Chapter 167: Ansgars First Crush

POV Cornelius

“Cornelius, we can't leave in two days. We have to stay here!” Ansgar

Ansgar stormed into the room where we usually hung out. No one else was there except me. The other two were busy with something else. He was super excited.

“Ansgar, what happened? I haven't seen you this excited since you got your new axe.” Cornelius

“Cornelius, it finally happened. I found her.” Ansgar

“Her? Who do you mean?” Cornelius

“The woman of my dreams. I found her.” Ansgar

"The woman of your dreams? Since when are you interested in women? Until now, fighting was all you wanted." Cornelius

“That's different now. Everything is different since I met her.” Ansgar

“Calm down first. I can understand that you're excited. After all, it's your first crush.” Cornelius

“How can I stay calm? She's the woman of my dreams!” Ansgar

"All right, I understand. What's she like?" Cornelius

“Beautiful, gorgeous. And tall for a woman. Not like all the shorties in the empire. That's how a woman should be. And her hair! It glowed in the sunlight like silver.” Ansgar

“Silver? Did she have silver hair?” Cornelius

"It was so bright and shiny that it blinded me. I've never seen such a great hair color. It didn't exist on Earth." Ansgar

“How unusual.” Cornelius

“Isn't it? It also shone because it contrasted so clearly with her dark skin.” Ansgar

“Dark skin and silver hair? Why does that sound so familiar?” Cornelius

“Because she's a dark elf, that's why.” Ansgar

“A dark elf? Like the one we saw in the arena?” Cornelius

“I don't know if it's the same one. We only know the status of the one in the arena. We only saw the hooded cloak.” Ansgar

“That's right, we only know that the person was a dark elf because of Javier. Are you sure that the woman of your dreams is really a dark elf?” Cornelius

“What else could she be? Dark, almost black skin. Silver hair. And pointed ears, that's right, she had long pointed ears. That should make it clear, right?” Ansgar

“You're right. That's exactly the image we know from most fantasy worlds.” Cornelius

“Awesome, right? I met a real dark elf. How cool is that?” Ansgar

“Then go ahead. What's her name and when are you going to meet her?” Cornelius

“No idea.” Ansgar

“What do you mean, you don't know? Are you serious?” Cornelius

“Damn it, I couldn't talk to her. She had other people with her who shielded her and prevented me from talking to her.” Ansgar

“Why is that? What did you do?” Cornelius

“I bumped into her. Damn it, I didn't mean to! It wasn't on purpose!” Ansgar

“Slow down, Ansgar. Take a deep breath. Tell me calmly what happened.” Cornelius

“All right, it started when I went into town this morning.” Ansgar

Ansgar then told me how he found out about the festival, then wandered aimlessly through the streets and accidentally bumped into someone. That person turned out to be the dark elf in question. She was accompanied by two men and one woman. The dark elf was obviously injured, because they had come from the mercenary guild's hospital. Ansgar was tall and very strong, so he seemed threatening to most people. It was understandable that the dark elf's companions wanted to protect her. Poor Ansgar.

“And then they were gone. Unfortunately, I lost sight of them and don't know where they went.” Ansgar

“That's very unfortunate, but don't let it get you down. We'll find them, don't worry.” Cornelius

“Really? Thank you, Cornelius, you're a true friend.” Ansgar

“Your best friend, in fact. And what are friends for?” Cornelius

“But how are we supposed to find her? The city is quite large. I estimate it's the second largest we've been to after the capital.” Ansgar

“That's easy. She was a dark elf, wasn't she?” Cornelius

“Yes.” Ansgar

“How many dark elves have you seen in the city so far?” Cornelius

“Apart from her? I can't remember any.” Ansgar

“Exactly. In fact, we haven't seen any elves at all. Elves seem to be very rare here.” Cornelius

“That's right, you're right.” Ansgar

“And you said she came from the mercenary guild's hospital. So there's a good chance she's a member of the mercenary guild. We can ask there.” Cornelius

“Great! I'm so excited. Can we go right now?” Ansgar

"Hmm, actually, that's not a bad idea. The other two won't be back for a while, so we have time. All right. Let's go find your first love." Cornelius

“Yay!” Ansgar

We left our inn together and headed for the Mercenary Guild.

POV Eliza

After the clash with the tall man in front of the hospital, we changed inns. The others were also very excited and restless, especially Duke, which I didn't understand. They seemed to know the man and had already had problems with him. Apparently, something had happened in the past. Since I was curious, I asked them about it.

“Did something happen in the past that made you so uneasy? The man didn't look that dangerous now.” Eliza

“That's deceptive, Leo. But I agree with you on one thing. He himself is not the real problem.” Duke

“Then why did we run away from him?” Eliza

“The real problem is his companions. More specifically, his best friend. He's the source of a lot of trouble I've had. I could still boil with rage when I think back on it.” Duke

“Calm down, that's in the past and can't be changed. But there was also something good about it.” Bishop

“How did all that trouble do any good?” Duke

“You've been freed from all your obligations. You told me yourself how much your old life restricted you and that you only lived according to the will of others. Especially your father's.” Bishop

“You're right, as you often are. But he ruined my life back then. It's an experience I would have gladly done without. I like my life much better now, that's true. I can finally live the way I want to.” Duke

“Then I'd better not ask. The whole thing sounds like a big deal.” Eliza

“Yes, that's better. The most important principle of our party is that we don't ask about the past unless someone voluntarily tells us about it. And as sorry as I am for you, I've only known you for a short time. Too short to build up enough trust.” Duke

