Chapter 277: When You Called My Name (1) (Edited 10-12, 12:45am)[R-18]
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 277: When You Called My Name (1) (Edited 10-12, 12:45am)[R-18]
Squish, squish—
Lying inside the carriage, Elfriede reached inside her clothes and squeezed her breasts.
The sensation in her hands had definitely changed.
At first, she thought they were just swollen because Ian had been fiddling with them so much, but...
'They’ve definitely... gotten bigger.'
Could it be a second growth spurt?
Come to think of it, her clothes had been feeling a bit tight around her chest and hips lately.
Rattle— Thump!
Just then, the carriage jolted violently, as if it had hit a large rock.
"Sorry, Elfriede. Did that startle you?"
"I'm fine~. More importantly, Senior, should we switch soon?"
"No, we’re almost at the border. I’ll take us the rest of the way."
"Okay~."
As you can see, they were on their way back to the Empire, taking turns driving the carriage.
Naturally, Elvenheim hadn't provided them with this carriage.
After all, Elfriede was a high traitor—the arsonist who had set the World Tree ablaze.
Furthermore, a sentence of exile from Elvenheim meant being stripped of all wealth and cast out with nothing but a single scrap of cloth.
During that process, the exile was forbidden from speaking to anyone or receiving any help.
If any elf were caught communicating with an exile, they too would face punishment.
So, where did this carriage come from?
...They just happened to find it.
Not a joke—really.
Not long after leaving Elvenheim, they found a carriage abandoned with a broken wheel, a perfectly fine replacement wheel rolling nearby, and, for some reason, a horse perfectly suited for pulling a carriage—all in the same spot.
The fact that the carriage even contained clothes that fit Ian and her perfectly, along with a generous supply of food, meant it obviously wasn't a coincidence.
'...Hmph.'
That old hag, the First Elder, must have pulled some strings.
Slide—
Elfriede poked her head out to look at Ian’s back as he sat in the driver's seat.
The closer they got to the Empire, the heavier Ian’s shoulders seemed to sag.
She guessed his heart was heavy with thoughts of Hayangi.
"...."
Since Ifrit had swallowed the 'Essence of the World Tree,' he could use the 'Primordial Flame' again. One might think, 'Isn't it all over now?' but...
The Metamorphosis in martial arts novels, which unconditionally returns a body to its prime, and the Metamorphosis using the 'Primordial Flame' shared a name but functioned entirely differently.
The 'Primordial Flame' merely reconstructed the physical body to match the form of the soul.
Squeeze, squeeze—
As proof, Elfriede, who had undergone Metamorphosis herself, had ended up with a body far younger than her 'prime'—so much so that she was experiencing a new 'growth spurt.'
'The reason is probably...'
It likely meant her soul hadn't grown because she had spent most of her life confined within the World Tree, meeting only a limited number of people and being force-fed information.
In this way, the soul and the body do not always share the same appearance.
...Then, what kind of form would Hayangi take after her Metamorphosis?
The Hayangi Ian described was a pure, innocent child.
It made sense.
Why would a 'Dragon,' a being beloved by the world, ever need to hate anyone?
But...
That child had suddenly been cast into the abyss, bearing the weight of the 'World's Malevolence' all on her own.
In that desperate situation, could Hayangi have truly protected her pure soul?
And above all, those Black Scales visible through the cracks of the fractured White Husk...
Twitch—
Even now, after some time had passed, the memory of that sight was enough to make her shudder.
—Hayangi, no!
Of course, seeing as she still listened to Ian, it seemed she hadn't been completely twisted yet, but...
'Sigh...'
The more she thought about it, the more it felt like a problem with no answer.
"Hey, Ifrit can do Metamorphosis, but don't you guys have anything?"
Elfriede whispered into the air, her voice too low for Ian to hear.
"I know you can hear me. Didn't you guys contract with Senior because you liked him? Then say something helpful."
[....]
[....]
Previously, she couldn't even perceive the existence of the other Spirit Kings besides Ifrit...
But after Ian formed the contracts, she could faintly feel the presence of Water and Wind.
[Seraphiel and Naias say they won't mingle words with an elf, claiming elves are a race of betrayers who will surely stab you in the back if given the chance.]
As Ifrit translated in a stoic voice, Elfriede gnashed her teeth.
"Hey!! Honestly, I get the elf-hate! I've lost a lot of affection for them this time too, okay? But couldn't you make an exception like, 'However, Elfriede is an exception'? I'm the one who burned the World Tree!"
[....]
[....]
Since she wasn't exactly wrong...
The two Spirit Kings couldn't find a rebuttal and simply remained silent.
"...Phew, just say you can't do it if you can't. I guess not all Spirit Kings are on the same level. Is Ifrit just exceptionally great because he's the one I contracted with?"
[You've finally opened your eyes, Elfriede. Come to the Red Revolutionaries.]
[Stop talking nonsense, Ifrit. And... as expected, elves are arrogant.]
As Ifrit nodded, Naias shot back sharply.
