Chapter 70 - Reunion

The sound of a door opening and closing was heard; Calcedonia’s face lit up. And then, she rushed to the front door in a hurry.

Her eyes reached the entrance and were cast on the person she had expected to be there.

“Welcome home, husband!!”

“Yeah. I’m back, Calsey.”

Tatsumi smiled and tightly hugged his wife who had come running over.

“Sorry. The trial was unsuccessful.”

Settling down in the living room, Tatsumi told the results of the trial to Calcedonia while drinking the tea she had brewed.

“Is that so……”

As it had been predicted, it seems that Tatsumi and the others had failed to hunt the spotted lynx.

This outcome itself could be guessed beforehand, and so Calcedonia didn’t feel disappointed despite knowing that Tatsumi had failed.

However, Calcedonia furrowed her brows and tilted her head.

“Hey, demonic monsters are amazing. Being able to hunt that kind of demonic monsters; you and the other senior demonic monster hunters are really amazing.”

Tatsumi spoke with a smile.

He looked like the usual Tatsumi on the surface. But, to Calcedonia─to Tatsumi’s wife, it was immediately apparent that he was wearing a mask.

That’s why.

That’s why Calcedonia got up from her chair and approached Tatsumi, and just like that, she hugged him.

Tatsumi’s face got buried right between Calcedonia’s soft breasts.

“Huh…?”

“Don’t do impossible things, okay?”

Tatsumi’s body stiffened unexpectedly at the voice tinged with sadness that was coming from above as he drowned in Calcedonia’s soft breasts rich in elasticity that could be best described as a boing boing.

“I knew that you would…… no, husband would fail the trial this time. So you don’t have to force yourself to laugh.”

The reason Tatsumi had forced himself to smile was, of course, to not let Calcedonia worry.

However, Tatsumi’s poor act was easily seen through by his wife.

“I myself have experienced this, so that’s why…I understand the fear my husband felt.”

Tatsumi’s body shivered in Calcedonia’s embrace. Inside his heart, the fear of confronting the spotted lynx came back to him.

“Isn’t it fine? Even if you don’t become an exorcist. I have said this before as well, if it’s husband…no, no matter how many children we have between us, I will support all of us.”

Calcedonia’s face was not visible to Tatsumi, but he was sure she was making a smile of kindness that her name Holy Maiden would suggest.

Also, the smile of that Holy Maiden was directed solely towards her husband.

Tatsumi’s heart shook violently at the fear felt from the demonic monster and the sweet whisperings of his wife.

Calcedonia’s words were equal to “the Devil’s whisperings” to Tatsumi right now whose confidence as a demonic monster hunter, and objective of becoming an exorcist was crumbling around him.

Wouldn’t it be good to follow her words just like this?

It was her own decision to call me to this world in the first place. Then, doing as she said would not mean I am bad.

Such backwards thoughts sprung up in Tatsumi’s heart several times.

Following her words, he could live while depending on her for support, and enjoying this soft body of her’s to his heart’s content.

Even in that kind of life she would surely say she’s happy. She would surely say she’s content just to live together with Tatsumi.

Tatsumi’s heat that was swaying in indecisiveness began slowly leaning towards the sweet invitation that had been extended to him.

Suddenly, Tatsumi’s hand grabbed Calcedonia’s chest and started rubbing it gently.

“Hyo-hyoeee!!?”

Suddenly, Calcedonia pushed Tatsumi away reflexively and brought up both of her hands to cover her chest.

Stunned, she looked at Tatsumi and found him with the expression of a child who had succeeded in a prank.

“You shouldn’t do this, Chiiko. Don’t spoil me so much.”

“H-Husband……?”

“Because if a beautiful person like Chiiko says something like this, any man would obey without thinking. I was also about to become like one of those. But-”

The smile disappeared from Tatsumi’s face and a serious expression took its place. But, there were still shadows clinging to his face.

“─I also said this before but I have no plan of becoming a gigolo.”

Although the shadows were not completely dispelled, a little light was returning to Tatsumi’s eyes.

His confidence had not yet returned. However, thanks to Calcedonia, it had become possible to look forwards.

In the first place, the reason Tatsumi wanted to become an exorcist was to be able to protect the woman in front of him.

Despite this, thinking about letting the woman he should protect support him was terrible.

Tatsumi recalled the fundamental reasons for his original objective and, even though it was just a little, he was able to improve his mood.

“Husband…”

Seeing the change in Tatsumi’s condition, Calcedonia also let out a soft sigh.

At the same time, she turned towards Tatsumi with a dissatisfied face.

“But…it’s a bit disappointing. With husband…t-that…everyday…I thought living a little licentiously is also…not b-bad…”

“That’s why!! Stop saying something that would corrupt a person like this!!”

Her husband retorted to Calcedonia who, with dyed cheeks, was bashfully looking up at Tatsumi as if expecting something.

Somehow Tatsumi became unable to stay at home and was walking down the streets of Levantes which were stained red in the evening.

Why was he unable to stay at home? The reason for that was his beloved wife.

Tatsumi had regained some of his confidence. Nonetheless, there was still a long way before he decided to face that demonic monster again. In his mind, he was at a loss at what to do from now on.

