Chapter 71
Chapter 71
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Translator: crow
Chapter Title: The Dark Elf's Gratitude
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"You're awake?"
"?"
I thought so too... but maybe I'm still dreaming?
That was Rishir's first impression upon waking from sleep.
And it wasn't unfounded. An utterly unreal sight was unfolding before his eyes.
Whoosh.
The curtains parted vigorously.
Morning sunlight streamed through the window, illuminating the maid who had drawn them open. A soft pink hue shimmered within her silver hair, glowing even more brilliantly as it caught the rays.
And that smile.
"Good morning!"
It was a cheerful smile that seemed ready to fill the surroundings with vibrant energy.
"Ah, good morning!"
In fact, Rishir found himself infected by that energy, reflexively responding with equal vigor.
Very vigorously, at that!
"But who might you be!?"
He blurted it out, pushing aside the most obvious question that had popped into his head.
A lively maid opening the curtains in the morning.
Even for Rishir, who had encountered all sorts of fantastical elements since leaving his family, this was uncharted territory.
"Hm?"
The maid tilted her head with a smiling crinkle in her eyes.
"What kind of joke is that? Since it's a joke from Master, it must be a funny one—sorry. I'm too lacking to get it. If you're okay with it, could you explain?"
A friendly smile brimming with goodwill.
Eyes sparkling with curiosity, as if saying, 'I'm dying to know!'
Rishir thought to himself.
If every woman in the world reacted to failed jokes like this, wouldn't "wounded men" be designated an endangered species in no time?
Just as Rishir was on the verge of disarming under the maid's positive aura, he barely regained his composure and said,
"I meant I didn't recognize you at first because you've changed so much, Tia."
Even as he spoke, Rishir felt a twinge of doubt.
Tia, the Dark Elf slave.
The last time he'd seen her yesterday, she had looked utterly desolate and unstable, her personality worn down by years of enslavement.
"Does it seem strange?"
If there had been even a hint of artificiality in her current demeanor, Rishir might have sensed something off. That she was forcing herself to repay the favors he'd done her (rescuing her sister, promising escape from slavery).
But her present state felt neither contrived nor unstable.
It was utterly natural—and therefore, healthy.
Was this her true self all along?
Who knew.
The only certainty was that she looked far better than before. Nothing he said or did seemed capable of ruining that lively smile.
"It's a pretty drastic change, but... definitely, you look better than before. Healthier, for sure."
"Really? That's a relief... I was worried. What if Rishir thought my changed self was weird? But you like it—I'm so happy!"
Tia giggled and grabbed Rishir's hand.
"Come on! Breakfast is ready!"
"...By the way, Tia. Where'd you get that maid outfit?"
"It suits me, right!? I was shocked when I saw myself in the mirror!"
"That's not what I was asking, but..."
Whatever. If it's good, it's good.
That was how Rishir concluded his thoughts on the transformed Tia.
Afterward, she attended to him meticulously right up until he left his quarters.
"Have a safe trip, Master!"
To the very end, she never lost that cheerful smile.
The Dark Elf city of Kehlin.
The ruling Sahila Family commanded two major military forces under their banner.
The Red Sand Guard, operating openly for the city's defense.
And the Moon Shadow Knights, moving in the shadows strictly for the family.
Moon Shadow Knight Commander Kairen.
He harbored no doubts about those he served.
The Sahila Family, which had built a Dark Elf empire from the remote fringes of the continent, was worthy of utmost respect. And Katria, the family's cherished daughter, embodied the pride and nobility of the Sahila.
Still, he was worried.
What would become of Lady Katria by the end of this journey?
Drian, the Sahila's third son, had vanished from Kehlin one day without a trace.
He had anticipated from the start that the journey to find him would be fraught with difficulties.
Beyond the southern continent lay the human world, brimming with malice and hostility toward Dark Elves.
But he never imagined the depths of human malice Lady Katria would face.
'Young Master Drian...'
Even after repeated encounters with human malice, Katria had held onto herself—until she learned Drian had been sold into slavery. Then she changed completely.
Kairen could never forget the sight of her tormenting Reisha, vowing to repay Drian's suffering in kind.
Who in Kehlin could witness that and still recall the old Katria?
Worse still, that was merely the beginning.
To find her brother, Katria had approached a human mage harboring lustful desires for her.
How much more malice would she be exposed to—and tainted by—in that process?
