Chapter 162: A Commotion at Dawn (2)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 162: A Commotion at Dawn (2)
Leaving the chaotic campsite behind, I headed into the forest with Iris.
“I’m sorry, Sir Hyun-woo.”
Iris stopped a fair distance from the camp and suddenly bowed her head.
“This isn’t something you need to apologize for.”
“No. Just as a subject’s fault stems from the monarch’s lack of virtue, I cannot say I am entirely without blame.”
Shaking her head lightly, Iris hugged my arm again.
Her large breasts softly enveloped my arm, and I felt my mind and body relax.
“Above all, Sylvia is my knight.”
“A knight?”
I had my suspicions, but I didn't think she was actually a knight.
‘No wonder she was so damn strong.’
The fact that she could wield Aura meant she had already reached the level of an Aura Master.
Of course, she wasn't S-rank. I didn't feel the same impact from her as I did from Branch Manager Kang Cheolho. She's probably at the peak of A-rank.
“...Let me tell you a story from the past.”
Iris’s story went back in time, starting from her childhood.
To be precise, it was Sylvia’s childhood. The story Iris wanted to tell was Sylvia’s.
“There are two ducal families in Peledeia.”
The Winterbane Ducal Family, which symbolizes martial power and protection, and the Avery Ducal Family, which symbolizes strategy and wisdom.
They were the two pillars supporting the Peledeia Kingdom and the Baiart Royal Family.
“Sylvia is the eldest daughter of the Winterbane family. We spent our childhoods together. You could say she was my royal companion.”
In the flashbacks that followed, Iris was always with Sylvia.
Whether strolling through the garden, holding tea parties, or attending banquets with countless nobles.
“Sylvia didn't always hate humans... no, men. In fact, she was quite famous in high society as the young lady with the beautiful smile.”
“...Her?”
“Is it that hard to believe?”
If she were famous for a killer smile, maybe, but a beautiful one?
Iris gave a small laugh. It seemed even she found it hard to imagine.
“...At least, before that incident, Sylvia smiled more than anyone and was kind to everyone.”
According to Iris, 200 years ago, before the rebellion, the Duke of Winterbane had three wives.
Considering it’s rare for an elf in high society to have more than one wife, it was apparently quite unusual.
“The Duke of Winterbane at the time was a man with a strong libido, quite unlike an elf. Despite bearing the title ‘Sword of Peledeia,’ scandals constantly followed him.”
The one who married him was none other than Sylvia’s mother, the Duchess of Winterbane.
Their marriage seemed fine at first, but a few years after Sylvia was born, problems began to surface one by one.
A rumor that the Duke had a mistress spread beyond high society to the entire nobility.
While the Duchess rushed to quell the outrageous rumors, the Duke instead officially recognized his mistress, the daughter of a viscount, as his concubine.
“The child born between her and the Duke was the second daughter of the Winterbane family, Sylvia’s younger sister.”
Shocked by the affair, the Duchess lost her appetite and became bedridden, but the Duke’s atrocities didn’t stop there.
Not long after his daughter was born, he took a second mistress as another concubine.
Sylvia’s hatred of men began that day.
“With her mother’s health deteriorating by the day, she probably couldn’t forgive her father for bringing another woman into the house.”
This hatred of men, which took root in Sylvia at a young age, grew and spiraled, becoming increasingly uncontrollable.
By the time she came of age and made her debut in high society, it had reached a point where she utterly despised all men.
“I don’t know the exact details of what happened within the Winterbane family. We were closer than anyone, but that didn’t mean we shared everything. Besides... our circumstances didn’t allow us to always be together.”
Iris, destined to one day take the throne, was surrounded by countless lessons until she came of age, leading a busy life.
With their interactions reduced, they only exchanged letters sporadically to check on each other, and the years passed by helplessly.
By the time they were reunited, Sylvia’s hatred of men and humans had reached its peak.
“...As for her hatred of humans, I don’t know much about that either. Sylvia never told me. The most likely story is that she encountered slave hunters while inspecting the border with the Winterbane Knights... but even that isn’t certain.”
“Slave hunters targeted elves even back then?”
Iris gave a bitter smile.
“...Regardless of the era, greed has always been the greatest driving force behind human prosperity.”
It was a bitter truth, but I couldn't completely deny it.
Take Earth, for example. The reason nations manage those perilous gates instead of closing them completely is because of the resources beyond them.
In Korea and many other countries, incidents where magical beasts attack nearby residents due to poor management occur from time to time.
But no one makes an issue of it.
They're wary of the government, and the government is blinded by enormous profits.
As a result, the reality is that whenever a high-value, open-type gate appears, nearby residents have to live in fear.
“The reason I’m telling you this story isn’t simply to appeal to your emotions and ask you to forgive Sylvia.”
“Then?”
“It’s quite the opposite.”
Iris grasped my hand tightly with both of hers.
“Could you please teach Sylvia what love is?”
“...What?”
For a moment, I wondered if I’d heard her wrong, but the look in Iris’s eyes was more serious than ever.
“I feel so sorry for Sylvia. It’s not just that she’s closed off her heart due to childhood trauma; she also sees the world in a negative light and carries guilt towards me in her heart.”
