Chapter 77: Move Fast Before They Notice
"Damn it, damn it, damn it!!!"
Her deep navy-blue bob swayed at her shoulders.
Leisha Bisain, the academy's potion professor whose face was usually hard to read beneath her smiles, wore an expression of grave seriousness unlike anything she'd shown before.
She paced restlessly around the room, tugging at her own hair in agitation.
What the hell happened?
Nothing made sense.
While everyone else had been captured by the elves, she alone had crafted the mana stone to control the elves' ancient weapon. All that remained was to inject blood into it.
Then, in that very moment, she was suddenly attacked.
Though she hadn't seen the assailant's face, she was certain it was Aslan.
How could she ever forget?
The man who had killed her.
Enraged beyond reason, the instant she regained consciousness she leapt up and screamed—but something felt off.
Aslan had been executed. He was no longer of this world.
Strange. It was definitely his magic...
The scent of the magic alone might be coincidence, but the grade matched perfectly.
It had been one of his signature spells: Despair.
Suspicious, she searched the ship from stem to stern, yet found not a single trace of him.
Could it be... the same as me?
No, impossible. Still, what if...
Before dying, she had completed a magic circle at the cost of countless lives.
Even if she perished, she could possess another body and return.
The spell was finished. I died that day. And at that moment, the only one still alive was...
A single person.
Every cultist, every imperial soldier, every officer—dead. Only one survivor remained.
Realization spread through her mind like clear water.
Aslan... he had reincarnated too!
Then who was he now?
One of the thirty-one people aboard the ship was the prime suspect.
Just then, a soldier sitting on the white sand suddenly sprang to his feet and shouted.
"Th-there! Something's approaching!"
She turned her head.
Bathed in the bright morning sun, something was drawing near.
Atop it sat one human and one elf.
Seeing them, Leisha Bisain—no, Iselei Samaha—felt a single thought flash through her mind.
Perhaps Kael Cleanberry was Aslan.
Yet when the elf woman freely piloted the ship while he stood by doing nothing, that suspicion crumbled.
If he truly were the Aslan who had attacked her, he would have used her mana stone to seize control.
In that case, the elves' ancient weapon would never have escaped.
...It seems that man isn't him after all.
* * *
"To the hero!"
"To the hero!"
People drank with wild enthusiasm.
Soldiers and knights were no exception.
Having all narrowly escaped death together, they drank as one.
Even though it was bright morning, cheerful music and laughter filled the air like a nighttime festival.
I sipped my drink lightly and enjoyed the scene.
When are we moving?
Right after we assess the situation.
We had to act before the elves noticed.
According to Audrey, there were only five elves currently in the empire. Four of them were here in Florian.
They were all highly skilled, but with Beres and me working together, it wouldn't be difficult at all.
You know it. If things get dangerous, this big sis will lend a hand, so don't worry~
Just then, a woman approached me.
With radiant golden hair and a sculpted, breathtaking beauty, she seemed to light up the entire world.
She was Tanya Bur克兰드, a knight of the Imperial Guard protecting Princess Reina.
Her hair, usually tied back, hung loose over one shoulder. Holding a cup of wine, she looked far more seductive than usual.
Isn't she basically asking to be taken?
Honestly, she's not quite there yet, but if we use Aria well, it'll happen right away.
The married knight, unaware of our wicked thoughts, drew closer and offered me a warm smile.
"Kael, what are you doing over here?"
"I was thinking of enjoying myself a little before heading off to rest."
"Ah. I see. You must be exhausted."
She nodded in understanding, though a hint of disappointment showed on her face.
What was needed in moments like this? Tact, of course.
"Otherwise, how could I ask a beautiful knight like you on a date?"
"Eek... Really now..."
She shyly covered the area beneath her eyes with one hand.
Her reaction was adorable.
Exactly. If only her chest were bigger it would be perfect. But she's flat as a board... Sigh.
I nearly spat out my drink.
Honestly, I liked everything about Tanya, but her chest was a bit small.
Weren't the young ladies just debuting in high society larger than this?
"Don't tell me you're refusing now?"
"N-no. Ahem. Then I suppose I should go rest as well."
After she had walked a short distance away, she glanced back.
"Thank you... for coming back."
I smiled at her in return, pouring every ounce of sincerity into my words.
"I'm grateful too. For waiting."
"Y-yes."
Tanya bolted away as if fleeing and disappeared straight into her quarters.
She looked just like a fresh young girl who had just received a confession, and I couldn't help but laugh.
She really was cute.
After that, the others also grew tired after only a few drinks and began to stagger. The morning drinking party quickly came to an end.
Just then, two women asked me to escort them.
As if they had already played rock-paper-scissors beforehand, we decided to take Bella to her room first.
She swayed as though drunk.
I stood beside her, supporting her so she wouldn't fall, and guided her all the way to her room.
But the moment I laid her on the bed, her eyes snapped wide open.
