Only With Your Heart

From the moment she stared at him, Chizuru had forgotten how to breathe .

「Well, Master . How is it? She’s the woman I told you about . She just needs to be polished with some nice clothes, then she’ll be beyond recognition . 」

When Rodolgo get off from the horse and approached her, Chizuru’s throat was suffocating . She was breathing in haste, trying to keep her mind sane .

Not yet… . . Still can’t see it .

His silver helmet covered the knight’s head and half of his face, and as he got closer only the lines of his mouth and his jaw were visible . There was a stubble but it must have been the result from a few days worth of journey, all she can see was the shape of his lips but it was also blocked by the shadow of the sunset .

But .

But, she don’t think it was somebody else .

Even before she heard his voice, she felt that his baritone would tickle Chizuru’s ears nostalgically .

「Lukrov……?」

Chizuru’s mouth was calling for his name without any warning(?) .

(T/N: It translated as “without any permission”, I though the sentence was kinda weird . Like, do we ever call someone’s name with permission though? XD So yeah… I changed it to “without any warning”)

「You’re Lukrov, aren’t you……? Do you remember? Me, Chizuru… . . ?」

And then, she felt that the knight’s shoulder which had not been wavered until now was shaken .  

Before she knew it, Rodolgo came to her side and grabbed Chizuru’s arms violently and pushes her forward as if to brag about the prey he just freshly hunted .

「Now, are you going to pay? or you’re not going to pay? If Master doesn’t pay, I’ll sell him to some other man . 」

Rodolgo who said that he had no choice, still grabbed her arms and smiles defiantly . Even though it’s like being treated as an object rather than as a person, Chizuru was still fascinated by the knight in front of her .

Take off your helmet and show me your face .

Let me hear you .

(T/N: I put it in a red colored font because most of the novel’s chapters are in third person point of view . It seems like that’s her inner thoughts, so yeah . . that’s why)

Rodolgo and Dorothy were looking at them suspiciously, noticing the the knight who had been silent the whole time and the difference of the air between them .

Chizuru also began to get nervous from the lengthy amount of silence .

What if he’s not Lukrov? Chizuru might be sold by a strange man who had an odd characteristics… . .

But after a few good minutes of immobility and silence, the man dressed as a knight finally moved his hand .

「Alright . 」

He said in a low voice, and slipped his hand to her waist .

Rodolgo tried to put himself on guard for a moment, right before he can take a decent stance, the knight had tossed down a leather bag before Rodolgo . The sound of precious metals falling to the ground was heard over the skin bag .

Rodolgo and Dorothy who instantly changed their colors flocked over the skin bag . When the poor living clumsily opened their bag with their dirty hands, there were a lot of brilliant(dazzling) gold coins . Dorothy released an animal-like scream of joy .

However, the tall knight didn’t even cast a glance on them .

He just stared at Chizuru .
Chizuru also keeps looking at him like that .

「Are you coming or not」

Next to Rodolgo and Dorothy who were swarmed with gold coins on the ground, the knight were calling out to Chizuru who had been motionless ever since . It’s as if Chizuru was given the right to choose . Chizuru nodded once without talking .

── This is Lukrov’s voice, no doubt .

A voice that is much sharper than it used to be, although it may have lost its youthfulness, but his low and calm voice remains the same .

Seeing Chizuru’s affirmation, the knight slowly approached her while riding a horse, as he got closer, he vigorously lifted Chizuru’s body .

「Kya!」

Chizuru’s screams soon disappeared against the knight’s chest . The hardness of the armor is firmly pushed against Chizuru’s cheek…… It was a nostalgic feeling .

「Lukrov……」

To overlap Chizuru’s muttering, the knight raised his voice firing up the horse as she held the reins tightly .  

The black horse turns around at an alarming speed and runs out to the point of sight following its master’s life . Even though at first the horse shook violently, Chizuru didn’t feel worried that she might fall .  

Because Chizuru is now in Lukrov’s chest .

Whether it’s two months, a year or even 14 years, there’s just something that will not change no matter how much time pa.s.ses .

It was early when the veils of night(!) descended, and within less than an hour the sky had turned into a perfect starry sky .