Calcedonia had turned her eyes full of a certain kind of expectation towards Tatsumi when he was like this.

They had just officially been married and, on top of that, Tatsumi had left the house for a few days to hunt for the spotted lynx.

Naturally, it wasn’t unreasonable for Calcedonia to have some “expectations” to Tatsumi who had returned home.

But, that was not the case with Tatsumi.

A liaison with Calcedonia would certainly make him forget the bad things, even if it was for just a moment.

It would be a very happy and enjoyable time for Tatsumi to entwine his body with her soft and warm one.

However, he was not in the mood to lay with his wife while his heart was in a depressed condition.

He felt it wasn’t right to sleep with her with this feeling.

Did she not notice her husband’s feelings, or did she tempt him even while noticing his feelings? His wife’s gaze had been hot and wet.

It had seemed that if they stayed like that he would end up embracing her, so Tatsumi had stepped out to cool his head.

Tatsumi had left despite feeling Calcedonia’s regretful gaze graze his back.

However, he didn’t have any particular purpose for stepping out. That’s why he was walking around aimlessly in the evening streets.

Should I go to a bar and get some drinks before heading home?

While he was considering this, a boar-drawn carriage pulled by an orc passed besides him.

There was the carcass of a demonic monster resembling a huge wolf on the luggage rack. It looked like a demonic monster hunter was in the middle of moving the spoils he had killed somewhere.

A man who looked to be in his twenties was sitting on the driver’s seat. There was no one else riding on the carriage besides him; this man had probably taken down the wolf like demonic monster by himself.

The wolf like demonic monster appeared to be a demonic monster that was certainly a higher level than the spotted lynx. From the point of Tatsumi right now, it was unbelievable that he had hunted such a demonic monster by himself.

Thinking that just what kind of person can hunt this monster alone, Tatsumi turned his attention towards the driver’s seat.

“Hmmm…?”

Red hair trimmed short and rust coloured eyes. And above all, Tatsumi recognised that good looking, refreshing appearance.

Also, the man on the driver’s seat also turned to look at Tatsumi as if he had heard the voice that had just spilled from Tatsumi’s mouth.

The man slightly opened his eyes. Then a friendly smile immediately surfaced on his face,

“Tatsumi…? Is it you, Tatsumi?”

“M-Morga…?”

This person was Morganeich Tychors, a Freedom Knight that had also worked as an exorcist in partnership with Calcedonia and was a former Templar of the Savaiv Church.

Tatsumi and Morganeich clinked the wooden wine cups they were holding in their hands together.

The small clinking sound was swallowed by the dominating clamour of the bar and disappeared in the air.

Morganeich had invited Tatsumi to the bar he was going to, and Tatsumi had responded affirmatively.

Also, the bar Tatsumi was brought to was similar to the Elf’s Resthouse in which demonic monster hunters would frequent it.

Morganeich had left the carriage in front of the shop, he had talked with the shop owner and after entrusting the carriage to him, had returned to Tatsumi’s side.

And, occupying one of the tables, they did a toast with each other’s cups.

“It’s been a long time. Has it been…a year?” Tatsumi started.

Morganeich replied, “That’s right. Even though we live in the same time, we haven’t really seen each other.”

“This town is pretty big, that’s why.”

“Well, in my case, I’m often away to hunt demonic monsters.”

The two laughed and did another toast.

“That’s right. It’s a bit late but congratulations. You got married to Calcedonia, right. I was away from this town during the New Year’s Festival, but I heard it over the grapevine.”

“Thank you.”

“By the way, are you alone today? Where’s Calsey? According to the rumours, I heard that you guys were always together.”

“Uh, umm……. T-That…… hahaha.”

There was no way Tatsumi could say “My new wife was looking at me bewitchingly so I left the house.”

Thanks to that, what kind of rumours would float around about him and Calcedonia. That thought made Tatsumi feel depressed.

“Could it be, you guys had a quarrel right after the marriage?”

“N-No, that’s not the case…”

Morganeich realized something was up from Tatsumi’s bad tone of words.

“What is it? It must be fate that we met here again. If there is something troubling you, I can at least hear you out, right? You already know this, but I’m a former priest.”

While taking a sip of wine, Morganeich made the offer in a broken note of voice.

Certainly, both Tatsumi and Morganeich had once crossed blades with each other. However, that was caused by a Devil; it wasn’t like they hated each other.

Looking at it from Morganeich’s point of view, Tatsumi was a person who had snatched his beloved from his side, but it had already been a year since then. The current him could completely divulge towards both Tatsumi and Calcedonia.

So, it was also a kindness that Morganeich came out with Tatsumi like this.

From Tatsumi’s view, Morganeich was a senior demonic beast-hunter and an exorcist. He didn’t think it was a bad thing to consult with his senior on his worries.

And it was a thing that even if he couldn’t say it to Calcedonia, he could say it to his senior of the same sex.

How could he tell his beloved wife that the fear he felt from the spotted lynx was too great, and that he was still feeling scared. Even Tatsumi had his pride as a man.

Coming to this decision, Tatsumi slowly told Morganeich about the failed encounter with the spotted lynx.