Translator: RaidenTL

Chapter 199: Elf

"Kim Yoora is young, but she is a fine Green Skin. I think you understand what I mean. It's not that you're lacking, Laveua, but you're still too young. Let's go together when you're a little older."

She was smart enough to understand. A wiser father might have had some other way, but this was the limit of my ability. I sighed and looked at Laveua, but she was still puffing out her cheeks. It seemed she understood with her head, but not with her heart.

Soon, fat tears began to fall from her large eyes.

"Waaaaaah!"

In the end, her crying burst forth. Mev picked Laveua up and tried to soothe her, but her tears wouldn't stop. She must have felt a glimmer of hope when she saw us looking at her unique ability.

It seemed that hope had been shattered, and now the tears were pouring out.

"Come here, Laveua. Let's sleep with Mommy."

Even in Mev's eyes, as she held Laveua and patted her back, there was a hint of bewilderment.

"I wanna go too... hic..."

"You're still too young, Laveua."

"I'm all grown up, too. Hic... sob..."

A one-year-old who looked like an elementary schooler was trying to argue her case, but frankly, it wasn't very convincing. We tried to placate her in various other ways, but she wouldn't budge. Eventually, Mev's voice grew a little louder, but it didn't seem to have any effect.

"I hate you, Mom and Dad! I hate you!"

"La... Laveua!"

"I'm sleeping by myself tonight! I'm going to sleep with Nicole... hiccup..."

"Don't be like that, Laveua. You should sleep with Mom and Dad."

"No! I'm sleeping with Nicole. I sleep with Nicole every day!"

At Laveua's cry, both Mev and I were left speechless. She was right. Except for when she was a tiny baby, she had probably spent more time with Nicole or the goblin mothers than with us.

I picked Laveua up, but she remained defiant.

"Are you really not going to sleep with Daddy?"

"..."

Laveua just puffed out her cheeks and refused to speak to me. I sighed and handed her back to Mev.

Seeing her so stubborn, it was clear that tonight was a lost cause. I figured her mood would improve by tomorrow, and she'd come clinging to us as if nothing had happened. And so, Laveua started toward Nicole's tent with Mev.

Mev was taking Laveua to Nicole. It felt a little bitter. I might be an ideal leader, but I was certainly not an ideal father.

It was enough to make me think that I had to start making as much time for her as possible, starting tomorrow.

After Mev returned from dropping Laveua off at Nicole's tent, her expression was grim. I spoke to her.

"For the time being, Mev, you should probably spend more time inside the settlement."

"Mm..."

Mev, too, seemed to feel like she was a bad mother, as she simply nodded without saying anything else. For a night that marked our long-awaited return to the settlement, it was a bitter one.

I had been deep asleep for some time when it happened.

I thought I heard a slight commotion in the settlement.

Thinking it might be an attack, I grabbed my gear and went outside, only to run into Nicole, who was just arriving at our tent.

Nicole's face was deathly pale. I instantly knew something ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠was wrong. Kim Yoora was beside her.

"Chief... Chieftain. Laveua is gone."

"It's... it's my fault. I... sob..."

Nicole was crying uncontrollably.

"Speak slowly."

"I... I told her she had to prove herself. That if she wanted to go with you like Yoora, she had to prove herself. Hic... She must have heard that and left."

Damn it.

The clan members seemed to be searching the settlement frantically, thinking she couldn't have gone far. After all, it was practically impossible for Laveua to get past our security. The guards at the main gate said they hadn't seen her at all. What's more, Hark was on duty tonight. If Laveua had gone through the gate, there was no way Hark wouldn't have noticed.

"La... Laveua! Laveua!"

Mev, emerging late from the tent, was screaming in panic. Her face was ashen with worry. I was just as panicked.

"Dammit."

If anything happened to her, I would never forgive myself. I immediately shouted at the top of my lungs.

"Abar!"

As if hearing my voice, Abar came running toward me at full speed. I immediately mounted her back and began to circle the entire settlement. Mev climbed on behind me. The commotion had woken the other clans, but apologies could wait.

I, too, had thought it was impossible for Laveua to leave the settlement, but if she had used her unique ability, it might have been possible. She could have thought that "proving herself" meant hunting a monster.

Seeing me, Goff emerged from his tent. I answered his immediate question in a rushed voice.

"Blood Dagger, what is it?"

"Laveua is gone."

Goff's face was a mask of shock. There was one large main gate, but each clan also had its own side gate. Goff's clan used the one that faced the eastern forest. After hearing my words, Goff immediately headed for his gate and summoned an Ogre. He must have been the one guarding it tonight; the Ogre's expression looked uneasy. Goff, sensing something was wrong, narrowed his eyes and began to speak.

An immense killing intent radiated from him.

"Grrrrr... Anything unusual to report?"

"There... there was."

"..."

"My... my body was suddenly moved somewhere... b-but..."

