Chapter 11
Chapter 11
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Translator: Ebonarch
Chapter: 11
Chapter Title: Life is a Series of Choices
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The granddaughter of the elf elder, the highest authority in the elven nation of Arborness.
A blonde ponytail with emerald eyes, and a beauty so striking you could never forget it even if you tried.
Combined with her exceptional skills, Elfin was quite the celebrity both inside the academy and out.
That such a girl had been passed over by Brayden and turned into a defeated heroine was a secret not even known within the academy.
Elfin crossed her arms and scanned me up and down like she was appraising me.
"What the hell is that idiot Alvis doing here? I figured you'd be back home humping the village girls by now. Why are you with Ravi?"
"Ah, we ran into each other by chance in a dungeon. He helped me out a lot, so I invited him. What about you, Elfin? What's brought you all the way here?"
"Things have been hectic because of what happened in the Empire a few days ago, so we're holding meetings with leaders from various nations. Grandpa can't move around easily, so... But 'helped you out a lot'? You mean he helped you?"
Elfin wore an expression like she couldn't believe her ears.
I first knelt before Duke Liebv, king of Carrot Duchy, and paid my respects.
"I greet Your Highness, Duke Liebv of Carrot Duchy. I apologize for this unannounced visit and humbly beg your gracious forgiveness."
"And who might you be?"
Duke Liebv's rabbit ears twitched inward as they turned toward me.
"I am Alvis, the sole heir of the Frederic count family. Now it's just a name, so feel free to call me simply Alvis."
"What brings you here? It seems you arrived with my daughter."
"Dad, I'll explain."
Ravi told her father how we'd met by chance in the dungeon and what had happened there.
After hearing her out, Duke Liebv stroked his goatee and nodded.
"I see, so that's what happened. Understood for now. I'd like to hear more details, so let's move to the parlor."
"Yes, Your Highness."
I, Duke Liebv, Ravi, and Elfin—who had come as an envoy from Arborness—all headed to the parlor.
As we walked down the corridor, Elfin narrowed her eyes and called out to me.
"Hey, Alvis."
"Oh right, I haven't even greeted you properly. It's not like 'long time no see' either, huh?"
"And we're not exactly on greeting terms anyway. If you were planning to hit on our innocent little Ravi now that Brayden's not around, like you did at the academy, give it up. I've caught you now."
Elfin's words bristled with thorns.
And rightly so—in the novel Loveholic, Elfin was the heroine who reacted most allergically to Alvis's sleazy antics.
With her serious demeanor and the pride of her elven heritage, Elfin despised anyone irresponsible or frivolous. Unfortunately, the original Alvis fit both categories perfectly.
Especially after the 'certain deed' Alvis had committed, Elfin truly loathed him from the bottom of her heart.
She hated even sharing space with Alvis, and chasing him off when he harassed the heroines was usually Brayden's job—or Elfin's.
Seeing him again less than a month after graduation, that attitude was only natural, really.
But it was unfair that I had to deal with the fallout from things I hadn't even done.
The parlor doors opened, and we took seats at a large tea table laden with refreshments.
Being a poor nation, even the royal palace's spread didn't look much different from the academy's graduation banquet fare.
"It's not much, but please eat."
Elfin bowed her head politely at Duke Liebv's words.
"It looks absolutely delicious and bountiful. I shall partake with gratitude."
It was a completely different, impeccably courteous attitude from how she treated me.
Elfin cut a small piece of carrot cake and popped it into her mouth, praising Carrot Duchy's cuisine effusively and lifting the duke's spirits.
Then she got to the point.
"Your Highness, as you're likely aware, I've come regarding the incident in the Empire two days ago."
"Hmm... I've heard the rumors, but is it truly factual? The Empire claims it's happened before now and then, but our historical records make no separate mention, so we need confirmation."
"At least up until 250 years ago, nothing like this occurred. Even Grandpa, who's lived 800 years, says he's never heard of it."
