— Huh?