Chapter 224: Escape (6)

A day had passed since leaving Stockpin, and I was waiting for my wives at the designated meeting place.

Underneath a massive oak tree, I killed time cloaked in a single-layered outfit with a hood pulled low over my face.

Though my wives had departed earlier than me, I had arrived first.

Flint explained it was inevitable since I traveled on horseback instead of a carriage, and my wives needed to be more cautious than I did.

After all, I was officially presumed dead, so no one would be searching for me.

However, there were bound to be people looking for my wives.

Even if Ner and Arwin could count on their families to halt the pursuit quickly, for appearances’ sake, the families would still need to at least pretend to search for them.

Moreover, the Red Flames would undoubtedly be looking for Sien.

Even though I had left a letter for Baran, the members of the group would search for her on my behalf.

That’s why Flint had to go through such a challenging process to bring my wives to me.

But the waiting was finally coming to an end.

In the distance, I saw a carriage approaching the oak tree.

“...”

I also saw Flint at the front, guiding the horses.

A small smile spread across my face.

The feeling of liberation was indescribable.

Standing up, I raised a hand toward Flint, and he waved back at me.

After a bit more time, Flint brought the carriage to a halt in front of me and said,

“Sorry to keep you waiting—”

“—Berg!”

Before Flint could finish his sentence, Ner leapt out from the back of the carriage and threw herself into my arms.

Her hood fell off, revealing her white hair.

She clung to me tightly, rubbing her face against my chest.

She leaned her entire weight into me.

“I missed you, Berg.”

Ner’s voice trembled as she spoke.

I had been worried she might feel depressed, having abandoned her noble family and title, but seeing her like this melted all those worries away.

Holding her close, I inhaled her familiar scent.

“I missed you, too,” I replied softly.

Moments later, Arwin stepped out of the carriage with a stern expression.

As soon as her eyes met mine, her stiff demeanor cracked, replaced by a radiant smile.

She locked gazes with me for a long moment, then took a deep breath and said,

“This sense of freedom is overwhelming.”

It seemed she, too, was experiencing the same feeling as I was.

Now that I was truly free, my heart felt lighter than ever.

Arwin slowly walked toward me and spoke.

“Now that there’s no one left to watch us, I have something to ask.”

“...What is it?”

“Can I consider you mine now?”

And then, as if she had been waiting for this moment, Arwin leaned in and stole a kiss from my lips.

The suddenness of it caused Ner, who was clinging to my side, to stiffen momentarily.

With a mischievous grin, Arwin pulled back, chuckling softly.

Finally, Sien stepped out of the carriage, carefully cradling her now slightly swollen belly.

“How’s your body holding up?” I asked her first.

Sien beamed at me before nodding.

“Finally, we’re free, Berg.”

“Yeah,” I agreed.

“...And now, you can achieve your dream.”

Her words prompted me to nod again as I replied,

“Let’s achieve your dream, too.”

My dream was to settle in a peaceful place and live with the people I cherished.

Now that this dream was within reach, I was sure we could achieve the others slowly but surely.

Sien’s dream was to travel the world, exploring every corner.

In many ways, it was remarkably similar to Arwin’s dream.

After settling down and building a home, traveling the world with my family didn’t seem like a bad idea.

After exchanging words with each of my wives, I turned to Flint.

He naturally extended his hand for a handshake.

“You’ve done well, Flint.”

“What are you talking about? This is nothing. Besides, the job’s not done yet. I can’t exactly leave you and your wives here and walk away, can I?”

Flint, who was looking at me with pride in his eyes, said with a grin.

“So, have you decided where you’ll settle down? Where should I take you?”

“...”

I paused to think.

The truth was, I hadn’t decided on a place to settle down.

If I were to analyze it, we were a group that stood out far too much.

Arwin’s elven ears alone would draw attention, especially in a world with so few elves.

Ner’s white tail and hair were also eye-catching features.

And Sien’s face, once known far and wide as a saintness, was bound to be recognized in some places.

If rumors spread about the three of them traveling with a scarred human like me, it wouldn’t take long for someone to start piecing together who we really were.

I didn’t know if there would ever come a day when rumors about us would die down, but for now, it was clear we needed to lay low.

Alternatively, we’d have to find a way to disguise ourselves or hide our identities.

“A place to settle down, huh...”

I continued to mull it over.

As a mercenary, I’d traveled to countless places.

I wracked my brain, searching for a suitable location.

When my eyes landed on Sien, I could tell she was deep in thought as well.

She, too, had been to many places—during her frail years when she traveled with her parents and later as a saint who journeyed far and wide.

Of all the places we’d been, we needed somewhere sparsely populated.

“...Berg?”

As I was lost in thought, Arwin called my name from beside me.

“...?”

“If you don’t have a place in mind... may I suggest one?”

