Chapter 14
Chapter 14
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 14
Chapter Title: The Elves' New Home
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Knights gallop through the forest reduced to ashes.
"Hya-! Catch them!"
"Running elves are just elves, those who don't run are trained elves!"
"Capture them alive, capture them alive!"
The time had come for the victors of the war to plunder their spoils. If this had been a conflict between kingdom territories, pillaging that would tarnish mutual sentiments would have been forbidden. But this battle was no territorial dispute.
It was a clash between knights and criminals. A fight between justice and villains. A rod of judgment punishing sinners. Thanks to that, neither the knights nor Roengram, who was supposed to control them, hesitated for a moment in plundering the elves.
However.
"Hmm... That's strange."
"Is something wrong, sir?"
"There are too few elves."
Roengram frowned as he murmured to one of his subordinate knights after circling the forest. The number of elves living in this vast woodland was far too small. Not even a tenth of what the intelligence had suggested.
There were two possibilities in this scenario. One was that the interrogated elf had upheld loyalty to the end and kept his mouth shut. The other was that the elves had detected the betrayal early and fled in advance.
The former seemed unlikely. The kingdom's torture experts were professionals who could pry open the mouths of even the noblest knights. Elves who had lived harmoniously among themselves in the forest couldn't withstand such methods.
"...They've fled."
Slightly—
Roengram's gaze turned toward the knights who had encircled the forest. Come to think of it, their numbers had dwindled significantly from the start. When he approached and asked, they said some had retreated early due to injuries sustained during the operation.
As if. Roengram realized they had secretly diverted the elves elsewhere. It made sense—they had ample reason to. This mobilization order was issued under the king's authority, offering no rewards to the summoned knights or their lords.
It was the pact they had made upon being appointed nobles and knighted. Naturally, no one would be pleased to work without compensation. Thus, taking their own rewards was only natural...
'...Come to think of it.'
Roengram belatedly noticed that Enri's knight order was nowhere to be seen. He had forgotten because Enri himself had entered the forest to rescue them.
In this situation, the absence of a subordinate knight order that should have been present meant they too had secretly spirited away some elves.
"No way."
Anyone else, maybe, but not him.
Roengram thought so, yet he couldn't dismiss it lightly.
A lingering doubt gnawed at the corner of his mind.
And a knight's intuition usually proves accurate.
Claudia Duchy.
The Black Rose Knights arrived safely at the territory without being detected by others and, as pre-instructed, herded the elves into the annex one by one.
The elves who entered the mansion trembled in fear as they gazed at the knights. They had been warned countless times by their ancestors—and their kin—about what happened to elves captured by humans.
"We're done for..."
"Ahh— we'll have to service filthy human asses..."
"They'll chop off our limbs, gouge out our eyes..."
In the worst case, they'd be dragged off to some perverted noble to be toyed with like playthings, barely surviving with their lives intact—or at best, become sex slaves, mocked by countless men until their end.
In such a dire situation, where biting their tongues right there might seem preferable—the annex doors opened, and a lady with jet-black hair appeared before them amid a burst of pure white light.
The elves stared at the woman entering the annex, trembling in terror. She exuded such refined elegance that one might imagine this as the pinnacle of human nobility.
Eve Claudia clicked her tongue lightly as she looked down at the elves.
"They're filthy."
Flinch—!
The elves shuddered.
No matter how carefully they had been transported, the elves who had crawled through tunnels couldn't possibly be clean.
"Wash them."
"Yes, my lady."
At Eve's command, the maids waiting behind her swiftly rushed forward and lifted the elves one by one. True to their station in the duke's household, they possessed exceptional skill, cleaning dozens of bound elves spotless in mere minutes.
"???"
The now-pristine elves were lined up before Eve once more, but she voiced her dissatisfaction even at their cleaned state.
"Tch. They're skin and bones."
Feed them.
Yes, my lady.
At Eve's word, the maids promptly prepared dozens of servings. Whether they couldn't feed them while bound, the elves' wrists were temporarily unbound.
Surprisingly, there was no surveillance or guards while they ate with wrists free. The dining hall was filled with food and cutlery. The elves could casually take hold of sharp utensils.
"...???"
Unable to comprehend the situation, the elves didn't refuse the meal. Their eyes glazed over at the feast they hadn't seen in ages.
In this country, elves were inherently criminals or slaves. Freely wandering outside the forest was unthinkable, and their meals naturally consisted of acorns or fruits foraged from the woods.
Even meat was a rare treat for these hunter-gatherers. Presenting them with expensive meats, fruits, and fish after so long was irresistible.
"What's their angle...?"
"...No poison here, right?"
"Mom! Try this! It's delicious!"
The young elven children simply burst into laughter at the bounty, but the adults, steeped in distrust of humans, couldn't accept it easily.
Fortunately, that suspicion kept them from untying their ankle ropes or attempting escape—their greatest stroke of luck.
"Escape attempts? None? Good, no need for examples then."
After the meal, Eve returned and scanned the elves as she spoke. Her gaze viewed them not as fellow intelligent beings, but as obedient livestock.
And humans reward loyal livestock.
Led by the knights, the elves exited the annex and headed to the adjacent forest—a woodland specially maintained by Duke Claudia.
"This forest is your territory from now on. Appoint a village chief among yourselves, and come to me if you need anything. You're free to use the annex too."
A sunlit forest, reminiscent of ancient times when elves ruled the land. Sunlight filtered through perfectly, filled with fresh scents.
The elves who received the forest stared wide-eyed, glancing at each other in disbelief. They couldn't fathom why these humans treated them so well.
"Um... Human lady?"
"Call me Lady Eve."
"L-Lady Eve. We have a question. What exactly are we supposed to do here...?"
Finally, one elf couldn't hold back and stepped forward to ask. Eve frowned slightly as if wondering how they didn't know, glaring at the elf.
Facing that gaze—which could kill several people outright—the elf swallowed hard.
"Train."
"Y-Yes?"
"Just like before. Shoot arrows, wield spirits, learn magic, and hone yourselves."
Live.
Just like before.
Normally.
These weren't words from someone granting such generous treatment. As the elves tilted their heads in confusion, Eve left one final remark before vanishing.
"I'll call you when you're useful. Prepare until then."
Right after Eve departed with her knights, the elves nodded to each other.
Humans can't be trusted. Humans see them as collectibles, enslave them for trade, toy with, torment, and break them.
Yet, even if humans can't be trusted, their actions can.
"...What do we do?"
"Running away like this..."
"No. We don't even know where this is... and with the children too."
With no restraints or surveillance, escaping would be simple. But no elf chose that. Or rather, none could.
They chose to be well-fed livestock over venturing into the unknown dangers beyond the forest.
It didn't seem so bad, really.
"...Lady Eve might actually be a good person?"
"I think so too."
"Ahh— such a kind-hearted soul."
Judging by her actions so far.
Eve's deeds felt less like those of a villainous lady and more like a great soul forced to wear the mask of evil to save the elves.