“I understand, don't worry. How long have you known me? I know the question sounds strange, but I can hardly remember.” Eliza

"I'll do that, Duke. Leo, we found you a few weeks ago outside the city gates. You were severely underweight and close to death. When we found you, there were predators nearby, ready to eat your remains at any moment. If we had arrived just a little later, you wouldn't be here with us today." Betty

“So you saved me back then? Thank you.” Eliza, smiling

“You're welcome.” Betty, beaming

“Betty, don't let yourself get distracted again. You wanted to tell us what happened.” Bishop

"Oh yes, right. What happened. Anyway, we took you in and nursed you back to health. Although, to be honest, that's an exaggeration. You were malnourished and almost dehydrated, but you had no external injuries. You were actually in perfect health." Betty

"That surprised me too. You were in bad shape, but that was mainly on the outside. Torn nails, matted hair, rags for clothes. However, there was one thing that really bothered me. There were lots of old dried bloodstains on your clothes. So you must have been involved in fights or accidents. Since you had no visible injuries, they were either completely healed or it wasn't your blood." Bishop

"In any case, I washed and cared for you. It became clear to all of us that you must have been experienced in combat. The first thing I noticed about you were your abs. Very impressive. Even our leader here doesn't have such well-developed ones." Betty

“Of course not. I rely more on elegance and speed than on sheer muscle. I'm not a rough barbarian like that guy earlier.” Duke

“Let's drop the subject, otherwise there'll be bad blood between us.” Bishop

“Hmph.” Duke

“Did you see any other signs that I'm experienced in combat? I can't remember ever holding a weapon in my hand.” Eliza

“We can confirm it. We fought with you in both the Colosseum and the Labyrinth. And you fight like someone with a lot of experience. In the battle in the Labyrinth, you were so badly injured that you had to be taken to the hospital.” Bishop

“Was the labyrinth a large room with columns?” Eliza

“Yes! Can you remember that?” Betty

“Yes. I can remember from the moment I woke up in that room.” Eliza

“You woke up in that room? When?” Betty

“I don’t know. I was in a lot of pain and could hardly move. I was bleeding everywhere and had several broken bones. You already know that. But I have no idea how long ago that was." Eliza

“So you were aware of how the rescue team found you.” Betty

"No, I don't remember that. I remember being alone and not knowing where I was. I think I wanted to look around, as far as I could in my condition. But I don't remember what I found out. The last thing I remember was a light and then I lost consciousness." Eliza

“That must have been the light from the rescue team you saw.” Bishop

“I assume so. But you can't remember anything else?” Duke

“No, unfortunately not. I only have memories of the room and the time since I woke up in the hospital. Didn't I tell you about myself?” Eliza

"I'm sorry, but when we found you, you already had memory loss. That's why you couldn't tell us anything. But I think it's a shame that you've also forgotten the time you spent with us. It was a short but nice time. Betty

“I'm sorry, but unfortunately that's how it is. Although I don't understand it. Is it possible to suffer from amnesia twice in such quick succession? I didn't know that could happen.” Eliza

“Neither did we.” Bishop

"Although it seems I haven't forgotten everything. I don't have any direct memories, but I feel like I know you. Some of what you just said sounds familiar. But it's just a feeling, nothing concrete." Eliza

“We could go back to the hospital and ask the specialist there if he knows of any cases like this.” Betty

“I was able to talk to him briefly when we visited Leo.” Bishop

“When did you do that? We were there together.” Betty

“When you ran ahead and left us behind. That's when I met him. He gave us the tip to confront her with familiar things. Then there's a chance she'll remember. But he's already had a case where a new severe head injury led to the reversal of amnesia.” Bishop

“Memory loss aside, I don't want to suffer another serious head injury if I can help it. It was very unpleasant and I'm still struggling with it.” Eliza

“Confront her with familiar things, you say? I have an idea.” Duke

Duke reached for his belt and threw something to me. I caught it easily and looked at it. It was a dagger. I looked at him questioningly.

“Duke, you can't throw a weapon at her! What if she had hurt herself!” Betty

"She didn't, and that confirmed my suspicion. Take a closer look. See how Leo skillfully caught the dagger by the handle and not the blade? Even though I threw the dagger with a spin?" Duke

“Yes? What are you getting at?” Betty

"We know that Leo is pretty good with a dagger. She always fought with daggers in training and in our fights together. My sword instructor always said that if you train enough, your body will remember the movements you've learned. And he was right. Leo caught the dagger like someone who is very experienced with it. We also have her status, which includes advanced dagger fighting." Duke

“Still, it was reckless.” Betty

“Maybe, but I have confidence in her abilities. Think about why you don't have confidence in Leo.” Duke

“I do! What are you saying?!” Betty

"Calm down, Betty. He's just trying to tease you. But I basically agree. We have to try to bring Leo's memories back, and now we have a starting point. Her body seems to be able to remember many things, regardless of her brain. How about we resume our training and do some test fights? That should bring Leo's skills back, just like we did the first time." Bishop

“Duke, you and I need to have a serious talk. But otherwise, I can only agree. Leo, how about it? Feel like a little exercise?” Betty

“Exercise sounds very good. I still have a slight headache and feel a little nauseous, but I'm getting restless. Exercise sounds just right, especially for my sore muscles.” Eliza

We set off to leave the city and do some training outside the gates.