Chapter 316: Bread and Dagger (14)
Chapter 316: Bread and Dagger (14)
Avian was a young elf, barely over a hundred years old.
Had she told this to a human, they likely would have laughed it off. To most short-lived races, the time granted to them was far shorter than that.
But elves were different.
They were beings blessed from birth by the World Tree of Order.
They possessed exceptional talent for archery and spirit arts, and they did not even show signs of aging until just before death. Enjoying eternal youth and health, the average lifespan of an elf reached five hundred years.
Thus, Avian did not hesitate to call herself a 'young elf.'
As she often said, a hundred was the age at which one finally held a coming-of-age ceremony in elven society.
Though she hadn't been able to properly celebrate her own ceremony due to her duties as a spy, Avian had sworn to work even more diligently for the prosperity of her kind now that she was an adult.
Avian’s mission was that significant.
Mingling among humans, her role was to procure necessary resources for her kin and gather intelligence.
Escaping the North while evading the strict surveillance of the Yurdina family was a hurdle in itself. Naturally, only a select few were permitted to carry out such a role.
Had she not possessed a unique talent for transformation magic, it would have been impossible for Avian to be selected as a spy.
As a rule, young elves were usually considered too immature and weak to be chosen as infiltrators.
Breaking that long-standing custom to become a spy, Avian had learned much from the village elders.
Humanity was composed of nothing but untrustworthy individuals.
They said that once, elves had held humanity beneath their feet.
In the primordial era, humans were nothing more than a pathetic race. Their strength was incomparable to that of the elves, who were born with all manner of blessings.
Avian truly believed that those days were the way things ought to be.
Most humans were greedy and possessed bizarre ways of thinking. Even now, Avian trembled whenever she recalled the human army that had descended upon her village that day.
And every single human who had trickled into the village since then.
To a man, they were all either strange or violent. Every night, Avian would shudder, recalling the sensation of cold blades pressing against her skin.
Such wicked beings required subjugation. There was no choice but for the virtuous elves to reform and lead them.
Yes, in truth, Avian was afraid.
She looked down on and ignored humans in her heart, but that was merely a manifestation of her fear. If she didn't act that way, she found it difficult to endure the terror.
Humanity was like a living plague.
They devastated and contaminated everywhere they passed. The elves were no exception to this.
The elves were gradually going mad.
This, too, was entirely the fault of humans.
The fact that the village elders were losing their minds, the fact that a cursed seed had been planted in Avian’s own body, and the fact that the world was a complete mess—it was all their fault.
It was also the reason Avian had resorted to a scam that didn't suit her station.
As the elves' madness worsened, the number of goods supplied from her homeland dwindled. However, Avian had too many of her kin to feed.
If she failed to pay the fixed amount every month, they would starve to death.
It was something the pride of a noble elf should never have allowed, but a hungry stomach often thinks before the brain.
In the end, Avian chose to sell her pride instead of her kin.
Even then, it was a petty scam, merely mixing ten percent fakes into the merchandise. Yet, despite her clumsy handiwork, most customers were easily fooled.
It was thanks to the trust she had built over years of doing business.
Only then could Avian breathe a sigh of relief.
Though she felt anxious, as it was the first crime she had ever committed in her life.
No matter how timid the act, a scam was a scam. She couldn't count how many times she had imagined being dragged to the guard post for committing a crime.
And what if her identity as an elf was discovered?
It was horrifying. Avian had woken up groaning from similar nightmares dozens of times.
But no matter how many days passed, no one came to arrest her.
A few customers visited, but none noticed Avian’s presence while she was transformed into a cat. For Avian, it was a stroke of immense luck.
Avian thought to herself:
Let’s just hold out like this until proper materials arrive from home.
When that happened, she would confess her mistake and pay the appropriate price. Then, most customers would surely forgive her.
Just as she finished those naive calculations and was about to return to her leisurely daily routine...
A man came looking for her.
What followed was a sequence of blood and flying flesh.
As her face was struck repeatedly by the man, Avian thought:
Ah, I see.
Humans are terrifying, after all.
It was Avian who had refused to talk.
And she was the one who had resorted to violence first, but she couldn't help but be utterly appalled by the man’s merciless brutality.
