The Elf Slave I Rescued Was Actually the Princess of Elvenheim

"Turn everything upside down!"

The moment those words left my mouth, Sane's eyes changed.

─The cold, merciless gaze of an assassin.

Knives embedded themselves one by one into the necks of the guards surrounding us. The fresh blood spurting from them dyed the air crimson.

"Gurgh... ack..."

"Sane! We need to grab the holy relic!"

"Got it!"

Sane looked strangely excited.

The guards rushing to stop her fell like reeds in the wind.

She moved with blinding speed and precision, striking vital points and neutralizing enemies in a single blow.

"It's that bitch who broke in last time!"

A guard's shout rang out, and even more personnel swarmed toward Sane.

But they couldn't match her speed. To her, they were nothing but scarecrows. Corpses began piling up around her one by one.

Still, people are starting to gather... I see several with magically enhanced gear... We can't hold out much longer.

Even Sane, who had been cheerfully cutting down enemies, was clearly beginning to tire.

As an assassin, taking on this many opponents at once had to be a heavy burden. I needed to link up with her quickly and get us out of here.

I swung my shield like a blunt instrument at every person in sight.

...After all, everyone here was complete trash.

As a bonus, I smashed every restraint holding the elves captive.

"Run."

The elf stood frozen, seemingly unable to process the situation.

The more chaos we caused, the easier our escape would be. Their panic would hinder the pursuers when the time came.

While I lightly suppressed the guards trying to stop me and continued my rampage, I sensed a flow of mana swirling around me.

A mage!

Just as I expected, a magic circle formed and mana chains burst forth, binding my body.

"Urgh...."

The mage kept chanting after restraining me. Ominous mana swirled violently around the caster.

The other mages nearby began casting spells one after another.

The surrounding guards kept their distance to avoid getting caught in the crossfire, ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠forming a perimeter instead.

Can ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠I endure this...?

I had already used Invincibility earlier today in the fight with Luden, so I had no choice but to tank it with my own body.

I was just about to pour every ounce of my magic power into reinforcing my durability when─a knife buried itself in the neck of the mage who had cast the binding spell.

The moment the restraint vanished, I leaped clear. A barrage of lethal spells slammed into the spot where I had been standing.

Sane...!

Even while she was in danger herself, Sane had targeted the mage to save me.

She was paying for that split-second distraction by being driven back by the guards. Minor wounds were accumulating across her body.

This was bad.

As I desperately tried to think of a way out of this mess, something began embedding itself into the guards' heads one by one.

"Ughhh...ack..."

These are... mana arrows...?

When I looked toward the source, the elf who had been held as a slave was firing them.

Spirits floated and danced around her.

A spirit archer...?

Her archery was phenomenal. The spirit arrows blazed with fire as they pierced straight through the enemy ranks.

Her sudden support alone completely flipped the momentum of the battle.

Her aim was surgical. The arrows punched through armor and bodies alike.

They flew with terrifying speed, dropping enemies one after another.

She's insanely skilled...?

I used Insight to check the elf's status window.

"What the...?"

The words slipped out before I could stop them.

Elves naturally had high spirit affinity, so commanding spirits was normal, but one with the Divine Archer trait...?

No matter how deeply I searched my memories, there was no character named Selena in the game.

Elvenheim...? Could she be...?

In the game there was a passing mention of a story where the princess of Elvenheim─the kingdom founded by the elves─went missing inside the empire. The elves protested so fiercely that the situation nearly escalated into war.

Of course, the whole thing was swept under the rug once the demons launched their massive invasion, but seeing this elf's name made a wild possibility flash through my mind.

Those insane bastards... kidnapped the elf princess and sold her into slavery...?

It was also a mystery how they had even managed to capture an elf princess with stats like these.

There's no way she came to the empire without escorts... And does it even make sense for an elf under a hundred years old to leave Elvenheim?

The setting was that elves, who typically lived over five hundred years, were not allowed to leave Elvenheim until they reached one hundred.

