Silvina the Elf
Silvina, the elven archer.
At a fleeting glance, she possessed the same ethereal beauty as any other elf, but a closer look revealed just how far she strayed from the typical archetype. For an elf, she possessed a remarkably athletic, muscular build. Her thighs were thick and powerful, practically humming with robust circulation, and her shoulders were broad, firmly set, and defined. It was not an overwhelming, grotesque level of muscle, but it was certainly uncharacteristic of her kin. While elves naturally boasted athletic abilities superior to humans, their silhouettes were almost universally slender and lithe.
Silvina had never gone out of her way to train those muscles. Her diet simply differed from that of an ordinary elf.
She was a devoted carnivore.
Eating a bit of meat was not enough to get an elf cast out of the Grand Forest. However, an elf who actively hunted wild beasts solely to devour their flesh simply did not exist within the Grand Forest—at least, not until Silvina appeared.
The first time she tasted meat was at the age of twenty. Foraging yields had run terribly lean, forcing the commune to butcher and consume the remains of an animal that had died of natural causes.
"Just bear with it for now, Silvina."
The elves responsible for the cooking had looked wretched, thoroughly apologetic for serving such filth, but Silvina had failed to comprehend their guilt. The texture, aroma, and rich, savory juices of the meat melting on her tongue were nothing short of sublime.
From that singular moment onward, Silvina's body could no longer subsist on grass and leaves alone.
In the nearly one hundred and twenty years that followed, she lived as an eccentric misfit within the Grand Forest. Elf though she was, she refrained from pillaging the forest's delicate ecosystem, yet she never passed up an opportunity to claim fresh meat. With zero competition, she could always eat her fill. Once she acquired a taste for the hunt, tracking game proved to be quite an entertaining pastime.
Yet, separate from her enriched diet, she could not avoid becoming an outcast. Even though her marksmanship was counted among the finest in the entire forest, her alienation was swift; elves were hardly a gregarious species to begin with.
Unable to fit in with anyone, Silvina simply ate meat and hunted. It had not been an unhappy existence, but after drifting through more than a century of solitude, loneliness had inevitably begun to creep in.
The very first person to ever reach out to her had been the Hero, Kwon Hee-jin.
Dispatching an archer and scout from the Grand Forest to join the Hero Party was an ancient tradition—a gesture symbolizing united resistance against the shared menace of the Demon King's Army. Custom dictated that a decorated Grand Warrior of high standing be assigned to the post.
And yet...
"I want to travel with her."
Those had been Kwon Hee-jin's words upon visiting the Grand Forest, pointing directly at Silvina.
"Silvina, you say? But tradition dictates that a Grand Warrior—"
"Honoring tradition is important," the Hero had interrupted smoothly. "However, the warrior who represents all elvenkind ought to remain here, guarding the World Tree. From what I have heard, Silvina's archery is exceptional. I wish to welcome her as my companion."
"That may be true, but..."
The elders had tried to push the Grand Warrior forward, suspecting some kind of misunderstanding, but Kwon Hee-jin had adamantly refused, stubbornly holding out for Silvina. He had been utterly unlike the previous Heroes, who merely offered dismissive scoffs whenever the topic of a meat-eating elf came up.
Why me...?
Silvina had stared at the Hero in utter bewilderment, while the Hero had stared just as intently at her firm, supple thighs.
From that day forward, Silvina's life had changed completely.
For the first time since her birth, she had found someone who truly appreciated her.
She had been well aware that the Hero's gaze lingered on her figure, particularly her lower body. But that had hardly offended her. Humans were a species that gawked with wide, starry eyes whenever they encountered a living elf anyway. Furthermore, the Hero's lust had worked to Silvina's distinct advantage. Once they became lovers, he introduced her to an entirely new pleasure of the flesh.
Unbeknownst even to herself, hunting and fresh meat had not been the only appetites she harbored. It was precisely why the Hero had become irreplaceable to her.
Several months had now passed since she was separated from that precious man.
Hero...
Today, as she gently stroked her cracked bow, Silvina pictured his face once again. She glanced around at the rest of the party members one by one.
"The Hero can still grow stronger, right? He's just been neglecting his training, but he carries the Goddess's Divine Protection."
Millia, the knight. Fortunately, she showed no signs of betraying him.
"I should have said something sooner... Why on earth did I..."
Saintess Claire, muttering to herself with a grim, hollow expression.
And the mage Yuni, who sat serenely with her luggage already packed, completely prepared to leave at a moment's notice.
Silvina knew the others had begun harboring second thoughts ever since Kwon Hee-jin fell into dire straits. Yet she remained steadfast, waiting for the Hero with unwavering loyalty. Amidst all this turmoil, her only grievance was that she could not see him.
Fortunately, that wait seemed about to end.
"...!"
The Saintess suddenly flinched, snapping her head up as if sensing something. As individuals chosen by the Goddess, the Saintess and the Hero could occasionally detect each other's presence through their shared divine resonance.
"Is the Hero nearby?"
Silvina sprang to her feet at once and darted out of the hamlet. She had no intention of surrendering the joy of being the first to greet him.
Hero... My Hero!
Her stride lengthened, carrying her forward at a sprint.
