Chapter 105
The hero stepped into the elf village. 'Elves, aren't they just pure beggars?'
Entering the elves' village, I couldn't help but recall my conversation with Duke Capella von Darius. Unlike the dwarves' city, which had been flashy and grand, the elves' village was literally nothing. The only things in sight were the occasional ramshackle huts clumsily built atop trees, and even those were crudely made beyond belief. No doubt the dwarves' dislike for elves was influenced by the state of their village. It felt so backward that even I, a human from a rural village, could sense it. Honestly, it looked worse than the shantytowns where the poorest folks lived.
Of course, having visited the elves' village in my previous life, the shock wasn't as great for me. But my companions' faces were filled with sheer astonishment.
"Eh, I didn't expect the elf village to be like this."
"Yeah, this is way out of left field?"
Karen and Jena von Darius were openly stunned, scanning the elf village without hiding their surprise. Dalshinyang, tied to my horse's saddle, wore an expression full of doubt, as if questioning why we'd waged war against such a place when there was nothing worth taking.
"But... doesn't it feel kinda off-putting in a weird way?"
Marian Delarossi, who came from Raksha Street, didn't seem too fazed by the village scenery, but even she muttered that it rubbed her the wrong way. Karen and Jena slowly nodded in agreement.
Of course, poverty itself wasn't the problem. But the attitudes of the elves who'd come out of their homes to gawk at us were more than enough to sour anyone's mood. Their faces were brimming with some strange sense of pride. What was it? Like they were asking if we could feel the dignity of the elf village that made dwarves fret, humans marvel, and demons envious.
'Hah, these beggar bastards.'
To reiterate, poverty wasn't bad. But acting like something utterly unremarkable was extraordinary was naturally infuriating. And I knew better than anyone why the elf village was in such a sorry state. They preached externally about living in harmony with nature, but in truth, they just hated the hassle of building houses or maintaining roads.
In the previous round, the elf queen had even joined my party just to squeeze something out of humans and dwarves.
"Ignore them. Just ignore."
Seeing my companions' faces starting to sour openly, I admonished them like that. After all, we had to fight alongside the elves, and there was no point wasting emotions on it.
"Are you... the hero?"
Heading toward the center of the elf village, our group finally met Elf Queen Isabela. She gazed at me with a haughty expression and asked.
True to her reputation as the elves' chief, beloved by the gods, she had a flawless appearance at first glance, her voice dripping with elegance. Her beauty was so overwhelming that even Jena, Karen, and Marian—women themselves—gaped in a daze.
But knowing exactly what kind of bitch Isabela was, I felt no particular thrill.
"You finally showed up? Beggar Queen?"
"Pardon?"
Isabela's face stiffened at my words. She blinked, unable to fathom that I'd said it to her.
"Ah, my bad. Pretend you didn't hear that."
I said that to Isabela, who was now glaring coldly, and soon heard a puh of stifled laughter from behind her. The culprit, laughing at this inopportune moment without a shred of tact, was a sturdy-looking man—probably the Light Sword that Duke Capella had mentioned.
"...That's rude for a first meeting."
Isabela shot a quick glare at the old man who seemed to be the Light Sword, then spoke to me.
"I said it was a slip. Don't be so petty."
"P-Petty?"
It wasn't actually a slip, but I shot back at Isabela with the most shameless face I could muster. Flustered by the counterattack, she bit her lower lip, realizing she'd only lose by pressing the issue.
"Hoo. If you say so, I won't ask further."
"Yeah. Slip of the tongue. Slip. Who'd dare call the noble Elf Queen 'Beggar Queen'?"
"... "
I could feel Isabela's body twitch again at "Beggar Queen." The watching elves, no fools, realized I was mocking their queen, and the forest air chilled in an instant.
"Ah, right. No human would ever think of the Elf Queen as a beggar."
The one who broke the mood was the Light Sword, Frank. His words didn't convince the elves, but it halved the hostility they'd directed at me.
'Hmm, first time meeting the Light Sword, but he's a bit awkward.'
I frowned slightly at the Light Sword grinning brazenly at me. Many of my favorite techniques were his, acquired after his death. He might grow suspicious of where I got them—and technically, they'd been stolen—so I felt a twinge of guilt inside.
"I didn't say beggar. I said Beggar Queen."
"Adding 'queen' to beggar—does that change anything? Right, my disciple?"
Amused by my retort, the Light Sword turned to the woman beside him. She had short brown hair, common on the continent, and gave a troubled smile at his words.
"Master, please..."
The woman responding to the Light Sword was tall and slender, with a toned body honed by training. Standing next to the Elf Queen, who was like a perfect greenhouse flower, she didn't seem overshadowed. Instead, she gave off a fresh, healthy wildflower vibe.
'Light Sword's disciple. Note to self.'
I eyed the Light Sword's disciple with interest, committing her to memory, then looked back at him. Sure, I felt a bit guilty toward him, but I hadn't used any techniques in front of him yet. Worst case, if he questioned the originals later, I could brazenly claim "imitation is the sincerest form of flattery" or some nonsense.
"Hoo... Anyway, you're here to help us, right?"
Feeling upstaged in the conversation, Elf Queen Isabela asked me directly. I nodded lightly, and her gaze shifted to scan my companions.
They might be ones I ignored, but they weren't the type to be dismissed anywhere. A saintess, a magic tower genius, and the daughter of the Darius family, after all.
"Hmm, so... that was a tactical blunder."
Muttering to herself, Isabela's eyes eventually landed on Dalshinyang dangling from my horse.
"And... what is that?"
Dalshinyang, bound and slung haphazardly over the saddle, didn't look like part of any hero's party to anyone.
"D-Dalshinyang? Your Majesty, that woman's from the demon army!"
Someone finally recognized her and shouted, and the gathered elves began murmuring.
"Dalshinyang... wasn't she the one leading the beastkin?"
"Definitely. How annoying she was on the last battlefield."
"The hero's different, alright. Capturing a demon army executive."
"Isn't Kauli leading the beastkin now?"
I glanced pathetically at Dalshinyang while listening to the elves' chatter. True to her arrogant nature, she'd racked up plenty of karma even among the elves.
"What happened? This needs explaining."
Elf Queen Isabela fixed me with demanding eyes, and the Light Sword peered at my face with keen interest.
The simplest way was to tell the truth. Say the fallen Dalshinyang had deserted the demon army and got caught in the process—no issues there. The elves' unkind stares at her might even earn us some favors.
'Though favors from beggars aren't worth much.'
But I had no intention of just handing her over. I wasn't about to watch the elves swallow whole what I'd worked hard to catch without lifting a finger.
"Hero, your answer?"
As the Elf Queen pressed, I slowly opened my mouth.