The Dark Elf Ambush

So the dark elf is finally leaving this castle. Makes sense—I’ve stayed far too long, and I’ve been feeling lazy lately. No way I’m making serious money like this! Time to live diligently. As I packed my things and headed out the castle gates, a prisoner transport carriage and black-uniformed Imperial Guards serving as escorts were already waiting.

“Huh? Lady Richel? What are you doing here? Sergeant Ibre is here too.”

“I’ve been assigned as the commander of this escort operation. I’m counting on you again.”

Damn it. I never expected this kind of surprise variable. I didn’t think I’d run into that sly elf sister again so soon. Richel gazed at me with a meaningful look, and Tirga frowned, pulling me into her arms. No matter how many times it happens, the warmth and softness of Tirga’s chest is always comforting. Burying my face in the giantess’s bosom and nuzzling against it melts away all my worries. Pure healing.

“Your name was Tirga, right? Don’t worry. I won’t devour your cute lover.”

“Suspicious elf. Try any funny business with my master again and you’ll vanish without a trace!”

For a split second I imagined Tirga in giant form stomping Richel flat. She’d turn into an unrecognizable pancake. Or maybe get incinerated by a massive lightning strike. Either way would be horrific. If Tirga ever takes a dislike to someone, my fantasy life is over. I’d better treat my girlfriend well.

After the headcount and departure preparations were complete, we left Trupers Castle. Walking is a pain, so I should pull out a decent means of transportation.

In the modern world, these four-wheelers are common in rural areas without paved roads. In other words, it’s the perfect ride for a fantasy world that doesn’t even have the concept of asphalt. Its black body, oversized wheels, sturdy bumper, and lights gave it a presence that didn’t lose to any two-wheeler. The size was generous enough to carry both me and Tirga, plus our backpacks. Appearance matters. Just like in games—if a character’s performance is great but they look ugly, nobody raises them.

“Ooh. Master, what is this tiny carriage?”

“Ah, this is called a four-wheeled motorcycle. In English, it’s an ATV.”

When I took the handlebars, Tirga trotted over and climbed on behind me, wrapping both arms around my waist. Feels pretty good! Having a beauty riding behind me like this. With Richel leading the way, Tirga and I followed slowly on the ATV. Watching the rear is just as important as watching the front, so I ordered Tirga to keep a sharp eye on our surroundings.

Riding the ATV was definitely more comfortable than riding a horse. But there was another problem—the procession was painfully slow. If it were up to me, I’d load the prisoners in the carriage like cargo onto a truck and speed off. Still, one of them might escape and cause trouble, so better not create unnecessary incidents.

As we followed the road, we came across a narrow stretch of terrain perfect for an ambush. If I were part of the anti-imperial forces, I’d definitely set a trap here.

“Lady Richel, let’s stop for a moment.”

“What is it?”

“Can’t we take ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠a detour around this area? If ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠we get ambushed while passing through, the terrain will be far too disadvantageous.”

“You have a point, but this is the only path wide enough for the carriage.”

Safety first. I ordered Tirga to thoroughly search the area around the pass. She created a massive lightning sphere and hurled it like a drone into the danger zone. Bolts of lightning shot out from the sphere, striking at anyone hiding there. Just as I suspected, rats were lying in wait. Masked ruffians drew their weapons and poured out into the open. Even at a glance, these weren’t ordinary bandits. The group, now exposed, charged at us with clear murderous intent.

Though our side numbered only about a dozen, the enemies had us vastly outnumbered. But as Tirga always said, numbers meant nothing.

“Tch. Boring bastards.”

Tirga simply yawned, not even drawing her weapon. She just crossed her arms and looked relaxed. The once-clear sky instantly filled with black clouds, and the ruffians were baptized in lightning. Even the elves were intimidated by the overwhelming force of nature and didn’t dare advance recklessly. No matter how fast or agile they were, could anyone dodge lightning? Impossible. Tirga’s power went far beyond simply being “strong.”

A short while later, the ambushers lay charred and fused with the ground.

“Don’t worry, Master. I went easy on them—they shouldn’t be dead. Though the weaker ones might have died.”

“Good work, Tirga. Are these the anti-imperial army Lady Ranea mentioned?”

The elves drew their weapons and checked the fallen bodies. I watched curiously. When they removed the masks, the faces beneath were dark elves. They looked like regular elves with just their skin color changed, but they probably had different lore in this world. I wondered what the setting for dark elves was here.

“Filth that sullies the noble blood of elves!”

“As black-hearted as their skin color suggests.”