“A suggestion?”

Arwin glanced at all of us before speaking.

“If you head west from here, there’s a beautiful lake. Few people live nearby, and there’s a small village a short ride away by horse. If you’re planning to build a house and settle down... I don’t think you’ll find a better place.”

I slowly nodded and asked,

“How do you know about this place?”

“It’s one of the places I dreamed of visiting back when I was confined in Celebrien’s estate. And...”

Arwin hesitated for a moment, blinking as if deciding whether to continue.

“It was also the first place I went after... after I divorced you. But... without you, it felt emptier than I expected. It wasn’t as beautiful as I thought it would be, so I eventually forgot about it...”

“...”

Then, with a soft smile, Arwin added,

“But now, you’re here. I want to visit it again. I feel like it might finally feel beautiful this time.”

“...”

Her words made me pause and take a deep breath.

Once again, I was reminded that I wasn’t the only one who had struggled after our separation.

But before those heavy emotions could take root, I brushed them aside.

What mattered most was that we were together now.

I turned to Ner and Sien.

“What do you think?”

Their responses came without hesitation.

“Wherever you want to go, I’ll follow.”

“As long as I’m with you, Berg, I’m happy.”

Hearing their words, I smiled and nodded.

Then I turned to Flint.

“Flint, can you help us?”

Flint’s response was as confident as ever.

“Of course, Berg.”

****

We traveled shoulder to shoulder all day before setting up camp for the night.

In front of our temporary shelter, we lit a fire and began carefully discussing plans for the future.

“We should take turns sleeping,” Arwin suggested, reinstating the rules she and Ner used to follow when they lived together.

“Let’s do that,” Sien, who had lived with me the longest, agreed without protest.

She showed great respect toward both Ner and Arwin.

It was only natural—Ner had saved both Sien’s and our child’s lives, while Arwin had saved mine.

Even Sien didn’t forget that our happiness today was owed entirely to them.

“...Sleeping arrangements...”

Ner murmured the words softly from beside me.

“...”

It seemed she was thinking about how close we were to finally being together in every sense of the word.

I noticed her face flush red as her gaze kept darting toward me.

“...”

All day, I had felt her glances, but now I was certain. In Ner’s eyes, there was a distinct and growing desire I couldn’t ignore.

Had I not learned to recognize women’s subtle signals from Sien, I might not have noticed.

Ner’s touches were unusually suggestive, even when she simply held my hand. Her lips frequently glistened as she nervously wet them, and when we were close, I could hear her swallowing.

Even her tail flicked against me constantly, and her body radiated a noticeable heat.

“...”

Though I, too, anticipated what lay ahead, I felt that we weren’t quite ready yet.

We needed a safe, private space where we could finally relax.

But creating such a place wouldn’t be easy, not in the immediate future.

“...”

As I mulled over these thoughts, my eyes met Ner’s again.

Unlike before, she didn’t shy away, her usual embarrassment nowhere to be seen.

Instead, her half-lidded eyes sparkled, and her tail swayed playfully.

In the end, I was the one to look away first, knowing that nothing could be resolved in our current circumstances.

“I’d like to keep the house simple, just a single story. Is that okay?” I asked.

Sien responded thoughtfully.

“We’ll probably need plenty of rooms. One for each of us, rooms for the children, and a storage area…”

I nodded.

“Let’s list everything now. It’ll be easier to include it all if we decide upfront.”

Across the fire, Flint chimed in.

“I’ll help you build it. Just let me know what you need. If necessary, I can even bring in more people to assist.”

Arwin then added,

“Maybe we could get help from the dwarves? They’d make quick work of it.”

“If that’s an option, let’s do that,” I agreed.

Arwin smiled. “I just want our home to be ready as soon as possible. That’s the most important thing to me.”

“Anything else you want?”

“A storage area for alcohol would be nice. I’d like to pour you a drink now and then,” she said with a playful smile.

I couldn’t help but chuckle at her suggestion.

Finally, I turned to Ner, who was still watching me with those same smoldering eyes.

“What about you, Ner?” I asked, deliberately ignoring her silent signals.

“...”

After a brief moment of thought, she replied,

“Make the walls of the master bedroom thick. So… sounds don’t escape.”

“...”

“...”

“...”

Everyone froze at her unexpected request.

It seemed she tried to mask her true intentions, but her words betrayed her.

“And make the bed big,” Ner added without hesitation, her tone leaving no room for misinterpretation.

“...”

Her sudden boldness caught us all off guard.

Why had she changed so suddenly?

Was it because she finally felt the hardships were behind us?

Because we had reunited after so long?

Or perhaps because suppressing her feelings had become too difficult?

“...”

I tilted my head back and looked up at the sky.

“...Ah.”

And then, it hit me.

The full moon was almost here.

– – The End of The Chapter – –

 

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