Chapter 30
Chapter 30
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 30
Chapter Title: Elf Princess Bine (3)
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After touring the training grounds together, Bine and I left the area while chatting amiably, as it was just about time for dinner.
Bine, who had been looking around eagerly like a curious child, gazed up at me with her bright, sparkling eyes.
“We all eat together, huh?”
“Yes, we have a firm rule about always eating meals as a group.”
“Oh, really?”
“Yeah, we believe that more conversation means fewer conflicts.”
Bine’s eyes sparkled as she listened to me.
Her jewel-like eyes were truly beautiful.
“That’s a great idea! People definitely need to talk to each other!”
“Haha…”
“Let’s hurry—I’m starving~”
I headed to the dining hall with Bine.
As we wandered around the estate together, spending time like that, we naturally grew closer, and at some point, she linked arms with me.
I was a bit flustered at first, but since she said it was how elves express closeness, I decided to understand.
I recalled reading in books that elves, being private creatures, avoided physical contact unless it involved the World Tree.
Hmm… What do books know?
I should trust Bine herself.
I didn’t overreact like some paranoid patient.
“Hey, why are you so late?”
As soon as we arrived at the dining hall, Laura grumbled with her cheeks puffed out.
Glancing at the time, it was one minute before mealtime.
Strictly speaking, we weren’t late, but showing up exactly on the dot was rude, so I politely bowed my head in apology.
“I’m sorry.”
“Hmph.”
Laura shifted over one seat.
She probably always left the spot next to her for me since I usually sat there, so she was making room naturally.
It looked like I wouldn’t be able to sit next to her today.
I scratched my head awkwardly and said,
“Um, I don’t think I can sit next to you today, Miss.”
“Why…?”
“Well, since it’s Her Highness the Princess’s first meal, I should stay by her side.”
“What…?”
Laura shot me a sharp glare.
Her stare stung, but I pretended not to notice and took a seat next to Bine.
Creak.
The moment we sat, Bine pulled her chair closer to me.
It felt too intimate, making me embarrassed, but I kept a straight face and acted nonchalant.
Clink, clink.
As the mealtime atmosphere settled in and I got a bit used to Bine sticking so close, I enjoyed the meal with a light heart.
Then, Bine deftly cut a piece of potato and held it out to me.
“Try this! The roasted potatoes here are delicious.”
Feeding me food, huh—an event like that.
I felt embarrassed and subtly glanced around.
Sure enough, Laura and Rainy stared at me in shock.
Yumi was trying to play it cool, but on closer inspection, her hands were trembling slightly.
Even the assassin Yumi was flustered by this salty display of affection.
Only Nania watched calmly.
If we were alone, it’d be one thing, but I didn’t want to put on a show like this in front of everyone.
So, I signaled my refusal to Bine with my eyes.
But she showed no sign of backing down, just smiling softly and holding out the potato.
I stared at the potato on her fork, deep in thought.
If I meekly accepted it and ate in public like this.
It’d be embarrassing, but more than that, it would undermine the trust in my promise to Rainy to prioritize capturing the Demon King.
Acting like a married couple in public would make my claim of prioritizing the Demon King over marriage ring hollow.
But ignoring it outright would be unfair to Bine.
She surely knew this was embarrassing.
That meant she’d mustered considerable courage to offer it to me.
If I rejected her openly in front of everyone?
It’d wound her deeply.
Now that I’d shaken off suspicions that Bine was a demon spy.
She was highly likely to join the hero’s party as a member.
Giving such embarrassment to a future comrade I might adventure with?
The whole journey would be filled with awkward tension.
Weighing these thoughts, I squeezed my eyes shut and swallowed the potato Bine offered.
“Hehe.”
“…”
Laura and Rainy gaped in astonishment as I ate it.
Bine grinned happily.
Hmm… Maybe it’s my imagination, but the potato from Bine tasted a bit better than the others.
***
Daven Territory, Rainy’s room.
The room buzzed with the people Rainy had summoned.
“Everyone’s here…”
As Laura entered last, Rainy, who had been silent, finally looked up.
Her eyes held some newfound conviction.
“Thank you all for coming.”
“…?”
Rainy suddenly set a serious tone, leaving everyone puzzled, but they quietly chose to hear her out.
“I’ll get straight to the point. I think we all agree that Raden isn’t in his right mind right now.”
Everyone except Nania nodded in agreement with Rainy’s words.
Rainy met each person’s eyes in the room as she continued.
“I think that elf did something shady and inexplicable to Raden.”
Laura nodded vigorously in agreement.
“I think so too. The slave’s acting way too weird. That elf bitch must’ve pulled some dirty trick.”
After becoming Rainy’s plaything and having even her restraints removed, regaining her freedom, Nania casually munched on snacks and said,
“Isn’t it just that the hero’s smitten? That elf seemed pretty and nice.”
“No.”
Without a second’s hesitation, Laura and Rainy shot down Nania’s opinion.
“Hmm…”
Nania chewed her snack thoughtfully, giving the two women a strange look.
Ignoring her, Rainy and Laura whispered to each other.
“Our top priority is figuring out what wicked trick that elf pulled.”
“Agreed. Have you tried scanning with holy power?”
“Yeah, I projected holy power onto the elf first, but unfortunately, it didn’t work.”
“Hmm, so she’s not a demon, then…”
“Looks like we need to observe her more.”
Then, Yumi, who had been listening quietly like background noise, spoke up cautiously.
“Um…”
As the two women’s venomous glares turned to her the moment she spoke, Yumi flinched slightly but maintained her assassin’s composure and pressed on.
“What if it’s a potent poison?”
“Poison?”
The word wasn’t something to brush off lightly, and Laura jumped in surprise.
“Yes, elves are experts in plants, so they’re good at using poisons from them. Though judging by the baron’s reaction, it doesn’t seem like anything seriously harmful to the body.”
“But is there a poison that turns someone into an idiot like that?”
“I specialize in lethal poisons, not this kind of thing, so…”
Even Yumi, the closest thing to an expert, seemed unsure, and disappointment flashed across Laura’s face.
Then, as if struck by sudden inspiration, she looked at Rainy.
“But if it’s poison, can’t holy power detoxify it? The slave knows holy power.”
Rainy made a troubled expression at Laura’s words.
“Well, holy power isn’t all-powerful. It’s absolute for external wounds, but detoxifying poisons like this relies on holy water.”
“Then just use holy water. You’re a saintess, right? You can produce it.”
“But… even my interpretations are arbitrary, so holy water doesn’t always work, like with my potion bottle…”
This was about treating Raden, so no holding back on methods, yet Rainy seemed oddly reluctant, frustrating Laura into pressing harder.
“It’s better than doing nothing. We can’t leave the slave like this forever, right?”
Under Laura’s urging, Rainy fidgeted and revealed the truth.
“The problem is… holy water is actually my saliva… And Raden knows it.”
“S-saliva?”
“If I try to give him holy water, he’ll probably resist fiercely…?”
Stunned by the unimaginable nature of holy water, Laura opened and closed her mouth wordlessly.
She could see that once Raden knew the truth, he’d never willingly drink it.
“Th-then how about disguising it as something else? Like a beverage.”
Rainy shook her head.
“If he were a regular person, maybe, but since he can sense holy power, he won’t fall for it.”
“…”
As everyone clutched their heads, Nania finished the last piece of snack with a crunch and spoke.
“There’s a simple solution, you know?”