Affection (3)
Affection (3)
Beastkin Alliance Elf Nation affiliated. Great Forest World Tree Ranger.
It hadn't been long since I realized Orion was such a being. Just last night. When she pounced on me.
The moment her vagina touched my dick, my overly generous ability accepted even that as a condition, and from then on, I could read her thoughts.
─Once you taste an elf's body...... your body and heart will become my slaves. Everything for the great elves.
Elf Great Again.
Seeing that, Dojin flinched. Then he read her thoughts without missing a beat. What he learned was that her true identity was a Ranger from the Great Forest.
An elite special forces agent that only a select few among the elves, those skilled in combat, could become. Why such a being was alone in Dungeon City was a mystery, but......
'That's not the important part.'
She suspected Dojin of being an Empire spy. She also thought there was a traitor inside the Beastkin Alliance colluding with him.
That wasn't just her own idea—it seemed to be the higher-ups' thinking as well, since Orion had been officially assigned the mission to extract information from Dojin.
'At first, it didn't seem like she was a spy......'
In the first place, the one who chose her was no one else but her own will. Bribing the guild to sneak in her recommendation letter? How could she join Dojin's party that way?
'It must be because of the newspaper?'
Dojin speculated on the reason she got the mission. If Deokgu were here, he could've figured it out for sure, but unfortunately, there hadn't been a chance to tell him.
'How can I clear up this misunderstanding?'
The problem was, he wasn't an Empire spy to begin with. Naturally, there was no informant he knew of inside the Beastkin Alliance.
Since she was looking for something that didn't exist, Orion would never find what she wanted in her lifetime, obviously.
"Why are you looking at me like that? Leader?"
"......Nothing."
If she realized Dojin wasn't a spy, wouldn't she return to the Great Forest?
That thought made a corner of his heart ache bitterly. She was a precious comrade, and losing a precious comrade was tough.
'Fine, if that's what you think......'
He'd gladly become the spy for her.
After dropping Orion off at her place and returning to the mansion, Dojin racked his brain, agonizing over what to do.
He couldn't consult Deokgu. His knowledge and skills would help, but Deokgu wasn't the type to stay calm upon learning Orion was an elf spy.
If they met, he'd definitely slip up somehow, and Orion, with her special training, wouldn't miss it.
'How can I...... fool her without getting caught.'
He pondered for a long time. No matter how hard he squeezed his brain, no method came to mind. His head throbbed from overthinking.
He craved something sweet. Back on Earth, he'd just grab his smartphone and order from any cafe... but in the Otherworld, that was a pipe dream.
'My head hurts......'
His head throbbed. Lying on the bed staring at the ceiling, he tried rolling his sluggish brain.
Tok tok.
Dojin turned toward his door. Someone knocked, but he lacked the energy to respond. Only belatedly did he mutter 'Come in,' and the person waiting outside cautiously opened the door and entered.
Eunha, who entered, saw Dojin lying on the bed and asked in a worried tone.
"Dojin...? Are you sick?"
"......No, why?"
"You were, uh, lying down......"
"Lying down means I'm sick?"
It was a ridiculous statement. Dojin couldn't forgive her for saying something so absurd. He quickly reached out, pulled Eunha in, hugged her to his chest, and rolled around on the bed.
Her small frame fit perfectly into his arms like a doll, and she stiffened up just like a real doll, not moving a muscle. As if saying her only use was to stay still like a doll.
If he'd hugged Raize, who was similarly petite, she'd have gone berserk yelling not to treat her like a kid. If he'd hugged Lastina? Her otherworldly chest size would've made it feel super lewd right away.
"There, now you're sick too?"
"......N-no."
"See? So, why'd you come?"
"Uh, yeah. Um...... er......"
Eunha had come to Dojin's room for some business, but thanks to him suddenly hugging her, she completely forgot why she'd come.
She racked her brain trying to recall the memory that wouldn't surface, lost in thought.
Watching her, Dojin fiddled with her hair, playing with it, when a good idea struck him.
'......Eunha might work?'
She didn't show much expression change usually.
If he told her not to tell anyone, she'd never spill.
Would it be okay to tell her Orion was a spy?
'It'll be fine.'
Dojin trusted his instincts. Besides, wasn't Eunha also a comrade who'd hunted in the dungeon with Orion? She wouldn't want a comrade vanishing for some nonsense reason either.
Having made up his mind, Dojin looked down intently at Eunha in his arms. Even feeling his gaze, she didn't budge.
"Eunha."
"Uh, yeah."
"......Hypothetically, just hypothetically. What if a spy was targeting us?"
"Spy......?"
"Yeah. Spy."
