This Petty Elf Bitch
I am not afraid of ghosts. Of course I'm not. A Demon King, frightened of spiritual beings? That would be absurd.
If anything, things like ghosts ought to be afraid of me. Those two from earlier clearly had no idea what they were dealing with, so I'll let that slide.
"Hieeek…."
But Elisa? Elisa is terrifying. My whole body is shaking like mad. The sheer pressure radiating from that towering frame makes even the air itself tremble.
I swallowed hard and edged a half-step backward. Caught red-handed at a murder scene.
Do I have to kill her right here?
I immediately measured the gap between Elisa's strength and mine. If I vanished into stealth inside this enclosed space, she would never find me. No matter how sharp her senses were… by the time she noticed, my dagger would already be buried in her throat.
But could I even get close?
The instant I disappeared, Elisa would react and loose her arrows. Just like before — two at once, wouldn't she? One for the heart, one for the brow…. I still didn't have the confidence to dodge those.
"H-how did you even know I was here…."
"I followed you."
Impossible! I'd checked — everyone was asleep! And the fact that I never sensed her all the way here was even harder to believe. Had she suppressed even the faintest breath? I already knew she was a seasoned warrior, but still.
"Then… how much did you…."
"From start to finish."
"So you saw me kill this man, too…."
"Mm-hm."
This was bad.
"I know why you killed him, though. It was for Sloan, right?"
"Y-yes…."
"Touching. Dirtying your hands for the sake of the party. You've done this kind of thing quite a lot, haven't you?"
Torture was my specialty, sure. But doing it to a human? This was a first.
"Really now…. How many days has it been since you joined us?"
"A little over two weeks."
"Just long enough to start recognizing each other's faces. And yet…. You don't hesitate to kill. How moving."
She seemed to be laboring under some serious misunderstanding. And her sense of time was a little off, too — though that was probably just an elf thing.
"Look, Elisa. You heard it yourself. These bastards were framing Sloan and blocking her path to advancement. Why wouldn't I kill them?"
"I know. I already said you did well."
Then why did her eyes look like that?! I slowly started pulling my body back.
"But here's the thing. Sloan doesn't like killing people."
"…That doesn't seem true at all."
"She's the kind of girl who grieves more than anyone over the death of an innocent. You could call it a hero's noble spirit."
That was pure nonsense. That woman's eyes were not human eyes.
If anything, they resembled ours. Watching her fight, "Demon King" suited her far better than "Hero."
"But I didn't kill an innocent person. This man was a Demon King's spy. As you well know, executing a spy on the spot is perfectly legal."
"That's true enough. But still."
Sliiiide. Elisa brought her face right up to mine. Something about it was intensely oppressive — I tried to lean back, but there was nowhere left to go.
"Who's going to believe that?"
"W-what?"
"The man you just killed was a high-ranking guild officer. Anyone can see that. You murdered someone like him. Heh heh…. What do you think happens if this gets out?"
This elf — was she blackmailing me right now? A member of the hero party, no less!
"No…. Why would you do this? Aren't we party members? And I can just explain everything to Sloan!"
"Do I listen to a party member of two weeks, or do I trust a comrade I've traveled with for two years? Really makes you think, doesn't it? If it were me, I'd trust the reliable elf."
Damn it. Checkmate. Never mind Elisa—
"…What do you want from me."
"Hm?"
"You want something. That's why you're saying all this, isn't it? You wouldn't have followed me otherwise."
"Ah, you're sharper than you look. Heh heh heh. I thought that little head of yours was just for show."
Elisa caught my chin and tilted it up. Why was she so tall? I had to crane my neck until it ached just to look at her.
"Let's pick up where we left off in that labyrinth."
"Th-that—!"
"Weren't we supposed to pretend it never happened? No. No…. Sloan barged in halfway through and ruined everything. I can't just let that stand."
What did she mean, "can't let that stand"? This lecherous long-eared bitch….
"Ahahaha…. Please don't do this. I-I get that you like me, but you don't need to blackmail me into sex."
"Still not getting it, are you."
Ssslip. Black hair spilled through Elisa's fingers.
It was over. Words weren't getting through anymore.
"You're going to do as you're told, right? You're smart. And you're the kind of person who doesn't even flinch at murder for the sake of the party."