I understand what she's saying, but I don't think teaching her about love is going to solve the problem.
“The World Tree said that love is the greatest emotion.”
“...”
“Please, just this once. If you can melt her frozen heart, I’m sure she can return to the Sylvia of old, who never lost her smile.”
Seeing Iris plead with such desperate eyes, I couldn’t help but let out a heavy sigh internally.
Telling me to teach love to a woman who comes standard-equipped with misanthropy and misandry... I think it’d be faster to teach a cat to speak.
“Uh, Iris? No matter how you look at it, trying to seduce Sylvia in this situation seems a bit difficult, don’t you think?”
If her favorability was at zero, maybe, but when it's drilled all the way down to the mantle, seducing her is practically impossible.
“You don’t have to worry too much. It’s not like there’s no way.”
“Oh.”
As expected of Iris. She has a plan, doesn't she?
“Sylvia is a knight who values honor above all else. The fact that she has already been disrespectful to you twice means she has no choice but to obey any command you give her.”
“Don’t tell me...”
Looking at Iris’s smiling face, a sense of unease grew within me.
“You’re going to use this incident as a pretext to take Sylvia’s virginity!”
Smack! I slapped my own forehead without thinking.
That's your plan?
“Of course, it pains me to think of the revulsion Sylvia will feel... but in a situation like this, there’s nothing better than shock therapy. Besides, even if she struggles at first, if she repeatedly sleeps with you, she’ll soon fall head over heels for your charms.”
“...Isn’t that a bit too optimistic? I think doing that would just make her go further off the rails.”
In the worst-case scenario, she might just snap and go on a sword-wielding rampage.
“Of course, that could happen. But you can’t say there’s zero possibility, can you? There are already several excellent examples.”
“Examples?”
“It was like that with Luna and Elly, and Bella and Grace were also sleeping with satisfied looks on their faces, weren’t they?”
How did she even see that amidst all that chaos?
‘...Then again.’
Just like how a matchmaker is most curious about the result, she must have couldn't help but sneak glances while I was scolding Sylvia.
“Most importantly, I was the same.”
In that moment, Iris pressed herself against my chest.
She leaned her ear against my heart, as if concentrating on its beat.
“Besides, Sylvia is beautiful enough to have been constantly courted by foreign royalty, and she is, without a doubt, a virgin.”
“...”
Just a moment ago, I was talking about how difficult this was, but the moment I heard the word ‘virgin,’ my lower body instinctively stiffened.
‘Haa... Just a slave to my own lust...’
For now, I had no choice but to say I understood.
*
Day broke, and the moment of parting arrived.
“Hyun-woo...”
Grace, her eyes swollen and puffy, threw herself into my arms.
When she woke up this morning, she was still wary of Sylvia, but now that it was really time to say goodbye, she didn't seem to care about that anymore.
“Your eyes are so swollen.”
I comforted Grace, wiping the corners of her eyes as she hugged me.
She ducked her head as if embarrassed, but not wanting to let go, she hugged me even tighter.
“M-Me too...!”
Looking envious of her sister, a hesitant Mia hugged my leg. I stroked her head.
As I was comforting the two sisters, I felt three intense gazes on me.
I reached out to the one with the most longing gaze.
“Bella.”
“...”
I called out to Bella, who was standing a step away, just fidgeting with her fingers.
She seemed to hesitate for a moment, but then she ran over and threw herself into my empty arm.
“...I’ll miss you.”
“Me too.”
“M-Me too...”
“Of course, of course.”
We hadn't even spent a full day together, but having tangled our bodies so thoroughly, our bond had deepened.
We held each other and said our goodbyes for a long time, until we could delay no longer.
The mother and her two daughters followed Sylvia toward a village in the Great Forest.
“A hidden village?”
“Yes. Apparently, it’s a village founded by those who fled Peledeia, unable to bear Resilia’s tyranny. The entire village is concealed, so there’s no fear of being discovered, but the barrier makes the process of entering extremely complicated.”
During Resilia’s rebellion, not all the elders in the Council of Elders cooperated with her.
It seems the most prominent figure, Elder Six, is leading that village.
“If a place like that exists, then Luna and Elly could also...”
“Hehe, I thought you might say that, so I already told Sylvia. Fortunately, Luna and Elly’s house seems to be on the way to the village, so Sylvia will bring them along too.”
After confirming Sylvia had left, Iris leaned against me.
I couldn't help but be grateful for her thoughtfulness.
I gently pulled her into an embrace, and we spent some quiet, intimate time together, just the two of us, for the first time in a while.
“Sir Hyun-woo, what are your plans from now on?”
“I have to go back to Wavel. We’re supposed to meet up with Sylvia in Wavel anyway. Besides, I still have things to do there.”
My top priority is to speak with the lord about controlling access to the Great Forest, and if possible, I want to get a map to the Santala Kingdom.
And if I can catch a carriage to the next city, that would be the icing on the cake.
I also want to gather information on the international situation.
Of course, I could ask Sylvia, but it’s hard to believe that information coming from that misanthropic elf would be objective.
“Once we’re done, let’s aim to get out of the Veilhaven Republic as quickly as possible.”
“Yes.”