"Kael~"
"H-hey, what are you doing?"
"What do you think~"
She suddenly adjusted her posture.
Wondering what she was up to, I watched as she lifted her skirt to reveal smooth thighs, then tugged at her sleeve to teasingly expose the tops of her breasts.
Then she spoke.
"Kael. I'm lonely. Will you sleep with me tonight?"
Kuh... Where on earth had she learned this?
I felt my resolve waver beneath the red-haired beauty's seduction.
But my partner immediately reined me in.
Get a grip. We have plenty of women to devour tonight.
Whew. Thanks. I almost fell for it.
I steadied my heart and answered her honestly, keeping my tone pleasant.
"Sorry, Bella. I'm a bit tired today too."
Bella's eyes widened.
She soon grinned, planted a quick kiss on my lips, and said,
"No, it's fine. Kael. Yesterday... you were really cool. Watching your back in the deep sea made me glad I chose you as my master."
Is that so?
I imagined it for a moment.
Someone sacrificing themselves for me, leaving me alone, watching my retreating figure.
But, heh... there was no need to imagine.
On the battlefield, comrades sacrificed themselves for one another far too often.
The feeling it stirred was hard to describe...
A hot lump rising in my chest.
I looked at Bella again.
The woman with striking red hair and blue eyes opened and closed her mouth, hesitating.
Sensing what she wanted to say, I spoke first.
"Bella. I love you."
"Y-yeah... Hehe~♥ Me too!"
I pulled the blanket over Bella, who lay on her side smiling foolishly at me.
I hoped she could at least get a little sleep and rest comfortably tonight.
One down.
I returned to the banquet hall.
Everyone else had already left. Only the princess remained, sitting alone.
She had been quietly drinking tea, but the moment she saw me she rose from her seat.
The three imperial knights nearby had probably realized by now.
That my relationship with Princess Reina was far from ordinary.
Anyway, this time I escorted the princess.
But what kind of day was today? Or had the two of them planned this?
Suddenly, uncharacteristically, she stripped off her clothes and slipped beneath the covers, then peeked her upper body out again to tempt me.
"Kael. W-would you like to stay the night?"
Gulp. The princess's characteristically massive breasts, pressed to the side, tugged at my heart.
Feeling my gaze, she slipped a hand beneath them and gave them a playful bounce.
...I was going insane.
Aslan, endure. We'll be late at this rate~
Okay, okay.
I kissed her exposed forehead.
Then I pressed my lips to hers and spoke.
"My apologies. The knights are waiting outside... If I don't leave quickly, rumors will spread."
"I... sigh. I understand."
The princess's shoulders slumped.
She understood the situation. It was still too soon for our relationship to be revealed to the outside world.
As I stood to leave, she suddenly grabbed my hand.
"Kael."
"Yes, Your Highness. I'm listening."
"Someday, I will proudly introduce you to my father. So don't go anywhere—stay by my side and wait for me."
I gazed quietly at the princess's face.
She was as serious as she had been during magic training.
It meant her words were sincere, and she wanted a sincere answer from me as well.
So I kissed her lips once more and smiled gently.
"I'll wait, Reina."
* * *
The average lifespan of elves was five hundred years.
Though it varied, they usually lived close to a thousand. Those who trained lived well beyond fifteen hundred.
They could live even longer, but the frequent battles in the rainforest claimed many elven lives regardless of strength.
That was why their average age was low.
Serendia, nine hundred twenty-four years old this year, was well-suited to be dispatched to the human empire.
Though she appeared to be a woman in her prime thirties, both her ability and age made her more than qualified to rule an entire race as governor.
She had proven it on countless battlefields.
Yet now, for the first time since arriving in this land, she found herself deeply troubled.
She hadn't agonized this much even when granted an audience with the emperor of this nation.
"So you're saying no elf is to set even a single foot outside this mansion?"
"That is correct. Therefore, I would appreciate it if you could relay this information as quickly as possible and ensure every elf follows the order."
She examined the document she had received from the young man once more.
...Having detected signs that numerous humans were massacred, until the identity of the elf in question is confirmed, all elves are...
She checked the seal at the bottom.
It was clearly the official seal of the Lord of Florian.
It seems Audrey's actions have been discovered.
Serendia nodded, acknowledging the order.
There was no need to disobey.
It was merely house arrest, and despite what had happened, they had sent only one person instead of armed soldiers.
That alone showed they were still being treated favorably.
In a way, they're an incompetent race. To handle things like this even after one of their own was killed.
Even after nearly a century of doing business with them, they had only just noticed. As expected, livestock remained livestock.
The young man withdrew.
She gathered the other three elves and summoned them all back to the mansion.
The man watching from the alleyway stroked the woman's rear beside him and smiled deeply.
"Perfect. Let's go, Audrey."
It was time to properly educate those arrogant kin of hers.
"...Yes."