Chapter 44: Farewell to the Elf
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 44: Farewell to the Elf
If this cheap table makes a sound, I’m screwed.
Careful.
And more careful.
I focused every ounce of my being on sitting up without waking Alfia.
‘Ugh.’
I only had a little to drink, but my head was throbbing and my stomach was churning. It was moments like these that I truly appreciated how effective the Potion of Invulnerability was.
I’d almost passed out and slept straight through till morning.
‘Alfia is…’
Sleeping. I could hear her soft, shallow breaths.
It hadn’t been long since Alfia had started to properly handle her Servants. Flying through the sky while firing arrows must have been incredibly taxing.
It seemed unlikely she’d wake up unless I made a huge ruckus. Still, elves have naturally sharp hearing, so I had to be cautious.
I inhaled and exhaled, trying to clear the alcohol from my system. Thanks to the combination air purifier and forest-scented diffuser right next to me, my head cleared up quickly.
With a clear mind, I retraced the events of this journey, checking if I’d made any mistakes.
[Alfia, the Eternally Suffering Elf]
The conditions for Alfia’s complete liberation were split into two main parts.
One, liberation from her pain.
Two, restoration of her shattered self-esteem.
The first part involved caring for the drug-addicted Alfia, healing her wounds, mending her broken spirit, and giving her the will to live.
Then, I was supposed to have her participate in the Slave Festival hosted by the Roperman Group, win first place, and obtain the Scroll of Spirit Usurpation to resolve her suffering.
But I had intercepted Alfia.
Restoring her body and mind was out of the question, so I chose the path of archery. I obtained the Scroll of Spirit Usurpation not through the Slave Festival, but through force.
Next was the second part: restoring her shattered self-esteem.
This required making Alfia, who had been scorned by elven society and cast out of her village, win The Elven Dance Festival. It had to be a win. Second place wouldn’t cut it.
‘Honestly, this was the hardest part of Alfia’s story.’
While Mirabelle’s story was about uncovering the truth of an incident and reaching a hidden conclusion, Alfia’s was simple: it was all about growth.
That was why The Elven Dance Festival was entirely dependent on her combat prowess.
There were so many factions trying to keep Alfia down, especially that bastard Leon. His fighting skills were no joke, so to beat them all and win, I would have had to power-level Alfia like crazy.
But contrary to my worries, it was resolved so easily it felt anticlimactic. All thanks to a bizarre growth rate I’d never seen in the game.
‘I still don’t know the reason why.’
Was it because she started learning the bow so early?
I’m just that good.
“Mmm… The world’s strongest elf, Alfia, makes her entraaance…”
Alfia mumbled in her sleep.
She seemed to be having a good dream.
Now was probably the best time to leave.
To be honest, I probably didn’t need to sneak away from Alfia.
Mirabelle had her Distrust in Humanity passive, so I was worried about what might happen. And when I turned her into the Reaper’s daughter, she was fucking terrifying.
Back then, I genuinely felt my life was in danger.
Alfia wouldn’t be that extreme, but…
‘Still, why risk it?’
Elves are said to forge a soul pact with the partner they’ll spend their entire lives with, right? But I’d gone and done the terrible deed of clamping a shackle on that soul.
I’d ruined a perfectly good maiden’s marriage prospects. And there’s nothing scarier than the fury of a spinster. One wrong move and I’d get a knife in the gut.
‘Still, I got rid of her pain and made her the strongest elf. She can deal with it.’
I finished my preparations to leave.
This was goodbye to Alfia, too.
Just as I was about to walk out…
‘Should I at least leave a note?’
Mirabelle had Naredi, but Alfia didn’t. She had no friends in the Great Forest; she’d be shocked to suddenly find herself alone.
I’m such a great guy. Showing this kind of consideration even in a situation where I might get stabbed. I’m just too good, seriously.
I took out the pen I always carried and wrote on a large leaf.
‘I have somewhere to be, so I’m leaving… Sorry about the shackle, but there was a reason for it, so I hope you understand. Adults might be one way, but kids will like you if you’re pretty and strong, so you might get along with them if you talk…’
I filled it with some appropriate content and weighed it down so it wouldn’t fly away.
Now, I was really done.
“You promised, right? That you’d free me if I won the bet.”
The drinking contest with Alfia. We never set a time limit. I lost, so it was time to keep my promise.
Snap!
The crisp sound of a finger snap echoed through the cold dawn air.