"Why didn't you report it?"

"Because... because nothing happened. I couldn't find anything... I thought I could handle it myself..."

CRUNCH!

The Ogre's body was slammed into the ground, and I immediately bolted toward the eastern forest. It had to be Laveua.

"Throw this son of a bitch in the brig. Form a pursuit party, now!"

Goff's enraged voice echoed from behind, but I had no time to pay it any mind. He would probably apologize to me, but I was in just as much of a position to apologize. The entire settlement was immediately put on high alert. I saw Kim Yoora, with Nicole riding behind her, bursting out of the settlement on a Giant Wolf, but I didn't stop them.

The number of people ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠who could ride Giant Wolves was limited, so I wanted to borrow even Kim Yoora's help. Mev, Gark, and our clan's assassins seemed to have heard the news as well, as they were all emerging.

As I ran, I immediately began to spread my magic in all directions, trying to sense exactly where Laveua was. I picked up the signals of monsters right away, but I couldn't feel Laveua's presence. It seemed some time had passed since she left. She had either gone deep into the forest... or...

Fuck...

I didn't want to imagine the alternative. Mev, who was sensitive to presences and tracking, spoke from behind me.

"Chie... Chieftain, there!"

Where she pointed, there was a dusting of the special powder that comes from a fairy's wings. She must have flown.

"Abar."

Abar would surely pick up the scent and track her.

"Chie... Chieftain, our Laveua will be okay, right? Right? Sob..."

"She'll be fine."

If she flew, her chances were better. It wasn't that there were no flying monsters, but their numbers were significantly lower in the east. While much of the eastern forest was still undeveloped and unexplored, we had a general understanding of its ecosystem.

"Faster."

At my command, Abar began to move even faster. We hadn't yet set foot in the fog-covered region. Just as I was considering the possibility that she might have gone that far, I pushed my magic to its absolute limit and began to feel the presence of a small doll at its very edge. She was in a standoff with someone.

Humans?

The presence I felt was definitely close to human. There must have been a high-level human among them, as they seemed to have detected our approach. I was baffled as to why there were humans in the eastern forest who had evaded our surveillance, but my daughter's safety came first.

In fact, I couldn't think of anything but Laveua's safety.

Mev looked anxious, as if she wanted to fly off herself, but since Abar was faster, she seemed to be relying on our ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠mount for now.

As if sensing our desperation, Abar bared her teeth and began to run even faster. I drew Levatain. Abar was faster over long distances, but in a short burst, Mev and I were quicker.

Once we were close enough, I kicked off the ground with a burst of magic and shot forward.

THOOM!

I felt the magic explode from my feet, and Mev launched herself forward a step ahead of me. Naturally ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠more agile than me, she began to pull far ahead once she started running in earnest, using her wings for an extra boost.

"Laveuaaa! Laveuaaa!"

Her loud cries were unmistakably mixed with tears. Even though I had confirmed she was alive, her heart had grown frantic. She must have sensed that Laveua was confronting a group of humans. Mev began to nock an arrow.

A wind spirit summoned by Mev immediately swirled around her bow. She was going to fire the spirit itself. As I focused magic into my eyes and ears, Laveua's form finally came into view.

It wasn't my imagination. The individuals she was facing were definitely humans.

It was no surprise that the humans couldn't block Mev's arrow as it flew in. In an instant, a hole was punched through one of their foreheads.

".........!"

"............!"

I started to hear their panicked voices. They were still too far away to make out clearly, but as I continued to charge forward, their shouts became distinct. I couldn't help but be a little taken aback.

Japanese?

I couldn't understand the meaning, but they were definitely speaking Japanese. I could see them drawing their swords and shields.

There were definitely no foreigners on this continent. For whatever reason, only Koreans, Green Skins, and monsters existed here. To suddenly run into Japanese people was absurd. But more important than that was the fact that they were threatening Laveua right now.

I pushed my magic once more and raised Levatain.

"Levatain."

As if in answer, Levatain erupted with violent flames. Laveua came into view. She was looking our way with a terrified expression, her eyes brimming with tears. An arrow was embedded in one of her wings. Mev immediately ran to her and hugged her tight, while I clenched my fist and completely smashed the head of the nearest human.

CRUUUUNCH!

The ground cracked as one of them died instantly. And then I saw a woman, staring at me in shock. Just as I was about to swing my sword, an emotion flickered across her face for a brief moment: terror.

She's not human.

She looked similar, but she wasn't human. I immediately lowered my sword and began to slam the humans staring at me into the ground with flames. In the midst of it, I glanced back to see Laveua crying in Mev's arms. I turned my gaze forward again.

The screaming humans continued to chatter in Japanese. The woman looking at me wasn't human, but she was incredibly beautiful. The only difference from a human was that her ears were very long.

I looked at her and, without thinking, spoke.

"An elf?"

At that, her mouth fell wide open.