Chapter 100
Capella von Darius was a man too. 'Damn.' I grimaced at the pain shooting through my hand and hurriedly channeled energy into it. In that instant, a flicker of surprise crossed the duke's face—likely from sensing my altered power.
"Ho. Quite the gutsy kid, aren't you?" Capella grinned with evident satisfaction and finally released my hand. As I flexed my aching fingers, I noticed him finally acknowledging the saintess and Karen.
"Welcome, Saintess, and the magic tower's genius young lady."
"Yes, Duke. May the goddess's blessings be with you."
"...Thanks for the hospitality."
The saintess handled him with the polished ease of someone used to such scenes, while Karen seemed unsure how to respond. Even someone who scoffed at the emperor couldn't take Capella lightly.
"Now, ladies, why don't you enjoy some tea with my daughter? I've got business with the hero here."
"Ah, Father?"
Capella said that to Karen and Marian, then turned to me with a smile. A bad feeling stirred just then, as Jena tried to intervene—but a single glance from her father made her avert her eyes.
Jena. Is your loyalty really that shallow? I shot her a look tinged with disappointment, but in that brief moment, Capella stepped in to block my view of his daughter.
"Hero, you good with that?"
"Ah... I'm a bit tired."
"Didn't you say meeting me was an honor? Then we ought to share a drink, no?"
I swallowed hard, staring at Capella, who showed no intention of letting me go. No excuse would get me out of this. If you can't avoid it, might as well enjoy it—for your sanity's sake. Besides, I had info to pry from him anyway, so I had no choice but to accept.
**
"Hahat! You don't get drunk on an elder's booze, right?"
I scowled as Capella refilled my glass to the brim. I'd never heard that old saying in my life, and I'd already exceeded my limit chugging what he'd poured. Still, I couldn't dismiss it as total bullshit—maybe his grizzled mug came with a sobriety buff, because even over my limit, I felt steady enough.
"How's the elf situation?"
"Ah, right. You came to help them out?"
"..."
"Well, truth is, I don't know the details. Can't scout properly with the Great Forest in the way. But if the elves are calling for aid, things must be rough over there."
Capella drained his glass clean and shot me that blunt assessment. The elf queen requesting human troops? Sounded more serious than I'd thought.
"...You're not sending support?"
"Nope."
He shoved his empty glass at me with a stone-faced nod. As I poured, my mind raced. The palace had ordered me to the elves' lands, so he'd gotten something similar. Yet here he was in his domain. Elves wouldn't take kindly to human armies trampling their forest anyway. But with the queen personally asking for reinforcements, his inaction was downright odd.
"No word from the palace?"
"Oh, there was."
"...Then why're you still here?"
"Ha, I'm not some pup who jumps when the emperor snaps his fingers."
I couldn't help but chuckle at his booming defiance. Yeah, that tracked. The Capella I remembered lived by his own rules, not anyone else's.
"You don't like elves much, huh."
I'd reached the obvious conclusion. Even a headstrong old coot like him couldn't openly thumb his nose at imperial orders without some risk. If he really wanted to play it safe, sending a token force for show would've sufficed—and a sly fox like him would've thought of that. Yet here he was, doing nothing. That meant he had a damn good reason to ignore the elves' plea.
"Huh? You know something about those big-eared bitches?"
I smirked at his unexpected enthusiasm on that point.
"Oh, I know plenty."
"Yeah? You've dealt with those rotten cunts too, eh? Hah, honestly, I'd take the demon king's sudden bullshit over those pointy-eared pests any day."
With that, Capella unleashed a torrent of gripes, sounding like he genuinely despised elves. It was one-sided, but his stories made it easy to see why.
Elves did trade—a bit. Their closest spot was Darius territory, and every visit brought chaos, or so he claimed. Elves were a stunning race, no denying it. Sure, their hearts were rotten to the core, but humans without firsthand experience fell for the looks every time. Young men and maids in the villages swooned, agreeing to idiotic deals that bled the domain dry.
"And those bitches snatch all the profit then bolt back to the Great Forest. How could I not be pissed?"
I gave a wry smile at his indignant huffing. Elves did milk their beauty for all it was worth, stringing humans along without committing, then vanishing. Classic.
"Elves only care about themselves, after all."
"Ah, you get it? They never intended to give an inch—tease you with glimpses, then ghost. Not even a proper fuck, I mean."
"Pardon?"
I eyed him oddly. His rant felt less like hearsay and more like personal trauma. Elves weren't all female, obviously—males existed for breeding. Yet his rage zeroed in on the women. Suspicion hardened to certainty on my face, and reading it, Capella stammered excuses.
"Ahem! N-not me, mind you—the domain's folk... yeah, that's it."
"...Uh-huh. Sure."
His shifty eyes screamed he'd been burned bad, but I let it slide. From what I recalled, Jena's mom had died young, and I wasn't about to meddle in his bedroom secrets.
"No, really."
"...Yeah, got it."
But the oblivious geezer wouldn't drop it, insisting on his innocence. I'd tried to brush it off, but he clung like a dog with a bone.
"For real! Why don't you believe me?"
"Got it. I believe you."
"No, your face says otherwise."
"Nah, this is just my resting face."
"Hah, fine—count to five, and if I drop trou, will you buy it?"
I had no idea what baring his junk proved, but Capella stood, fingers on his belt, dead serious. I just stared, and he snapped back to his seat with a cough.
"Uh... keep it quiet from Jena, yeah?"
"Sure thing."
I nodded at his cautious plea, and he sighed in relief. It was a tad pathetic, but as a fellow man, I got it. Secret in hand, I smiled leisurely and tossed him the real question.
"So, you sitting this one out too?"
The wine suddenly tasted sweet.