Furthermore, the man didn't show even a hint of hesitation upon seeing Avian’s true form.
Kicked in the temple without a second thought, she had been unconscious for several hours.
Avian opened her eyes, the memory of that wicked man fresh in her mind.
Her ragged breathing betrayed her unstable state of mind. Her blue eyes quivered as she scanned her surroundings.
It was a dark room.
In a room where not a single sliver of light leaked in, a lone lamp was the only source of illumination. Two people stood with their backs to the flickering firelight.
No, to be more precise, it was slightly different.
A man was sitting across from Avian.
Avian was tied to a chair, her entire body restrained, and even a cursory glance suggested that escape would be difficult. It seemed she wouldn't be able to break these ropes even if she used all her strength.
At first, Avian was panicked.
But as her memories gradually returned, she naturally began to remember who the man before her was.
That terrifying human who had mercilessly assaulted her.
His golden eyes were chilling. Avian felt like screaming right then and there.
And beside the man stood a woman with brown hair.
Standing in a respectful posture, she appeared to be the man’s subordinate. The dark green pupils that glanced at Avian were sinister.
She’s like a snake.
Avian barely managed to suppress the fear rising instinctively within her. A noble elf could not be frightened by a mere human.
Nevertheless, unable to hold back the sobs bubbling up, Avian let out a cry.
"You, you! What on earth have you done to me...!"
"First, there's one thing we need to get straight."
The man’s voice, as he spoke, was utterly indifferent.
It was as if he were merely reciting a plain truth.
While Avian momentarily faltered, he continued in a leisurely tone.
"I tried to have a conversation with you. But you were the one who refused... so I hope you'll understand if I've been a bit rude."
'Conversation'?
Avian was struck dumb, perhaps because she had heard such an unexpected word.
Who were the ones who had slaughtered Avian’s kin, who had cried out so desperately for conversation?
Who were the ones who had driven the elves out of the warm and bountiful Great Forest and into the cold, biting plains of the North?
It was humanity.
And as if that weren't enough, weren't they the ones who had corrupted the people of Avian’s homeland?
Avian’s head immediately grew hot with hatred, and she shouted.
"Conversation?! Why would I ever talk to you human bastards... Gah!"
But uncontrollable temper often invites disaster.
Thud. The man’s kick buried itself into Avian’s solar plexus without hesitation.
Avian couldn't even finish her sentence due to the agonizing pain that choked her. She could only slump over in her chair, letting out wheezing groans.
She wanted to clutch her chest, but even that was impossible since she was tied up.
Tears welled in Avian’s eyes, but the man showed not a shred of pity.
He simply called out in a low voice to the woman standing beside him.
"......Neris."
"Yes."
Without a word, the woman set Avian’s chair upright again.
Her attitude was that of an obedient maid.
Avian stared at the man with disbelief. Her wide eyes were filled with shock. This was the first time in her life she had ever been treated this way.
Of course, she had been taught to assume the worst-case scenarios during her spy training.
However, there was a gap as wide as the heavens and the earth between imagination and reality. Furthermore, the elves, who lacked everything, didn't even have the luxury to properly train a spy.
The result was the Avian of now.
It felt as if cracks were forming in the girl's mind with a static-like sound. It was a sign that her psyche, forced together by pride and a desire for honor, was on the verge of collapsing.
Elves had a stronger will to live than any other creature.
As a rule, instincts cannot be suppressed forever.
The man warned her in a cold voice.
"I told you, you were the one who refused to talk... and next time, it won't end with just a kick."
Then, thwack—an axe blade embedded itself into the armrest of the chair.
It was drawn with a speed she hadn't even perceived.
Avian was utterly overwhelmed by that brief display of skill.
She should have realized it long ago, but it hit her once again.
This man is strong.
Someone like Avian wouldn't even be a match for him. In terms of years lived, he probably hadn't even lived a quarter of a quarter of her life!
The very pedigree was different.
From the moment she was born, Avian had been defeated by this man.
Drenched in that terrible sense of defeat and fear, Avian let out a hiccuping sob.
The elven girl's bravado was slowly crumbling away.