"Huh?"

Ellie rolled her eyes at me. Pen × fun × Pavilion www. ｂｉｑｕｇｅ。 ｉｎｆｏ

Then he stood up with his feet on my shoulders and pointed his finger at me condescendingly.

"With this little ghost, don't be kidding."

Lord Seria tilted her head and asked Ellie in confusion.

"But haven't you already made a connection yet?"

"That, that, that's ......"

The little guy's attitude softened suddenly, and it seemed that she also knew that she was at a loss.

"Besides, I have already agreed to the marriage contract between the two of you, is there anything wrong?"

"Absolutely!"

The little one, with his hands clenched into fists, stood on my shoulder, a little taller than Sercelia.

Her face was flushed, and she stared at her mother with a pair of eyes full of displeasure, as if to blame Secelia for not understanding her daughter's mind.

"What's wrong?"

Cecelia didn't know if it was deliberately pressed, or if it was really natural.

"That'...... That ......"

Ellie was already dying, stamping her feet vigorously.

"Psychologically incorrect!

Hey, Ellie, you're not really going to convince Cecelia like this, are you?

Secelia listened and looked back at Liu Xiao.

"What do you think?"

"I think I can give it a try"

Hey, Ellie, Cecelia isn't going to pay attention to you anymore.

"Hmph!mmmm~mmmm~"

Ellie stared down at me, winking at me.

What does this mean...... Can I help her reject the plan?

But really, I'm embarrassed if I had to try this method.

"That...... Let's try something else, shall we?"

I tried to ask Sednas about them.

"But I've never been in a situation like this before, so I don't know how to prepare."

"Uh...... How about it be carried out in the ordinary ceremony of concluding a contract?"

"Oh, that's a good idea"

"Then do as you say, and I will prepare accordingly."

"Well, go ahead, I'll let you know where the location is"

The three of them were talking to themselves, completely ignoring me and Ellie.

"Hey, Ellie, they don't seem to listen"

As I moved my gaze to Ellie's face, the little one suddenly shook his head and turned his face to the other side.

Only the small vest and the long blue hair were exposed.

Belch...... She probably felt as awkward as I was.

So I reached out and squeezed her little hand.

"I know you're shy, and I'm embarrassed, but I think it's worth trying"

"Humph!"

The little one turned around and stared at me dissatisfied.

"With a little ghost like you, I won't be shy"

Forehead...... Your mouth is too sharp.

"Come with Me"

"Well, can I go too?"

Liu Xiao asked nervously.

Sercelia-sama looked at her with a puzzled look.

"Of course you can, or you have to come"

"Hmm"

Liu Xiao nodded and breathed a sigh of relief.

Lord Secelia led us all the way down the small bridge behind Red Cliff City.

It was nearly evening, and the wind was strong in the mouth of the gorge.

"Oh, come, you're going to be blown down while you're sitting here."

I wanted to take Elle off my shoulders and hide her in my arms as I had done in the previous fight.

"No, no, no, no!"

The little one shook his hand at me and shook his head desperately, letting her long blue hair be blown up in the wind.

"Be careful!"

"I know!"

Sure enough, she suddenly lost her center of gravity when the wind blew.

The little guy grabbed me by the neckline and grabbed her arm at the same time.

It's so strong even though the magic has cooled down, and you don't have any magic that can make you stick to me right now.

"Ah ......"

Elle instantly brushed the floor and blushed, red to her neck, and her whole body turned red as she spoke.

Hey, hey!

Isn't that a bit of a bad thing?

"Ellie, don't be so shy, even I'm embarrassed"

Is this still the same Ellie?

It's bad, it's all the blame for the little guy, even I feel a little hot on my face, and I don't dare to look at this little guy anymore.

"Brother"

Liu Xiao stared at me with her half-open eyes and said.

"It's called premarital restlessness"

"What do you mean before marriage!"

"What is pre-marriage!"

Ah, Ellie's spit is in sync with me!

"Puff haha"

made Liu Xiao laugh.

The atmosphere between me and Elle was even more awkward......

What does it feel like?