[Ifrit and we simply govern different domains. For example... I once tore a mountain...]
Seraphiel added.
"No, not that kind of stuff. I'm asking if you have anything that can help Senior right now."
[....]
[....]
The two Spirit Kings fell silent again.
It was a silent admission that their unique abilities were of little help in treating Hayangi.
"Nothing. Absolutely nothing."
Elfriede sighed and shook her head.
In the end, they had no choice but to face it head-on without a clear solution.
"Elfriede. Can you come out for a second?"
"Yes, Senior!"
Hop!
At Ian’s call, Elfriede lightly leaped onto the roof of the carriage and sat down beside him.
"...Hm?"
Far off, near the border, the flags of the Imperial Army fluttered amidst the dust clouds.
And in the center of it all, she saw a familiar head of silver hair.
The Second Princess of the Empire.
It was Laplace Mapleflower.
Laplace, who had been watching the distance with a tense expression, widened her eyes as if she had recognized Ian’s face, and then thrust her hand into the air.
Clank, clank, clank—
At that signal, the lined-up Imperial soldiers adjusted their spears in unison, taking a defensive stance.
*
A few minutes before Ian and Elfriede arrived at the border.
'They should have arrived today at the latest...'
Laplace licked her dry lips.
Though Laplace held a faith in Ian that bordered on religious devotion...
She was a woman as well as a believer.
Regardless of her firm belief, she couldn't help her heart from trembling with worry that something might have gone wrong for her Dominator.
In particular, the Intelligence Agency's report that Elvenheim had attempted to investigate her Dominator's background amplified her anxiety.
Of course, she had ensured that only surface-level information would be leaked if anyone pried, so as not to trouble her Dominator who was hiding his strength...
'Seeing as they sent inquiries not just to the Intelligence Agency but also to Red Rose Commerce...'
She couldn't help but think that Elvenheim had been suspicious of Elfriede and her Dominator from the very beginning.
Clench—
Laplace squeezed her gloved fist.
'...Just one more night.'
If her Dominator didn't return by then, even if it meant leading the Imperial Army across the border...
Clop, clop, clop.
Just then, the faint sound of a carriage reached her ears.
"...!"
Laplace swallowed hard and turned her gaze, spotting her Dominator's noble face in the driver's seat.
Fortunately, there seemed to be no visible problems.
A sigh of relief escaped her, but it wasn't time to relax yet.
She couldn't let her guard down for a single moment until the carriage completely crossed the Imperial border and Elfriede’s asylum application was finalized.
Clank, clank, clank—
As Laplace raised her hand, the Imperial soldiers guarding the border opened a path wide enough for the carriage to enter.
"Border crossing!!"
"Change to Formation B!"
The moment the carriage crossed the border line, the Imperial Army immediately shifted their formation to surround the carriage.
Then, Laplace rushed forward and shouted in an exaggerated voice, as if intended for someone across the border to hear.
"I don't believe it! To think I would 'coincidentally' run into you while patrolling the border!"
Slide—
Simultaneously, a soldier held out perfectly prepared Asylum Documents to Elfriede.
"What! Elfriede Carleya is requesting asylum in the Empire! Is that true?!"
Laplace continued to shout loudly in a tone like a stage actress.
"..."
As Elfriede stared at the documents with a bewildered expression, Laplace frowned and whispered.
"Sign quickly and answer loudly. So that no one can claim the pursuit party didn't hear you."
"...Pursuit party?"
"Just do it and say you're requesting asylum, quickly."
Glance—
At Laplace’s urging, Elfriede looked toward me and asked.
"Senior... did you not contact her?"
"...Yeah. I forgot."
I scratched my cheek awkwardly.
Come to think of it, I had been so preoccupied that I forgot to tell Laplace that everything had been resolved.
'I only told her the escape route the day before the operation and haven't contacted her since...'
Of course, thanks to the carriage, we were able to arrive much earlier.
But considering the extra time we spent in Elvenheim because of the trial, it wasn't strange for her to think things had gone south.
"I told you to answer quickly, Elfriede."
"...No, there's no pursuit party, so you can stop now."
"That's impossible! You are a high traitor who burned the World Tree! The worst piece of trash in elven history and a legendary villainess the likes of which will never be seen again!"
"...."
It didn't seem like Laplace had any particular ill intent, but...
Twitch—
As the slander continued, Elfriede began to radiate an aura that suggested she might just punch her, so I stepped in.
"Lady Laplace."
"Did you call... No, ahem, yes. What is it, Ian?"
Perhaps because it had been a while since I'd called her, Laplace got her speech patterns mixed up for a moment and cleared her throat.
"There is no pursuit party."
"There isn't?"
"Yes, there isn't."
"Ah, there was, but you... dealt with them?"
"No, there just isn't one."
"......"
She looked like she couldn't wrap her head around it at all, but...
Snap—
"...If you say so, then I understand."
Whether she was respecting my authority as her Dominator or not, Laplace didn't press further and withdrew the troops.
"Still, just in case, leave the carriage you came in here and transfer to the one I've prepared."