Chapter 47
Chapter 47
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 47
Chapter Title: There Are No Good High Elves in the World (1)
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1.
《 ~Neutral Stage~ Mires Airship Deck Area 》
The Mires had left the floating island and was on the move once more.
The airship had set sail amid the villagers' farewells and was heading smoothly toward the elves' land of Arke, with no particular attacks occurring afterward.
And so, I was just sitting idly on deck.
It would still take a full day to reach Arke, and unless monsters or bandits attacked in the meantime, there wasn't much to do.
"......It's so languid."
I felt like I'd slept plenty.
I didn't tire out in the first place unless I overused magic, so rest wasn't really necessary.
Or maybe it was just my mindset?
Perhaps it was because nothing had happened from morning through past lunchtime.
'Stran said bandits were rampant, but I don't sense any movement.'
It was definitely a bit strange.
According to the newspapers and Stran, those bandits even attacked merchant caravans on a national scale, so why weren't they hitting a personal one like this?
Of course, if they knew who was aboard this airship, they wouldn't dare attack unless they were insane.
But there was no way they knew that.
Even the airship's owner, Stran, didn't know, so spies wouldn't either.
'......Whatever happens, it doesn't matter.'
Whether they attacked or not, it made no difference to me.
If they came, I'd eradicate them root and stem; if not, we'd pass without hassle. Either way, no loss for me.
After all, they were just a bandit gang.
They preyed on smaller merchant groups because of their numbers.
If nations got serious and formed a subjugation force, an army of knights level 100 and up would crush them. The outcome was set.
"Hmm, speaking of which."
I turned my head, shifting my gaze.
-Step.
"Is Silion okay? Can you move?"
"Yeah, my body's still a bit sensitive, but... I'm fine......"
A short distance away, keeping watch like me, were the hero and the Demon King—disguised as adventurers who'd come out on deck.
They still seemed unaware of each other's identities.
The hero couldn't even wield his holy sword anymore, and the Demon King wouldn't wield her power for a while.
'Even if not as much as me, she's a demon, so she has some resistance.'
Honestly, at first, I'd planned to turn that Demon King into a wreck using those tentacles.
Neutralize her with holy power first, then seal her in a barrier or subspace only I knew about—no 'gate' would open.
⚙ SYSTEM NOTIFICATION ⚙ [What? Why isn't this working?] So I'd tried erasing her memories and rewiring her brain into a pleasure-seeking doll, but her magic resistance as a Demon King was high, and it failed...
Or maybe I just wasn't used to mental manipulation yet.
In Novel Online, it was just a debuff for confusion and hypnosis—not familiar with this world's version.
[Mental Manipulation – Debuff Magic] ※Attribute: None / Range: 3m / Max Targets: 1 ▶Deletes target's memories or incapacitates them for a time. May fail based on target's resistance. Plus, library research said it doesn't work on high mental fortitude targets at all.
Unlike Novel Online, where landing it in PvP was an instant 1v1 win.
'The magic from Novel Online isn't perfectly identical here.'
Hmm, quite an intriguing fact.
-Step, step.
Then footsteps approached me.
"Ah, Luis—"
The presence felt like a child's size, so I assumed it was Luis.
"Big sis."
"......?"
But when I turned, it wasn't Luis—it was some kid... a golden-haired elf girl I'd never seen.
"Big sis, do you know where this is?"
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇ ⚙ SYSTEM NOTIFICATION ⚙ [Huh? A kid? Even for an elf, the only elf on the Mires is Lady Cyan. Our Turk Merchant Company checks identities meticulously when forming caravans. No one boards hiding their identity.] That's what Stran said.
"Do your job properly. Then what's this one?"
Did that guy realize his ship carried a hero, a dragon, and even a Demon King?
If he knew two world-ending threats were aboard—not just risking his airship's destruction—what would he do?
He'd probably faint from shock.
Anyway, that wasn't the point now.
"High Elf big sis, who are you talking to?"
"Shut up, I'm on a call."
Right now, the most important thing was peeling off this damn kid clinging to me.
⚙ SYSTEM NOTIFICATION ⚙ [Mm, understood. I'll check the passenger list, see if she stowed away in cargo, and confirm missing persons in Asral City.] "Yeah, check quickly."
⚙ SYSTEM NOTIFICATION ⚙ [Yes, ending call. I'll contact you as soon as I know.] -Click.
I ended the call with Stran.
The Mires had a magic device for long-distance communication—it looked exactly like a telephone.
⚔ STATUS ⚔ ▶Item – Magic Device [Long-Distance Communicator] ※Allows conversation over long distances. ※Mana consumption varies by distance. They said high-purity magic stones enabled clear long-distance calls without noise, but to me, it was just a telephone, nothing more or less...
A 20th-century antique rotary phone, even.
I hadn't known this world had such things.
Stran said it was an elf-dwarf collaboration.