My heart was pounding, as if I had met Gagantu in the mountain pass before, no, even worse than that.

The pounding of my heart made my blood rush up my head, and I felt like I couldn't think about anything at all.

The head was full of Ellie's blushing face and anxious eyes looking at me.

It's almost like ......

Huh!?......

No way......

I was desperate to make sure, so I unconsciously glanced back at Ellie.

The little one just happened to look back at me.

Well?

I tilted my head, and she tilted her head at the same time, and we both looked questioning.

It seems that both of us have the same question in our minds - do I like this guy?

"Impossible!"

I said a word to Ellie.

"Absolutely impossible!"

Ellie replied to me.

Hey?

Doesn't that prove that Elle is thinking about the same problem as me.

Elle also suddenly reacted, I was thinking the same question as her.

Brush -

I quickly turned around, only to feel my heart pounding out of my throat.

It was like a boxer was throwing his fist at me all the time.

Ah~ah!

What the hell is going on here!?

We walked down the trail to a relatively gentle river beach.

The river beach was empty, and there were only me and Ellie, Secelia and Liu Xiao.

The river at the mouth of the gorge flows slowly and calmly here, with only a slight murmuring sound.

"Are you all ready?"

Mr. Sednas also came down.

"Hmm"

Mr. Sednas walked over, took out a wine glass, and poured some water out of another container.

Immediately after that, a fragrant smell of fruit wine wafted out.

The little guy actually smashed his mouth......

"Hey, Ellie"

"Oooh"

After I reminded, the little one took his eyes off the cup.

However, this is a ritual, isn't it too simple?

The utensils used in the whole ceremony seem to be only in the shape of this small cup.

"So let's get started"

Mr. Cedenas motioned for Cecelia and Liu Xiao to come forward.

"The First Step, the Blessing of the Ancestors"

Ellie jumped off of me and stood in front of Cecelia.

The lord crouched down, looked at Elle with a soft glow of a mother, and kissed Elle's forehead gently.

"Brother"

Liu Xiao motioned for me to bow my head.

Belch...... Although Liu Xiao is not an ancestor, she once boasted to Cecelia that she was my guardian, so it seems that she needs to play this role.

I lowered my head, and Liu Xiao kissed my forehead gently.

Then the two took a few steps back.

"The second step, the intersection of fates"

Sednas said, motioning for us to stand in the river.

"Water is the medium of life, the passage of the soul"

The clear water of the river flooded our ankles, a little cool but not icy.

The gentleman handed me the glass.

"Dip your fingers in it"

"Hmm"

"And Her Royal Highness the Princess"

"Oh"

Ellie was a little out of reach, so I got down on one knee.

The little one's fingers dipped into the glass, and he could feel a warm sensation coming through the wine.

"Step 3, Soul Connection"

Sednas smiled at us and winked at me.

Ay?

Meaning, it's already the last step?

The erudite gentleman turned around, and Lord Secelia and Liu Xiao also turned around and began to walk towards Red Cliff City.

Huh?

The sun began to set, and the last of the sun swept over the river beach and climbed the red cliffs.

The valley seemed to be darkened as if the lights had been extinguished.

The three of them walked farther and farther away, and they couldn't see their shadows clearly.

Huh?

What am I going to do?

Where is the manual?

Elle didn't squeak either, which made the atmosphere even more awkward.

"Ah, that, that, can you kiss it?"

Ah, I'm stupid, what am I talking about!?

You can already imagine Elle's thunderous appearance.

"Uh...... Belch...... Hmmm"

The little one made a muffled staccato sound, her head slightly lowered, her face as red as if she was having a fever, and her eyes stared timidly at the water in the river.

Hey!?

Is this still the same Ellie!?

"Ah...... Well, can you lift your face a little bit?"

The little one didn't immediately raise his head, but stared at me with a pair of big blue eyes.

The light in her eyes, in the afterglow of the setting sun, flickered with the sound of flowing water around her, and the wind in the mouth of the gorge.

The face was full of confusion and longing......

Beautiful......

No, no, what was I thinking?

