Chapter 207: The Elf's Journey Rides the Wind (3)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 207: The Elf's Journey Rides the Wind (3)
On her way to Kassilon, Alfia entered a nearby city.
She had covered a distance that would take months by horse in a very short time. But even for Alfia, who commanded Servants, crossing the continent was a strain. She needed to rest from time to time.
Just because elves lived in harmony with nature didn't mean they slept on the forest floor. Elves appreciated a soft bed, too.
‘Where should I go?’
Unlike in Vestia, the nation of beastkin, or Doomheim, the land of the dwarves, elves were welcomed in any human city.
This was because the spirits they commanded were a great help in daily life. For that reason, many nobles were eager to form friendships with elves. Befriending an elf could even elevate a noble’s reputation in high society.
To put it bluntly, if an elf were to barge into a lord’s castle and say, “I’m sleeping here tonight,” they would be offered the finest guest suite.
Of course, Alfia had no intention of doing that.
Narsha had strictly forbidden it.
She had told her it would be better to grab a passerby and ask for the best inn. Even now, Alfia had a pouch filled to the brim with gold coins. Narsha, knowing Alfia was naive and likely to be swindled, had packed it full so that even if she were cheated, she wouldn't get into any major trouble.
“Where’s the best inn in this city?”
“The best inn? That would be the Golden Villa. The rich and noble folk use it often.”
And so, Alfia got information about an inn from a passerby. Thanks to the hood hiding her ears, her identity remained a secret.
She headed straight for the inn the man had mentioned, following Narsha’s advice that the first thing to do when staying in a city was to secure lodging.
True to its name, the Golden Villa was a magnificent, gold-colored building. It looked more like a palace than an inn.
“How much for one night?”
“Ten gold coins. A warm bath is available, and meals will be brought directly to your room.”
“One night, then.”
She was only staying for a day, after all.
Alfia tossed the hefty sum without a second thought.
After securing her room, Alfia went back outside.
It was still too early to sleep. Since she didn't want to be cooped up in her room until sunset, she decided to look around the city.
The only city Alfia had ever seen was Noctar.
But there wasn't as much to see as she had thought.
In the first place, she hadn't felt any interest in anything since Karami had left.
Then, something caught her eye.
“Why aren’t you walking properly?”
A well-dressed man was whipping a woman in shabby clothes. It was a cruel act against a woman who was little more than skin and bones, dressed in what amounted to rags.
Alfia asked a bystander.
“Why is he doing that?”
“Why? Because she’s a slave.”
“What does being a slave have to do with being hit?”
“What, are you from some backwater village with no slaves? It’s because the slave isn’t listening.”
The master-slave relationship Alfia knew wasn't like this. Karami might tease her, but he had never once been cruel.
As a slave herself, Alfia knew this well.
But what was this? Wasn't this sadistic, as if he were dealing with an enemy rather than a slave? It was a sight that made one frown.
That’s what she should have felt.
“Agh!”
Unable to endure the harsh whipping, the woman finally collapsed to the ground. Looking at the scarred woman, Alfia’s heart began to pound.
She couldn't look away.
The emotion she felt as she looked at the woman wasn't pity.
It was envy.
The scars etched beneath the bandages on Alfia’s arm… she could almost feel the sensation of carving them again.
What if that were her?
What if Karami was the one wielding the whip?
If Karami whipped her…
What would that feel like?
A shiver ran down Alfia’s spine.
A thrilling sensation.
Just the thought of it gave her goosebumps.
“Hey, where do you think you’re going?”
When she came to her senses, Alfia found herself walking toward them as if possessed. The man flinched as the hooded stranger approached.
“Who are you? You got a problem with me hitting my own slave?”
A problem.
Not really.
It was closer to curiosity.
She was simply curious what pain inflicted by another would feel like.
Alfia took off her hood.
The master wielding the whip, the slave being beaten, and everyone in the crowd around them gasped.
“An… an elf?”
“It’s an elf!”
The man, who had been so arrogant moments before, couldn't help but shrink back at the appearance of an elf.
“W-wait a minute. She’s not an elf, she’s human. This is just a normal interaction between a master and a slave! I haven’t done anything wrong!”
“Who said you did? I’m not some reaper, why are you so scared? You’re making me feel awkward.”
“Th-then?”
Alfia grinned.
“Hey. How about you let her go, and do what you were just doing… to me instead?”
*
“Hahahaha! To think an elf would be interested in something like this. I never would have imagined! Well, I suppose every person in the world has their own quirks, so elves must be the same.”
Hugo, the man who had been beating his slave in the middle of the street, let out a hearty laugh.
Hugo, the insignificant illegitimate son of an insignificant baronial family.
Exiled to the frontiers, Hugo’s only pastime was buying and torturing slaves he found pleasing. An insignificant man with an equally insignificant hobby.