Aside from hard mass-production, long-distance calls without satellites or wires might beat Earth's...
"High Elf big sis."
Call ended, she spoke again.
【Mysterious Elf Girl】 Her info floating in the air.
Still just 'elf girl'—no name or identity.
'Can't see what I don't know, huh.'
Cyan's Insight passive only shows known info.
Can't reveal unseen or unheard things.
So piercing insight was useless now.
"What is it."
"I'm hungry......"
-Grrrowl!
The elf kid slumped her shoulders.
Ha, what the hell was this sudden nuisance...
I wanted to toss her off the airship, but if the hero or Demon King saw, it'd be annoying.
Plus, to meet that great sage, I couldn't harm elf-related folk carelessly.
Unless she tried killing me first, killing this kid would block meeting the sage.
That sage was an elf too.
'And even I hesitate to strike a child.'
......No choice for now.
"Follow me. It's dinnertime anyway."
"Thanks! High Elf big sis!"
No real tasks anyway, so no big loss investing time here.
Stran even said if possible, protect the kid—elves might look favorably on returning a lost child?
Yeah, impressing elves couldn't hurt.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇ 2.
《 ~Neutral Stage~ Mires Airship Cabin 》
-Thud!
After dinner, Cyan returned to her cabin, took a quick shower, and sat on the bed.
'Ha, never felt this tired before.'
She felt considerable fatigue.
The reason Cyan rushed her favorite bath and decided to sleep: the elf girl from the airship.
⚙ SYSTEM NOTIFICATION ⚙ [High Elf big sis, I wanna see that too.] [High Elf big sis, I wanna eat that.] [High Elf big sis, how do you read this book?] An tireless child chattering away.
Cyan wasn't used to dealing with kids.
'Got caught in that kid's pace too much.'
⚙ SYSTEM NOTIFICATION ⚙ [Do it yourself. I'm not your babysitter.] [Sniff, boo......] Once, the elf girl brought a book and asked Cyan to read it; Cyan refused out of annoyance.
⚙ SYSTEM NOTIFICATION ⚙ [Don't cry! I'll read that damn book, so...] But she started sniffling, on the verge of tears, so Cyan relented to avoid more hassle.
'Did I overindulge her as a kid? No real need...'
Elf childhoods were short compared to humans.
Humans: pre-14; dragons: ~100 (7x human).
Elves: up to 7 years.
At 7, elves rapidly grow physically—equivalent to late teens human-wise.
But that elf girl looked younger than Luis.
'......Where'd Luis go, anyway?'
Meaning she was under 7.
How to treat such a young child roughly?
Reasonable Cyan felt averse to harming her.
Luis could take dragon form first, but not this little elf.
'......She's on board, so she'll come if tired. Time to sleep.'
-Thud!
Cyan decided to sleep.
Only a day to Arke—needed to recover mental strength.
The great sage wasn't like the Demon King—never underestimate, and among the continent's strongest four, the most mentally unstable 'one'.
【Great Sage High Elf - ???】 The sage was that infamous High Elf.
Compared to her, the Demon King and hero seemed perfectly normal—she was utterly mad.
Honestly, Cyan wasn't keen on meeting her.
"Hoo, sleep time."
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇ That night.
-Thud!
"?"
Someone climbed onto the bed.
Probably Luis; Cyan went back to sleep.
2 a.m.—finally back? Likely holed up in the lounge reading that borrowed book.
The lounge lights stayed on 24/7.
-Rustle.
Then something groped my body.
Maybe Luis undid human form for dragon? Probably her tail.
I'd told Luis to transform before climbing in...
Tired now—scold in morning.
-Stroke.
"......Ngh, easy there, Luis."
This time, it kneaded my breast.
Climbing on top to sleep again?
Luis sometimes curled cat-like on me.
But too heavy for a cat, and scales weren't soft fur—rough.
Not great texture.
-Push.
I shoved the Luis on me aside.
"Sleep nicely, or you'll sleep forever......"
Now I could sleep. Why so many annoyances lately?
Crusty hero lurking, Demon King tailing me suddenly.
Now an elf kid clinging...
Good thing I got her a separate room from the crew; otherwise, no sleep.
But no more of that now.
Just sleep comfortably.
-Slurp.
"Ngh?!"
This time, Luis licked my breast with her tongue.
Has she gone mad?
Or imitating some weird book? Anyway, tolerance limit reached.
-Grab!
I snatched her up by the collar.
"Luis! If you don't wanna die, behave......"
"Ah."
The one on the bed had Luis's golden hair but no horns or tail.
Luis sleeps in dragon form anyway.
But pointed ears like mine.
"......You."
Right, that elf kid from before.
"High Elf big sis, I...... get scared sleeping alone."
The girl trembled like frightened.
But I should be the scared one here.
What the hell was this damn elf kid doing here?