Chapter 11
Chapter 11
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 11
Chapter Title: Party Met in the Forest (5)
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High Elf.
They say High Elves are beings who have transcended the limits of mortality.
A pure Elf who spends hundreds of years alone in the depths of a deep forest, absorbing the earth's mana directly and mastering the mana flowing through the world to a certain level, will have their flesh reborn as a spirit body. That is a High Elf.
To put it in simpler terms, they become free from all the physiological processes that living creatures endure, like aging and sleep.
In short, they're beings half-escaped from mortality.
Not completely immortal and ageless, but their lifespan is near-permanent. Unless someone kills them, they have no reason to face death.
Moreover, their base power far surpasses that of ordinary Elves. Unless a dragon shows up, there are few who can slay a High Elf.
And considering that dragons sometimes fall to High Elves, you could really call them powerful existences.
The only ones who'd dare hunt them would be high-ranking demons interested in their bodies.
To demons, Elves make fine toys.
Among the high demons of the demon realm, there are those who've stockpiled power for thousands of years.
Even a High Elf can't help but be overwhelmed by them...
If High Elves die for any other reason, there's only one possibility.
They lose interest in life and end it themselves.
"A High Elf, huh..."
Rasi el muttered those words to herself as she sat by the window of her room in the moonlit inn.
The light filtering through the window revealed half her face.
It was an incredibly beautiful sight, made even more alluring by her outfit that exposed her thighs.
Not that she realized it herself.
-Rustle.
Rasi el carefully drew a pendant from her bosom.
When she opened the locket, it revealed a small photo of a young girl and an Elf.
The girl in the photo was herself, and the other Elf was a High Elf with silver hair.
"...Master."
Her blue eyes grew faintly moist as she gazed at the photo.
Why that was, only she herself would know.
Or perhaps the other person in the photo might understand.
But for now, Rasi el was the only one here who knew the reason.
-Knock. Knock.
Suddenly, a knock echoed through the room.
Someone had come to see her.
Rasi el quickly tucked the pendant away and opened the door.
-Creak!
"Aria?"
Standing there was the golden-haired priestess, Aria, who'd been in their party for nearly half a year now.
Rasi el tilted her head at the unexpected visit.
"Rasi el, I brought dinner. You said the dining hall's meat smell makes it uncomfortable to stay there, right?"
"...Oh, right. Thanks."
Aria beamed as she entered.
She'd brought vegetable soup, along with bread and milk.
Knowing the vegetarian Elf couldn't eat meat, Aria had considered Rasi el's needs.
Rasi el took the tray of food.
"Excuse me~" Aria said as she stepped inside, sitting across from her with a bright smile.
Rasi el couldn't fathom the sudden grin and felt puzzled.
"Did something good happen?"
She asked why the smile.
Aria's grin widened even more.
"Today went off without a hitch, didn't it? And we got double pay as an apology. They even said they'd pass it on to the bereaved families. What a relief."
She was happy they'd parted with the caravan without issue.
The caravan leader wasn't a bad person after all, she said. Quite kind, even.
"At first, I thought they were bad people for abandoning us, but maybe not."
"...You serious?"
Aria truly believed that.
Rasi el's head began to ache.
"Aria."
"Yes, Rasi el."
What an innocently naive human girl.
It felt like looking at a virgin on her undefiled wedding night. Rasi el couldn't just stand by; she wanted to give at least a simple warning.
"It might sound strange to you humans, but it's best not to trust humans too much."
"Huh?"
The girl before her truly believed those merchants had offered sincere apologies.
If only that were true. But it wasn't, which gave Rasi el a headache.
"What do you mean?"
She was like a flower grown in a greenhouse.
'She still doesn't get it.'
Was the girl too young to know reality? To Rasi el, over 200 years old, it was painfully obvious, making her frustrated.
That's why she couldn't leave this party.
Without her, they might fall for scams or worse.
She'd even set aside her own goals to stay.
But she couldn't do that forever.
So she had to gradually teach them reality without shocking them too much.
"Why do you think they apologized to us?"
Rasi el narrowed her eyes.
"Uh... Because they realized their mistake?"
"Naive. They were just scared of the High Elf right in front of them. That woman's someone who can subdue a Minotaur with a glance. They'd already checked the monster corpses and figured out it was her magic."
"Really?"
Rasi el nodded.
If they'd planned to apologize from the start, they would've come after the fight, within ten minutes.
"So... if Cyan weren't there, they wouldn't have apologized to us?"
"Exactly."
Instead, they waited thirty minutes with no word, and only rushed over after the High Elf used her magic.
