Chapter 103: Cursed Child (3)[R-18]
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 103: Cursed Child (3)[R-18]
“What... is this?”
Elfriede’s surprise at the appearance of this strange Gallery lasted only a moment.
[Uohhh lol, this is the stuff lololol][3]
[Holy shit, some insanely hot furry art just got posted!!!!][7]
[5 million Eris monthly salary vs. 3 years in prison, which is better?][35]
[If your older sister looked like this, would you deep kiss her??][5]
[On my honor and conscience, a truly pure virgin pic][6]
...
..
.
Elfriede had been deprived of external stimuli for over two hundred years.
Naturally, she couldn't help but fall headfirst into the Gallery, which seemed to contain every concentrated stimulus in the world.
...And so, a year passed.
“Fuck! I should just confiscate all those elders' dentures!”
An elf who learned human relationships and home education through Gallery lurking was born.
“Elfriede!”
“What!! Are you going to use me and then throw me away like last time? Ha! I’m sorry, but I’m not that easy of a woman!!”
Of course, the reason Elfriede wasn't telling Ian the method to defeat it wasn't just because of jealousy.
If she had to rank it, jealousy was maybe third on the list?
First place, as mentioned before, was because Ian’s life would be in danger if he knew any more.
Second place was because even if he knew the method, it was realistically impossible.
But...
“Honestly, I feel like I’ve expressed a lot of interest in you, Senpai. But you just ignore me every single day! That promise to buy me dinner last time was a lie too, wasn't it? You said you’d contact me later... without even telling me how!”
The more she spoke, the more she was swept away by a sudden surge of emotion.
“I’m sorry. I definitely went too far.”
“Ha! Now you say that? I have feelings too, you know! Honestly, I don't know why you avoid me so much. Use this chance to speak up! Did I do something wrong to you, Senpai?”
“I’m sorry for that, too. I was stuck in my own prejudice.”
“Prejudice? What prejudice?”
“...I thought a beautiful and smart elf like you would naturally discriminate against other races.”
“Ra-ra-race! Di-di-discrimination!! Th-th-there’s no way I’d do that!!”
To be honest, she did discriminate.
Before coming to the Academy, her discrimination was so severe that she believed the only good darkie was a dead darkie.
Living only inside the World Tree, she never had a reason to meet a darkie...
But because she spent every day in the Gallery fighting with darkies and spewing discriminatory remarks, it had become hardwired into her brain.
‘...Huh? They’re actually better than I thought?’
However, while forced to get along with darkies to manage her reputation, she realized that a good darkie didn't necessarily have to be a dead one.
“Yeah. From now on, I’ll look at you properly, Elfriede, without any prejudice.”
“Th-that’s right!! Race discrimination in this day and age!! The thing I hate most is racists and dar—!”
Elfriede barely managed to swallow the slur that was about to fly out of her mouth.
“A-anyway... how can I believe what you say! You’re always avoiding me, so you wouldn't know, right? I tried so hard to get close to you that I even prepared chocolates for ‘Lady Ellis’s Day’ recently, but you wouldn't even accept them!... Mmph!”
Grab!
Elfriede’s eyes flew wide open.
The moment she felt her wrist being grabbed, Ian’s face drew close, and then...
‘Eh...?’
Something soft and warm invaded her mouth.
“Mwah♥... mmph.!... chu!.. haa... hmpf!...♥”
The moment her brain processed what was happening, it suddenly went blank, and she had no memory of what occurred after that.
‘...What? Was it a dream?’
However, her frantically racing heart and the long string of saliva proved it wasn't a dream.
“...You asked how you could believe me? This is a down payment.”
“Uhe? Se-se-senpai?.. Di... did you... ju-ju-just... kish... kish me?”
Elfriede traced her lips with her fingertips as if savoring the sensation of her first kiss.
“Yeah, I kissed you. And if we resolve this matter well, I can do even more than that in the future.”
“E-eh? Eh? M-m-more than that... then... you mean... that and... that kind of stuff...”
“Everything you’re thinking of right now. So please... tell me.”
Ah...
I shouldn't...
I shouldn't tell him...
But her brain had completely stopped functioning, leaving her no choice but to give in.
“...The records are scarce, so I can't be certain... but you said it was the ‘Balance Demon.’ That means you have to place something on the scales that the demon cannot handle.”
A flushed Elfriede spoke cautiously.
“Tell me more. What should I put on it?”
“It doesn't matter what it is. In the oldest records after the ‘Dark Age,’ there’s a mention of defeating it with endless love.”
“Love?”
“...Don't even try. It’s in the records, but it’s closer to a legend. They say someone was hacked to pieces by dozens of spears and blades, suffered all sorts of curses, and yet, while surviving all that, they still said ‘I love you’... Ah, and not just in words, but sincerely. It’s impossible for a human.”
Love aside, surviving the demon’s curse while being pierced by countless spears was impossible even for Elfriede.
“I see. What else.... what’s the other way?”
“There is one more, but... it’ll be useless to even tell you.”
“Elfriede... please.”
“Hauu... if you look at me so seriously again...”
Elfriede was still confused by the sensation she had felt in her mouth just moments ago.
“Aaaaah!! ...Fine. Just don't blame me for telling you...”
“I won't.”
“...Alright. The second method is the complete opposite of the first. They say the demon was driven out by placing an amount of pain on the scales that it couldn't endure.”
As expected, Ian’s expression darkened the moment he heard the word 'pain.'
“...How much pain are we talking about?”
