The Red-Haired Elf, Elenore (2)
Last night. After hearing Elenore’s story, I decided I had to leave immediately. Elenore was injured and needed rest, so it was enough for me to go alone. Having been forced to lounge around for the past few weeks, my physical condition was at its peak. I need to track down the location of those Gress Brothers bastards Elenore was working with.
I left the room straight away and went to find Kirondaer. "Kirondaer, where do the local bandit scum usually hang out?"
Kirondaer, who had been sleeping in his room, tossed and turned, answering with a hint of irritation. "Ah, for heaven's sake... it's a basement tavern called the 'Damp Night Street,' you punk. Stop waking me up while I'm sleeping..."
"Sorry, sorry. Sleep tight."
"Zzz..."
I tucked him in properly and headed outside. A short while later, I arrived at the basement tavern tucked away in a dark alley. The moment I stepped inside, I grabbed the head of the guy acting the most arrogant in front of the thugs and hoodlums and slammed it into the table to start things off.
"If anyone here knows where the Gress Brothers are, step out. I'll pay you."
One guy tentatively raised his hand and came forward, so I coaxed the information out of him. Of course, instead of paying the information fee, I knocked him out and left. According to him, the Gress Brothers, who had extorted the Duchess Diana’s property, were hiding in a village called 'Naldol.'
Naldol was a 'free village' created by fugitives. It was a place gathered by murderers, slaves, debtors, drug addicts, and Lurkers. They didn't pay taxes and weren't controlled by the local lord. It was truly a lawless zone rampant with fraud and violence. The reason the lord didn't drive them out and clean up the village was, first, the area was a geothermal zone where smoke rose from the ground, making it practically wasteland, and the residents usually died early from diseases. Second, he worried that if he cleared the village out, the residents would just run away and build another village somewhere nearby. At worst, they might scatter and create several more lawless villages. He chose the method of gathering the bad apples in one place and letting them live there. The residents of Naldol noticed this intention and lived their lives committing crimes without worry. Since the lord's army would never attack, wanted criminals frequently flowed in, and they enjoyed interacting with the outside world safely, such as by cultivating and selling drugs.
That’s why… they must have been absolutely terrified when they heard the sudden news that the lord's army was coming.
'Distraction operation.'
My specialties were diverse: destabilizing public sentiment through the spread of rumors, disguise, arson, surveillance, using my looks to seduce women, infiltration, and sabotage. Among those, inciting the expulsion of a specific person from a village was nothing.
"The lord is bringing his army! Everyone run!"
"Hey! Is that true?"
"It's because of the Gress Brothers! They stole Duchess Diana’s valuables, and the lord is genuinely pissed off and is going to invade our village!"
"What? The Gress Brothers?"
"Those guys...!"
"Damn it!"
"If the lord's army is coming, we're really finished! We have to find those Gress Brothers bastards and kick them out right now!"
The residents were scared out of their wits and began urgently rooting out the Gress Brothers who had been hiding in the village. Since the residents were helping out, everything went smoothly.
"Pack your bags and get out, you bastards! If you stay, we're all dead!"
"Let's drive out the Gress Brothers! Drive them out!"
I kept running around, inciting them, and moved when the time was right. There were about 30 members of the Gress Brothers. Taking advantage of the chaos while they were hurriedly packing their bags at dawn, I secretly subdued one of the sub-leaders and disguised myself as him.
"You, go quickly and pack the commissioned goods!"
"Yes!"
The leader, Gress, was completely fooled. He left the commissioned goods with me and immediately left to take command, and after loading the box containing the goods onto a wagon, I raced in the opposite direction of the ones leaving the village.
'Success, easy as that.'
The cool dawn breeze wet my face as I sat on the driver's seat. It was fun to work after such a long time. That’s the end of the story of how I was able to recover the box containing the cannon blueprints.
"I will express my gratitude formally! I am Elenore of Celester!"
Elenore suddenly knelt on one knee, bowed her head, and paid her respects to me.
"Not only did you save me, but you even helped me with my work. Thank you so much!"
"Your tone has changed?"
"I apologize for speaking to my benefactor so carelessly. From now on, I will serve you with the respect you deserve."
What is this? Her attitude, which had been haughty the whole time, had softened. Was she moved because I retrieved the requested item?
"Since I am a High Elf, I have a habit of looking down on humans... I am truly sorry. Please forgive me for being rude until now."
It was awkward for an elf to bow her head to me, a human, but it wasn't anything important, so I thought I'd just let it slide. It's not bad to be treated well.
"Do as you please. Anyway, we found the box, so let's get ready to leave. We have to go get paid by Duchess Diana."
"A-are you leaving right away?"
"It's better to get the reward quickly. Oh, wait, you haven't recovered yet, have you?"
"I apologize... my leg where I was hit by the arrow is still uncomfortable..."
"No, it's fine. Hmm... I guess we have to wait a little."
I waited until the day the mask production was completed, partly for Elenore's recovery. It felt like if I left Kirondaer's cabin once, I wouldn't be coming back. The village blacksmith finished the mask in an unexpectedly short time. It was completed in just two weeks after I requested it. He said the materials arrived quickly.