If he could, he'd wield his power right now to take charge.
If only it guaranteed protecting Drian and Katria.
Regrettably, this human city was far too vast.
Causing a scene could lead to the worst outcome: expulsion from the city before recovering Drian.
This nightmarish situation was, in fact, their best option.
In the end, Kairen had to accept it all with a heavy heart.
His own powerlessness.
And her transformation.
The pure girl once cherished and remembered by the Dark Elves of Kehlin was gone.
Now she was a pitiful, grotesque monster dominated by malice and the venom it bred—
"Kairen! Look at this! It's human maid attire—how's it look? Doesn't it suit me perfectly?"
"?"
Who are you?
Kairen nearly blurted it out.
Katria, returned from the mage tower, was utterly unlike his expectations.
Clear eyes showing not a shred of malice or venom.
A cheerful aura without a single blemish.
She didn't look dominated by malice at all.
Quite the opposite.
"Hey, remember? Lord Rishir?"
"Lord Rishir...?"
"Ah! Listen to me! No need to keep up the slave act here."
For some reason, Katria burst into delighted laughter.
Kairen and Reisha, prostrated nearby, stared in stunned silence.
"Anyway! That's not the point! Want to know what happened when I followed him? Kairen, you wouldn't believe it even if I told you."
Surprisingly, Katria's ensuing tale lent ample credibility to her change.
"You've already found the young master?"
"Yeah! Rishir made it his top priority!"
He?
The occasional unfamiliar phrasing irked Kairen slightly, but he focused on her story for now.
A tale about a human who had taken a Dark Elf as his master.
Katria's purely cheerful demeanor gradually took on a solemn weight as she spoke.
"It suddenly hit me. I want to be someone cool like them, brightening other people's worlds..."
It was a simple yet astonishing story: a girl succumbing to villains who met a virtuous soul and was ultimately inspired by him.
"...So, Kairen. Will you support what I do from now on?"
Katria spoke with a fragile yet resolute expression.
"I have to correct my terrible mistake."
Katria retrieved her belongings from Kairen.
She promptly donned a chunky topaz-embedded bracelet.
It was the most precious treasure of the Sahila Family's second daughter, who had founded the Dark Elf empire.
The Hand of Verdandes.
This artifact sealed the mighty desert demon through contract, manifesting the user's wishes as "curses."
"Lady, surely you're not—...!"
The Hand of Verdandes embodied the Sahila Family's history and power—enough to sway a family or city.
As a retainer, Kairen bore the duty to dissuade her from using it.
"The Hand of Verdandes must be used only for Sahila!"
"You're right. This is for Sahila."
"What do you—"
"If I can't save him, then Katria of Sahila will cease to exist."
"...!"
A chill ran down Kairen's spine.
Her once-cheerful eyes momentarily lost all light, as if glimpsing some horrific vision.
In the end, Kairen failed in his duty.
The topaz in the bracelet emitted a scream.
The voice of Verdandes, the demon sealed by contract.
Katria pressed a single strand of golden hair against the topaz and said,
"Can you neutralize the 'poison' corrupting this hair's owner?"
-State another wish!
"Why?"
-He's not afflicted by a poison I can neutralize!
"..."
Katria squeezed her eyes shut.
She had hoped against hope, but even the Hand of Verdandes couldn't purify it.
But it was fine.
There was another way.
Something in the mage tower that had already purified a turbid truth.
Find that, and purifying the turbid truth encroaching on Rishir would be only a matter of time.
Yes.
A matter of time.
So she had to delay, somehow, until Rishir was fully consumed by the turbid truth.
"Share your power with that man."
This request would make it possible.
-How desperately you must want this! Such a foolish wish! By contract, I warn you! If I share my power, he will be dominated by it! That's not what you desire!?
Verdandes was a demon of immense power.
To save a human dominated by it would require tremendous risk and effort.
For example, it wasn't impossible.
Delay the turbid truth's manifestation with Verdandes' power, find the antidote, then remove Verdandes' influence.
That was Katria's plan.
"No. That's exactly what I desire. How long until he succumbs to your power?"
-A week should suffice!
"Good. That's enough. Verdandes. By contract, I command you to fulfill your duty."
-Kuhahaha! Understood, heir of Sahila! The contract is fulfilled!
With that, the topaz's glow faded.