Upon confirming the ruffians’ identities, the Imperial Guards began stabbing and slashing the dark elves with swords or burning them with magic. It was pure hatred. Just as Nazis despised and massacred Jews, the elves looked down on dark elves and slaughtered them mercilessly. The atmosphere was so vicious that I couldn’t bring myself to ask why they hated dark elves so much. Even the usually playful Richel was trampling the dark elves like insects.

“Master, those elves seem to have gone mad with magic or something.”

“No, Tirga. That’s just pure madness and hatred.”

Still, shouldn’t we capture one or two for information? Well, that wasn’t a problem a mere mercenary like me should interfere with. The dark elf resistance was wiped out completely. Not a single one survived. After all, was it even possible to escape Tirga’s lightning? We passed through the pass safely.

“That was impressive, Marquelon. Noticing the enemy’s ambush like that.”

“It’s nothing. Just a hunch I picked up from working as a mercenary.”

“At this rate, you could call yourself a battlefield veteran.”

Richel tried to reward me by grabbing both my cheeks and kissing me, ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠but Tirga’s killing intent made her stop. She hadn’t even used any power, yet why did it look like lightning was about to shoot from Tirga’s eyes? To reward Tirga for dealing with the dark elves, I kissed her on the cheek. Of course, I’d be sucking on something else enthusiastically tonight.

After the encounter with the resistance, no one else interfered with our movement. Not a single bandit or monster appeared—perhaps they were intimidated by the Imperial Guard uniforms. Peaceful to the extreme. As evening fell, we prepared to camp before it got too dark. We had to stay alert in case the dark elves launched another night attack. It was already dark enough; if black-skinned enemies came, they’d be hard to see—but I couldn’t say that out loud. If I did, I’d be called a “filthy racist.”

“Marquelon and Tirga, stand watch around the perimeter. The rest of you, prepare the camp quickly.”

Guard duty in the military is extremely important. There’s a saying: a soldier who fails in an operation can be forgiven, but a soldier who fails at guard duty cannot. However, there was no high ground or suitable position nearby for proper watch. If I made Tirga her original giant size and stood on her shoulder, the view would be great—but that would be the same as advertising our location. Left with no choice, we moved away from the Imperial Guards to scout the area.

“Master, where are you going? Don’t tell me you’re already looking for a place to mate?”

“N-no! It’s just reconnaissance. Reconnaissance.”

“Tch.”

The area was thick with trees, but it was open enough that we’d notice enemies immediately if they attacked. There was also a stream, making it easy to get water. Richel had chosen this ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠spot as a campsite for good reason.

“Master, there’s a delicious-looking deer over there. Can I catch it?”

“Do as you like.”

The moment I finished speaking, a spear-shaped bolt of lightning flew out and struck the deer’s head. The deer died instantly. Tirga looked delighted, hoisting the deer onto her shoulder while drooling. She carried that massive, heavy-looking deer like it weighed nothing. Her strength and physical power were beyond common sense—lightning aside. That’s what they call monstrous strength.

So Tirga and I had gone out for guard duty and reconnaissance, only to return with a fresh kill. As expected of an elite Imperial Guard unit, the campsite was already complete when we got back.

“Hmm? Did you really bring back that fearsome Giant Deer?”

“Tirga said she wanted to eat it, so we caught one.”

“It’s not the kind of monster you can just catch because you feel like eating it……”

Richel started to say something, then simply praised Tirga instead. In some game they say to be careful of deer—maybe in this world too, deer are creatures to watch out for. Tirga hung the deer upside down, stabbed it with a dagger to drain the blood, then skillfully butchered it. She cut off the head, removed the antlers, skinned it, and portioned out the meat. I wasn’t sure if this world used deer antlers as medicine, but I chopped them up and stored them in my backpack anyway.

The elves began cooking with the venison Tirga brought, and suddenly we had a meat party. The Giant Deer lived up to its name—there was plenty of meat, enough to feed dozens. Even Tirga, with her enormous appetite, would be full with leftovers. Having brought the meat, Tirga became a hero showered with praise from the elves. After the siege of Trupers, Tirga was practically a goddess of war to the Imperial Guards. Come to think of it, with all this food smell, someone should have shown up by now, yet not even an ant could be seen. We took turns on watch and used detection magic, but there was no guarantee it would prevent every ambush.

“Time to assign night watch shifts. Everyone, pay attention.”

“Yes, Sergeant.”

Richel gathered everyone and began organizing the watch rotation. She showed consideration by assigning Tirga and me to the first shift. None of the other elves objected. The first watch is the best—pure heaven compared to waking up in the middle of the night for duty. It reminds me of my military days. Feels like I reenlisted. Well, as long as I’m working as a mercenary, it can’t be helped. Still, isn’t life in a fantasy world better than military service?