#051 Elf
The coastline stretched on.
A little farther ahead, a rocky cliff dotted with sparse blue-green trees came into view.
Waves rolling in from the sea crashed against the rocks, shattering into countless sparkling droplets that caught the sunlight like diamonds.
I led the group toward it.
The white sandy beach had been packed with both nobles and commoners, making it nearly impossible to observe marine life. This was the alternative I’d chosen.
“What exactly are you looking for?”
As I wandered across the rocks, thoroughly searching every crevice, the others grew curious and crowded close behind me, peering down as well.
This was a spot where seawater surged in and receded with every wave.
I slipped my hand into one of the gaps and quietly extended my mana detection.
Where are you… Come out…
— What the hell are you looking for?
The Lord of the Abyss.
— The Lord of the Abyss? What… Are you seriously trying to find the strongest creature in the ocean right here?
Beres sounded utterly confused, but I didn’t have the mental bandwidth to explain.
I focused, searching for the creature’s presence.
And soon enough, I sensed one curled up and sleeping in a corner.
I immediately cast the spell.
Impotence. Telekinesis.
In an instant, the creature shot up from beneath the rock and stuck firmly to my palm.
Beres stared at it and immediately demanded an explanation.
— Uh… what the fuck? Isn’t that just an octopus?
The rest of the party’s reactions weren’t much different.
They wore disappointed, deflated expressions.
“Would you mind holding this for a moment?”
When I handed it to Tanya, she recoiled in horror.
The princess beside her, and even Bella, shrieked and stumbled backward.
Every time the thing twitched its legs, their high-pitched screams climbed higher.
Good grief. They’re all such scaredy-cats.
In the end, one of the male knights who had come along grabbed it.
He looked equally disgusted, but…
As I bent down toward another crevice, the princess jumped in surprise.
“Y-you’re catching more?”
“Of course. If we’re going to study them, we’ll need at least ten, right? Lucky for us, there are exactly five people here. What a relief.”
“T-this is not right. This cannot be right. Don’t you agree, my lady?”
“I-I completely agree.”
What the hell are these people even saying?
I’m the one doing all the hard work with mana detection here.
— Why are you going through all this trouble for those things?
Ah, well. I studied these creatures thoroughly in the past.
— You studied octopuses? Are they even worth the effort?
What are you talking about? These aren’t ordinary octopuses. They’re baby krakens.
— What?!
Beres cried out in shock.
I couldn’t blame her. I’d been pretty surprised myself when I first learned the truth.
What exactly was a kraken?
Aside from the blue dragons, they were essentially the apex predators of the sea.
Their size could rival that of a dragon…
That was why they were called the Lord of the Abyss.
— These tiny things? Wait, how did you even find that out?
I tossed the newly caught Lord of the Abyss to the waiting male knight with my free hand and continued my explanation.
While I was investigating the blue night sea, I happened to meet an elf here. She was the one who told me.
— An elf?
Yeah. She had beautiful silver hair that gave off a faint blue glow. She knew a ridiculous amount. Thanks to her, I was able to clear up a lot of questions I had.
— Silver hair… Don’t tell me she had odd eyes? One blue and one light green?
Yeah… Huh? Wait, how do you know that?
Before Beres could answer, a pair of shoes suddenly appeared on the rock right in front of me.
I looked up.
Smooth, perfectly sculpted calves and thighs filled my vision, like finely crafted pottery.
Above them was a glimpse of pure white panties… and a face that looked mildly intrigued.
“Do you even know what those are before you catch them?”
The slightly awkward human speech mixed with that distinctive elven tone instantly confirmed it.
This was the same elf I had met back when I was Aslan.
Seeing those summer-like odd eyes filled me with genuine fondness.
But I was also completely shocked…
“It’s been a while, Asl—”
“W-wait a second!”
Her eyes widened into perfect circles.
Wait, what? How does she recognize me?
— D-don’t tell me I’m visible again?
The moment those words left her mouth, the elf turned her head and looked straight at Beres.
Can elves normally see you (demons)?
— No way! That shouldn’t be possible!
Then how is she seeing you?!
— Want me to beat the truth out of her with my dick…?
That’s not something you say out loud.
As Beres and I bickered, the elf who had been quietly watching us let out a small laugh.
Her smile was angelic. Absolutely angelic.
— Angel my ass…
“It’s simply because I am special. But it really has been a long time. What brings you back to this sea?”
“Ah, well…”
At that moment, two women pressed themselves tightly against my sides.
The princess and the duchess both pointed accusing fingers at the elf and began interrogating me.
