My name is Elena. I don’t have a family name, but if I had to choose one, perhaps I could call myself Elena Druid, as my grandmother was a druid.
My appearance? Gray hair, an average build, and an average face—or so I think.
I’ve never really compared myself to others in terms of beauty, but I know I’m neither especially attractive nor unattractive.
Even so, here I was, walking down the main street of this fortified city, Egsex, with Edward—Ed—a strikingly handsome man who would draw the gaze of others in a city of over one hundred thousand people. The street was lit by magical streetlights and the glow from the shops and homes lining the avenue, illuminating the city’s nightscape. Yet the only thing I could feel was the heat of Ed’s hand holding mine, as my heart raced faster and faster.
—Ed, Edward, was special.
A special person. A special existence. A special man. A special talent.
From a young age, he was smart and hardworking.
Anything he tried, he quickly mastered. He excelled beyond those who taught him.
Even before we were aware of the world around us, Ed was always surprising the adults. We thought he was wise, even a prodigy, but as Ed grew older, his talents became even more evident.
He anticipated an attack by bandits that threatened our village and laid a trap to annihilate them, earning the trust of the villagers.
He then gathered a team of young adults from the village, those whose ‘professions’ weren’t considered suited for combat—likely because they were undervalued—and formed a group to exterminate monsters.
After creating several such teams, he set them to patrol the village outskirts, reducing the daily threats from goblins and kobolds, increasing the harvests, and even saving the village from famine.
Despite not yet being an adult, Ed also took on various requests from the adventurers’ guild outpost in the village, solving problem after problem.
The village girls were captivated by him. They all tried to seduce him, and he accepted their advances, enjoying their company.
I was one of those girls, swept up in the frenzy.
Yet plain as I was, Ed never noticed me.
I had nothing special.
The only reason I was able to be with Ed was due to sheer luck and perhaps a bit of Ed’s whim.
Ed frequently visited my home to learn the knowledge he needed to operate in the forest near our village—not as dangerous or deep as the forests surrounding the city, of course—from my grandmother.
It was during those visits that Ed and I became intimate. He seemed amused by the idea of toying with a young girl who caught his eye. I didn’t resist when he approached me in a teasing manner, and I offered myself to him every time he came to my house.
But when Ed grew accustomed to the forest and no longer needed to visit my grandmother, that happy time came to an end… Yet those sweet, tender days have stayed with me ever since.
(Ed… I’ve always loved you… always…)
Standing beside me, Ed smiled as he guided me through the city without a trace of suspicion, despite my sudden visit.
He made sure I was clean, fixed my hair, and even gave me new clothes. Just like in those days.
His behavior was so familiar with the city, as if he had lived here for years.
Even though I had spent a whole month in the same city, I still felt uneasy under the gazes of the townspeople as I walked the streets, an adventurer from the countryside.
(Low-level adventurers are treated like beggars in the city… Ed…)
Yet Ed moved with the grace of a true city resident.
—That’s right. Ed was special.
Ed was always confident, always handsome, always clever, always doing something exceptional.
That didn’t change when we became adults and received our ‘professions.’
At the time, everyone was shocked when Blaze received the ‘Hero’ profession. But deep down, I’m sure everyone thought differently.
(I’m certain everyone believed the ‘Hero’ profession was meant for Ed. Because I certainly did.)
So when Ed received the ‘Bounty Hunter’ profession, the villagers were even more astonished.
He was never someone who should have ended up with such a low-ranking profession.
Even so, with all his experience, Ed should have been able to choose a more exceptional profession from the many available to him.
Professions are chosen based on one’s prior experiences, after all.
That’s why people who end up with low-ranking professions are discriminated against, seen as failures who didn’t or couldn’t make an effort.
But even so, Ed chose it. He chose the ‘Bounty Hunter’ profession.
I still don’t understand why Ed made that choice.
But the expression he wore when he made that decision was the same one he had when my grandmother allowed him to venture into the forest alone.
A face that had accomplished its purpose. A satisfied expression. A strangely captivating face.
(But… that face soon clouded over, didn’t it?)
It was the first time I heard Ed shout in anger.
He was furious at Cotton.
Cotton. Oh, Cotton. That foolish girl.
She threw away the once-in-a-lifetime opportunity of being Ed’s lover and chose Blaze, who, if nothing else, was ‘heroic’ in one aspect—his lower half.
Ed had yelled at her, asking why she hadn’t chosen ‘Maid’ but instead ‘Saint.’
Edward’s anger was quickly interrupted by Blaze, the “Hero,” who went over to flirt with Cotton, the “Saint.”
(I’m sure that was the moment Edward gave up on Cotton… and Cotton gave up on Edward too.)
Edward, who had always been special, the one everyone admired, probably never noticed Cotton’s feelings.
But I understood them—me, the plain girl who was called dull for my looks and hair color, who was never popular with the boys in the village.
I understood how Cotton must have felt when she saw her lover, who had chosen a profession that society didn’t value, while being held by Blaze, the Hero.
It was a feeling of disdain for her foolish lover, who had chosen the lowly profession of “Bounty Hunter.”
And a sense of superiority that came from being protected by Blaze, who had become a “Hero,” a legendary profession.
(Foolish Cotton. Just look at Edward now. He’s someone who can be special anywhere, don’t you see?)
Even though he was born in the same village as me, he now acts like he’s lived in this city his whole life.
In just an hour after we reunited, he transformed me, a plain girl born to live a plain life, into someone who could be mistaken for a noble lady. He holds my hand as if I were his lover, treating me gently, almost like a princess.
I think of Blaze, who mocked Edward after casting him aside. Blaze, the pitiful one who was used by Edward… only to peacefully break up with Cotton.
Blaze probably doesn’t even realize it.
But having watched Edward all this time, I understand.