"Uh, that, Ellie, can you please not use such an expression, even I will be shy"

"What!?"

The little guy grabbed my face and grabbed it hard.

"Bastard little ghost! I'm not a happy ......."

At this point, the little guy who was about to go crazy suddenly fell silent, her hands were no longer strong, and she leaned over gently and held my chest with her hands.

The other hand was still in the glass, and I could sense some of Ellie's emotions from there.

Some...... Emotions that touched me.

She leaned her head over and pressed her forehead against my chest, and now I couldn't see her face.

Because she kept her head down, her long blue hair touched the river at the ends.

"I've seen this moment before"

Ellie's voice was small, not even as loud as the sound of running water, but I could hear it clearly.

Strangely, Elle didn't seem nervous at all.

But an inexplicable feeling of sadness passed from her fingers.

"When I was in school, in that minx's crystal ball"

Oh...... This is talking about the previous thing, the time when Elle was furious after spying on the scene of the torrent.

"I see me...... And you, the way you are"

Elle looked up, as if trying to see my expression, and looked at my face carefully.

The edges of those big blue eyes were filled with tears.

"The one in the illusion looks very happy...... It even makes me jealous ......"

Although I was laughed at by Liu Xiao for being a fool, I also admit that I don't have the ability to observe words and emotions like Liu Xiao.

But even if it was like this, I understood what Elle was talking about.

And -- what was she thinking.

So some of the things I wanted to say to Elle automatically flowed out of my heart.

"My life has not been at peace since you came"

With my other hand, I scooped Ellie's long hair out of the water and held it in the palm of my hand.

"It's true that at the beginning, I thought you were just an arrogant little girl"

"So...... I can't believe it myself."

"One day, like this, I will like you"

Ellie's beautiful blue eyes were filled with surprise.

"You've protected me too many times"

"It also helped me endure too much pain"

"Now, it's time for me to give back"

As Seria-sama said, to be Ellie's shield, in the truest sense of the word.

No, blaming others for the reasons may not be representative of my current intentions.

Now, even if I don't have anyone else's request, I'm willing to give everything to protect this little guy in front of me.

Even if she is a ruthless, arrogant, volcano-like princess, I will be willing to do everything to help her realize her dream.

"Ellie"

Called her name in a soft voice.

"Your front is guarded by me, your throne is my shoulder, your dream, we will achieve it together"

A twinkle of starlight appeared in Ellie's eyes.

Not from the sky of the Dawn Mountains, where there are no stars.

Rather, it comes from ...... Something else, where there are stars.

It's as if time has stood still.

The lips of the two people touched together, as if they were a lifetime.

When the soft lips parted again, I felt that I was no longer alone.

It seems that something is connected.

This is...... Soul connection.

'Original ......'

The little one's voice is very light, as soft as smoke.

'The visions I see are real......

Hey?

Is this what Ellie was thinking?

'Huh?'

Elle heard me at the same time.

The soul connection between us has been restored, and it is even clearer and more transparent than before.

The happiness in the little guy's heart came over without reservation through the soul link.

And my feelings also entered Ellie's heart through this bridge.

Praise this magic, there really is nothing more wonderful in the world.

From now on, we will be closely linked.

Share the joy, share the pain, and understand each other.

As long as it is in the same world, this link is immortal.

Ellie carefully took the glass.

Then pour the wine from the cup into the river water.

The fresh fruity aroma drifted away along the river.

'Why did you dump it?'

Ellie looked back, smiling with a sense of superiority.

'It's like a token.'

'Then why don't you keep it?'

It dawned on me that I was able to communicate with Elle completely telepathically.

'Clams, silly boys, something tangible is always easy to get rid of'

'But it's not so easy to follow the river and melt into the sea and become part of the torrent.'

In other words, it symbolizes eternity.

What a beautiful ceremony, just like this elf in front of me.

The little one stood in the river, and her shadow reflected the pale blue of the river, just like her blue eyes, which reflected the light of her soul in the darkness of the evening.

This is Elieheranna Akaba, the other half of my soul.

By the name of Isadur, I will always protect you, my princess.