Chapter 15
Chapter 15
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Translator: uly
Chapter: 15
Chapter Title: The Elf Who Wants to Be Sold Off
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With an icy tone like a frozen lake, the head chef broke into a cold sweat and glanced nervously at me. He was asking my permission to answer the slave's question.
I nodded calmly. This was exactly why I'd called him here in the first place.
Having received my approval, the head chef swallowed hard and parted his thick lips.
"You've been eating for about ten minutes now. That's right around when I brought out the food."
"Ah, ten minutes ago, huh."
The elf's gaze shifted to the plate in front of me. Earlier, I'd desperately shoveled food into my mouth to dodge her suspicions, so the meat and salad on my plate were now about half gone.
It was proof that bolstered the alibi of having started eating ten minutes prior.
"I see. Yes, it looks like you really have been eating for the past ten minutes, Master."
So who the hell was it? The elf's shoulders trembled as she let out a low chuckle. The chilling sight left both me and the head chef speechless for a while.
After about a minute of silence, the elf stopped laughing and smacked her lips.
"I'm sorry, Master. For barging into the dining room looking like this. As punishment, I should skip dinner tonight. That's only fair, right?"
Had the elf ever expressed her will so stubbornly like this? Whatever it was, she was clearly angrier than usual, so I decided not to argue.
"Y-Yeah. Go on, then."
"Yes. Enjoy your dinner, Master."
The elf bowed at the waist to me before exiting through the dining room door.
I maintained perfect posture until she was out of sight, but the moment she was gone, I yanked at the brooch on my collar and gasped for air.
'I... I survived...'
Thank goodness my prepared alibi and quick thinking had worked. Otherwise, I would've been her dinner tonight.
"Haa..."
As the tension drained from my body, nausea surged up belatedly. I clamped my mouth shut and groaned for a bit before slumping against the back of my chair.
"I feel like I'm gonna puke..."
At my mutter, the head chef gasped and widened his eyes. Wondering what was wrong, I looked over and saw tears welling up in them.
"S-Sorry! For my cooking to make the Family Head say something like that... My skills must have deteriorated so much. I have no face to show!"
It was a misunderstanding.
"No, that's not what I—"
"I'll handle fresher ingredients and redouble my efforts in the culinary arts! Please don't fire me...!"
"Um, Head Chef?"
"Yes. This is no time to slack. I'll develop new recipes right away. Leave it to me. I'll make the finest dishes to satisfy the Family Head!"
With teary eyes full of resolve, the head chef bowed to me and strode off.
I felt a pang of guilt for the needless misunderstanding, but since he was recommitting to his craft, there was no need to stop him.
I smacked my lips and lifted my left hand to tap the ring on my index finger. I wanted to check on the elf's current state.
Wooong—
A blue glow emanated from the ring, forming a rectangular window that displayed the elf's room.
She had already arrived back in her room and was sitting on the edge of the bed, staring blankly ahead. No clue what she was thinking.
—Who could it be.
After staying frozen in that position for a long time, the elf spat out irritably. Her eyes narrowed sharply, creases forming between her brows.
—Who's after my toy?
Toy? Did this elf think that the magic trap in the central courtyard wasn't set by me, but by some assassin acting on someone's orders targeting me—and that she'd accidentally triggered it?
It was a ridiculous guess, but to the elf who'd bought my innocence, it might seem perfectly logical. Either way, as long as I was off the suspect list, it was a relief.
—Annoying.
Tsk. The elf clicked her tongue and flopped onto the bed. Her alluring silver hair fanned out like a peacock's tail, absorbing the moonlight spilling in.
I watched her lie there, staring at the ceiling and blinking her blood-red eyes lost in thought, before deactivating the Surveillance Object. There was no more need to watch.
'Good thing she doesn't suspect me anymore.'
But the elf's mood had turned stormy. Until it blew over, it was best to minimize our encounters.
If I tried to "cheer her up" with some bedroom torture, I might end up shortening my lifespan.
'And the heresy inquisitor's coming too.'
If I fool around with the elf before then and someone witnesses it, it'd give the inquisitors ammunition to brand me a heretic for keeping a demon as a slave. Better play it safe until then.
'I'll ask the steward to assign her to cleaning the front yard.'
The distance from my office to the front yard was quite far, so if I was careful, I could coast through a few days without issue. With a rough plan in mind, I sighed and picked up my utensils.
'He seemed to misunderstand, but I should finish it all. That'll make the head chef happy.'
My appetite had vanished thanks to the elf, but I couldn't waste someone else's heartfelt cooking.
*
Three days later.
"Hmm."
The heresy inquisitor dispatched to the Deharm Viscountcy's estate on the bishop's orders raised his head. A sharp sword hung at the waist of his black priestly robes.
