The Basilisk's Gaze
Following Saria's sudden warning to hide, I ducked behind a suitable water jug in the corner.
Kiiiek—
Not long after, the sound of the barn door creaking open echoed through.
Peeking through the gap between the wall and the jug, I could only see the visitor's feet, making it hard to gauge their identity.
"Ah, there you are."
And then came the elegant speech of the kingdom's tongue from the visitor.
「Pardon the intrusion. 'Nice to meet you' will do, yes?」
「You...
"From today onward, I will be your master."
Likewise, through the fluid elven tongue, I could infer the visitor was male.
'Human? Elf? ...Could it be Rakan?'
Whatever the case, I didn't know for sure.
「Nonsense—」
"Oh, of course. Since you're not my property yet, feel free to resist as much as you like?"
"...What?"
"Though in that case, I can't guarantee your safety."
Their relationship didn't seem amicable at all. Saria and the man continued conversing in elven, but...
From what I could gather, it was mostly empty chatter, so I let it wash over me.
'More importantly, if I stretch just a bit more, I might catch a glimpse.'
I tried standing on tiptoe several times to see the visitor's face, but even after evolving, my 13cm height couldn't surmount the jug that towered over me by at least a third.
Hmm... Eh, it'll be fine.
Curiosity killed the cat, but I wasn't a cat, so it was okay.
Whiiiing— Peek.
Seizing the moment when they were engrossed in conversation, I floated up slightly and poked my head over the jug to check the visitor's appearance.
Very antique attire. A red-haired human male with squinting eyes.
...
No.
Something pretending to be human was staring at Saria with a creepy expression.
I'd failed to get solid info, unfortunately.
But at least I knew roughly what it looked like—and that it was extremely dangerous.
Tap.
I landed quietly back on the floor before it noticed me. In the meantime...
「Shut your mouth—!」
For some reason, Saria looked furious as she charged at the mysterious entity.
* * *
The man acted as if subduing someone like Saria would be effortless. True, she was currently wearing mana restraints.
"I'll throw those words right back at you."
Saria was the leader of the forest rangers. Even unarmed and unable to use magic, a scrawny unarmed human was no match for her.
Charing—
Dragging the handcuffs along.
"Leave now without a word, and I'll pretend we never met."
Saria rose and quietly assumed an elven self-defense stance.
"Otherwise, I can't guarantee your safety."
Saria wasn't one to enjoy killing. Unless humans dared invade the Sanctuary like before, she wouldn't kill—even if they hurled disgusting sexual harassment her way. She'd beat them to the brink of death, but stop short.
'...I'll catch hell again once this is over.'
She didn't know the man's exact status, but judging by his casual tone with the human army commander and his attire, he was clearly high-ranking in the kingdom.
So even if beating him senseless was self-defense, she'd face an inquiry over this incident.
'Why do things keep getting tangled up lately...'
As Saria sighed softly and fixed her stance, watching the man intently...
"Lately, I've been researching something intriguing."
"...?"
"Where does the difference between species come from? Why can most elves wield magic effortlessly from childhood, while humans cannot?"
Saria frowned at the man's sudden abstract topic, but...
"That's because you humans are inferior—"
Unable to ignore it, as she prepared a proper response...
"So I bought an elf slave."
The barn's air froze in an instant at the man's follow-up.
"...What?"
"Ah, didn't hear me? For elf research—to dissect a living elf—I bought a live one."
The man explained as if kindly instructing a child, emphasizing each word. Amid his vile attitude, Saria's boiling rage cooled to icy silence.
"Ah, of course, it wasn't for some grand reason like uncovering elves' innate magic affinity to advance humanity."
"......"
"I've got my little brother for that stuck-up idealism. Anyway."
The man chattered on excitedly to himself.
Saria's gaze lingered briefly on the collar in his hand, ignoring him.
The red stains she'd thought were rust on the metal...
"I bought loads of elf slaves out of petty curiosity and boldly started experimenting."
"......"
"But the ones from the black market were all 'adjusted' to prevent magic use."
Long-dried blood from someone.
"Merchants have to consider transport safety, after all. Disappointing. So I experimented on their second-generation offspring as a substitute."
"......"
"After dismantling and probing dozens of times, I realized 'natural-born' elves were needed to reach the knowledge I sought."
Creak. The man grinned and rolled up his sleeve. On his wrist...
Clang—
...identical iron collars covered his forearm densely enough to hide it entirely.
"I don't want any more innocent elf deaths."
"......"
"So, Silver Wolf—you, please participate in my experiments as a fresh elf to prevent further slave elf deaths."
Silence followed the man's words.
.
Then, Saria's parched voice shattered it, filling the barn.
"...Human, is there no lie in what you said?"
"None whatsoever."
The man smiled with evident pleasure.
Grind.
As expected, she shouldn't have trusted a human.
Even if it meant her death.
She should have shot the human army commander and forced the elders' hand to avoid half-measures.
'...Even now, if I take the princess and this high-status man hostage, there's a chance.'
The humans' princess and this apparently important man. Capture them, convince the humans to withdraw their army peacefully.
"Ah, of course, you'll get merits too. For your noble sacrifice, the other elves' safety will be guaran—"
"Shut your mouth—!"
The moment Saria decided and lunged...
.
.
The man's eyes flipped upside down. Simultaneously...
Fwaah—
From within the inverted pupils, a vertically slit yellow reptilian eye emerged.
The moment the monster's eye locked onto Saria...
"...?!"
Saria's body froze like a specimen.
Not a finger could twitch. Panicking at her unresponsive body, she frantically rolled only her eyes.
"No answer, I see."
"......"
"Shall I take this as acceptance of my proposal?"
The man smiled leisurely, collar in hand, drawing closer to Saria.
* * *
I thought I'd get to watch the elf charge bravely for once.
But the man suddenly flipped his eyes inside out and glared, ending the fight anticlimactically.
Well, when a squinting guy opens his eyes fully, his combat power shifts units—common knowledge. Saria couldn't overcome her elven limits, so her defeat was inevitable.
Of course, superpower matchups aren't inherently bad.
'Boring.'
Still, fights should involve fierce clashes, trading blows intensely.
Ending it just by opening eyes and staring—does that even count as a fight...?
Anyway. I'd planned to stay out of their lovers' quarrel.
But leaving it like this, Saria would end up job-changing into a slave for that sleazy red-haired squinting pervert without a single counter.
Swoosh—
I pointed the fork's tines skyward, drawing it back at an angle.
Stretching my arm to the limit, I fixed on the target's movement.
Aim: the snake eye causing Saria's paralysis.
One step, another. Holding my breath as it drew nearer...
'...Now.'
On cue...
Whoosh—!
I thrust my hand forward in one motion.
Spear throw.
The fork shot straight without deviation, hurtling toward the snake eye.
"!" Whish—!
'...Dodges it.'
Despite throwing in earnest, fully intending a hit...
The man evaded with astonishing reflexes, snapping his neck back.
A bit disappointing, but mission accomplished anyway.
His neck craned meant...
Taat—!
...his vision was disrupted.
Thwack—!
Freed from restraint, Saria lunged at the man the instant she could move.