"A-am I a… bad person? This kind of thing is really… difficult for me."
"Good. I'll take that as understanding."
How had things come to this? Maybe joining this party had been a mistake all along.
But the fact that it was already too late — that much hadn't changed.
Got him.
Finally caught him.
Elisa felt rapture and guilt at the same time. She knew she shouldn't be doing this, and yet… she had blackmailed Vallitics.
Uheheheh…. I'm going insane. Why did I do this? Hm? Elisa, you really are a rotten bitch.
Sloan had an honest nature, but she also had a pure side that assumed everyone else shared her moral compass. Because of that, she would never have believed that this guild officer was a human colluding with a Demon King.
Vallitics, only about two weeks into the party, would have figured out her personality quickly. And so — he had set off on an assassination mission without consulting anyone.
You owe Sloan a debt of gratitude, Elisa. You're not seriously thinking of betraying your benefactor, are you?
Sloan's benefactor was Elisa's benefactor as well. To threaten him was no different from betraying the Hero herself.
And yet…. Her lust was on the verge of exploding. The only reason she hadn't dragged Vallitics into an alley and taken him right then and there was the superhuman patience unique to elves.
"U-um…. Elisa. Could we maybe head back to the inn soon? If Sloan notices, we're in big trouble."
"Shut up."
She spat the curse without meaning to. When people have nothing left to say, their language turns rough.
If only I'd finished it back then….
Sloan had barged into the room at the worst possible moment, and she never got to finish having sex.
It left her deeply unsettled. She should have pinned that tiny little thing to the floor and pounded him — thwap— thwap— thwap— thwap—.
If I'd finished it then, I wouldn't still be hung up on this.
If she could just have him once — truly, just once — she'd have no more wishes left. All she could do was smack her lips in frustration.
"Where exactly are we going…? Why did we come all the way to this seedy slum…."
"Because there are fewer people around here."
"…Hic!"
Vallitics' face was pure terror. He looked like a kitten that had been unfairly smacked and was about to cry.
A normal person would have felt guilty facing someone so small. Elisa was not a normal person.
The sensation of that long, hard cock still lingered in her mouth. Utterly intoxicating….
"You filthy little slut."
"Y-yes…?"
"You just did that on purpose."
"What did I even do…."
"You're still doing it right now. You really are doing it on purpose, aren't you. Want me to just fuck you right here?"
"I don't even know what I did, so how am I supposed to…."
He genuinely had no idea. What had he done? The more he tried to speak, the more Vallitics got sexually harassed.
"You. You'd better fix that way of talking. I'm only letting it slide because it's me…. Hey!"
"Ah! You startled me! Shit, what?!"
"What? Shit? Did you just say shit."
"No…. Even I can swear a little when I'm startled."
Elisa's eyes went wide.
It wasn't widely known, but elves were a matriarchal society. Male elves had weak bodies. And after the Goddess's meddling had reshaped human customs, that tendency had only grown stronger.
Meanwhile, Vallitics could not shake off the sensation pressing against his rear.
"Your ass."
"Pardon?"
"It's lewd."
Squeeeeeze—! The classic method female elves used to keep their husbands in line: a full-handed ass grab. The same arm strength that launched sonic-boom arrows came crashing down on Vallitics!
Pain painted his vision pure white.
"You really are determined to get fucked. Planning to offer yourself to those homeless guys over there? Not a chance while I've got two eyes open."
"I understand. Please stop…. People can see us over there. Y-y-yaah! That hurts!"
This was driving him insane. How had he ended up in this pathetic state? He could feel his pride as a Demon King shattering into pieces.
"Absolutely not. Then I'd have no reason to blackmail you, would I? Hm?"
"Where on earth are we going…."
"We're almost there. We're really, truly almost there. See that alley? Just go in there."
It was a dark alley.
So pitch-black that it seemed as if the entire night of this slum was pouring out from between those walls.
It was a strangely familiar environment, too. The demon realm where he'd once lived had felt just like this — a place overflowing with death and plague.
"I can sense something inside…. Feels like there are already people in there."
"I know."
Is that so. I lowered my head and walked forward. For a moment, I even thought that this might be a path filled with life instead of death.
Truly…. I had no idea how things had come to this.