Chapter 131
Chapter 131
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 131
Chapter Title: The Betrayed General Betrays
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Regardless of how much trouble the elves were having with Benedikta's voice constantly ringing in their heads at all hours...
"What was that alarm earlier?"
"A small enemy raiding party approached, but they tried to break through the main gate..."
"So it was dealt with before our troops even had to step in."
"Yes, sir."
Thanks to her, who was more sensitive about intrusions into her territory than anyone else,
"Today's raid resulted in zero casualties as well."
"That's partly because the raids are still small-scale... but I hope it stays this way going forward."
"Agreed, Commander."
Our Imperial Army and the dwarves had finally secured some breathing room.
And over those few days, I'd made some progress of my own.
Raids came almost daily, so she was always hiding inside a tree whenever I visited, but...
"Heading out again today?"
"The bucket keeps emptying steadily, so it seems she doesn't hate it."
I'd confirmed that the bucket full of rice rinse water I left out was always empty and placed at the camp entrance by the next morning.
If she had zero interest, the bucket would have ended up shattered into wooden splinters like the orc flesh she tore apart, so its pristine condition was a pretty positive sign.
"Then I'll prepare as well."
"...Mm."
Anna, who had insisted on never letting me go alone and started tagging along a few days ago, joined me as we each carried a bucket of rice rinse water and left the barracks.
We barely shook off Erika, who wanted to know where we were headed, and made our way toward the main gate where Benedikta was.
"Things have eased up a bit, but you're still busy, aren't you? Is there a reason you're making time specifically for her?"
Anna, who had been walking a short distance behind, sidled up and asked quietly.
"Benedikta? It's an investment, pure investment."
"Benedikta... No personal reasons?"
Not satisfied with my answer, she pressed further, but...
"Personal?"
"Her looks, her abilities—they're both exceptional, aren't they?"
"Looks? Well..."
The direction of her question caught me off guard, leaving me without much to say.
I did have slightly higher expectations since her reaction had been better than anticipated, but...
"Any human who gets hung up on a high elf's appearance won't live long."
"...Is that so?"
"If you can't hear mental communication, actual conversation is nearly impossible. Plus, there's talk that she shreds orcs like they're being mulched for fertilizer with their blood and flesh."
"..."
"Still, if I can plant even a tiny positive impression, that's good. If she hates it, I'll stop right away."
In the game, interaction was practically impossible, so I'm not expecting miracles.
The best-case scenario would be her tolerating Imperial troops moving through her territory, but that's just wishful thinking.
"..."
"We're here. Time to set it down and back off."
"Understood."
Chatting with Anna had brought us to the edge of her territory before I knew it.
I picked up the bucket Anna had set down and cautiously approached Benedikta's side.
"Two is a bit heavy."
"Couldn't you make two trips?"
"Approaching her territory twice would be more dangerous, wouldn't it?!"
-Thud.
I reached the pre-marked spot on the ground, set both buckets down, and retreated.
"...Done. Let's go."
I dusted off my hands, marked with imprints from the handles, and turned around, but...
"S-Sir."
"Yeah?"
Anna called out to me, her eyes slightly wide, pointing behind me.
"The tree... it's moving."
"Huh?"
Turning at her words in surprise, sure enough, the central tree was slowly splitting open.
"Unexpected development... We need to run!"
"Hm... Hold on. No hostility detected."
"Pardon?"
Anna tugged at my clothes, urging me to flee, but the dot for Benedikta on my minimap remained gray.
A high elf's non-hostile actions could still be dangerous, but it meant she wasn't trying to harm me right now.
I stood still, watching the tree's movements intently.
"..."
Eventually, the tree split fully, revealing Benedikta inside.
Wrapped in leaves like a full-body swimsuit, she emerged from the plants and walked leisurely toward me.
"...What do we do?"
"Don't provoke her. ...For now."
"Yes..."
I stayed tense, ready to bolt at any moment, observing her as she approached with a slight frown.
Fortunately, my judgment to stay put seemed correct.