The only plausible explanation was that this princess had snuck out of the kingdom... but why?

Whether she knew what I was thinking or not, the princess kept putting arrows through the guards' skulls.

...She must have had a lot of built-up resentment.

Before long the guards who had rushed into the auction house were taken care of, but more reinforcements would keep pouring in.

And... if that guy shows up, we'll be in real trouble.

If the ruler of this black market arrived, our current fighting strength wouldn't stand a chance.

"Sane! And you, the elf! Follow me!"

Sane and Selena both heard my command and fell in behind me.

"Hey. Nice work."

I handed stamina potions to both of them.

"Huk... huuk... Thank you... seriously..."

"..."

Selena simply stared at the potion I offered her.

This isn't the time for hesitation.

"Drink it quickly and stay with me. I know an escape route."

This black market had an emergency exit prepared for situations like this. Naturally it wasn't for customers, but for the nobles who ran the place and their inner circle.

We headed deeper into the black market, making for the emergency route.

"Huuk... wait a second..."

Sane was gasping for breath. As an assassin with low stamina, she was clearly struggling.

"Get on my back."

"Huh?"

"...Hurry."

"O-okay..."

Sane initially hesitated at the suggestion but eventually climbed onto my back.

She fell silent, probably embarrassed.

She's lighter than I expected.

"Are you all right?"

I asked Selena beside me.

She looked better off than Sane but was still clearly exhausted.

Still, she nodded as if to say she could keep going.

"Find them! They couldn't have gotten far!"

The shouts of the black market guards chasing us echoed behind.

We picked up the pace and sprinted forward.

...Before long we discovered what looked like a warehouse.

"It's locked! What do we do...?"

Sane sounded like she was about to cry. The warehouse door was secured with a sturdy password lock.

─The mechanism appeared to be a magical device with a keypad for entering a code.

It's strangely modern... The password was definitely... Mekain.

That was the name of the lord who ruled Lyden, where this black market was located. Count Mekain Lyden.

...This password was solid proof that the black market was connected to the Lyden lord.

When I entered the code, the lock released with a click and we slipped inside.

The moment we entered, the door locked again. The sounds of pursuit continued from behind.

It should be safe here until someone who knew the code arrived.

I scanned the warehouse, trying to recall the location of the secret exit I had seen in the game.

Wooden crates of various sizes were stacked throughout the room. ...They ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠definitely weren't filled with ordinary goods.

There it is... right here!

When I moved the stacked crates aside, a narrow passage appeared. This had to be the secret escape route.

"From here on the passage is narrow, so we'll have to crawl... Sane, take the lead. We'll match your pace."

"Ehh...? Okay..."

Sane was still breathing hard; her stamina hadn't fully recovered yet.

"I'll take the rear. ...That all right?"

"...Yes."

"...And thank you..."

Selena's voice, which I heard for the first time, was soft and beautifully melodic. I was momentarily stunned by it before I caught myself and answered.

"...It's nothing. I just happened to save you."

We began crawling into the secret passage.

"Just keep going straight?"

"...Yeah. The exit should appear soon."

"How do you even know that...? Don't tell me you really made a contract with the demons?"

"Stop talking and keep moving."

"...This is so annoying... Huh?! I think I see the exit up ahead!"

Just as Sane said, faint moonlight was leaking in from the front.

We finally emerged from the narrow tunnel and breathed in the fresh night air. We had come out beyond the castle walls.

"Sane ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠can escape with me... What about you?"

I asked Selena.

"My name is Selena... And now I suppose I must return to my kingdom..."

For some reason she sounded reluctant. ...No way.

"Where exactly do you think you're going?"

I turned toward the voice.

He already predicted we'd use the secret escape route...!

The last person I wanted to meet was standing right in front of us.

The former commander of the Black Wing Knights, who secretly eliminated the empire's enemies from the shadows.

And the current ruler of this black market. Ares Draconyx.

"You've really caused quite the commotion, you brats."

He was blocking our path.