The shackle on Alfia’s soul was retrieved.
[Liberation of “Alfia, the Eternally Suffering Elf” is complete.]
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Alfia Liliand, the playful flower.
She was a colorless weed that grew among magnificent blossoms. A weed wrapped entirely in thorny vines.
The sharp thorns pierced, scratched, and wounded her. Her body and spirit were tattered, shredded time and time again.
The prison of thorns, which held her so tightly she could not escape, also wounded any who drew near, and before long, she was all alone.
An elf who curled up inside the thicket, telling herself she was fine, hypnotizing herself into believing she was used to it, drifting further and further from reality. Within the thorny bush, she was slowly, so very slowly, withering away.
Slowly, over hundreds of years.
Like a leaf drying to a crisp.
But you alone did not leave her to be.
Heedless of your own wounds, you tore through the thorns, cutting them away to make a place for her to bloom. You instilled infinite faith in her when she doubted herself.
The flower, nourished by trust, embraced a will of its own and blossomed into a beauty beyond compare.
Alfia is no longer alone.
She is no longer in pain.
And it is okay, even if she hurts.
Because she has you, her very own little prince.
────────────
Alfia’s liberation is at 100%.
Reward: 50,000pt has been awarded.
The skill [Generous Master] has been slightly enhanced.
A new system has been unlocked.
※An additional reward exists.
────────────
Though you knew an easier path, you did not turn away from her suffering and chose the arduous road. The World Tree expresses its sincerest gratitude.
You are imbued with the Blessing of the World Tree.
────────────
You have acquired the new skill: [Blessing of the World Tree].
[Fully Liberate the Main Slaves. Progress: 2/5]
I’d check the rewards later. First, I had to get out of this forest…
“Where do you think you’re going at this hour?”
An ice-cold, melodious voice cut through the air.
It was Leon, leaning against a tree with his arms crossed. The laurel wreath was no longer on his head.
His bow had been shattered, but he was still the leader of the guardians. He couldn’t just wander around unarmed, so he had a temporary bow slung over his back.
“Were you watching me?”
“What a pointless question. Alfia may have won, but you are still a human and a slave trader. It would be stranger if I wasn’t watching you, in case you tried any funny business.”
“If you had been watching this closely before, Miss Alfia would never have been kidnapped in the first place.”
Leon glared at me as if he wanted to kill me, but he didn’t draw his bow. The tournament had ended in a day, but the festival was still ongoing.
The promise to protect me during The Elven Dance Festival was naturally still in effect.
“Don’t glare at me like that. I’ve freed Miss Alfia. I’ll be leaving the forest immediately.”
“What?”
“It’s a shame I had to meddle with her soul, but what can you do? The greater good requires sacrifice.”
“You’re just letting her go now? What’s your goal? What in the world are you plotting?”
Why is everyone so desperate to know my motives?
It’s really not a big deal.
“To liberate the pitiful from injustice. Nothing more, nothing less.”
“…You’re insane.”
After that sudden personal attack, Leon turned his body as if he had nothing more to say.
Hey, this son of a bitch.
Is he trying to land a cowardly parting shot and run?
“Where are you going?”
“My business here is done, so I’m returning.”
“No, I mean, where are you going? I told you I’m leaving the forest.”
“What does that have to do with me returning?”
What does it have to do with him?
“How am I, a frail human, supposed to get out of this rugged, maze-like forest all by myself? What if something happens to me? You have to follow me.”
“Why should I…”
“Hey, now! If you guaranteed my safety during the festival, you have to take responsibility until the very end, don’t you? Surely an elf wouldn’t break a promise with a human? Goodness, so much for elven pride. Even I, a human, keep my promises.”
“……”
Leon stared at me in silence for a long moment. Then, he wordlessly stood in front of me and started walking.
I had acquired a living GPS. Its name was Elf Guide. Hmm, has a nice ring to it.
“What are you doing? Not following? Don’t blame me if you get eaten by a demonic beast.”
But this GPS seemed to be an old model.
It needed a proper update.
Thwack!
I took off at a full sprint in a random direction. Leon, who had been walking ahead, whipped his head around at my sudden action.
“What—what are you doing?”
“Haha, are you just going to stand there gawking? What will you do if I die? Oh! A man-eating plant up ahead!”
“You son of a bitch.”
Leon nocked an arrow and gave chase.
And so, a chase that wasn’t quite a chase unfolded in the dead of night.