“Sigh... Senpai. Don't think that a demon can't endure the pain a human can. According to the records, the human possessed by the demon died immediately after the exorcism. I’ll just say it’s a level of torture that’s hard to put into words.”
What she told Ian now was a significantly toned-down version.
Even back when her emotions were faint, Elfriede had to close the book several times because the descriptions were so gruesome.
“...Is that really all?”
“Yes... Even you thought demons had disappeared until you heard it from me, Senpai. That’s how rare demons have become. At least the ‘Balance Demon’ has a relatively large amount of records left.”
“....”
Seeing Ian’s hardened face, Elfriede bit her lower lip and muttered softly.
“....That’s why I said it, Senpai. It’s useless even if you hear it.”
“No.... Elfriede, you’ve been incredibly helpful. And I’m sorry. For dragging you into this.”
“...Forget it. More importantly, Senpai. I’ll say it again, but the information I gave you is an absolute secret. Whether it’s family or friends, for your sake and theirs, you must never speak of it.”
Elfriede warned him sternly.
Unlike everything else so far, this was real information where even the fact that it had been given a ‘Sealing Designation’ was unknown.
If the Church even got a hint that Ian had accessed this information, there was a possibility he would be eliminated.
“I understand. I won't let this cause you any trouble.”
“...Excuse me, Senpai. I’m not worried about that, okay? I’m a Genius Beauty High Elf, like you said, so I’ll survive somehow... but you could disappear without a trace if you don't have some kind of backing in the Church.”
“Backing in the Church, huh...”
“Oh, what? Do you have backing, Senpai?”
“No, I don't.”
When Ian shook his head, Elfriede let out a sigh.
“Haaa... well, even if you did, it probably wouldn't change much. A ‘Sealing Designation’ is issued by the highest levels of the Church. So please, be careful.”
“I will. Oh, and when this is over, let’s have that meal we missed last time. My treat.”
“...Of course you should pay. Didn't you say that a man who lets his junior pay is human trash?”
“Ha, I guess I did. Thanks.”
With a faint smile, Ian patted Elfriede on the shoulder and left the classroom.
It was hard to stop him when he was forcing himself to smile and look okay.
“...Sigh.”
[Surprising.]
“Ah, shit! You scared me! Didn't I tell you not to talk to me outside?”
Elfriede snapped at the sudden appearance, but Ifrit continued without concern.
[To think you would be helpful to another person. I cannot believe my eyes.]
“What kind of bullshit is that coming from someone without a body? And he’s not just ‘another person,’ okay?”
[...What do you mean by that?]
“He’s my future husband. My husband even gave Elfriede a... a kiss, so what else can I do? As his devoted wife, Elfriede has to help.”
[I beg of you, do not speak in the third person. I feel myself becoming an abuser instinctively.]
“Fuck off, you piece of shit.”
[That’s much better. So, Elfriede.]
“What, fucker.”
[Do you think your future husband can solve this?]
“...No, he probably can't.”
Whoosh!
A flame flickered in Elfriede’s hand.
“Still, the exorcism itself isn't a big problem.”
Maybe if it were a demon that ruled the ‘Dark Age,’ but for a modern-day demon, Elfriede could burn the whole thing to a crisp if she set her mind to it, even if Estelle’s soul was completely taken.
“Well, it doesn't seem like my husband wants that, though...”
[Then what do you plan to do?]
“Ah, I don't know. If it really comes down to it, I’ll use the ‘Primordial Flame’ I used during my Metamorphosis one more time. I can just burn away the demon with that.”
[....Do you think you can just use that whenever you want? You have to wait at least 1,500 years for the spark to grow.]
“Ha! I know that, okay?... But what if I use the ‘World Tree’s Essence’?”
[The World Tree! Elfriede, surely... are you planning to burn the World Tree right now? Didn't you say you were going to wait four years?]
Knowing how much Elfriede had looked forward to her time at the Sacred Academy, Ifrit asked in genuine shock.
“I don't know!! That’s the only way I can think of, so what do you want me to do!! Aaaaah!! Honestly, I don't give a damn what happens to those shitty humans!! Argh! Why do I have to worry about this!”
[Hahahaha!!!]
“Fuck! Don't laugh, it’s annoying!!”
[Hahahahahaha!!!]
Ifrit laughed even louder at the sight of Elfriede clutching her head and screaming.
This child, whom he thought would remain a little girl forever, was growing bit by bit.
Ifrit was truly delighted by this change.
“Whew... it’s only a last resort. If I think positively, Estelle has only lost half her soul, right? That means there’s still time until she loses it all. If I find a new exorcism method by then, I can keep living my happy Academy life.”
[That is a shockingly trashy thing to say.]
“Ah. Why! What! Then what do you want me to do? Honestly, it has nothing to do with me, right? It’s already a lot that I’m doing this much!.... And if it really doesn't work out, I’ll just burn the World Tree and tell my husband he has to take responsibility for me.”
[You’re probably the only elf who would burn the World Tree just to get married.]
“Hmph! I’m not just any elf, am I? I’m a Genius Beauty High Elf.”
[I’ll give you that. But, you know...]
“Ah, what now. What is it this time. What are you going to say.”
[Are you aware that you’re currently trying to help your romantic rival?]
At Ifrit’s words, Elfriede blinked twice...
“Ah! Fuck? You’re right. If I save her, isn't she just going to hit on my husband? ...Should we just pretend this never happened?”
[Sigh... I thought you had grown a bit, but I guess I was mistaken. You haven't changed at all.]
Ifrit shook his head at the sight of Elfriede, who clearly still had a long way to go.