Chapter 47
Chapter 47
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 47
Chapter Title: Return to the Mortal World - 10
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"Th-that smell! If someone tampered with the smell..."
"What are you getting at? Exactly what effect did my smell have on you? It wouldn't have made you disgusted for no reason."
Nerwen's words came out in a hesitant, anxious voice, far from her usual haughty, confident tone.
But it didn't seem like she was lying outright.
"That smell... it shook me. It subtly twisted my hand on the bowstring and filled my head with stray thoughts. Of course, I felt hostility toward you—and even toward the others with you at times."
"I see. Not anymore?"
She closed her eyes for a moment and drew in a breath through her nose.
"It's similar... but different. There's a positive scent mixed in now—one I can't help but acknowledge..."
"So what's your point? That I was controlling you, just like you suspected at first?"
But Nerwen shook her head firmly. If she'd agreed to that, I would've swung my holy sword in earnest.
"No, that's not it. I'm not suspecting you. What I'm suspicious of... is something else entirely."
"Something else?"
"I've thought about it for a long time. Fortunately, the elf elder who came in as my healer gave me at least some information."
She certainly looked like she needed healing. But I hadn't expected her to meet another elf in that prison.
"She said the source of the smell I was sensing was lust."
"What? So that nonsense you pulled on my bed just now..."
I hadn't gotten a clear read on the situation amid the shocking scene, but it definitely looked like she was sniffing something.
"You planned that from the start? Ha, this is insane."
"N-no! I didn't know either! Elves don't... reproduce in such lewd ways! I had no idea! How could I know what lust smells like? I know what scent humans give off when they feel lust, but I wouldn't know an elf's scent for it!"
I had no interest in elf physiology. What mattered was how this connected to her actions.
"Fine, I get that much. So?"
"Right now... the smell's still there, but it's much better. It would hurt without you around, but I wouldn't go berserk."
No matter how I looked at it, her behavior earlier wasn't normal, but I wasn't compassionate enough to worry about her.
"The important thing is, I don't hate it. At first, I thought it was just withdrawal from the sensations I'd always felt. But now I know for sure. This feeling isn't repulsive."
"...That's."
"Yes. You might think it's impossible, but it's not entirely out of the question. Who stands to gain the most from me feeling disgust and anger toward others?"
It was a ridiculous hypothesis, but if it were true, there was someone who naturally deserved suspicion.
"Manipulating the will and senses of the World Tree's Great Warrior from birth is incredibly difficult, of course. But slightly altering senses through a curse? That's not impossible."
And for someone like me—who wasn't even a mage—it was utterly impossible. Whether it was lust or whatever, manipulating scents was beyond my abilities.
But for a being with immense magical power, preparing it over a long time? Not impossible.
Besides, I had no plausible motive. If I'd schemed to embrace Nerwen, I would've done it when we met in the imperial palace.
But I hadn't.
If some irresistible emotional shift was truly happening inside her, if I was being fingered as the cause, and if I was now off the suspect list...
"Yes, I think... this is the Demon King's doing."
It was a suspiciously convenient explanation for the events.
Unlike the princess, the mage, or the saintess, who each clashed with me based on their own reasoning—whether I accepted it or not, they had their justifications.
But the elf was different. In a primal sense, she hated me because of a smell.
"Sure, if we go with that hypothesis, it explains a lot."
Why did she smell something off about me, when I was no different from anyone else?
The Demon King's curse.
Why was she trying to please me now, without any real reason, instead of hating me?
The Demon King was dead.
Not all curses vanished with the caster's death, but some required ongoing infusions of mana.
It wouldn't be strange if it faded naturally.
"Still, I'm not convinced. There's no proof it's true. And even if it is, I have no intention of forgiving you."
No matter what she said, Nerwen hadn't been under such heavy brainwashing that she lost all reason.
Even if I believed every word without a shred of doubt, the Demon King's only crime was making me smell weird to her.
The disgust, discrimination, and insults? All on her.
"I know. But... we can share the blame."
"What?"
"As I said, I intend to join your revenge. No matter who the target is."
Nerwen lightly picked up her bow from the edge of the bed. A fresh, subtle scent of wood, forest, and wind wafted out.
"No, even so, bringing a weapon you use in battle onto the bed..."
"It's clean. I can guarantee that... Anyway, I won't deny my fault in this."
She blushed slightly and placed her bow back on the nearby chair.
"But what you went through is everyone's responsibility. Don't you think it's wrong for someone to escape blame just because they 'didn't know'?"
Looking at Nerwen staring at me so confidently, her audacity was almost exasperating.
In truth, she might not have hated me at all.
She might have just seen me as a lowly creature reeking disgustingly, not worth genuine hatred.
"Feel free to take out your anger on me anytime. I can't lend the power of the World Tree's Great Warrior, but as an individual, do whatever you want to me."
"Not interested."
"Still, before you get your revenge on me, shouldn't you know exactly how much you deserve?"
It felt like I was being tricked somehow, but there was no way to clear up the doubts definitively.
"And you'll need leads on returning home. I heard you need phoenix remains?"
"...Yeah. You did say that."
I might not know much else, but info on returning was precious. Even the imperial library—or the mage—didn't have it.
"I don't know the location, but the old elf elders around the World Tree might."
"'Might' isn't very reassuring."
"There's a legend. I may not know about the remains, but even I—a warrior—have heard tales of where phoenixes gather."
"Hm..."
In a way, it made sense.
The empire collected humanity's most valuable knowledge.
In an era of vast regional disparities, remote areas might hold unique info, but anything buyable was already exhausted.
So, I needed info humans didn't have. And the easiest source was Nerwen the elf.
"Let's go to the World Tree together."
"...I really, really don't want to."
It soured my mood, but I needed it. No choice but to endure.
Still, imagining a long trip with this giant elf made a sigh inevitable.
"...Just until the World Tree. You've gotten better at persuading me."
"It's a chance to boss around the noblest-born person. For an ordinary person, not even a fortune would..."
Nerwen bit her lip slightly. Even bowing her head to me now would be hard for her pride.
"No, if my wrongs toward you weren't unwitting, it's an opportunity money can't buy."
After much deliberation, I nodded.
Hating was exhausting. If she suffered more than the time I'd endured, and if I returned to Earth with her help someday.
If I never saw her face again, letting emotions fade into mere facts in memory.
If, amid the journey to defeat the Demon King, she tormented me endlessly but ultimately helped at the end—that fact alone remained.
I might not forgive her, but burying the hatred in time? Possible.
"...Fine."
Revenge was necessary, of course. But what I wanted was a happy life. Revenge was just the means.
If I had to let something go, I would.
"For now, just one punch."
"Hm?"
With a loud thud, she tumbled ignobly to the floor. No scream escaped Nerwen's lips, but the wooden floor groaned pitifully as it cracked under her.
"We leave tomorrow. You pay for the floor. I'm switching inns, so meet me at the central fountain in the square in the morning."
"Urk... U-understood."
I savored her pathetic collapsed expression for a moment, then opened the door and stepped out of the inn.