After what felt like tens of minutes but was only a few, she dragged her floor-length green hair right up to us.
As a high elf, she was taller than my above-average height by about half a head.
"..."
Surprisingly, she glanced at the buckets of rice rinse water with a faint smile, then...
"!@##@!@#!"
"...?"
...opened her mouth and spoke to me in an unexpectedly lively tone.
"...Do you understand her?"
"Not a word."
It was an incredible opportunity, but...
Regrettably, I couldn't understand a thing she said.
"!@#!#!@!@##@"
"..."
I desperately gestured to her pointing at the bucket that I couldn't understand, and...
"..."
She quietly observed my gestures, furrowed her brow again, then...
"^&*&^&*&^&****^"
...switched to a completely different intonation and said something else.
From the context, it seemed like a different language from before.
"..."
Of course, I still couldn't understand it.
"!@###@@#@###!!#!!"
Seeing my same gestures again, she snapped something back in her original tone, then...
"!#@!#"
...effortlessly lifted both buckets with her hands and turned back toward the tree she'd emerged from.
"..."
Anna and I held our breath until the tree she'd entered smoothly closed again.
"Haa..."
"Whew... goodness..."
Only after she was completely out of sight did we exhale and slump down.
"...Erika would've been helpful. I couldn't make out the words, but the second language sounded similar to what the other elves use."
"Should bring her next time. Whew..."
I'd never imagined she'd try talking to me, so I'd left Erika behind for safety.
Once again realizing the game and reality were different, I looked at Anna, who had slumped down beside me.
"Did you catch even a little? Anything at all?"
"...I'm not sure. Sorry."
"No need to apologize. ...Was she asking what it is?"
"That seems most likely."
"Too bad Vittorio's heart is pitch black, or I could've asked him. What a shame."
Afterward, Anna and I tried piecing together the conversation from her gestures and such,
"But she seems to like it, right?"
"...Yes."
"...Let's head back for now."
"Yes, sir."
Assuming we'd ask Erika, I jotted down Benedikta's words phonetically in my notebook and returned to the barracks.
Meanwhile.
"Mm..."
Benedikta dipped her feet one by one into the side-by-side buckets, savoring the nutrients rising from her soles.
She'd been a bit annoyed at the humans who couldn't understand even after she'd kindly used Common Elvish on top of her mental speech, which they apparently still couldn't hear, but...
"Delicious. So... delicious."
With her feet immersed in the rice rinse water now, she wore a faint smile.
Unsure of what it was, the overconfident high elf had brought the buckets inside to inspect them herself.
But midway, she'd absentmindedly spilled some on her feet—that was the start.
"Mm... mm, mm."
In her stressful routine of battling periodic intruders, she'd been absorbing foul, sticky, slow-to-take orc blood and such, but now this fast-absorbing, smooth, subtly sweet rice rinse water...
Due to her trait of siphoning nutrients from surrounding plants, she could barely absorb even sweet fruits, so she savored this rare faint sweetness.
But as her absorption unconsciously sped up, the rice rinse water visibly dwindled.
"Haa..."
She expressed regret at the empty buckets after barely ten minutes.
"...Why don't the elves know what this is?"
The first day she'd tasted it, emotion had led her to absorb it all, leaving none to ask about.
The next day, she'd saved some and inquired, but no elf could identify it.
"Instead of useless offerings, if only they'd bring more of this."
She sighed wistfully, but embarrassment kept her from demanding they switch offerings to fruit or vegetable juices.
"..."
She irritably summoned a few nearby elves to vent some stress.
"Th..."
Glancing around, she picked up an empty bucket at her feet, intending to hurl it too, but...
"..."
-Plop.
Thinking it might not come again, she carefully carried it out and set it down outside the tree.
"..."
She instructed the elves to return the buckets to their usual spot.
"...Will he come again?"
After issuing the orders.
Slumping weakly into her seat, she thought of Victor's face—the one who'd been bringing rice rinse water daily lately—and fell into contemplation.