"How is it? Do you like it?"
"It's perfect. It's exactly as I imagined."
I put the mask on my head. Since it was made of high-quality material, it was comfortable without feeling like it was tightening my head. I could see well. I could also hear the surrounding sounds clearly.
"Why are you wearing a mask?"
Elenore, who had been watching from the side with bright, curious eyes, tilted her head. Elenore, who had been stuck to me every day for the past two weeks, had now completely lost her wariness and felt like a female friend.
"Why do you think? I'm wearing it to hide my identity."
"Yes...?"
The mask was made, and Elenore was fully recovered, so the preparations were finished. After that, I prepared to leave without delay. I had been here for too long. Let's stop being a burden to Kirondaer and move forward for my goal.
"Thanks for everything."
"Be careful on your way. If you have anything to contact me about, send a signal."
"Yeah. Stay healthy, Kirondaer."
"Yeah. We'll be leaving this cabin soon and moving to another place, too. Keep that in mind."
"Got it."
After a light hug with Kirondaer, I turned to look at Yeni, who was standing to the side. Her eyes were welling up with tears, as if she were sad about our parting.
"Yeni, you stay healthy and don't get sick."
"..."
She sniffled and nodded. I gave her a tight hug. Because I had been living healthily in the same room as Elenore, I hadn't had time to have a relationship with Yeni. Should I have called her out to the outdoors last night for a farewell sex... It’s a bit of a shame to part like this.
"I'm going now."
I climbed onto the wagon I had stolen from the Gress Brothers. Elenore sat in the seat next to me. She took the reins. I told her I would drive, but she adamantly refused and insisted on driving herself, so I gave in and let her. She said she had to start repaying her debt of gratitude one by one, starting with the small things. She told me to just rest comfortably throughout the trip. She said she was used to this kind of work.
"We're departing."
"Yeah."
The wheels of the wagon rolled with a clatter. I looked back and waved my hand. Kirondaer and Yeni waved back as well. The wagon moved further and further away from them. It signaled the start of a journey that hoped for the downfall of the Imperial Emperor.
"My Lady, are you having a pleasant day?"
Esmeralda looked on with curious eyes. Duchess Diana, who was sitting opposite her and drinking tea with grace, had been smiling and looking joyful for a while now. I had been secretly curious about that.
"If it's something good, please let me know."
"A letter arrived a little while ago, and it says the requested item has been recovered. They are on their way here with it now."
"The new cannon blueprints you mentioned before?"
"Yes, it is truly a relief. It would have been a big problem if we hadn't found them."
"Congratulations, My Lady. That's good news."
"It certainly is. I’ve taken a load off my mind. By the way, how is the painting coming along lately? Is it finished?"
"No, I haven't even drawn half of it yet."
Esmeralda smiled shyly and brought the teacup to her lips. The Duchess watched her with a satisfied expression. 'She is so beautiful, how did she end up coming all the way to this remote place and living alone?'
Esmeralda, in the prime of her dazzling age, was so beautiful that just looking at her was enough to distract one's mind, and her golden hair, which reached below her waist, was soft and lustrous, looking like the surface of a lake sparkling in the sunlight. She had an outstanding appearance that could not be described even with the phrase 'a beauty that topples kingdoms.' There were countless noblemen who had fallen head over heels for her beauty. Men had made constant romantic advances to win her over, but not a single one had succeeded. I heard that the number of men who had been hurt after being rejected so far was estimated to be over five thousand. Currently, there was hardly a young nobleman in the capital who hadn't confessed to Esmeralda. There were countless men who hid the fact that they had confessed because they were embarrassed to have been rejected.
"Shall we go see the painting for a change?"
"My Lady, it's still lacking a lot because it's not finished yet."
"It's alright. Even if it's not finished, I want to feast my eyes on it."
Duchess Diana headed to the studio with Esmeralda. She wanted to look at the painting Esmeralda had been engrossed in lately and solve her doubts. 'For what reason did this beautiful maiden fall for that person?'
She was very curious. It was a masterpiece measuring 256cm by 200cm on canvas. The title of the work, named by Esmeralda herself, was 'Nightstream, the Guardian Who Saved the World.'
The Duchess looked around the entire painting in front of the unfinished work. It was a black-haired Lurker standing dignifiedly, stepping on a mountain of monster corpses. In one hand, he held a brilliant, magnificent flag, and in the other, he held the head of the dead Demon Queen while staring confidently into the distance. His gaze was resolute and the very definition of bravery. The painting was dynamic and the colors were intense.
"You said this person is Nightstream, right?"
"Yes."
"Hmm... He is young and handsome, though."
The Duchess, who had been staring intently at the painting, smiled as she turned to Esmeralda.
"This painting is very excellent, but you must never release it to the world. Because the protagonist is a Lurker."
A few days later.
Duchess Diana almost fainted when she saw the man and woman who had come to visit her. She didn't feel much about the elf woman as she was someone she already knew, but the man... he was the spitting image of the man in Esmeralda's painting.
'Oh my goodness...!'
The Duchess's mouth fell wide open. When she looked at Esmeralda, who was by her side, she had a completely soul-lost expression on her face.