“Where did you meet her?”
“Speak the truth at once!”
“No, it’s just that…”
How the hell was I supposed to explain this?
It happened during my time as Aslan, so it was awkward to talk about.
More importantly, there hadn’t really been anything between me and this elf.
We were just conversation partners who occasionally chatted while I was here?
Closer than strangers, but not quite friends?
It was an ambiguous relationship that made it weird to call her a friend.
As I hesitated, the two women’s eyes grew sharper, clearly suspicious.
But right then, the elf’s words rescued me from my predicament.
“Hmm? What is the relationship between you three? Are you all married?”
It sounded like something exploded inside the princess and the duchess.
The duchess gave an awkward, twitching smile while staying silent. The princess turned bright red all the way to her ears and started babbling incoherently.
While Tanya jumped in and scolded the elf for her ridiculous comment, the two women quickly tried to cool their burning faces.
Anyway, we ended up introducing ourselves properly.
After a simple round of greetings, the elf explained that we had briefly met a long time ago and become friends. Once the misunderstanding was cleared up, the princess relaxed and began showing open interest in her.
I soon understood why.
“Miss Audrey. Would you be interested in making a deal with me?”
“What kind of deal?”
“Well, you see. I’m currently writing a thesis…”
“Y-Your Highness…?”
The princess glanced back at me when I called her.
But when she saw the newly caught Lord of the Abyss, she shuddered violently and quickly turned back to Audrey.
She really didn’t want to write her thesis using octopuses.
After hearing the full story, Audrey thought for a moment.
— No way that works.
Exactly. Unless she got hit in the head with an arrow, there’s no way an elf would just casually share something as secretive as elven magic…
But…
After pondering for a bit, she smiled brightly and agreed?
Wait, did this elf actually get hit in the head with an arrow?
“However, I have a condition as well.”
“What is it?”
“In three days, I plan to go out to sea to hunt some marine creatures… If you help me then, I will teach you.”
The princess looked at me and the others.
It was a silent question about what we thought.
The experienced Tanya asked Audrey directly.
“What exactly are you hunting?”
“Just some rather large sea creatures. I do this every year around this time, so there is no need to worry.”
“Hmm… It appears to be a monster hunt, Your Highness.”
Monsters existed in the ocean too.
In Florian, they went out to clean the waters three times a week.
That was why this coastline remained safe year-round.
“Would it be possible for me to receive help from Sir Tanya and the others?”
“You need not worry about that. The imperial knights are not so weak that they would fall to mere monsters.”
“Very well. Then I shall assist you. In return, make sure you keep your promise to me.”
“Understood. Do not worry.”
And just like that, a new plan was decided.
We would join elf Audrey’s sea hunt for the sake of the princess’s thesis.
Even though I was acquainted with her, something about it still felt off. Still, the chance to see an elf fight was tempting enough that I pushed the unease out of my mind.
“Then, Miss Audrey. How about joining us for dinner tonight?”
“That sounds good!”
As we all headed back toward the princess’s villa, a group of people suddenly caught my eye.
The moment I saw them, my mouth started watering.
“Your Highness.”
“What is it?”
“I need to step away for a moment. There’s something I have to take care of personally…”
Bella’s face hardened as she spoke firmly.
“No. If you’re going, I’m coming with you!”
The princess looked ready to object as well.
But who did they think they were dealing with?
I was a commoner professor who had spent over ten years at the academy, forced to witness every disgusting thing those rotten noble bastards did.
Convincing two overgrown children was child’s play.
“If you let me go alone, I’ll give you two full hours of magic skin care when I get back! How does that sound?”
They looked at each other… and immediately agreed.
“Fine.”
“Come back safely.”
I immediately dashed off toward the southern beach I had spotted earlier.
Beres, who had stayed quiet because of the elf, finally spoke.
— Who did you see?
Just wait a second. Ah! There they are. Look over there.
Seven women were sitting under a large parasol, sipping cool drinks and chatting away.
They wore thin, semi-transparent dresses made of special fabric designed to prevent sunburn.
The fabric fluttered gently in the sea breeze, revealing flashes of pure white thighs, smooth stomachs, elegant collarbones, and underarms that instantly captured the eye.
Whew. Just looking at them is making me rock hard.
— Huh?! Aren’t those the girls from Isabel’s crew?!
Exactly.
Lined up neatly under the parasol, sipping cold drinks and gossiping, were none other than Isabel’s group.
It looked like they had all come here together for a vacation.
Should we give them a couple shots from the front and back today? You in?
— Hehehe. Hell yeah I’m in! Let’s go right now!!