(T/N: j.a.panese is quite deep with their wordings . 夜の帳 means ‘veils of night’)

Perhaps he is familiar with this region, Lukrov continues to drive his horse straight without hesitation at all . After pa.s.sing through the trees standing high in the sky like a gale, going down the hill and running for a short while, the forest are gradually clearing out . But at the same time, the night fog begins to cover the area and the horse began to slow down… . .

Lukrov doesn’t want to overwork his horse, so they slowly stopped moving forward .

Chizuru raises her face when the horse stops .

「Are you getting off…… . here?」

I heard it, but it was only the slightest nod to the extent that I might not know whether he had already answered . Even before then, he had been silent the whole time, and he didn’t even take off his helmet . However, the arms that held Chizuru while on a horse was powerful and gentle that there was a little uneasiness .

With his hand, Lukrov helped Chizuru got off from the horse with a vivid movement that she didn’t believe he was wearing a heavy armor . Even though it was over the gloves, he was holding her hands with a nostalgic sensation and held her waist in a warm grip . As if to ignore gravity, she was lightly lowered onto the ground and Chizuru staggered slightly from the difference while on a horse .

Lukrov’s hand supports Chizuru firmly .

「Oh, thank you」

Even if she say thank you, Lukrov only replied with a slight nod .

Lukrov, who left Chizuru standing up, tied the reins of the horse to the trunk of the tree and begin to level the ground with his feet . It was not the first time Chizuru saw what he’s doing .

Less than 15 minutes later, Lukrov collected dead trees and leaves on the leveled ground, and ignited a fire with his portable flint .

She have so many things things to tell him, but it may not come out well .

Both Lukrov and Chizuru were sitting near the fire for awhile without saying anything .

Lukrov sat down using a nearby stone as a chair, while Chizuru sits on the ground in a seiza position(!) . Even though there was a little wind, thanks to the gradually growing fire there was no cold, but the silence continues to send chills up to the spine .

(T/N: Seiza – kneeling with the tops of the feet flat on the floor, and sitting on the soles . Can refer here if you want to see the picture . )

The red burning bonfire illuminates the outline of a man who was once called 『The Knight of Inferno』

She thought that he might have lost some weight . However, the st.u.r.dy body, broad shoulder and his wide back that stretched firmly against his tall figure remains unchanged… .

And his strong gaze that were only looking at Chizuru .

「Lukrov……You know, let me explain . 」
As it became unbearable, Chizuru opened her mouth first .

「At that time… I was told that my grandmother was very sick, I… I went back to my original world . But it’s only been a little over a year over there……」

For some reason, her voice trembled .

As expected, Lukrov is a man who has been once described as the country’s best knight, and he has an overwhelming presence even if he is silent . In that sense, he was a very brave man who confesses to his mistake and apologize .

「I’ve never forgotten you . A little while ago, when I heard a voice calling out to this world… I want to go right away . And, because of that… now, I’ve returned… . . 」

Lukrov was still silent .

He just stared at Chizuru under his helmet, and this time she couldn’t get a small nod . Chizuru had to bite her lips to stop the tears from overflowing .

「Why…… Why don’t you take off your helmet?」

Chizuru seems to heard Lukrov exhaling short sigh .

Then, he slowly extended his hands to hold the back of his head, and then gently took off his helmet . First, she can see his dark black hair and Lukrov’s handsome face appears in front of Chizuru’s eyes in the light of fire .

Chizuru was smiling while spontaneously moved to tears .

It is Lukrov .

He was a lot more grim than the Lukrov she remembers, but there is no doubt about it .

Black eyes that are likely to be swallowed, masculine jaw line with deep carved features, and strong willed lips . All of them . However the little wrinkles that wasn’t there before are beginning to carve thinly near his eyes and mouth . And, there was a trace of a cut across his forehead and temples upon his right eyebrow .

However, his expression was as cold as ice .

Or, he seemed to be very angry . The cold, the heat and the temperature that was supposed to conflict with each other turned into an arrow and pierced Chizuru painfully .

「Lukrov…… I……」

「Why now?」

A low, sharp voice interrupted Chizuru . If she hadn’t heard it wrong, Lukrov’s voice was slightly trembling as Chizuru did .

「 Huh?」

「Why are you coming back now? Why now, to abandon someone for more than 14 years…… Are you coming back?」

Chizuru couldn’t answer .

『Abandoned』,『More than 14 years』,and……『Now』 .

Chizuru’s heart was frozen, and her body didn’t move as if she had lost the reason to breathe .