As the two conversed in terms the rest of us couldn't follow, Ravi cut in.
"Um, Dad? What are you talking about? What happened in the Empire? Elfin? Could you explain?"
"Well... Two days ago, Brayden's holy warrior appointment ceremony was held in the imperial capital."
"Really? As expected of Brayden... Appointed holy warrior right after graduation. Impressive as always..."
"But there was a problem. The holy sword didn't receive the goddess's light. Everyone's pretending otherwise, but the whole world is in an uproar over it."
"Huh?"
I muttered in disbelief at the news.
"The sword didn't get the light? That can't be right? Doesn't that mean the goddess didn't acknowledge Brayden as the holy warrior?"
Elfin shot me a glare before continuing to Ravi.
"Plenty of people witnessed it at the ceremony. So now there are talks about whether Brayden's really the holy warrior, or who we'll rely on if we need one in the future.
That's why I'm here—to discuss contingency plans with Arborness for close coordination if things go south."
"What about Brayden? Have you heard anything from him directly?"
Elfin shook her head at Ravi's question.
"I wasn't at the ceremony, so I haven't seen Brayden. He's probably busy discussing countermeasures in the Empire right now. Hard to operate as holy warrior with these rumors flying. Celine's been out of touch too... I don't really know what those two are up to."
Duke Liebv, listening quietly, stroked his goatee and asked,
"Miss Elfin, I understand this is unprecedented, even for the elf elder. But can we be certain it will lead to dire consequences?
If we take the Empire's word, it might have happened in eras before the current elder, and if it was occasional as they claim, it may not have warranted recording. With no chain reactions yet from the light's absence, aren't our response options limited?"
"That's certainly true, but—"
I interrupted Elfin mid-reply and joined the conversation.
"Your Highness, forgive the interruption, but it seems the dire scenario Arborness fears has already occurred."
"What? How can you be so certain?"
I recounted the goblin camp incident to Duke Liebv and Elfin.
The anomaly in the world's weakest dungeon, goblin camp; the cavern filled with blood-written script and what looked like a curse ritual magic circle.
The king goblin corpse that absolutely shouldn't have been there, and the sinister aura rising from it forming into a black spirit's shape.
Ravi chimed in midway to vouch for my account, and by the end, both the duke and Elfin looked even grimmer than before.
"That pitch-black entity of darkness was a first. Thanks to the ritual being incomplete, whatever it was dissipated quickly, saving our lives."
Of course, I'd been the one to dispel that 'illusory existence,' but there was no point airing out an unproven ability I couldn't fully explain myself, so I glossed over it.
"It does sound ominous, but how can we be sure it was truly dangerous?"
"This is why. Ravi, hand over what we brought."
"Ah, sure!"
I pulled forward the sack containing the items from the goblin camp that had turned into a hidden dungeon.
Duke Liebv's eyes went wide as he checked the contents.
"What...? What in the world is this? A mountain of high-end gear..."
Even Elfin, who preached asceticism and restraint, couldn't hide her interest, her gaze lingering on the equipment.
"Rewards from clearing the goblin camp. Can you believe it?"
"What? A goblin camp is for total newbies just starting out. How could this stuff come from there? These are items even seasoned veterans struggle with in much tougher dungeons..."
"We got lucky. If that illusory entity hadn't vanished, Ravi and I would've died there. For something like that to appear in a mere goblin camp dungeon—monsters vanished without a trace, cavern full of blood and curse ritual remnants—it's no normal occurrence.
The unprecedented lack of the goddess's light on the Empire's holy sword, and the dungeon situation Ravi and I witnessed just days earlier... It's hard to say they're unrelated."
Duke Liebv pondered my words for a long while before asking me,
"From what you've said, you seem to have some grasp on this phenomenon. How about helping with an investigation team we form? We'll provide any support you need."
Damn, this crap is starting up again.