When Alfia first approached, Hugo had nearly pissed himself. Not because of her beauty, but out of fear for his life.
Elves were known to be a temperamental race.
Enslaving an elf was something that would make people ask, ‘You enslaved an elf? Are you out of your mind?’ Even Hugo, with his keen interest in slaves, wouldn't dare look at an elf.
Fortunately, that wasn't the case here.
On the contrary, wasn't she showing interest?
‘An elf interested in S&M. Eheheheh.’
This was a chance to legally whip an elf.
He had always been curious.
Just how would an elf cry?
He was sure that even her screams would be beautiful.
“This is my villa.”
Alfia arrived at Hugo’s private residence.
As they entered the building, they were greeted by slaves in shackles.
The slaves were dressed in maid outfits.
But they were different from ordinary maid uniforms.
The skirts were short enough to reveal their underwear, their midriffs were exposed, or they wore maid bikinis. The exposed skin was covered in the marks of beatings.
They all wore dark expressions, but Alfia paid them no mind.
The two soon arrived in the basement. Most basements had a similar atmosphere, but they differed slightly according to the owner’s tastes.
The tools, for instance.
Or the instruments.
Alfia showed interest in the objects she had never seen before.
“What’s this?”
“A triangular horse.”
“What’s it for?”
“You make a slave sit on it and hang iron balls from their ankles. The weight pulls them down, and the edge digs into their crotch. Watching them struggle is the most fun you can have.”
“Oh…”
The creativity of humans…
It was truly admirable.
“Alright, I think you’ve seen enough. Let’s get started. Stand over here.”
“What’s that?”
Hugo pointed to an X-shaped device.
“A restraint. Only when the body’s freedom is gone can one feel true, perfect pleasure.”
“Hmm…”
“Don’t worry. If you ask me to let you go, I’ll do it right away. I’m not an idiot, I don’t have the guts to harm an elf, you know?”
Alfia didn't hesitate for long.
She obediently took her place before the device.
Hugo, trying his best to hide a twitching smile, began to fasten shackles onto Alfia’s arms and legs. Her body was restrained in an X-shape.
“Pfft, pffhahaha!”
Unable to hold it in any longer, Hugo burst out laughing like a madman.
“Stupid bitch! That’s not a normal restraint, it’s a magic tool! You won’t be able to use your mana!”
Alfia clenched and unclenched her fist.
It felt as if her mana circuits were blocked by a barrier.
Just as Hugo had said, using her mana was difficult.
“You savages who just live cooped up in the forest are strong, but what do you know? To think an elf would walk right into my hands.”
If he could tame an elf, even his own family wouldn't dare treat him poorly. He would revive his family from the brink of collapse, and he, Hugo, would be the one standing proudly at its center.
Hugo took out the whip that was hanging from his belt.
Crack!
He swung it through the air, and the coiled whip unfurled.
“Don’t worry too much. Since you seem so interested in this kind of play… you’ll get used to it in no time!”
Hugo swung the whip.
It struck Alfia’s thigh.
Thwack!
A red line was etched onto Alfia’s fair thigh.
But Alfia didn't let out a moan, nor did her expression falter. It remained as impassive as ever.
“Oh? You can take it pretty well, can’t you? I like that even better. The most fun part is watching that expression crumble!”
Hugo whipped her without mercy. With each strike, a sound like tearing air echoed through the basement, leaving another mark on Alfia.
Others might find it strange, but Alfia had been secretly looking forward to this.
When she cut her own arm and watched the blood drip, a thrilling sensation had spread through her entire body.
But there was a limit to what she could do to herself. Her mind would arbitrarily decide that she couldn't go any further.
That was why she’d hoped that pain from another person…
That it might offer a different kind of sensation from self-harm.
‘Disgusting.’
Alfia was used to pain, so it didn't hurt much. The times the spirits rampaged inside her body were many times more painful than this.
But watching Hugo, who was cluelessly and excitedly swinging the whip, only made a feeling of revulsion well up inside her.
‘This feels awful.’
So, just inflicting pain isn't enough.
‘Who’ is inflicting it is what’s important.
She had learned something.
“Burn him.”
“Hah, hah… what?”
It happened in an instant. The moment Alfia’s lips moved, flames erupted and engulfed Hugo.
“Gyaaaaargh?! Wh-what? What is this! It’s hot! So hot!”
Hugo collapsed and rolled on the floor, desperately trying to put out the fire. But the flames showed no sign of subsiding.
“What are you just watching for? Put it out! Put this out for me!!!”
“I’d love to put out the fire for you…”
Clank, clank.
“But I’m tied up and can’t move. And my mana isn’t working either.”
“Guuuuugh!”
“Just bear with it for a little while. You like hitting people, so you must be good at enduring pain, right?”
Alfia smiled sweetly.
Depending on who it was, inflicting pain was more enjoyable than receiving it.
She had learned another thing.