"...Alright. Kairen. Let's go."
There was no time to waste.
Verdandes' power was even now actively seeking to dominate the powerless human mage.
Her time had extended from two days to a week, but it was still tight.
She had to find that purifying element from the mage tower as quickly as possible.
Sir Meltas's lessons came every day.
Today's lesson was practical: sparring.
To be honest, I was pretty excited.
With my current power, even a master should be no match, right?
"Hahk!!! Heuk!!! Hngh!!!"
Not even close.
Even with Sir Meltas going easy on me, I couldn't touch so much as a strand of that scraggly mustache.
"The barrier!!! Hngh!!! Why is it, hngh!!! so damn tough!? Hngh!! Between my teeth— hngh!!!"
"Rishir. If you're tired, catch your breath first. Planning to choke on your nonsense?"
I never imagined.
Even so, failing to pierce a barrier casually conjured with a flick of the wrist?
After an all-out ass-busting effort, my mana hit rock bottom.
It happened less than five minutes into the spar.
A stark reminder of Sir Meltas's prowess—one of the mage tower's elite masters.
"Good work, Rishir. That's enough for today."
"Yessir— hngh!!! —Meltas— hngh!!! Sir— good... Huh?"
"..."
Sensing the sudden incongruity, I stood and said to Sir Meltas,
"Sir Meltas. My mana has recovered."
"?"
"I don't know why, but it has. So, shall we resume the spar?"
"Are you messing with me right now?"
Wherever that Dark Elf went, she had a cozy place to crash.
Not some romantic tale of using the earth as a bed and sky as a blanket.
This hilariously pragmatic method started by locating a mansion owned by a power-hungry corrupt official who'd amassed wealth illicitly in the city.
It served to silence any pangs of conscience while preemptively avoiding nagging from any cute, precious someone.
Next came thorough negotiations (mental interference) with the owner.
Once all that was done—oh my, what a surprise.
The Dark Elf rejected at the city gates becomes the esteemed guest of the corrupt official.
Temporary transfer of ownership of a prime mansion in the bustling district? Proof of their "friendship."
That was how Dark Elf Pamon stayed in a human city uninvited.
"Mmm~ Bed. So fluffy. This is living~"
[Now you're saying that? Didn't you claim resting in human spaces was worse than camping in the woods?]
"Don't be mean~ You know how far the forest is from here, Duran~"
[Oh dear. A book suffering memory loss. I forgot—who was it that gritted their teeth and marched to the city, insisting 'we must arrive before sunset' from that distant forest?]
"Oh, Duran! Look at this wine's color~"
Truth be told, Pamon hadn't always enjoyed this method.
-Pamon. Instead of this, why not get a room in the city?
-Resting in human spaces? Better to spend the night listening to field crickets here~
Originally, Pamon repaid human contempt—toward her and everything they touched—with equal disdain.
Everything changed after she took on a disciple.
-But but~ I want to stockpile conversation topics for when I reunite with Rishir later~
She wanted to share more of the world with her disciple.
With that in mind, Pamon began embracing human culture wholeheartedly.
Yes.
All this to be an impeccable master for her disciple!
"How can wine have such depth? What did they do to the grapes? To the soil? Pruned like mad and sucked the nutrients dry, I bet? Horrific. Something this horrific must be eradicated."
[And yet bringing it to your mouth 'consumes it enjoyably.']
"Want some, Duran?"
[I'm a book.]
Thus, as Pamon perfectly embodied her disciple's ideal master image (wine-soaked mentor),
"Hm?"
Pamon, savoring wine while perched on the bed, rummaged through her luggage.
She returned with a single sheet of parchment, unfurling it on the bed.
[What's up, Pamon?]
"Guess what? A message from the Sahila Family? From the lady herself."
[The lady—meaning the second daughter, Katria? Now that's a surprise. Last I checked, your relationship with her was at rock bottom.]
"What are you saying, Duran~ I adore Lady Katria~"
[Pamon. Shockingly, relationships are mutual. If you like her but she hates you, it's kaput.]
"What do I do~ I got life advice from a book~"
Pamon's eyes followed the letters updating in real-time on the parchment.
"Aha~ So that's why our lady reached out."
[What does she want?]
"Out of nowhere, asking for the antidote to the turbid truth?"
[Antidote to the turbid truth? Why ask you?]
"Probably because it's a medicine made by her master?"