'She definitely didn't use powerful magic on purpose then. It was just a show of force—a threat.'
They knew crossing her could bury them alive in the building.
Otherwise, no stingy merchant would pay five times the fee.
'We were on the verge of a fight.'
If the High Elf had pushed harder, they'd have tried more desperate measures to calm things.
'She stepped in to prevent a hopeless battle.'
In other words, without her, no apology or proper pay.
They'd have attacked instead.
"Then we should thank Cyan?"
How did she reach that conclusion?
"...What?"
Rasi el looked dumbfounded.
That wasn't the point of her warning at all. She had something else to convey, but Aria's odd response left her speechless.
"Right? Without Cyan, we wouldn't have gotten a proper apology or pay. The gods would surely say to give thanks."
Aria even stood by the window to pray.
It was so absurd it bordered on mind-boggling, so Rasi el quietly finished her dinner.
She was still young, after all.
The girl hadn't seen humanity's ugly side with her own eyes, so she only saw the good, like Rasi el's own kind nature.
Priestesses are raised in temples receiving blessings until age fifteen.
Then trainee priestesses like Aria do adventurer work as training.
A true greenhouse flower.
"She really seems like a High Elf from legends. Amazing magic, and so beautiful too. It's like... seeing the goddess herself."
...Or maybe she was just a bit off in the head to begin with.
"You'll get divine punishment talking like that about the goddess."
"Hey, it's a joke. The gods will laugh it off, probably."
Rasi el sighed deeply and continued her late dinner.
Dipping the moist bread in soup eased her hunger.
It was thoughtfully prepared.
'The urgent issue's resolved, so no worries there.'
As she ate what Aria brought, Rasi el pondered something else inwardly.
'But one thing bothers me.'
Not about the merchants anymore.
'...Cyan. Is that woman really a High Elf?'
The woman who'd saved their party from the Minotaurs.
About whether Cyan, who appeared out of nowhere, was truly the 'High Elf' she knew.
Rasi el's suspicion was simple.
'She's too rational, unlike the High Elves I know.'
The Cyan she'd observed so far was excessively 'normal' for a High Elf.
High Elves were never normal to begin with.
They were all crazy, with mental issues.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇ The next morning.
⚙ FIELD STAGE ⚙ Near the Border of the Holy Empire Ires The adventurers' carriage led the way.
In the center rolled the merchants' wagons loaded with goods, while the caravan's mercenaries rode at the rear on horseback for escort.
Passing Pione Village in the valley plains, they entered a forest—thicker underbrush now, and bandits who hadn't shown before began appearing frequently.
Bandits weren't the issue, though.
The problem was these weren't ordinary bandits.
"Cyan, you're amazing! Sending those creepy goblins flying with a flick of your wrist—what a show!"
"Those pathetic monsters aren't worth my time. I just hated the delay."
"But there were so many! The vanguard alone seemed over fifty. If we'd let them be, hundreds might've swarmed us."
Oh, that's not a fun thought.
The bandits were Goblins.
Weak like common slimes—ubiquitous pests that overwhelm with numbers. Gross little things.
⚔ Goblin Bandit Gang – Lv. 30 ⚔ HP: 3500 MP: 0 Goblins crudely armed. They can set simple traps and conceal their presence.
They're not strong monsters.
A lone swordsman could handle a dozen or so, even if it took time.
But they're disgusting.
Already infamous for their ugliness, seeing them up close? Revolting.
Like dozens of cockroaches charging. So I crushed them all with Graviton and fed the remnants to a passing giant slime in the woods.
⚔ King Slime (★) – Lv. 45 ⚔ HP: 10000 MP: 0 Monster formed from tree sap mutation. Ancient specimens grow massive, becoming King Slimes.
※ Special Note: Field Boss 'Others were surprised, but slimes rarely strike first.'
Goblins reek like garbage, so it was the best option.
They've never bathed properly since birth.
Burning them stinks, their blood splatters and stinks—better to let the slime digest them cleanly, no trace left.
'While I'm at it, I should find a spell to erase Goblin filth without a trace. Something clean, no stench.'
I resolved to hit the library first upon reaching the city.
After finishing the ongoing quest, of course. Planning ahead never hurts.
For now, time for a nap. Still far to the destination.
"Hey! Is the High Elf there?"
As I lay on the cushion bought in the village, a caravan mercenary approached.
What a hassle.
"...What."
"Eek! Uh... Th-the Turk caravan leader wishes to see the High Elf."
The terrified mercenary's words were unexpected.
Why would that lying merchant want me now?
The quest hadn't even properly started.
'This won't even be in the quest...'
Curious, I went to see him.