"Quite the grand mansion at first glance."
The enormous estate was so vast it couldn't be taken in at a single view, exuding an aura that intimidated visitors.
It naturally sparked thoughts like, 'How impressive must the owner of this place be?'
But Hamtarshin, a heresy inquisitor serving the God of Light, felt no awe. There was no need to revere a building erected by mere mortal wealth and capitalism, rather than a god.
'Live in poverty and purity, obedient to the faith.'
According to the gospel the god gave humanity, such noble extravagance was tantamount to indirectly deceiving the divine.
'Do these ignorant nobles not know that only cathedrals dedicated to the god may boast such splendor?'
It disgusted him to see nobles who claimed to be followers of the God of Light yet failed to uphold the teachings.
Hamtarshin clicked his tongue and headed toward the inner courtyard. Having arrived unannounced, no one came out to greet him.
He didn't expect a welcome anyway, so it didn't bother him. He merely scanned the impeccably manicured front yard with indifferent eyes.
'The reputation seems well-deserved.'
The round-trimmed shrubs lining the path and the uniformly clipped bentgrass lawn spoke volumes of the Family Head's stature.
If the front yard was maintained this flawlessly, the servants and slaves must be well-trained too.
He might even receive generous hospitality, he mused as he approached the mansion entrance—then froze.
'What in the world.'
A pointy-eared beastkin woman was wielding pruning shears, hacking away indiscriminately at an expensive-looking shrub.
Hamtarshin stared, entranced by her beauty, but quickly deduced her identity.
'An elf...? And a slave, at that.'
Her clothes were little more than a burlap sack, confirming her status. Steeling himself, Hamtarshin approached the elf with haughty strides.
"Hey."
But the elf didn't respond. She just butchered the shrub with an inscrutable expression.
"Didn't you hear me?"
No reply even on the second try. She seemed utterly immersed in her own world, as if obsessed with solving some profound puzzle.
Even so, to ignore a guest of the mansion—and a heresy inquisitor, no less. And from a subhuman cast aside by the gods into slavery.
Fury rising, Hamtarshin stormed over, grabbed her wrist, and yanked.
"Don't ignore my question, you subhuman..."
He braced to launch into a sermon, but flinched involuntarily.
The elf, tilting her head to look up at him, was terrifyingly eerie for some reason. Prayers bubbled up unbidden in his mind, his instincts screaming in alarm.
It felt like a colossal darkness was about to swallow him whole. As Hamtarshin hesitated with a pained groan, the elf murmured curtly.
"Let go."
Her flat voice carried an irresistible pressure.
Sweat trickled from Hamtarshin's brow, dripping down his jawline.
Why was a mere estate slave radiating such presence?
'God, do not lead me into temptation...'
Hamtarshin felt an unfathomable dread about what this place truly was.
No news is good news.
The absence of tidings means all is well, making it joyful in itself.
But the elf is the exception.
Even when news arrives, it's anxiety-inducing; without it, the anxiety doubles. How am I supposed to know what nefarious deeds she's up to somewhere?
That's why, over the past three days, I'd occasionally venture to the front yard to check if the elf was behaving herself before heading back. But today, I couldn't just leave.
"Let go."
The elf's voice sent chills down my spine. She had massacred my prized shrubs so mercilessly I could barely see them anymore.
That aura and glare screamed she was seconds from pulverizing someone. Even a heresy inquisitor wouldn't be spared.
If a murder happened in the estate—and of an inquisitor, no less—I'd be irredeemably branded a heretic for harboring a demon slave.
I absolutely couldn't allow that! No, who'd just walk past witnessing a potential homicide about to unfold?
"H-Heresy Inquisitor!"
I shouted to draw their attention to me. Feigning composure, I descended the steps at the mansion entrance and positioned myself between them.
"I didn't expect you so early. Should've given us a heads-up."
I chuckled and greeted him, prompting the inquisitor to release the elf's wrist. After giving her a wary once-over with a troubled expression, he bowed politely to me.
"How could a servant of the god not receive a welcome? It's an honor to meet you, Family Head Theodor Deharm."
"No need for formalities. Under the god's name, we're all but lowly creatures. What should I call you?"
"Hamtarshin Ravel. Feel free to call me Hamtarshin."
"Got it. That aside..."
I trailed off, glancing at the elf. She had been glaring daggers at Hamtarshin, but upon eye contact with me, her face flipped—she started sniffling pitifully.
Joy or annoyance? Hiding my inner turmoil, I continued.
"Did my slave act rudely toward you by any chance? I happened to glimpse you two sharing some heated emotions just now."
"My apologies for showing such an unsightly scene before the Family Head. However, this lamb you've taken in... I suspect she's no ordinary slave."