It was not merely longing that urged her on. Her keen elven hearing had caught the distant, metallic ring of clashing blades, stoking an anxious urgency in her chest. If the Hero had encountered enemies, she had to reinforce him immediately.
Naturally, there was no chance the Hero would fall to mere beasts. Weak as he might be compared to the legends of past generations, a Hero was still a Hero.
Still, winning isn't the point.
If the Hero was fighting, it was her duty to stand at his side rather than leave him to face danger alone.
Regrettably, no such opportunity presented itself.
"Make sure it's dead... Ah, Silvina!"
He had dispatched his foes with remarkable ease all on his own.
"Hero, I was late."
"Think nothing of it. It was only this much."
Fallen beneath the Hero's Holy Sword were two lizardmen. Judging by their stature, they appeared to be mature warriors belonging to the very tribe that had produced Beast King Leoneo. Given the javelins they carried, they had likely ranged far afield on a hunt before stumbling across the Hero.
"Did they ambush you?"
"No, they were wandering around, looking lost, so I struck first. They operate under the Demon King's banner anyway, so it's best to cull their numbers whenever the chance arises."
"Yes. A wise decision. And your skill was magnificent."
Kwon Hee-jin paused momentarily upon hearing her praise. Even for an unexceptional Hero, receiving earnest accolades for butchering two run-of-the-mill lizardmen was a rather awkward experience. But he quickly broke into a pleased grin and opened his arms wide toward her.
"Thanks for the warm welcome. Honestly, I was worried you guys might hold a grudge against me."
"Never speak of such things, Hero."
Traces of lizardman bodily fluids clung to his clothes, but Silvina wrapped her arms around him without the slightest hesitation. Kwon Hee-jin let out a long breath of relief.
"I guess I took everything too lightly back then. ...It's not like this was ever a game."
He spouted strange nonsense from time to time, but he remained her most precious treasure. If it meant staying by his side, she would gladly endure a lifetime of hiding in the borderlands. She was prepared for far worse than that.
Holding hands tightly, the two made their way back toward the secluded hamlet.
Left behind in the clearing were only the two lizardman corpses, sprawled across the dirt as mangled heaps of butchered meat. Even with physical strength far surpassing that of an ordinary human, common adult lizardmen stood no chance against a Hero. The moment they crossed paths with a Hero who already held a deep-seated hatred for their kind, their fates had been sealed.
Before half a day had even passed, the corpses began to exude the faint, foul stench of decay.
To human nostrils, it was merely a mild, unpleasant odor that one would wrinkle their nose at and bypass without a second thought.
"Receive the Imperial Decree."
I had only just returned to the Imperial Capital after liberating Naze County and wiping out a pack of goblins led by a goblin chief—creatures that had been subsisting entirely on mountain game out of sheer terror of being subjugated—when the imperial order was thrust into my hands.
The command: Secure the Hero and the Hero Party.
In plain terms, they were ordering me to become a bounty hunter.
The notion of mankind hunting down the very Hero designated as their protector was inherently absurd, but considering the current state of public opinion, it was hardly surprising. Whether they intended to string him up or drag him to the block, taking him into custody was the immediate priority.
Right. In the end, this was always going to fall onto my lap. I just never expected it to take the form of organizing an official pursuit force.
The Hero had brought this entirely upon himself. Unintentional though it may have been, he had practically left a trail of breadcrumbs begging to be caught, and the Saintess's frantic contact with the Holy Kingdom had provided the decisive lead.
After accepting the assignment, I sat down with the Imperial Palace bureaucrats to hammer out the composition of the task force.
"If our intelligence regarding the Hero is accurate, he has likely already rendezvoused with his party members, or is on the verge of doing so."
"Sigh. It will be a catastrophe if they band together and make a break for it. Wouldn't it be wise to issue directives to the neighboring fiefs and mobilize their garrisons?"
"Out of the question," I replied flatly. "We cannot deploy a massive military force near the border of the Demonic Realm. Do you think the Demon King's Army will sit idly by if word leaks that the Empire has mobilized an army just to hunt its own Hero? They might have little interest in espionage, but they are more than capable of watching their own front yard."
"Even so, we must account for the possibility of flight. If he crosses into the Demonic Realm, we will have no means of capturing him."
"How on earth would someone like him survive in the Demonic Realm? ...Besides, judging by what the Saintess told the Holy Kingdom, the Hero intentionally isolated his companions. I doubt they will find it easy to act in unified harmony like they used to."
"So they lack internal solidarity. What in the world was the Hero thinking when he pulled a stunt like that...?"
Well, that was something we could ask him once he was in chains.
After sketching out a rough operational outline, I formally requested the title of 'Imperial Inspector.' Our official pretext would not be hunting the Hero, but conducting an inspection of the defensive posture of the border territories. Operating under that guise was the only way I could mobilize elite personnel without drawing unwanted attention.
Since I've somehow gained a reputation as a palace insider, nobody should suspect my movements.
Now came the task of assembling the inspection team—or rather, the pursuit force in disguise.
There was certainly no time to leisurely interview candidates, but even a hastily gathered squad was bound to consist of top-tier elites. After all, the number of people desperate to lay eyes on the Hero was practically limitless.
Granted, the Hero's face was handsomely embossed on every Kodana coin, but a stamped profile could never compare to the pleasure of seeing the real thing in the flesh.