"Wh-what would the spy do?"
"Well......"
Dojin found it tricky to explain. Eunha surely knew the concept of a spy. She actually did. What she was curious about was why a spy would target Dojin.
"......We're running the newspaper, right? It had stuff about each race's quirks that ordinary people wouldn't know."
"Yeah."
"So, they think we have connections inside the demi-human groups. That there's a traitor inside."
"Traitor... is there really one?"
"Not that there really is, just assuming there is."
Hearing Dojin, Eunha slowly fell into thought. A spy targeting us?
The reason didn't make sense, and the basis for thinking so was flimsy, but she started squeezing her own brain following Dojin's words.
"......Kill us?"
"The spy? Nah, probably not."
"Then kidnap us or something."
"Hmm, probably not kidnapping either."
"......Then what's the problem?"
"What?"
It was a truth-piercing remark. Yeah, spy or whatever, if they weren't harming us right now, what did it matter?
Of course, this was just a predicted future, but Dojin was confident he could subdue Orion before she caused him harm.
He was confident he could persuade her to abandon her mission in such an extreme situation......
All his agonizing felt stupid now. Dojin looked at Eunha in his arms and mercilessly pinched and stroked her cheek.
"Eunha, you're a genius. Right? How else could you think of that?"
"Eeek, eeeeek."
Ignoring Eunha's mumbling protests, Dojin got up from the bed with a refreshed expression and picked up his wooden sword. Then he looked at her and asked.
"Wanna spar after so long?"
"......Yeah."
Of course, there was no way she'd refuse his offer.
─Yeah, so you can get the info within this week, right?
"......I'll do my best."
─Don't disappoint me.
Click. The spirit inside the crystal ball closed its eyes. The other side must've cut the communication. Confirming that, Orion hid the crystal ball in her secret spot and changed clothes.
The natural beauty-filled traditional hunting outfit elves wore for hunts. With the outfit on and bow slung over her shoulder, Orion headed to the dungeon outpost.
As soon as she stepped out, air incomparably murkier than her hometown flowed into her nostrils.
She used to frown unbearably before, but now, after years in the city, it was a familiar smell.
Arriving at the dungeon front without a change in expression, Orion scanned around for Dojin and the group.
Unfortunately, she seemed to be the first today. With no choice, she leaned against a nearby building and waited for Dojin.
While waiting, vulgar gazes from low-rank adventurers stabbed at her relentlessly. Eyes sticking to her exposed thighs and chest—there'd never been a day this disgusting.
The silver lining was that the peeking adventurers spotted the high-rank adventurer mark on her waist and backed off in fear without approaching.
If they'd even tried talking to her, she might not have held back and caused an incident.
How long had she waited when Dojin's footsteps echoed from afar? Lifting her head, she spotted him and slowly waved.
Dojin spotted her waving from afar and waved back.
'......Leader.'
Elves don't love humans. That's natural. Elves live far too long to love humans who last barely a century.
And yet, it always happens. Elves have no choice but to love humans. Leaving the Great Forest where they stagnate in the same routines day after day, watching humans live each day to the fullest......
You can't help but love this race.
Dojin was exceptional among them. A special existence that shone just by being seen.
A being like a hero, one born per era at most.
A person like the hero who defeated the legendary Demon King.
The one who stole her heart.
'I shouldn't......'
You mustn't love humans.
From the perspective of an eternally living elf, it was a path straight to ruin.
She'd heard and seen that warning countless times, but now it all felt pointless.
No matter how ancestors warned.
No matter how sages cautioned.
The surging emotions couldn't be stopped.
'I......'
I came out to the dungeon front and smiled faintly at Orion, who was already waiting.
"Been waiting?"
"......No. I just got here too."
A subtle silence so faint you wouldn't notice if you hadn't seen her from afar—Dojin scanned her expression and nodded.
"Yeah."
"......"
Silence fell. But it couldn't be helped. I had to watch my words. I couldn't let slip that I'd figured out her secret by talking carelessly.
Soon after, Raize walked up. Totter totter, she approached, saw my face, and gave a slight bow.
"Welcome."
"......Yeah."
"All gathered? Shall we head in?"
I led the group into the dungeon. We weren't ready to fight the Ruler of the 30th Floor yet.
That wasn't something one party could take down. A boss monster requiring multiple parties for a raid.
What we came for today was different.
'We need to level up.'
Stepping foot on the 30th Floor had unlocked our growth limits. Both Orion and Raize testified to it simultaneously.
Eunha and I felt nothing...... but we could chalk it up to Otherworlders being special.
And with the limits broken, all that was left was to push through.
"Let's go."